Jewel of my Life

Geo Soul: If it's the JuniorXMinnieXMandy idea then probably not, as I've almost got the Mimi X Raven story finished.

nightmaster000: Ooh, there are lots of interesting ideas here. I'll be honest, I've never considered Samantha for really anything in my stories, mostly because I don't think I've ever seen any of Medabots (though I think I got one of their toys years ago from a thrift store). Though the recent PPGD flashbacks have given a little more insight to her character, so it might be something to think about.

Dani as a Grim family subordinate or a Dan substitute are interesting too. The most I've thought about so far for her role in Grim Tales is being one of Walker's ghost cops, as she wouldn't have anywhere else to go and would want to dispense justice of some kind.

Next chapter's AOQ will probably involve an idea I have of an Eris lemon, as I haven't gotten too many suggestions for her.

Dipper, I've thought about. Mina…I'll have to think about how that'll go. Like with Samantha I'd never even heard of Mina and the Count until they appeared in the comic, so I only know the character by what's been shown on panel about her.

Coldblue: You can tell I've been away for a while when the season started and ended between chapters in this collection.

Also, good to see you here. I've seen your reviews in Akumakami64's Raging Demon Reaper story and your answers and questions to each chapter are always very cool to read and consider.

Brandon Storm: A bit of an oversight, I suppose, but I was looking for suggestions for characters I haven't used yet and I've had stories for both Minnie and Mimi and most certainly will have more in the future, as they are part of the main Grim Tales cast.

I see your point on the kid porn vs. incest thing. But for me, when it comes to my lemon stories, and really just porn in general, it really comes down to consent. Do the two or more characters who are having sex with each other actually want to be having sex with each other and are they physically and mentally mature enough to really know what sex is and what it entails? That why I went out of my way to explain how the Lilith's Nectar worked in the last chapter and had Chi agree with Mandy's term in Best served with company before they started having sex with each other. I wanted to make it clear that that these characters were making the conscious choice to have sex. And even with the age difference between Junior and Blossom in the Blossoming Romance chapter, that's why my cut-off age is 16 at bare minimum, as Junior at age 17 would be emotionally and mentally prepared for sex. Sorry to ramble but it's just my opinion that a child cannot truly give consent, as they're not physically or mentally grown enough to truly understand what sex is. Yeah with last chapter may have had Junior and Chi shagging Mandy and Ikra, which is weird and kind of creepy, no doubt, but at least both characters are old enough and capable enough to say if that's what they really want.

By the way, I love the Manny idea, especially given how he acted around Mimi in Afterbirth.

DPSS: I might have to consider this, as people keep asking for AU's of my Empire of Death story and I see no reason why I can't do the same with Complex.

AMTT94: I will say, I love all three of these ideas. I love Darkseid, thus why he's probably going to be in my League Beyond Legends story, and the 12 labors of Hercules is one of my favorite stories from Greek mythology. Though, I will say that I'll probably make some changes as to what the labors are that Junior will have to face (see the AOQ at the bottom of this chapter), that way he's not just doing what Hercules did but performing some incredible acts of his own. If I ever do get around to writing an Empire of Death tie-in story, Chi saving Junior is a no-brainer, as they are supposed to be equals, at least in how much they support each other.

AkumaKami64: I'm certainly considering it. This most recent lemon was me kind of dipping my toes into the water, starting things off slow, you know? I've been reading a bit of that Deviantart comic Sunstone to get a better idea of how domination works (because as the Fifty Shades of Grey movies have shown us, if you don't know what you're talking about, you're going to be made fun of a lot).

I'm also trying to figure out which is the best story idea to use for this lemon, so maybe I could throw a few idea out and you could tell me what you think or what more I could do with them?

The first idea is basically what you suggested, Junior being a willing weapon and slave to Mandy, maybe something like Alucard and Sir Integra from Hellsing Ultimate, where she's the only one who can properly control him and he's completely loyal to her. And she uses him for her pleasure, be it wiping out her enemies or "servicing" her sexually. And she also uses him as a way to make her daughter, Minnie, more assertive. Minnie in general is a fairly sweet and passive girl, which Mandy generally seems to not have a problem with so long as she doesn't let herself get pushed around. But Minnie also has a problem of not fully going after what she wants. With Junior as her slave, Mandy makes it clear that Junior belongs to her and if Minnie wants him, she's going to have to be more aggressive and work to inherit her throne and Junior along with it (Mandy still loves her daughter, she just wants her to fight for what she wants).

Another idea I've had is Junior ending up falling back in time to the era where Mandy was still mayor of Megaville, before she married Grim. Knowing what the future holds, but also not wanting to tip off people like HIM that he knows his plan, Junior decides to work in secret with the younger version of his mother to try and save Megaville. Mandy, being as smart and controlling as she is, does quickly figure out who Junior is and does nothing to hide it from him, though she agrees to help him, just so long as he shares everything he knows about the future with her.

Now, this idea could go a couple different ways. One is the classic case of time travel where Junior coming back in time was always meant to happen and that Junior's future still happens no matter what he does. Mandy realizes this before he does but still uses him to her advantage, both for information and possibly seduces him because she sees his potential as another tool for her. I haven't yet decided if Junior being his own father is going too far or not, as I feel this is a suggestion I've seen in one of the reviews posted on your stories. Heck, with his Nergal DNA and the ghost abilities he picked up from Dan, Junior could also be Minnie and the ghost twins' father as well (but again, I'm not sure if I'm crossing a line there).

The alternative way this could go is Junior coming to the past creates an alternate timeline where he and Mandy do save Megaville, though as a result Junior and his siblings are never born in this timeline. Before they save Megaville, Mandy makes Junior promise her something. Given all she'll miss out on by making sure Junior's future never happens (both her time as HIM's queen and her time as Grim's queen), she makes Junior swear himself to her and be her husband/most loyal servant, as she will not save the world of heroes for nothing. Knowing he has no other choice, Junior agrees and becomes Mandy's secret servant/lover in the new world of heroes that HIM never got the chance to destroy (though Mandy is of course plotting to take it all over, especially now that she has the mighty Demon Reaper at her call).

The final idea I have is more of the Junior-dominant one. Basically after years of war between the HIM and Grim kingdoms, Junior has grown very strong fighting for his family's side, almost godlike. So much so that Mandy realizes she's developed something of a crush on him (as there's nothing she loves more than power (other than controlling that power, of course)). Junior, being the prince of one of the greatest kingdoms in the realms, of course has women after him so they can marry him and be part of the royal family and this eventually causes a breaking point for Mandy, unable to stand both these women trying to horn in on what she's built and unable to stand Junior being with these women whom are clearly unworthy of him. So she'll make Junior hers, by any means necessary, something she finds Junior taking full advantage of, as he has quite a bit of her in him. Eventually he'll enjoy the most feared woman in all the realms on her knees or back in a slave Leia outfit begging for him.

So those are some of the ideas I have. If you get a chance, please get back to be and tell me what you think of them or how I could change or improve them. Heck, if you want to use any of them yourself, feel free.

Someonerandome: I thank you very much.

Kelly Fiction: I'm glad you're enjoying the stories so far and I hope I can keep at it. As for putting Billy into a story as an actual character, that will be an interesting experience, as I've never written a deliberately stupid character before. I'm sure at some point I have had a character do something stupid or make a questionable choice, but never I have I had a character who is supposed to be an idiot. I'll have to think on this, especially since Billy might tie-in to Grim Tales: Complex.

Guest: Is it safe to assume you are Kelly Fiction? If not, I apologize for the assumption.

Summary: Jewel, the daughter of Grim Jr. and Mimi, spends some time with her mother.

It was a familiar scene, one which will someday be marked down in the historical tomes of the Underworld's many realms. A gigantic black-bodied monster, its hundreds of green-tinted eyes casting their collective vision down upon the town of Halloween which it towered over. The red tongue that stretched out of its belly licked and smacked disgustingly against its body as its clawed thumb and finger gently picked up its prize by the foot in triumph: the soul of a small brown-haired boy in a black hoodie, his depression so great at his recent loss that he didn't even bother fighting back.

The wide army of the boy's mother and father, the queen of Death and Death himself, held their fire upon their masters spotting their son. They could not attack without the risk of hitting the boy and they had neither the skill or raw power to force the beast to release him first.

That wasn't to say that there was no one around who was capable of such a thing. In fact, on a nearby rooftop, out of the sight of all onlookers while having a plenty great view of the monster herself, sat a woman with more than enough power to save the boy and kill the beast several times over.

Not that she was going to do any such thing, of course.

The woman appeared to be about in her twenties, though that was nowhere even close to her real age. And that itself was the least unusual thing about this woman. While one might think her obvious red skin and short black horns would be the most immediately noticeable thing about her, it was actually her detached coolness in the situation that was her most apparent trait. Despite the beast's thundering footsteps and its very clear sadistic threats of eating the boy, the greatest effect the scene had on her was just the winds from the beast's breaths slightly blowing back her sky-blue hoodie, revealing her long brown hair.

Taking off her full moon glasses and revealing her blue and red heterochromatic eyes more clearly, the woman gently wiped some of the dirt off them that'd been created by all the commotion, using the edge of her sleeve which was long enough to cover up past her hand and then some.

"I figured I'd find you here, Jewel." Said a familiar voice from behind her.

Jewel barely gave any reaction to the person's sudden appearance, having been expecting him. How could she not, when he exists in every moment of time? "Hey, babe. I take it you just got back?" She asked as she slid her glasses back onto her face.

The man floated closer to her, sitting down in the air beside her, or as close to sitting as his spectral tail could get. "Indeed. And in another few seconds I'll be over there with your grandparents, telling them to relax and enjoy the show." Clockwork told her cheerily, his form changing from a young man in his prime to a much older man with a long white beard. "It'll be several years before your father forgives me for what I've had to do today."

"Whether he ever did forgive you is debatable." Jewel smiled slyly at the ghost of time. "Didn't he give you a pair of pants as our wedding gift?"

"That, along with a less than subtle threat as to what he'd do to me if I didn't treat you right." Clockwork smiled back as his form shifted again to that of a toddler, though still keeping his deep adult voice.

Jewel chuckled and went back to watching the battle, where Minnie's soul was now descending down from Heaven to come to her brother's aid. Jewel went a bit quiet upon seeing her and after a minute had passed, she spoke again to her husband just get her mind on something else. "You know, I am quite a bit tempted to go to Limbo and save my mother before HIM gets to her."

"I'd be shocked if you weren't." Clockwork commented simply, taking the moment to spot himself in the distance, eating popcorn while Grim threated to strangle him.

"…Suppose it wouldn't really change anything though." Jewel shrugged as she watched Minnie's divine rapier cut into the Demon Reaper Beast's tentacles as they grabbed her. "Least not for me anyway. Because of you and my job I exist outside of time. I could nuke this entire town and my own history wouldn't be effected in the least."

"True, though I and I imagine them would be very grateful if you didn't do that." Clockwork said, though his lighthearted tone showing he knew she wasn't being serious. "You spend enough time collecting lost souls from across the multiverse as it is. I'd like you to come home sometime."

"Now are you saying that because you miss me or because you miss my Dark Chocolate Devil's Food Cake and can't cook worth a damn?" Jewel poked fun at him.

"I can have more than one reason for doing something." Clockwork joked as his form changed back to his prime.

The entire town gave a violent shake, the two having been so consumed with each other that they'd missed the Beast eating both Junior and Minnie and were only now brought back to the present by Dan Phantom's ecto-blast blowing apart the Beast and a good chunk of the surrounding area.

As the two watched Dan's look of shock as the smoke cleared and revealed the still standing Demon Reaper version of Junior, Jewel turned to her husband and asked "Clockwork…you've told me Danny's story before. But…back then, when you gave him the option to make his choice, did you know?"

"Know?" Clockwork asked.

"Did you know that it'd all eventually lead to this?" Jewel clarified. "That Danny's former future self would have to help you or he'd be wiped from existence? That his presence would buy enough time for dad and momma to escape HIM? That the small choice of whether or not to cheat on a high school test would eventually help determine if the Demon Reaper inflicts Armageddon on all of existence?"

It was a moment before he answered back. "Despite what I say and don't say to sound cool, what I see are possibilities, not absolutes." He told her. "My knowledge of everything comes from being able to see all possibilities no matter the situation or the outcome. When I first decided to let the Observants think that I was helping to destroy Danny so that his dark future would never come to pass, I did see the possibility of this future, one where because Dan never attempted genocide on all humans, Mandy would live to give birth to two children who would one day create the Demon Reaper. And further along I saw the many possibilities of how it could be stopped, some of which used Dan himself."

"The other possibilities had to have been pretty shitty if your go-to plan was him." Jewel remarked.

"But…" Clockwork added. "When I set things up for Danny to have his second chance, all this was still only a possibility until he made his choice and thus his choice, and how it would affect his own life following it, was all that was on my mind during that time. Surprised as some are to hear I'm not some grand puppet master. In fact, some of my best ideas have been spontaneous."

"I can vouch for that last part." Jewel smirked as she laid back on her elbows, causing Clockwork to give an awkward cough and slight reddening of his normally blue face. "But still, you mean to tell me that you weren't even a little tempted to stack the deck in favor of you someday getting your hands on a beautiful, red-hot Devil Reaper of a woman wife?"

"I…will admit there are possibilities I hope for when I leave things open for changes in time. Like with Danny, I may increase the odds a tad…"

"Just a tad."

"…But in the end it is still all up to choices outside of my control. It would have been quite creepy if I'd manipulated you into saying yes after all."

"If it makes you feel any better, I would have made your life a unliving hell if I didn't like being married." Jewel remarked casually.

"You would, too." Clockwork retorted comfortably.

It finally came to the end of the show, with Minnie's soul hugging Junior from behind and returning him back to control of his body. Grim and Mandy rushed along with General Nergal to their children, all being quite surprised to see the dead remains of Nergal Senior among the debris as well.

From where he sat in the air, Clockwork could almost feel the sad tension rising in his wife's body as she watched Minnie in her youth get worriedly fussed over by her father. "Jewel-" He started to say before she suddenly stood up.

"Hey, babe, I think I'm gonna head home." Jewel said simply, Clockwork able to tell that she was trying to hide her emotions from him, though he didn't say anything about it. "I've already checked the area for any lost souls and paradoxes and I doubt much more is gonna happen now that dad's back to normal. So I'm just gonna turn in, okay?"

"Of course." Clockwork said gently, already knowing what Jewel was likely about to do and not wanting to interfere. "I'll finish up here and see you later."

Jewel gave a nod in thanks before holding her hand out at her side. A large slit split opened in her palm, though it caused her no real pain, and a red and black fluid flowed out from her arm. One would think the substance to be blood but it wasn't…quite that. Whatever it was, though it was under Jewel's complete control, it almost seemed to have a conscious of its own, making strange quiet whispers as it moved that almost sounded like the hissing of a snake. Continuing its dark murmurs until the redness stretched out and suddenly hardened into a long metal scythe, Jewel took hold of the weapon and fed it her own power before slashing open a hole in reality, shaped like a swirling green vortex.

"I'll see you when you get home." Jewel called back to Clockwork as walked on through and the portal.

How far off from the rest of existence the shared home of Grim Reaper and the Master of Time was a mystery to all but the two of them. When asked Jewel would claim her realm existed past the point in time when the Sun finally became a red giant, obliterating the Earth along with Mercury and Venus. No big loss, as the beings that'd once called themselves humanity had long since left the system behind, setting course for less fiery destinations. And with nothing tied closer to life than Death, Jewel's world traveled along with them.

Where Death's Underworld's new location is exactly is near impossible to say, though you'd still recognize it if you saw it. Her home is still the mighty castle of Grimskull where she'd spent her youth, though the large turning clock gears sticking out of the side were her husband's own personal touch. And it was in this lush royal palace where Jewel could be found now, gently opening the door to one of the castle's many rooms.

"Momma? Are you awake?"

There was a soft stir of purple sheets at the Reaper's voice. "Jewel? Sweetie, is that you?" Asked the comfortingly sweet voice of the elderly woman in the bed.

Jewel smiled gently and entered the room, turning on the lights as she closed the door behind her. "I just got back."

The old woman reached over to try and pick up her glasses from her bedside table but her weak, shaky hands knocked over the two frame pictures beside the half-moon lenses instead.

"It's okay, momma, I got it." Jewel quickly said before she tried to lean further out of the bed. Carefully she handed the woman her glasses before picking back up the two photos. One of a tall black-cloaked male Reaper with hair the same color as Jewel's, standing arms interlocked with a lobster-clawed demon woman whom looked almost exactly her. The other was of her momma holding the barely 5-year-old Jewel up in one arm as both smiled happily for the camera.

"Thank you, dear." The old woman said with a small cough as she placed her glasses onto her face, looking over the photographs and relieved to see the glass non-cracked. "You know, if it weren't for how completely adorable you look in that picture, I don't think I'd still have it on here. Looks are not everything, of course, but I do miss not having so much grey in my hair."

"I think it makes you look wise and distinguished." Jewel said playfully as she pulled up chair to sit at her bedside.

"So did my own mother and she kept the gold in her hair until the day she died." The woman known as Minnie pointed out as she still looked at the old photo, chuckling to herself that she'd ever looked that young. "Not that I should complain too much, I suppose. The magics that held that old ragdoll body of mine would never have lasted so many years and seeing above the kitchen counter was certainly worth the cost of not being ten-years-old forever. Especially when it came to keeping your thieving little mitts out of the cookie jar."

"You're right. It's a lesson I well know now that I have to keep you from stealing from mine." Jewel smirked.

"Oh, hush up." Minnie laughed, brightening Jewel's face a little more. She couldn't have possibly known how much it meant to Jewel to see her grey eyes sparkle still behind her glasses. "So, tell me, where did you two go off to this time."

Jewel gave a bit of a small guilty look. "The uh…the day of the Demon Reaper Incident." She admitted.

"Oh yes, I can see how that'd involve your duties." Minnie said, unsurprised. "Looking back, it's amazing thinks didn't end up as bad as they could have and I suppose we might have you and your husband to thank for that."

"There wasn't much I needed to do. You and dad had pretty much taken care of everything by the time I would've usually stepped in." Jewel told her.

"I suppose. Still, it's interesting to think that's where everything started." Minnie reminisced. "If it hadn't been for that day Junior never would have met your mother and you likely never would have been born. But, sorry, you've heard me tell this story many times before."

"I don't mind, momma." Jewel assured her honestly. "I like hearing you talk about the old times."

"…Alright. Just letting you know my repetition is not the senility setting in." Minnie chuckled, with Jewel doing the same, though a bit more forced. Smiling, Minnie took a longing glance over at the photo of Jewel's parents. "I truly wish they could have been here to see how you've grown."

"They did see, remember, momma? Clockwork took us back to before they…before they had to go…so they could see our wedding." Jewel said, stumbling a bit as she knew the topic of her parents was a bit harder on Minnie than it was on her.

"I know that, Jewel. But that's not what I meant." Minnie said as she placed a gentle shaking hand on Jewel's own. "Your parents…they only ever got to know you for two days. Your wedding day and the day you were born. Both were wonderful, but all they missed out on… Your first steps, your first words, the day you were so excited to awaken your telekinetic powers you nearly threw me out the window."

Both women laughed hard at that. Jewel used as sleeve to wipe some of the building tears out of her eyes before Minnie suddenly started coughing a little harder than before, causing Jewel to quickly try and get her to relax and help her drink some water.

"Thank-…thank you, sweetie." Minnie said with a final smaller cough as Jewel set the glass back down on the table. "Still though," She continued, trying to pass it off as if nothing had happened. "Sad as I'm sure they were to not know you beyond that point, I do remember them at your wedding, happy to see it non-crashed like theirs was; so content with the fact you'd never once had to meet HIM. It's because of him that this is the only surviving photo of their wedding." She pointed at the picture. "Couldn't resist trying to ruin another day in his daughter's life, I suspect."

"Yeah…but he paid for it all, didn't he?" Jewel said in a bit of a darker tone than was normal for her. She'd only ever heard about her grandfather in stories and there was most certainly no love lost there in never knowing him personally.

"He did." Minnie said with a small nod. "But…somedays I can't help but wonder if it was worth it. Junior and Mimi faded into the Ether as heroes after taking him down, but with what they left behind… My birth father rarely got to be a father with me, but my mother, though we may have developed problems between us over time, I can't imagine having to grow up without her."

"You're my mother." Jewel assured her. "You know that, right?"

"I know, sweetie." Minnie said. "Just thinking out loud. Regrets and all in my old age. I never even made my peace with your mother until she came up to me and asked me to be her maid of honor. Can you believe that? After years of treating her with nothing but hostility, she still wanted me to accept her. I just…can't even fathom that."

"You said she could see the future sometimes, right?" Jewel asked, theorizing. "Maybe she saw what was going to happen to her and dad and didn't want to leave things like they were."

"I've certainly considered that." Minnie said, pondering the many thoughts in her head. "But if that were the case, I'd like to think she would have told Junior. He wouldn't have backed down from their final battle with HIM either way but I'm certain my brother wouldn't have wanted to bring a child into the world knowing he'd never get to be there for her. I remember…he really wanted kids."

Jewel saw the small tear of sadness that twinkled at the edge of Minnie's eye. It was something she'd figured out very early in her life, how much her adoptive mother had loved her father, despite being siblings. She never brought it up but Jewel could only imagine how painful it must have been for her. To love a man who fell in love with another, only to then raise their child; someone who was a constant reminder of who her father had chosen over her.

"Momma…" Jewel squeezed Minnie's hand a little tighter. "I'm sad I never got to really know my birth mother… But you… You may not have given birth to me but…but you've always been there. …You're here right now and I…I can't even imagine my life without you in it." Jewel felt the hot tears starting to well up in her eyes but she didn't pay them any mind. "You're my mother, okay? And you always will be no matter what, alright?"

Minnie of course noticed the tears. "Oh, oh sweetie, I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry." She worriedly apologized.

Upon these words, Jewel quickly rubbed the wetness out of her eye. "N-no, I'm sorry, momma. I'm a grown woman, I shouldn't cry so easily. It's just…" Jewel gave a sad but kind look at Minnie. "…You are my mother. You're the one who raised me and…I love you…okay? I just…I don't ever want you to feel like you weren't the most important person in the world to me..."

"Jewel…" Minnie said softly, her daughter clearly upset by something. "Jewel…the time I spent raising you and watching you grow…those were the happiest years of my life." Minnie started roughly coughing, to which Jewel tried to get her to lie down more, though Minnie still tried to keep talking. "It's just that sometimes life comes along and hands you something so wonderful that you can't help but wonder if you really deserve it and are afraid to jinx your luck." Minnie's wrinkled smile shown through her coughing fit. "I'm proud of you, Jewel, for everything you've done and all the great things I know you'll do. And nothing has given me greater joy in this life than you calling yourself my child."

Jewel could feel the tears almost ready to start pouring down her cheek. "You…you should probably get some sleep, momma." She said, nearly choking on her words.

Minnie smiled softly. "Yes. I suppose I probably should." She yawned as her back slouched further down into her pillow. "At the very least…probably best to…best to close my eyes for a minute. She said as her lids started to droop gently. "Old bones…not what they used to be…as my father would say… Older bodies need their rest…"

Minnie's eyes finally closed and her head fell just slightly. Jewel was now practically shivering as she fought to hold it all back. To her Reaper senses, it was like the flame of a candle slowly going out. As the last breath breezed gently from between Minnie's lips, the elderly woman's free hand slowly slid down the sheets from her lap while Jewel stayed desperately clutching her other, the Devil Reaper's face grimacing horribly.

And just before the free hand fully fell, before it could hang off the bed's edge limply, Jewel screamed "T-TIME OUT!"

The air filled with thickness as all motion in the room ceased abruptly. Minnie's arm stayed falling in place where it was. The soft buzzing of the electrical lights went silenced, the only noise pervading the stillness of the room being Jewel's sobs.

The red woman let it flow. There was no reason not to, as no one could see her here in this second between seconds. Jewel stayed with her shaking hand still holding tightly onto Minnie's unmoving own. Her tears splashed rapidly against her mother's nightgown and sheets, though the timeless fabrics absorbed none of the wetness and the droplets simply rolled off her body and to the floor.

With her eyes stinging and her vision little more than a blur, Jewel got up so suddenly she knocked her chair over and ran to the doorway. Slamming the door behind her, Jewel stood with her back against it as she let the rest of the emotions hit her, nearly sliding down the wooden frame in her horrid depression.

After minutes passed and Jewel felt the tears finally start to slow, she stood back to her feet, hiccupping slightly as she used her sleeve to brush the wetness away again. Turning back to face the door, Jewel placed the tips of her glowing blue fingers on it gently, before turning her hand counterclockwise against it.

"…Time in." Jewel whispered once her hand had turned completely to the side.

Gently as before, Jewel reopened the door. "Momma? Are you awake?"

There was a soft stir of purple sheets at the Reaper's voice. "Jewel? Sweetie, is that you?" Asked the comfortingly sweet voice of Minnie as she sit slightly up from the bed.

Jewel smiled with a nod and entered the room, turning on the lights as she closed the door behind her. "I just got back." She told her, doing her best to hide the small croak in her voice.

The turning clock hands that appeared in the entrance hall of Grimskull and spun to open behind them signaled the return of Clockwork as he floated through its opening. There was a somber air in the castle and upon the portal's closing he could see why. Though his knowledge of all possibilities had lead him to expect what he'd find, it was still quite the depressing sight to see his wife sitting on the staircase, holding herself with visible dry lines running down from her eyes to her jaw.

"Jewel?" Clockwork said with soft but clear worry.

Jewel looked up sadly at her husband. "Six times." She hiccupped. "Six times in a row I tried. …But every time…I just can't get past that moment."

Clockwork floated over and sat down beside her on the stairs. Making the conscious effort to keep his form in its prime, as that was what he knew would give Jewel the most comfort, Clockwork wrapped his arms gently around her, to which Jewel did not fight against, placing the side of her head against his chest as she held him back.

"Momma always told me…that when my parents died they went on into the Ether." Jewel spoke, her voice horribly horse. "Where all non-mortal beings beyond Death's jurisdiction go when their time is up. Be it when they're wounded beyond any hope of recovery or when their endless age proves to be not endless after all. Where the souls of gods and devils go to rejoin the basis of existence, so that their essence may be reborn into a new form to fill some new void left in the natural order of the new world."

Jewel sniffed. "…Of course, this is all just the shared belief all the realms have. No one really knows what happens when a soul finally runs its course and fades into the Ether. Just that they're never seen again. For all we know those souls are simply gone and there is nothing after the Ether. We're a lot like mortals in that regard, aren't we? Having faith in something we hope is true because we're too afraid of what the answer might be otherwise."

Jewel teeth gritted, so hard that Clockwork thought they might crack from the pressure. "But we shouldn't have to have faith! We're Underworld beings! We walk among gods! You're the master of time and I'm Death! People go to us for answers on how it all ends! We shouldn't have to worry about what comes next, we should just know it! Because what's the point if we of all people don't know?!"

Jewel's fuming rage continued but it was short lived as Clockwork allowed her to continue until her anger finally ate itself up, Jewel placing her hand up to her face as the sorrow returned.

"…I can dish it out but I can't take it." Jewel shook her head sadly. "I've reaped billions of souls in my time, barely giving a moment of passing thought to their mortal friends and families who cried over their bodies. …But when it's finally time for me to let someone go, here I am sobbing my eyes out for the same reasons as them. Because I don't know what comes after and because I'm…I'm afraid of never seeing her again outside of the moments that have already long passed. …God, I'm a pathetic excuse for a Grim Reaper."

"No. No, you're not." Clockwork told her.

Jewel looked up at him, her eyes unable to shed any more tears. "Today. Yesterday. The day before. And the many more before that. How many times have I tried, only to stop myself at that very last minute?" She asked him, almost pleading for some kind of reassuring answer. "Clockwork…why can't I just let my mother go?"

"…Because you are a Death just like your father and grandfather before you." Clockwork told her gently as his gloved hand softly brushed the bits of hair out of her eyes. "And they didn't accept their loss until the very end either."

The words hanging between them, Jewel lowered her head and pressed it into her husband's chest, her hold on him becoming tighter, though he of course did not mind.

"Next time…let me see her with you." Clockwork said quietly to Jewel as he held her in his arms. "If nothing else…you'll no longer have to bear your burden alone."

Jewel said nothing as her wet eyelashes brushed against the purple fabric of Clockwork's shirt.

"…Thank you." She whispered into it, those being the final words said for the next several minutes, as husband and wife just sat holding each other on the stairs in silence; the two eternals needing a break from the rest of existence, if for even just a moment.

Author's notes: So, some of you might be wondering what happened to the reverse parallel universe story I said I was going to do because of the poll. Well…I kind of sat on the story for too long, kept putting it off along with all my other writings, and kind of…lost the story. Maybe I forgot to save or maybe I saved the document to the wrong place but the point is I do not have the story. Fact is it wasn't even all the way done then anyway. I just kept putting it off. I still will try to do it, but since I kept putting off doing more oneshot collection stories until I made that one again and I wanted to take a small break from Grim Tales: Complex to write something else, I decided I'll just do the parallel universe story another day. I'm sorry.

I need to stop making promises in my writings, as they keep breaking apart, like with my Minnie the Ascended story, which I don't think I'm ever getting back to at this point. Again, I'm really sorry that I don't have the parallel universe story, but I just wanted to write something else to recharge myself after writing four chapters back to back on Complex.

Anyway, with that bit of self-pity out of the way, this chapter was actually a combination of two ideas I've had in the past, both which honestly just came to me at random. The first idea was of Jewel being raised by Minnie if something happened to Junior and Mimi. I do still like Mimi but I can just more easily see Minnie as a mother figure than her (probably helps that Minnie can talk) and I think in a full story Minnie and Jewel would have a more interesting dynamic between them.

The second idea was Jewel being the wife of Clockwork. Interesting story about how this came up. I was just imagining Dan Phantom and Clockwork casually talking in his lair. Clockwork shows Dan window in time to an event that'll eventually lead to a lemon encounter between two characters. Dan makes a joke about Clockwork being a lonely pervert, to which Clockwork counters by say he has a girlfriend. And it was just that random bit of dialogue that I never even put into a story that got me wondering: Who would Clockwork's girlfriend be? For a while I'd considered Princess Bubblegum, as I can see Clockwork having a thing for brainy, intelligent women who can keep up with him, but that choice never really sat well with me (probably because the Marceline fans would murder me (kidding)). And one day I just thought: Why not Jewel? It'd make sense for Clockwork to be more involved in Grim Tales if the fate of the woman he loves hangs on the decisions Junior chooses to make in his life. Plus, I just get the feeling Clockwork would treat her right and vice-versa.

The Ether is just one of the few ideas I've pondered as to what happens when an Underworld or divine being dies. I feel like if Grim had any real say over the lives of people like HIM and Aku (or even himself), Mandy would just be ordering him to start dropping her enemies like flies, a la Death Note style, so I get the feeling that there are some ends to life even the Grim Reaper has no say over, such as Minnie finally dying from billions of years of old age.

AOQ: In my reviews, AMTT94 made the interesting suggestion of Junior completing the 12 labors of Hercules (or Heracles if you prefer). I think this sounds like a cool idea, but one why to take the idea a step further would be for Junior to have his own legendary labors to complete and not just what Hercules already did.

So what I'm looking for are suggestions for labors/challenges/tasks that Junior could accomplish that'd make him a legend throughout the realms. It can be anything, from defeating/killing a powerful monster to fetching a legendary and hard to find item to simply doing something that'd normally be deemed as impossible. I will set down the rule that Junior cannot kill a ruler of a realm, like HIM or Aku, as they'll probably be involved in Junior being given the many labors to complete in the first place.

Hercules killed the Hydra, fetched a golden apple from the garden of Hera, and even pulled Cerberus out from the Underworld, just to name a few. What are some incredible tasks that Junior could accomplish to match or even surpass the labors of Hercules? Remember, since this is Grim Tales, you can use anything and anyone from any show or cartoon (within reason).