Chapter Text
“The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb.”
Nick pulled his car to a stop outside his house and switched the engine off. He heaved a sigh, shoulders slumping as he took a moment to just sit and gather his thoughts.
The sun had just set below the horizon, taking the last of the fiery reds and oranges with it. Nick leaned his head back against his seat, content to let his mind drift as he watched the stars begin to appear in the sky.
Barely six months into the whole Grimm thing, and already he was exhausted.
Being a police officer alone was a full time job and then some. Nick was quickly finding out that being a Grimm- and the sole one at that- required just as much time and effort. To be both at the same time . . .
Sharp raps on his window startled him out of his thoughts. Nick jerked in shock, half-turning in his seat to face the source of the disturbance.
Monroe’s scowling face stared back, the usually severe look softened somewhat by the concern in his eyes. Nick took a steadying breath, unbuckling his seatbelt and opening his door.
“Why are you sitting alone in your car when you have a perfectly good house with a fridge full of beer not twenty feet away?” Monroe asked, taking a step back to give Nick space to get out.
Nick smirked, shutting the car door. “And how do you know my fridge is full of beer?” he asked, purposely ducking the question.
Monroe rolled his eyes, falling into step beside Nick as the two moved along the walkway towards the front door. “Well, you weren’t here when I got here. What else was I supposed to do? And don’t think I didn’t notice you avoiding my question.”
Nick’s smirk fell into a small smile as he pulled his front door open and gestured for Monroe to head inside. “Did I forget we had plans?” he asked, following the Blutbad inside.
Monroe folded his arms, watching Nick drop his keys into the bowl near the door and hang up his coat. “Do I need a reason to drop by?”
Nick quirked an eyebrow at Monroe, pausing his movements. “Do you have a reason?”
“That’s beside the point,” Monroe replied primly.
Nick huffed a laugh and headed into his kitchen. “Have you eaten yet?”
Monroe followed him. “I could eat. Seriously, man, what’s up with you lately?”
Nick opened his fridge, perusing its contents. “What do you mean?”
“I mean you look like you’re about five minutes away from complete burnout,” Monroe stated baldly. “Whenever I see you, you only ever talk about cases or your aunt’s books. When was the last time you took a vacation?”
Nick closed his refrigerator and opened the drawer that held his collection of takeout menus. “I don’t exactly have time for a vacation right now.” He waved the menu for Thai food at Monroe.
Monroe nodded. “What about Juliette? I’m sure she’d appreciate some time away with you.”
Nick grew still, eyes fixed on the list of appetizers but not seeing any of the words. “She, uh . . . we broke up.”
Monroe straightened, sympathy washing over his expression. “Nick, man . . . I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
Nick shrugged the words away. “I haven’t told a lot of people yet. She moved to Seattle last week to stay with her parents.” He flashed a weak smile at Monroe. “The, uh . . . the Grimm thing got to be too much for her.”
Monroe frowned in confusion. “I thought you said she was cool with the whole thing.”
“She was,” Nick replied. And she had been. Aunt Marie had insisted that Nick break up with her, but after she had died, Nick had sat down with Juliette and told her everything. Though skeptical at first, she had grown to accept his words as the truth. “But then Stark happened. Having an honest to God ogre break into the house and put us both in danger was too much.”
“Nick, man, that sucks,” Monroe stated softly.
Nick’s smile tightened, and he turned back to the menu. “Thai Basil Eggplant okay?” he asked.
“Get the fried tofu too,” Monroe answered, nodding.
Nick pulled out his cell phone and called the restaurant. He quickly relayed their orders, flapping a hand at Monroe’s hiss to add spring rolls to the order but obliging just the same. Ending the call, Nick put the menu back in the drawer and set his phone down on the counter.
“So, what, you’ve been filling all of your newfound free time with as much work as possible?” Monroe blurted out.
Nick opened his fridge again, pulling out two beers. He slid one across the counter to Monroe, then leaned back against the counter and popped the lid off of his own. ”Better than sitting around here on my own,” he replied glibly, taking a sip.
“That’s debatable.” Monroe took a swig of his own beer. “I mean, finding something constructive to do with your time is one thing. Replacing eating and sleeping? Not the best choice.”
Nick lifted his hands, gesturing at the room. “I just ordered dinner, didn’t I?”
“Four hours after normal dinner hours, sure,” Monroe snarked.
“Some of us aren’t old enough for the early bird specials,” Nick quipped.
Monroe crossed his arms. “Tell me the truth. If I wasn’t here right now, would you have bothered to eat?”
“Well, you are here, so I guess we’ll never know,” Nick replied flippantly.
Monroe took another drink. “You say that now, but when you get taken out by a Mauzhertz or something, we’ll definitely know.”
“Careful, Monroe,” Nick teased. “You almost sound like you might care about me or something.”
Monroe snorted. “Please,” he scoffed. “After the time I’ve spent helping to train you? My reputation would be shot if Portland’s newest Grimm couldn’t take on an Eisbiber.”
Nick chuckled and shook his head.
A companionable silence fell over the room, both men’s thoughts turning inward as they finished their drinks. Nick set his empty bottle aside and returned to the fridge for another. He grabbed one and waggled it at Monroe, who nodded. Nick passed the bottle over to him, grabbed one for himself, then closed the refrigerator door.
“Since I know you didn’t drop by to check up on my eating habits-,” Nick began.
“Or lack thereof,” Monroe added.
“What did bring you to my neck of the woods?” Nick finished, ignoring the snarky comment with a practiced ease.
Monroe suddenly grew reticent, eyes dropping down to the label on his bottle of beer. “I don’t know if I should say anything now,” he admitted.
Nick straightened, taking a step closer. “What do you mean? Why not?”
Monroe sighed, waving his beer at Nick. “You’ve already got enough on your plate as it is, man,” he said. “I’m not sure I want to be contributing to it, especially when it’s mostly just gossip.”
“Why not let me be the judge of that?” Nick stated.
“Because when it involves self-preservation, I don’t trust your judgment!” Monroe countered.
“I can take care of myself!” Nick protested. “Name one time-.”
“Challenging a Blutbad - me - in his territory without even knowing what he was,” Monroe stated.
“I had a gun,” Nick pointed out.
“Wandering around a Mellifer hive alone,” Monroe continued.
“Hank was with me,” Nick argued. “And I called you, too!”
“Right,” Monroe replied flatly. “And in between you just stayed outside.”
Nick’s jaw tightened and he glanced away.
“Deliberately provoking Angelina,” Monroe added.
“Hey!” Nick jabbed a finger at Monroe. “She attacked me first!”
“Fine,” Monroe conceded. “My point is, you have a habit of pushing the limit when it comes to your own safety.”
Nick opened his mouth to protest.
“And while that quality serves you well as a cop and as a Grimm,” Monroe rushed to continue, “it’s not always necessary.”
Nick took a deep breath. “I appreciate your concern,” he said. “I do. I just . . . this is who I am. And I don’t see that changing any time soon.”
Monroe gave Nick a considering look, then finally nodded.
“You’re right, man,” Monroe stated solemnly. “Fine. But I expect you to call me if you decide to do something about it.”
Nick grinned and slapped Monroe on the arm. “You’ll be the first to know.”
Monroe opened his mouth to share what he had learned, but the sound of the doorbell cut him off.
Nick pointed at Monroe. “Hold that thought.”
Monroe moved to collect their empty beer bottles and grab some plates while Nick headed to the door.
Nick pulled open his door, head ducked down as he thumbed through his wallet and pulled out enough cash to pay for dinner.
“Order for Burkhardt?”
Nick smiled brightly, lifting his head. “That’s me. Thanks.”
Just as the young woman handed the order to him, her features shifted from distinctly human to a white, wool-like face with elongated ears. Bright blue eyes widened in fear, staring up at Nick for a brief moment.
Nick’s smile became strained. “Er . . . I think this should cover it?” He held out the cash.
The wesen let out a sharp bleat, turning and running back to her car.
“Wait!” Nick called after her. “You forgot . . . I’m not . . .!”
The girl dove into her car, switching it on and peeling away in a screech of tires.
Nick’s shoulders slumped in defeat.
Monroe poked his head around the door. “What’s the holdup?” His eyes took in the bag of food Nick held in one hand and the cash he still held in the other. “Scared another one, huh?”
Nick stormed back into the house, radiating equal parts anger and frustration. “I didn’t even do anything!”
Monroe shut the door and reached out, taking the food from Nick. “Come on, man, we talked about this. You’re a Grimm.”
“That doesn’t have to mean anything bad,” Nick argued.
Monroe carried the food into the dining room where he had set out plates and silverware. Setting the bag on the table, he began to unpack the food. “Except for the fact it does. Face it, man; you’ve done a lot of good for the wesen here in Portland, but six months of good deeds isn’t going to wipe out several hundred years of lore. Give it time.”
Nick dropped into one of the chairs, dragging a hand down his face. “I don’t even know what she was.”
“White face?” Monroe asked. “Long ears?”
Nick looked up at him. “How did you know?”
Monroe set a container of noodles in front of Nick, then tapped his nose. “Seelengut,” he said, opening another container and peering inside. “Kinda like sheep. They’re a pretty nervous bunch anyway. I wouldn’t worry about it.”
Nick hesitated, then began scooping some noodles onto his plate. “She didn’t even wait for me to pay her.”
Monroe shrugged, clearly unconcerned. “Happens to me all the time.” He traded Nick the container of spring rolls for the noodles. “Just stop by the restaurant tomorrow and explain. Problem solved.” He offered the fried tofu to Nick, who shook his head and reached for the shrimp curry.
“It doesn’t bother you?” Nick asked, scooping the food on top of his noodles. “Having them be so afraid of you?”
Monroe picked up a fork but paused to give Nick his full attention. “You have to understand that it’s not the same thing,” he said. “I grew up with this; it was normal for me to see certain wesen afraid of me.”
“But even now?” Nick pressed. “Now that you’re wieder?”
Nick was too damned perceptive. “It . . . It’s still not the same,” Monroe answered. “I earned my reputation. You inherited yours.”
Nick wilted slightly, stabbing morosely at an unfortunate shrimp on his plate.
Monroe took a bite of his own meal, but found himself not quite able to savor the burst of flavors while sitting in the midst of Nick’s cloud of gloom.
“I’m sure you’ll change all that in no time,” he told the detective somewhat clumsily. “I mean, you’re still trying single-handedly to right the wrongs of the wesen community, right?”
Nick rolled his eyes, but the air around Nick seemed to brighten a little. “I’d hardly call helping out a couple of shop owners the equivalent of saving the world.”
Seeing Nick begin to eat helped to quell the strange feeling of discomfort that had grown in Monroe’s gut. “Is that where you were tonight?” he asked, taking another bite of his dinner.
Nick carefully avoided looking at Monroe. “Not exactly.”
Monroe narrowed his eyes. “‘Not exactly’?” he echoed. “What does that mean?”
Nick lifted a shoulder in a half-shrug. “Bud happened to mention that one of his cousins was being harassed by a couple of teenagers near the garage where she works. The other mechanics haven’t been able to do anything about it, so I volunteered to have a word with them.”
“Uh huh.” Monroe continued to stare at Nick, whose gaze was locked on his plate. “A word, huh?”
Nick nodded, risking a glance at Monroe before his eyes skittered away. “Yep.”
Monroe rifled through his mental catalogue he’d been building of all things ‘Nick’, rapidly coming to one conclusion. Exasperation bled into expression. “How long did you try to hang onto the ‘listen to me, I’m a cop’ before pulling out the Grimm?”
The tensing of Nick’s frame told Monroe that he’d hit the nail on the head. “I am a cop,” he argued weakly.
“That long, huh?” Monroe replied. He cast an assessing eye over Nick’s frame. “Well, you don’t look too damaged.”
“I can handle a couple of teenagers,” Nick said dismissively. “Even if they’re also Skalengecks.”
“This time, maybe,” Monroe replied. “But you’ve been at this long enough to know that it’s the Grimm that most wesen will respond to. I don’t see what’s so wrong with flexing that muscle every once in awhile.”
Nick’s grip on his fork tightened. “Maybe I don’t want to be the neighborhood bully, okay?” he snapped. “I’ve fought against that kind of thing my whole life! Why in the hell would I-.”
“Okay, okay!” Monroe held up his hands in surrender. “I’m sorry I brought it up.”
Just as quickly as the anger had overtaken Nick, it fled. Nick slumped in his chair.
“No, I’m sorry,” he said. “I just . . . I worked so hard to be a cop, to be able to help people, and the more I learn about being a Grimm, the more I feel it slipping away.”
Monroe pushed the food around on his plate, considering Nick’s words. “I . . . look, I can’t begin to understand what it’s like being dropped in the middle of all this stuff. But for what it’s worth, you’ve done a lot of good for a lot of people already.”
Nick glanced at his plate. “We’ve bent so many laws already though. It’s only a matter of time before I’m going to have to choose between being a cop or being a Grimm.”
Monroe frowned. “Maybe, but . . . why is it either/or?”
Nick looked up at him. “What?”
“Well, technically speaking, as a Grimm you kind of . . . police the wesen community,” Monroe pointed out. “If you think about it, you inherited the ability to help even more people than just humans.”
A heavy sadness seemed to settle over Nick. “It’s a nice thought, Monroe, but last I checked there weren’t any police officers going on a rampage and ruthlessly slaughtering people left and right.”
“Maybe not, but last I checked you weren’t doing that either,” Monroe replied. “Unless you made an extra stop on the way home tonight?”
Nick let out a laugh, shaking his head. “No, no extra stops.” He sent a sly look Monroe’s way. “At least, not tonight.”
Monroe managed to hold onto his reproachful look for another moment before chuckling with Nick. While the Blutbad knew that the situation was far from resolved, the air had significantly lightened and the two resumed their meal.
They were just finishing up when Nick suddenly straightened in his seat. “I almost forgot!” he exclaimed. “You were going to tell me something earlier. What was it?”
“Yeah, um . . .” Monroe set his fork on his empty plate, then shifted it to the other side. “Before I tell you, just know that it is completely hearsay. Got it from a friend’s wife’s cousin’s third assistant kind of thing.”
Amusement curled Nick’s lips. “So noted.”
Monroe moved his fork again, then shifted in his chair. He glanced over his shoulder as if looking for eavesdroppers, then leaned over the table towards Nick.
Nick obligingly leaned closer as well.
“Word on the street is there’s a Grimm in town,” Monroe said in hushed tones.
Nick blinked, then blinked again. “Um . . . okay?”
Confusion flickered in Monroe’s eyes momentarily, and he shook it away. “Not you ,” he said, then paused. “At least, I’m pretty sure they didn’t mean you.”
“Pretty sure?” Nick repeated.
“Did you miss the part where I said this was hearsay?” Monroe sniped.
Nick held up a hand. “My mistake. Please continue.”
“There’s not much more,” Monroe admitted. “Just that there may be another Grimm in town. While most wesen don’t know you by name, they have heard of you. That’s why I thought the rumors now were so weird. Plus, there aren’t an awful lot of you just running around out there. For there to be two right here in Portland?”
Nick tilted his head slightly, casting his mind into the past. “Aunt Marie told me that I was one of the last Grimms. Maybe . . . maybe the others out there are trying to track each other down?”
Monroe was not enamored of the idea. “I can’t see the Prince being very happy about that. I mean, he pretty much lets the community get on with it, but stuff that threatens the whole community or might send everyone into a panic?”
Nick’s eyes widened. “You know about the Prince?”
“Of course,” Monroe replied. “You can’t live in Portland and not know about him.” He narrowed his eyes. “ You know about the Prince? You barely know anything!”
“That’s not-,” Nick started.
A pointed look from Monroe halted the protest in its tracks.
“Okay, fair,” Nick conceded.
Monroe nodded. “I can’t imagine your books having a ton of information,” he stated. “Royals are pretty reclusive. How did you find out?” His eyes widened. “Did you meet him?”
“What? No,” Nick replied. “Frank told me.”
Monroe’s frown deepened slightly. “Frank? Who’s Frank? I thought your partner’s name was Hank .”
“Frank Rabe,” Nick stated. “The lawyer from the Jägerbar case. He mentioned it a couple weeks back over coffee.”
“Coffee ?” Monroe exclaimed. “You went for coffee? With a Jägerbar?” He shook his head. “And he knows about you? Seriously, the idea alone of a Grimm and a Jägerbar meeting up for coffee is as ludicrous as-.”
“A Grimm and a Blutbad sitting down to dinner together?” Nick cut in, an innocent air to his tone.
Monroe’s mouth snapped shut. “Okay,” he said. “Touché.” He folded his arms. “So you’re meeting up with other wesen and getting information from them? Should I be worried?”
“Of course not,” Nick replied, leaning back in his chair. “We ran into each other at the courthouse after I testified at his son’s hearing. We meet up every so often for coffee and talk about wesen stuff. He’s also been giving me some information about some wesen that need some extra help.”
“What kind of help?” Monroe asked.
The suspicious tone was to be expected, though wholly unnecessary. “Just stuff he hears about,” Nick answered. “Wesen being unduly harassed by wesen in authority, or being discriminated against. A second glance over cases and evidence for another opinion. Things like that.”
“Hmmph,” Monroe grunted. “I can’t say I’m thrilled at the idea of you blindly agreeing to help people solely on the say-so of the guy, but can you at least try to care about your own safety? If one of those situations sounds dicey, call someone.”
Nick stood with a smirk and began collecting the remnants of their meal. “That’s funny,” he teased. “I don’t remember my mother having a beard.”
Monroe rose to his feet as well. “Ha ha ha,” he stated flatly. He collected the empty takeout containers and followed Nick back into the kitchen. “Just you wait; it’s all fun and games until a Geier steals your eye.”
Nick just shook his head, putting the dishes in the dishwasher and moving the leftover food into the fridge. “Want to stay and catch the end of the game? Spare room’s yours.”
“Sure.” Monroe tossed the empty containers into the trash and accepted another bottle of beer from Nick. “Gives me more time to convince you not to try and solve the world’s problems by yourself.”
Nick snorted, leading the way to the living room. “Looking forward to it.”