After their near-miss with Lord Tubbington, Chris, Darren, Kurt, Blaine, and Froggy were glad to put the giant's castle far behind them.  As they finished making their way down the beanstalk and finally touched solid ground, all five let out a collective sigh of relief.

“Let's go see Unique,” Blaine suggested, “and find out how she feels about being part of the Wand of Wonderment.”

They walked across the lawn to Blaine's former residence, where the magic harp had been living alone for the past year.  As they stepped through the front door, they could hear Unique's voice:

On my own

Pretending hes beside me

All alone

I walk with him til morning

Without him, I feel —

The song ended abruptly when Unique caught sight of her visitors.  “Oh, Blaine!  I see you've brought company.  How fabulous!  Were you successful in your quest?”

“Not exactly,” Blaine said a little sheepishly.  “You see, we were hoping to find the giant's most prized possession…”

“You were?  Why didn't you say something sooner?  I could have saved you a climb.  You must have realized by now that the giant never possessed anything else even remotely as valuable as I am.”

“No false modesty here, I see,” Kurt said with amusement.

“Hey - when you've got it, flaunt it.  And I, for one, have definitely got it!  After all, I am Unique.”

“Oh, believe me, I know that you're priceless.  But I have no idea how this is supposed to work,” Blaine admitted.  “We're collecting items to create the Wand of Wonderment, so that we can defeat the Enchantress.  And so far, everything else we've gathered has been a small, material object.  I'm not sure how you fit in.”

“Well, I am magic,” Unique pointed out.

“That you are,” Blaine agreed with a smile.  “So, will you join us on our travels, and help create the wand when the time comes?”

Batting her golden eyelashes, the magic harp replied coquettishly, “I thought you'd never ask.”

Kurt and Blaine hoisted Unique between them, and they all made their way back to the flying ship.  As they came aboard, they noticed that there was no sign of Rachel anywhere.

“Queen Red must still be in her castle, huh?” Darren observed.

Froggy looked uncomfortable.  “I'm not sure whether Red will be joining us on the rest of this mission.”

Kurt's face lit up at the sound of that, but he quickly schooled his features into a concerned expression when he saw how upset Froggy was.  “What happened?”

“Come on — there's no point in anyone pretending not to have noticed that being on this quest together has brought back the, um… feelings… that Red used to have for Blaine.  And the fact that she and I haven't been able to kiss because of this stupid curse, not to mention the fact that I've been transformed back into a frog, certainly hasn't helped matters any.  I'd been trying to ignore the situation, but when I finally couldn't take it anymore and called her out on it, she got all huffy, and she hasn't spoken to me since.”

“I'm sorry, man,” Darren said.

Chris gave Froggy a sympathetic look.  “I know things are tough right now, but don't give up hope.  I think she'll come around.  After all, the Mirror of True Love said that the two of you are meant to be together, and the mirror never lies.”

Darren turned his heart-eyes on Chris at that statement, while Blaine and Kurt gave each other a similar look.

Just then, Rachel herself walked up the gangplank onto the deck of the ship.  She was holding a bouquet of water lilies, which she presented to Froggy.

“I've been a fool,” she said.  “Forgive me?”

Froggy's wide mouth broke into an even wider grin.  He began to sing, with a voice that was all Finn:

Guess this means youre sorry

Youre standing at my door

Guess this means you take back

All you said before

Like how much you wanted

Anyone but me

Said youd never come back

But here you are again

Cause we belong together now, yeah

Forever united here somehow, yeah

You got a piece of me

And honestly,

My life would suck without you…

Rachel came in on the second verse:

Maybe I was stupid for telling you goodbye

Maybe I was wrong for trying to pick a fight

I know that Ive got issues

But youre pretty messed up too,

Either way I found out Im nothing without you

Cause we belong together now yeah

Forever united here somehow yeah

You got a piece of me

And honestly,

My life would suck without you...

Froggy took the bridge:

Being with you

Is so dysfunctional

I really shouldnt miss you

But I cant let you go

oh yeah…

Cause we belong together now yeah

Forever united here somehow yeah

You got a piece of me

And honestly,

My life would suck without you

The two voices blended together perfectly on the final chorus:

Cause we belong together now yeah

Forever united here somehow yeah

You got a piece of me

And honestly,

My life (my life) would suck (would suck) without you…

…

Dinner on the flying ship that evening was a festive affair.  Red had arranged for her servants to deliver a feast from the castle kitchens — a six course meal with a different bottle of wine for each course.  Those who had climbed the beanstalk had worked up quite an appetite, and were voraciously eating, drinking, and making merry.  Rachel, who wasn't as famished as the others, kept passing bits of food under the table to Roary.  And Unique, who had no need (or ability) to eat, entertained them all with one song after another.

After the meal, Chris and Darren retired to their quarters on the lower deck.  It had been a long day, and they were worn out from their climb, as well as the mad dash away from the giant's cat.  They cuddled up together under the covers and were soon fast asleep.

Chris hummed in contentment as he gradually regained consciousness the following morning.  His back was pleasantly warm where Darren was pressed up against him.  Chris wiggled his ass, snuggling more tightly into his boyfriend's embrace. 

Darren's hand began tracing lazy patterns across Chris's chest under his t-shirt.  Chris let out a soft, involuntary sound as Darren's fingertips grazed his nipple.  Emboldened, Darren slung one leg over Chris's, drawing him even closer.  He nuzzled into the back of Chris's neck as he allowed his hand to slip lower.

Suddenly fully awake, Chris forced himself to roll away.  “Dare, stop.  We can't.”

“I fucking hate this curse!” Darren shouted, leaping up from the bed.  His eyes were wild, and frustration was pouring off of him in waves.

Darren's reaction was so dramatic, Chris didn't know whether to laugh, scream, or cry.  He settled on trying to calm his boyfriend down.  “Sweetie, I know.  I hate it, too.  And believe me, I'm just as frustrated as you are.  But we've already got half of the items we need for the Wand of Wonderment.  We just need to stay strong for a little while longer.”      

Standing up and taking Darren's hands in his, Chris began to sing:

Youre not alone

Together we stand

Ill be by your side

You know Ill take your hand

When it gets cold

And it feels like the end

Theres no place to go

You know I wont give in

No I wont give in

Keep holding on,

Cause you know well make it through

Well make it through

Just stay strong

Cause you know Im here for you

Im here for you

Theres nothing you can say

Nothing you can do

Theres no other way when it comes to the truth

So keep holding on

Cause you know well make it through

Well make it through

Darren smiled ruefully before joining in:

So far away

I wish you were here

Before its too late

This could all disappear

Before the doors close

And it comes to an end

With you by my side

I will fight and defend

Ill fight and defend

Yeah yeah

Keep holding on,

Cause you know well make it through

Well make it through

Just stay strong

Cause you know Im here for you

Im here for you

Theres nothing you can say

(nothing you can say)

Nothing you can do

(nothing you can do)

Theres no other way when it comes to the truth

So keep holding on

Cause you know well make it through

Well make it through

Chris's clear voice soared into the bridge:

Hear me when I say, when I say Ill believe

Nothing's gonna change, nothing's gonna change destiny

Whatevers meant to be will work out perfectly

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Darren swung Chris into an impromptu dance as they sang together:

La da da da

La da da da

La da da da da da da da da

Keep holding on,

Cause you know well make it through

Well make it through

Just stay strong

Cause you know Im here for you

Im here for you

Theres nothing you can say

(nothing you can say)

Nothing you can do

(nothing you can do)

Theres no other way when it comes to the truth

So keep holding on

Cause you know well make it through

Well make it through…