"Victim appears to be female, in her early 20s," Anne said into the recorder. "Victim appears to have suffered severe blows to the torso and face. She has skin cells under her fingernails, indicating that the victim resisted." Anne lowered her magnification camera and focused on the corpse's neck. Fatal blow seems to be a cut to the neck from the carotid artery to the jugular vein indicating that the kill was made by someone trained to handle bladed weapons. By the pattern of the incision, I'd say it was done with a blade of fairly intricate design."

At least the poor girl seemed to die painlessly. A cut like that would've killed her in moments. Anne examined the rest of the Jane Doe. Whoever this poor soul was, she suffered a world class beating before she finally died. Whoever did this…man, they wanted the girl to suffer. Was this somebody sending someone a message? By the looks of the cuts up and down her entire body…and were those rope burns on her wrists…this had all the markings of torture…or were they trying to get information out of her? Mack had thankfully caught the case and would keep her informed on all of the developments but…this really set her on edge. Something this brutal and seemingly ritualistic usually involved Wesen but Anne couldn't know for certain until the ID came back.

She'd been about to zoom in on a suspicious marking on her shoulder blade when the phone rang, pulling her out of her internal musings.

"MEs office."

"Hey Anne; Chief Watkins needs to see you when you have a minute. It's important."

Well…Charlie was out to lunch but would be back any time now. He was up to speed and would get right to work so she probably could duck out for a few minutes. She wheeled Jane Doe back to the freezer and shut her in. Shucking off her scrubs top, she returned to the main complex of the department and climbed to the second floor. Turning a corner, she was quickly greeted by Art, the Chief's aide, and was immediately ushered into Chief Watkins' office.

"Have a seat," He whispered, covering the receiver with his free hand. "Tell the city council that the report will be in their hands day after next." He hung up the phone and turned to his guest. "Sorry about that Anne. Thanks for seeing me on such short notice."

"No worries, Roger. What's up?"

"Well I'm in a little bit of a bind," He leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers. "Tim MacDonald had a family emergency and had to back out of the Forensic Science conference and we need someone to take his place. I know its short notice but would you be interested in taking his place in Philadelphia?"

Wow…that WAS short notice. The annual Academy of Forensic Science Conference was one of the hottest tickets in town for someone in her field but was in two days and lasted another three. But she couldn't deny the prospect of attending was quite appealing. Apart from serving as the ME, Anne was often called upon to aid in various forensic analysis and those conferences were often a wealth of information.

"Well, I've got to talk it over with James but my tentative answer is yes. Charlie should be able to handle anything that comes up."

"Splendid," Chief Watkins smiled. "That's a massive load off my mind."

"Great; I'll talk to James when I get home and call you after dinner."

Anne returned to the morgue and worked through a few preparations for her deputy ME to take over for the next few days. She made a few calls and by the time five o'clock rolled around, she was pulling up the driveway, practically on her husband's heels.

"There's my tall and handsome rocket scientist," Anne cooed as she planted a big kiss on her husband's cheek. "How was your day?"

"Eh, identified a black hole, tracked a massive comet; kind of an average day; how about you?" He asked as he held the door open for her.

"Well I had a bit of a curveball thrown at me today," Anne elaborated, stepping in and setting her bag on the bench. "You remember that conference in Philadelphia that I told you about?" James nodded. "Well the officer that Middleton was sending had to back out at the last minute and Watkins wants to send me. I gave him a tentative yes but said we'd have to talk it over."

"Oh…how long would you be gone?"

"Probably two or three days," Anne offered, heading to the kitchen. James didn't look like he was going to object but…pouring on some charm couldn't hurt. Anne brought up her best faux pout. "Would you hate me forever if I went?"

"Well…I suppose not," Was that…was James actually…a shiver shot up Anne's spine as the sneaky devil decided to cop a feel. "So long as you make it worth my while."

It took all of Anne's control to keep from letting out an "eep" as she jumped backwards. "Why James Steven Possible, you scoundrel; is this a little middle aged fling?"

James pulled her towards him, pulling the carrots out of her hand and carelessly tossing them onto the counter. "Middle aged nothing! I've got my hands on a gorgeous redheaded bombshell and I," James leaned in and lightly kissed her lips. "I will have my way with her."

"But…what…kiss…if Kim…kiss…comes in? The boys?" Anne breathed. This…this was so unexpected and she was all a quiver.

"Oh, she's…smooch…working late at Amy's and…kiss…eating dinner there," James whispered. "The boys…kiss…smooch…are working on a science project at a friend's house. And that means that for the first time in years, we've got the house COMPLETELY to ourselves for two and a half hours."

Their lips locked and Anne could feel James slide her dress jacket down her arms. Oh GOD Anne loved her husband! Married almost nineteen years and James still knew exactly how to turn her on, knew all the right places to hit. He hefted her up onto the counter and attacked her with a fiery passion. Each kiss was like a jolt of energy that supercharged her pleasure. "Oh God James…bedroom…NOW!"

Like a bat out of Hell, the pair took off up the stairs with Anne in the lead. With the dexterity of her ancestors, Anne began ripping her clothes off enroot. The pants had been especially tricky without breaking her stride. Standing before their queen-sized bed, naked as a jaybird, Anne put on a sultry grin as James stumbled in, trying to duplicate Anne's maneuver with the pants but just making a tangled mess.

"Come on James," Anne ran her hands down her rosy flesh. "Take me!"

"The spirit is willing," James gasped. "Give me just a…sec."

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

There was definitely something to be said about puzzles. Kim would've heartily agreed to that right then. Aunt Amy had gotten this awesome antique trunk in from Freiburg yesterday, likely mid-19th century and according to the seller, filled with books. The books were appetizing enough but when Aunt Amy had told her the lock was rusted and needed replacing? Well how could Kim refuse? Maybe it was a Grimm thing but Kim loved working on locks. This thing was an utter disaster, completely rusted through and mangled…and Kim absolutely loved every minute of it. And this one had been especially stimulating. Rusted was mild compared to this. Using her metal scrape, she cleaned off most of the rust, revealing the problem. The metal catch was dislodged and wedged between two of the gears. If she could just…give…a gentle…push…

"Making progress?" Aunt Amy stepped in.

…CLICK…

With a smirk, Kim lifted her magnifying glasses and set down her precision tools. Taking a delicate grip on the lid, something that had been instilled in her since she was 13, Kim smirked and lifted the lid, revealing numerous leather bound books and volumes. Aunt Amy smiled and applauded as Kim took a bow.

"Then let's see what literary treasures my niece has managed to set free," Aunt Amy knelt down, donning a safety mask and vinyl gloves and handing Kim a pair of the same. The majority of the books were in German, making Kim only able to recognize a handful of words on each book she touched. But here and there, she managed to recognize a few titles, one even in English. Her hands trembled as she cradled what had to be an early edition of Robert Lewis Stevenson's Treasure Island. Aunt Amy on the other hand seemed to recognize every title she got her hands on.

Kim had just set down what she guessed was an old apothecary handbook and fished out a small leather bound book.

"Albträume für Wesen Kinder?" She didn't make out the rest but "Wesen" was easily recognizable. "Hey Aunt Amy, I think I've got a Wesen book here."

Aunt Amy set down the massive volume she'd been examining and scooted over next to Kim. Looking over at the book, Aunt Amy's eyes grew big and she took the offered book. From what Kim had seen of the pictures inside, she thought this looked like some kind of story book for little kids. But Aunt Amy…she'd reacted to the book like it was an original Gutenberg Bible, the Holy Grail of rare books.

"I haven't seen one of these in years," Aunt Amy breathed, setting the book down on the table.

"What is it?" Kim repeated.

"Albträume für Wesen Kinder," Aunt Amy smiled and slid the book over so Kim could see. "It's kind of like Aesop's Fables, cautionary tales taught to Wesen kids when they're little. I had a copy when I was eight but lost it when our house burned down."

Wesen Fables? Well that was interesting. For some reason, Kim had never really considered that concept. Aunt Amy thumbed through the pages, explaining her favorites. There was Lothar the lying Lowen, Frida the bashful Fuchsbau…Kim paused though when they got to "G".

"G ist für Grimm?" Kim read, glancing uncertainly at her Aunt. She knew very well the horrific and often well-deserved reputation Grimms had in Wesen culture. She, Mom, and cousin Nick in Portland were rare but thankfully making headway in changing relations with the Wesen. "G is for Grimm?"

"Uh Kim, I don't think that…" Aunt Amy sighed, trying to scoot the book away.

"Aunt Amy, come on."

She heaved a sigh and slumped her shoulders. "Your mother's probably going to kill me for this but…this is largely why Grimms are so feared in the Wesen community. Did I ever tell you about the first time I woged in front of your Mom?"

"I don't think so."

"Well…it was about three months after we'd first met," Aunt Amy began, hugging Kim tight like when she was little and would have Aunt Amy read to her. "As you know we were roommates and by that time, we'd already become besties. It was our freshman year and I was cramming for a big test. I kind of had a mini-freak out just as your Mom came out of the bathroom. We looked at each other and…we must've stood stock still for a good two minutes. That…that was the single scariest moment of my life; I…thought I was going to die. Our friendship, all the good times, they were completely forgotten. And this is why." She turned the page, revealing a hooded figure in a really grotesque looking mask. The figure certainly LOOKED like something out of a nightmare; the caption underneath read "Der Ende Der Zeiten Grimm". "Loosely translated, it means End of Time Grimms. And Kimmie, these were the absolute worst of the worst. They showed absolutely no mercy, no remorse. They were like monsters, leaving a trail of Wesen death and carnage in their wake. They slaughtered men, women, children, I even heard of them slaughtering pets. And they would brand their kills with this skull shaped G."

"That…that's awful," Kim's eyes were riveted to the picture, much like a car accident. She just couldn't look away or banish the image from her memory. Why…why did this happen? Every family had to have some skeletons in their closet…but it seemed like Kim always had to find out about some new atrocity that the Grimms had committed on innocent people. She just wanted to be…she didn't know…this…this was like finding out you were descended from Hitler.

"And that's why I thought the girl who'd been my best friend only thirty seconds before was going to kill me on the spot," Aunt Amy sighed and turned to look at Kim. "But your Mom…looking back on it, she was just as scared as I was," Aunt Amy always seemed able to guess what was on Kim's mind and hugged her close. "She truly was a pioneer in the Wesen community. She…well she NEVER believed like the others did. You two…gosh, you're so much alike that it's almost scary. Either of you…come Hell or high water, your first instinct is to help those that need it. I'd be surprised if there are any of these…things left in the world. But you…you are Kim Possible. You're my niece, my protégé, and you are one of the greatest girls I know."

"I've got Chinese food Momma," Monique popped in through the back door.

"Alright," Aunt Amy got up and hauled Kim to her feet. "Enough of this doom and gloom about a bunch of nut jobs. I for one am going to enjoy some General Zso's chicken with my daughter and my numero uno niece."

Well…as usual, Aunt Amy was right. No matter what new black marks, what new skeletons in her closet Kim was discovering about her ancestors, she was her own person. Her two best friends were Wesen…and the love of her life, the boy she would one day marry, was a Wesen. She was Kim Possible; and as far as Kim Possible was concerned, her ancestors could all take a long walk off a short pier!"

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

She'd tracked Kim Possible over what seemed like every inch of this filthy city. She'd seen numerous Wesen but had actually let them pass for fear of losing track of the girl. She'd…she'd actually let a Wesen live? If word of this ever got out…if Father ever found out…she'd never felt so conflicted in her life. Being able to recruit a Kessler to the Order would be an incredible accomplishment but…all Wesen must die. That single phrase had been drilled into her since her powers and first manifested themselves as a young girl. And what she'd seen in her tailing of the young Kessler only made matters worse. It had been an impulse but the Mannschaft Falke had spent hours in that mall, providing no opportunities for a clean kill. Their numbers were not so large that she could make a kill in broad daylight with hundreds of witnesses, making tracking Kim Possible the better option in her mind. But the longer she followed her, the less escape there was from the idea that Kim Possible was under some kind of spell or potion. This girl…actually seemed to …CARE about Wesen! She…this was the most disgraceful thing she'd ever seen.

She watched from the shadows as Kim Possible entered Buried Treasure Antiques, the store owned by the Fuchsbau that she called "Aunt". Where was Kim Possible's mother in all of this? Little was known about Anne Possible and in her pursuit of Kim Possible, she'd seen relatively little of Anne. Was she…not in the picture? Was she neglectful? Could…could THAT be it? Kim Possible…Kim Possible must never have been shown her legacy. That HAD to be the explanation! If a Grimm manifested her powers without any guidance, then of course she wouldn't know the evils of Wesen!

"Damn what I was brought here for," She breathed to the night. "My only goal is to get Kim Possible away from here. I alone will bear the consequences of my actions." She drew a throwing knife and ran it down her palm, feeling the warm blood run down her hands. "I swear by the blood of my ancestors that Kim Possible will honor her ancestors' memory. By year's end…she WILL by a real Grimm!"

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

"Mom? Daddy? Anybody home?"

Kim marched into the house, looking around the entry way for any signs of life. She'd texted Daddy about being late and not to hold dinner. She peeked into the kitchen and spied…no dirty dishes? And a pile of carrots were lying on the sink? What was going on here? She'd seen the cars when Aunt Amy dropped her off. What was going on here?

"Anybody home?"

…THUMP…

Kim ran back towards the stairs. That sounded painful! Had somebody fallen? Kim looked up the stairs and…oh God! Was…that wasn't Mom's shirt…was it? And Dad's tie?

…THUMP...

"Down in just a second Kimmie."

On an intellectual level, Kim understood that her parents likely still…acted that way…GAG…oh this was just TOO much! Mom and Daddy stumbled around the corner, clad in their pajamas. Was Daddy's shirt on backwards?

"Kimmie sweetie," Mom puffed, subtly trying to kick the shirt back around the corner and out of view. "We…we weren't expecting you to be home so soon."

"It's exactly the time I said I would be back," Kim did her best to fix them with the same stern expression she received for breaking curfew when out with Ron. "I swear…next time I'm getting the garden hose!"

"We're sorry Kimmie," Daddy put on a look of mock embarrassment and got up behind Mom. "But your mother's just so beautiful…"

"NONE OF THAT," Kim pointed towards the kitchen. "You're obviously letting your hormones get the better of you. I want you both where I can keep an eye on you!"

The two had a grand laugh at Kim's expense as they marched into the kitchen. Kim could give them that…so long as they NEVER spoke of this again. Daddy retreated to his study and Mom and Kim settled down to share a cup of tea. Mom mentioned the conference that she was being sent to and Kim talked about the trunk she'd worked on and its contents. That in turn reminded Kim of the Wesen fairy tale book.

"Mom…have you ever heard of the Ende Der Zeiten Grimms?"

"How…how did you hear about them?"

"When we went through the books I found a copy of this Wesen collection of fables and…one thing led to another."

"I see," Mom sighed, and looked towards the window. "It looks like I'm going to have to have a word with your Aunt."

Mom was…oh no; Aunt Amy wasn't going to take the fall for this one. Kim had to talk fast! "Come on Mom; it so wasn't her fault. She was telling me a few of the stories and she TRIED to keep me from seeing the story but I saw it anyway. PLEASE don't be mad at Aunt Amy because of me?"

Mom rolled her eyes, and set down the tea pot and the cups. Thankfully Mom looked like she was going to forgive Aunt Amy. Pouring the tea, Mom began. "Okay Kim. I suppose that Aunt Amy explained the significance?" Kim nodded. "Well Grimms throughout history have done some brutal things but that's about the worst it ever got."

"Were…were any of our ancestors ever…?"

"Oh no," Mom assured, handing Kim a cup of green tea, "I can say with absolute certainty that no one in our line was ever…one of them. Your Grandma Kessler was…unpleasant at the best of times but even SHE was a far cry from them."

"Are they still around?"

"Well, no one's exactly sure; most Wesen and other Grimms that I've talked to think not; as an organization, the consensus is that they died out sometime in the mid-1600s. Ende Der Zeitens had been at odds with mainstream Grimms for centuries and what the rest of the world knows as the 30 Years War was actually the only Grimm Civil War, ending in the complete defeat of the Ende Der Zeitens. In fact, King Gustav II, a Grimm himself, was actually relatively tolerant of the Wesen in his kingdom, even so much that a few Wesen elected to fight alongside him, one even rising to the rank of General in his army. Since then…well I'd be surprised if there are even twelve of them left in the entire world. From what I've heard, there've been dozens of attempts to resurrect the Inquisitors' Order, their ruling body, but to my knowledge, every attempt ended in utter failure. The day the last of those monsters dies is a good day for humanity."

"Aunt Amy told me about the night you found out she was Wesen."

"Oh, I'll remember that day for the rest of my life," Mom sighed, clasping her daughter's hand. "It broke my heart. Here was this awesome girl who was the sister that I never had. We lived together for barely a week before we knew that we'd be best friends forever. And that night…that night I saw it all disappear in an instant. I saw the look of utter fear and betrayal in her face…it broke my heart. I had a small dopplearmbrust that I kept in a lockbox in the closet. I pulled the box out and I slid it over to the floor to her and told her the combination. 'Amy,' I said to her. 'I can't hurt you. You're my best friend in the world. You…you're like family to me. If you…if you don't believe that…I'd rather be dead.' It seemed like ages before either of us dared to speak but we stayed up the whole night talking it out and by the end, it was like we'd known about each other all along. So…much to your Grandma's bigoted anger, I became a Grimm whose closest friend was her Fuchsbau roommate."

"And I'm a Grimm who's in love with a Mannschaft Falke," Kim replied, swirling her tea in the cup. As the story progressed, Kim couldn't help but think about Ron. Being Wesen, Ron would've known about Ende Der Zeiten but…he still loved her.

"Yes, yes you are Kimmie," Mom smiled. "Never let your past dictate who you are. I have never regretted my friendship with your Aunt. And I see the way you are with Ron…and Aunt Amy told me about her 'prognoses'. Even if you only remain friends, the two of you have a relationship that is very rare. That's all that you ever need to remember. You and Ron Stoppable love each other! Everything else is completely irrelevant and I will have words with anyone who says differently about it!"

"It's going to last Mom," Kim downed the rest of her tea and heaved a contented sigh. "I love him and I always will!"

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

As her daughter retreated up the stairs, Anne sighed, refilling her tea. It was hard enough being a teenager these days. Being a Grimm at the same time was ten times worse. Anne supposed that she couldn't be too mad at Amy. Kim had a quick mind, she WAS Anne's daughter after all, and Amy HAD made the attempt to cover it up. But Anne knew just how Kim would react to the revelation of the Ende Der Zeiten Grimms. Kimmie…Kimmie was so kind and giving…dammit, Anne was prepared to take that part of Grimm culture to the grave! The Kessler family legacy was complicated enough for poor Kim but THAT little chestnut…even Anne had trouble hearing about that.

Those Bastards nearly cost Anne the best friend that she ever had; her best friend, Kim and the boys' Godmother…Anne couldn't dream of a world where Amy Pritchard wasn't part of her family's lives. Every morning, Anne thanked the powers that be for Amy being brought into her life.

"Everything okay Annie?" James stepped out of his den and wrapped Anne in a hug.

"Yeah…I just had a long talk with Kimmie," Anne sighed, turning in her husband's arms to face him. "It was Grimm stuff. Sometimes…ARGH! I just wish she'd never have to deal with this!"

"I know," James replied, holding her tight. "I know. I don't even claim to know anything about that side of you but…Anne, our daughter worships you. She has utter faith in your support, we ALL do. We are a family and together we can tackle ANYTHING!"

As if their little marital romp in the sheets hadn't been enough, Anne was once again reminded of how much she loved her husband. James was absolutely right. Every time Anne had even the slightest bit of doubt…man, James was there to pick her up. He was her rock.

"James…have I told you lately that I love you?"

"Well…uh…if the last few hours are any indication…I certainly love YOU!"

Author's Notes:

Kim's life is anything but easy.