Hey guys. Sorry for the wait. There's more going on for me during this break than I thought there would be. Again, I changed the dream sequence in chapter one because I'm terrible at storytelling and also at planning ahead :). I am trying to get better. Just pretend that you're reading CH1 for the first time. I became very curious toward recent performance for chapter 5 around the 22nd. I got a HUGE spike in Italian readers. About 84 readers from Italy. If you're a new Italian reader, I would like to know what brought you to my story! Let me know through reviews or DMs. Please remember to follow, favorite and review. Thanks for reading.

UPDATE: 666 VIEWS! But only 2 reviews? Come on guys. I see plenty of other Fanfics get at least a handful. I would honestly love to hear your thoughts. And if your a new Italian reader, tell me how you found the story!

Update: Grim doesn't ask Isaac about his decision.

Update: Blossom is no longer pregnant.

Chapter 6: Own up

The expansive dining room fell quiet, quite awkwardly quiet. Even the faint clanking of the dishes, pots and pans being cleaned from the kitchen a room over had ceased. The only noise emitted from the predicament, between the reaper family and Isaac at the dining table, would have to be the booming suspense towards how Mandy was going to respond to Isaac's remark. Isaac fell confused. He looked around the room and witnessed the anticipation on everyone's faces.

He then faced Mandy again, who looked as if her head was going to nuclear detonate on her shoulders, and asked,

"So uhh, what's going on here?"

Mandy, who was staring at Isaac so angrily that you could see the veins in her head pulsating, replied with,

"WHAT'S IT TO ME?!"

"Yeah, 'cause it's none of your business."

"YOU BEING A DEMI GOD CHANGES EVERYTHING!" she shouted.

"Listen, I don't know anything about my lineage! All I know is how to kill."

"KILL WHAT EXACTLY?! ME?! MY FAMILY!?"

Sternly, he leaned in to reiterate "I'm here for my OWN reasons."

"He speaks deh truth m'dear" Grim added "I know him".

"That doesn't mean shit!" she replied angrily, "you just might have compromised everything we've built!"

"I concur!" Minnie added "our family has't become highly at risketh of annihilation no thanks to this rampallian in our home!"

"How did you even know aboot dis, girl?!" Grim demanded from Minnie.

"I…." she glanced over to Isaac, still wondering why the objects he was touching weren't catching alight, "…I has't seen his kind bef're"

"Hey. So have I." Jr added "he looks normal to me."

"Behold at that gent with thy demon's eye, thee blinking idiot!"

"Jeez! Fine!" Jr then closed his empty left eye hole and squinted at Isaac with his one real eye. In realization, Jr jolted back and shouted "Woh! Yeah he…he's freaky looking".

"You two go to your rooms!" Mandy told her children, still staring at Isaac.

Jr hopped off his chair and raised his hands up, "Yep, okay." then left for his bedroom.

"Nay mother!" shouted Minnie "I am parteth of this family and I shall voice mine own opinion in this matt'r!"

Mandy slammed her right hand down on the table, impatiently, before shouting "NOW!"

Minnie's mouth quivered in fear, then seconds later kicked the chair angrily out from under herself and, once again, stormed down the hallway. Mandy's eyes followed her until she reached her room then watched as she slammed the door behind herself in frustration.

"What's your excuse Grim?!" Mandy demanded.

"It doesn't matter at dis point now." he replied "once he signs dat contract, any doubts you have aboot him disappear. If he draws in your enemies from the holy kingdom, which you have surely made, he will defend us"

"That's 'IF' he signs Grim! IF! If he doesn't, he's a liability!"

"I didn't think you to be so anxious, Mandy." commented Isaac.

"How DARE YOU!"

"But you're right." He added "first, I need to see the terms."

Mandy snarled angrily, scraping out little coils of wood from the tabletop with her sharp finger nails. Grim pulled out a scroll of white paper from his cloak and placed it in front of Isaac. He picked it up and unravelled it, then began to read the finely printed words;

This contract will stay in effect until the war against Him and his armies has come to an end.

The signee must reside within the confines of Castle Grimskull at all times, unless instructed. The signee must do as they are instructed, by either Grim or Mandy, and complete their missions and tasks to the best of their ability, unless the mission/task at hand does not ultimately support the war effort. The signee must prevent any and all harm towards the Reaper family. The signee must not bring any harm or ill intent upon the Reaper family. Violating these rules will inflict severe pain upon the signee.

Bed, food, water, shelter and a salary of $200 an hour will be provided for the services of the signee. The signee will have free roam of Castle Grimskull at their leisure excluding areas that are restricted or fall under the confines of privacy, unless invited. Violating these rules will also cause pain.

Please write your full name here: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"If both of you can give orders, then who do i listen to?"

"You see..." Grim answered, "Mandy and I can give orders, but one does not have any more control dan deh other. We could only give an order dat we both agreed on."

"Elaborate?" Isaac asked.

"Well, for example, if I wanted you to assassinate a target, but Mandy wanted you to kill a bunch of targets, we would have to agree upon which targets were higher priority."

"Okay. So, why my full name?" asked Isaac.

"Dat way you can't fake or forge a signature. You put down your full, god given name."

"You can fake a name."

"But I know your name, Isaac" Grim assured.

"Oh yeah." He replied, "Right."

Mandy then held out her open palm and shouted "PEN!"

Quickly, Lord Pain rushed out of the kitchen holding a pen, clicked it, and then carefully placed it in Mandy's hand. She then threw it at Isaac, hitting him in the face and then falling into his lap.

He picked it up, then began to ponder. After a few seconds of thought, he said "I was brought here under the impression that I would have a chance at HIM, but this contract makes this arrangement out to be as some sort of long period, body guard, secret agent type of deal."

"Yes" Grim replied "Our intelligence has given us reason to believe dat deh invasion won't happen for a few months. We t'ought dat instead of hiring you at deh last minute, we would hire you to aid us up to dat point, in hopes of destabilizing deh enemy war effort."

"Oh yeah, another thing you failed to mention was that this is a friggin WAR? With like armies, political intrigue and shit?"

"Hell yeah it is." Mandy replied.

Isaac chuckled then said "Listen, I'm only here for HIM, and I don't have the faintest clue as to what your end goal for this war is. Whatever it is, it sounds way bigger than I thought, and I don't feel that it's going to end with HIM's head on a pike."

"And how does any of that concern you?" she asked.

He leaned in and tapped his chest "Because I want MY world to be left alone after all of this is over."

"What are you insinuating?"

"What do you think, lady?"

"I feel a great hostility here" Grim interrupted "maybe we should calm down a bit and…"

"You insignificant little prick!" she shouted "I've given you exactly what you wanted and you're skeptical?! You're getting paid for fuck's sake!"

"You're just as, maybe more powerful then HIM and his armies combined! How do I know that you're not any better than he is?!"

"ISAAC!" Grim interrupted "You are stretching dis way too much! We have no desire to rule deh mortal realm! Only to protect our rule here, dat's it."

Isaac sighed, then asked "And what if i don't want to sign?"

"Then i'll kill you!" Mandy shouted as she reached under the table, pulled out a sub-machine pistol and aimed it at Isaac.

"Mandy!" Grim shouted.

"I've invited you into my home! Let you near my family! Given you meal! Shown you hospitality! And you've shown me nothing but hostility in return! You sign, or you die!"

"You don't want to do that Mandy" Isaac commented.

"There's nothing that would bring me more pleasure."

"You hold that gun with such confidence, like when you pull that trigger I'll just POOF! Disappear! But I guarantee, you'll miss, and miss, and I'll get closer, and closer, and when I reach you, there'll be nothing you can do to stop me from..."

Grim quickly drew his scythe and sliced the weapon in half, the metal parts and springs clinking and clanking as they fell to the table.

"You two are insufferable." Grim commented.

"That gun was expensive, Grim."

"Like you don't have hundreds more." Grim replied before telling Isaac "Isaac, I assure you, dis is deh best chance you have. You can TRUST me."

Isaac looked at Grim, looked to Mandy, looked down at the contract, then assured himself,

"It's just a few months."

He picked up the pen, placed the tip at the beginning of the dotted line and wrote 'Isaac Zachary McCail' then slid it over to Grim. He picked up the contract and read the name.

"That's his real name?" Mandy asked.

Grim raised his left brow and looked over to Isaac, then looked over to Mandy, handed her the paper and said,

"Seems to be"

Mandy took a deep breath, pinched her brow, exhaled then said "Good. Good. Pain?"

"Yes Milady?"

"Show him to his room."

"Of course"

"No need." Grim intruded "I'll do dat myself."

"Ugh! Fine. Whatever." She said as she shooed them and left the table.

Grim left the table and Isaac followed him down to the end of the hallway and took a left. Just around the corner was a finely varnished wooden door. Grim pulled out his ring of keys, slowly flicking through them, and found the key that he needed to access the room. He unlocked it, opened the door and queued Isaac to enter.

After he entered the room, Isaac turned, leaned against the door frame and said "I've fought many beasts, but nothing as vicious as your wife." he said laughingly.

"Yes, I hope you can excuse my family's behavior tonight. Deh contract was an idea of mine dat I didn't take too seriously, but Mandy insisted dat I implement it."

"I guess I better memorize the rules then."

Grim scanned the corridor to the right, around the corner then said quietly "Yes, a fake last name will only take you so far Isaac. She cannot find out, or she will have your head."

"Don't worry, she doesn't come off as the type that would give something a second look."

"I wouldn't be so sure Isaac. Be. Carefol. I can only hold her back so far."

Isaac pondered, then faced Grim and nodded in agreement.

"There will be a briefing for your first assignment tomorrow morning. Make sure you're wide awake by eight 0'clock. And remember…" he poked at Isaac's chest "…I'm doing this out of my respect, and my sympathy for you. DO NOT squander it."

He sighed "Yeah. No problem"

Grim then turned and left, making his way around the corner as Isaac closed the door behind himself. The room was a fair size, plenty of space to move around the queen sized bed that was pressed up against the far center wall. It even had its own bathroom. He removed his light grey trench coat then hung it up on the coat rack that stood to the right of the door. He then sat in the chair sitting in front of the wooden work desk that was against the center of the wall to the left of the door. He removed his gun belt, put it on the desk then drew the revolver from the holding pocket. He pushed the button on the left of the gun forward, allowing the rotary cylinder to swing out.

He quickly tapped the extractor rod on the front of the cylinder, popping the spent cartridges out the back. He then reached into the pocket on the gun belt and pulled out a long cleaning brush. He began to scrub out the eight cartridge chambers, but he was hit with a sudden feeling of drowsiness. He moved onto the next chamber, struggling to keep his eye lids open. Moving to the next chamber, but couldn't sit up straight. He looked over his shoulder and stared at the big soft bed that was begging to be caressed in his tired body.

Still, he moved onto the next chamber, then the next, and eventually his head fell to the hard wood table top, throwing him into that part of his mind that he hated to visit. His memories.

It was that room, with those two people, he could feel the bruises, and he could still hear their voices, shouting.

"Really?" she yelled "you're just going to kill your own child?"

"If I have to." he replied "it's not an easy decision, but as a parent, I wouldn't do it unless I thought it was absolutely necessary!"

"Are you kidding me?! That should never be an option!"

"You of all people should know!" he shouted, "You think we would all just forget how you and your sisters laid waste to Townsville over a game of TAG! I would bet money that your Professor would've smothered you in your sleep!"

She clenched her teeth as anger enveloped her being, but knowing she was taught better than to lash out, she said "You don't have the rite to decide whether we should pay for our mistakes. We learn from them, and we become better for it."

He looked down, his confidence slowly washing from his face.

facing her again, he said "Maybe. Maybe you're right. But it's too late now."

"What do you mean?!" She yelled, confused "You're not making any sense!"

"You've seen the news right?"

"W-w-what?" she yelled, shaking her head "Of course I have! What does that have to…?"

"I'm…s…s…s-sorry…" murmured the boy through his bruised lips.

"Look at that" he chuckled "he even owns up to it."