The Grinch's Monster [COMPLETE]

Sneaking In

The beginning of the ride was epic.

Sure I clung to Grinch as if my life depended on it (and kept on clinging until he had to get off to go down the chimney) but it was worth it to hear him 'almost lose his cool'. I'd be laughing about it for years to come.

"Show off." He grumbles as I effortlessly slip down the chimney like a snake and land in the living room. Taking the food and presents is easy enough, but when it came time to snatch the tree, the creaking of footsteps and the coo of a voice had the both of us ducking behind the tree, my cheeks flushing at Grinch's arm wrapped tightly across my shoulders.

Somehow I knew it was Cindy, I listen quietly as Grinch does the talking, gives her a drink, I hear her footsteps reach the stairs before she stops.

"Santa?" "What?" "Don't forget the Grinch and Wilma." We both kinda freeze.

"I know he's mean hairy and smelly, and Wilma isn't that friendly. But I think they're both rather...sweet." I melt as Grinch snaps back. "Sweet?!" I feel him grow warm under my touch as he plays with an ornament. "You think they're sweet?" I can almost see her nod.

Goodnight Santa." He groans as she walks away, I watch her shadow disappear with a smile. "Nice kid," I say.

"Bad judge of character." He finishes before running off with the tree and chucking up the chimney, with me holding onto it.

"Heh, sorry." He says later, I roll my eyes as he helps me onto the sleigh. "Sure you are." But I'm smiling too.

~

The rest of the night is without a doubt the best one ever; we ate, we drank, we stole, I got the cat off Grinch's face (because I'm a cat person), gained a bit more respect for Martha when I saw her sleeping (don't ask), and almost fell over laughing at what Grinch did to the mayor (but I couldn't laugh too loud because that would've woken everyone up). All too soon, we were at my house.

"Whatcha doing?" Asks Grinch as he follows me down the halls. "Something I should've done years ago." A smile creeps to my lips when we come to a small brown door with a rope hanging from it on the ceiling.

"There's nothing up there we can take." He says as I stand on his shoulders to pull down the rope. "Maybe not for your cause." Is my reply as the ladder unfolds and I climb up. I can hear him peak his head in as I shift through some boxes until I find one that looks like it was used recently. My hands shake as I sit down and open it on my lap. "What is it?" For the first time since I've met him, he sounds genuinely concerned. I'm silent as I remove a picture that once hung in the front hall of the house I once loved to live in.

"My mother." I see his eyes widen in the corner of my vision. "But you said-" "I know what I said, it wasn't the truth." I pause and laugh under my breath. "Though sometimes I wish it was." He arches a silent brow, I think it's his way of asking me to go on, so I do.

"She went on a business trip a few months before I graduated from college. I waited for Who knows how long before I gave up hope that she'd ever return. Saying she was dead was originally my step dad's idea and I just...went along with it. I didn't even know I was following blindly until the Whobalation when Cindy asked me if she was really gone." I sigh while running a finger along the edge of a picture of me and mom playing in the snow one winter long ago.

"You're not half bad, for a Who." He says, his voice with a touch of affection. "She'll come back, you'll see." I meet his gaze with a gentle smile, and before I have a chance to think about it, I hug him around the neck, burying my face in his shoulder. 

"Thank you." And as he awkwardly pats my back, I can almost see a smile in his eyes, just barely tugging at his lips.