Jake knew that his family didn't take him seriously, because they didn't think that he took things seriously enough. He knew that his mom thought he was irresponsible with magic. His dad thought that he goofed around too much and treated their family responsibility as a game. As for Hank, he still treated Jake like he was a little kid. He hadn't done that since they actually were little kids.
Henry was only two and a half years older than him. It had felt like nothing since Jacob was eight years old. The second that Henry turned nineteen, it was like a flip was switched. Jacob felt like his brother no longer saw him as his brother, his equal. He felt like Henry saw him as an irresponsible sidekick or something. Somebody that was holding him back.
Jacob didn't air his grievances with his family, because he knew it wouldn't change anything. His mom might think that if he wasn't mature enough to understand that he was still young, then he wasn't mature enough to handle magic. His dad would think that he was just whining and throwing a tantrum like a child. Henry wouldn't even bother to listen or try to understand.
No, Jake said nothing. He kept his frustrations to himself. He put on a happy face, and he tried to improve himself without completely throwing away everything he liked about himself. Because he did like who he was. He liked how good he was with magic, and how strong the power made him feel. He liked that he was able to enjoy the fate that was waiting for him, because he knew he was better suited for this life than Henry was.
His family would probably never approve of who he was, no matter how hard he tried to be who they wanted him to be. At the very least, he wanted to approve of himself.
Even though he knew his family didn't exactly like everything about him, Jake would do anything for them. And despite what they seemed to think, he was capable of thinking things through and making a plan. That was actually what he was in the middle of doing now.
He laid down on his stomach and reached under his bed, pulling out his backpack. Inside were pictures, notes, and books. Things he'd been gathering for almost a year now. Dad didn't think he had the focus to do detective work, but here was the proof otherwise.
Jake had seen a serious problem. Henry didn't talk about it, but it was obvious that he didn't want to be a Grimm. It wasn't anything against their family. Jake knew that his older brother loved them. He just also knew that Hank didn't want to be a detective, and he didn't want to stick his neck out for people who hated him. He didn't want an adventurous life of danger. He just wanted a normal, happy family, and that just didn't come with being a Grimm. Especially not the oldest.
Jake knew that their parents knew how Hank felt. Their mom was waiting for him to grow out of it. Their dad had had a few conversations with Henry about how while he might try to run away from their fate, it would call him back. Dad had tried to be free, but he'd had to come back. It didn't matter how much both Henry and Jake pointed out that the situations were completely different, their dad wouldn't listen.
Jake knew that Henry was starting to resign himself to this life, and he didn't want that for his brother. Frankly, he didn't want it for either of them. Jake was a good enough Grimm to carry on their family's legacy, and Henry shouldn't have to be forced to do something he had no interest in just because their parents couldn't see it.
Jake had always had the philosophy that it was better to beg forgiveness than to ask permission. In his experience his family was forgiving. He had to earn that forgiveness, but once it was earned, the matter was dropped and forgotten about. When it came to asking for permission though, whenever Jake tried it, his parents never said yes, because they didn't trust him. He knew he could do so much more than they thought he could. And he knew that they knew he was capable of more than what they said.
Jake knew he could convince his brother to forget about permission and go out on his own, but he knew that he wasn't going to do it without Goldilocks. That was what Jake had been working on, and he thought he'd found the solution.
Jake had found a way to bring down the barrier. It didn't seem real, and he hadn't believed it at first, but after research, and investigating, and a few harmless tests, Jake was sure of it. He could close the barrier.
He knew there were risks, but he'd taken them into consideration. If this had happened when the Everafters had first been at their most desperate to leave, the barrier would never be left alone. There would always be somebody there looking for a weakness in the barrier. If the barrier went down for just a moment, they would get out.
People had stopped patrolling the barrier a long time ago. Jake was confident that nobody would notice what happened. They could slip Goldilocks out, and hopefully people wouldn't even notice her absence for a long time. She would be free, Henry could live his life the way he wanted to, and Jake could prove to his parents that just because his plans were risky didn't mean that they weren't worth considering.
Jake had been thinking things through carefully, but he thought he was finally ready. He knew how to bring down the barrier. He'd found the ideal location and time to do it. He'd even taken a weekend trip to New York City, which his parents allowed him to do every two or three months when he kept his grades up, and he'd found an Everafter community that would be able to help Henry and Goldilocks figure out where to go from there.
He'd prepared as much as he could, and now it was finally time to put his plan into action.
Jake double checked his notes, just so he could know that he had everything in place. He put everything back in the bag and slipped it over his shoulder. He left his room and went to go find his brother. Tonight was date night, which meant that Henry and Goldilocks were in the kitchen, cooking, baking, and being stupidly coupley together. Mom and Dad were in town going out for dinner. Mr. Canis, like always, had locked himself up in his room. That man liked his privacy.
Jake found it just a little creepy sometimes, but it was going to come to his advantage today. The grown-ups who would stop him were out of the way. They would have a few hours, and he was going to take advantage of that.
Jake went downstairs, finding his brother. He sat at the table, throwing his backpack at his feet. "Hey, Hank, I've got a surprise for you guys."
"What are you talking about?" Henry gave him a tired look. He looked like he was just amusing Jake to make him go away. It made sense, in a way, because Henry was on a date and didn't want to be interrupted. Jake could give that to him, but it hurt a bit, because this wasn't the first time. It seemed to be happening more and more lately. Henry just never seemed to want him around, and it wasn't just when he was with Goldilocks.
Jake pushed that hurt down. No matter how Henry felt about him, he was still Jake's brother, and he would do anything for him.
"I've found a way out." Jake said. He opened his backpack and pulled out the notebook. He opened it to the familiar page and offered it to his brother. "And I mean out. For both of you."
Henry looked at the notebook, and his eyes widened in shock. Goldilocks looked over his shoulder, and she gasped.
"This…this is impossible." Goldilocks said breathlessly. She looked at Henry. "It can't be real."
"I-I think it is." Hank said, and Jake felt proud. He'd covered his bases well. Henry looked at him, and for the first time in months Jake felt like he was being seen as an equal again. His brother was allowing himself to look vulnerable in front of him. It was bittersweet. Jake had missed this.
"Do you have any idea how furious Mom and Dad will be?" Henry asked. He didn't sound disapproving, but concerned. "Why would you do this for me?"
"You're my brother." Jake said simply. His family was all he had. "And I know you won't be happy in this small town, so I'm giving you a way out. Do you want it or not?"
Henry and Goldilocks looked at each other. There were tears in her eyes and she was smiling. She took Henry's hand. "We can leave. We won't be trapped."
A slow smile crept to Henry's face. He cupped Goldilocks face in his hands. "We can go wherever we want, and do whatever we want."
Jake smirked and leaned back in his chair. "You're welcome.
Henry turned towards him, beaming. "You're insane, you know that?"
"And I love him for it." Goldilocks came up to Jake and kissed his cheek. "You, Jacob Grimm, are amazing."
"I know." Jake said. He handed the backpack to his brother. "That's all the information I know, if you wanted to check my work or something. Mom and Dad won't be back for a few hours, so there's plenty of time to get you packed up and past the barrier.
Henry looked alarmed. "Hang on, we're doing this now?"
"Why wait?" Jake asked. "If Mom and Dad find out about this, they'll never let you leave, and the longer we try to keep this secret, the more we risk getting it out."
"We definitely can't let the other Everafters find out about it." Henry held the backpack protectively. He looked at Goldilocks. "How fast can you get ready?"
"Give me an hour." Goldilocks said quickly. "I'll meet you there." She pointed at the notebook, where Jake had written the location. Right near the Ferryport Landing asylum. It was one of the most isolated places in town that wasn't the middle of the woods. Everybody was too creeped out to be anywhere near the asylum, and they were going to take advantage of that.
"I'll see you soon." Henry kissed her. The kiss lasted for long enough that it made Jake feel a little embarrassed. When they pulled apart Goldilocks went to Jake and gave him a tight hug.
"Thank you." She whispered into his ear. She was beaming, and she ran out of the house. Henry leaned his head back, smiling in the way that he usually did when the two of them had just escaped from a life-threatening situation. It was the smile that came with the high of excitement.
"This is all happening so fast." Henry looked at Jake. "How did you figure this out?
"It wasn't really that hard." Jake said. "I think I'm just the first Grimm that's stupid enough to try to find a way to bring down the barrier that we've spent all this time keeping up." His tone was joking, but they both knew that their parents wouldn't be joking when they said something very similar to this should they find out what he had done.
Henry put his arm around Jake's shoulder. "You're smart, Jakey. Don't let anybody ever tell you otherwise."
"Not even you?" Jake smirked.
"Especially not me." Henry said. He hugged him tightly before running upstairs to start packing. It was only when he was upstairs did Jake realize a potential problem. Though they'd been sharing a room for a while now, most of Henry's stuff was still in his own room, which Mr. Canis was staying in. Jake needed to get rid of him without letting him know what was going on.
People always looked at Jake and they knew he was up to something, but he was still a master of keeping people from figuring out just what that something was. Let Canis be suspicious of him. It would keep him from looking twice at Henry.
Jake went upstairs and knocked on Henry's door before letting himself in. "Hey, Canis." The man was sitting in the middle of the floor in a meditative position. Jake frowned. "What are you doing?"
"Meditating." Canis said slowly. He didn't even open his eyes. Jake frowned and sat on the bed. "Your mother showed me how."
"Why do you do it?" Jake asked. His mom had tried to get him into meditating, but he'd never been able to pick up on it. He didn't understand the point of it, and she hadn't been able to explain it to him in a way that he could understand.
"There are a few reasons." Canis said. "Mostly, it's for control."
"Over the Wolf?" Jake asked.
"Yes." Canis said. "Holding it back is just part of the challenge. Whether I like it or not, the Wolf is a part of me. When I let it out, I feel like there's something foreign fighting for control, and I don't know it well enough to know how to pull it back.
"You're trying to get to know the Wolf?" Jake furrowed his brow. "But if you remember it, won't you just act like it all over again?"
"I hope not." Canis said. "That's why I've started meditation." The old man closed his eyes. "I can't remember anything, but I've heard what people say about me. I know what even your family thought of me. I've read the stories that mention me. I know what I've done, and it feels terrible." Canis grimaced. "It's like a darkness has made its home in my chest, and I can't get rid of it."
Jake had some experience with dark feelings in his chest himself. "Guilt?"
Canis nodded. "I don't want to be the Wolf, but I can't forget the fact that I am. If I ignore all of it, then when I have to let the Wolf out, it may one day overpower me because I'm not prepared for it. If I remember the guilt though and hold onto it, then even when I let the Wolf out I will have a reason to keep that control, no matter what."
Jake's stomach twisted. He avoided guilt at all cost, and here was Canis, who was so new to being not a monster, going out of his way to feel that guilt, just because it might decrease the chance of making those same mistakes again in the future. Jake didn't think he would be strong enough to do that.
"I don't know how you can take it." Jake wrapped his arms around himself. "I can't handle thinking about things I've done wrong."
Canis opened his eyes again and looked at Jake, giving him a very small, reassuring smile. "I don't think you have to. You don't have a monster inside of you that will kill everybody if you allow yourself a moment of weakness." Canis stood up, stretching his limbs out a little bit, before he joined Jake on the bed.
"You're young. You have your whole life ahead of you. I think it's important to learn from your mistakes, but there's no shame in not wanting to dwell on the past." Canis said. He put a hand on Jake's shoulder. It felt nice, but awkward, and Canis looked like he felt the same way about it. "You'll figure it out."
"Thanks." Jake said stiffly. Canis nodded and stood up.
"Now, did you need something from me?" Canis asked. It was embarrassing that the old man knew that Jake wouldn't come in just for the sake of a friendly conversation.
"Uh, kinda." Jake said. "I've convinced Henry to take a weekend in the city, so he needs some of his stuff."
"Yes, of course." Canis said. "I didn't mean to take his room for so long."
"Eh, he doesn't mind." Jake said, and he meant it. His brother had never cared too much about having personal space, and neither of them minded sharing a room. They should have gotten Henry's stuff out a while ago.
Jake started to grab his brother's things. Canis just watched him. When he started to leave the room, Canis put a hand on his shoulder.
"Wait." Canis said. "Something's on your mind."
Jake smirked slightly, though his chest tightened. Had Canis figured out that he was up to something? Or maybe he just assumed that Jake was up to something, because that was what everybody thought when they saw him. "I'm not scheming or anything." He didn't personally consider this thing with Henry and Goldilocks a scheme. He was just helping them in a sneaky way. That didn't count.
"That wasn't what I was talking about." Canis said. He turned Jake around so he could look him in the eyes. "You hide yourself away. This mischief is a mask to hide your insecurity, and you have it on so tight that you're starting to fool yourself too."
Jake clenched his fists. "I'm not hiding anything."
He thought that Canis would try to argue with him. Instead the man just gave his shoulder a squeeze. "I know you struggle to talk to your family, but if you want a listening ear…" He trailed off, looking as awkward about this as Jake was.
As uncomfortable as Jake felt, he did appreciate and actually consider Canis' offer. The man wasn't a Grimm. He hadn't known Jake for very long. He knew he could be a bit of a trouble-maker, but he didn't see him as an actual child. Not the way his family did.
And Canis knew a thing or two about how frustrating it could be to try to prove that he had changed to people who refused to see anything more than his past mistakes.
"I'll think about it." Jake said quietly. He gave Canis a small smile. "Thanks." He left the room before he could change his mind. This wasn't the time to think about himself. He was focusing on Henry and Goldilocks. When they were out, and Jake was surely grounded for life for aiding his brother in this, then he'd think about talking to Canis. Right now though, he had an escape to see through.