Jacob Ludwig Carl Grimm (macabre_whimsy) wrote in nevermore_logs, @ 2011-03-15 01:05:00 |
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Entry tags: | fairytales, greta morgan, jacob grimm, wilhelm grimm |
WHO: Greta Morgan, Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm, and then Fairytales
WHEN: Tuesday mid-morning
WHERE: The Grimm's house
WHAT: Time for daddy to tell Greta who she is! (Originally posted by Greta)
For Greta's twentieth birthday last night she had been taken out by her father and uncle to a Moroccan restaurant, where Jacob had then stood up and called for everyone's attention so he could point out that his little girl was twenty and would everyone sing to her. Mortifyingly (and wonderfully, amazingly) most people did.
Once they got back to the house there were far more presents than Greta thought she deserved, some of them incredible things like signed first editions that made her catch her breath in shock and awe.
And now it was mid-morning and Greta had made her way out to the kitchen, still in her pajamas (the ones with sheep dancing across them in tuxedos) and the desire for coffee filling her soul. She smiled at her family (a wonderful thing) and said, "good morning."
"Good morning, Greta," Jacob smiled at his daughter. He was busily cooking dinner and the coffee was already brewing. "Help yourself. Did you have a good time last night?"
Wil smiled at his neice over the top of the newspaper. "Morning sunshine. Sleep okay?" He bit the end off a sausage and waved it in a friendly manner. They didn't usually do a cooked breakfast unless Wil made it worth Jacob's while, because Wil was far too lazy to bother. He was a big fan of cornflakes.
Greta beamed and nodded in reply to both of their questions and came down to sit across from Wil after grabbing a mug. "I still feel full of that duck-thing from last night," Greta told them brightly. "Soooo good!"
"It was wonderful, wasn't it?" Jacob said, filling a plate with food for her anyway and setting it at the table. "And now there's breakfast too, though your uncle is making good headway on that," Jacob said, patting Wil on the shoulder while he grinned.
"I do love a bit of sausage." Wil beamed at Greta and then glanced at Jacob, giving him a meaningful look. They'd discussed that they'd tell her the news today, but not really whether they'd wait for before or after she'd finished eating. If she threw up from shock, Wil did not want to have to clean that up.
"Just coffee for now," Greta said, holding up her hand in protest as she took a sip. "Can't handle food yet." (She ignored the fact that her uncle might be making penis jokes because she so wasn't ready to start thinking of family sex lives.)
Jacob was glad he wasn't drinking any coffee so that he didn't spit it out when Wil mentioned his fondness for 'sausage'. He grinned anyway and then he nodded and pulled Greta's plate towards himself. Then he joined them at the table. "So, how did you both sleep?" Jacob asked lightly.
"Like the dead." Wil winced internally and glanced at Jacob again, giving him another, more forceful, meaningful look as he got up to pour out coffee for Greta.
"Pretty good," Greta nodded. "Had weird Rapunzely dreams all night, but that's not all that unusual."
Jacob cleared his throat and he took that as a cue. "Darling, there's something your uncle and I need to tell you. We've been meaning to talk to you about it for a while, but it never seemed like the right time..."
Greta rearranged herself on the seat so she was a little more comfortable and then nodded to her father, her expression serious and intent. "Alright," she told him, ready to hear whatever they needed to tell her.
Wil put the mug of coffee down careully in front of Greta, then stepped back to sit down next to Jacob. He cleared his throat lightly, and glanced at his brother.
"I guess we could start with that we're not quite who we said we were. The truth is... Our name isn't Graves. It's Grimm."
Jacob chewed on his lip as he glanced up at Wil and then back to Greta. "Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm," he said helpfully, though he was fairly sure that part she could have arrived at since she already knew both their Christian names.
"Oh god," Greta said and then laughed a little, covering her mouth. "How much did your parents hate you both? No wonder you changed it!" Their parents must have thought it had been hilarious. That was just cruel, although it wasn't as bad as some name combos they could have ended up with.
Wil glanced at Jacob, giving him a look that said, here goes nothing.
"We were born in Germany in the late 1780s. We are The Brothers Grimm. TM." He gave a weak little laugh at the silly joke, and elbowed Jacob to say something.
Jacob winced and he hoped Greta wasn't about to run out on them both. "Your uncle is telling the truth. We lived that life and now...we live this life too. It's hard to explain-"
"Oh," Greta said, watching them carefully. She was confused and a little worried about what was going on in their heads. They didn't seem to be joking.
Greta should have known this had all been too good to be true.
"Okay," she said after a few more moments, not agreeing with them but just stalling for more time.
"Wait, we're not crazy! I can see you're thinking it. And it'd be the logical thing, because how can people be immortal? They can't. But, we're not... people..." Wil held a hand out towards her, beseeching. He grimaced at his clumsy explanation. "Just hear us out, okay? Don't call the men in white coats yet."
Jacob didn't know how they could possibly prove this to her without summoning Bianca to help them out, and he was coming up empty-handed. "Wait...we can prove it. Or...we can prove there are other people like us. Please, Greta. We have no reason to lie about this."
Greta was just watching them both still. She didn't know what on earth she could possibly say to the fact that her uncle and dad thought they were ancient fairytale writers. So she just nodded a little blankly.
"Umm." Wil tapped his fingers on the table a moment. "So, the reason we still exist is because people believe in us and read our works. And it might have affected you..."
"Exactly. Have you noticed any..." Jacob sighed because he felt ridiculous even saying it. "Have you noticed any sort of...fairytale-like tendencies?"
"Any..." Greta blinked at them, "fairytale-like tenancies?"
But as soon as he asked it, there was a little voice in the back of her head responding. Well, Greta, when was the last time you were able to stray from the path? When was the last time you were able to refuse anyone in need?
"No..." Greta finally said, although she sounded a little unsure.
"Are you sure? Because when you sat down you said you had Rapunzel dreams and it isn't unusual, that might be an affect of it. We don't really know how it manifests in demi- um- demi-immortals like you. There are other like us, we've met Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde, and Hans lives near here. Hans Christian Andersen I mean. And there are Saints and Muses and Heroes rattling around too..." Wil looked at Jacob. "Too much? This is a lot to take in..." He looked back at Greta.
"We just wanted to prepare you, in case you meet people who are drawn to you and are different, like us. Being this way, we can sense it in others, and they will sense it in you."
"I know it must sound terribly confusing, but we can answer any questions you might have. Your mother never knew who I was, though if I had known about you, I would have said something. It's important you know. You need to understand where you came from."
"You're both serious," Greta said finally, looking between them both. Maybe she was the one that was mad? Was she still dreaming all this? It seemed very long and very linear to be a dream though. "I don't... I don't know what's going on any more."
"We know it's going to take a while to sink in, and it's a lot, but you have to know." Wil felt a bit awkward. "We're not crazy and we're not lying. If you want to talk to us about anything, we will try and talk you through it honestly. There are people who could help you."
"And if you feel like you need further help, my friend Bianca-" Jacob turned to look at Wil, "-she would be a good person to talk to about this. She understands all about this kind of thing. I believe you met her?"
Greta's chest felt tight and uncomfortable and she tucked her messy hair behind her ears. "I'm... I just need a few moments to-" she stood up, feeling very shaky. "Is that okay?"
"Yes, yes sure, get some air," Wil said quickly, nodding to Greta. She seemed to be taking this considerably calmer than he'd thought she would.
Jacob nodded too, and he managed to keep himself from reaching for Wil's hand like he did when he needed some comfort. "Take all the time you need."
Greta excused herself from the kitchen and slipped down the hallway and into the bathroom where she closed the door behind her and then made a tiny, swallowed moan of horror and confusion. She didn't know what the do. She didn't know what to do!
Greta sat down heavily on the edge of the bath and took a few deep breaths.
Call someone. Call someone and make sanity happen.
She slipped out of the bathroom and into the spare bedroom she'd been slipping in, searching in her bag for her phone. She didn't know who to call once she had it though and after scanning through the numbers she called Bianca's number, sitting down on the floor with her back against the bed,
Bianca was enjoying breakfast when her phone buzzed. She put down her porridge spoon and pulled her phone out of her dressing gown pocket.
"Greta! Good morning," she said brightly, picking the spoon up again with her free hand to stir the sugar and cream into spirals through the oats. "Did you have sweet dreams?"
"I'm having nightmares," Greta told her, running her free hand into her hair. "Bianca, I didn't know who else to call. Something's.... It's Jacob and Wil. I think they're crazy."
"Crazy how?" Bianca sucked the porridge off her spoon. She remained breezy and unconcerned. The morning was too lovely for undue distress. "Happy Birthday for yesterday, by the way!"
"Uh, thanks," Greta blinked but carried on, "but dad and Wil. They think they're the Grimm brothers. They told me that they're the Brothers Grimm."
"They told you?? Oh Greta!" A moment later Bianca was bouncing on the bed next to Greta, still in her nightdress and dressing gown, and landed on the floor beside her. "I'm so happy! We can be sisters and we'll have so much fun!" She clapped her hands joyfully.
One moment she was talking on the phone to Bianca and then the next moment Bianca was right there. Greta jumped up from the floor and screamed at the top of her lungs, throwing herself back into the bookcase in terror.
Jacob had indeed been holding his brother's hand since Greta had left the room. He had spent long, dark nights doing the very same thing in order to feel safer, and he needed that kind of comfort now.
And then he heard his daughter scream.
Jacob dropped Wil's hand as if he had been burned and he jumped up from the table, grabbing a butter knife before he darted off in the direction of Greta's bedroom, rushing to her aid. "Greta!"
Wil was quick to follow, carrying an empty coffee cup, right behind his brother. They burst through the door, offensive weapons at the ready.
Bianca looked up, unphased, as they slammed the door open. She was sitting on the edge of Greta's bed, still looking cheerful, if a little perplexed at the extreme reaction.
"I thought you told her?" she asked the brothers, wagging a finger at them. "She said you told her."
"Give her a chance," Wil said a little weakly, the adrenaline ebbing away making him feel rather shaky.
"Oh god," Greta was saying, hyperventilating a little. "Oh my god, what is going on!?"
"Bianca," Jacob said breathlessly. He leaned against the wall for a moment to catch his breath. "Did you just pop in for a visit and nearly give my daughter a heart-attack!? I'm sorry, Greta. This is...part of what we've been trying to tell you. Bianca is...she's like us. Just uhm...less subtle."
"We told her about us. We didn't tell her about you." Wil shook his head, turning away to run his hand through his hair and take a deep breath. "It's way too early for this."
"I'm not really like you, I'm a goddess, you're just an immortal." Bianca shrugged. She didn't mean it to be insulting, the way she said it, just a statement of fact. She turned back to Greta, and patted the bed next to her. "Come sit, we'll talk. You have to tell me all about it. I couldn't ask the good questions before."
"Oh god," Greta said again, looking between them all. Everyone was being far too calm about this and she was going insane obviously! "You're a goddess??" Greta demanded, still clinging to the bookcase behind her. "And you're... the Brothers Grimm??" She let out a high-pitched laugh because it was either that or cry.
It was hard to deny anything Bianca said when she'd appeared out of nowhere.
Bianca stood and bobbed a curtsey. "Goddess of Fairytales, at your service," she said with a wink. "I can be a lot of things to a lot of people. I can be-" She suddenly put her hands to her mouth to stifle a squeal, and bounced excitedly. She may be rather over-excited about this, but she could still be sensitive to Greta's needs and wait for her to calm down before making her request.
"We are the very same," Wil said, putting a steadying hand on Jacob's shoulder. "I'm so sorry about this, we didn't mean for it to be so- big- but the longer it went without telling you, and you're obviously going to be in our lives-" He stopped, his hand squeezing Jacob's shoulder gently. "Or, we hope you still are."
Greta sat down very heavily on the floor. "You're all serious," she said to them and then, a hand against her chest, she told them in a panicked tone: "I can't breathe!"
"Oh yes, serious indeed!" Bianca said, going quickly to the window an throwing it open to let in fresh air. A chill morning Spring breeze blew in. Wil gave Jacob a little nudge towards Greta.
"I'll go and get some water," he said, hurrying back to the kitchen to put his cup to good use.
Jacob moved away from Wil and towards Greta. He sat on the bed beside her, though he made no move to hug her yet. "I'm so sorry to spring this on you, Greta. But we're still the same people you knew before. You just know our real names now." And the fact that, technically, they were kind of dead. That was probably not so nice.
"My affection for you remains the same. You're my daughter, Greta. And I care very much about you."
Greta looked at the man who was supposed to be her father, who was supposed to be only extraordinary for the fact that Greta had wondered and longed for him her whole life. He wasn't supposed to be... this.
"She appeared out of nowhere," Greta told him, because maybe if she said it while looking into his eyes he'd give her an explanation and he'd tell her that what he and Wil had said had some logical explanation. But when had her life ever followed logic?
Greta dropped her head onto her knees and moaned, "I never should have strayed from the path."
"She does that," Jacob nodded, though he said so in a soothing way. "But she's wonderful and bubbly and she won't hurt you."
When Greta dropped her head, Jacob hesitantly put his hand on her back. "What do you mean, Greta? Strayed from what path?"
"Whatever led me here," Greta whispered. "Everything has gone so wrong," she said, lifting her teary eyes to him. "You're both... different and I've made so many mistakes."
"I'm sorry we're not what you expected," Jacob said, and he meant it. He wished he could be better for her.
"What mistakes do you mean, Greta?" he asked carefully, moving his hand to wipe some of her tears from her face.
Greta let him touch her without pulling away. She wanted to comfort of him. "I'm all wrong. I've always been all wrong and now- is it because of this that I-" Greta shook her head and looked down. "There's things I've done that I can't explain."
"You're not wrong, Greta, why are you saying you're wrong?" he asked, reaching to take her hand. "You're everything I could ever hope for in a daughter. I just wish I could be the same for you."
It wasn't supposed to be a guilt trip. He honestly meant it.
Whoever or whatever Jacob was, whatever madness this all was, he was her father and she loved him.
Slowly she reached up and undid the top two buttons of her pajama shirt, drawing it back to reveal one of her shoulders and collarbone marked by Hati's (and now Skoll's) bites and scratches, some almost healed and some only days old, some deep and angry and scabbed. "I don't know why I let him do it," was all she could say, not looking up at him. "I can't stop it."
Jacob's mouth opened slowly in horror at what Greta showed him when she pulled back her shirt. "Greta..." he whispered, wringing his hands together before reaching out to carefully take her into his arms. "Greta, who did this to you?"
Jacob wanted to rip his head off.
"I never go with strangers," Greta told him, pulling her shirt back tightly. "Never. You've seen how I can't even talk to people, you see how I can't break all my own stupid little rules and then-" she shook her head. "I don't even know where this guy came from but I can't say no to him, not any more than I can break any of my rules. Is this because of what you are? What Wil and Bianca are? Is that why I'm broken and I let him keep hurting me like this?"
She had her hands buried in her hair, terrified of Jacob, of herself, of Hati, of this whole world that had just opened up in front of her like a gaping chasm. She knew that all of it was true because she knew, for the first time, that she was part of something wrong.
Jacob didn't know what to say to that. His daughter was hurting and it might be because of him?! "Greta," he said, his voice now panicky and breathless. "I don't know if this is my fault, but regardless we need to make sure you're okay. You might need stitches or disinfectant. And you can't see this person again. What is his name, Greta? Do you know his name?"
"Hati," Greta whispered. "I don't know anything else about him."
She looked at him, her hands shaking, and said, "you really are Jacob Grimm, aren't you? And Bianca... she really is some goddess."
"I really am. And she really is," Jacob nodded sadly. He recognised the name Hati as well. Hati had spoken to him, but he hadn't realised he was the one who had done this.
Jacob didn't handle the people he loved being hurt or sick very well. He had lost Wilhelm and it had been decades before he had seen his brother again. Decades in which he had been alone and miserable. Fear of being in that state again was why he harped on about Wil bringing his inhaler everywhere and why he panicked when Wil was ever late. And now, seeing his mortal daughter like this, it was causing no shortage of panic. He was doing his best to keep it inside.
"Hati is the name of a wolf in Norse mythology. It's possible the person who did this to you is like us as well. Which is unfortunate because it means I can't kill him."
The sound that Greta made was closer to a laugh than a cry (surprising her as much as anyone else) and she said, helplessly, uselessly, "he calls me Little Red. Of course he's a wolf. He bites and chases and thinks I'm his Little Red."
"He call you his-" Jacob bit off his last word and he shook his head in dismay. "We should have told you sooner. We should have told you whn you first got here, but I was so worried you would just leave."
Greta had run out of words, and she'd run out of things to even think. Instead she just let herself slip into her father's arms so she could cry quietly until she exhausted herself out.