Grimm City Chapter One

Once upon a time, people forgot their fairy tales. They felt they had no time for unimportant lessons of the past, and the stories were left behind to wither in the dust. But no story ever truly fades, and one figure rose from the cobwebs to breathe fresh life to those put aside. Our lady, her holiness, sweet Mother Goose created a place where every story could live and thrive, and she bestowed her majestic powers to give everyone new lives. This was a place where everyone was accepted, and so everyone loved Mother Goose. Yet her continuous use of magic was too much for her body, and sadly, one day she was no more, and her precious land was left to her sons.

"Granny?"

The old woman paused in her storytelling now that she was interrupted, yet her thin fingers continued to knit away at the fluffy pink sweater laying in her lap. Despite the sweater, the thick layer of clothing on her body, and the crackling fireplace she was seated in front of, the grandmother shuddered with chill as she turned to face her small granddaughter. "Mmm? What is it, Rebecca?"

"Minnie." The granddaughter corrected again, more than used to being mistaken for her mother by the senile elder. Though she vaguely resembled her mother in her younger years, the mouse maiden knew that it was age that confused her grandmother's mind more than looks. By now, nearing adulthood, Minnie had looks that were only Minnie's, and not her mother's. These were her big ears, this was her tiny body, and these were her laced gloved fingers trying to finish the last knot on her red riding hood. "I'm sorry, but can we finish the rest of the story later? If I don't leave soon, I'm going to be late for my first day of deliveries."

Granny's withered face fell as she frowned, the clicks of her needles almost in tune with the flicks of flames. "Oh, Rebecca-"

"Minnie."

"I wish you would reconsider. It's far too dangerous out there. You should stay here. The wolves come out at night…" She shuddered again, this time from horrid images in her head. "Those dear Grimms do what they can, but the wolves… the wolves, my dear…"

This was another routine of Granny's that Minnie had memorized. "They follow little girls and pluck out their bones to make their bread." She repeated, bending over to retie the laces on her brown boots. "The money from Mother's savings has run out, and you know I've wanted to be a Messenger like her ever since I could walk. Now that I've gotten an assignment, I'm going to fulfill my duty." Boots tied, check. Sack of messages slung over her shoulder, check. Red riding hood fit snugly around her neck, check. "I won't be long." Smoothing over her skirt, she came to her grandmother's side and kissed the saggy cheek. "Love you."

"If only Mother Goose were around…" Granny shook her head, adding an additional sleeve to the ugly sweater. "She'd know what to do… Rebecca, Rebecca, Rebecca, whatever shall we do…"

Minnie didn't bother to correct her this time, as she had a job to get to. She left the living room, but as soon as she got to the front door, she hesitated. As much as she longed to step out and make a start on her career, it would also be the first time she would step out by herself at night. It sounded like a childish ordeal, but this would be her first step into the adult world. Most ventures outside would be with her elders, getting necessary items like food and clothes, and then they would quickly retreat back home. But with Mother passed away and Granny too senile to be of help, Minnie had to start taking steps to take care of the two of them. She swallowed hard, and then opened the door, walking into the night of Grimm City.

Her house stuck out in an almost ugly fashion, being one of the few homes left not made out of steel. High towers were on every block, and fading blinking neon lights gave halfhearted efforts to lure patrons to their shops. With each passing day, it was becoming more difficult to tell when the day ended and the night began, as the smog from the tallest tower in the city pumped out heavily in disgusting puffs that no one cared about anymore. The Grimm Tower, the highlight of Grimm City, home of the Grimm Brothers, was where Minnie looked as she stood out on her wooden porch. Even from her tiny height and unimportant home she could get a glance of the intimidating structure, and she was sure everyone could see it, even those who lived in the outskirts of the shrinking forest. It served as a constant reminder of who owned the city, and who everyone owed their businesses to.

Minnie shook her head to try and stop the distraction, and closed the door behind her. She had memorized the address she needed for that night, along with every detail on how to get there, and so she began to walk on the cemented sidewalk with her eyes forward. Her footsteps echoed back and forth across the vast city blocks, reminding her and assuring her that she was the only one out tonight. No one dared to be on the streets at night, lest they run into…

She heard an extra footstep, and stopped. There was silence. She waited, and when nothing happened, she exhaled heavily. Granny's paranoia was getting to her! "Wolves. Ha." She pretended to give off a laugh, and resumed walking, though she felt a sudden need to break the quiet. "I'm not doing anything wrong, so they would have no reason to go after me. And… the police are doing a nice job on keeping them in line. And no one wants to be in trouble with the police, so that's double the trouble! And double trouble is not worth anything at all! I'm not afraid of any wolves! Ha ha!"  Everything was fine, she had nothing to be afraid of. But it wouldn't hurt to walk a little faster, and it was healthier too!

"Wolves! Ha! Hahaha!" Her deluded laughter was then swiftly interrupted by that extra footstep again. Once more, she froze, and waited for anymore sounds. "Oh, this is silly." She tapped her cheeks, snapping herself back to her senses. "Is this why there are so few Messengers out? Because they're scared of a few steps? I bet it's a lost kitty-cat." Hands on her hips, she turned around, fully expecting to be right.

She was wrong. At the end of the block where she had just left was a tall figure, dressed entirely in tight gray leather, waving to her – with wolf ears sticking out of his cap, a wolf tail wagging from his tight pants, wolf eyes glimmering yellow from shadowed fur, and a most definitely wolfish grin that glinted from the neon lights. "Meow."

Minnie found herself breaking two personal records – this was the loudest she had ever screamed and the fastest she had ever run. She could hear the man giving chase, and then worse, more steps were accompanying him.  She dared to look back, and saw shadows moving – more wolves, more leather, men, men, adults, teenagers, all of them with the same features and hungry yellow eyes that sought her bones to make their bread. They were gaining on her, and they shouted at her, using words to claw at her when their sharp nails couldn't.

"What're you doin' in our night, girlie!"
"Don'tcha you know that this is wolves territory!"
"C'mere baby, let me see how you taste!"

She didn't bother to bang on any doors to yell for help, as she knew everyone else had already locked themselves away when night came to avoid this very confrontation. That left her with few options on how to get out of this mess, and her troubles escalated as the next block she was nearing already had a wolf there, a female who was cackling wildly while swinging a cracked bone – a previous victim?! - in her hands. "We'll show you what happens to girlies who enter our turf!"

She couldn't go forwards or backwards, so she could either go left or right. To the right were the open empty streets, and they'd catch up her there. Upcoming to the left was an alley between two stores, and what she believed a way to narrowly escape. She turned left hard, almost spilling the contents of her bag, but to her amplified horror saw that the end of the alley was cut off by a high chain wire fence. She feebly ran up to it, trying to shake it, as if that would somehow make it move. The world around her became darker, and with terrified tears she looked behind her to see the open end of the alleyway now covered in wolves.

The wolves will follow little girls and pluck out their bones to make their bread. The wolves own the city at night. The wolves are merciless - the wolves are monsters - the wolves had hundreds of different stories told by every citizen and Minnie had heard them all. Her back pressed to the fence, and all she could emit were pitiful whimpers as the group took their time to advance on her. The first one she had seen – maybe their leader? – walked out in front of them, and he raised a hand, with his nails sticking out of black gloves. "If this city hasn't learned their lesson about us yet… then maybe it's about time we gave them one big lesson! And it starts here!" This was supported by a series of howls, deafening in their ferocity, and Minnie –

And Minnie couldn't take anymore. Her eyes rolled back, and she fell onto her side, her bag making a bigger sound than her body did when they both hit the gravel. The howls died down almost immediately, and the collected yellow eyes blinked stupidly at what had happened. The tallest who had stepped forward idly poked at Minnie's ear with his foot. "… Think she fainted." He clicked his tongue to his teeth, and then began to laugh, offering high-fives to those around him. "Who's the man? I'm the man! C'mon, gimmie a taste of that bone, I totally earned it!" He yanked away the cracked soup bone from the female who had been holding it, and licked it twice before continuing to boast. "Aw man, the Alpha's gunna love this! We done good!"

They almost forgot about Minnie in their unusual celebration, congratulating each other on their fear tactics, until a smaller wolf ran in with excited yelps. "The Alpha's comin', he's almost here!" The canines quickly began to smooth down their mismatched outfits and fur, but the tallest one stayed in place, eager to show off. The announcement of the Alpha was quickly met with the distant roar of a motorcycle, slowing and quieting down as it neared the alley. Save for the tallest, the wolves backed up to the walls, making room for their true leader. Some almost knocked over the trash cans lined up in the alley, as eager as they were to see the results of their efforts.

The motorcycle crawled to a halt, sputtering out small spitfires of smoke until it finally stopped. The chopper hadn't known a day of rust, and some of the males whistled to see the impressive vehicle. The rider didn't say anything as he climbed off, using his heel to get the kickstand in place. The Alpha stuck his hands in his pockets, dressed entirely in black instead of the gray his lower minions donned. He didn't answer to acknowledge the wolves that began to bow to him and praise him, as they remarked how good his chopper looked, and how great it was to see him. The alpha stood before the Tallest, and the latter puffed out his chest with pride. "So get this! This girlie thought she could just mosey into our turf, and get off scott free! How bad is our rep gettin' when we even got lil' girls thinkin' they own the streets? But don't you worry, cause I scared her good! Even made her faint!" This earned glares from his companions as the tallest was taking most of the glory.

The Alpha still said nothing, and walked around the one in his way. He looked down at the girl, who looked even smaller now in this devastated way. "… Ya did this?" His voice was unusually soft, and those who picked up on it in the pack had their ears flattened. This wasn't good.

"Sure did!" The tallest hadn't taken notice of the change in tone, too engorged on his pride. "It was all me! I probably made her see her life flash before her eyes three times!" He chuckled at his morbid joke, but the joke didn't land as he found the Alpha now clutching his wrist. "… Uh, Alpha?"

What did land was the tallest in the garbage cans, as in one harsh movement, the Alpha had flipped and thrown him faster than any wolf could blink. The others scrambled to get away from the tallest, frightened by what had happened.

"Oooh, shoot, we've really done it now!"
"W-w-whaddya mean we? I didn't upset the Alpha!"
"We are so dead!"

The Alpha faced them all, claws out, and fangs gnashing. "Who else did it? Who scared her?!"

The wolves frantically began to point at each other, putting the blame on anyone but them, hopelessly frightened by their Alpha…

… who happened to be the shortest wolf of them all.

~*~

"Mommy, mommy!" The little mouse girl thought maybe if she called her mother loud enough and tugged on her mother's red riding hood hard enough, it would make her stay. "Can't you stay a little longer?"

Her mother chuckled, kneeling down to lovingly pet her daughter between her ears. "I'm sorry, Minnie. But mommy has important work to do. I'll be back home soon."

The girl whined, burying her face and fists in the soft fabric of the hood. "Aren't I important…?"

"Of course you are. Oh, my sweet little Minnie." She picked up her child and cuddled her close to her chest, which began to soothe the child's temper. "You know Mommy will always come back for you."

"... Promise?" She mumbled into her mother's warmth. "Do you promise, mommy...?"

But the warmth wasn't from her mother's arms, and as she again mumbled "Mommy…?" she began to fade back into the present, where mother wasn't here anymore and Minnie was all grown-up. Confused, she rubbed her eyes to make sense of the situation, seeing as she was now on top of a dirty old mattress with one or two springs sticking out.  Her bag was with her, thankfully, but as she tried to pull it closer, an unfamiliar voice gave her the last jolt to fully wake her.

"So Sleepin' Beauty's finally up."

Minnie was on her knees in the next instant, wide-eyed at who had spoken to her. A boy was leaning on the detached bedpost, not staring quite as hard as she was but still staring at her none the less. He was also a mouse, but so different from her that it wasn't a far cry to say he was an entirely different species. After all, she knew no mice that wore such heavy black leather outfits, no mice with such darkened muzzles, and more importantly, she knew no mice with the eyes of a wolf. He had started speaking again, but she couldn't hear him, because she knew that despite his equally big ears and tail as thin as string, this was still a wolf, and she was still in trouble. She shrieked, starling him, and she held her message sack with both hands. "Not again! Y-y-you stay away from you, you… b-b-big bad wolf!" She then swung the sack around, smacking him across the face and sending him to the floor. The next part of this not-really-thought-out-plan was to make a run for it, but as she stood up on the mattress, she saw that the small shambles of a living room was filled with the wolves that had ambushed her.

They had been sitting around patiently until their leader was assaulted, and now they all sprang up on their boots, snarling. "Hey, girlie, what're you think you're doin'!" One female cracked her knuckles, ready to give some payback after what happened. "After what the Alpha put us through to get you here, this is how you repay him?!"

All Minnie could do was let out a diminished squeak of a "Huh?", on the very verge of fainting again. As for the Alpha, another female was at his side, helping him sit up. "A-Are you okay, Alpha? No one's ever hit you before!"

The Alpha rubbed the small bump on his head where he was hit, nodding along. "… Yeah. No one's ever hit me before." He repeated, but not in the same vein of incredulity as his follower had. Once he had collected himself, he shoved his helper off. "Hey, wait! She's got every right ta be afraid, after what all of ya did! Now, front and center!"

Instead of being mauled, as Minnie thought that's what this night was heading towards, the tallest wolf was joined by a few others in the center of the room. With tails between their legs and their caps taken off, they hung their heads, giving off the appearance of disciplined schoolchildren instead of bloodthirsty gangsters. If Minnie wasn't seeing it for herself, she'd never thought it possible. Then came words she thought wolves didn't even have in their vocabulary. "We're… we're sorry." The tallest weakly uttered, twisting his hat in his hands. "We, uh… went… too far, and didn't mean it…"

"Annnd?" The Alpha urged, arms crossed and foot tapping.

"… And, um, we'll never do it again. Ever, ever again. And we're very, very, extra sorry." The others nodded in unison, keeping their eyes on the Alpha to make sure they did it right.

"Yer darn right yer sorry!" The Alpha smacked his hand against the remains of the bedpost, and Minnie kept looking back and forth between the Alpha and his group. The Alpha hardly came up to any of their hips, yet they were treating him as if was a deity. They clearly outnumbered him, and some were even more muscular than he was, yet they flinched as his voice raised in a pitch that almost matched Minnie's high squeakiness. "I said ta go out and protect our rep, and I find ya scarin' lil' girls ta death! Is that what ya want this city ta think of us? That we got nothin' better ta do than bother people who did nothin' wrong?" There was a chorus of "No, sir!" to which he continued to snap. "Now get outta here! I don't wanna see any of ya the rest of the night, ya got that? Scram!"

The wolves clamored and climbed over each other to get out as soon as possible. With the room emptier, Minnie could take in the room as a whole. It looked abandoned by its previous owners, with obvious holes and old paintings tattered and sideways on the walls. The mattress and its remains had probably been dragged in as an afterthought. "And I'm sorry too." The Alpha faced her again, thought he had taken a step back in case she felt like walloping him again.

"Oh." It was all Minnie could think to say, given the oddity of the past couple of minutes. She wasn't entirely convinced she still wasn't dreaming. The wolves of Grimm City legend, being bossed around by a mouse only a few inches bigger than she was. It sounded like something out of Granny's senile stories. "Oh, well… I'm… sorry for hitting you."

"Ah, I barely felt it." He fibbed, moving his cap around to hide the bump on his head. "Can't really blame ya, either. The gang gave ya a big fright… but it wasn't what I wanted." He shook his head, disappointed with how the night had gone.

"So… you're not going to steal my bones to make your bread?" She knew it sounded silly at this point, but he was still a wolf. A surprisingly nice wolf – and a surprisingly cute wolf – but a wolf all the same.

"Not unless ya got a steak bone in there." He waved a hand towards her message sack, and she held it tighter to her body. "Easy!"

"… I don't." She answered, and began to slide off the bed. "I'm… I'm a Messenger. Minnie. My name is Minnie and I'm a Messenger." Now that her life was no longer in danger of becoming bread material, confidence little by little began to return. "I… I was out delivering messages when the wolves came after me."

"And it ain't ever gunna happen again, I swear it." He pounded a fist to his chest to symbolize how deeply he meant it. "They're only supposed ta keep an eye out for coppers and such. Not scarin' little girls. As for me... the name's Mickey. I'm their leader, so ya can be sure they'll listen to me."

"… But you're a mouse." She was fairly sure of this, and pointed to his ears that were as obvious as hers. "I mean, aren't you? You look like a-"

"Half mouse!" Mickey cut her off in a huff, embarrassed and turning away. Now he too began to look as young and boyish as his gang, and Minnie wasn't sure to do with these new aspects. "I'm wolf where it counts! Now, c'mon." He waved to her, and began to walk away, eager to stop her questions about his heritage.

"C'mon?" She repeated, following him carefully. "Where are we going?"

"Got a message ta deliver, don'tcha?" The doorknob came off in his hand when he opened the creaky door, and he tossed it away without a second thought. "As my way of sayin' sorry, I'm gunna take ya where ya need ta go, Red."

Red?  She looked down at her hood, and then continued to follow him. It was a rather friendly offer to make to someone who had walloped you upside the head. "Are you sure about that?"


Mickey idly glanced behind him as they descended down the staircase, old and rickety, voicing its age under every step they took upon it. Even now, he was thinking of lectures to give to the rest of the pack. Were they out of their minds, trying to frighten someone this innocent and naive? The way she carefully moved down the stairs made it look like she had never been to a place this decrepit. "Sure I am. What's the matter? Afraid of the big bad wolf?"

"I'm not." Not entirely anymore, anyway. He was a wolf but he was still being quite generous, and now that she was sure she wasn't dinner, she could get a better look at him and his attitude. He wasn't polite, but he didn't match the whispered words of wolves either. "It's just... well... I hit you really hard, and yet you're being so nice to me..."

"Ya didn't hit me that hard!" In fact, Mickey was rather cute when he believed his masculinity – or at least his wolfhood – was being threatened, given the way he'd duck his cheek into his jacket and avoid eye contact. He was so unlike any wolf Minnie had ever heard of, and even so unlike anyone Minnie had ever met before, that she began to relax with every passing step.  "Least I can do after my pack scared ya half ta death." His eyes were forward again, though he continued to glance back every chance he thought she wouldn't notice. Rather, he kept wanting to follow her every movement, as small and demure as she was, to make sure she didn't land in trouble as innocent types like her tended to. "We got a rep ta maintain, and it's got nothin' ta do with terrorizing lil' girls."

Minnie contemplated if being continuously called a little girl was an insult or not. After deciding otherwise, she managed to catch up to him and be at his side when he reached the front door. "Then... what's your 'rep' supposed to be?" By now, she could tell that this building had been an apartment at one point, but the owners had long since given it up.

"Respectable." Not adding anything more, he opened the door. Right ahead, standing on the pavement, was Mickey's motorcycle, almost bigger than he was. It was a well taken cared-for machine, bathed in what lights were left of the city. He caught her surprised expression, and a few of his fangs poked out as he smiled. "First time seein' one of these?"

She nodded.

"And first time bein' on one of these?"

She nodded.

"It's not gunna bite ya, yanno." He took her arm, and began to drag her towards the vehicle, as she had yet to move an inch from the door willingly. "For a Messenger, yer scared pretty easily."

"...I'll just get braver. That's all." She lightly wrestled her arm free, this time choosing to be insulted. "Each new experience will make me braver... like now. Now I'm not scared of wolves anymore."

Suddenly her hips were grabbed, and before she could object, she was lifted up, and as she fidgeted, she was placed right on the back seat. Once she realized what had happened, she exhaled deeply, relieved, and put her delivery bag aside. He let her go, unable to stop smirking. Innocent types like her were always bound to trouble, and there was fun quality about that. It had been ages since he could poke fun at anybody and she made an entertaining target. Not bad on the eyes, either. "Not even me?"

Minnie smoothed down her dress, though wrung her fingers on her cape for the slightest of seconds. "Of course not, after you've been so kind to me. You're not big or bad at all."

He could have just let that go and went on their way, but he simply could not resist the urge to tease her again. That sweet face of hers just called for it. "Not big or bad." he repeated, leaning towards her. She was suddenly very aware of their difference in height. While they were both small compared to most people, he had the advantage of several inches over her. This time, when he spoke, his voice was quieter, calmer, yet contained a growled hunger. "My, Red, what big ears ya have."

"The better to hear messages with." She leaned back in return. The words had come automatically, not understanding what he was up to. For the life of her, she couldn't recall the last time she had been so close to a boy.

He placed one foot on a pedal, to get in even closer, nearly looming over her. "My, Red, what big eyes ya have." It was also very sudden that Minnie noticed how empty and alone the streets were, with only the two of them on that dark night.

The Messenger's cheeks were beginning to match the color of her nickname, and she knew she couldn't lean back any further, lest she fall off. This was fear, but not like when the pack was going after her. She didn't have a name for this different fear. It was why she didn't try to look away."The better to see my customers with." What was he doing? What was this?

"My, Red." His hand cupped her face, thumb on her lower lip, fingers lightly grasping her chin. "What a big mouth ya have." This didn't earn any witty response from her, and she stared intensely at him, waiting to see what he would do, holding her breath. Time stood absolutely still, and decades could have gone by for all the mouse girl knew. Was this a wolf thing? Was this a Mickey thing? Was this what people did? Overwhelmed by too many new experiences at once, she shut her eyes, and waited for whatever would come, her heart deafening in its fervent pounding.

"Just kiddin'!"  His clawed hand ruffled her hair, and he took his seat in front of her, having a good laugh at her expense. "Man, Red, yer just too fun, yanno that?" Truthfully this daring act had gotten his cheeks as equally red, but if she didn't see it she couldn't prove it. "Now, which way we goin'?"

Minnie didn't answer him right away, dumbfounded by the joke. She opened her mouth several times to think of how to retort, but her mind blanked. What was this boy? She gave up on understanding his actions, and recited the address. "It's… It's on the corner of Hansel and Gretel. I need to see Professor Ludwig Von Drake."

"I think I've heard of that crackpot." As Mickey twisted the handlebars, the machine roared to life, ready to take the journey. "Just hang tight, Red, and we'll be there in no time."

"… Hang tight to what?" She looked around but there were no bars to grasp onto. Mickey glanced back at her again, and she understood instantly. "… O-oh. Oh, my. Um."  Awkwardly, she tried to place her arms around his waist. This was definitely her first time touching a boy, and she thought she was handling it quite well, despite the fact her blushing had even reached her ears at this point. "Like… this?"

"Just like that." It was for the best that they couldn't see each other's faces, given how embarrassed Minnie was becoming and how big Mickey's grin was growing. Maybe he should thank his gang instead.

~*~

Professor Ludwig Von Drake was unaccustomed to guests and more accustomed to the rampant noise that filled his house. An old professor and an older eccentric, his house was filled with experiments that usually didn't help anyone despite his best intentions. Yet for all his odd failures, it was well known that he often worked for the Grimm Brothers, lending mathematical formulas to companies and providing solutions to problems they didn't know they had. That night he was humming as he poured a batch of green chemicals into a thicker batch of purple chemicals, this time answer the solution to the problem "If I mix these things, will they go boom?" It was because he had proved himself right that he didn't hear the knock on his door at first, and as he wiped the exploded goop off of his face, he heard it the second time. "Oh, a visitor! If you have horses, hold them!"

After exchanging his white lab coat for one that looked exactly the same, but with less exploded material on it, he opened the door to interrupt who had interrupted him. "Why, if it isn't little Minnie Mouse!"

Hand raised in mid-knock, Minnie smiled in surprise as she and Mickey stood in front of his open door . "You recognize me?"

"The professor makes it a duty to memorize all of his students!" He pulled her in by her wrist and slammed the door into Mickey's face. "You may not all remember each other, but I will always remember you! Make yourselves at home, as long as you remember that it is my home!" He vigorously shook her hand up and down as Mickey opened the door again, allowing himself in as he rubbed his sore nose. "First grade, you were the best speller in your class! And if you can't spell, you can't do well! That's what I've always said! Except when I'm saying other things. Like when I say, who's this?" He pointed to Mickey, whose presence the professor had only now noticed.

Minnie managed to wrangle her hand free, and to keep herself steady. She didn't want to lose her balance, lest she knock off any of the hundreds of glass tubes and bottles that were lines on the shelves on every wall. Chemicals were being poured and bubbled and boiled, the wrong movement could lead to a domino effect of disaster. "This is Mickey, he's my…" She trailed off, looking at him. What was he, exactly, in the brief hour she had known him? "…Friend?"

Mickey smiled at her, and then walked around the scientific room with less regard to the experiments around him. "Smells like yer up ta somethin', Drake. A new present for the Grimms?" There was a distasteful tone that came with their names,  though on the outside he appeared as calm and smooth as ever.

"Yes and no." Drake wagged a finger, perhaps not noticing Mickey's wolfish mannerisms since his mind was all too over the place to focus on any one matter. "The Professor is working on something big, but it's a secret! I can't share it with anybody, not even my past students! So I'm afraid I'll have to cut this visit short, because the best secret is the most that's well kept! That's the other thing I'm always saying!" he made a gesture to the door, but Minnie sidestepped in front of him to keep his attention.

"Actually, Professor, " Minnie dug into her sack, thankful that she could at last do her job. "I'm a Messenger now, and it's my honor to bring you… this!" She pulled out the message – a bright green marble, with the Professor's name etched on one side, and the one who had ordered the message on the other. Mickey had never seen how a Messenger actually worked, so he stuck himself in a corner to watch. Minnie readied herself with a quick breath, and then popped the marble into her mouth. The magic took hold at once, coating her entire body in a light green glow, and she lost all traces of her femininity as her body jerked to fit the ideal of who had sent the messenger. One hand cupped her elbow, and she feigned smoking a cigar, her eyes momentarily losing their color as she became someone. "Good evening, Professor! Mortimer Grimm, at your service."

Long ago had messengers lost the need for paper and ink, finding the magic and science of today to be of much better use. Ludwig had a hand in the creation of these special messages, and was amused to see it working before his very eyes. These messages could contain as much personality and emotion as the sender wanted, without the sender actually being there. Once they filled the message marbles with the information, they sent it off to be delivered, and Minnie was doing this duty as she became Mortimer Grimm, relaying his words and attitude. "Since you've been cooped up in here so long, I thought I'd give you a little reminder. The Grimm City School is having its next big class reunion next month." Minnie-Mortimer inhaled deeply on the cigar that didn't exist, as he had probably been smoking when he dictated. After an awkward exhale, 'they' continued, unaware of the uncomfortable glare Mickey was giving off. "And we want you there as a special speaker. Of course Pete and I will be there too, but we want all of the city's greatest minds there. I'm sending out invitations to everyone who was in the last class you taught. So be there, and look sharp!" With a wave of her hand, the message ended, and the glow was gone. Minnie's eye color returned after one blink, and wobbled as her senses returned. Mickey reached out to help her, but she didn't need it, finding her own footing and suddenly giving an excited jump. "Oh, I did it! I delivered a message! I did it!"

Ludwig laughed and clapped, excited to see her look so proud. "Well done, Minnie! It warms the Professor's heart to see my students do their jobs so perfectly! Here, here, let me pay you up front!" He pulled out her due from the pockets of his coat, and Minnie stopped her hops to see the coins being held out for her.

She delicately took them, holding them in her gloved hands and running them over with a finger. Her first payment, after her first message. She'd really done it! She had survived wolves and weird boys and an eccentric professor, and successfully became a full-fledged Messenger! "Whoo hoo!" She clenched her fists with her earned money,  and began to bounce up and down again, unable to get over her accomplishment. She knew she could do it, but to actually do it filled with her unmatched jubilation. "I did it! I'm a real Messenger! I did it, I did it, I did it!" Among other things she did, she banged her fist into one of the shelves, sending a batch of pink, blue, and somehow plaid concoctions over onto the floor, causing them to dissolve a large part of the professor's carpet. "… Oops." She sheepishly placed one of her coins back into Ludwig's palm as he watched his ruined floor, and then she speedily opened his door to leave before she could create a bigger mess.

Mickey snatched the coin back as he whistled behind her.

~*~

"It's a few blocks past where you found me... it's a small wooden house, with a brick chimney."

The duo was riding back to Minnie's place, and Mickey was forced to speak louder than normal, in order to be heard about the lively engine and the ripping wheels. "I think I might know it... Don't see too many of those houses nowadays. Everythin's metal and steel."

"Granny doesn't want to get a new one." She found the right level to be speaking at, and had become slightly more adjusted to holding onto him. "She says our family has lived in that house for generations, even around the time Mother Goose was alive. She even made me promise to raise my family in it too."

"Plan on makin' a family so soon?" He wished he could turn around to see the face that came of that. To share another kindness to her, the rest of the ride home was without conversation, save for a few small directions every so often. It didn't take long for her to spot the familiar puffs of smoke from her chimney, and with a few tugs to Mickey's arm, they slowed down to a stop. She only hoped that Granny wasn't looking out the window, lest she see her granddaughter on a motorcycle with a wolf. That was one unnecessary heart attack.

Again, he came off first, and again, he eased her off. When her feet touched the ground, she smiled at him, all traces of the night's fear vanished. "I know I've said it before... but thank you."

He shrugged one shoulder, trying to pretend he didn't like the gratitude, but his smile was giving him away. "Was it worth it?"

Minnie nodded firmly. "A-huh... I'm never going to forget my first message!"

Mickey raised his eyebrows, and looked down at her to make sure he heard right. "First?"

"Of course." She adjusted her delivery bag, having only needed to give one marble away that night. "I made a commitment... I'm not going to stop. I'm a Messenger, now and forever."

Mickey frowned, as he didn't imagine her to be so stubborn. She had been frightened enough to faint, 'fought' with a wolf, took her first motorcycle ride, nearly wrecked Drake's floor, and she still wanted to keep doing these crazy things? She was either crazy herself, or…  "I'd hate to see ya in danger again, Red. How's about I make ya an offer?" Or she was something worth looking into.

She tilted her head, trying to figure out what he was up to now. "An offer? What do you mean?"

"Last I heard, wasn't against any of yer rules that ya couldn't have some company on these trips." He jabbed a thumb back at his bike. "How's about until ya get the hang of things, I help ya deliver these messages? Like… a bodyguard."

"A bodyguard!" She gasped, a dash of surprise, delight, and confusion all at once. If all other wolves were like him, they wouldn't have such nasty words spoken about them. "Oh, I couldn't possibly ask you do to something like that! You've already done so much for me, I wouldn't know how to repay you." Her feet rubbed up to one another, nervous and unsure, as she held her delivery bag close to her. It wasn't fair, for him to do all of these nice things, and she could do nothing in return.

As for Mickey, seeing her in such a state of humble generosity was almost too much for him. He definitely had to protect her now - someone so sweet was never going to survive these missions on her own. The pack would have to understand that, even if he didn't understand it himself. There was this need to protect her, with extra new feelings mixed in, yet he could not let such the opportunity for further teasing pass by. Just one last game, and he'd let her go inside. He cleared his throat. "I'm sure we can come ta an agreement... I got the perfect one in mind." He licked his lips, flashing a few of his pointed teeth. "For every message we deliver together... ya gotta give me one kiss." He gave a small point to himself. "And with that crazy duck done, ya already owe me one."

Just as he predicted, her face was an explosion of dainty bashfulness - heavily flushed cheeks, eyes round as saucers, mouth gaped open, and a tremor to her body. Even her tail flopped to the ground, floored by what had been suggested. Her naivety had reached its limits, and he had broken them into pieces. She whipped around, holding herself, and he had to wonder if she was going to run away. As he suppressed an urge to laugh at the prank he played, it never occurred to him that she would give this any serious thought. If they really were going to become partners, she would have to get used to these jokes. He could not imagine ever growing tired of these reactions.

When she finally turned back to face him, he was biting on his lip, trying to hold back his chuckles. Maybe it was time to release her and reveal the gag. He opened his mouth to do just that...

....But his mouth suddenly became occupied, as it was covered by hers, and nothing was funny anymore. But it was very delicious. Their positions had become reversed with this one little action. She was strong, he was wide-eyed. She was calm, and his were the cheeks that were flushed. Yet as soon as it had started, it was over, as she pulled back, and then took several steps backwards, breathing deeply. "It's a deal!" She even saluted.

He stood there, mouth still open, eyes still wide, cheeks still flushed. What just happened?

"So I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early." Another lovely smile of hers was flashed, her boots clicked together - "Thanks again, Mickey!" and off she went inside the house, slamming the door behind her. She breathed hard when the door was closed, but she never stopped smiling. She could handle wolves, she could deliver messages, so what was this one little deal? With everything that had happened this night, she felt she could do anything. This was the start of Minnie's life of a messenger, and now she felt she could take everything on.

Even as the stars began to fade, Mickey still stood there, mouth still open, eyes still wide, cheeks still flushed.

My, Mickey, what a big mouth you have.

End Of Chapter One.