#my fair wesen

[theinnermostsanctum]

Nick (about Trubel): “And she killed three Wesen.”

Juliette: “She’s a murder suspect?”

Nick: “Well not technically a suspect because we know she did it, but-“

[mikaela-granger]

The Long Wait (Season 3) Chapter 28

My Fair Wesen

Fandom: Grimm

Pairing: Sean Renard/OFC

The Long Wait Masterlist

A/N: Trubel joins Nick and Hank for a case.

***Nick’s POV***

It certainly had turned into a strange day. Finding a young Grimm who had no idea what she was, only that she saw people change into scary monsters who then tried to kill her. Juliette wasn’t exactly happy about him bringing Trubel home, but she needed his help. Trubel wasn’t kidding when she said she wasn’t used to eating with other people. She was practically inhaling the food.

“Would you like seconds?” Juliette asked her.

Trubel finished her water and handed it and her bowl to Juliette. Juliette took them and walked into the kitchen, while Trubel returned to the food on her plate. “So, are all of the Grimms so normal?” She asked him.

“You should meet my mother.” Nick smirked, taking a sip of water from his own glass. “She’s been called a lot of things, but normals not one of ‘em.”

“What about your sister? Lorelei, was it?”

Nick considered how to answer that. “Lorelei’s…unique.” He said slowly. “She’s a literal genius. Highly intelligent, flew through school and is currently in grad school. But she is very down to earth, one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. She’s a year younger than you, but I think you’ll like her.”

Trubel nodded, falling silent for a moment. “Does that mean that we’re related?”

Nick shrugged, picking his fork back up. “Maybe a few centuries ago.” He answered. “From what I can tell, it’s like a recessive gene.”

Juliette returned, handing Trubel her bowl and refilled water glass. “Must be a relief to know you’re not the only one at least.” Juliette commented.

Trubel didn’t answer for second, before asking another question “So you see these wesen things too?” She asked Juliette.

“No, I’m not a Grimm.” Juliette said, glancing at Nick.

“So, how do you deal with this?”

“Deal with what?”

Trubel glanced at Nick before looking back at Juliette. “You know, being married to someone who can see what we do?”

“Um, we…we’re not married.” Juliette said with an awkward laugh.

“Smart. You can get out anytime.” Trubel commented before adding more food to her mouth.

Nick and Juliette exchanged a look as his phone rang. It was Renard. Hmm, why was he calling? “Yeah.”

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything?”

“No. It’s fine. What’s up?”

Renard sighed. “There’s no need for panic, however Lorelei is in the hospital.”

“What? Is she ok? Is it the baby?” Nick said, glancing at Juliette who was looking at him in concern.

“They are fine. They’re stable at the moment. Lorelei was brought in this afternoon after collapsing at home. The doctor says her preeclampsia has evolved to eclampsia. However, the doctor will be delivering the baby in the morning.”

Nick tried to calm his racing heart. “Is it too early?”

“The doctor says its not an ideal time, but she needs to be born soon before things get worse, for both of them.” Renard told him. “I’m staying at the hospital with Lorelei, and I will keep you updated.”

Nick let out a breath. “Should…should I come down there?”

“That isn’t necessary. Lorelei’s asleep and she’ll be straight into the operating room for a c-section in the morning.”

Nick nodded slowly. “Ok…ok. Uh, how are you doing?”

There was a moment of silence. “Worried but…you know.”

“Yeah. Um, well, give Lorelei our love and keep us updated.” Nick told him.

“I will.”

Nick ended the call and let out a steadying breath. Trubel was looking at him in interest and Juliette with concern. “What is it?”

“Uh, that was Renard. Lorelei’s in the hospital. The baby’s going to be delivered tomorrow morning because Lorelei’s preeclampsia has gotten worse.”

“Oh my god. Are they ok?” Juliette asked.

Nick nodded. “They’re stable, but baby needs to be born and soon. He’ll keep us updated.”

Juliette nodded slowly, still looking concerned. “So…your sister is pregnant. And who’s Renard?” Trubel asked slowly.

“Yes and Renard is Sean Renard. He’s Lorelei’s fiancé and soulmate.”

“He’s also Nick’s boss.” Juliette added.

Trubel raised an eyebrow. “Huh. Interesting. Does he know she’s a Grimm?”

Nick nodded. “Yeah, he does. Um…I might as well tell you, he’s half wesen.”

Trubel’s eyebrows seemed to disappear under her fringe. “Grimms and wesen can be soulmates?”

Nick laughed awkwardly. “Apparently so.”

“Huh.” Trubel said after a moment, before returning to her food.

The next morning, Nick and Hank took Trubel over to Monroe and Rosalee’s house to show her that not all wesen were bad. Rosalee answered the door. “Hi Nick, Hank.” She greeted them before stepping aside to let them in.

Hank walked straight into the living room while Trubel hung back at bit. Nick brought her closer to the door. “Rosalee, Monroe, this is…Trubel.” He introduced.

Rosalee gave Trubel a welcoming smile, although Nick could tell she was a little cautious. “Come on in.” She said before going to join Monroe and Hank in the living room.

Nick gave Trubel an encouraging nod and she slowly stepped into the house, looking at the others warily. Nick closed the door behind her before they joined the rest in the living room. “Well, I’m Rosalee.” Rosalee said, the welcoming smile still on her face.

“Fuschbau.” Trubel replied.

Rosalee looked surprised. “Right.” She said before turning to Monroe, who was looking a little terrified. His introduction to Trubel hadn’t gone well. “And I hear you met Monroe yesterday.”

Monroe gave an awkward laugh. “Yeah. I, uh, never really had a chance to properly introduce --.”

“Blutbad.”

Monroe froze, hand extended.  “Yeah.” He said, dropping his hand.

Trubel’s gaze fell on the clocks on the mantle. “You, uh, really got a thing for clocks.” She commented.

Monroe’s face lit up, as it usually did when speaking about his profession. “Oh yeah, big fan of time in general.” He chuckled. “I mean, you think about it…history, music, love. A long life, right? None of it would work without…” Monroe trailed off as he realised the looks he was getting. “…timing.”

“And speaking of…” Nick said, moving Trubel a little closer to the wesen couple. “We might want to get these other introductions out of the way.”

Rosalee nodded. “So, why don’t we just start with explaining what a woge is…”

“I know what it is.” Trubel interrupted.

“Ok, well. There’s also, like, um stages.” Monroe said, glancing at Rosalee briefly before looking back at Trubel. “So there’s kehresite, and they are non-wesen, non-Grimm types.”

“That would be me.” Hank added.

Monroe and Rosalee nodded. “And they can only see us when we want them to.” Monroe finished.

Rosalee jumped in. “And Grimms, like you, on the other hand, also can see us when we don’t want to be seen.”

Trubel was silent, still looking Monroe and Rosalee up and down. “You ready?” Nick asked her. She looked at him for a moment before turning back to Monroe and Rosalee.

Monroe and Rosalee exchanged a look and turned back towards Trubel as they woged. Thankfully, Trubel didn’t appear to have much of a reaction. “See.” Rosalee said.

“No big deal.” Monroe added.

The pair woged back. “See, everythings fine.” Rosalee said nervously, as Monroe wrapped an arm around his shoulder.

“How do you know I’m a Grimm?”

“Um, it’s your eyes.” Monroe answered.

“They get really dark when we woge.” Rosalee added. “It’s kind of scary.”

“Really?” Trubel asked, with the most emotion Nick had seen on her face since they arrived.

Monroe nodded. “Yeah. We’re not talking kiddie pool dark, we’re talking like, all the way down to your soul…deep type dark.”

“Cool.” Trubel said.

Nick and Hank got called out to a case. There was no time to drop Trubel at home, so they took her with them, deciding to pass her off as a criminology student.  Along the way, Nick received a message from Renard letting him know they were about to take Lorelei down to deliver the baby. Once Lorelei and the baby were back on the ward, Renard would update Nick.

They arrived at the crime scene and were met by Wu, who seemed to buy the story that Trubel was a criminology student on a ride-along. There was an awkward moment when Trubel mentioned wesen, luckily, she managed to cover her tracks. While Wu was left to run the victims prints and try to identify them, Nick, Hank and Trubel headed to the trailer. While looking through the book, Nick received a message from Renard. As Nick opened it, he was met with a photo. A smile broke across his face as he gazed at the image of his newborn niece. “What are you smiling at?” Hank asked him.

Nick held out his phone and Hank took it, a smile also crossing his face. “Olivia Marielle Renard. Born 8:48am. 18.66 inches, 5.78 pounds. Mom and baby are doing well. Will let you know when you can visit.” Hank clapped Nick on the back before handing his phone back. “Congratulations Uncle Nick.”

“Thanks.” Nick said, as Trubel peered at his phone.

“Nice baby.” She commented. “That’s your sisters’ baby?”

Nick nodded, looking at the image one last time before returning the phone to his pocket. He was relieved to hear that his sister and niece were doing well. Despite the distraction of Trubel and this case, he had been incredibly concerned. And now that he knew they were fine, he could fully concentrate on this case.

The trio continued looking through the book, with Trubel pointing out a few she had seen. “Wendigo, where did you see it?” Nick asked as she pointed another out.

“Chicago.” Trubel replied. “Dude picked me up, offered me dinner, and I found out I was supposed to be the main dish.”

“Yeah, we ran across one of those.”

“You cut off its head?”

“No, we shot him.” Nick answered, flicking to another page.

“Oh. I guess that works.” Trubel commented. “Hey, you wouldn’t happen to have an extra gun, would you?”

Nick rolled his eyes before looking up at her. “Can we just stay focused on this?” He asked her.

“Hey, check this out.” Hank said as he placed the book he was looking through on the table. “Same marking as on our vic.” He said, pointing to the images on the page. “You recognise it?”

Nick thought about it for a moment, before it came to him. “You remember Ryan?”

“The intern.” Hank said, nodding as recognition crossed his features. “How could I forget.”

“Leben – s –.” Trubel tried pronouncing the name.

“Um, Sauger. Lebensauger.” Nick said, pronouncing it correctly for her.

“That’s German, right?” She asked, looking up at him.

Nick nodded. “Yeah.”

A small smile crossed her face as she looked back at the book. “I’m getting this.” Trubel said softly, looking proud of herself. “Lebensaugers are known for coercing their victims through fear.” She read, as Nick’s phone rang.

“Hang on.” Nick said, pulling out his phone. It was Wu. He answered, putting it on speaker. “Wu, you’re on speaker.”

“Got a juvenile record on your victim.” Wu informed him. “Took me a while to get it cleared. Camilla Reynolds, age 18, arrested three times, the latest for shoplifting six months ago. Last known address, the New Beginnings Halfway House downtown.”

“Thank you.” Nick told him.

“Hey Wu, can you check with robbery” Hank added. “See if any high end stores have been hit recently, anything with young girls.”

“Yeah, you got it.” Wu said.

“Oh, and Wu.” Nick said before he hung up. Nick figured he should tell him since Lorelei considered him her friend.

“Yeah.”

“Lorelei had the baby.” Nick told him, feeling a large smile cross his face.

“Already?”

“Yeah. They had to deliver early. But don’t worry Lorelei and the baby are doing fine.”

Nick heard Wu sigh in relief. “Well, that’s good. The little bundle of joy have a name yet?”

“Olivia.”

“Olivia. Beautiful name. Well, I look forward to meeting the newest member of the family.”

As the call ended, Nick turned to Hank. “Let’s hit that halfway house. You think you can…” Nick cut himself off as he looked at Trubel. She was staring at a page in one of the books. Noticing the silence, she looked up. “What is it?” Trubel showed them the entry she had been looking at. “Siegbarste.” He looked at her questioningly, noticing a hint of tears in her dark eyes.

After a long moment of silence, Trubel spoke. “That’s what killed my foster parents.

The two detectives looked at her in surprise. “That’s why you ran away.” Hank said.

“Yeah, would have killed me too, if I hadn’t.”

“Did you see who it was?”

Trubel shook her head. “No, only that.” She replied, gesturing to the book. “I thought it was a monster…it’s why I ran.”

Nick felt his heart go out to Trubel. He could tell that she’d had a hard life, but seeing her foster parents be killed…was heartbreaking. Nick wasn’t sure what to say.

“Well, I think you’ve had enough for one day.” Nick said. “I can take you home.”

“No.” Trubel said. Nick looked at her, the unfallen tears in her eyes. “No. I’m done running.”

Trubel went with them to the halfway house, although she stayed in the car…for the most part. Trubel had seen Cammy’s old roommate woge before they left and had threatened her for information. Nick and Hank had to pull Trubel off her. However, Megan, the roommate had told Trubel that Cammy met someone named Donna at O’Bryant Square. Just before they left to return to the precinct, Wu called to tell them about a store robbed the day before and security footage confirmed that Cammy had been present.

Nick was surprised when they pulled up at the hospital. He looked at Hank. “What are we doing here?”

“We’re going to see the baby.” Hank replied. “We have some time.”

As they were leaving the trailer, Renard had sent a message letting him know that he was able visit. Nick had planning to stop by after work, but it seems Hank couldn’t wait. So, the three of them headed into the hospital and up to the maternity ward. “Knock knock.” Hank said jovially when they arrived at Lorelei’s room.

“Hey.” Lorelei said, from her position on the bed where she appeared to be eating a late lunch, or early dinner. Renard was sitting in a chair beside the bed, a small bundle in his arms.

“Sorry to just drop by. Somebody couldn’t wait.” Nick said, giving Hank a look before leaning down to greet his sister.

Hank shrugged. “Guilty.” He said not looking the least bit guilty as he also greeted Lorelei before looking at Renard. “Captain. Congratulations.”

Renard smiled at him. “Thank you, Hank.”

Nick looked down at his sister. She was looking well. “How are you feeling?

Lorelei smiled at him. “Not too bad. But that may be because I can’t feel anything below my waist. Anaesthetic hasn’t completely worn off yet. I’m sure I’ll feel it tomorrow.”

Nick smiled, pressing another kiss to the top of head. “I’m glad you’re both ok.”

“Ready to meet your niece.”

“Hell yeah.” Nick said before moving to the other of the bed where Renard was, stopping to sanitise his hands as directed by Lorelei. Hank followed suit.

Nick’s smile widened as he finally set eyes on his newborn niece. She was sound asleep, wrapped in a blanket with a little pink baby beanie type thing perched on her head. She was absolutely beautiful. Nick found himself speechless as he stared at her in awe. “Do you want to hold her, Uncle Nick?” Renard asked.

Nick nodded eagerly, as Renard stood up and carefully handed the baby over to him. Baby Olivia barely made a peep as her father handed her over to her uncle. Nick held her close, gazing down at her. “She looks just like Lorelei did when she was a baby.” Nick commented, and it was true. The resemblance was uncanny.

“Really?” Renard asked and Nick nodded.

“Oh, hello.” Nick heard Lorelei say. He looked up and found Trubel hovering in the doorway. She froze like a dear in headlights upon being spotted.

“Oh right, uh, Lorelei, not sure if you saw my message from yesterday. But, this is…Trubel. She’s also a Grimm.”

Lorelei nodded. “Yeah. I saw your message this morning.” She said before turning back to Trubel, smiling warmly at her. “It’s nice to meet you Trubel. I’m Nick’s sister Lorelei, this is my fiancé Sean, and that little bundle is Olivia. Come on in.”

Trubel seemed to relax a little as she tentatively stepped into the room. “Uh, congratulations, or whatever you’re supposed to say.” She said nervously.

Smile still in place, Lorelei assured her congratulations was the right thing to say. “We introduced Trubel to Monroe and Rosalee this morning. You know, show her that not all wesen are bad. Then we got called to a crime scene and there was no time to drop her at home, so we brought her with us. Told others she’s a criminology student on a ride along.” Nick explained.

Out of the corner of his eye, Nick saw Renard raise an eyebrow at him. Bringing a civilian along without the necessary approval was a no no. “Oooh, what’s case? Is it wesen related?” Lorelei asked eagerly.

“Lorelei.” Renard said in a warning tone.

“What? It’s not like I’m going to jump out bed and go running off to join them. I’m just curious.”

Nick tried to hide a smirk. It was nice to see Lorelei annoying someone else for a change. “It actually might be wesen related.” Hank told her before turning to Nick. “Now its my turn, give ‘er here.”

Nick handed Olivia over to Hank as Lorelei and Renard looked at him questioningly. Nick started filling them in. “It looks like our vic was mixed up in some kind of high-end heist ring.”

“So, she was a shoplifter?” Lorelei asked.

“That’s not exactly foreign to a kid who’s been in the system most of her life.” Renard added, his eyes keeping a close eye on Hank and Olivia.

“Except someone dressed her up so she’d fit in.” Hank informed, before he returned to cooing at Olivia.

“We got a lead on a woman named Donna who might be picking up girls in O’Bryant Square.” Nick said, glancing towards Trubel who was leaning against the wall beside the door.

“Dresses a few street girls up, teaches them how to act. Can make anywhere from twenty to thirty thousand a week.”

“Modern day Pygmalion.” Renard commented. “Any idea why they killed the vic?”

“She almost got caught coming out of that last store.” Hank said. “Could be, she was becoming a liability.”

“We’re gonna coffee and donut O’Bryant Square tonight, see if we can find out who this Donna is.”

“We think they might be looking for a replacement.” Hank said, as Olivia woke up and started fussing. Renard stepped forward, taking her back.

“What wesen do you think it is?” Lorelei asked, her gaze on Renard and Olivia.

“Lebensauger.” Trubel offered.

“Hmm, wasn’t that intern with identity issues one of those?” Lorelei asked, looking at Nick. He nodded, as little Olivia continued to fuss.

Lorelei returned her gaze to Renard and Olivia. “She’s probably hungry. Give her here.”

“And that’s probably our cue to leave.” Hank said, heading to the door as Renard passed the baby to Lorelei.

They did eventually track down the lebensauger or lebensaugers, thanks to Trubel. Nick was not happy with her. She had, without discussing it with them, offered herself up as bait and was taken Donna. Thankfully, they were able to find Trubel and two other girls who had been taken. Trubel had killed one while Nick had killed the other. Trubel had been bitten on the arm but was otherwise uninjured. Nick was disappointed that she had been so reckless. And, that they had to try and cover up her involvement. However, Nick was relieved she was ok and Trubel had apologised in roundabout way. She was rough around the edges, but it was good having another Grimm around, especially with Lorelei out of commission for a while. Nick was also enjoying teaching Trubel, instead of being the one who was being taught. Nick hoped Trubel would stick around for a while.

A/N: So, baby Olivia has arrived. We shall see Sean and Lorelei’s perspective on things next chapter. Also, sorry about my poor writing in the last chapter. I needed a way to sideline Lorelei. It has no bearing on her hospitalisation and premature birth.

Next Part

Taglist: @zoexme, @nu1freakshow, @star-yawnznn, @bella250

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[winreyplace]

Intro: Sean Renard

My Name: Sean Emile Renard My Personality: I possess lawful, gracious, and fastidious qualities. I'm one of the more reserved members of the family, preferring to carefully listen to others before expressing my own thoughts. My discerning palate and polished demeanor has at times gotten me called pretentious or overly particular, but I take it all in stride with a good-natured attitude when teased for those behaviors. My Birthday: October 21st, 1981 Species/Cultural Identity: Half-Zauberbeist Half-Human My Gender Orientation: I am a Neutrois man* and prefer masculine words and pronouns My Sexuality: Aromantic Asexual My Disabilities/Conditions: Autism Physical Description: I stand at 6 feet 4 inches tall, a stature that often draws attention. My eyes are a clear green, set beneath a brow that's framed by ash-brown hair, cropped short for a neat appearance. My skin is fair, untouched by excessive sun exposure. My build is substantial and sturdy, with broad shoulders tapering slightly to a narrower waist, creating a subtle V-shape that speaks to both strength and proportion. Overall, my physique could be described as robust but comfortable. My Relationships: Boyfriend: Nick Burkhardt; QPPs: Logan Noble and James ‘Howlett’. Other Intimate relationships: Damien G******-Sprinkles, Butler, Sara, and Theo Raeken. I’m also Renny to both Lav and Mel in both a parental and kink capacity as requested. My Hobbies/Interests: I enjoy reading, logic puzzles, jigsaw puzzles, BDSM roleplay scenario planning, bookkeeping, grooming, and a little bit of coin collecting. My Canon Backstory:

I was born a royal bastard my father was the king of Kronenburg (a small country in North America), and my mother was the Hexenbeist he was smitten with. We were forced to flee to the United States when his wife swore to kill us both, where I was raised and educated in the ways of both human and Wesen. I went on to exercise my ambitions by working my way up the ranks in Portland's police department (a career I have thoroughly denounced since then) as a way to maintain a royal influence on the local Wesen population. I spent the last few years of my canon life alternating between antagonist and grudging ally to Nick and his friends. Mel and Lav took me partway through my canon show, though I still have many hazy exomemories of later points in my canon self's story that I did not personally experience. My Bond Backstory: I was having lunch one day in my world when Nick showed up suddenly (notably after calling in a few vacation days and disappearing without a trace) with a young lady and introduced her to me as Mel. I had a peculiar sensation at the time of meeting her that I did not fully understand, and it made me suspicious. I pressed Nick to explain exactly who she was and why she was here, and he stammered through an explanation of munbonding and parallel worlds that barely made sense, but I couldn't help being intrigued. As someone who liked to be fully aware and in control of all avenues of power at my disposal, missing an opportunity to take advantage of the situation was inadmissible. I later understood that the parallel world Nick was referring to was both Winrey Place and the world that Lav and Mel lived in that we could visit through "fronting" in their bodies, and that the peculiar sensation inside me was the pull of a potential munbond. It was an interesting first few days where I learned a lot all at once. I will admit that walking into the situation I did wasn't my first choice at the start. I had built up enough networks and prestige in Portland that retiring from it all and leaving it behind would have been unthinkable, were it not for that first moment of settling into bed with the girls and being truly seen for who I was and who I was meant to be, reaching right into my soul. It was…inspiring. The Beast inside me wanted it and craved to possess it, and I realized a whole new way to meet the goals I'd pursued for so long. And over time, the hunger for power and control gave way to, well, a hunger for love, food, and a unique family I never thought I was meant to have.

[metataxy]

Grimm: Hexenbiest!Juliette/Nick, Part 6

Summary: What if, when Juliette was becoming a Hexenbiest, she told Nick before Renard?

In which people actually talk about their feelings, and Nick discovers the benefits of having a Hexenbiest for a girlfriend.

<—- Part 1 Here , Part 2 , Part 3 , Part 4, Part 5. Part 1 is posted to AO3, but the rest isn't being archived until I have a clear idea where it's going.

Warnings: Miscarriage, eldritch horrors.

----------------------------------------------

For a while, everything is okay. Better than okay.

Adalind and Henrietta hadn’t lied. The paternity test returns. Nick is inarguably Tristan’s father. Adalind and Juliette, bizarrely, are both listed as probable grandparents.

Coparenting with Adalind is easier than it has any right to be. Adalind’s rehired by her former law firm and rents a luxury apartment within walking distance of both her office and the police precinct. Nick usually drops off the baby and breakfast on his way to work, and brings him home every other night. Both Nick and Juliette’s schedules are usually flexible enough to watch Tristan the day or two each week when Adalind can’t bring Tristan into work. The rare times none of them can watch Tristan, Monroe, Rosalie, and Henrietta practically compete for who gets to babysit.

Surprisingly, what disrupts this pleasant equilibrium isn’t a wesen, but a Grimm.

It happens on Nick and Juliette’s long delayed honeymoon. They go to Florida. Because it’s impossible for Nick Burkhardt to go anywhere without something terrible happening, they stumble into a case where a group of Mellifer migrant workers, most of them adolescents, most of them undocumented, are being hunted by the local Hexenbiest.

The Mellifer do not trust Juliette, but they trust Nick, and they introduce him to their other allies: a family of Grimm, the Jaegers.

He’d never met so many of his kind in one place before. There’s the matriarch of the clan, Tana, a shrivelled old woman in her seventies who still moves faster than she should despite her age. Her son, who presented late like Nick, and her daughter, Bertha, who lost an eye in a streetfight with a skallengeck when she was still a teenager. Her grandchildren, most of whom are too young to present. The oldest girl though, a skinny twelve-year-old, is a Grimm.

They like Nick. They meet him when he’s out picking up pads for Juliette, whose period started unexpectedly and who didn’t bring any supplies.

(Except it’s not her period. It’s an early-term miscarriage, dammit. She wasn’t going to tell him about any pregnancies, not until she knew for certain. If this resolution contradicted some of her earlier ones about communicating more with her husband, well, Nick wasn’t the one who had to come to terms with carrying a child a fair number of people would want to kill on principle).

They meet Nick when he gets into a fight between a Hexenbiest and a couple of Mellifer on the way home. They invite him to dinner with Juliette. And then they learn she’s a Hexenbiest.

In the course of their uneasy alliance over the next week, there are the usual warnings about the enchantments and treachery of Hexenbiest. Then there is the novel reproach to Juliette from Tana that if she loves Nick, she’ll stay away from him.

“Funny,” Juliette retorts. “That’s exactly what they said to him about me before I became a Hexenbiest.”

“And you see where it has lead, ja?”

“To being happily married to my best friend?” she challenges the old woman, face rippling with the woge.

The little old woman taps her cane and shakes her head disapprovingly.

“Is different, a Grimm with a human. A Grimm with a wesen? You will infect him.”

“What?”

“I have heard. My grandparents.” She’d shuffled around the sitting room where she, Bertha, and Juliette had gone for this tête-en-tête. Her hand slides along the old tomes. Nick and Juliette have already promised them a hard-drive with all the digitized books they’ve collected. Bertha and her brother have promised them the same, once they can scan the five books the family owns. She picks up a book and flips it open to a page triumphantly.

There is a picture of a wesen in colour. The eyes are deep-set and dark as the sockets of a skull and the skin’s been tinted bluish-grey. The lines of wings, or perhaps a cloak, have been sketched out above her shoulders, and her hands are bloody. She’s standing atop a mountain of bodies with the heads and hands of beasts.

“I can’t read German.”

“Pshaw,” Tana complains, turning to Bertha. “Can’t read German! She is a Hexenbiest! She is married to a Grimm! And she can’t read German!”

“Nick can’t read it either,” Juliette informs her drily.

“The children these days. How do you read your books if you cannot read German?”

“There’s a very nice werewolf who does our translations.”

Tana looks at her incredulously, like she’s not sure whether to believe her, but lets it go.

“What kind of wesen is it?” Juliette asks, peering at the book open on the desk. Bertha snorts.

“That’s not a wesen.”

“It’s a Grimm,” Tana tells her. “An infected one.” She clears her throat and begins slowly translating. Juliette pays her no mind, but Bertha does make sure they take home a scanned copy of that section when the situation with the mellifer has resolved and their honeymoon comes to a close. Rosalie and Monroe are delighted.

“A Grimm book that actually studies Grimm?” the man crows. He scrolls down the page on his frankly antiquated laptop. “I mean, geez, I’ve studied every single book Nick got from Aunt Marie and everything we got from Uncle Felix, and I haven’t seen anything like this. Do you think they’d let me study their books if I paid them a visit?”

“They’d probably shoot you and mount your head on a pike,” Juliette tells him humourlessly. “What’s it say?”

Monroe shrugs, face closer to the screen than it strictly needs to be, squinting in the low light of the spice shop’s basement. The man was ruining his eyes peering at watches and gears all day. Juliette reminds herself to ask Henrietta and Adalind if there’s any elixir to correct poor vision. “Well, pretty much what they told you,” Monroe says. “It’s a warning for Grimm not to be intimate with wesen lest they catch some kind of incurable disease and transform into monsters themselves. It’s like some kind of case study with stages and symptoms of the disease.” He flips to the images. “They start to woge. The first step is when ‘the breath and heartbeat slows, and the skin goes grey as a corpse.’”

He pauses, glancing over the top of his laptop at Juliette and Rosalie. Nick is on duty right now. “After he got hit in the face with that toxin from that voodoo pufferfish priest, that started happening. You don’t think…”

“The second stage is the Black Gaze becomes visible even to wesen, even when we aren’t woged.”

“See? Nothing to worry about!” Monroe tells her.

Rosalie sighs.

Monroe looks over the top of his laptop at his wife, then Juliette. “There’s nothing to worry about, right?”

“Nick’s eyes go Black all the time nowadays when I’m not woged.”

“I’ve never seen it.”

“Yeah, because it only happens when he’s fighting, and then you’d be woged anyways, or when he and I are together.”

“Why wouldn’t it happen when Nick and I are together?” Monroe asks dumbly.

Rosalie smirks, chin in her hand. “I don’t know,” she asks, leaning in. “Juliette, why wouldn’t it happen when our husbands are together?”

“Oh,” Monroe says, as the girls start snickering. “Oh, I don’t mean—you know what, let’s forget I ever said that—”

“I don’t think I can,” Rosalie laughs.

“You know,” Juliette chortles, “before they actually let me in on the whole Grimm thing? With how secretive they were being about all their time spent together, I seriously thought they were having an affair. I almost thought Nick was going to come out to me when he took me over to Monroe’s house for him to show the woge.”

Rosalie almost falls off her stool laughing.

“Nick’s an attractive guy,” Monroe says defensively.

“He is,” Juliette howls.

“And there’d be nothing wrong with it, if like--”

“Of course not,” Rosalie agrees, hiccoughing with delight at her husband’s awkwardness.

In fact, Juliette’s Hexenbiest hindbrain considers there to be a good deal right with the notion of her Grimm getting closer with their dear friends. The part of her that is still human isn’t any more ready to deal with that though than Henrietta’s pointed invitations to attend traditional coven, or the stir of secondhand lust she feels when Adalind looks too long at her husband.

It takes them another five minutes to compose themselves.

“Okay, so the rest of this is just bonkers though,” Monroe tells them. “Stage three involves loss of rationality and bloodlust, scaling to stage four, where the Grimm grows invisible wings and stage five, where whatever this thing is happens—”

The accompanying illustration has more in common with the descriptions of biblical angels or Lovecraftian horrors than anything Juliette’s ever seen in these books. It doesn’t resemble a person. It’s a black sphere, sprouting arms and wings, eyes peering out between its manifold limbs. There are bloody wounds on the bodies of the men and wesen it touches. It’s floating over a battlefield of corpses.

“Yeah,” Rosalie says drily. “I think this was probably just a scary story to keep teenage Grimm from hooking up with the attractive Hexenbiest down the road. Most wesen have some version of that.”

“Right,” Monroe snorts. “Don’t sleep outside your bloodline or you’ll go blind.”

“Just blind?” Rosalie asks. “You got off easy. My grandma always told us all our hair would fall out and our babies would be born with three heads.”

“Gotta love that stuff,” Monroe says, looking mellow. “Anyways, I really don’t think there’s anything to worry about, Juliette.”

“But the first and second stages?”

“Some wesen do present, or evolve, in response to specific environmental triggers,” Rosalie says thoughtfully. “I know a Selkie who had no idea what she was until the first time she swam in saltwater. I can’t imagine thinking you’re human until you’re thirty and then turning into a seal-person in the middle of a cruise.”

“Right. Or like, it’s really rare, but a human that’s at least a quarter Mellifer will woge, no matter how old they are, if they’re in proximity to Hexen or Zauberbiest.” Juliette glances at Monroe, alarmed. “Don’t worry about it, you’d have to be like, around them all the time.”

“Like I’m around my staff at work?”

“Sure. Oh. Yeah.” Monroe rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah. It’s probably not an issue. Mellifer really aren’t into mating with non-Mellifer. I’ve never met anyone personally it happened to.”

She’s not exactly reassured.

“The point is,” Rosalie says, “maybe some of this is accurate. Maybe Grimm are wesen, and maybe the reason we’ve never seen them develop anything but their unusual eyes is because the trigger was proximity to wesen. We’d never know, because I’ve never heard of any Grimm before Nick spending more time around us than was necessary to kill us.”

---------------------------------------

“I have,” Henrietta tells her, one night when Tristan’s finally gone to sleep, and she and Adalind are studying with the older Hexenbiest in her lab.

“What? Seen a Grimm who spent enough time with wesen to turn into a creepy floating blob?” Adalind snarks. Juliette hadn’t meant for Adalind to see the pages, but Nick had left them on his passenger seat and Adalind had seen them when he’d driven by her workplace to drop off Tristan that morning, and then Adalind had brought them up with Henrietta. So much for discretion.

“Seen a Grimm exhibit symptoms up to stage three after sleeping with wesen.”

“Holy crap,” Adalind exclaims in interest, sipping at her herbal tea. As generous as she is with general information pertaining to the unseen world, Henrietta rarely tells them of her past experiences. “What century was this? Where was this?”

Henrietta fixes Adalind with an unamused look. “The last one, and here.”

“So in the 1800s—were there like, what, Grimm cowboys running around?” The idea of Nick running about with a Sherriff’s badge and leather hat, hunting down their enemies on horseback, has a certain appeal for Juliette.

“20th century,” Henrietta stretches out her hand, and lazily floats a jar of cream down from the shelf, begins applying it to her hands. It’s more like shoe wax than skin lotion. “It was your Grimm’s aunt, Marie Kessler.”

“What?”

“I never knew her personally, but she had a certain reputation in the community. A rebel. She went to wesen bars and beat down the bouncers if they tried to deny her entrance. Went to the cage fights and won her right to watch by besting their champions. She never killed though, even while your Grimm’s grandfather and mother were leaving a corpse a month for the cops to find.” Henrietta’s lips quirked. “All the lesser Grimm, the mice and sheep and deer, were terrified of her, and half the predators as well. The other half though—they hunted her.”

“And she didn’t kill them?” Juliette asks dubiously.

Henrietta laughs. “Did you kill your Grimm? Grimm are strong and deadly, and have their own innate magic that surpasses that of any race but the Royals or Hexenbiest. You are not the first to whom it has appealed. Some of those who chased Marie Kessler did it, no doubt, with the clear intent to kill a Grimm. I’m not sure all of her pursuers understood their own intentions though until they caught up with her.”

“The one who did—he was a Steinadler, right?”

Adalind’s eyebrows rise.

“He was one of them. There were others. A Ziegevolk actually came to me for a love potion when he couldn’t entrap her himself. Oh, don’t look at me like that. I didn’t give him the potion. She still took him to bed, once, told him he ‘was okay, but she’d had better’. Completely ruined the man’s self confidence. He couldn’t seduce a barfly for years after that. Then there were the Weten Ogen, and finally, yes, the Steinadler. That was really when it went wrong.”

“How?”

“A Zauberbiest killed her younger brother. He was kiehrsehten. I suppose he might have been like your Grimm, a late bloomer. We’ll never know. Her father and sister tracked the killer, but Marie and her Steinadler got to him first. It was Christmas. The Zauber wasn’t alone. He had a Kiehrsehten wife, adult children, guests. One of the latter let her in, assumed she was invited. She and the Zauberbiest fought in the middle of the foyer, in front of the guests.”

“Jesus,” Juliette breathes.

“If the Zauberbiest hadn’t fought, that might have been the end of it, but he did fight. The guests only saw this woman attacking their friend. They were armed. They drew on her. At least one of them put a bullet in her, injured her badly enough that she should have dropped. Instead,” Henrietta paused, “they simply attracted her attention.

“After it was all done, almost everyone was dead, and the only reason I say almost is because the Steinadler rushed the children out of the house when he realized Marie was out of control.”

“Holy crap. How did she not end up in prison?” Adalind demands.

“How do you know any of this?” Juliette asks.

Henrietta looks at them, face impassive as a death mask.

“I am the eldest of the Hexenbiest in this corner of the world. You are strong, the both of you, but there are abilities that develop only with age, and one of these is an awareness of the powers arising in others. I felt it when she saw her brother die, even if I didn’t know what it meant. It felt like all this time that I thought I’d been safe had been an illusion, like I, we, thought we were living on earth, when we were really in a submarine sixty leagues under, a submarine with walls thin as a tin can’s and the waters outside teeming with sharks, and someone had just driven a nail through those walls, and the water was pouring in.

“We scorn the kiehrsehten and the lesser wesen for how little they know of the unseen world, and assume we since we see further, we see clearly, that we see all. We don’t. There are beings moving through the world whose power our minds can’t fully apprehend, who we sense about as clearly as the mundanes sense us—the sense of eyes on our back in an empty office when you’re working evenings on a Friday, the waiting silence in the true dark of forests far outside the city, where the only light are the stars in the trees, or the eyes gleaming down from the branches.

“I felt something move that night, and I didn’t know what it was, so I made enquiries, and Marie came for me.”

Adalind’s mouth fell open a little. “What did you do?” she asks dumbly.

“I ran,” Henrietta said flatly. “I ran, and I kept running, and didn’t return until I heard Marie Kessler was quietly studying literature at Berkeley and your Grimm’s mother was abroad.” The woman’s lips pursed. “People see your Nick, talk with him, and feel relieved he’s just human, just a regular human, safe, and all the stories of slaughters by Grimm must be wrong. Because it’s an easier story to believe, the story we tell ourselves to stay sane—that we know how things are, that this is all there is, that we are the apex predators, and the Grimm aren’t just one of many thresholds for the real monsters behind the door.”

They are all silent for awhile after that.

“Well shit,” Adalind says, and practical as ever, looks for a way to distract them all with a less oppressive topic. “Do you have anything we can feed the baby that would make his diapers smell less like the city dump? What?” she protests, seeing Juliet’s incredulous look. “You can’t say you wouldn’t appreciate it too.”

“I take care of my godson two or three times a week,” Henrietta reminds her, smiling despite herself. “Adalind, if such a thing existed, I would have given you the recipe and an entire crate premade.”

[misscrazyfangirl321]

#2, 3, 7, and 10 for Time Wars for the AU ask game, please!

2: Summarize this au in 5 sentences.

In a world where Timeless, Haven, Sanctuary, and Grimm all take place in the same universe, lives are about to collide. When Rittenhouse, the evil power-hungry organization hidden in the shadows, splits into two groups, they both choose the same strategy to bring each other down: the impossible. One side aligns with the Troubled of Haven, people with powers they don't want and can't get rid of. The other chooses Wesen: shapeshifters, hidden in plain sight, fearsome and deadly. As a group group heroes come together to stop both sides, all eyes are on Helen Magnus, and her Sanctuary of Abnormal creatures; how long can she stay out of this war?

3: Did anything inspire this au?

This AU is actually the latest form of a couple of crossover aus I've had in the past: The Heatherverse and the Megaverse. Basically, I just wanted an excuse to combine all of my favorite shows.

7: What ships are canon in this au?

What ships aren't canon-

Ahem.

Will Zimmerman/Lucy Preston (Sweet Nerds)

Elizabeth Lascelles/John Druitt (Murder-but, like, polite murderers who love their families)

Henry Foss/Jordan McKee (PAIN but Let Them Have A Happy Ending)

Noah/Ruby (Rittenhouse for awhile, but will it last?)

Eric Renard/Emma Whitmore (Murder, and they Like It. Will probably end up killing each other one day, and they both know it.)

Garcia Flynn/Lorena Flynn (RESURRECTED WIFE)

Wyatt Logan/Jessica Logan (Also a resurrected wife, but there's murder. Also a lot of pining.)

Possibly Duke Crocker/Kate Freelander (thieves who joined the good guys and have huge hearts.)

Probably more.

10: Is there a character you wish you could've included, but couldn't? Why?

One of my favorite dynamics in the Megaverse was Helen Magnus and Neal Caffrey. Neal is from White Collar, and I really didn't have the desire to bring that world into the Time Wars, so my options were to keep just Neal and not give his world its fair share of the plot (which would be Unfun for someone who decided to read it knowing mainly WC), or yeet him.

So he has been yote, but with great sadness.

[skylarmoon71]

Sebastein (Grimm)- Chapter 7

"Any word from Meisner?" 

You shook your head, flipping through the papers spread across the bed. You pulled out a map, laying it out on the bed. 

"I'm tracking all the places he's been, and crossing it with Black Claw occurrences. Maybe he got into a scuffle he couldn't weasel his way out of." 

You pulled a red marker from the desk, circling certain areas. Sebatien was sitting at the other side of the bed, studying you. 

"I know a few of Meisner's operatives, it's still a bit frustrating that he never mentioned you." your eyes lifted. 

"What do you mean?"

"Before we met, I had no idea who you were. My job is to collect information, yet I know so little of you."

"Oh, I guess that's fair. We've been together for a while now, and I know almost everything about you." he raised a brow. 

"I did my research. Never go into a situation unprepared."

Sebastien just let out a small laugh. 

"So what do you want to know?"

"You're family, did something happen to them. I assume you didn't get into this life by choice." You dropped the marker, sitting at the edge of the bed. You took in a deep breath.

"They were killed by the royals. After that I dedicated my life to make them pay. When Meisner killed Eric, I was thrilled. I just wish I could have been there to see it. Watch the life slowly leave his body the same way he did to my father. His death was too abrupt in my opinion. Meisner showed him mercy by blowing him up." 

Sebatien could hear the contempt in your voice as you spoke.

"Why did they kill your family?" 

Your hands folded into fist. 

"My mother...she was a Hexenbiest. " The information surprised him. 

"My dad was a regular guy. Not even wesen. They tried recruiting my mother to be a part of their war. They wanted to exploit her powers. She was powerful, even by wesen standards. Normally people think Hexenbeist are vicious manipulating monsters. As long as they get something out of it then they'll do anything. But that..that wasn't mother. She was the kindest most caring person in the world. She used her gifts to help others in our town. "

You looked off to the side. 

"When she refused they came after her, then she was on the run. That's when she met my father. He knew what she was...and he still helped her..loved her. " You could feel the tears prickling at the edge of your eyes. You wiped your face sniffing. 

"Anyway, some years later they had me. For a few more years we were happy. Safe. But it didn't last forever. When I turned eighteen she told me everything, by my twenty-first birthday she was gone. They made me watch as they killed both my parents. The only reason I survived was because of Meisner. He saved my life...saved me. "

Now Sebastien could understand where your loyalty for Meisner came from. It also explained why he never spoke of you. In a way Meisner was still protecting you.

"I am sorry for your loss." 

You smiled at him, moving closer. He just opened his arms, welcoming you in. You sank into his embrace, forcing yourself not to cry.

"You know, I always thought I'd become a Hexenbeist like her. I used to hope for it when I was younger. Just so I could gut the guys that did that to her. I guess in some way it was good I didn't. My mother was always against violence. She went through a lot of pain as a kid. I don't think she'd be proud of the way I'm living now. " 

Sebastien took your face into his hands.

"You did what you had to survive. You're helping to ensure they don't put other families through what you had too. I'm positive she would be proud of what you're fighting for. " 

you looked up at him. 

"I really do hope you're right. " 

He smiled, pressing a kiss to your cheek. You leaned in grinning. 

"I wish she could have met you. She would have been so excited. She absolutely loved french guys. My dad was french..." 

Your words trailed off when you realized something. 

"Huh." 

You laughed, pulling away to look at Sebastien. He blinked. 

"What is it?"

"Nothing...I just..I guess I know why I like you so much. It has to be genetic." He chuckled, pecking your lips. 

"I suppose I should be honored then." You nodded. 

"Definitely."

You were still comfortably seated in his lap. Sebastien must have been reading your mind because he leaned in. You kissed him back, hands wrapping around his neck. The both of you sat there lip-locking, lost in the warmth your bodies provided. After a few moments you pulled back, pressing kisses along his neck, down his collarbone. 

Sebastien's hands leaned back on the bed, keeping him upright. You unbuttoned his shirt, leaving kisses as you moved down his body. Carefully slipping out of the bed, you kneeled between his legs, fingers moving to the buckle of his pants. 

"W-What are you doing?" you smiled devilishly, lowering his zip. You could see him visibly swallow. 

"Just a little payback, you can't be the only one having all the fun."

From his now tense body, you could tell he'd probably never had a woman go down on him. You'd change that. His hands gripped into the sheets. He opened his mouth to say something, maybe wuss out. As soon as you touched him he moaned, head falling back as his eyes closed. You grinned, licking your lips.

"Just sit back and enjoy Beau." 

[tolum]

I just watched Grimm 3x20 "My Fair Wesen"

[gabrielokun]

[funkymbtifiction]

Watched Grimm with my family, Monroe is the absolute BEST character (I also loved Wu and Rosalee) did you have a favorite Wesen type?

Monroe is the best thing about Grimm. Period.

I love the Fuchsbau the most, but also liked the Naiads. Probably the coolest one, though, is the girl who was a 'dragon.' Being a cat person, I was a little ticked that they constantly made cat-based Wesen's violent, aggressive, or sadistic, though. Not fair. ;)

[fourteendaysinaweek]

Trubel, walking up to Donna Reid in My Fair Wesen:

[spoopyghostgirl]

No Other Way (A John Wick Fic)

Fandom: John Wick

Name: No Other Way

Fic name inspiration: No Other Way by Sinead Harnett + Snakehips

Pairing: (John Wick X oc X Zero) [Cassian X oc X Santino D'Antonio]

Word Count: 3,494

'Amber eyes,' Zero noted dutifully, dark eyes unwavering as he watched the young woman before him. She sat at the counter of his restuarant, a pair of wayfarer sunglasses on her face, Zero having finally seen her hidden gaze when she looked over them at the kitty that had hopped on the counter.

"Hallo, miene süße katzechen," the menu she had been skimming over was forgotten immediately, Pochi having stolen her attention. "Bist du gekommen, um ein paar kostenlose Fische zu holen," she continued, her fingertips burying themselves in the fur of the purring creature. Pochi rolled into his back, shooting a glance over in Zero's direction, the icy blonde haired woman following the creatures gaze. "Ist der nette Attentäter dein Vater," Pochi purred enthusiastically in response, stretching his long white arms up and wrapping them around the womans wrist. "Wie unfair von dir, solch ein süßes Wesen in deinem Haus zu haben," retracting her hand from Pochi, the white haired woman turned to him. Zero, who had frozen at her observation of being an assassin, watched as a coy grin spread across her lips. "Keres," she spoke in a way of greeting, right hand extending towards him.

"Zero," he hesitated briefly, eyes slightly widening when something cold and circular pressed against his palm. Pulling back he found a silver coin in his hand. It was similar to the coins traded amongst assassins and the like for varying jobs and resources but this coin was more intricately patterned. A skull with a crown upon it was in the center surrounded by a circle. Moving out from the center was what looked like olive branches surrounding it. 'Quod. Debitum. Sanquine.'

"My associates wish for you to meet them at the continental," her English was smooth, sounding of an American rather than the foreigner that she likely was. Pushing herself to her feet, she reached out her right hand once more to affectionately stroke Pochi, a content smile slipping across her lips. "And Zero," he was surprised that the woman had turned her back to him, her head turning slightly so she could glance back at him. "I would not suggest keeping them waiting," with that, she stepped out into the rain, an all black umbrella seemingly appearing above her head. Brown met brown, a dark skinned man having stepped closer to the white haired woman so they could share the umbrella. "Cassian," she spoke his name firmly, drawing the mans attention from him. "You know how much your mistress hates having to wait," his jaw clenched but he made no move to step into Zero's restuarant. Cassian was a Canis, a hound of the Table and their families. He had sworn his loyalty to Gianna, the younger child of the D'Antino clan. In that time he had grown to love the woman, his life having become tied to hers so deeply that it had been bonded in blood. Opening the car door to the black jetta that had pulled up to the restaurant, Cassian allowed his companion in first before following after.

"Almost as much as you love playing messenger," this caused the white haired woman to grin, her right hand reaching up to absently run through her short hair.

"Anything to get away from Michael," Cassians muscles tensed, feeling the overwhelming urge to comfort her. Things had been tense between the pair, Lucifer having been chosen as the family head and face of the table. 'But she declined, instead requesting to remain active and allow her elder brother to take the lead in their family.' It had been quite the scandal, Lucifer having embodied everything the table stood for. 'And now, she is a adjudicator,' the highest member of their society, only sitting below those who sat at the table. A warm hand wrapped around her own, Cassian grinning at how chilled her skin was.

"Now now, cant have you turning into an ass-sicle," Lucifier grinned, turning her hand over to squeeze Cassians. "That came out wrong," he muttered, attempting to pull his hand away, only for Lucifer to tighten her hold on him.

"You always know just what to say Cass," she flirted, Cassians cheeks coloring at her obvious teasing.

"See, and this is why some assassins think you slept your way to the top. You God damn shameless hoe," Lucifer full on laughed then, releasing her hold on her friend.

"You adore me and we both know it," the car rolled to a stop, Cassian exiting first before offering Lucifer his hand. "What a gentleman," rolling his eyes, Cassian made to pull the umbrella away from her only for her hand to close around his. "Dont you dare," Cassian grinned at the daggers she glared at him, stopping only when they entered the continental. Cassian stopped to shake the water from their umbrella, Lucifer crossing the lobby to Charon, the concierge of New Yorks continental.

"Good afternoon, mistress," Keres smiled at the polite greeting, watching as Charon reached his hand under the counter and pulled out a jingling satin pouch. "For you from Master Black," Lucifer accepted the gift, not stopping to count it before she slipped it into the inside pocket of her jacket.

"Thank you, Charon, and did there happen to be any messages for me?" The bald man nodded, producing a plain but worn white envelope, Lucifer doing her best to suppress the smallest slivers of a smile.

"Marcus hand delivered it himself," Grin smiled at the mention of the older man. He had been keeping casual tabs on an old acquaintance of theirs, Lucifer having been happy to hear that the man had found what he had been searching for. 'Though, it is rather unfortunate he couldn't find it in you,' her lips pressed together painfully at the thought. He had wanted out of the only life they had both known and when he said he was ready to jump, Lucifer had clutched the railing and watched him dive to freedom. 'I'm sure she is able to make him much happier than I could have,' Lucifer shook her head, stepping into the elevator that would take them to the higher levels, Cassian having to shimmy in before the doors closed.

"Hey, blondie, watch it!" Grins amber gaze snapped up to her frowning companion, Cassian carefully tugging his jacket free from the elevator doors. "What's got you so distracted,"

'Distractions are what gets someone like you killed,'

"Nothing," her lips twitched but her neutral expression held. 'Always so bad at lying to your friends,' Cassian sighed but didnt push the matter, stepping slightly back so he stood behind her. Pinching her eyes shut, Lucifer steadied her mind, her shoulders squaring, and her back straightening. Her golden gaze flickered open as the doors moved apart, revealing the roof of the continental.

"Well well well, if it isnt Lucifer Black," Keres frowned, golden gaze moving to land on her elder brother. Beside him stood the manager of the continental, Winston, a dark colored drink clutched in his hand. To her brothers right were the D'Antino siblings, Santino looking uninterested and aloof while Gianna looked worried, her hands worrying at one another.

"Michael," she greeted, face a calm mask of indifference. "It is a pleasure to be seeing you again," she continued absently, the protocall she was set to follow being ingrained in her personality. "As well as seeing the two of you," Santino smirked, stepping forward to take her hand in his own.

"The pleasure is mine, my love," Santino flirted, raising her hand to his lips. Gianna rolled her eyes behind her brother, the pair having both been pinning after the fair haired woman in their youth. 'And despite how firmly Lucifer has denied his advances since turning down her position at the high table, he still hasnt stopped.'

"You flatter me, Santino," she turned to glanced around herself, pulling her hand back. "Zero should be arriving at any moment now," she spoke off handedly, golden gaze moving past the four man group before her.

"Our fathers are waiting within the garden for you and your associate," she nodded, she and Cassian moving forward towards the entrance. "Not you, Canis, father has no reason to see you." Dark eyes hardened, Lucifer stopped,

"That is not a decision you get to make, Michael. I chose Cassian for this, just like you choose the ninja and his followers." Michael's jaw clenched but he made no move to stop the pair, Cassian trailing slightly behind the younger woman. Pushing open the double glasses doors that lead into the large greenhouse that sat atop the continental of New York, Lucifer inhaled deeply. "I really do love the smell of this place," she spoke offhandedly, trying to cool the heat that had surrounded her at her brothers unnecessary harshness towards Cass. 'He has my place at the table, the least he can do is be civil towards those I surround myself with.' Her thoughts moved absently to both the pouch of coins and letter she had slipped into her inner pocket. 'Jardani,'

"Hallo meine süße Sonnenblume," Lucifer tensed, light eyes moving up to land on her father. He was a man of average height with mocha skin and large almond colored eyes.

"Hallo, Herr," he smiled at her formality, dark eyes moving from his daughters bowed head to his partner.

"Hello my sweet," her golden gaze moved to a deeply tanned man with a warm smile and brown, almost black eyes. "It is wonderful seeing you again, despite it being for a job." Giovanni D'Antonio stepped forward, wrapping his arms around the slim young woman. Lucifer felt her body tense, golden eyes moving to her fathers hawk like gaze. Slipping her arms around the older man, she gave a tight squeeze, smiling warmly at him as they separated.

"Hello, Gio, it is always wonderful seeing you." He grinned broadly, dark eyes moving to her father. She kept her face warm despite the irritation she felt. Ever since she had turned 16 Giovanni had an... concerning level of interest in her. Something her father was always happy to use against him. Turning his dark eyes, Giovanni smiled, having always been rather fond of the dark skinned man to her right.

"And young Cassian, how wonderful it is that you were hand chosen by sweet Luci to complete this mission with her. I know now that this contract will be taken care of quickly and efficiently." Cassian bowed his head, dark eyes briefly moving to Lucifer.

"Thank you, sir, Lucifer and i will complete this task and make both you and the table proud." Giving a nod, Giovanni looked back to Lucifer, a brow arched.

"Did you give the man your true name?" Shaking her head he nodded, unsurprised. 'Its been quite the long time since shes gone by her given name.' "Keres it is, then, though I do find myself wondering. Did you tell him how we feel about being kept waiting?" She opened her mouth to respond when the doors behind her opened.

"Good afternoon, I apologize for the delay," he informed, the thick Japanese accent he had had at restaurant completely vanishing. Frowning, Lucifer turned her gaze to him, finding his dark brown eyes flickering around the green house. 'An act?' She wondered, figuring he had to be quite the actor to have not broken character during their discussion. 'Maybe he did not realize the position I hold...,' she watched as a smile slid across his lips, left hand moving absently over one of the herb plants he passed to join them.

"It is quite alright, Zero, we were just going to start now." Reaching her right arm out she grabbed Zeros arm, pulling him closer to the trio before her father reached to his right, pulling on a lever that protruded from the ground. Zero glanced over at the white haired woman, his hand having moved to grab hers, expecting an attack. Lucifer arched a brow but made no move to harm the man, merely removing her hand from his.

"Thank you," she nodded, the platform they stood on lowering several levels in a dimlightly lit shaft before clicking to a halt in an all black room. Lucifer's eyes adjusted quickly, being able to see the outline of her companions before her eyes closed, bright white lights flickering on around them. Her eyes opened, finding neither Zero or Cassian had moved, Cassian subtly watching their newest companion warily. Lucifer stepped forward, following her father and Giovanni off the platform, Cass and Zero finally following her after Zero moved first. They were lead through another set of glass doors before they came upon an all glass room. "Cool," Zero exclaimed softly, Lucifers lips twitching into a grin despite herself. Moving across the glass floor, Lucifer made her way to a glass table, taking a seat while her father and Giovanni stood at the head.

"Gentlemen, if you'd be so kind as to join us," once more Zero moved first, Cassian watching him closely. Placing her hand on the back of the chair next to her, Cassian sat down in it, Zero sitting across from the pair. Abraham smirked behind his hand, dark eyes moving to Giovanni, his lips twitching into a tight lipped frown.

"Now, I'm sure you're wondering why we have gathered you here," Abraham started, picking up a black remote off the glass table. "It has come to our attention that there have been some rumors going around. Rumors of murders through out the ranks, an assassin amongst assassins. After careful consideration, we have decided that you all would be first to know that the rumors are... true." Zero and Cassian looked shocked, Cassian casting a quick glance in Lucifers direction. 'She already knew,' Zero noted, unsurprised now that he felt he was getting a clearer image of who the woman was. 'An adjudicator, ' the face of the high table. "We have gathered the three of you today because you've been selected to take the lead on fishing out any moles within our organization and eliminating those who stand against us." Abraham paused, dark eyes moving over the trio, lingering on his blank faced daughter.

"That is, if you choose to accept the task. For you, Zero, your students would be expected to take part in this assignment. We understand if you need to decline our request if you feel that they are unprepared-,"

"I accept." Zero interrupted, "my students are more than ready to take on this task."

"And you, Cassian, do you accept?" Cassian looked to Lucifer, her face blank. 'I wont make this choice for you,' he could almost hear her thoughts. Turning back to Abraham, he gave a nod of his head.

"Yes, I accept," the tv screen shifted, photos of dead Canis decorating the screen.

"At first, they started with newer members of our society, children really, that they could take out easily. We tried warning them and that's where the rumors began but that wasnt enough. They continued to fall and so, we sent in those trained to protect those at the table. We thought they would succeed but it seemed they were prepared. Many were lost but we were able go get a better idea of what's going on and who their main targets are." The screen shifted, Lucifer recognizing all of the faces that not littered the screen. Her eyes narrowed, focusing on their chests and stomachs. 'They-,'

"As you can see, they carved the high tables names into them." Lucifer looked to Giovanni, his jaw flexing, clueing her off to the anger and worry he felt.

"And, from what we gathered, they were alive when this happened." Cassians jaw clenched, seeing his brethren slaughtered in such a way.

"So we have someone whose hatred for the table runs deep, likely a personal vendetta against the members." Lucifer spoke up, grabbing the attention of her companions. "Which means, it will be unwise to trust those outside if this room. Anyone could be the traitor," Giovanni hummed in agreement, looking to Abraham.

"Correct but, with how the table operates, it would be best to keep our friends close and our enemies even closer. That's why Keres here will be venturing out into the streets of New York tomorrow, meeting with both the Director and the Bowery King." 'Mistress...,' she closed her eyes, thinking of the tattoo she had been given, showing that she once served the older woman. "Winston has already been made aware of what is going on, the three of you have rooms reserved and paid for for you for the next several weeks here in the continental." Sticking his hand into his inner jacket pocket, he pulled out a large red satin pouch, placing it neatly in Lucifers hands. "To pay for your trips to other continentals. We arent sure if they stick to our policies but we believe it's for the best if you all stay near one another." Turning away, Abraham looked up at the screen, Lucifer recognizing Alejandro, the man who had acted as her fathers Canis for the last 25 years. "All of you are dismissed now, if you have any questions, Keres knows how to reach us. Lucifer gave a nod, pushing herself to her feet, Cassian following soon after.

"Zero?" Lucifer questioned, realizing the bald man hadn't moved to follow after the pair.

"I have questions, if the two of you have time to spare." Lucifer made eye contact with her father, the dark skinned man nodding, Lucifer taking that as a good enough sign that her father was fine. Grabbing Cassians wrist, she pulled the taller man from the room, the pair ending up in a long hallway, the door behind him all but vanishing into the wall.

"How long," Lucifer turned, Cassians dark eyes narrowed at the wall over her shoulder. "How long did you know that he was-," his eyes pinched shut, Lucifers betrayal weighing heavily between them.

"2 weeks," Cassians eyea snapped to her, Lucifers gaze unwavering. "Neither Abraham or Giovanni thought we should tell you in advance. They did not want you to agree to join because you would wish to seek vengeance." She paused, stepping closer, her hand dropping to grab his. "Cass, I know how close you and Alejandro were-,"

"Did you? He was like a father to me and you knew that! Yet you waited TWO WEEKS," Lucifer stepped closer, right hand sliding over his mouth.

"Cassian, please, we need to continue this somewhere else." Her voice lowered, light eyes searching his face. "Please," his jaw clenched but he moved, leading Lucifer back to the suite she would continue staying in. Lucifer opened the door, Cassian entering first, jaw clenched. Lucifer turned to lock the door, her mind a calm sea despite the anger that she could all but taste rolling off her companion. Turning, she gasped, Cassian having suddenly closed the distance between them.

"Why," she gulped, light eyes flickering between his heated gaze and a spot on the wall behind him.

"The table thought it best," he scoffed, whirling on his heel, stopping across the lavish room. "Cass, please-,"

"I never would have kept something like this from you." The hurt in his voice stopped her in her tracks, Lucifer realizing that he wasnt angry but hurt. Cassian perched himself on the side of the bed, Lucifer moving across the room to crawl across the bed and sit behind him.

"I just wanted you to be with someone when you found out or get the news from someone else," she spoke softly, reaching forward with her right hand, and lacing their fingers together. "You're my closest friend, Cass, I wanted to be here for you. I'm sorry I waited so long," Cassian turned to her, reaching up with his left hand to stroke her cheek. Sighing, he leaned his head forward, pressing their foreheads together.

"I forgive you," Lucifer smiled widely, brushing their noses together. "Don't start trying to be cute, I may have forgiven you but that doesnt mean I'm happy with you." He leaned slightly away but the smile on his face gave away his lie.

"Mmmm, you adore me and you know it," she teased, tensing when the look in his eyes shifted.

"I really really do," Lucifer leaned forward, connecting their lips. 'Anything to get him to stop looking at me like that.' Despite the passion shared between the pair, Lucifer found herself unable to love Cassian in the way that she new he deserved, her love having belonged to another. A man she had fallen for as a child. A man who had abandoned the life they had lived together. A man who asked her to leap into a new life with him. The man she watched ride away into a life she new she'd never get to live.

Jardani Jovanovic.

The baba yaga.

Or simply know as Jonathan Wick.

[theinnermostsanctum]

Trubel: “So, are all other Grimms so normal?”

Nick: “You should meet my mother. She’s been called a lot of things, but normal’s not one of them.”

[curiousdamage]

Drinking Buddies

Day 3 of the Writing Challenge: Johnny meets an unusual character when he takes Robby camping.

Crossover: Cobra Kai/Grimm fandoms.

I own nothing.

For @outforawalkbitkah and @boxofficequeen2416

Kehrseite- human

Wesen- Fairy tale creature

Woge- to change forms.

Monroe stretched and took a deep breath of the salty air.  He loved the Topanga National Park.  It was the best place for a midnight run.  A real midnight run.  He lowered his arms and woged into wolf form.  

He felt truly alive for the first time in weeks as he ran across the beach and through the mountain trails.  There was never anyone on the stretch of beach and mountains that he preferred.  No one ever came out that far, that late.  So why did he now find himself at the bottom a hill, tangled up with a blonde kehrseite?

The shock and fall had forced him to retract and he staggered to his feet just in time receive a roundhouse kick to the face, sending him sprawling on the ground again.

“Whoa! Whoa! Dude! Cut it out,” he yelled, trying to get back to his feet.

“What the fuck are you?” The blonde snarled, delivering a front kick to Monroe’s chest.

���I don’t want to have to do this, Dude,” Monroe pleaded, but the blonde didn’t let up.  Monroe woged again and tackled him, pinning him to the ground.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Man,” he growled as kindly as possible.  Looking into the man’s icy blue eyes, he saw fear, for sure, but also curiosity, and not one hint of insanity.  He decided to take a chance this time.  “If I let you up, do you promise to not kick me again?”

The blonde nodded and Monroe let him up, retracting as he got up himself.  

“What the hell are you?” The blonde demanded, taking a few large steps away.

“Just calm down,” Monroe held up his hands, then stretched his back.  “That is a really long story and falling down that hill, not to mention your Chuck Norris impersonation, hurt like a son of a bitch and I, for one, could use a beer.  Why don’t we go up to your campsite, have a beer, and I’ll tell you all you want to know?”

“You’re not going up there,” the man snapped, defensively.

“Oh, I get it,” Monroe nodded, sniffing the air.  “Your kid is up there.  Don’t worry.  I don’t eat kids.  I’m a vegan.”  He started up the hill with the man trailing behind him.  

It wasn’t like he could do much else, the blonde reasoned.  He couldn’t stop the ‘guy’ if he wanted to, so maybe giving him a beer and befriending him was the best course of action.  Even if it did get him uncomfortably close to where his son slept in their tent.

"What's your name, stranger?" Monroe asked, trying to sound light and friendly.

"Johnny Lawrence."

“Monroe." He turned an extended his hand.  "I have a first name, but I don't like it much so I just stick to Monroe.  Nice to meet you.”

“I'll reserve judgment about that for now if you don't mind," Johnny replied, staring at his outstretched hand.

"Fair enough," Monroe laughed. He walked into Johnny's campsite and took a seat by the fire while Johnny got them some beers.

“That back there in the woods,” Johnny asked.  “Am I drunk or was that real?”

“By the smell of you, you’re probably drunk, but it was real, too,” he answered.

"So, what the fuck are you?" Johnny asked, moving his own chair to be between the ‘man’ and the tent. "A werewolf or something?"

“Dude! Do you know how insulting that is?" Monroe exclaimed. "I'm a Blutbad.”

"A what?"

"A Blutbad. A big, bad wolf." Monroe explained. "You know like Little Red Hood? Peter and wolf? the Three Little Pigs? Though that one has been completely bastardized by the Beaurschwins.”

"The fairy tales?”  Johnny shook his head in disbelief.

“Fairy tales to you, history to me,” Monroe said, taking a sip of the beer and grimacing.  “This stuff tastes like piss.  You should get you some craft beer, or at least some Blue Moon.”

“I like Coors,” Johnny answered.  “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“What you saw back there.  I’m a Blutbad.  Look, things aren’t what you think they are.  Those ‘fairy tale creatures,’ they’re real.  The big bad wolf, the three little pigs, Peter Rabbit.  It’s true.  All of it.  Well, most of it.  Those Grimm bastards did a real number on our history in their damn fairy tales.  Fun enough one of their descendants is now my best friend.  I’ll talk him into changing the stories one day,” Monroe shrugged.

“Are you sure I’m not going crazy?” Johnny asked.

“You probably are, but not about this,” Monroe replied.

“Can…, Can you do that again?” Johnny asked, staring at him.

“Fine,” he sighed, realizing that Johnny needed to see him in the light to accept it.  “But this is the last time because it doesn’t work like that.”  He woged for a minute, then retracted.

“And there are more of you?”

He nodded, “Not just blutbads, tons of others.”

“Can anyone see you?  Why haven’t I heard of this before?”

“Well, you have, you just called it fairy tales or urban legends,” he shrugged.  “Are you okay with this?  Most kehrseite can’t handle seeing a fully woged wesen.  Sorry, people like you and people like me.”

“Are you going to hurt my kid?” Johnny couldn’t believe he was starting to relax around this…, whatever this was.

“Dude,” Monroe deadpanned.  “I told you I’m a vegan and Blutbads aren’t baby eaters anyway.”

“There are baby eaters?” Johnny’s eyes were wide and round.

“Yeah, but not anywhere near here, they preferred tropical areas,” Monroe said, dismissively.  “Look, Dude, you have nothing to worry about.  You’ll probably never see another wesen in your life.  You’re more in danger of being hit by lightning than meeting up with another woged wesen.  That means in their other form.  We like that part of us to stay hidden.  People hurt things they don’t understand.  If I had ever dreamed someone would be camping out here, I would have never been out running.  It’s just…, you know, sometimes that primal urge gets to you.”

“Is it crazy that I’m starting to believe this?” Johnny asked.

“Completely,” Monroe said.  “But the alternative is insanity, so you’re doing pretty good.  I just wouldn’t talk about it when you get back.  You go camping much?”

“No,” Johnny admitted.  “My kid’s school had a big camping trip that he missed because he had mono.  I told him I’d take him to make up for it.”

“I had mono once,” Monroe said, leaning back and relaxing.  “Molly Lucero.  It was worth every minute of it.”

Johnny laughed, despite himself.  “Never had mono, but I know a few girls I would have gladly suffered for.”

The two men talked their way through another six pack before going their separate ways.  Monroe promising to take him out for a drink next time he was in town and Johnny promising to look him up if he ever got up to Portland.

The next morning, Robby looked around at all the beer bottles.  “Did you drink all these, Dad?” He asked, sounded slightly angry.

“Nah,” Johnny said.  “I met a guy out on the trails when I went to take a leak and gave him a few.

“Dad!  Don’t you know that’s how horror movies start?!”  Robby exclaimed.

“Son, you have no idea,” Johnny laughed.  

[winreyplace]

Intro: Nick Burkhardt

My Name: Nick Burkhardt My Personality: I tend to take an overall laid-back approach to the world now that I am retired. However, being neurotypical, sometimes I feel a little out of place with the rest of the [neurodivergent] family. Nonetheless, I care about them and would do anything they needed from me because here I no longer have to worry so they shouldn't either. I make an effort to be understanding, listen, and pay attention to cues. Plus, I've developed a lot of patience for when issues arise. You can always rely on me for support! My Birthday: June 17, 1987 Species/Cultural Identity: I’m a Grimm, a kind of human evolved to hunt wesen, though I’m retired from that. My Gender Orientation: Cis man, he/him My Sexuality: Demisexual My Disabilities/Conditions: I’ve got misophonia and some PTSD, but that’s about it Physical Description: I'm 5 foot 10 with a comfortable build—not too skinny, not too heavy, just generally well-fed looking. My hair's short and brown, my eyes blue with a hint of green, and my skin is fair. Pretty average overall, I guess. My Relationships: I’m boyfriends with Sean and am open to intimacy with Damien, Howlett, and Logan and I’m also exploring things with Sara. My Hobbies/Interests: I enjoy watching movies and shows, reading, being active, weapons, sketching, my roleplays with Sean, and a few other things. My Canon Backstory:

After being orphaned at age twelve (which I only learned the truth about later in life), I was raised by my aunt and had a pretty average childhood. I joined the Portland PD (I know, red flag on my part) and worked my way up to detective. Then I found out the truth of my family—that I was a Grimm from a line of Grimms—and my life changed forever. My focus changed to finding and stopping Wesen from killing people, and with the help of Monroe and my other friends, I got pretty damn good at it. Mel and Lav took me a few seasons away from the last episode, so my exomemories from those later episodes aren't ones that happened directly to this version of me. My Bond Backstory: Monroe brought Mel to meet me after he had already munbonded with her. I could feel the pull of the potential bond immediately, and it set my Grimm instincts on edge. Fortunately, I heard them out and decided the whole munbonding thing was worth investigating—and I was absolutely right.

[kalinara]

Since I’ve been rewatching Grimm, I’m reminded of one of my least favorite fan complaints about poor Juliette Silverton.  Namely that she is “useless”.

Leaving aside the fact that a female character should have more value than just what she offers to a male character, even if he’s the main character of the show, this complaint always bothered me, because Juliette really couldn’t win no matter what she did.

In season 1, she had no idea what a Grimm was.  That’s on Nick, who, much as I love him, really has a problem with letting his friends and allies know exactly what’s going on even when it affects them directly.  (See also: Hank and Wu.).  So how the fuck was she supposed to be useful if she didn’t know what was going on?

That said, she still managed to be pretty useful when Nick was trying to make the street kids comfortable in Orphan Grinder so he could get information about the one that turned up dead.  She’s the one who reached out to the abused bird woman when they were on vacation together.  She’s the one who noticed the Eisbiebers watching the house, leading to Nick’s confrontation and subsequent befriending of them.

In season 2, she was amnesiac and subjected to a very nasty obsession curse on the part of Adalind.  This wasn’t Nick’s fault, but it was because of him.  That said, she still willingly acted as a Spanish language interpreter, and saved Nick from the Musai’s influence.  So even in this case, she was “useful”.

I remember, by the way, getting into arguments on TWOP and similar forums because I dared to suggest that, as a veterinarian, Juliette’s knowledge and expertise might actually come in handy when it came to dealing with people who were also ANIMALS.  (This was apparently insulting to Wesen, per the people I was arguing with.)

I was vindicated by season three however.  Season three was the season where Juliette actually knew what was going on, and she was useful in damn near every storyline.  She’s the one who figured out how to disseminate the zombie cure in that story-arc.  She helped lie to cover up for Nick once he was cured.  She figured out why the Blutbaden victims’ stomachs were exploding at that restaurant.  She translated again, and explained El Cucuy.  She’s the one who diagnosed the Grauser, who would usually have been killed for being “possessed.”  In the meantime, she regularly assisted in research at the trailer, acted as a sounding board, helped Nick make contact with his mother, helped protect Adalind and the baby (when they appeared uninvited on her doorstep!  After everything Adalind had done already!), and helped Nick with Trubel, housing the girl in her own home.

In season four, Juliette had her own problems.  And don’t get me started on the people who use the fact that she “went dark” against her, when we KNOW how that happened.  Remember?  She was helping to cure her boyfriend, who had lost his powers after being raped by the character these fans tend to like better?!  And hey, repowering Nick ought to count, right?

The thing is, Juliette shouldn’t have to be “useful” to justify her existence.  But if we are looking at that criteria, then during the one season where Juliette knew what was going on and was in her right mind, yes, she was very useful.

But let’s be fair here.  Most of the people who complained about Juliette’s “uselessness” were Adalind fans.  And compared to the woman who raped Hank, tried to use Hank’s life to blackmail Nick into getting her a key, put Juliette in a coma, bespelled Juliette and Renard to become obsessed with each other, seduced Renard while he was under the influence, sold her unborn child to get her powers back, reneged on the deal, tried to get Renard to kill Nick, repeatedly betrayed everyone she ever allied with as soon as she felt like she was in danger, or could get what she wanted another way, and then raped Nick in the guise of Juliette to take his powers away, I can see why Juliette’s usefulness is in question.

[misscrazyfangirl321]

EC: I did it while you were asleep. I hope you don't mind.

Have some Grimm!Will. 

-

“I did it while you were asleep. I hope you don’t mind.” 

His mouth opens and closes a few times, as he grapples for the words. He’d fallen asleep in his trailer-not an uncommon occurrence these days-and now he’s awake, trying to make sense of what he’s seeing. 

What was once a chaotic mess of paperwork is now neat and tidy, with books in alphabetical order on the shelves, and stray paper stuck in files. In the midst of it all stands Helen Magnus, in a rare state of disarray: a few strands of her hair have come loose from her ponytail, sticking in all directions, and her clothes are caked in dust. Her smile, though, is warm, satisfied, and just a bit tentative, waiting for his reaction. 

The mess had been his mother’s, and though he’s tried several times to straighten it, it has always proven too overwhelming, too exhausting. And she just.... Did it for him. Just like that. 

“I...” She’s still waiting for a response, and he clears his throat, trying to collect his thoughts. “Thank you, Helen. Really, I don’t-I don’t know what to say.” 

She brightens, grin widening, and waves him off. “Now that you’re awake, I have work for you. I brought over a few more old files, and one from this morning.” 

This morning? He glances at his watch, and winces. A nap is one thing, but he really does try to avoid spending the night in his trailer; it leaves the worst crick in his neck, and he never feels very rested. 

Still, he can’t dwell on that right now. He has work to do. 

The files are in a neat stack on his desk, just inches from his makeshift pillow. Had she really gotten so close to him without waking him? His Grimm senses are supposed to be better than that. (Apparently, they already don’t register her as a threat. He can’t decide if that’s sweet or foolish; she’s one of the most dangerous people he’s ever met, but already, he trusts her implicitly.) 

He reaches for the top file-the most recent, of course; Helen Magnus is nothing if not efficient-mentally shifting into work mode. She regularly brings him files, both old and new, to peruse and check for Wesen activity. It’s not foolproof-he can’t guarantee anything from a piece of paper-but he’s been doing this for long enough that he knows the signs. 

Helen makes no move to leave, just perches at the edge of his desk, waiting for his verdict. It should make him uncomfortable, someone watching him work like that-should leave him feeling rushed and impatient-but it doesn’t. He has neither the time nor the energy to figure out why at the moment. 

The file itself is pretty straightforward: a homicide that he normally wouldn’t even consider Abnormal, much less Wesen. But the victim is a name he recognizes: Evan Richards, a Bauerschwein he’s worked with in the past. He’s not quite sure what about the case caught Helen’s eye, but he knows a Blutbad or two that he wants to question before he dismisses this as an accident. 

He looks up. “He was Wesen. Bauerschwein. That’s like-” 

“A pig?” She arches a brow at his surprise. “I do speak German, Will.” 

Of course she does. “Exactly how many languages do you know? No, don’t answer that,” he adds when she actually starts counting on her fingers, head tilted thoughtfully. “But I should have you take a look at some of these. I don’t even know what half of them say.” His ancestors’ books are only as helpful as his understanding of them. 

“Ah, so now you’re putting me to work.” 

“Only fair.” 

“Technically, you’re my employee.” 

“Technically, you’re in my trailer.” 

She makes a dismissive noise, but her eyes are dancing. “I suppose I could spare some time. Now, though, where are we going?” She nods to the file in explanation. 

He rattles off an address-Carl Kenny, a Blutbad who lives just a few blocks from Richards-rising to his feet. They head to her car (it’s better than his, he has to admit, even if her driving terrifies him sometimes), pausing so he can lock the trailer on the way out. 

Most Grimms would probably ask Helen to turn around, so she wouldn’t see where he keeps the spare key. Then again, he’s never been most Grimms.