She was embracing the flow under her fingers as the rhythm vibrated down the pipes. The sound would of course squeak every now and then, but that was because she wasn't a professional at it yet. She needed to practice. It was only a few days before the big shindig for Arnold, and for a Happy Halloween. Still pressing down on the pipes, she smiled. It was as close as she could get to laugh hysterically. Her eyes were closed as she swayed from the kitchen, down the hall, and into the living room. So what if she was an old woman? She didn't need to see in order to get around the boarding house!

Plus, from what she could hear, Phil and Oskar were finishing up playing checkers. "Just you wait Oskar, one more-" Gertie's lips pursed and blew too harshly on the bagpipes, the shrieking sound causing her husband to jump. It even surprised her. She opened her eyes and removed the instrument from her mouth. Well, that was practice...

She settled it beside the entryway. The king's court table knocked over in front of that billy goat of a boarder making him fall over as well. The warlock, as Gertie called Phil since it was five days before Halloween, stumbled back and almost landed in her arms. Luckily, he caught himself before that could happen. She couldn't have a Halloween with a howling warlock – then he'd be a werewolf. And that was Ernie's costume."Ow, Grandpa you messed up the game. I want my money back!" Oskar shouted. He kept rubbing his head. And although Grandma acted like it was nothing new, because it was nothing new in the house, she did feel a little guilty. Maybe she should have seen where she was going….

"We didn't bet Oskar," Phil shook his head, "So there was no money to begin with. Now you, you get out of this room!" He pointed a finger in Gertie's direction, still not facing his wife. The other man jumped and shrieked as he ran like a herd of cattle right by her. But she wasn't bothered by it. More importantly, it was Phil that she was worried about. She could see that the warlock was not smiling, but it wasn't from the game. She had been married to him for decades and hadn't ever stopped loving him, not even when she was a sweet little girl playing stickball with him. Leaning against the wall, she wondered if he feeling alright. He hadn't told her to stop playing those "stupid bagpipes". Sure, she understood that she was the eccentric one in the family with all of the costumes. But it didn't stop her from being herself.

Walking over to Phil, she kneeled next to him as he was piling up the red and black checkers. He didn't say anything and refused to look at her. It hurt her to say that she knew why too. Arnold was leaving the day after Halloween with his classmates. They had to take the trip as soon as possible – it was all rather too fast even for her. They found Miles' journal on the 5th, Arnold was told that he won the contest on the 19th, and now it was the 26th – only six more days from now. Gertie laid a hand on her husband's shoulder in understanding, both of them stopped cleaning. They didn't move.

They didn't want Arnold to get disappointed either. Or worse, lost and hurt. Losing Miles and Stella was hard enough on all three of them. She watched her son grow up, and now his son. She could only imagine how Tex must be feeling about this – excited probably. The hardest part was what was to come. She wasn't as clueless as Phil, though, because Arnold was her grandson – he was a part of her. And she could see the hesitant look in his eyes when her husband told him that he couldn't take the journal with him to San Lorenzo.

And if there was a very serious situation – Arnold would go to the craziest lengths like herself to make things right or at least attempt. If anything, he probably planned on taking it. At first, Arnold held onto it until he found out that he won the contest. After that, it was underneath the warlock's watch. He just wanted to be careful of course, but she held confidence in her grandson. They did tell him that he acted more like an adult than a kid. And if there was anything that Grandma was against were the stereotypes involving age. She believed that it didn't matter how old a person was – as long as they had the mental skills to handle the situation well then they would be okay. This was why she wanted Arnold to take it with him.

Arnold was more than capable of dealing with what could happen. It was just instinct. He would have the help and support that he needed. He wouldn't be alone. Plus, apparently his principal got the permission needed to allow Arnold to look through local resources in case if he backed down from his plans.

Unfortunately, by the looks of it, she had to help her grandson. Phil would never tell Arnold where the journal was, but he could tell her. After all they were in the same situation. Giving the warlock a side hug around the shoulder, she mumbled softly. "It's going to be alright. He'll be fine." The man next to her seemed to come back out of his thoughts as he began to clean up the checkers. As much as she hated doing this to her husband, now was the best time to get the information that she needed out of him. His state of mind, while although a lot more normal than hers, was slack. She already brought up the topic, now it was time to brew some answers out of him.

Phil groaned as he pushed the table upright after setting aside the game pieces and the board. "Pookie, I know that we said that we understood why Arnold needs to do this, I just don't want him to." Standing up after him, she helped adjust what was left of the furniture across from her husband. It screeched across the floor. "Why ever not? I personally believe that Kimba will be -"

"Don't, just don't say it Gertie please." He held his hand out to her while the other one was clenched, his head looking down. She was going to retort, but that was before she saw a couple of tears fall onto the table. Stepping back, she looked him over with nothing to say. Any speech she had planned out had disappeared for the moment. She hadn't seen him react this way since about three months after their son and his wife left and they discovered that the plane was not found. And Arnold was only a little pip too. Of course she had cried as well, but she could only think of the best outcome for their grandson.

She had to because that was what Arnold was – an optimist. She had to act like him to understand him. Finally setting the table in place, the warlock ignored his witch and went to his chair where he read the journal to them. He was dragging his feet like the whole world was on top of his shoulders. It seemed rather silly to her. They had to bear with the boy's decision to go to San Lorenzo while he was the one that was actually there. Then something popped in her head. Smiling gently, Gertie walked over and kneeled by Phil once again. His fist was rested by his chin as he stared out into nothing but an empty room.

"He will be fine you know." Grandma repeatedly finished her thought. Honestly she couldn't believe that she was doing this. Acting crazy was one thing, doing something crazy to stand up against something was another. But choosing to do something simply because it was the right thing to do…

Well, she really was becoming Arnold.

Still he said nothing. And she couldn't tell if he had acknowledged her or not. That didn't stop her though. "Come on Phil, Arnold really will be fine. Look, you don't have to listen to me. But just let me say what I got to say. Think about what our grandson has done. After I played the piano with him once, he told me about how he tried to have a perfect kid's Saturday." At this the warlock was melting into her brew with that grin. She continued. "You encouraged him to explore that train station-"

"More like tricked him Pookie." He interrupted. Although he was still looking away from her it was better to have him say something rather than nothing at all. It was progress. "Remember when he caught Mickey Kaline's baseball?" She nodded. "Yeah, I do. Everyone wanted that ball too. They shouldn't have done that though!" Gertie reached up and rubbed his left shoulder."Yeah," he said, "but I remember when I took him to the stadium. He didn't leave for another hour from when we got there." Phil sighed. "I wonder what kind of stories that old goat told the boy too." Leaving it off at that, it was time for Grandma to take it up a notch.

"You know, for Arnold, it really isn't about hearing stories for him."At this, her husband turned in confusion to her as she let her hand go. "What do you mean? Arnold has heard thousands of stories! You aren't making any sense again Pookie!" Dropping his arm, it rested and clenched the chair. She shook her head calmly even though her husband's attitude was actually starting to scare her a bit. "Phil, Arnold is meant to create his own stories, not listen to them. Remember when we told him that he acts more of an adult than a child?"

He nodded. "Yes, but what does that have to do with any-" That did it! Grandma cupped his mouth tightly. He attempted to shout, but it was muffled by her impressive tactics. "This is just an outrage Phil! You love your grandson, who has done just about everything for everyone in the neighborhood, even saved it for all of our sakes!" She stared him down in a way that she never thought she could do to him, but she had to. "You and I both know this for a fact. And yet you won't let him help himself." Releasing her "prisoner", she finally concluded.

"As much as I know you are against it, Arnold needs that journal. If it can do anything to help him, then I am beside him one hundred percent. He's not alone on this either. He'll have the help of the others-"

"And maybe risk their lives." Phil replied. But that couldn't deter her in the least.

"For all we know he may find no use of it. It's all a matter of faith in the boy. You're treating him like his age – a child. Well, he's not a child when he has to come to face everyone's problems day to day. It wouldn't hurt for his friends to grow up a bit either." They both loved Arnold deeply, but they couldn't protect him forever. She gazed into her love's eyes. She rested a hand against his cheek. "I know that you want to do whatever you can to make Arnold happy Phil, believe me I do. But you are suffocating him like a zombie. It's not just him. All three of us need answers about what happened to our son and Stella and Arnold is the only one of us who stands a chance. Would you do anything to find our Miles?"

Hesitantly, she let go of his face and stepped back rubbing her arm of a small burn from making breakfast yesterday. Asking that question was pointless to her, since she already knew his answer. Phil had been in the military, which although they were not in a relationship at the time, it still frightened her to death that he would die in the war. And in a way, that same fear was creeping like a spider in head for Kimba. But she was a former cop, and Miles and Stella traveled the greatest lengths in foreign countries. But maybe Arnold could out beat all of their experiences. Adventure was in the family's blood. The warlock hunched over like the grouch he was. "Yes of course I would." She sighed in relief that he said that. With her hands on her hips, she leaned her head forward as her feet went back and forth on her heels."Well, Arnold wants to do the same for his mother and his father."

He reached out to her with his hand. "But-" And the thing is, she wanted to be on his side of the problem. They'd been through so much together. But this wasn't the way to solve it. If there was anything that she learned from being married to this warlock was that he can become the childish one. She smiled, taking a while to think. She could tell that Phil thought that she was finally agreeing with him as he moved his hand and smiled back. Hahahahaha. As if. Now she had to butter him up, albeit calmly. She stopped moving back and forth and folded her arms, but her demeanor never changed. This was the final plunge she was going to take. And it was for that little boy…the little Kimba that was her little Tex's son.

"Phil please. This may be the best birthday present we could give him – what you could give him." Considering the few presents they had given to Arnold for his birthday since he didn't like to celebrate it, she had him hook, line and sinker. Now all she had to do was toss him over her shoulder and take him home. Of course she had a tear fall down her face as she said this. It truly was the best thing that they could give him. Even getting Arnold a new stereo system could never beat the gift of having his parents back.

Gertie could see that he was shocked by what she said, but he seemed to be considering it like a fish deciding to take the bite. It was strange that both were silent, but so was the entire house. So far, none of the others had decided to butt in. Of course it was a brief thought that crossed her mind. Phil closed his eyes, obviously still wasn't to agree with her. She had never felt so distant from him, not even while he was in the unknowns of battle. Pookie took her stand on how she felt. But it was as if her opinion for once sincerely had meant nothing to her husband. There was sadness in her heart for all three men in her life, almost to the point of grief.

So, she walked toward him and sat on an armrest. Her face was numb and cold from these raging emotions, and she could feel herself losing breath. Then, as the only love of her whole life lifted his gaze and turned over to face her, he reached out one of his fingers and brushed her cheek. It was so sweet of him to do that. That was the Phil she remembered. He wasn't some crazy nut job. That was her. Sometimes she wondered how she found such an amazing man, let alone one that could accept her for who she was. And then, he nodded. "He is responsible enough. He already has that backup plan to look through the local records. Either way he will come back with answers. We have to let him find those for himself. We love him, so as much as I hate to say it, we have to let him go. He deserves it more than any kid I believe we know."

"Really Grandpa?"