"What have you done?" Sabrina asked.
"I'm granting myself a wish," he replied. "I wanted to be powerful enough to make the people I love happy. I've been miserable, Sabrina. Happy is better. You can be happy, too. Wish for something, Sabrina. Anything. I can make it happen."
"But look at the cost!" Granny Relda said as she hovered over Mayor Charming's elderly body. Snow White lay next to him, reaching for his hand with her bony, arthritic fingers. "The price is too high."
"Don't cry for them," Uncle Jake said. "The Everafters have had their day in the sun and it was a long, long day. With their power, I can re-create this world as a paradise where 'happily ever after' isn't just for a bunch of bedtime stories come to life. It's time for all of our dreams to come true! And I'm starting with you."
Suddenly, the pulsating blue orb reappeared in his hand. It twisted and turned until it divided itself in two, creating an identical twin. He tossed the second orb to the ground at Granny Relda's feet and once it was at rest it grew in size, morphing and bending. When the transformation was complete, an old man stood in its place. He had broad shoulders, blond-streaked gray hair, a beard, and a familiar toothy smile. Sabrina had seen him many times in photographs hanging throughout the house, but that was the only place the old man still existed. He was Basil Grimm, the girls' grandfather and Granny Relda's husband.
"Relda?" the old man asked, looking slightly confused.
Granny Relda burst into tears and buried her face in her hands. The old man rushed to her side and embraced her, but she pulled away.
"It's not right," the old woman said. "Send him back."
"No!"
Uncle Jake cried. Discouraged, he turned to Daphne and smiled. "I know something you want." The blue orb divided again and the man tossed its duplicate at the little girl's feet. Once again, the orb grew and morphed, but this time, instead of creating another person, it became a door, standing in space, and someone was knocking on the other side.
"Open it," the man said. "It's for you."
Daphne backed away from the door and shook her head. Uncle Jake frowned but then raised his hand and the door swung open on its own. Behind the door were Henry and Veronica Grimm. They rushed through the doorway and swept the little girl up in their arms, kissing her over and over dozens of times. Henry and Veronica raced to Sabrina and embraced her as well. "It's like a dream," Sabrina said.
"Okay 'Brina, what'll it be?" Uncle Jake said. "Make a wish. But I already know what you want. You want power, and not like that crummy wand you had to surrender. I'm talking real power--the kind that moves mountains and boils rivers. Your family would never die. You would always be happy. No more monsters. No more fairy tales. You could change everything."
Sabrina's heart raced with possibilities. Just standing near Uncle Jake was like an incredible feeling, more intense than holding the Wand of Merlin, more like being the wand itself. With the kind of power Uncle Jake offered she could erase the last year and a half like they had never happened; no orphanage, no giants, no monsters, no bad guys. She could heal Puck. There were no limits to the possibilities. Her imagination washed over her, showing her millions of options for a happy life.
"Sabrina," Granny said. "How much are you willing to pay?"
Sabrina glanced around the room at the Everafters. Some of them had already died. Others were pulling in their final breaths. Was her happiness worth their lives? Worse, could she resist the temptation even if she knew what the right thing to do was?
"I know what I want, Uncle Jake," Sabrina said.
Uncle Jake smiled and gave her a wink. "Make it count!"
"Uncle Jake, you're smart, you've got a great family, and you're a Grimm," Sabrina said. "I wish that deep down you had always known how much power that gave you."
Uncle Jake looked strange. His eyes began to well with tears and then the school began to rumble. Suddenly, a flood of memories rolled through Sabrina's mind. She watched how she had met her Uncle Jake and how he taught her to use the wand. She watched Granny Relda catch them in the Hall of Wonders, and their battle with the Jabberwocky at the diner. She even saw some of her nightmares flash in front of her, as well as the dramatic return of Mr. Canis. It all happened the same way it had, except for one shocking difference. When Uncle Jake killed the Jabberwocky, the fight was over. He didn't attack the Blue Fairy. He was content with how it ended and he hugged his mother.