Notes: Backed it up a couple paragraphs so, yes they should look familiar. Hmm. Only one more chapter I think.

For a bag of bones, Grim certainly was lose and limber. One after the other, people tried their hand at limbo, the bar going lower and lower with each pass. Billy was one of the first kids out of the game - his nose snagged the bar.

Meanwhile, a few of the adults were setting up fireworks for the big event. It was almost dark now, though the party was louder than ever, with chantings of "How low can you go?" Another guest at the party took interest in the fireworks too, and a devious smile spawned on his face. 'What's a few extra sparklers matter?' He took fireworks of all sorts, especially rockets, and added them in with the piles the grownups were working on. Then he grabbed a few firecrackers and a lighter and crept away unnoticed.

"Hey Billy! Catch!" called the familiar voice of the ever-troublesome bully, Spurg, as he threw a lit string of fire crackers at Billy's face. The imbecile turned his head all too slowly, as the sparkly noise makers went pop, one after the other in rapid succession "HA HA!" he laughed.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" Billy backpedaled away from the sparks. "Meany! Who invited you here?" he said with button eyes glinting at him with anger.

"It's a block party dweeb... everyone's invited!"

"But... but..."

"Oh boo hoo! Go on and cry to your mommy, ya' sissy." Spurg chided him on.

Something happens to a guys' brain when spurred on like that. They lose what little sense they might have had, and enter a blind rage. Fortunately for Billy, having fewer brain cells meant there was less for him to lose. Also fortunately, he was easily distracted.

"Okay now! Who wants the last of the hotdogs?" Billy's mom said, holding up a plate of grilled goodness.

"Hotdogs!" Billy rejoiced, and went for his first love rather than revenge, an exploding pack of fire crackers following after him. Also following on his heels, Spurg snuck up behind him and stuffed some unlit crackers down his pants and lit the end of a long fuse. He also helped himself to some hot dogs and gave Billy a scathing glare.

So things seemed normal for a while, Mandy and Grim continuing their little contest. It was looking like they'd be the final competitors in the limbo contest, as each pass, the bar lowered. There were scant few adults left in the competition, and another pass took out uncle Nergal. Yes, even he was invited to the party.

"You gave it a good shot, Dad." Nergal jr. consoled. That seemed to make the blackened creature smile a bit. He was a loser, but one with a family that cared!

"Good luck Junior! Go win one for papa!" His chipper attitude seemed contrary to his darker demonic form, but somehow he'd befriended Billy's Aunt Sis, and they were married... and had a son... so it must be genuine.

While the limbo contest went on, that fuse kept getting shorter and shorter. Billy also decided he wanted to see what the adults were doing with the fireworks. "Oooh! That's gonna' make a lot of sparkles isn't it dad?"

"Sure is, son!" His father beamed, not realizing his son was perilously close to going boom.

Billy got in a few steps closer, when his pants went off. "GAH!" His pants managed to catch fire to almost every explosive gathered at the event! Writhing and yelling, screaming his fool head off, Billy finally did something smart; he dove into the pool.

At this moment, Grim was about to seize victory from Mandy in the contest... In the blink of an eye, alarms went up throughout his bones, warning him of danger. A quick glance was all it took to know Mandy was in trouble. 'Crap... Couldn't it wait a minute? I know Mandy couldn't possibly flex this low! I'm going to win dammit!' Rockets blasting from all directions, Grim knew there'd be no way she could get out of this one. A few of the guests had already gotten singed, and she'd be getting a whole lot more.

Grim had a dilemma on his bony hands... Win the contest, lose Mandy. Win contest, lose Mandy. A thousand thoughts flew through his empty skull, but he wouldn't have time to sort them all out right then and there. If he did win, and Mandy died, he would lose his slave for a week... but to save her he would have to lose, and that would mean giving her his powers. Disastrous was the only thing he could think about either scenario, but the problem was time... So time... he stopped.

"Stupid children... stupid bets.." Grim muttered under his breath (so to speak) as he wrenched himself out from under the limbo bar. Everything was frozen in time... Every spark and sparkle, every horrified face. But.. as time was frozen, Grim was free to walk about normally, and glided over to Mandy. "Hmm..." Now he had time to think and study the situation. Mandy's completely frightened expression pleased him greatly. 'Maybe now, I can get some peace and quiet.' he thought.

Everything around him may as well have been statues, nothing moved. Nothing, at least, until Billy surfaced in the pool, coughing and sputtering water everywhere. "HELP! I can't swim!" he shouted, but of course, he was already out of the water, and very well could swim. He trailed water all over the place, and sopping wet, dragged himself over to Grim, wringing his shirt out. "Hiya Grim." He smiled. A totally different personality from moments before.

"Billy?" Grim asked, raising a brow ridge curiously.. He'd frozen time, that meant... everything. "Where exactly did you come from?"

"Over there." He pointed to the pool. "What happened? Mandy looks like she's scared." Then he looked around at all the fireworks and let out a scream. "AHH! AHH AHH! GET IT AWAY GRIM! MAKE IT STOP!"

"Get a hold of yourself, man! I DID stop it!"

"Oh." Billy then looked at the sparks coming off of the rockets and slowly made as though he would touch one with his tongue."

"I wouldn't do dat if I were you." Grim warned. He then looked over at the pool and contemplated what just occurred. He had been in a hurry. Testingly, Grim tried to move one of the rockets, and found it quite impossible. "Hmm..." He tried to move one of the guests... no luck.

"OUCH! Ouch ouch ouch ouch ouuuuuuch!" Billy yelped and was back at the water putting his tongue out.

"Serves you right!" Then a thought occurred to him... The time was cast hastily... He looked inside the house at a fish bowl and sure enough, the fish in it was swimming around as though nothing had ever happened. "Aha!" That settled it in his mind. In his haste, he'd managed to freeze everything but H20, which meant that a submerged Billy was exempt from the time freeze. Now it only remained... What to do about Mandy?

"Grim?"

"Yes... Billy?" Grim scowled. Time would only stop for so long, then it would be bye bye Mandy. It would be easier for Grim to just let time move on, without Billy there. He'd certainly be upset if anything ever happened to Mandy. Then again, if Mandy died, he'd be slave to that half wit-the rest of his life. Maybe this wasn't such an easy choice after all.

"What's wrong with Mandy?"

"She's frozen in time until I figure out what to do wit' her."

"Oh..." Billy tilted his head. "So why's she frozen? It's not even cold out."

Grim didn't answer. It was obvious to him that nothing would be resolved standing around there. "Come on Billy." Grim held up a hand and his Scythe hearkened to him.

"Oooh! Where are we going?" Billy said, excited as a dog going for a drive.

"To save Mandy."

"From what? She's right here." he said matter-of-factly.

"From YOU!" Grim grumbled. "Just look at all the fireworks flying around! You don't think that might have something to do with it?" Disgusted with the moron, he ripped a hole in time/space with his scythe. "Do you want Mandy to die?" he said in a lightly accusatory tone, but the kind mixed with sarcasm as though he were talking to a three year old. Then again, a three year old might catch the sarcasm. Billy shook his head no. "Well den... Follow me." Whirling around, Grim went into the portal followed by the train of his robes, and Billy, still trying to figure out what Mandy was in danger from.