"Wonderful projects, all of you," Mr. Cooper congratulated.
Kim was willing to bet that most of the class wasn't even listening and quite frankly…probably didn't care how they had done. That was just the Cross you bore for having History the last period of the last day before Christmas break. Kim herself was really in the mood to just get out and start celebrating. But, she had to admit, Mr. Cooper wasn't just blowing smoke. Her classmates had come up with some truly spankin stories.
Sneaky little Tara really had been putting her on when they first started. The Erie Canal? Her ancestor, Amos Eaton, had been one of the principal engineers on one of the biggest engineering projects in American History? Everyone, both Wesen and Human alike, had some amazing family stories. Mindy Hoffman's great grandmother had been in the Norwegian Resistance during WWII, Charlie Hermann's five times Great Grandfather had been on the Lewis and Clark expedition (unusual for a Seelengut), and Josh Manky's four times Great Grandfather had been a surveyor for the Railroads after the American Civil War. What's more, everyone had seemed tremendously proud of what they had found. And why shouldn't they be? Kim just wished she'd been able to see Ron or Monique's project.
"Well, ladies and gentlemen, here's hoping you all have a fun and above all SAFE holiday," There was a series of eye rolls. "You are free to go in three…two…one and a half…one and a third…oh, what the heck. Go on and scram."
The inhabitants bolted out of the classroom like a pack of hungry Löwens. For the next three weeks, they didn't have a care in the world, Kim most of all. Sleeping in, spending days on end at Aunt Amy's, it was going to be absolutely SPANKIN! She could smell the wood polish and linseed oil now!
Kim came to a halt at her locker and was greeted by Ron with a kiss on the cheek.
"Hey, pretty lady," Ron flashed that goofy…yet still utterly dazzling…smile and wrapped an arm around Kim's waist. "So a certain someone happens to have two tickets to go see Fearless Ferret Redux tomorrow night."
Kim couldn't help but smile. Ron thought he was SO smooth. "Would this certain someone happen to be looking for a lovely lady to go with?"
"Well...I mean…with it being the holidays, there's some pretty stiff competition but…"
Why that little…so he was going to be FUNNY, was he? "Well, tell that certain someone he's not as funny as he thinks he is…and I'll be ready at 7:00?"
Sometimes even Kim didn't know how it had happened…but there was absolutely no doubt in her mind. She loved Ron Stoppable with all her heart. For as long as she could remember, Ron had been her number one best pal. They'd shared secrets, experiences both good and bad. If there had always been one person in this world who knew her best, it was him, but…even as soon as a year ago, if you'd told her that she'd be feeling this way, it would've been utterly and absolutely inconceivable. The last few months had been anything but easy but…if anything, they'd only made her feelings stronger. She'd been in a very dark place after the kidnapping but…the man standing before her hadn't been about to let her stay there for a single moment.
"Ronald Stoppable," Kim gazed into those breathtakingly beautiful brown eyes and smiled. "Have I told you lately that I love you?"
"Well…not since lunch…but I DO like hearing it," Ron sighed, taking Kim's book bag while she pulled on her coat. "Especially since I love you more!"
The pair walked hand in hand out to the student parking lot. As a wave of chilly December air hit the hoard of fleeing students, Kim snuggled up close to her boyfriend, savoring the added warmth of his feathers as he woged just to keep her warm. Mannschaft Falke, Fuchsbau, so many Wesen didn't know how good they had it, having that extra layer of fur or feathers to keep warm.
If you could say anything about Kim's "new" car it was pretty good in the winter. The green 2005 Ford Focus had been kind of an early Christmas present. Kim had had a bit saved away and Grandma and the parents had agreed to chip in for the rest, for some long overdue Christmas and Birthday money, Grandma had said. It got Kim from A to B and Aunty Amy had paid her more than enough for the gasoline…and it sure beat riding Ron's scooter in the winter! The pair climbed inside and buckled in. Kim threw the vehicle into drive and pulled out into traffic.
"So," Kim began. "What are you getting me for Christmas?"
Ron was completely silent. So…he wanted to play it THAT way, did he?
"Come on," She was driving so unfortunately her patented puppy dog pout wasn't in her available repertoire so she tried to sound as sweet as possible. "Please? I've seen you in the store," Darn it; still nothing. "If you tell me, I might tell you what I'm getting you for Hanukah."
"You have no power here, Kimberly Anne Possible," Did he have to look so smug about it? If she could've deployed the dreaded PDP, Ron would've…well…he wanted to surprise her…and if she was honest with herself, she didn't really expect Ron to tell her. He really was so sweet.
Kim pulled to a halt outside Ron's house. The two shared a kiss and a promise to call and were greeted by Mrs. Stoppable waving from the doorway. She really was so nice, always treating Kim like a daughter.
Pulling away, Kim looked at the clock on the dashboard. 3:15? She was actually early. Aunt Amy was expecting her at the store. Most of it would be store work but…Aunt Amy had been in DC on a buying trip and the new purchases were supposed to be arriving tomorrow!
Middleton wasn't really that crowded considering it had just been flooded with high schoolers without much else to do. Most of the businesses had had their decorations up since the end of Thanksgiving. Kim could still remember herself and Monique running through the store, stringing up tinsel and hanging decorations on a pair of trees. Aunt Amy had confided in Kim that since this was Monique's first Christmas since the adoption had been made official, Aunt Amy really wanted to go all out this year, swing for the fences as it were. And Kim was just fine with that. Hopefully, the music/jewelry box Kim had been working on restoring would be a good start too.
Kim pulled up the driveway next to the workshop and climbed out, a smile on her face and a song in her heart. This was going to be a great Christmas. Kim could just feel it.
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Man, Anne had been SOOOO close! Only ten more minutes and she could've clocked out free and clear with not a single call and a completely empty morgue. Which, quite frankly, would've been just fine with her; it hadn't really bothered her at first but…God, she could feel her stomach churning like she'd swallowed a tilt-a-whirl. She'd managed to keep down lunch with Mom and Amy but…there had been a few close calls today, Anne almost having to run for the nearest bathroom or bucket. And then, as if to be the final nail in the coffin, the call came, two bodies found near the park and ride lot just off the freeway.
Still, it was late enough that all she would likely do is perform her preliminary inspection and then see to the transportation back to the office. Anything more than that, nobody would blame her if she put it off till tomorrow, especially given the way she was feeling. It wasn't exactly conducive to solving the case when you proceeded to vomit all over evidence.
Charlie pulled the van to a halt in the park-and-ride and climbed out with her bag. The call had said two bodies turned up when a couple's dog had gotten out and started digging into a nearby snowbank. All the initial officers would say was that it wasn't pretty.
The responding officer, one of the rookies on the force, greeted Anne, looking like she felt about as bad as Anne herself did. Kneeling down to look at the pair of bodies, she couldn't really blame the poor kid.
Well…there were no obvious signs of death but it looked as if whoever had done this had taken…lit a baseball bat on fire…and used these two for batting practice. Both victims were male, late 20s or early 30s, and both in pretty good shape. The clothing, pretty high end stuff, seemed to have fused to wherever the flaming object made contact with the skin. Anne drew her instruments and, factoring the environment and other external factors, time of death was…between sixteen and eighteen hours ago.
"I've got a gun over here," One of the CSU techs called out. "Hey, Doc; did either of the vics fire a gun?"
Well, this had just gotten interesting. Whoever…whatever…may not have gotten a complete jump on these two? Anne pulled out a vial of liquid paraffin and a scalpel. Scraping off a few of the skin cells into the vial. Sealing it up and giving it a good hard shake, sure enough if it didn't turn a dark red, signifying the presence of gunpowder. So there had been gunfire? Neither had any obvious bullet wounds of any sort so they had to be shooting at the attacker; so…unless someone…or several someones… actually HAD taken a flaming baseball bat to these two, this had all the indications of being Wesen-related. What immediately came to mind was a Dämonfeuer. They were strong, fire breathing…but…if it was, there would've been signs of feeding. When they could get it, Dämonfeuer usually fed on humans, making them something of a rarity in such a Wesen-saturated community as Middleton but…this couldn't be a Dämonfeuer! The burning was just too…focused. If these two got in the way of a "dragon", the burning would've been spread across their bodies. These…these were most definitely blows from a blunt object or…possibly even a fist.
"This had better be good," Anne heard Mack call out as she arrived on scene. "I was getting ready for a particularly enjoyable date tonight. Guy had center ice tickets to the Mastodons game tonight. "What have we got?"
"Two vics," Anne replied. She…something didn't feel right. "No ID on their person but based on body temperatures outside, I put time of death around 2 am this…COUGH…morning. I…I can't determine cause of death yet but…"
"You okay, Anne? You look a little…"
Oh God…she felt like she was going to…
…GULP…
Oh God…she was going to…she needed to find a…her eyes fell on a nearby trash can. She hoped to God nobody was in her way. She darted over, ripped off the lid, and was suddenly very glad she'd chosen a simple French dressing on her salad at lunch. At least it tasted the same coming back up.
"Woman's fished a severed head out of a pool of stagnant water and hardly bats an eyelash," She heard Mack chuckle. "Our ME loses her lunch over a few burns?"
"Screw…HEAVE…YOU," Anne gasped!
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What fresh Hell was it going to be now? Anne leaned back on the examination table in an attempt to quiet her stomach. The ride to Middleton General had been…eventful. Anne had spent the entire trip in the back of Mack's squad car with a bucket…and an unending stream of truly idiotic jokes from Mack…and now she found herself waiting.
Lucy Miller hadn't exactly been thrilled about having to stay late but…it was one of the perks of being a friendly Grimm in a Wesen city. A LOT of said Wesen ended up owing you favors. The two had known each other from Med School and Anne had just happened to be present when a particularly thick…and even more drunk…Dickfellig had tried to make a move on the young Scharfblicke. Kim and Lucy's daughter Wendy were on the cheer team together and on pretty good terms…and okay; Anne HAD collected a lot of favors and she wasn't about cashing them in.
Anne heard Lucy come back in and slowly forced herself back up into a sitting position. "Well," Lucy began. "I ran the full gauntlet of tests. How long did you say this nausea had been bothering you?"
Ann thought back. "Maybe a little over a week now; I mean, I didn't start vomiting until today but its kind of felt like my stomach's been churning for a while. What'd the tests say?"
"Well…you and I are approximately the same age; right?" Anne nodded. "Have you shown any signs of menopause yet?" Not…not that Anne had noticed. Granted, the last few weeks had been a new definition of chaos but…mood swings and hot flashes would definitely have still been something she'd have recognized. "Well then, the test results support only one conclusion. Anne Possible…you are pregnant!"
"I…I'm…pregnant?" Anne could feel her eyes grow wider.
"A little over a month along now, I'd say," A smile spread across Lucy's face like a wave. "From your dumbstruck expression, I'd wager that this is something of a happy accident?"
She…when…how did…oh! That night before the conference in Philadelphia came crashing down on her. That had to have been it! Things had…well…they had moved pretty fast and…it WAS the first time they'd been alone in the house in…MUCH too long…and in the heat of the moment, they must've…must've…Anne looked down at her stomach. She was…pregnant. She and James were…they were going to have another baby!
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Hurry home; got big news.
Kim glanced at the text from Mom. Big news? What could've possibly come up? She turned around to glance at the clock above the cash register. Not quite 7 o'clock? That meant she had close to another two hours to find out the big scoop. Unless…no; the list of recipients included Aunt Amy so pumping her for info would've been a waste but…what was the drama? Her hunch was that it was good. Otherwise, Mom probably wouldn't have bothered to text Kim, let alone Aunt Amy. What was going on?
The bell the front door chimed, pulling Kim out of her internal musings. Kim had spent most of her shift running the store with Aunt Amy in the workshop tending to orders…which wasn't such a bad thing. It was kind of a thrill, making a sale, and Kim couldn't deny that the extra commission Aunt Amy paid her on some of the bigger items was a definite plus. Still…part of what attracted Kim to this business was working with her hands, restoring a piece of history. It was like…almost like bringing history back to life.
Her customer…or customers as she later found out…were men, pretty well-dressed. Aunt Amy's services were pretty well-known in Pennsylvania and the surrounding States and that attracted all kinds to Middleton. Kim snagged her blue-tinted glasses, as a precaution, and ran over to greet them. Nobody had ever really been able to explain to Kim how Wesen was able to tell a Grimm from an ordinary human being, other than it had something to do with the Grimm's eyes. To that end, in an attempt to avoid sending potential customers from running for the next state, Aunt Amy had presented Kim with a stylish pair of blue sunglasses. "For her light sensitivity", Aunt Amy hade joked. And they seemed to work too. Wearing them around unfamiliar customers had become so natural that she'd taken to always wearing them at work, part of her look.
"Welcome to Buried Treasures," Kim smiled and gestured towards the counter. "Can I help you two find anything?"
The pair turned and…Kim's mind flashed immediately to the pistol Aunt Amy kept under the register. Now that she'd had a good look, these two looked almost like they'd been snatched out of a bad mobster movie. One of them was all business, a face looking like it was etched out of granite…and etched with a permanent scowl. The other…Kim had to fight from slugging him across the jaw. She couldn't tell if the Godfather reject was sizing her up or…or undressing her with his eyes. Ugh! This guy had to be at least 30 and…and Kim was in high school for Heaven's sake.
"We'd like to speak with the owner of this establishment," The serious one muttered. Was that a French accent?
"Yeah…so scurry back and get her," That bastard was staring at her like a piece of meat. It…it made her skin crawl. If he so much as made a MOVE towards her she'd bring him to his knees and give him a headache for the ages!
"I'm sorry," Kim replied calmly…but giving Mr. Casanova a steely-eyed glare. "She's working on restoring a cabinet and can't be disturbed.
This time, the serious one was fixing her with a gaze, though she was certain that HE was sizing her up. No doubt he thought himself a predator…but a predator facing another predator. There was the Smith & Wesson Revolver under the register. There was a dagger strapped to the edge of the counter. She had one of her trusty kukris next to the door to the workroom. She could get to either of them and…both of them woged! They were…oh God! They were Hässlich! All of a sudden…could they see? Did they know about what she…Kim's mind flashed to Tara. They…they couldn't be here for her…or any of the other Eisbeber in town…could they?
Their woge disappeared and Mr. Serious nodded to the door. The slime ball gave Kim one last grin and headed for the door. "We'll return at a later time then. Merci beaucoup."
The black-clad figure shut the door behind him and…
…GASP…
Kim heaved a breath that she hadn't even realized she'd been holding in. She felt like…like she was back in that dark street, bloody kurki still held firmly in her hands. She…she'd just hurled the other into a…
"Kimmie? Was that a customer? I…Kimmie?"
The scene before Kim vanished in a puff of smoke, replaced once again by the antique store, the dead Hässlich replaced by Aunt Amy. Oh God…Kim wrapped her arms around the older woman. The unexpected action must've shocked Aunt Amy into woging. A blanket of fur tickled Kim's cheek.
"I…we…we had two…two Hässlich…come into the store," Kim gasped, trying to get control of herself. "They asked…to see you and…"
"Kim," Aunt Amy's voice became dead serious, her arms holding her adoptive niece protectively. "Did they try anything?"
"No," Kim's breathing was coming more regularly now. "No, I…one of them was eyeing me and I…I just got a little freaked out. I'm okay, really. It's just that…seeing them just sort of brought back memories of when Tara…you know…was taken."
"Hey, I absolutely know," Aunt Amy squeezed her niece just a little harder. "Being a Grimm, even a friendly one, you are going to see some pretty nasty stuff, stuff my little niece would never have to see if I had any say in the matter," Aunt Amy gave her one last squeeze, a kiss on the forehead, and let her go. "I'm sure it was nothing. You scratch a Hässlich and you're almost assured to find a crook but…hey, even Al Capone appreciated antiques," She glanced over at the clock. "Hey, why don't we close up a little early and go find out what that big news was that your Mom mentioned? We can swing by Tara's on the way, if you want, and go check on her."
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Marco gazed through his set of binoculars as the lights of the store were shut off and the pair of vehicles exit the driveway and head south. Man, he'd been hoping for more from this trip than to just scope out that hot redheaded tail…not that he didn't appreciate it…but they needed to know for certain if the kid was a Grimm for this to work. With those stupid blue glasses…he just couldn't tell. If they were going to get the help they needed to pull off this hit, they needed to be ABSOLUTELY sure!
Giuseppe and the rest of those bastardi had been sent to Erie to keep them from embarrassing the family any more than they already had, and yes, as something of a second chance at redeeming themselves. They'd actually looked to be making a decent go of it. Not to mention the fact that they'd managed to recruit some truly first class tail at that club they'd set up.
But then came those reports in September, reports of some insane fire-throwing Wesen that absolutely no one could identify and a pair of red-headed Grimms teaming up with some Balam from the Erie PD. The only thing anyone knew for certain was eight Hässlich were dead…some of them quite painfully dead…and no one had any leads except for the name "Possible". So, for all intents and purposes, they had jack shit. That is…until the news about that British big wig getting caught snatching that high school girl!
"Either that one is not a Grimm…or she is indeed very clever."
He felt a shiver go down his spine. Don Antonio was sufficiently incensed about what happened to Giuseppe's operation that he'd been proclaiming to anyone with ears that he was pulling out all the stops on this one. Unfortunately, that also meant that…well…there wasn't much in this world that scared him but…anyone with half a functioning brain would be at least a little intimidated by a Reaper. Fellow Hässlichen or no, those guys were fucking monsters!
"So what do you want to do? Follow them?"
"I must report in to my superiors," The Reaper crisply replied. "The daughter won't be home for several hours. Search the building. Another will be back to pick you up again."
Marco wasn't keen on spending a night out in the cold but only a moron tried to argue with one of their kind. He climbed out at watched the black Dodge Challenger speed away into the night and turned back to the job at hand. Based on the quick glimpse he'd gotten inside, this wasn't some glorified indoor yard sale. The merch was first rate and unfortunately that also went for the security protecting it. But Marco Aldeni had matched wits with a few systems of that level and was perfectly willing to add this to the list. After all, what the hell else was he going to do? Maybe he could swipe a few things worth fencing once he got back to New York."
Based on a cursory inspection, the Fuchsbau who supposedly ran this place lived above it. So that was probably the best entry point. He made his way around to the back, pausing at the base of the stairs leading up to their front door.
"Quia tenebræ…penetrare…anima vestra!"
Marco whirled around, hand darting to the Ruger SR9 in a practiced motion from years of fighting. Where had that voice come from? It was a woman, he was sure, but…where was she? All he could tell was she was behind him!
"Mors uelut penna, sorte monte!"
Okay…maybe there were a few other things that made him nervous. Why didn't this bitch show herself…or just shoot him? And what was with the Latin? It was like he was standing in front of Sister Rosanna again!
"Tandem morte esse veloces!"
"WHO ARE YOU? WHO…?"
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The smell of burnt flesh filled the alley like the air around her. Michelle Gorton, better known to those who actually KNEW her as Shego, ripped her hand from the Hässlich's chest as he crumpled to the snowy ground like the rag dolls that Andrea had played with before…NO; she wasn't going to go there! She was on a mission and she had to hold to it! The people here had absolutely no idea what was about to happen to them, what was about to befall them!
She could still remember it so clearly…and yet couldn't believe it. Erie had been almost three months ago and…when she'd started won this path after…after…NEVER did she expect to fight on the same side as…as a…Grimm, let alone two. But…she'd not only fought alongside…but back to back. In the weeks that followed, as she played that scene out over and over again…and that girl…that GRIMM had rushed to the kid's aid, that WESEN kid's aid. She had no way of knowing if Shego was helping her friend or…since her family had…Shego could count on one hand the number of people that had showed her…even the slightest kindness and…she HAD to help them!
She'd been in D.C when the story had broken, at least for her, about an American teenager being kidnapped by some lunatic billionaire. Kim Possible of Middleton, PA; and Shego hadn't exactly been the only one to react; at seeing the same story on the bar TV, her quarry for the evening was just as surprised about the news.
And so, word had spread, from DC to Philadelphia to New York to Pittsburg, and with it, so traveled Shego's wrath. Her experience told her, all too strongly, that with Hässlichen and Grimms in the mix, it was only a matter of time until…
Shego hefted the body onto her shoulder and began making her way to her car parked around the block. Reaper or no, all Hässlich had to die! If it cost her everything she had, even her life, this was one family that wasn't going to…she paused at the trunk of her old Chevy Malibu.
"Daddy," She breathed. "I…I miss you all so much and…and you always told me not to be afraid to stand up for what I believed was right. Well…I'm about to go through the Crucible and…if I don't come out the other side, I'll…at least…well…we'll see each other again."
Author's Notes:
From the first time I used her, Shego was a character I wanted to develop more. I always envisioned her as something of a Punisher-type character, definitely the anti-hero type. Barbara Kessler and Anne and Kim Possible have overcome Ende Der Zeitens, the very worst imaginable in the lives of Wesen and Grimm alike. Will the infamous Erntemaschinen von den Grimms, the Harvesters of the Grimms, be able to tackle three of the line of Torstensson?
