NOTE: This is the third story in "The Sweater Series"

I recommend you read "Sweaters are a Girl's Best Friend" and then "Fifty Shades of Gray Sweaters" first before starting this one.

If You Want to Destroy My Sweater
By: DeWinter79

Chapter 1

March in Portland was cloudy and rainy, much like it had been in January and February. At least it was consistently dreary. The desolate clouds above my head threatened to do more than just drizzle as I walked through the parking lot to the grocery store. I stayed focused on the weather. The gray sky was much better to think about instead of what was recently on my mind… Reapers.

When I went back home to Louisville, Kentucky last week for my dad's funeral I thought I'd be safe, but after the attack with two Reapers in the airport parking garage on Monday… Well, it seemed I wasn't safe anywhere. Now that I was back in Portland, Oregon, I'd been trying to keep my paranoid mind occupied, but was failing miserably. For the last two days I'd been peeking around every corner, waiting for a scythe to come out at me. I received a few curious looks, but it's hard to appear normal when your life is anything but.

To any human I looked like an average twenty-eight year old woman; I had a house, a job, and a boyfriend. I drove a Chevy, and I recycled just like everyone else on my street. They had no way of knowing that I was not-so-average, and I saw a whole 'other world' of creatures that normally couldn't be seen by the human eye. They also couldn't tell that my boyfriend, Monroe, was the same type of creature the brothers Grimm had vulgarized as the Big Bad Wolf in their famous fairy tales. He looked like a typical guy in his mid-thirties, but I could see him woge into his true form of a Blutbad when he was emotional, or during our runs through the woods.

I was used to being different. Different was the easiest way to define it, since I didn't know exactly what I was. Sure, seeing Wesen for what they really were had its moments, but overall I'd embraced what I could see. Since moving to Portland in January, I'd attempted to be normal and keep a low profile. That didn't work out quite like I'd planned. Portland wasn't like my hometown of Louisville, and during my short time here I'd starting dating Monroe the clockmaker, who, like I said, was also a Blutbad Wesen. It wasn't easy for a human and a wolf to have a conventional relationship, but we were figuring it out and making it work.

Monroe wasn't your typical Blutbad, thank goodness. He'd worked long and hard to be reformed, but maintaining a Wieder regimen wasn't easy while dating me and moonlighting as a Grimm consultant. In the few months prior, Monroe had deviated from his 'path of good' one too many times. Since then he'd been digging his claws into the back of the proverbial wagon to keep from falling off completely. Now that we were back in Portland, Monroe was resuming his Wieder ways and he'd been a stickler to his regimen. So far, so good.

Monroe had his hands full with me. Much to his chagrin, I'd been putting myself into more dangerous situations since we started dating. Wesen would woge into their creatures, and I'd adopted their German term for my own kind of surge. I looked the same on the outside, but inside the woge would hit me and my reckless nature would take over. My low profile was elevating since I'd let it slip to a Lowen and a Mauzhertz that I could see them for what they really were. Whoops?

Thanks to Monroe and my other Wesen friends, I wasn't alone. Above everyone else, my BFF, Chloe Haas, was whom I trusted most. Like all members of the Wesen community, Chloe could see exactly what I could see. She was a Karnickelhöhle Wesen, and that rabbit had been my soul mate since high school. I shared everything with her. Well, almost everything. Now that we lived over two-thousand miles apart it was getting harder to keep her in the loop. And since my recklessness was getting worse, some things were best left not mentioning.

Chloe worried about me almost as much as a mother would. Considering my own mom was oblivious of the supernatural part of my life, Chloe had every right to want to keep me safe. Well, at least she felt it was her right whether I thought so or not. Although I loved my best friend more than anything, I was leery to tell her about my Wesen escapades, especially the most recent one. To be honest, I was more afraid of her than I was of the Reapers. She'd go ballistic if she knew what had happened on the way back to Portland. It was just like me to find something more dangerous than a Lowen to mess with. Now to be fair, I didn't provoke this one. Maybe she'd understand and give me the benefit of the doubt since it wasn't my fault... this time.

The trip back to Louisville brought on more changes for me than just a loss of a parent. After stumbling upon paperwork in my mom's attic, I'd discovered I was adopted. I'd actually lost two biological parents when I was a month old. This knowledge gave me a whole new family tree in need of research. Perhaps I'd finally understand who I really was. I needed to figure out which part (if any) of my family was an ancestor of the Grimms, but I wasn't sure how. Okay, I take that back; I knew how, but I was dreading telling Nick that I'd lied to him.

Nick Burkhardt was what the Wesen community referred to as a 'Grimm,' and he was also Monroe's best friend. The term meant he was legitimately descended from the Grimm family. All those Brothers Grimm fairy tales were not so made-up. Grimms could see Wesen just like I could. Unlike me, he'd only been able to see the Wesen community for four months. Nick's Aunt Marie let him in on the family secret before she'd passed away. If it wasn't bad enough to be dying of cancer, poor Aunt Marie had to be attacked by a Reaper, too. Between the attempt on her life outside Nick's house, and then the ones in the hospital, she wasn't lucky enough to make it. Nick lost the only family he had left and coincidently the only link to his newfound heritage.

Nick sure didn't have it easy. From what Monroe had told me, he'd been injected with a big dose of the 'other world' in a very short amount of time. Being a detective for the Portland PD, he was seeing the darker side of the Wesen community. I was fortunate and worked as a Corporate Financial Trainer. I didn't see anywhere near as much evil as Nick had seen. Well, I'd seen more than my fair share recently with Lowen Gladiator Rings and now Reapers.

Now that we were back in Portland, I was going to lay my cards on the table and let the Grimm know all about my secret. Nick didn't know I could see exactly the same thing he could, although he was catching on that something was off about me. It was his job to detect liars, and all I'd done was lie since I'd met him. It was time to come clean, however, and I'd talk to him this weekend. There was a lot I needed to talk about. No reckless unveilings this time, just a car ride and maybe dinner. The car ride was for the reveal, the dinner was to soften the blow. I wasn't sure how to anticipate his reaction. Monroe was emphatic that Nick would be absolutely overjoyed. I wasn't expecting confetti and balloons out of the Grimm. I expected something much worse.

Monroe hadn't mentioned our tete-a-tete with the Reapers since we flew back to Portland on Monday. What could he say when his girlfriend single-handedly took down a Reaper? Nothing, apparently. My woge of recklessness had saved my life. It was more than just a rebellious streak; it seemed to be part of my ability. But what had happened to the second Reaper that Monroe had 'taken care of'? Probably best never to know. Reapers weren't the easiest Wesen to take down. They were hired out specifically to kill Grimms, so yeah, they were pretty tough creatures. Someone out there knew more than I did about what I really was if they were sending these guys after me. Monroe had told me the Pinstripe Duo were Hässlichen. I'd never seen a Troll before, but recently I'd been running across new Wesen that I'd only read about in Chloe's notebooks, and even some I didn't know the name for. These guys were definitely the kind I didn't want to run into again… ever.

I stopped the movie reel in my mind and gave a heavy sigh as I pushed my cart though the grocery store. Portland weather just wasn't interesting enough to keep the memory of the Reapers away. I shoved the negative thoughts out and focused on boxes of cereal, and whether or not I wanted fresh or frozen vegetables. I went with frozen because I was an awful cook. Monroe was scowling in my head as I added a few bags of Bird's Eye peas and carrots to my cart. He was a fresh and organic kind of guy. Quick and easy, that worked for me instead.

The last two days I'd been practically living with Monroe. He'd let me leave for work, but that was all. Tonight, however, I was going home, which was why I needed some kind of food in the house. Well, something to get me by for a day or so at least.

'Hold On' was softly playing in the store and I hummed along while prowling the aisles.

"Don't you know, things can change,
Things'll go your way,
If you hold on for one more day..."

Holding on wasn't an easy feat anymore, but the song was comforting in a way while I shopped.

I picked up a container of tofu and looked longingly at the beef aisle as I rolled on past. I was quitting meat cold turkey. Hmm... turkey. Sorry, where was I? Yes, I was giving up my meat eating ways and going vegetarian. Monroe had been one for ten years, save a few lapses here and there. Granted, eating a rabbit in the woods was a little different than a cheeseburger, but overall he was doing well with his diet. Changing my diet helped with his temptations. Besides, I had Wesen friends who would woge into common meals, so when you thought about it... yeah, best not to think about it.

My phone rang just as I was turning my cart to the bread aisle.

"Hey, are you okay?" Monroe asked with concern while I decided between rye and whole wheat. "I didn't hear from you after work."

I put the whole wheat in my cart. "Yeah, I'm fine. Remember I was going to stop at the grocery after work?"

"Grocery… right. Yeah, we talked about that, didn't we?"

"We did. So are you okay?"

"I'm good," he said, still sounding uneasy, "but I just wanted to, you know, check in on you."

"I'm being careful," I assured him. I was peeking around corners even in the grocery store, but I wouldn't tell Monroe that. I really hated being this paranoid.

"You think you'll be home soon?"

"Yeah, I have few more things to pick up and I'm heading straight home."

"Good." Monroe seemed more relieved. "Call me when you're on the way, okay?"

"Sure, I'll call you." I smiled into the phone to put his mind more at ease. I was forcing that smile something awful lately.

I put the phone back in my pocket and darted through the rest of the aisles and headed to the checkout lane. Two grocery bags later, I was buckled up in my trusty blue Chevy Malibu and I called Monroe back.

"Glad to know you're headed home. I'll meet you there."

"You're coming to my place tonight?" I asked hiding my panic. My house was a mess. Since I'd spent every night at Monroe's, I hadn't had time to tidy up my own house. "I thought I was going to be on my own tonight."

"Yeah, well maybe it would better for me to stick around," he said. "I thought we might change it up a bit, you know, stay at your place for a change." That genuine smile of his trickled through the phone. At least he was in a better mood. Regardless, I drove faster than I probably should've so I'd get there first.

"Okay, that might be nice," The speedometer was creeping up well past the limit. I kept an eye out for red and blue lights in my rearview mirror.

"I'll pack a few things and I'll see you soon." Pressing the end button with my free hand, I tossed my cell phone on the passenger seat. The drive back was like the Indy 500 as I raced home. Monroe's pale yellow VW Beetle was nowhere in sight as I turned on my street and I let out a contented sigh.

Dashing inside, I put away my groceries and did a quick clean, stuffing a few things in the closets upstairs. Considering I was still in my brown dress and heels, I managed to work rapidly to get everything in order. There was a knock on the door right as I was finishing up. Perfect timing! I quickly headed back downstairs and forced my breaths as I opened the door. Monroe was on the other side and looked me over.

"Whoa, did you just finish a marathon?" he asked as he walked into my living room. He pulled off his tan coat, Old Spice drifting through my hallway as he hung it up next to mine on the coat rack.

"I was upstairs when you knocked, so I ran downstairs." I took a slow breath as I spoke. He didn't need to know I'd been running around the house like a chicken with its head cut off. Hmm… chicken.

Monroe did a once over my living room with his eyes. "Not a staubmaus in sight," he chuckled as he smoothed his hand down his green plaid shirt. "You know, you didn't have to clean for my benefit."

"I just tidied up a bit," I said casually. "And I normally don't have dust bunnies." I gave a teasing scowl as I picked up on the German.

"Everything go okay at the grocery?" That concern came back to his voice.

"No Reapers, if that's what you mean," I was tired of skirting around the issue. I'd been avoiding the 'R' word as often as I was avoiding the crazy 'L' word. Of the two, I'd talk about the Reapers.

"Well, uh, that's good then," Monroe stammered as he sat down on my persian blue couch. "I mean, I realize they aren't going to be hiding in the apple bin or anything, but it's more than just Reapers I'm worried about, you know."

"No lions in the freezer, either." I tried to grin so he knew I wasn't being sarcastic.

"Well, I'd hate to come across a Lowen-sicle," his laugh was awkward and there was still worry in his eyes. I sat down beside him on the couch, leaning in to him.

"I can't stop living my life, I have to go outside and face whatever is out there," I sighed a little too much. I'd said it to remind myself as much as to remind Monroe.

"I wish there was something more I could do, you know, to make sure there isn't a repeat of what happened on Monday."

"There may not be a repeat. Someone out there is missing two Reapers and maybe that'll give them something to think about before they dispatch any others."

Monroe frowned as I looked up into his soulful brown eyes. "I don't think it works that way." Couldn't he just agree with me so we'd stop talking about it? I ought to know better than that.

"Maybe I need to carry some pepper spray," then I mumbled, "or a gun."

"Renée, you don't need a gun," Monroe quickly responded. "Have you even shot a gun before?"

"I'm from Kentucky. I've used a gun," I said. "I was a teenager, and it was at soda cans, but I've used one." My dad had wanted me to go hunting with him. I couldn't handle shooting animals, for obvious reasons, but he'd taught me how to use his rifle on harmless coke cans. I was a decent shot if I recalled, but I was thirteen, so it had been quite a while ago.

"Reapers are different from cans, don'tcha think?" He eyed me and I understood what he was getting at as I nodded. Still, I needed to have something to protect myself. I suppose I could carry around a metal pipe if need be. Apparently I was good with one of those. I laughed inwardly at the thought.

"Well I'm home safe tonight," I said while hugging him. "With you," I added with a smile on my lips. "Would you like to take a run with me tonight?"

"Oh, not tonight."

"I thought you said you wanted to get a run in this week?"

"Yeah, well perhaps it's better if we stay indoors, you know, since everything that's happened. Besides, it's too close to the full moon. Probably not the best time to be out anyway, dude." He watched me intently. "But you knew that, right?" He tilted his head slightly as he spoke.

There were many things I didn't know about Blutbaden. I was learning as I went, but I hadn't come right out and told Monroe that his kind were still a mystery to me.

"Right, of course," I replied and nodded like that made perfect sense.

He gave me a discerning look. "You have no clue, do ya?" I couldn't hide things from Monroe like I could everyone else. It frustrated me to no end.

"I thought you didn't need full moons." I said the words confidently, trying to keep his gaze.

"We don't need them, but they don't sit well with us." He shuddered slightly in his seat. The flash of red in his eyes seemed to hold memories of full moons past. What he was thinking about? My curiosity wanted to know more. No, it was best not to know.

"Okay, so no running. Wanna come to yoga with me?" I chuckled.

Monroe seemed to consider the idea as he stroked his bearded chin. "I could do that."

"All right," I said with mild surprise. He was taking me up on my offer? I didn't see that one coming. "It's rudimentary compared to your Bikram, I'll give you fair warning."

Monroe laughed. "Most things are."

"Let's get ready and we'll walk over." I tilted my head up at him. "You're okay to walk over at night, right?"

"You really have no clue," he laughed. I rolled my eyes slightly and stood, then went to my bedroom to change. As I got dressed into my blue tank top and black yoga pants, I smiled. We were doing couple-like things. We were going to do yoga together. Most people would find that cheesy, but there was something about it I really liked. It was something normal.

A/N: Welcome back! I'm posting chapters, but I'll be honest, I'm still writing this story. It's gonna be a long one, but I hope to have it fully uploaded by the time the show starts. (crossing fingers) Thank you for wanting to continue to read the adventures of Monroe and Renée. (Monée. lol!) As before with story two, stay with me on some of these twists and turns. We've got an action-packed tale with *many* Grimm characters, more OCs, and even my own little "Wesen of the Week" tales thrown in.

Enjoy!