I do not own the 39 Clues or cookies. ((Sadly–I love cookies! Almost as much as I love the 39 Clues!))

Six Years Before

"Nonononononono!" Dan ran around Grace's sitting room, throwing a five-year-old fit.

As he ran around the couch, Grace caught him and swung him onto her lap. She tickled him, making him laugh, and then said, "Yes, Danny. I need you to be on your best behavior when your cousins arrive."

She looked over at her granddaughter, who was sitting quietly in her chair. "You too, my dear."

Amy blinked at Grace, her green eyes dull. "Yes, Grace."

"NONONONONONONONO!" Dan slipped off of Grace's lap and began running around the room again.

Grace rubbed her eyes. Amy watched her grandmother anxiously. Grace had been acting very tired these days. Amy didn't want to tire her any more.

She slipped off of her chair and intercepted her brother. She lifted him by the arms and said, "Come on, Danny. I'll get you a cookie before they come."

"Cookie!" Dan said joyfully, his tantrum forgotten. He followed his sister to the kitchen.

Grace sighed, then looked up as she felt a presence at her shoulder. Her brother was standing there.

Fiske made a face. "Did you really have to invite the Kabras over?" he asked his sister.

Grace smiled. "I ask them over every year."

Fiske leaned his arms against the couch back. "When the rest of the family comes, too. Why just the two children?"

"I like children."

Fiske raised an eyebrow. He knew his sister better than that.

Grace chuckled. "Okay, you have me." She grew more solemn. "There have been rumors that the Lucian branch have discovered a lead that they shouldn't have discovered. I'm hoping..."

"You're going to interrogate two children?"

"The children of Vikram and Isabel Kabra, Fiske. And I'm not going to interrogate them. Just...perhaps something might accidentally slip from them that we could find useful."

"Vikram actually agreed for them to come?"

Grace waved her hand. "Vikram hardly ever remembers he has children half the time." Grace gave her brother a wry smile. "Apparently, Natalie was caught playing with her mother's dart gun a few days ago, and Ian tried to take one of their limosines for a joyride. I spoke to Isabel, and she seemed quite relieved to get those two off her hands for a weekend."

Fiske smirked. "Who wouldn't, with those two devils?"

"Well, I'm glad that Amy and Dan will have some children their own age to play with."

"They have plenty of friends!"

"Perhaps," Grace said, listening to the sound of Dan's chatter from the kitchen. "Dan, at least. I'm afraid Amy may be a bit withdrawn for her age, poor dear..."

Fiske snorted. "I was that withdrawn at her age."

Grace shot him a look. "Your point being...?"

Fiske sighed.

Grace took her brother's hand. "Am I doing right?" she asked. "Won't it be good for Amy and Dan to spend more time with their cousins?"

"So Natalie can teach Dan how to fire a dart gun?"

Grace waved him away. "Oh, you're impossible."

Fiske grinned. "And always will be." His head turned slightly as the childrens' voices grew louder. "Oops, gotta go."

Grace grabbed his hand. "Won't you stay?" she pleaded. "Let them meet you. I know you'll love them."

"I do love them," Fiske said, squeezing his sister's hand. "That's the problem. I'm leaving now, Grace. If I get too attatched, I won't be able to leave. You know that."

Grace sighed. "You should visit more often."

"I do what I can."

Grace smiled wanly. "Be safe."

Fiske kissed her on the cheek. "No promises," he said with a grin. And then he was gone.

Amy and Dan re-entered the sitting room. "Cookie!" Dan announced triumphantly, waving a chocolate chip cookie in the air, a huge bite already taken out of it.

Grace scooped him up and sat him in her lap.

"Grace," Amy said, seating herself next to her grandmother and brother, "were you talking to someone? I heard voices."

Grace put an arm around her granddaughter. "When you get to be my age, sweetheart," she said, "you often talk to yourself to pass the time when you're lonely."

"I do that sometimes, too," Amy said, her face serious.

Grace squeezed Amy tighter, then said, "All right, you two. Go upstairs and get washed up. Your cousins should be here any minute."

Dan jumped off of her lap, spraying cookie crumbs everywhere.

"Ew!" Amy exclaimed. "Dan!"

Dan laughed like a little maniac and ran off, Amy right at his heels. She almost tripped over Saladin, who had crept into the room to investigate the noise. The Egyptian Mau hissed and dove under the couch.

Grace laughed as the two children disappeared from the room. She stopped laughing as she heard the sound of a car pulling in front of the mansion.

Grace touched her jade necklace, which hung around her neck. Then she reached down under the couch and scooped Saladin up into her arms. The cat was shaking, and Grace felt like she should be too. She shook the thought off, however.

How bad could two more children be?

Grace opened the front door. The first thing she saw was a pile of baggage. The baggage spoke, "Hello there...where can I put these?"

"Oh!" Grace opened the door wider. "Right in here."

The pile of baggage moved through the door and dropped into a pile in the front hall. A man wearing a chauffeur's uniform straightened and said, "Thank you, madam. I was hired to drive two children from the airport, but no one warned me how much luggage there would be."

Grace turned to the doorway, which stood empty. "Um...where are the children?"

The driver looked at the doorway, then scratched his head under his hat. "Now that's funny..." He went out the door and down the front steps to the car parked outside.

A few moments later, he opened the back door of the car.

"You were supposed to open the door for me ages ago!" complained a high-pitched voice. "Don't you know that you're supposed to open the door for a lady?"

"Yes, miss," said the chauffeur, doffing his cap as a small girl with long, dark hair climbed out of the backseat. She was wearing a dark red, velvet dress, and on her feet she was wearing shiny, patent leather dress shoes. Her hair was held back with a thin headband with a red bow on one side, which would have completed a perfect picture if the girl didn't have a scowl etched onto her face.

A boy climbed out of the car behind her. "Don't expect a tip for this horrible service," he said, glaring at the driver. The boy was wearing a white dress shirt and a dark jacket. His pants looked freshly pressed, and he was wearing custom-made dress shoes. His amber eyes flashed dangerously as he said to the poor chauffeur, "My parents shall be hearing about this."

The driver probably would've been more afraid if the boy's height didn't only just reach the man's ribcage. Nonetheless, he said, "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir. I'll be going now."

The chauffeur jumped into the driver's seat, and the car sped away down the road, throwing dust and pebbles as it went.

The girl let out an ear-piercing shriek. "My dress!" she wailed. "It's ruined!" She began to sob.

The boy rolled his eyes. "Come now, Natalie," he said. "You can change your dress inside." He led his sister to the front door, where Grace was waiting, her mouth slightly opened.

The boy tapped his foot impatiently. "Well, don't just stand there gawking!" he exclaimed. "Aren't you going to invite us in?"

Grace blinked. "Oh, of course!" she said. "Ian, Natalie...so nice to see you again!"

"I'm sure," Ian said icily, his hand on his sister's arm, who's sobs had subsided. "Now, if you'll just tell us where our rooms are? My sister needs to change clothing."

Grace bent down so she was eye-level with the sniffling Natalie. "Natalie, you look so pretty! Your dress is beautiful!"

Natalie glared at her. "It's dirty," she said. "I want to change."

Grace sighed and straightened. "Okay," she said, "right this way."

"Oh," Ian said, "you'll want to call the help to carry our bags."

Grace's eyes twinkled. "I'm afraid I'm a bit low on help these days," she said. "You'll have to carry some of your own bags. As for the others..." Grace stuck two fingers into her mouth and let out an ear-piercing whistle. Ian and Natalie covered their ears and made strangled faces.

Footsteps came pounding down the stairs. Amy came into view first, holding onto the railing and taking the steps one at a time. Dan was right behind her, jumping down every other step.

Amy stopped short as she caught sight of the Kabras. Dan didn't see his sister stop, and hopped down the next step, crashing into her. The two siblings tumbled down the stairs, landing at the feet of the Kabras.

Ian gave Grace an incredulous look. "This is your help?" he asked.

Grace picked up one bag in each hand from the pile of luggage. "It's all the help I need," she called over her shoulder as she headed up the stairs.

The Cahills and the Kabras eyed each other warily.

"Well?" Ian finally said. "Aren't you going to carry our luggage?"

"You too," Dan said.

Natalie glared at him. "We don't carry our own luggage," she said. "We're the guests. You have to carry it for us."

"Y-you can h-help," Amy stammered.

"W-what if we don't want to?" Ian asked, his voice far too mocking for an eight-year-old.

Dan crossed his arms, standing in front of his sister. "What if we don't want to?"

"Ian!" Natalie wailed. "I need to change my dress! Make them take our bags, Ian!"

Ian sighed. "Fine. How much do you want?" He pulled a leather wallet out of his pocket.

Dan looked confused. "What?"

Ian sighed impatiently. "Money."

Dan thought for a moment. "Um...a hundred zillion gabillion dollars!"

Ian gaped at him. "I'm not that rich! My allowance is only three-hundred pounds a week!"

Dan tugged on his sister's sleeve. "Amy," he whispered, "what's a 'llowance?"

Amy shrugged. "I don't know," she whispered back.

Natalie started to cry again. "Ian, I want to go home! I don't like being with peasants!"

Dan's pudgy face grew stormy. "What did you call me?"

"Peasant," Natalie sniffled.

Dan didn't really know what that meant, but it didn't sound very nice to him. He reached out and yanked on Natalie's hair.

Natalie screeched, "AIIIIIIII!"

"Hey!" Ian reached over and pulled Dan off of Natalie. He lifted him into the air easily, despite his skinny eight-year-old arms.

"Let g-go of my b-brother!" Amy ran over and delivered a swift kick to Ian's shin. Ian howled in pain and dropped Dan, who tackled the older boy.

Natalie continued shrieking. "AIIIIIIII!" Ian and Dan rolled around on the floor, Amy sending kicks flying when she found the chance.

"Ow! That was me!" Dan yelped.

"Sorry!" Amy tried to kick Ian again, but he grabbed her ankle and yanked. Amy fell over into Natalie, who's screams increased as the two girls toppled over.

Grace appeared above the four. "What is going on here?" she yelled.

The kids froze; Dan's hand twisting Ian's arm, Ian's fingers pulling Amy's hair, Amy's foot in Natalie's face, and Natalie's fingernails ready to scratch Dan's eyes out.

They all stared up guiltily at Grace.

"Daniel started it!"

"Natalie started it!"

"Ian started it!"

"Amy started it!"

Dan and Natalie began yelling at each other. Ian joined in, defending his sister. Amy pulled her foot out of Natalie's face and sat up. She watched her grandmother as Grace lifted two fingers to her mouth and let out another ear-piercing whistle.

"Enough!" Grace yelled. Dan and and Kabras immediately shut up.

"I don't care who started it!" she continued. "I'm finishing it, right now. Dan and Amy, go to the sitting room. Ian, Natalie, take the rest of your baggage and I'll show you your rooms."

To everyone's surprise (including the Kabras themselves), Ian and Natalie picked up their remaining bags and followed Grace up the stairs. Amy and Dan trudged to the sitting room.

Just a little thing I started writing when I was bored. I'll try to continue it.

Review! Review! Review! I love reviews! Also, any suggestions of what you want to happen to the Cahills and the Kabras (ABSOLUTELY NO Amian or Natan!)

-KT