Blabla= Herr Blaubär speech/ emphasis in people speech/ flashback/ music/ something…something.

"Blabla"= normal human speech

(Blabla)= Kathy's thoughts - kind of. I mean, people don't - at least I don't - actually think with full sentences.

Nobody thinks like, 'I'm walking, I'm going to the zoo today. I wonder if my friend is coming along? Oh! There's a pretty butterfly!' , or if someone does think like that they are pretty damn slow.

Additional bold text or *asterisks* are there because I don't have a beta, and my mind just wonders around sometimes, and I kind of forget what I was using for emphasis.

A/N: Okay! I started to write this last fall - like on my first week in the new school or something. I forgot all about this story after writing the first chapter or so, and found it again just a couple weeks ago. I wrote another chapter, and because our computer started to act funny I thought it would be safe to print it so any explosion of our lovely IMB wouldn't wipe it away. I'm pretty fond of this story, actually. A weird, weird ficlet this certainly is, that's for sure.
The fact everything seemes to be German in the house… Frau Schell is German, and she has the habit of not taking anyone who's not German as her servant even now when she lives in England for the simple fact she doesn't trust the English folk. So, the people in her house speak German or with the German accent (Okay maybe little or more weird but quite fun). All except Nancy, she's borned in Liverpool but she lied she was a German. Plus, the story is major AU in general. (It means it's an Alternative Universe, where everything is possible. I have, for example, mixed years 1800 and 1980 together, so we just see what happens) Now on with the story…

A/N2: Oh yeah^^;;; I don't actually speak German so… except some major errors coming throuhg.

The Adventures of Little Kathleen and Herr Blaubär

Chapter One: Decisions And Goodbyes

"Kathleen Swayze, you come down here right now!"
The eight-year-old girl sighed and put the book down. She knew it had to be bad, Nancy never called her by her whole name if she didn't mean bussiness. Oi! Busted… Herr Blaubär mocked her grim look. "But I haven't done anything!" She complained. The toy gave her a sly look.
But if I'd do something… She glanced him warningly, but he ingored it.
Guess who'd get the blame?
She grunted and gave the white-and-blue teddy-bear a little cuff on his ear, even though he tried to stop her - or, Kathy didn't actually see him moving but she could somehow sense him trying to.

'But there's really not that much a little teddy-bear can really do, is there?', Kathy thought as she smiled to Herr Blaubär and gave him a kiss on the cheeck, as an apology.

"I'll be right back," she said as she left the room.

Kathy quickly ran the stairs down, careful not to stumble in her big trousers. They had, like most of her things, once belonged to Thomas, and they were quite obviously many sizes too big. She didn't mind, the trousers felt nice enough, and they weren't really so ugly Thomas had complained them to be to be. Thomas was Frau Schell's son, and he acted like one would except him to, for his mother was very very rich and - despite her being old and fragile - powerful. Kathy doubted Thomas really had any friends, only people who were scared of him or just hung around him in hopes of candy. He always had candy, she knew but she of course never got any. Kathy had all her life thought, candy equals fat. Thomas could outmatch any rhino in a contest who weights most.

She reached downstairs, and there she was faced by her care-keeper,

(Mutter)

Nancy. She wore her work-uniform, a black suit with white shirt and the silly hat all the servants wore, at least in Frau Schell's household. Kathy belewed, that deep inside Nancy was a kind woman, but no-one, no-one could stand Frau Schell 24/7 fully sane. Kathy knew every single servant in the house - thought there wasn't so many, Frau Schell was rich but mingy - and they were all weird in their own little ways. Even Herr Blaubär called them all trollig.Trollis verrücteus, that was the scientical name for them, he said. Personally Kathy thought Blau was just being a wise-ass, for he - or she for that matter - didn't know any other people outside the house's crew. So who was she to rate their sanity? She often played with the thought,

(maybe they are normal and I'm the freak I'm the not normal one here)

It made her laugh.

Not right now, though.

"Would you explain what these are, girl?" Nancy handed her a thick pack of letters, and Kathy winced. She knew perfectly well what those letters were. She took the letters to her little shaky hands and looked to Nancy.

"M-miss, I-i really, really meant to pay those but I couldn't, you, you grounded me for three weeks…" Her voice faded away, she knew she could only make the situation worse. The woman in front of her seemed angry enough to explode any second, and Kathy seriously thought about running away and hiding under the bed. Nancy bent herself closer to the girl, and she backed a couple steps.

"Can you see these numbers here, Kathy?" Nancy said, with a threadfully pleasant voice. Kathy remained still and quiet, she felt if she'd do one little move the woman would really explode in her rage. Unfortunately, she did exactly the wrong thing.

"Can you see the numbers, girl?! Are you blind or are you stupid?!" Nancy shouted. Her cheecks were red, and Kathy knew when Nancy's ears started to blush she'd be in great trouble.

"Yes!" She yelped, but quickly remembered the way Nancy had formed her sentence, "..I-I can see the..numbers, miss." She added, tumbling in her words and cursing herself for that. Why, oh why did she have to be so small and weak? Why did she have to be a child?

(why oh why I can't be matilda nancy is so mean I want to I want to be like matilda I want everything to be so no not unfair at all everything is so unfair)

She blinked numbly at the bitterness she could recognize in her own thoughts. Kathy glanced briefly to Nancy, and she didn't even need her eyes to say she was really, really pissed. She looked at the paper again. As she could see the numbers, Kathy also saw all the books in the list. The letter politely informed her her books were all late. It wasn't her fault, really, she was so very grounded and Nancy didn't even get to see Herr Wentz. Nancy hadn't, once again, listened to her at all. But she was happy she had the books from the library when she was grounded, or else she wouldn't had anything else to do except for work. One of those books late was, indeed, Roald Dahl's Matilda. It was one with all the Quentin Blake's drawings in it. It had been a good book.

But still just a silly fairytale for things like that - they never actually happened in real life, she knew.

"And now we say it together," Nancy said slowly. Kathy obeyed and muttered the words slowly with Nancy, "Twenty-seven pounds and fifty-five cents." She murmured, defeated. Kathy felt Nancy's evil glare. Kathy had a habit of sometimes forgetting that little magic word, and it was often trouble. Many things were trouble to Kathy, practically everything when one lived with a person like Nancy.

"Miss. Fifty-seven, I-I mean twenty-" she nervously mumbled, and she saw how Nancy's eyes narrowed. Kathy bent her head down and fell silent to hear her punishment.

"Girl, this lot of money," The woman tapped the letter with her finger, "Is exactly what I get when I work four months -four whole months! - in this...this madhouse! Cleaning the floors, cooking and making sure that Mrs. Dotnose and that spoiled little brat of her's have everything they want. And then, then come you and make this! And how I took you in my house, rase you and took care of you, this is how you pay to me!?"

Kathy could feel the panic rise in her as the servant-woman neared hysterics in her speech. If Nancy was angry enough to call Frau Schell names without lowing her voice she was certainly angry enough to hit Kathy. The girl did then what she thought would've been wise to do ages ago. She turned and ran as fast as her short legs could carry her.

"Don't you go anywhere!" Kathy heard Nancy shout behind her. She was lucky Nancy didn't try to chase her.

"I'll make you pay every single penny, you fool!" The shouting was now further away and Kathy smirked as she ran to the broomcloset, Nancy would never find her there. She sat down, panting, and closed the closet's door. Nancy went past the closet and hiding Kathy, without even glancing that way. Kathy gave a small sigh of releaf, and as soon she was sure Nancy was far enough, she quckly ran upstairs to her room. She saw Herr Blaubär sitting on the bed where she had left him, and the book upside-down next to him. She ran to her bed and captured Herr Blaubär into a huge hug.

"Oh Blau I was so scared, Nancy was coming here I know it, what if she'd taken you? Blau I'm so sorry!" she babbled to the fuzzy toy. Don't worry, Hon. It'll be just alright, trust me, The toy soothed her. She shaked her head no, it wouldn't be alright, thirty pounds could very well be one million pounds, and it wouldn´t do any diffirence. She could never, never get so much money, anywhere. She only had one option left, then.

"Dear Blau, I belewe we must go now. It is the only real option we have." She reasoned her friend. The toy fell silent for a moment, thinking. "Blau!"

I know Kathy! But... but I've kinda got used to this place. I mean, I have everything I have ever hoped to have in this very room. A friend, warmth and great stories. But I know you must go or you'll get into major trouble, my friend. So I'll go with you, because of the warmth, good stories and a friend's safety, am I a real friend if I even consider otherwise?

The toy finished his speach, meaning every single word of it, they both knew. Kathy was touched by the loyality of her friend, and when she hugged the toy again, she started to cry in joy and movement.

"Oh Blau! You're the best friend one silly little girl could ever have!"

She broke the hug with a sigh and stood up. She walked to the little drawer in her room's corner, where she keeped all her things. From the top-drawer she took a little blue back-bag, and put there one white but dirty shirt, one forest-green dress, a pair of socks, cloves and a red-and-blue striped winter-cap. Then she opened the next drawer, and took a couple books to her hands. She glanced from book to book.

"Which one should I take, Blau?" she looked at her teddy-bear, who just shrugged a bit.

Which one do you like the best?

"Well I like all of 'em. I can't take them all, though. The bag is almost full already." She looked at the books again. She sadly put down 'The Lord Of The Rings', it was far too heavy to carry around, even if she'd leave all the clothes behind. She also put down 'Matilda', she knew the book already, and remembered every detail of it. She then looked helplessly at Herr Blaubär, "I can't decide between 'Oliwer Twist' and 'Carrie'." She said, and showed the books to Herr Blaubär. He thought a moment, and said

I'd take Oliver Twist, I think Carrie's too scary.

She sadly looked at 'Carrie', and put the book down with a sigh. "You're right, Blau. I thought it was scary too."

(too scary, hah, too scary I couldn't sleep for a week it was horrid it was)

She put 'Oliwer Twist' to her backbag, and then opened another drawer, where she keeped her coat and boots. She took her long black coat and winterboots and put them on. They were a gift from Frau Schell, and Kathy was ever thankful to the woman. Kathy grabbed her back-bag and Herr Blaubär, and then opened the door leading to the hall.

(where where the front door? no someone'd see me the back door? risky)

"Blau?" She whispered, "Where should I -"

(kitchenkitchenkitchen, there's never nobody else ther besides the cook and food would be great)

Where should we go outside? I'd suggest the kitchen door, Kathy. Besides then we can grab something to eat on our way.

"Thanks Blau," she said and smiled to herself, "good plan."

She looked around in the hall, and didn't see anyone. She ran down many stairs and with sheer luck avoided crashing onto other people. Times like this it was great Frau Schell didn't like too many servants buzzing around her house, Kathy thought. She quickly moved to the kitchen, and hid behind the large, black stove to listen. The kitchen was a big room, and she couldn't see over all the tables and working-levels if the cook was there right then. Suddenly she heard footsteps, and she tried to look smaller then she already was, and hide into the dark shadow of the stove. The person slowly walked into her view, a dark haired man who was quickly reading over a thick lot of papers, mumbling to himself slightly. She was pretty surprised to see him here, although she didn't exactly know why. Had she really planned to go without saying goodbye to him?

(gosh how could I forget how in the world)

Herr Wentz was a really nice man, he was quite young and he smiled more often than the other servants in the house, too. He was more like Kathy than anybody else she knew. Herr Wentz and Kathy were friends, or so she thought.

"Herr Wentz!" She whispered, "Herr Wentz I'm over here!"

The man looked over the papers he was reading and glanced around, a little frown on his pale face. He quickly spotted Kathy hiding behind the stove and the frown changed into a slight look of confusion.

"Kathy?" he said and moved closer to the girl. "What are you doing here, in your winter coat and all those-"

"Herr Wentz, I'm here to say goodbye to you." The toy was about to remind her why she really was in the kitchen, but she stopped him. Wentz's eyes were wide when he measured he girl, and came to conclusion yes, she was really running away this time. It wasn't like she'd done it before - just talked about it with Herr Wentz. A lot.

"Why, Kathy?" She sighed, and explained the kind man all about the library books, twenty-seven pounds and fifty-five cents and Nancy. He listened unexpressionelly, staring at Kathy the most uncomfortable way. She hated it when she didn't know what other people were thinking of, and right now he didn't have a clue of what Wentz was thinking of.

"…So now I have to go, Herr Wentz. I really want to thank you, though. Without you I couldn't read all those great books, and, you and Blau are like, the only friends I've ever had."

Wentz smiled warmly and knelt in front of the little girl. "I just vant you to take care of yourself, little-one. Promise me, that if you ever need me I'll be there. Just call Frau Schell, she'll inform me and I come to rescue you, ja?"

"Ja." She nodded with a smirk, and Wentz laughed a bit. They fell silent again, Wentz looked firmly into the little girls grey eyes.

"Kathy, you don't have to leave if you really don't want to. I could somehow get the money from somewhere." She shaked her head no before he even got to finish his sentence, "Dear Herr Wentz, I can't do that to you. And I, I want to leave. I want to see the world, Herr Wentz!"

(I want to find the world I want to live now Herr Wentz I simply want away)

He hugged her tight, and kissed her fore-head. "Katchen, I'll miss you." Kathy smiled through her tears, "I'm going to miss you too, Herr Wentz." Herr Wentz smiled too and rose up. He quickly made a couple sandwiches and put them into her little backbag, along with a couple bisquits and a milk bottle.

"You'd better be off now, I think Mrs. Swayze looking for you." Kathy realized he meant Nancy, and she giggled and gestured the man to come down to her level again.

"She's not really German," she whispered to his ear.

"I know, " Wentz said, "Her accent wouldn't fool anyone!" They both giggled, but the laughter was soon silented by the heavy footsteps abowe them. It was Nancy, they both knew. No other in the whole house had the same lack of grace Nancy possessed, mainly by stomping around making more noice than the other servants all together.

"Run!" Wentzt whispered to Kathy, grinning like a ten-year-old. Kathy smirked and they both started to run through the large kithcen, towards the door to the alley outside the house. There, Wentz quickly un-locked the door with his key, and when he was ready he helped her to open the heavy wooden door. Kathy quickly went outside, and Wentz grabbed her hand. She glanced at him, and smiled.

"Goodbye, kind Herr Wentz."

The man returned her smile and squeased her hand. "Jonathan, " he whispered.

"Huh?"

"My name, Dummkopf," he laughed gently. She smiled, "Oh. I wonder how I never asked?"

"Unappropriate," he smirked.

"Very."

Wentz glanced to the kithcen's other door on his left and turned back to her. Kathy had backed five meters from the door, and was now standing in the middle of the street. She had a little sad smile on her face, a part of her wanted to demand the man to come with her. He acted like her big brother, and in a certain way he was one, too. Kathy didn't want to leave him. He smiled a slightly worried smile to the sight; a little girl all alone in a big city, was probably what she was thinking right then, Kathy guessed. A little girl all alone in the dangerous, adult world.

"Don't worry, Herr… Jonathan. I'll be alright, I promise."

"Ja, bet you will. Good luck, little one." Then, he quickly closed the door. Kathy could hear Nancy's voice; she was now in the kitchen, shouting to poor Jonathan. Kathy turned her back to the door, took a shaky breath and ran to the alley opposite Frau Schell's house, and all the way to the next one, and when she was sure she was far enough, she still ran even faster. When she was at least five blocks away from the house

(home)

she turned behind one more corner and stopped, panting with exhaustment and laughing so her eyes watered with tears. Finally, she cried in relief.

TBC...

~*~*~*~*~*~

Chapter Two

Takaisin