~Location: Hotel Room - Paris, France~
~Date/Time: Present Day, Mid Afternoon~
The past month hadn't been so great for a vacationing couple. Grimm Hund visited multiple doctors and therapists with the same result. Grimm's lack of a medical history was proving it difficult to seek treatment. Not even the basic treatments that they could do were providing any help. Diana was becoming more and more distraught as not even her psychic abilities could elaborate on Grimm's condition. They weren't getting any answers from anyone.
That's not true... They were given one answer... Perhaps the other doctors didn't want to tell some bad news. He simply told them that Grimm did not have much time left and he suggested that the two of them should make the most of their time together. This is the reason why the couple had gone on a vacation together. Perhaps they could have a week or two together before things made a turn for the worse.
"It's not fair..." The retriever huffed out and tossed her luggage onto the bed. She took notice of the single bed in their hotel room and blushed lightly at something before the wolf disposed of his bags nearby. His reaction to the single bed was one of curiosity that was quickly dismissed with sleeping by her side being the norm for them. "Diana... Things happen. I've been around for so long and now it's my time to go."
"But... I don't want you to go..." Diana whined softly and nudged against Grimm. The wolf responded by wrapping his arms around her waist and swaying with her snugly against him. "Isn't there anything we can do?"
"We've been through all of that... We got an answer."
"Well... I hate it."
"Yeah... I do too."
Diana cooed softly and entwined her fingers with Grimm's, bringing his hand up to kiss the back of his palm affectionately. "You did choose a pretty place to go to."
Grimm hummed and tightened his grip around her slightly, making the golden retriever giggle in delight. "Don't you dare say something corny, you dog..." She teased, laughing now.
"Aww... Why not? I had a line picked out for this moment." He fake-pouted.
"It'll make me blush... Don't..." She whined playfully.
"You look cute when you blush."
"S-Stop it...!" She squealed; a rosy red tint on her cheeks as she pushed the wolf away softly.
Grimm only laughed and wrapped his hands back around her in a soft embrace, not surprised to have no response of disproval from her.
Diana squealed and giggled but her expression of childlike glee immediately turned to serious concern when Grimm's body tensed against hers. "Grimm? You okay?"
"It's... It's just a headache... I'll be fine." He lied, breathing long breaths to steady himself.
"Grimm... I'm not going to stand here and let you fall apart like this. Come on." The retriever swiftly turned, taking Grimm's hand and pulling him out of their room.
"Wh-Where are we going?"
"I'm gonna show you something, okay? I'm gonna show you what couples do now-a-days."
"C-Couple?" Diana's response to that was a quick kiss on his cheek and nothing else until they were outside.
With Grimm's hourglass running short, Diana's plan was to introduce him to the ways of intimate interaction in the present day. Before they could get to that step, the first thing that the two canines found out was that Paris had some interesting cuisine. So, naturally, they spent a few hours travelling and sampling dozens of new delicacies. Neither of them had a liking of escargot, though, so they didn't spend much time experiencing that.
Throughout the day and into the early nightfall, Grimm noticed a change in Diana's behavior and his own. The relationship that they had was along the lines of a caretaker and the dependent. It was clear to the canine that something was blossoming between them. The way she looks at him with that cute smile of hers... The way she blushes and turns away when he notices her gaze... The way she curls up into his arms and nuzzles against him... There were only a few moments when they had to stop when Grimm mentioned a migraine. Afterwards, she'd give him a quick kiss and pull him along to the next location.
There were many sights to see under the night sky. They found the classic monuments and modern relics of the fine city. Diana had a few more surprises for Grimm tonight and she hoped that he could last through the night.
They stopped at a fine restaurant for dinner and dessert. Here, they talked about some past and hopes for the future. Neither of them ordered escargot.
"How long do you think you have, Grimm?" Diana asked softly, recalling that Grimm declined the estimate that the doctor would've provided.
"It's been getting worse for sure. Not much longer now."
"Do you think... you can hold on to yourself for one more night?"
"One night? I suppose... W-Why?"
Diana blushed with color on her cheeks that were darker then her normal hue and spoke softly. "W-Well... What if I said that I didn't want this night to end?"
"Well..." Grimm smiled softly at her, playing the 'what if' game with her now. "What if I told you that I've loved every second of it?"
Diana giggled softly and then faked a serious look. "Then I'd ask if you lied to me about hating the snails."
Grimm laughed at that and placed a hand on top of the retriever's hand. "I'd say that I loved everything about today besides the nasty snail dish."
"Hehe. Good. I'd ask for a reaction from you if I said that I had two more surprises for you tonight."
Grimm blinked, tilting his head. "I'd ask what they were, of course."
Diana shook her head softly and got up from her chair, leaning down to kiss Grimm deeply before she pulled him up out of his chair. "I'd simply say that I planned to show you one of the surprises right now... if you'd join me." Grimm nodded as his nonverbal reply and followed, dropping a quick amount for the dinner bill and a tip onto a table.
She led him to a local club in Paris where singles and couples danced for the late night and into early morning. Grimm questioned if they were staying here for the night and Diana replied that the second surprise was waiting for him at the hotel room.
She pulled him towards where others were dancing, the wolf shyly hesitating. Diana had been in this sort of setting before and understood what was making him uncomfortable. She decided to go for broke and show him why she felt comfortable.
She stepped close to him and cooed in the wolf's ear, requesting for him to keep his eyes only on her. He nodded in understanding and stepped back a bit, watching as the golden retriever beginning to sensually dance for her male. Grimm perked his ears in interest and earned a giggle from the one performing the erotic display.
She motioned for him to come closer and he smiled, expecting that he would take her hand and struggle to dance the way that they do now-a-days. It would've made her giggle and she would teach him, giving them chances to press their bodies close together in an intimate display. He had no idea how close she wanted to be. If only he lasted until later that night, he would've known what the second surprise was.
Unfortunately, someone was smoking in the dance club. The scent triggered a form of a PTSD flashback to a memory that Grimm had never experienced. He never made it to taking Diana's hand before a flash of colors momentarily stunned him. Red, White, and Black... The colors slowly formed into shapes that Grimm recognized. He saw a figure lying on a carpeted floor, the colors shimmering to their proper hues. It was at this moment that the wolf panicked, backing up and scaring Diana into pulling away her hand. The scent of smoke was recognized as the scent of a recently lit smoker's pipe. The sound of the striped male taking a final breath with the morbid gurgling that accompanied the wound on his neck sent Grimm over the edge.
"Grimm? You okay?"
"I... No... You need... to stay... away from me."
"Grimm, please... Try to hang on. Please..."
"I... have to get away. I can't... I... I'm sorry."
Grimm turned and fled, leaving Diana to collapse to the floor sobbing and burying her face in her hands. The wolf didn't stop until he was several blocks away, leaning back against a wall of a building.
"It's not true... I didn't do it, did I? C-Connor... I remember him. Why is this happening?!"
"Excuse me..." The wolf looked up and saw a cloaked figure with eyes hidden under sunglasses. Any hair or noticeable features were hidden in a large black coat and black hat. "Are you okay?" The voice was a bit shy and feminine.
"It is not save here."
"I see no danger."
"You're talking to it."
"Dangerous, you? When you've spent the last several hours on a date?"
"Excuse me?"
"Look... Mr. Hund, I can help you. You want to get back to her, yes? Start your life the way you want to?"
"Of course..."
"Then come with me. I can make it all go away." The figure said, holding a hand out as a sign of trust.
Grimm looked up at the cloaked figure and grasped her hand. The figure's hands were gloved. A face hidden in darkness. How was he to know that the figure took the opportunity to inject a needle into Grimm's arm.
"Nothing personal, Mr. Hund... I fear for my safety is all." The voice said softly as Grimm collapsed still onto the ground. She acted fast, opening her coat to reveal an ebony black dress. The feminine figure was a tiny Dutch Mouse, having worn some device to hold the broad shoulders of the coat. The coat now appearing a few sizes too large draped over Penelope's shoulders. She hailed a cab like this, explaining that her date for the evening collapsed onto the ground. The driver was quite a gentleman, helping her set the wolf in the seat of the cab and drag him to an apartment complex. When Grimm started to stir and awaken, she had him carry his own weight and stumble along with her.
"Maybe I could wear this dress for an actual date." Penelope huffed and dropped Grimm onto a couch, going off to change into clothing more of her style. "I guess I got lucky with him running out like that."
###
