Okay, Van Helsing is a bit out of character, but it's for a good cause…kind of. Also, I didn't have my friend edit this chapter, so there may be a few mistakes. Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to M for Mystery and HughJackmanFan.
The four hiked through a small forest, Carl in the lead with a basket, which was most likely filled with food. Van Helsing was right behind him looking considerably grumpy. Will and Jake followed behind, trying desperately to keep up with the large strides of the older men.
"Could you…slow down a…bit?" Jacob asked, doubling over and falling to the ground in an attempt to catch his breath. His face was beet red and he was sweating profoundly despite the cool, morning air. Tears came to his eyes as he huffed and puffed shortly.
"Is he okay?" Carl asked, a tone of worry in his voice.
"We'll know in a few minutes," Will answered, making his way over to his brother, "Jake. Jacob, listen to me. Deep breathes, okay? In and out. In and out."
The older Grimm demonstrated the 'proper' breathing and the younger soon got the hang of it. His face's hue returned to normal and he looked considerably better.
"Better?" Will asked.
Jacob nodded. "Yes, thank you."
"What happened?" Carl asked.
"Oh, he just has some trouble breathing, sometimes," Will answered, "We've never encountered anything terribly serious."
"I…I'm okay," Jake stammered, slowly getting to his feet. He stood there awkwardly for a moment, before collapsing to the ground.
Will caught him before his brother's body could make contact with the muddy ground. He wrapped his arms around Jake to keep him from falling again.
"Maybe we should go back, Carl," Van Helsing proposed.
"N…no," Jacob said meekly, "I…I'm fine. Just a bit…lightheaded, is all."
Carl glanced at Wilhelm as if to ask permission.
"It's fine with me," Will answered, "He's been through worse."
Carl nodded. "Then it's settled. Van Helsing, could you carry Jake the rest of the way? It's not too much further."
The man squared his jaw a bit before nodding and hoisting the youngest Grimm onto his back.
"Thank you," Jake whispered in the man's ear as they carried on.
Van Helsing remained silent.
"We're here," Carl said and pushed aside a few bushes. The two boys' eyes widened in wonder. It was like something out of a fairy tale. The sun was shining on a large waterfall, which made the water glitter. Sunny, brightly colored flowers were spread thickly around the small field surrounding the creek. Birds were chirping and even a few rabbits hopped by.
"Carl, how did you manage to find this?" Van Helsing asked.
"I wasn't always a Friar, you know," Carl answered, a grin of excitement splitting his face, "Come on, then. There's a cave behind the falls."
He led the three towards the falls and, amazingly, there was a small inlet. They cautiously crossed the small patch of rock to the cave and settled down.
Jacob wiggled off of Van Helsing's back and took a seat between his brother and the hunter. "Thank you," he said again.
"Is there food in that basket?" Will asked, "Because I'm starving."
"Of course there's food," Carl responded before taking a checked blanket out of the basket and throwing it over a fairly large, flat rock. He then emptied the contents of the basket- napkins, cups, and various meats, breads, vegetables, fruits, and even some chocolate.
"Belgian chocolate," Carl said with a satisfactory smile.
"Good work, Carl," Van Helsing said before snatching all the chocolate and hiding it away, eyeing everyone suspiciously with wild eyes.
"Chocolate hoarder!" Will shouted, jumping across the rock and tackling Van Helsing to the ground, "Give me some!"
"Me too!" Jake whined, but stayed far away from the tussle.
"Van Helsing! Will! Stop it!" Carl instructed, but his words did no good. The two continued rolling around the ground, one trying to guard the chocolate the other trying to take it.
"I guess we might as well start eating," Jacob proposed.
Carl shrugged. "Why not?" he asked rhetorically, putting some food on a napkin for the boy.
Jake had barely sunk his teeth into his meal when a loud splash rang through the cave. The Friar and the younger Grimm rushed to the side front of the cave.
"Good job, almighty monster hunter, you ruined it!" Will whined.
Van Helsing simply glared at the boy and took a small piece of chocolate out of his pocket.
"Who said I ruined it?" he asked before taking a bite and smiling satisfactorily.
Will shouted with rage and jumped on Van Helsing's back. "Give…me…the…chocolate!" he yelled.
"Oh Will, that's not how you do it!" Jake said.
With that, he walked up to Van Helsing and snatched his hat off the hunter's head.
"Give me the chocolate, or the hat gets it."
Van Helsing glared at Jacob for a while before finally saying, "Fine, take the chocolate. I didn't want it anyway."
The older man took the chocolate out of his pocket and shoved it into Jake's arms before snatching both the hat and chocolate back. Van Helsing smiled triumphantly and put both the hat and the chocolate in his large pockets.
For a moment, Jake stood there in shock. Finally, his face twisted into a scowl and his hands clenched into fists. His bottom lip trembled violently and he looked up at Van Helsing with wide, glossy eyes.
Suddenly, a loud wail sounded through the cave. Tears streamed down Jacob's face as he threw a temper tantrum.
"GIVE ME THE CHOCOLATE!" the boy screeched, stomping his feet.
Will, Carl, and Van Helsing watched him in awe and slowly the hunter pulled the chocolate out of his pocket.
"H…h…here," he said stammered quietly, obviously somewhat frightened of this outburst of emotion, "T…take it."
He took the chocolate out of his pocket and shakily handed it to the small boy.
As soon as the chocolate was in his hand, Jake immediately stopped crying and he smiled wickedly. "Works every time," he said, taking a bite of his prize.