Kim couldn't take her eyes off him! As she stood on the other side of the two-way mirror, the Reaper…was that what Mom had called it…sat as if he didn't have a care in the world, eyes completely soulless and uncaring. It…it almost felt like…every time their eyes met, Kim had to remind her that no, he couldn't see her. He remained cuffed to the table and was in the middle of a crowded police station…so why did she feel so unnerved?
She jumped a little as Mom and Detective Brody entered. "Man, scratch a Reaper and you find a sociopath. ID finally came back. Phillippe Coubertin. Guy's wanted for at least seven murders, a dozen rape cases, and that's just in this country. Warrants in Britain, Holland, Poland; the list just goes on!"
"Who…who are…they?" Kim breathed.
"They're a sect of the Wesen community, predominantly Hässlich, whose sole purpose in life is the complete obliteration of all Grimms on Earth," Kim could eel Mom's arm wrap around her. "During the War, for a lot of Wesen, the already delicate relationship they had with Grimms was…well…they felt the Wesen population needed a group to combat the Ende der Zeitens themselves. They ended up calling themselves Fluch der Grimms or the Curse of the Grimms. By the time the Peace of Westphalia was signed, the damage had been done. The reapers were already more fanatical than the Ende der Zeitens could ever be."
"They're a menace," Detective Brody barked. Kim heaved a sigh and finally turned her eyes away from the prisoner in time to see…it…it almost looked like Detective Brody was about to start growling. "They don't care about collateral damage or the rule of law. They'll kill anyone to get to a Grimm! They're nothing but butchers and if I could, I…" Kim's eyes widened as she saw Detective Brody grasp her gun. Mom's hand covered the Detective's and she seemed to relax a little. "He's doing something, planning something! I know it! I can SEE it in his smug face…and so help me God, I'm going to find out!"
With that, Detective Brody stormed out of the room, slamming the door like a thunder clap. Kim whirled around to face Mom. Things were moving so fast and…this was starting to feel all too familiar and Kim did NOT like it. They'd pulled her out of Aunt Amy's so fast that she hadn't even had the chance to relax her fighting stance.
"Mom, what's going on? You yank me out of the store right after a…a Reaper attacked me and…please…tell me what's going on!"
Mom watched Detective Brody enter the room and turned to face Kim. "The Hässlichen who kidnapped Tara are back in Middleton," Mom replied simply.
Oh God…Kim could feel the color drain out of her face. She knew it! It had been simple and blind luck but she knew it! They were here to finish the job, do God knew what to her best friend! Well…she wasn't going to let that happen, not this time! She knew they were coming and she would protect her friend! She'd protect her from Ende Der Zeitens…or Reapers…or whatever!
"I've got to help Tara," Kim tried to make a move for the door…but was held tight.
"Officers are being sent to protect them but…Kimberly, you need to understand this and understand it well. A Reaper wouldn't be sent here to kidnap an Eisbeber. He's here for me…or potentially us…or your Grandmother or…at this point, it doesn't matter. This is…I've never gone up against a Reaper. All I know is what your Grandma and Great Grandfather told me and…Kimmie, these things were…nightmares…for me!"
"But…but you guys caught…he IS going to prison?"
Mom heaved a sigh and turned to face Detective Brody's interrogation. "Oh, most definitely; with that list of charges, he'd be looking at life in prison in over a dozen countries."
"So…so why are you so…it's over, isn't it?"
"Oh no, not even close; you see, somebody had to have brought them here. Somebody had to have tracked us down after the trial, done the heavy lifting as it were, and called them in. Those two bodies I told you about, they work for a notorious organized crime family out of DC. From what I've been able to piece together, the Hässlichen who took Tara were sort of in exile in Erie when everything went down but…apparently, Exile or no, you don't get to mess with them. They had to have tracked us down and called him and…"
"…and sent in two."
Both women turned to see…GRANDMA! Kim let out a huge gasp and ran into Grandmas waiting arms. The two shared a hug and Grandma started moving her hands across Kim, presumably checking for injuries.
"Well, you don't look any worse for the wear," Grandma smiled and turned to give Mom a hug.
"Broke the guy's wrist to get him to drop the scythe," Mom…Mom almost sounded proud despite everything that was going on. "You said there was ANOTHER one out there? Are the boys okay?"
"Officer Janko and James are keeping an eye on them back at the house. They were a little spooked but…apparently this isn't a rare occurrence?"
"I've got to call James. Kimmie, are…will you be okay for a few minutes?"
"I'll keep the kid out of trouble," Grandma replied, putting her hand on Kim's shoulder. "Go check on your boys."
"Grandma," Kim sighed once the door had closed. "Are they really as bad as Mom says?"
Grandma turned to face the window and seemed to be studying the prisoner the same way Kim remembered him studying herself. "They absolutely are as deadly as your Mom told you, Kimmie. If he wasn't in handcuffs, he…he wouldn't stop, not ever, until one of you was dead. They are all over the place in Europe like some kind of secret police force."
"Do they work for the Royals?"
"Nobody really knows who they work for…or even if they work for anyone other than themselves. The only way for anyone to find out anything about them or how they work is…well…to join them. It doesn't really matter. Being Grimms, there's not really much else you need to know. If a Reaper is on your tail…No…I'm not going to sugar coat this for you, Kim. Either they kill you or you kil them. That's the only way it ends."
Uh…well…Grandma was right. That…that really wasn't…sugar coating it…like…at all. Kim felt…okay. This wasn't the WORST thing she'd ever heard. She'd already lived through that but…Grandma didn't even look scared! Kim's stomach was doing back flips with half gainers and Grandma looked as if she'd just got back from a pleasant walk through the park. How…Grandma had to be the bravest…just…how?
"Because I have to, Kimmie."
What…had…had Kim said that last bit out loud? "Grandma, I…I…how do you do it? You and Mom have to be the two bravest people I know and I…I'm…so…scared."
She'd…she'd said it! She was scared of…of all this and…Mom and Grandma were…were going to…and Kim couldn't bring herself together to…
…Kim felt herself pulled into a tight embrace. She found herself resting her head on Grandma's shoulder, holding back a tear. "I'm scared too, Kimmie. I…on the way here, millions of nightmares rushed through my head at once, about you, your Mom, your brothers, your Dad. I was ready to jump at the next person that looked at me funny, all because I couldn't bear to let anything happen to any of you." Grandma started…running her hand up and down Kim's back. Was that where Mom got it? "We wouldn't be human beings if we weren't afraid. Your twice Great Grandfather Damien always had a saying. 'Håll dina rädslor för dig själv, men dela ditt mod med andra.' It means 'Keep your fears to yourself…but share your courage with others'."
"That's…that's Robert Lewis Stevenson."
"Yep; he was a Swede whose favorite author was a Scotsman. Kimmie…you are without a doubt the bravest girl that I've ever known. You stood up to an Ende der Zieten, spit in her face, and outsmarted her at every turn…but all of that, it doesn't ever mean you're too old to be afraid…but it's what you DO with that fear that defines you."
"Well, the boys are…Kimmie? What's wrong?"
"Come here, Annie," Kim could feel Mom being pulled into the hug too. "We…we are Kesslers. We are Lagers. We are Cederholms. We…are Torstenssons…and when we are together, there is NOTHING we can't do!"
KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP
It truly was amazing! Annie seemed to have this entire Police Department at her beck and call. They loved her, and the kids especially so. Barbara hadn't been kidding with Kim, though. She'd just gotten her family back and she was NOT going to let it go but…setting foot in the police station, there were over eighty armed men and woman, Wesen and Human alike, all scurrying around, trying to determine how best to protect their friend from what they knew to be a Mob hit.
Anne had pulled her into the Police Chief's office and introduced her to Roger Jeffries, who promptly assured them that he'd have at least two officers on their house at all times. County was being called in and this being a Mob case, FBI was also going to be involved. Annie griped about that, apparently having no love for the Feds. That certainly was Daddy shining through there. Many was the time that she'd overheard one of Daddy's many rants about the Feds swooping in after all his Department's grunt work.
But all the same, Barbara couldn't help but feel better about their situation, both at seeing the support that Annie had…and at this man's assurances. Despite the seriousness of the circumstances…Barbara couldn't help but notice that Chief Jeffries was…kind of cute, actually. She'd heard Annie talk about him almost like a surrogate Uncle and…he was QUITE cute, actually, kind of like Paul Newman in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid…if Newman had ever played a cop, that is. She was…she needed to ask Annie…what was it Kimmie and her friends called it…what his situation was? She wanted to start putting down roots and…maybe asking him out was…
"Mom?"
Barbara blinked and…he really DID have a set of beautiful blue eyes. She hadn't been so…well…since Patrick. "I…oh…I'm sorry. I kind of zoned out there. What were you saying?"
"Ah, I was just saying that I can have a police cruiser escort you back to the house," Oh God; had she been staring? She…the first time she'd been openly interested in a guy and…and she's making a complete ass of herself in the first twelve seconds? Well…considering how she'd met Patrick, it actually sounded like her. "Your daughter is like family to all of us and I'd hate for anything to happen to you…uh…to any of you."
Okay…THAT was…what the Hell did THAT mean? Sure, she'd been out of the game for…sixteen years…if she didn't count the years when she wasn't really looking? But that sounded suspiciously like a…was he…coming on to her?
Anne cleared her throat and…sufficiently killed the mood…and ushered everyone out of the office.
"Man, did you see the way he was looking at you, Grandma? He was INTERESTED!"
"Are you two serious?" Anne grumbled, pulling the two through the precinct. "Mom…you're not really going to ask my boss out on a date, are you?"
"No," Barbara squawked in reply. "Although, if HE were to ask…"
"Oh for the love of…"
"Don't you take that tone with me, young lady! I'm not saying I'm going to go in there and dance for him but…"
"Oh GOD…we've got Reapers and Hässlichen Mobsters after us and you're gushing like a school girl! We are NOT having this conversation here!"
"But we ARE going to have it, Mom?" Kim came to Barbara's defense.
"AAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!"
KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP
"I mean…she was as good as THROWING herself at Roger, right in the middle of his office, and our daughter sure didn't help matters? Oh no! No, she might as well set them up herself and given Mom a big ol' shove into Roger's arms!"
Anne had been so humiliated that she…she couldn't even go back through the precinct! Mom was…and Roger…ugh! The whole thing just had her in a fit that…she could still feel the heat in her cheeks from blushing. She had to pretty much write off the whole day. She just…couldn't get the image of Mom and…and Roger…out of her head. Everyone said they couldn't really blame her for going home early in light of the circumstances…if they only knew what was really on her mind…but it had been on display for the whole Department to see! She KNEW they were all whispering about her behind her back!
"Annie, do you want to know what I…"
"I mean, it's just…weird…and unnerving. I mean, I know you…"
"ANNE!"
Anne jumped at James's bark. Anne had been pacing up and down the kitchen and…and James was just sitting there at the table, like every other time Anne had been getting something of her chest, and he was staring up at her over his glasses, that one infuriating eyebrow raised, usually signifying that Anne was starting to spiral out of control.
"Annie, sweetie, I love you but…your mother has just as much right to date as any other red-blooded American woman. I mean, it's not like she's a nun or some kind of monk.
"But…but…"
"After all, she hasn't exactly made it a secret that she wants to start setting down roots. I mean, Roger's wife passed away…what…seven years ago now? And besides, she's already said she wants HIM to ask her out and you never know. Maybe he's already dating someone. You're kind of freaking yourself out about something that might not even happen."
KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP
Well, if KIM had anything to say regarding the matter, it was GOING to happen! She didn't know if the police chief was dating anybody and frankly, she didn't care. If he was, Kim knew darn well that she wouldn't be as good as Grandma! What was Mom getting so bent out of shape about?
"You know," Kim jumped at the voice and whirled around. "Eaves dropping isn't very polite, not by any stretch of the imagination."
How did…even as the question crossed her mind, Kim knew how ridiculous it sounded. Grandma had been on the run for years, decades, hiding from Wesen, Royals, other Grimms. Kim had been training hard for two years…but she was humble enough to know that Grandma could sneak up on an almost 17 year old cheerleader. She gave Grandma what she hoped was a mischievous smile.
"I'm not eaves dropping. I'm…intelligence gathering."
Well…at least Grandma was smiling. "Good answer," Grandma pulled Kim up by the scruff of her pajamas. "It's still not polite. Let's you and me have a little confab."
Kim followed her down the hall and into the guest room and took up residence on the window sill/loveseat. Grandma had thrown on an old pair of Mom's pajamas, a nice powdery blue number that Kim thought suited her nicely. As she pulled on the top…it was still amazing, sometimes difficult, to see the vast array of scars covering Grandma's torso. Whenever Grandma had caught her looking, Grandma had told her that each of those marks was a story, like the Hundjaeger bight she'd gotten in Tel Aviv, the Löwen claw mark in Budapest, but…not this time. She really seemed to have something on your mind.
"What…what did your Mom say?" Grandma sat down on the bed and steepled her fingers, deep in thought.
"Well…I mean…she was a little…resistant…but…I think that was just…I mean…it was more that…Grandma, you can't let Mom discourage you. She's just…"
"Kimmie, your Mom may be an adult with children of her own but…there are some things that you're never too old for," Grandma sighed and leaned back on the bed. "She and I always had a complicated relationship. We still do, in a way, but…your Mom loved her Dad very much and…now I'm thinking about…I don't want her to think I'm trying to…replace him…Nobody could ever replace your Grandpa Patrick."
Kim had…never really considered that. A lot of the kids at school had said the same thing. Usually with them, though, it was a parent getting divorced but…the principle was probably the same. But…Mom was…an adult. She didn't know about Grandma but Mom usually thumped her across the head if Kim ever used the "O" word to describe her.
"Oh, Kimmie, you're never too old for that," Grandma assured her. "As much as I…I just…I've wanted things to be like this with your Mom for so long that…if this is going to ruin that…"
Okay…Mom had a right to be a little iffy about this but…this was nothing short of emotional blackmail that Grandma did NOT deserve. "Grandma, that's just being unfair! You have every right to go out with someone and be happy…and Mom's love should NOT be determined by that! Besides, I gotta think that all Mom wants is for you to be happy."
"Oh, a mother can only hope, Kimmie. A mother can only hope. I mean…it's been a while since I've been on a real date."
"Oh, Grandma; how long could it be?"
KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP
It was actually starting to feel…natural, which to any outside observer should've been awfully disconcerting. Kim woke to the sun shining through her window…and her hand was still resting on the kukri hilt under her pillow. She was actually starting to sleep better with a weapon under her pillow than she ever did before. She lifted her head and shucked off the covers. It was…oh yeah! It was Christmas Eve! Baking Christmas cookies, decorating the tree, the annual Possible Christmas Eve Bash, this was almost as good as Christmas itself. Oooooh, she could smell the snickerdoodles now. In fact…SNIFF…SNIFF…THAT DIRTY RAT! Mom was getting a head start on the cookie baking! That was not going to stand!
Kim dove out of bed and stampeded down the stairs. Oooooh, Mom was going to get it! Kim was SO going to read her the riot act and…Kim skidded to a halt at the entrance. Cookies…cookies…everywhere…snickerdoodles, gingerbread, frosted…Grandma's head popped up from behind the stove, a smear of flower across her forehead.
This was…how had… "G…Grandma?"
"Oh, hey, Kimmie; you get enough sleep?"
Did she…had Grandma slept at ALL? There had…there had to be nearly six dozen cookies in here…and Grandma looked to have ingredients for at least twice as many more!
"Kimberly Anne Possible, how dare you start…HOLY MOTHER OF…M…Mom? How long have you…?"
"Anne Rebecca Kessler, I'm ashamed of you! Why, when I was a girl, your Grandmother would have had me up at 6:00 am to start making Christmas cookies! Here, I find the two who are supposed to carry on that legacy sleeping in until…Good Heavens…nine in the morning?"
Kim could hear Mom grumbling something but all Kim could pick up was "dead tradition" and "and rightly so", but in the end, both women donned their aprons and dove in. Grandma was…a little scary right now, kind of like General Patton on the fields of France, and Mom…Mom was as meek as Kim had ever seen her. When asked about it, Mom just sighed and said "Kimmie, if there's one thing your Grandma takes seriously, it's cookie baking. She could do Gordon Ramsey before Ramsey could do himself!"
In spite of everything, Grandma really seemed to know her stuff. Snickerdoodles and Gingerbread were already staples of the Possible Family Christmas but Grandma had them working on things like chocolate chip pretzel, lemon drop, cookie recipes that Kim had never even heard of. When the menfolk had dared enter Grandma's domain, there were greeted with a few cookies and a stern order to start helping or get out!
Kim earned a bit of a reprieve as they neared lunch time. Kim's initial guess had been wildly off. By now, they had to have close to another ten dozen cookies of varying shapes, flavors, and sizes. Mom suggested that the officers outside might enjoy a yuletide treat. Well, Kim officially owed her one. Despite it all, Grandma was very much in the holiday spirit and assembled a sampler plate and filled a thermos with coffee. Pulling on her winter coat and boots, Kim took a deep breath of the crisp snowy air and stepped out into the cold.
She spotted the cruiser immediately, a Middlesex County Sheriff's cruiser, and ran up to the door. She could see a pair of deputies, both women, inside and one of them immediately began rolling down the window.
"Is there a problem, Miss Possible?"
"My Mom and Grandma and I were making Christmas cookies and thought you could use some Christmas cheer," Kim offered them the plate. "There's a little bit of everything and Mom made you guys a thermos of coffee."
"Oh God, Doc Possible is a miracle worker," The officer gasped, taking the plate. "Woman makes a cookie that would make you mad at your OWN mother!"
"Well, enjoy."
KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP
Oh God…Barbara felt like she was going to puke, she was so nervous! Did she go with the red or the green? Hair up or hair down? There…there were just too many questions and…and she wanted things to go perfectly. Kimmie and James were right. There was no guarantee that Roger Jeffries was…well…interested. Kimmie assured her that he was but…she…Barbara…Barbara was having some serious self-trust issues right now. SHE was interested…and…oh, she just wanted tonight to go well. She…she was feeling like…like she was 15 again and she was waiting for Benny Oswald to take her to see Camelot at the Chicago Theater and…
…KNOCK…KNOCK…
"Mom? Can I come in?"
…and then there was this. It wasn't like she'd brought an endless string of boyfriends home after Patrick had died. Hell…she hadn't EVER brought anyone home. There hadn't BEEN anyone to bring home. She'd been so angry at the world that…well…an outside observer would say that her anger kept her warmer than any man could. Even after she'd finally tracked down and killed the Koschi responsible…there hadn't been a soul. She'd…she'd felt like…after her little self-discovery, she didn't deserve it, not until she could make peace with Anne. But…maybe…looking back on it, maybe it would've been better if she had. Anne could've gotten used to the idea. Now…
"Come on in, Annie."
Her daughter entered, looking particularly fetching in her holiday finery if Barbara said so herself, and took a seat on the bed next to one of the outfits Barbara was considering. This was it. All you had to do was take one look at Anne and the subject was all too clear.
"Mom…I…" Barbara sat down next to her daughter. "I…I'm trying to…to be…to understand this but…"
"Annie…I understand. Believe me, I do; but…I'm not trying to…nor can I ever or will I ever want to replace your Dad."
"I…I know; and that's what makes this so hard. I…I've said the same thing to so many of Kim's friends over the years. Intellectually, I know that but…I can't help feeling…and James and Kim keep saying…and Kim never got to meet him and…"
Absolutely all of those things were true. Kimmie was so much like her Mom…and therefore so much like Patrick that…sometimes it was as good as having him back. "Annie…your father and I…we had a relationship for the ages." She reached over and pulled Anne closer. "It was the kind of thing that…that Gene Kelly sang about in Brigadoon," Despite everything, Anne let out a snort. "On our wedding day, as I walked down the aisle of the Drake Hotel, I thought…this was it! I just couldn't imagine my life getting any better. Then, a few years later, a certain little red-headed ball of fire taught me how wrong I was. When he died, it was like…like I'd lost both of you. With a loss like that, there's…little time for relationships."
"You…you didn't…I mean…you weren't seeing anyone while…"
"Nope; all the anger that I felt, my obsession with what I saw as my mission…I was bordering on fanatically faithful to your Dad."
"What about…after…?"
"After I'd succeeded, it was different. Like I told you, it was pretty much in that instant that those fifteen years just hit me like a sledgehammer and…well…I started looking for Ende der Zeitens, trying to hide from everything I've done, keep our family's legacy going any way that I knew how."
"Mom…are…you…you really didn't…"
"Annie…since your father died…I…I haven't so much as kissed another man. I…I'm not about to go out and marry Roger but…I will admit…he's somebody I WOULD like to see more of."
There was a thunderous silence. Barbara's eyes seemed to be stuck on the window. Okay…she hadn't exactly meant to say all that. Granted, she really hadn't HAD much of a personal life to speak of but…it still wasn't something she'd have expected to discuss with…well…anybody…but…
"None of these will do," She heard Anne sigh. She finally had the guts to tear her eyes from the window. Anne was…looking at the dresses Barbara had laid out. "The…the red makes you look pale…and the green just won't do. You always…always looked best in blue. I think I've got something in my closet that should work."
KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP
Okay…maybe Kim WAS developing a bit of a problem with eaves dropping but…she couldn't help it. Mom and Grandma had spent the better part of an hour in Grandma's room and when they emerged…Grandma was breathtaking! Mom had dressed her in that spankin blue dress Daddy had gotten her for their anniversary a few years ago, they'd done her hair up, and…Chief Jeffries wasn't going to stand a chance!
And from what she was looking at, he sure didn't seem to be! One of the first to arrive, he'd hardly left Grandma's side and the two hadn't stopped talking. Well, Grandma sure deserved it…and best of all, whatever was said in Grandma's room, she and Mom seemed to have reached an understanding about the whole thing.
As she watched the two from the kitchen, it just gave her a good feeling all over…but Kim had her own party to get back to. She piled a few more cookies onto the tray and headed back towards the basement. While a bunch of cops and rocket scientists were sharing cocktails and a bunch of otherwise boring conversation, Kim and Tara had turned the basement into a nightclub. If only Monique and Aunt Amy weren't spending the holidays in Michigan with her parents. Still…from what Kim had heard, Monique was crazy about her adoptive grandparents and they were equally doting on her. But back here in Middleton, the music was pounding, the food was tasty…and while Ron may not have always been the BEST dancer when left to his own devices…
Kim marched down the stairs and hit the landing just as a song was ending, an O-Boyz ballad if she wasn't mistaken. She could see everyone in pairs. Tara was snuggling up to Josh Mankey, one of the handful of Kehrseiten that attended Middleton. And her Ron was chatting up a few of his gamer pals. Kim was STILL completely baffled how they'd managed to get Felix Renton's chair down here.
It was finally beginning to look like high school was starting to accept her and Ron's relationship. Tara and Monique had of course been nothing but supportive as had Ron's other friends but…she really felt like she was bringing Ron out of his shell and…despite her best efforts to resist, Kimberly Anne Possible had her very own World of Warcraft and D&D character, Kalana Fire-Heart, Daughter of the Ruby Mountain, and…okay… maybe she WAS starting to enjoy it…just a little.
"Come on, KP," Ron had sidled up as Kim set the tray down on the dryer serving as a table. "This is your party and you've been serving us all night. You and I need to dance!"
Well…Ron always WAS a tough negotiator…but if they were going to dance, she was in the mood to MOVE!
"Hey Tara," Kim called out. "You know the one I need!"
Tara gave a small cheer and ran over to the iPhone plugged into the speakers and started pushing buttons. A techno beat started echoing through the room. Kim could feel her hips start shaking and she knew she wasn't the only one about to get down. This song had been as contagious as the flu at Middleton High, at least for her graduating class.
Dog goes woof
Cat goes meow
Bird goes tweet
And Mouse goes tweet
Ron was a fair dancer but the way she was feeling now, Kim could make both of them look good.
Cow goes moo
Frog goes quack
And the elephant goes toot
Ducks say quack
And Fish go blub
And the seal goes ow ow ow
But there's one sound
That no one knows
And then, like a clap of thunder in the mother of all storms, the crowd shouted…
WHAT DOES THE FOX SAY?
Author's Notes:
Okay…I'm sorry to say that I only just heard that song a few weeks ago. It's quickly become my two year old niece's favorite. I'm an optimist and like to think that Anne and Barbara's relationship would be quick to improve but…as I say in a lot of my stories, there are just some things you're never too old for, including your Mom starting to date again.
Copyright for What Does the Fox Say is unknown. I make no claims towards having any connection to the song's creation or marketing.