Never actually thought I'd do a fourth installment, but here it is! Most of you read the preview for this story, so I want to clear a few things up on why this story is actually happening.
First: I love Grimm, nuff said.
Second: The angst and cuteness of all the characters are too much to pass up. Sorry there isn't much of a mystery in this one. I'm toning it down with lighter stuff and adding suspense here and there to keep you guessing.
Third: I took ASL for three years in high school and volunteered in the Deaf Community for a while. Although the girls are not deaf, I am loving the fact that they are learning ASL. The way I write how they sign to people in the story is actually how deaf people communicate to one another and how it would look to us. I hope it opens your minds and warms your hearts a little.
Thanks for all your reviews and all your love! Keep reading and writing fans!
Love, geminisonic
Part IV
Bite You
Nick was typing at his keyboard. So intent on finishing his paperwork, he jumped when he got a text from Juliette.
"Crap!" he said, looking at the clock. He turned off his monitor and grabbed his stuff, racing to the door.
Hank laughed at him.
Thank God Juliette texted him half the time with all the reminders or he'd be the world's worst person.
He couldn't lie that he was frazzled, but that's what happens when life throws you a curveball. And this was something he never saw coming in a million years. Damn Monroe and his karma.
He parked his car, thanking the Lord that he was just on time. He looked out and heard the school bell ring and saw a ton of kids filing out, looking for their parents. He couldn't help but feel relieved and happy when Lorraine came running up to his car. She got in the backseat.
"HI NICK!" she signed happily.
Nick smiled, "Hey Rainie." He said, "Did you have a good day at school?"
She nodded and signed, "GOOD DAY, SPEAK YOU LATER."
Nick nodded and started driving. He was glad Rainie was nice enough to wait to sign to him until both were out of the car so he could pay attention. She was looking out the window and he thought about how fast it had all been, fostering Callie and Rainie.
He'd brought them home that night to sleep over. Poor girls were exhausted and traumatized, but slept peacefully on the couch, content just to rest somewhere that was warm.
Juliette was nervous about having two homeless girls staying there without anyone knowing, but once Rainie smiled and Callie smiled politely, she couldn't help but fall in love right away.
Nick explained the night away that both girls were mute and had no home. He explained how nervous he was about contacting the foster system. He didn't want the girls to get the short end of the stick because of their history and he also did not want them separated. Juliette understood and was glad to let them stay a while.
The next day, he'd taken them to Rosalee who had them drink that brew she'd made. Both girls lost their voices instantly. Nick felt it was almost inhumane but both girls were finally able to relax and not feel like a threat to society just for speaking.
At first it was very hard on both of them. They had no way to communicate except through pen and paper, and that got old real fast. So Juliette and Nick both found a Sign Language Institute that taught the girls, as well as Nick and Juliette, Sign Language. Even though the girls weren't deaf, it helped to communicate quickly without getting so frazzled. Nick and Juliette enjoyed learning how to recognize signs to understand them. Everyone caught on quickly and Nick couldn't have been happier.
Nick enrolled both of them in school that fall, not realizing that he and Juliette had had them for a month and a half.
Both girls enjoyed school and because they could effectively communicate and listen, the teachers were understanding and the girls quickly became good students.
As far as friends went, Rainie had adjusted just fine, but Callie was a different story. She had a lot of baggage that she still carried with her, so Nick knew socializing would be difficult.
Despite some of the teenage drama and childhood chaos, Nick and Juliette both found they could not part with either of the girls. So in the end, they just entered the foster system and adopted the girls temporarily until Callie came of age to live on her own.
Nick smiled happily. He had a lot of learning to do, but Monroe was always helpful in giving advice.
He shook his head thinking about Monroe putting Nick in his place when it came to kids and understanding them. Good old Monroe, ready to correct his every move with sarcasm.
Nick pulled over to the other school and waited for Callie. School must not have let out yet, because she wasn't there. Nick turned around and asked Rainie a little about her day. She was signing something about learning the solar system when Nick heard something. He looked up and saw some kind of fight going on.
"Stay here." He instructed Rainie and got out. He went towards the men fighting. He noticed they were all ganging up on one person in the middle. He pulled out his gun and badge, "Police! Stop what you're doing!" he yelled.
They all scattered. Nick went to the kid lying on the pavement. Nick turned him over. Nick realized he'd seen this kid before. When it hit him, he practically did a double take.
…
Holly had never been so terrified. She was glad she was between her dad and Roddy. Both were squeezing into her and she was glad she wasn't the only one freaking out. She gathered her legs close, ready to shut her eyes. Roddy was stuffing popcorn into his mouth absentmindedly, squeezing her hand at the same time. Monroe was moaning and leaning closer to the kids. His sofa had never felt like such a safe space before.
It was getting intense. All three leaned in to see what would happen, anticipating the next scene.
"Hey everyone!"
Monroe yelped and jumped a foot in the air, spinning around. Roddy threw the popcorn bowl up, spilling it on the floor and clutched Holly, who was screaming at the top of her lungs.
They all turned around.
Rosalee stood there, holding a few bags, staring at them like they were all morons. She turned on the light.
All three breathed a sigh of relief. Monroe turned off the movie quickly, panting. He looked up sheepishly, grinning, "So…did you enjoy shopping?"
She raised her eyebrows at them. Then she laughed, shaking her head and headed to his kitchen.
Monroe gladly got up and followed her.
"Roddy, clean this mess up!" he growled. Roddy was so jumpy he did so right away.
Monroe helped Rosalee unload the groceries.
"Movie night too much for you?" Rosalee asked him, giggling.
Monroe huffed, "Nothing I can't handle." He put on a mock bravery voice.
She laughed and finally sat down, unwinding.
"Long day?" Monroe asked, going to rub her shoulders. She relaxed instantly and nodded, closing her eyes.
"You can stay the night you know? I know you've been driving around like crazy getting ready for Holly's birthday this weekend." Monroe said.
She shook her head, "I'll be fine." She smiled at him and they kissed lightly.
"She's really excited, isn't she?" Rosalee asked.
Monroe smiled, sitting down, never removing his hand from hers, "She's never had a birthday to celebrate before."
Rosalee nodded, "Hope you don't go broke trying to give her the shindig of the century." She giggled.
Monroe laughed, "Hey, I figure it's the last time she can really have a party about her with friends." He shrugged, "I don't mind putting up with some teenage nonsense for a night."
"You're going to be the dad of the century." Rosalee smiled, encouragingly.
"Better than Nick." Monroe laughed.
Rosalee playfully hit him, "Let him catch up to you, he's new at this."
Monroe chuckled and nodded, "Can't believe he took two in. I thought one feral child was enough."
"These girls are different, and they are sweet."
Monroe nodded; Rainie was so adorable with her bright blue eyes and blonde hair. Without the Siren powers, the girls looked normal and happy. Rainie was starting to look like a little eight year old with a mischievous side to her. And Callie was becoming a very respectable young lady as well. Monroe was impressed every time they visited. He had to wonder sadly how Nick would handle the girls leaving on their own once Callie turned 18. He didn't even want to think about Holly going off on her own when she was of age.
Rosalee was looking tired. She rubbed her eyes and smiled apologetically.
"You getting much sleep?" Monroe asked her. It had only been a couple of months since the incident with her ex-boyfriend beating her up, but Rosalee seemed to get back to "normal" fairly quickly. Monroe couldn't help but wonder if deep down she was having some issues.
She shrugged, "Just been a little busy with the shop and all the mayhem." She admitted, yawning, "I should probably head out."
"You sure you don't want to stay the night? I can take the couch." Monroe offered. She shook her head, "No, I'll be fine. Thanks sweetie." She said, getting up and kissing him on the cheek.
She waved to Holly and Roddy on the way out, "I hear this movie's based on a true story." Both Roddy and Holly looked devastated.
She giggled to herself as Monroe followed her out.
"Haha." Monroe said, "Thanks, now my daughter won't sleep tonight."
She laughed, "Something tells me you won't either."
"I wasn't that scared!" he defended.
"Of course you weren't." she joked.
He kissed her deeply. She didn't really want to leave, but she was exhausted.
"Safe drive, Rose." He whispered.
She went into her shop and locked all the doors and windows. She opened her suitcase on the counter and got out some sweatpants and a t-shirt. She quickly brushed her teeth at the sink, and then made up the couch, her official new bed.
She hated feeling scared of her brother's house, but she was too ashamed to tell anyone that she wasn't really "living" there anymore. She went by there once a week to do laundry and get what she needed or to take a shower without freezing to death. Mostly though, she hung out at her shop and at Monroe's.
It wasn't just the nightmares that started the feeling of dread as she headed home, though that was mostly what was causing a lot of her stress lately. No, the biggest reason was she hadn't cleaned up the bloodstains covering her hallway. Every time she got near it, she wanted to vomit. She could still smell Jason and it scared her. She knew he was dead but she couldn't shake the feeling that he was still there in some small way. Her nightmares grew worse and worse each day to the point she just avoided sleep as much as possible. She would do some work or read something until she couldn't keep her eyes open, then would get a couple hours of sleep tops.
Sleeping at her shop lessened the nightmares but they were still persistent. She just put up with it. She at least had Monroe, Holly, Roddy, and Nick's family to keep her sane, but even she preferred not to tell them about her struggles.
She collapsed on the couch and thought about Monroe. They'd gone on several dates since she'd been home from the hospital. From there, it just became routine for her to stop by his place and for him to just show up to the shop to help or take her out to lunch or dinner for a romantic getaway. She appreciated him giving her time and space with the relationship. Course, he did have Holly to deal with. She adored Holly and knew Holly felt the same. Rosalee was always happy to take Holly and her girlfriend's out shopping or have Holly come over for a chat.
She smiled thinking about Monroe's party for Holly, not realizing she was drifting off to sleep.
She was working in her shop. She turned around hearing Jason laughing somewhere in the store. She turned and it was pitch black. She ran around, calling for help. She bumped into something and looked into her brothers eyes. They were gone. He was bleeding all over and she couldn't stop it. The blood got so thick it practically suffocated her.
She woke up sweating an hour later. She shook and brought the covers up to her chin, trying her hardest to breathe and stay calm. She eventually gave up and the tears won out.
…..
Rainie was scared but didn't want to disobey Nick. However she hated being alone in the car not knowing what was going on. She got out and went to find him. She saw him hovering over a boy, looking concerned. She came up behind him and touched his shoulder, like she normally had to do.
What she didn't anticipate was Nick swinging around and pointing a gun at her. She could have screamed, but could only gasp silently. She cried falling to the ground.
"Rainie!" Nick yelled, "Are you okay? I told you to wait in the car! It's not safe." He helped her up and held her, trying to calm her down. She stopped crying and faced him so she could sign to him.
"SORRY, ME SCARED."
Nick nodded, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. It's okay now."
She looked down, "WHO?"
"It's someone I know. I helped him a while back. I need to take him to the hospital, so can you go back to the car and wait for me?"
She nodded and did as she was told.
Callie was coming over as Rainie ran back.
"WHERE NICK?" she signed to Rainie.
Rainie quickly signed back, explaining what had happened.
Nick came over and Callie looked at the boy he carried and placed in the car, "WHAT HAPPEN?"
"Hey Callie, how was school?" Nick asked her, nonchalantly. Callie didn't smile, only raised her eyebrows.
"He got beat up. We're gonna take him to the hospital real quick, okay?" he explained, ushering the girls into the car.
Callie sat next to the unconscious boy and got a good look at him. Under all those bruises, she could tell the kid didn't eat much and was extremely pale. His red hair was pretty shaggy, and he wore some necklace that looked like it was made out of conch shells.
Rainie looked sadly at the boy and then signed to her sister, "WHY?"
Callie sighed and not sure how to explain something like this to her sister, just settled for, "PEOPLE ASS-HOLES."
…..
The horror movie proved to be too much for Monroe, Roddy, and Holly. Roddy stayed the night and instead of sleeping, they all made muffins till they passed out on the couch.
Monroe got up and decided that since he was awake, he ought to surprise Rosalee with a batch.
He quickly changed and grabbed a container of muffins.
He'd never surprised Rosalee early in the morning before, so he had a feeling she'd enjoy it. He wanted to make her breakfast in bed and have her wake up to something special.
He got to her house and got out the spare keys she'd given him. Considering how close they were and the amount of cases each had helped with Nick, they both felt better having keys to not only her house and his, but to her shop just in case she wasn't there and Monroe and Nick needed something.
He came in, smiling. But he knew she would appreciate him calling out to her so she wouldn't get scared, "Hey Rose?" he called, softly, "It's just me." He went to her room and realized she wasn't there. He cocked his head, puzzled. Then walked around the house. She wasn't anywhere. He looked at his watch. It was only 5:30. No way was she up yet.
The hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Where could she have gone? He dialed her cell number but got no answer. He quickly got into his car and headed to her shop, praying she'd gotten up early and went there.
….
Nick waited with the girls at the hospital. He'd called Juliette to come get them. He didn't want to leave the kid in the hospital alone until he knew what was going on. He hated to think after all this time that there was trouble following this guy again. Both girls were sitting in the waiting room doing homework. Nick smiled at them. They were so smart the both of them. He felt bad life dealt them a curse, but at least now they had a shot at life. He never thought he'd end up fostering Wesen, but then again, he was kind of a softie.
A doctor came out looking for him.
"He's awake." The doctor said, "You can see him if you like, Detective."
Nick nodded and quickly told the girls where he'd be. They nodded, smiling.
Nick walked back to the room to say hello to an old friend.
….
Monroe ran into the shop, yelling at the top of his lungs, "Rosalee!"
He heard a yelp and opened a door to the other room. He saw Rosalee sitting up on the couch, a blanket over her, looking confused, tired, and disoriented.
Monroe sniffed around to be sure there were no threats, "You okay?" he asked, going to her.
"I'm fine." She said, stretching "The heart attack is finally going away."
"I went to your house and you weren't there." He said.
"Ohh..." she said, trying to think up an excuse, "I had some stuff to do last night, last minute and decided to crash here."
Monroe looked around and noticed her suitcase open with a bunch of clothes and some toiletries scattered on the counter. He could also see some leftovers and Tupperware containers strewn around the table. He looked at her, "Rose…have you been living here?"
She looked down, embarrassed, "I've just been busy."
He looked towards her shop, "Hon, there isn't any paperwork or spices lying around. The shop is spotless."
She blushed, "I cleaned up."
Monroe would have laughed had the situation not been so sad, "Rose, is there something bothering you? What aren't you telling me?"
She rubbed her eyes and sat up more comfortably, clutching her knees, looking sadly at him, "The truth is…I can't…stay there anymore."
"Your house?"
"My brother's house." She corrected, looking down.
Monroe sat next to her, listening and waiting for her to continue.
"I just can't…"she put her hands up in frustration, "sleep or be around that place anymore without…" she sighed, agitated.
"You're having nightmares." Monroe supplied, understanding.
She nodded, "God, I feel so stupid, like a child."
"Don't. You have every reason to be scared, you had a really terrifying experience. I've been there, we all have."
"I'm just so ashamed of myself. And I know it must look like I'm such a coward."
"You're not a coward. I don't think you are."
She sighed again, brushing her hair out of her face. Monroe thought she looked terrible. He wanted to punch himself for not seeing it. She looked exhausted and worn thin.
"Rose, I know our relationship is just starting out, but, I can't just go home knowing you're living here. Hell, I'm surprised you've lasted this long." He rubbed his neck, awkwardly. He'd been wanting to ask her this, but still felt it was so soon. But he couldn't just let her keep up like this.
"Would you maybe want to…move in with me?" he asked her.
"Monroe, I couldn't. I don't want to ask something like that of you." She said.
"It would make me feel better knowing you're safe and somewhere where you can sleep at night and feel happy and protected." He said.
She thought about it, "What about Holly?"
"You kidding me? She'll love it." He laughed.
"It's sweet, but I don't want you to worry about me. That's all Freddy did."
"I'm worrying about you right now. Come on. I'll sleep better knowing you're with me."
She smiled, "It's a big step…for us."
"One I'm willing to try with you if you let me."
She thought about it. She didn't really see any options. She could just look for a new place, but even she knew she didn't have the funds to support herself. Her brother's house was paid off. She thought about why she even bothered living there in the first place. One, it was free, and two, it was a way to feel closer to Freddy. But now she just wanted to be rid of it all. Her ugly past. Maybe moving forward with Monroe was her best bet.
Before she could change her mind, she nodded, "Okay."
"You will?" Monroe smiled.
"Yes." She said. In fact, she'd never felt more certain of anything.
Side note, in case you were wondering: I am keeping this timeline before Nick tells Juliette on the show. So in my story, Hank and Juliette have not found out anything and have not had anything happen thus far. I don't want to assume what will happen in season two and prefer to keep the suspense and mystery alive and let the show take us there.
