Title: A Child Shall Lead Them

Author: moving bailey

Rating: PG13-NC17

Pair: H/V

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Archive: The couple that b&e's together, stays together.

Part 17

She looked up before his hand even reached the door knob and smiled. "We're in the back room, Henry." When it opened, and he walked in, he cocked his head and asked, "How did you know it was me?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. I just did."

He was by her side in the blink of an eye, whispering in her ear. "It's because you're a part of me now, as I'm a part of you. We'll always know when the other is nearby."

"That's cool….and kind of creepy."

"I know." The traditional Fitzroy smirk was firmly in place as he touched her hair. "You'll get used to it." Henry's knuckles grazed down the side of her face, and he could feel her desire rise and his as well. His fingers pushed her hair to the side and he leaned in for a kiss.

Coreen stood watching the exchange, until she couldn't keep her mouth shut, "Am I going to have to turn the hose on you two?" She rolled her eyes, "Jeez. We've got a house to break into."

The two turned and said at the same time, "We?"

"Metaphorically speaking." She laid out the floor plans on the lighted table. "I think your best bet will be in the back of the house. There's a door that's hidden by bushes that leads to the garage. From there, when you get in, you can shut off the alarm by the door that leads to the laundry room. Once you get inside, there are a couple of places that are more likely to have a safe than others. The first one is in the study that's off the kitchen. Floor plans show a recessed area. The second one is in the guest bedroom next to the French doors that lead to a deck. One more possibility and the most likely is a floor safe in the closet of the master bedroom." She stopped when she realized Henry and Vicki were staring at her.

"What?"

"You are freakin' me out girl." Vicki looked at her with a smile. "Who knew you could plan a caper so well." She turned to Henry, "I'm so proud!"

"Thank you. I've learned at the feet of the master."

Henry however, looked a little worried. "Coreen, should we be concerned that you're so calm about breaking into someone's home or are you just on an adrenalin rush?"

"A little of both probably. When are you going?"

Vicki dropped her pencil, "Well, the exhibit opens at seven, so we'll head out then. By the time we get there, it should be full on dark and quiet enough for us to slip in"

"Okay. Can I come with? I could be a look out." Coreen looked like she was itching to get in on what she considered to be fun.

"No." Vicki shook her head. "You'd better stay here in case we need someone to bail us out of jail if this goes south." She turned to Henry, "In the meantime, I'm going to take a little nap. I'm beat and it probably wouldn't be a good idea to fall asleep while we're breaking and entering."

"Yes, that would be bad. Wouldn't want your snoring to wake the neighbors."

"I don't snore!" Indignation laced her voice.

"Sorry, love, but yes you do."

Part 18

On the way to Grimm's house, Vicki sucked it up and told Henry about Mike's visit.

"Don't blow a gasket or anything, okay, but Mike came by the office today."

"Why would I 'blow a gasket'?"

"He threatened us with jail again if he kept on with this case. I think he suspects we're up to something, and while he's right, I'd just as soon not prove it too him." She turned around to check for a tail, and let out a frustrated sigh when she remembered she could look all she wanted, but wouldn't be able to see anything.

"We're not being followed."

"How can you tell?"

"Celluci was nowhere near when we left the office; I would have smelled him. When we get there, I'll get out and check to make sure. And when we're done there, I'm going to have a talk of my own with the good detective."

"Henry, no. He just needs some time to adjust. I can go talk to him in a little while, after he's had time to calm down a bit."

"Are you sure, love?"

"Yes, I'm sure. Love." Mentally smacking herself in the head, she thought, I can't believe I said that out loud (and that I didn't choke on it). She couldn't see it but she knew he was smiling.

When they got to Grimm's house, Henry parked a block away.

"Wait here. I'm going to make sure we don't have company."

"Excuse me?"

"Wait here, Please. Just this once."

"That's better. I'd have thought a prince would have better manners."

"I'll be back in a flash."

Two minutes later, there he was, holding out his hand to her.

"Ready to burgle?"

"Is that a word?"

"Sure. Verb form of burglar."

"Yeah, right. Which way?"

It was a well lit street, but it may as well have been dark to her. Vicki could barely see a thing, and if it weren't for Henry's guiding hand on her arm, she would've ended up in a bush somewhere, alarms sounding for the cavalry. They made their way to the side door Coreen had told them about and Vicki pulled out her set of lock picks. The first three fell right into place but the last two were starting to annoy her. Henry stood watch an when he heard the fourth tumbler fall into place, he said,

"I can hear the sound of the alarm gearing up. Can you go a little faster? After we get in, I'll only have 60 seconds to keep the it from going off."

"Patience is a virtue, Henry. Get ready."

"I'm almost 500 years old Vicki, if I don't know patience, no one does."

"Fine, your snootiness, here goes."

The last tumbler slipped into place and Henry went straight to the alarm. He listened and then punched in six numbers. The light on the alarm turned from red to green and Henry called quietly to Vicki. She came in, and once again silently thanked Mikey Peluso for the lock picking lessons. As they made their inside, Henry taking the lead, they went straight to the study and found the first safe. Vicki pulled out her electronic gear and placed it to the right of the dial. Henry could hear the lock's mechanism and knew the minute it was ready to open. There actually wasn't much in there. The deed to the house, plat book and not much else. They closed that one and headed straight for the master bedroom closet. When they reached the threshold of the room, Henry stopped and Vicki ran right into him. "Don't do that!"

"I can smell something." She could hear him sniffing the air.

"Can you tell what it is?"

"No, the only thing I can tell is that's not quite evil, but not good either."

"That covers a lot of ground Henry. Do you know where it's coming from?"

"The closet."

"No childhood trauma involved there. You go first. You're on a first name basis with the boogeyman."

Henry walked to the closet, opened the door and stood for a minute. "There's a presence here, I can feel it."

"What?"

"Something familiar, I just can't remember. It's in the floor safe."

"That must be one big floor safe. Let me by. God knows what Grimm's keeping in there."

Henry pulled back the carpet and Vicki went to work on the lock. It opened pretty quickly and as she reached for the handle recessed in the floor, Henry stopped her. "Let me, we don't know what's in there." He opened the safe, and pulled back, so Vicki could shine the flashlight down.

"Hey, thanks for saving me from the really ugly bottle." She reached down and picked it up. "Is this what you were sensing? If it is, I think you need a sniffer adjustment."

"Not the bottle. What's in it. And the scent is even stronger now. I know what it is."

"What? If you're about to say a genie in a bottle, please don't."

"No. Not a genie. A djinn."

"There's a difference?"

"A djinn is ambivalent. Neither good nor evil. It will go whichever way the person who owns its soul goes. Genie's don't exist, except for that blonde woman on television wearing the ridiculous outfit."

"You are such a snob." She stood, holding the bottle, turning it slowly. It was shaped like something from pottery barn, about the size of a pitcher and an odd cross of color between green and orange and blue. Completely ordinary looking, except that it seemed to change color as she turned it. It had writing on it, and Vicki handed it to Henry,

"Can you read what that says?" he took the bottle from her.

"It looks likes Aramaic, but mine's a little rusty. We'll have to take it back to the office and get online."

"We can't take it Henry, Grimm will know we've been here. Hold it while I take pictures." "

"We at least need to open it and see if it's empty. For all we know, Grimm is the djinn; he's just found a way to free himself."

"All of a sudden, you're all about the risk taking? What happened to, 'this is not something we want to involve ourselves in Vicki.'"

"You have only yourself to blame. You dragged me kicking and screaming from the sidelines and my nice sedate life to running interference between the natural and the supernatural. Now that I'm here, you want to hang back." Before she could stop him, Henry pulled out the stopper and reared back. Grey smoke whisped out and circled around them, slowly forming itself. As they watched, it became a man. Sort of. Taller than them, dressed in traditional desert clothing, his face was all angles and shadows. Arched eyebrows hung over closed eyes, a straight nose and lips that were full and wide. Before he opened his eyes, he spoke, "What is it you wish, Anthony?" Then as he opened them and saw Vicki and Henry, he spoke again. "You are not Anthony."

Once she got over the shock of seeing a person form out of nothing but air, she spoke, "Uh, No. He's Henry, I'm Vicki."

"What service do you require of me."

"None."

"None?" He looked puzzled. "Then why am I released from my prison."

"That's your prison? Grimm keeps you in there?"

"Until he requires my service. You have freed me, therefore I am no longer in servitude to him." He nodded at Henry. "You may command my actions now."

"How about we just ask you a few questions instead?"

"As you wish."

"Be careful Vicki. A djinn can twist your words. If you ask him for a car, he can give you one, but it will be stolen from someone else. They're like demons." The djinn gave Henry a look that clearly said, I am offended.

"I'm not asking for a car, Henry, I'm asking about Grimm's involvement in the death of two children."

"I am no demon."

"Yeah. We get that." Vicki nodded and looked at Henry, who stuck out his hand as if to say, 'No, please, you first.'

"How long have you been in the bottle since the last time Grimm called for you."

"I am unsure, but I feel the cold from outside. The last time I saw the moon it was warm and there was much greenery all around. Not barren like now."

"Well, it's only March."

"As you say."

"Vicki, I know what you're thinking." Henry could see the wheels turning in Vicki's brain and he was almost afraid to verbalize it.

"You do?"

"Yes, and we can't take him with us."

"Why not? If he hasn't been out since last summer, what are the odds Grimm's gonna check on him anytime soon?"

"He could check tonight, because it's been so long."

"Probably not, though."

"Jesu," Henry just shook his head. "You will be the death of me, woman. Back in the bottle, djinn. We're going for a little ride."