Author's note: …I hope you guys are up late. (a la rabbit from Alice in Wonderland) I'm late! I'm late…no time to say hello, here we go! (Hey, it rhymed!…heh…I'll…just uh..yeah, start the chapter now)
Heinrich returned with his grandfather's tea, putting an end to that awkward conversation. Or so Abby thought. "So she has agreed to marry you…Wunderbar, mein Hinz! You vill be married right avay, of course…und zen you both take over for me…oh, you make your grandfather proud!"
"Yeah….uh…can I talk to you for a minute, Heiny?" Without waiting for an answer, Abby pulled him back into the kitchen. "Why didn't you tell me you' granddaddy was dyin?"
Heinrich looked away. "I thought you vould zink I vas only marrying you to make him happy."
"As opposed to only marrying you because we….uh…did things?" Heinrich blushed, but said nothing. "Heinrich, we can't let him keep thinking we're getting married. I'm not going to do it. You're being ridiculous, and so is he!"
"Zhen vhy didn't you tell him zat?!"
"Because….well…"
"Because you don't tell ein dying man anything zat might upset him," Heinrich finished for her. "Und trust me, Abigail…zis vould upset him most of all. He has talked about zis since I vas very little…Und he actually approves of you -"
"Only cuz he doesn't realize I'm American! How long before he figures that out, Heiny?"
"If ve keep our voices down, Abigail," He hissed, "It might be a little bit longer than you expect. Und if you are so keen to get him to drop zis, zhen you do vhat you said you vould and go tell him zat you refuse to do zat. If you can do zhat, our arrangement is off. I vill stop bothering you to get married."
"All right," Abby said, adjusting her hat and clenching her fist. "I'll go do it right now!" She walked out into the parlor, and placed her hands on her hips when she reached Leopold. "Now look here, Mr. Marzipan, I know you're sick and all, and Numbuh 5's sorry about that, but that's no reason to--"
"Abigail," Leopold said softly, "I understand. You are not ready to get married yet…ja…I understand. Aber, I vas just hoping…it vas my fondest vish, as vell as his grandmother's. She did not get to see it, and so…vell, I guess it only makes it fair zat I shouldn't see it eiser…may Gott rest her veary soul…und may she be vith him in heaven…"
Abby was immediately clenched by guilt. "Oooh….uh…" She sighed, "I'm sorry, that's not what Numbuh 5 meant. She just meant…uh…she means she needs more than a week to get ready," she said, completely defeated. I can't do it…if I tell him no, he looks like he'd drop dead just from heartbreak.
"Oh, zat is such vunderful news, Abigail! Mein Gott, I've a lot of planning to do! You vill be married sofort!" Can't believe she actually fell for zat, Leopold thought to himself, noting that the girl seemed to have a weakness for those in need. She must be a very kind hearted person…all ze better. It makes mein job soooo much easier.
"Uh…sofort?" Heinrich was now standing beside her.
"It means 'immediately' in English, I believe," He seemed acceptant of his fate, though. "Grandfather, vhy ze rush? I still have ein month before I surn 18.…und Abigail has even longer!"
"Oh..I understand, Hinz," Leopold took off his glasses and stared into the fire. "Family tradition does not matter to you…I had hoped you vould take mein place, aber I can not force you, and I vould never. Nein! I loff you too much for zat…far too much. I vould go to se very ends of ze Earth for you, mein grandson…I vould take a bullet in ze heart. Aber, if you do not vish to give your oldest living relative his last dying vish…vell, vhat can I do? I loff you too much to contest it…"
Okay, now he's just jerking around our chain, Abigail realized, but she couldn't bring herself to say it. So long as she believed that Leopold Von Marzipan was dying, she couldn't just tell him where his guilt trips could get off. Plus he looked so tragically sad at that moment.
"Oh, very vell…." Heinrich agreed, "I see you vill not be content vith mere victory in one aspect..you must haff it all. Vell, fine. Ve'll get married according to your schedule. Err…right, Abigail?"
"..Did you just ask my opinion about it?" She was shocked now. He had kept pushing her earlier, refusing to listen to her about why they shouldn't get married, why she didn't want to right now. But she appreciated the gesture, and Leopold Von Marzipan was now sitting in his chair, tears in his eyes as he looked upon them.
"Please….say you vill marry mein Grandson, Abigail…"
"Oh…oh……uh…All right, fine," She agreed, as her mind tried to formulate a plan. There was no quick way out of this, but maybe she could find some way to contact her team, and they could help without upsetting Heinrich's grandpa. She didn't know how, but that was exactly why she was going to call the other members of the team in that night. Besides…Numbuh 5's got a feeling something weird's going on here…like maybe she's getting the short end of the stick.
Grandpa Leopold was ecstatic. "Ein vedding, ein vedding! Oh, you two make zis old man so very happy…you vould have made mein Gretchen so happy right now, too…Gott rest her…"
Abby bit her lip, feeling guilty for doubting the old man. He seemed kind of senile, but likeable at the same time. Besides, he was a widower, and seemed to be a good guardian for Heinrich. You oughtta feel ashamed of yourself, Numbuh 5...he's an old man. He's harmless. There's no way he's up to anything.