Wanted: Prince Charming, dead or alive {PG-13}

[Panther]

Hey folks. Sorry this took so long, but I was swamped the last few weeks and personally this new board is so complicated it scared me off at first. Hope this works.


Part 10

Olivia managed to scale the gates and leap down onto the gravel path without making an excessive amount of noise. It was sad; she thought ironically, that people had to take such measures to keep people out at night. She re-slung the pack on one shoulder. It had a few items that wouldn’t fit in one of her many pockets. Mental note, she reminded herself, invest in a pair of <i>minuscule</i> binoculars.

Her outfit made her blend in with the night as she made her way past the shadowy trees and eerily white gravestones. She was still dressed in her own particular style of eveningwear, having just finished some recon work Joe had sent her own.

A shiver of pleasure went up her spine as she thought how close they were to the anniversary. But the joy was dampened at the sad thought of how close it fell to anther anniversary, her grandpapa’s death.

Once she found the spot she was looking for Olivia calmly sat down on the grass and placed the backpack beside her. She leaned against the oak next to the grave and closed her eyes. She hadn’t been to his grave since the funeral, since she hadn’t seen the point.

Now she wanted to try and fee… <i>connected</i>might be the right word, with him again.

She felt she was getting in over her head. “If you could see me now,” she murmured. If he could have seen her definitely would have been proud as all hell but she also had an awful nagging suspicion he would have been worried. But then, he always had worried about her, especially towards the end. She closed her eyes and let the memories wash over her…


************************Flashback***************************


Grandpapa lay in the hospital bed, looking pale and unnatural, with several tubes running into him; they were starting to crank up the medication. He opened his eyes at the sound of footsteps into the room and his whole face lit up as he saw his granddaughter standing at the foot of the bed. She had just sneaked in a back door disregarding the hospital’s official visiting hours, but soaking wet from the downpour outside.

“What a delightful surprise!” he exclaimed happily, “I thought visiting hours weren’t until-”

She cut him off, “They’re not,” she said, “but the security around here is pitiful, and the locks were a standard class-A break in.”

He smiled again, this time with a teacher’s pride, then frowned as he suddenly realized she was dripping wet. “Olivia, you’ll catch your death of cold! Why don’t you have a raincoat?” Oliver Midwinter scolded.

“Because then I wouldn’t be able to do this,” she said with a laugh, and shock herself like a dog, dousing him with a good deal of rainwater.

He began to splutter mock angrily, “You’re a disrespectful child who’s in need of a good hard spanking and will mostly likely be sharing this room with me next week when she starts to die of pneumonia, and furthermore, should-”

Olivia interrupted him. “Here, quick hide this before that old vulture [his nurse] comes in.” She handed him a box of cigars. “I figured you must be almost out.” She then pulled two candy cigars from her pocket and handed one to him and began to eat the other herself.

“I shouldn’t be having these anymore,” he sighed, but sneaked them away under his mattress anyway.

“You never should have had them, grandpapa,” she scolded lightly, chewing contentedly on her faux cigar.

“Ah, but there really is no better way to celebrate a successful foray into the night then with a cigar and a glass of cognac – especially if they’re stolen. Pity I didn’t get a chance to the last time.” His face became a bit forlorn.

“Ah, but you had started to, hadn’t you?” Olivia asked in a mischievous voice. There was no better way to cheer him up then to get him to talk about when he had been le Chat, which wasn’t very hard to do. “You had it all planned out!” she reminded him cheerfully.

“Ah, yes indeed. I had just settled myself comfortably into a nice red leather armchair when in comes mister big game hunter,” he chuckled, “and my first thought is ‘Oh merde, and Jacque could’ve gotten me such a good price on this little jem of a trophy. You should have seen it Olivia, the crystal and all those jewels sparkling in the moonlight. I had worked out everything perfectly before then. The timing had been perfect. You see, this wasn’t a simple snatch and grab op, there were several intricacies that had to be worked out first.” There was a look of triumph at former glory in his eyes.

“One of the bigger ones being the correct lock pick for handing the door to the study room, since it faced the inner courtyard, rather than the outside, and never even in my prime was I athletic enough to handle the acrobatics involved in a stunt like that!”

He went on, describing the planning that had gone into what had turned into his last hest, ending with the inevitable concluding phrase, “-and always, <i>always</i>-

“Think it through!” Olivia chorused with him.

He chuckled with her, then said more somberly, “And remember this too, little kitten,
once you start, you can’t stop; it gets in your blood. And you’ll never forget that thrill…” He closed his eyes, a smile of remembrance on his face. “Now Olivia, please let me sleep.”

“But” she tried to object.

“Go,” he yawned tiredly, “go before you get yourself thrown out, <i>petite souris</i>.”


********************End of flashback******************


Olivia got up and brushed herself off, her work done for that night. She re-loaded her bag, both her bag and heart now slightly lighter. As she headed back to the Guild’s temporary headquarters she wondered how things were going. Joe most likely had jumped right in and spent the evening getting things organized for the big night.

[Daughterof_Evil]

So glad to see you back, Ms. Panther. I was so afraid you'd been lost in the transfer, as I almost was. But it's good to hear from Olivia again, and as sad as her flashback was, it helped to understand the reason why she remains a cat thief. Bravo! I can't wait to see the next part!!

[Batgirl]

:Screams at top of lungs: EEEEEEE!! :Stops when runs out of air and throws arms around Panther's neck: Hey Panther!!!!!!!!! You're back!!!!!!!!!! I'm so glad to see you! I thought you'd never make it!!!! :regains composure: Hm, Welcome to the boards... Can't wait to see more!
-BG

[Iceblade5]

Hey, Panther! Great to see Olivia back in action! Wow, her Grandpa taught her well, huh? I can't believe her parents would still let her seen him, considering how worried they - or at least her mother - were about it. And what exactly is "the big night"? Looking forward to hearing from you again!
-Ice

[The_NewCatwoman]

Wheeeee, Panther's back!!!! "Okay, calm down kitty, it's ooooo-kayyyyy. (Deep Breath) I liked it, I really did, although I don't approve of smoking.