Alternate Bread for the Journey

So...I had a different idea for the ending of this ficlet (you can kinda see me hovering by it in a few sentences) but I wasn't in the mood to go that dark when I first wrote it, so I didn't. I thought about it, and I'm letting out the sadistic!writer. Here's an alternate ending:

"I am getting so sick of this guy," Jai grumbled under his breath. "I mean really, he hasn't been able to beat Dad the past, like, ga-zillion times he's tried. Why's he think it's gonna be different?"

"Just keep scattering the breadcrumbs so we can find the stupid witch and get outta here sooner." Irey angrily threw a handful of crumbled bread behind her on the path. "You're right though. Brother Grimm is just lame. He needs to give up."

"Or at least change fairy tale cultures so he can mix it up. We've been Hansel and Gretel like five times this year," Jai agreed. "He should try something with genies next time."

"Genies would be fun," Irey agreed. "Do you think we'll get home in time to do our homework? If we walk slowly, maybe we can skip school."

"Hm." Jai slowed his pace, as did his sister. "I s'pose it depends on who else Brother Grimm brought to the fairy tale realm. I mean he didn't transform Keystone this time."

"Yeah. If he only brought Daddy we could be here really late...maybe we could miss two days of school?"

"Don't get my hopes up. We're having a grammar rodeo in the advanced class."

"Ew. That doesn't sound even a little fun."

"That's cuz it's not." Jai threw another piece of bread on the ground. "Do you think Mom's okay?"

"Brother Grimm wants to marry Mommy, not hurt her. She's fine," Irey said dismissively. "Hey, I think I hear something."

"Irey wait-" But Jai was at least twenty seconds too slow to grab his sister's arm. She raced away from him, looped around, and came back with a smile on her face.

"C'mon slow poke!" She grabbed Jai's arm and tugged him over to a clearing where Piper was playing a flute for some dancing rats. He stopped when he saw them.

"Hi Uncle Piper," Jai beamed. "What are you doing here?"

"Same thing as you kids no doubt. Grimm tried to hypnotize me into re-enacting my fairy tale, but he hasn't pulled me under since he got lucky that first time. I really wish he'd stop trying."

"Yeah. We're on our way to the witch's gingerbread house for like the ba-zillionth time," Jai explained. "Are you gonna come with us?"

"Sure," Piper stood up and stretched. He whistled at the rats, and they all scattered. "Do you know how far away we are from the gingerbread house?"

Irey peered into the distance. "Not that far. I can see the smoke from her chimney."

"Alright. Do you mind if I play some travelling music?" Piper asked.

"Go nuts." Jai followed after Piper, relieved to have found an adult he and his sister trusted. True, Brother Grimm was more of a persistant annoyance than a real threat to them, but it was still comforting to have Piper around in case Grimm tried a new trick on them.

What neither of the twins realized was how elaborate Grimm's latest plan had been, which incidentally included intentionally failed plots for the West family to lull them into a false sense of security. And Grimm knew the twins would never suspect their favorite babysitter.

Which is why, at the insistent tug of the brainwashed Piper's 'travelling music', the kids walked right into the witch's oven without a second thought.