Disclaimer-Detective Gumshoe/Franziska von Karma don't belong to me. Too bad...
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April 24th, 11:03 AM
Gourd Lake
Before meeting Annabel von Karma, the term 'personal slave' hadn't really meant much to Detective Gumshoe. After meeting the child and learning that he would be becoming her personal slave for five days, it carried new oceans of meaning. It meant that there would be unlimited piggyback rides, hours of jump roping, and swimming fifteen feet through frigid water to play 'see how far you can throw the ball'.
"Gosh, Scruffy, that water sure looked cold." The detective, clambering out of the frigid water, cursed whatever inspiration had led to his 'nickname'. "You're getting better at retrieving it, though. But I'm tired of playing with you now. I just want to play with the ball now."
"Yes sir." He offered the wet ball to the child, receiving only a disgusted look from her.
"You can't expect me to play with that wet, slippery thing, Scruffy. Dry it off."
He looked down at his dripping wet tie, dress shirt, and black slacks, and resisted the incredibly strong urge to reply with "dry it off yourself", a comment that would undoubtedly earn him his third kick to the shins this morning. Although there wasn't anything around to dry ball off with-the only food stand that was opened had conveniently run out of napkins the day before.
"Um, what would you like me to dry it off with, sir?"
At this question, the already wide grin grew (impossibly) wider on Annabel's face.
"Well, how 'bout your nice, dry coat over there?" She pointed at the green trench coat he had thrown aside before jumping into the lake.
"Of course. Take away the one dry, warm thing that I was looking forward to putting on."
There wasn't any room to object, though. Not with a von Karma. So the detective once again obediently marched over to his dry coat, picked it up, and started to dry off Annabel's precious ball.
"It sure is nice to have my own personal slave. Especially one so…secretive." The small girl had hopped up onto the bench by him and sat down. "I don't think I've ever seen someone so dull-witted hide so many things."
"First time for everything, sir."
This prompted a violent slap from her.
"I don't like your tone, Scruffy."
"Sorry, sir. Your ball's dry." He offered her the ball, which she snatched from his hands and inspected.
"Hm…well, it certainly isn't amazing…but it's adequate." She hopped off the bench at the same time that the detective collapsed on it. He still didn't have much feeling in his arms or chest because of the freezing water, and still wasn't anywhere near being dry, but there was a certain joy that was in him. It took a minute for him to realize that the joy was from the fact that his punishment and personal slave status would be ending at 6:00 AM tomorrow. A grin appeared on his face before being wiped out by a hit to the stomach.
"I've decided what I want to play, Scruffy. Dodgeball!"
April 24th, 1:00 PM
Prosecutors Office
Down the hall from Ms. von Karma's Office
"Hurry up, Scruffy! I want to see Aunty Franziska!"
Gumshoe was leaning against the wall, panting. He had just run up all twenty-one flights of stairs to Franziska's office with Annabel on his back, pounding him to go faster.
"A…minute…sir…" He gasped out between pants.
"No minute! C'mon!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him down the hall.
This had been their after lunch ritual for the past three days that the detective had been with Annabel-every day, at 1:00 PM, he was to drop the girl off to Franziska for an hour for some sort of together time between aunt and niece. It was also known as 'The Holy Hour' around the Criminal Affairs Department-it was an hour that the blue-haired demon wasn't terrorizing the detectives or officers that worked around the place. Gumshoe hadn't ever seen Annabel this happy to go to Franziska's office in all the time she'd been here, though. A red flag went up (and was ignored) in the back of his mind.
After what seemed like an eternity, the impatient girl and the exhausted detective reached the familiar polished wooden door and brass plaque that adorned it. Annabel knocked three times, and within five seconds the door opened and a smirking Franziska replaced it.
"Almost late, Scruffy. Hello, Annabel."
The child nearly jumped into her aunt's arms, leaving the gasping Gumshoe behind her on the carpet. He didn't expect to get off so easily, though, and was right-a sharp heel poked him right in between his shoulder blades, causing him to collapse onto the ground.
"Get up and come in. I have something to say to you."
With much difficulty, he got himself up on his feet and stumbled into the office. Franziska went and sat down, Annabel and all, in her chair behind her desk. The detective buckled onto the couch. The three simply sat there for a minute in total silence before Franziska spoke.
"To say I am surprised would be an understatement, Detective."
"What did I do now…?"
"I honestly didn't expect you to be so on top of things when Annabel was here."
This comment was enough to snap his head up at the prosecutor.
"On…top of things?"
"Yes. You not only managed to follow my schedule exactly, but Annabel seems far happier than I've seen her in a long time."
"Oh yes, Aunty Franziska. It was a…pleasure to have Scruffy as my personal slave for three days, even if he is a hopeless fool."
He was staring, dumbfounded, at the two von Karmas. Not in a million years did he expect to be complimented by either of them.
"So…"
"Consider your punishment fulfilled, Detective. That is, as long as nothing goes wrong for the rest of Annabel's visit."
It was all he could do to not jump up and run out of the room with excitement.
"I…this…is…I don't know exactly what to say, sir…except thank you so much. It's been a real pleasure to be Annabel's…er, assistant," "when I wasn't around her," "and I…"
"Stop your blabbering, Detective." Franziska glared at him. "It's not like I'm sparing you from the firing squad."
"That's what you think."
"Anyways, you are excused for an hour. Go away."
Gumshoe was about to get up before Annabel's shrill voice stopped him.
"Wait, Scruffy! Don't go yet! I have something to show Aunty Franziska and I would hate for you to miss it!"
He looked at Franziska for an indication of whether to leave or not.
"Sit."
He obviously wasn't going to get off that easily.
"So, Aunty Franziska…this morning, Scruffy and I were at Gourd Lake. I was playing with my rubber ball when I kicked it too hard and it went sailing into the lake." The small girl made a 'whooshing' sound to represent the ball 'accidentally' flying into the lake. "So I sent Scruffy to go get it, and while I was waiting for him to come back-he was being really slow-I saw something very familiar in his coat pocket."
This was sounding worse and worse by the second to the detective. A fine sweat started to coat the back of his neck.
"And you know what I found, Aunty?" Annabel looked directly at the detective while she was pulling out the very familiar object that she was talking about.
"I found your whip."
Time stopped in its tracks.
The smooth, deadly whip was now resting in Annabel's hands. Franziska wasn't the only one staring at it with complete surprise on her face-the detective was gaping at it as well, his mouth hanging comically open. Unable to believe it, he patted the pocket that he thought he had the whip in. It wasn't there, of course.
"I just thought you'd like to get 'Whippy' back, Aunty."
Still in shock, Franziska took the whip out of her smirking niece's hands. After a second of holding it in her hands, the prosecutor's fist tightened around it. She began to shake.
"Annabel," Franziska said through clenched teeth, "please go outside."
"Okay…" Obediently but sadly, the small girl hopped off her aunt's lap. While she was passing by the now shivering detective, her evil smirk grew wider and she stopped by him for just a second.
"Just a little 'going away' present, Scruffy. So you won't forget me."
He didn't even notice the kick she sent towards his shins, too transfixed by the rage and fury in Franziska's eyes that was, undoubtedly, going to be released any second.
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A/N-The last chapter will almost certainly be the last one. I hope you've all enjoyed the story up to this point, even those of you who haven't ben reading it for very long. And, as always, all reviews are absolutely, positively adored. :D