AN: As promised. A three part fic, with the first chapter to get you started. Happy New Year.
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She crept closer to the entrance, smiling benignly when she caught someone's eye, trying for all the world to look like someone who was just admiring the architecture—except there really wasn't any—or the art on the walls, and unless police bulletins qualified, she was at a loss there, too.
She peeked around the doorway and spied Nick at his desk, head bent over his work, looking studious, and handsome, and studiously handsome. She debated, watching him work, as he mulled over photos or witness statements, or both, from his latest case. She hated to ruin his day, but then, Valencia had ruined hers. Besides, she reminded herself, Kelly was Nick's son, too, so why shouldn't he share in all highs and lows associated with him. Never mind he had argued steadfastly against Kelly going to the daycare/school where they had met Valencia, or that he'd even been a willing/knowledgeable party to conceiving a child with her. She took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and marched in to the department, plastering a confident smile on her face, despite knowing that Nick was not going to be pleased by what she had to tell him.
"Adalind," Renard said when he caught sight of her and Nick looked up. "What are you doing here?"
She slid slightly hostile blue eyes towards her former lover, hoping he would take the hint and go away. Of course he didn't.
"I came to see Nick," she said pointedly, and Nick's curious face morphed into a slight frown as he leaned back.
"Why?"
Damn Sean. He was going to put Nick on edge with all his questions.
"Why do you care?" she shot back. "Is it any of your business?"
"Interrupting my detectives in my precinct while they're trying to work makes it my business."
Nick opened his mouth, likely to interject, but Adalind beat him to it.
"Oh. Okay, so, if I'm following, when you interrupt my daughter's court-ordered weekend with you, because you decide you'd rather jet off somewhere with some Brazilian bimbo, than that makes it my business? Great. I can't wait to hear why your weekend special with some amazon trumped spending time with your daughter?"
"What's the matter? Jealous?" Sean said, affecting a sneer, but she could tell she hit a nerve. "And I'll have you know that was the Argentinean diplomat's daughter, and she's part of the Mayor's plan to broaden our diversity efforts."
"Oh, I'm sure you were broadening yours," Adalind sniped.
"Guys," Nick said.
"And I'm furious, because I'm the one that had to find some excuse as to why she wasn't important enough to her father," she mocked, "For her to spend time with. I don't even know why you bother, Sean. Go live your life and let us live ours. We'll be fine without you. In fact, why don't you start practicing now?" She raised her eyebrow challengingly and Sean eyed her coldly.
"Guys," Nick said again, looking perturbed. She felt bad, interrupting him and making a scene at the station, where she'd already made so many scenes, not the least of which was introducing herself to the department and all of Nick's coworkers as the grossly expectant other woman when she had been pregnant with Kelly and had a vengeful Juliette to worry about.
She glanced around, caught a couple of gawkers before they looked away, and shot a look of apology at Nick, but he wasn't paying attention anyway. He was pinching the bridge of his nose, and Adalind shot another ugly look at Sean for getting Nick annoyed. Of course, the full reason for her expression escaped his meaning and he returned it before he finally, thankfully, took his leave.
"Sorry," she said to Nick, who just nodded his head. Crap, she didn't want to get him in a bad mood before she gave him her news.
"What's going on?" he asked her, pulling his hand away from his face.
"Nothing, I just-" she started, wondering how best to frame it. She had had it all planned out, what she was going to say, had practiced in the car on the way to the station. "I just had something I wanted to discuss with you, and I thought it might be better to do it in person. It feels like I've hardly seen you all week, anyway," she added at his wary look.
Usually Nick's comings and goings were frequent and unpredictable, but this week it was actually her comings and goings that were keeping them from being able to have a few quiet moments together.
"I've missed you," she added, smiling softly at him and Nick nodded again.
Dammit.
His guard was up, wondering what she was here about, and what could involve a face-to-face discussion when so much of their conversations—serious, sexy, fun, flirty-had been conducted by phone in the past. In fact, it was well known by both of them (and pretty much all their friends) that Adalind loved to tease him over the phone.
"How's your case?" she asked him, still debating on how she wanted to work up to it.
"Fine. What's going on?"
She sighed and looked around for a chair, deciding to take Hank's since it was unoccupied.
"Where's Hank?" she asked.
"He went down to the morgue to get the coroner's report."
"Drew the short straw, huh?"
"Adalind, what is it you want to tell me?"
"If I told you I was leaving you, would you consider that to be the worst thing you could possibly hear from me?" she asked.
"What? What are you talking about—why are you—Adalind!" Nick finally got out. "What the hell is going on?"
"I mean, after hearing that, what I have to say couldn't be nearly that awful, could it?"
"What?" He replied, lovely arched brows furrowing in consternation.
"We got picked to spearhead the library committee."
Nick stared at her, uncomprehendingly. She smiled brightly, trying to put a positive spin on it. Nick stared for a beat longer before replying.
"So, if you left me, that would mean I wouldn't have to do whatever that is. Do you want me to help you pack?" he offered facetiously, and she scowled.
"No. And don't worry, I'm not leaving you."
"What if I left you?"
"Ha, ha."
"I'm not sure I'm joking," Nick said. "Is that some committee Valencia's on?"
"Maybe," she said, eyeing him. She didn't want to lie outright to him, having made it a point in their current relationship to be open and honest, but she could see now how that might be counterintuitive with what she was trying to achieve here.
"In that case, I think I'd prefer a divorce, you know? Just cut all ties completely."
"Well, you're not getting one."
"Crap," Nick said. "Why couldn't you tell her I've got more important things to do, like solve violent crimes?"
"You think you're the only one with something important to do?" she retorted. "I'm in the middle of a major buyout and I have a thousand motions to file."
"Great, so we're both too busy, so let's both do our jobs and tell her to find someone else to spearhead the committee."
"That's a good idea. Since it was yours, why don't you tell her?"
Nick scowled and tossed his pen on his desk. They both knew he'd tried to go around Valencia before and he wasn't any more successful at backing out the event than Adalind.
He fidgeted with a pad of paper and a folder on his desk and looked at Adalind.
"Maybe we're looking at this the wrong way," he began, and she cocked an eyebrow curiously. "Maybe we should devise a more permanent solution to the Valencia problem, rather than having to worry about these periodic issues."
"What? Like committing a violent crime?" she stage-whispered as she stared at him disbelievingly for a moment. Not that she wasn't tempted or hadn't thought about it herself.
"It's a thought. I bet we'd both feel better too. Plus, when was the last time you or I spent some time together as a couple?"
"Who will take care of our children while you and I are serving out our life sentences in prison? They don't let men and women share a cell, even if they are married."
"Well, obviously, the key is to not get caught," Nick said condescendingly. "My years of being a homicide detective should help with that."
"Yes, that's the solution," she replied sarcastically.
"Fine. Well, what do you suggest?"
"Sucking it up and doing what we need to do?"
"No, seriously. I mean, you're a former hexenbiest, surely there's a spell that will take care of what we need, without having to resort to that."
Adalind rolled her eyes.
"I'm just saying," Nick replied defensively. "There are times I weep for the days when you could fling somebody through the wall with a flick of your wrist or wreak havoc on someone's life with a potion and a well-thought out spell."
"Really? That somebody was typically you," she retorted. "I suppose if you miss it so much, we could add a little spice to the bedroom."
Though if they added any more flavoring, they'd probably overdose. She realized a moment too late she shouldn't have said it because Nick focused on her with a look of interest.
"No," she said.
"What?"
"Whatever you're thinking, forget it. I didn't come down here to volunteer for any bedroom experiments," she told him, sliding closer so she could keep her voice down and still be heard.
Nick eyed her calculatingly.
She didn't have time for any bedroom experiments. She wasn't kidding when she told him she had a bunch of motions to file, in addition to the day to day duties of raising their son and daughter, and taking care of Nick, who could sometimes be a bigger baby than either of their two children put together. Like now.
"Doesn't have to be in the bedroom," he said, and she raised her eyebrow in polite disbelief, wondering if it was worth her time to pursue this curious comment. The decision was made for her though when Hank appeared, giving Adalind a healthy dose of side-eye.
"Adalind," he said, clutching a handful of papers in one hand.
"Hank," she replied, not moving from the chair she had appropriated.
"What brings you buy?" he continued after a pointed look at the chair under her and a glance at Nick.
"I had some things to discuss with my husband."
"Let me guess: Something with the school?"
"What makes you say that?" Adalind demanded.
"He only makes that face when it has something to do with the school."
"What face?" Nick asked.
"Your I'd-rather-deliver-an-unbezahlbar-from-a-seltenvogel-than-do-this expression," Adalind answered for Hank.
"I don't even know what that is," Hank said.
"Well, I would," Nick replied to Adalind. "Plus, I've got experience now, so it would be a piece of cake, especially compared to enduring the hell you're suggesting."
"Oh, don't be such a big baby."
"I'm not."
"Honestly, and they say hexenbiests have a flair for the dramatic."
"I think I'll go see if vice has any of the good donuts left," Hank said, eyes flicking between Adalind and Nick, but they were still staring each other down defiantly.
He left with barely a notice from either of them, Nick only flicking his attention momentarily to his partner before returning it just as quickly back to his wife. As though if he risked taking an eye off of her, she might succeed in snookering him into doing what she wanted.
What was he expecting? For her pull a burlap bag out from a hidden pocket of her dress, and bundle him up inside it and then whisk them both off to the library committee meeting? In front of all his coworkers? In the middle of a police station?
She was good at many things, and normally she would appreciate such a challenge, but there was also respecting your limits, and the circumstances in which she had to work in presently were highly unfavorable. Certainly, with so many witnesses.
"Look, I'm not happy about it either, but it's only for the rest of the school year," Adalind said briskly.
"The rest of the school year? That's eight months! That's nearly an eternity!" Nick exclaimed.
"Hardly," Adalind sniffed. "They only meet once a month."
"Right now," Nick retorted. "You can't tell me there's no chance that Valencia won't hijack the proceedings and somehow what was only a once-a-month commitment will become a weekly trip to hell and beyond, with Valencia undermining everything the committee decides. How the hell did we manage to draw the short-straw on that?"
"Connie Sebring and Martina McShaw developed kidney stones."
"Both of them? At the same time?"
"Supposedly. They're scheduled for surgery tomorrow, and there's like a three-month recovery time."
"From kidney stones?" Nick exclaimed. "Are you sure they both didn't decide now was the time to get a facelift?"
"Connie had one last year," Adalind replied. "I think if anything, she's probably doing a breast augmentation and a butt lift. I couldn't tell you what was still natural on Martina that was left to fix," she continued thoughtfully, and Nick rolled his eyes.
"Besides, you've been noticeably avoiding any and all things extra-curricular related with the school."
"What? Who's noticed?"
"I have," Adalind replied and Nick waved his hand in annoyance.
"Perhaps I should refresh your memory," Nick said, leaning back as Adalind crossed her arms over her chest.
"Perhaps I should refresh yours," Adalind taunted.
"I helped out at the concession stand," He began.
"Two days, for two hours, in which you gave up almost four weeks of sex trying to avoid," she scoffed derisively.
"And I went to that meeting," he continued, undeterred as he gave her a flinty look.
"What meeting?" Adalind retorted.
"The one with all the slides," Nick said, as though that explained everything. It didn't. Valencia was big on slides. The school was big on presentations in general.
"You've been to three meetings that didn't involve the immediate welfare of your son or daughter."
"I participated in that ridiculous charity fundraiser," he added.
"That had nothing to do with the school," Adalind replied.
"It had everything to do with Valencia," Nick was quick to point out.
"So, your defense is that in three years, you've participated in four extra-curriculars. Wow, you know when you sum those numbers up like that, it makes me want to call Sean back here and see if he can top that. I don't know, the bar's so low…" she said, and Nick scowled, temporarily marring his handsome features.
It wasn't fair, really. Nick was very involved in the education and welfare of his son and what was technically only his step-daughter, far more than Sean, who criticized every painstaking and well-researched decision Adalind made, but made no effort to be involved or informed beyond that.
"That's a great idea," Nick said, annoyed at the comparison, and dammit, while she might enjoy a good tete-a-tete with him from time to time, she didn't want to insult him and get him angry and completely uncooperative. He might claim that she was the willful, stubborn one, but Nick was more than a capable adversary when he dug his heels in.
"You can inform him that he's been drafted," Nick continued. "Even if it was only four—which I'm sure it's not—it's still four more than he's been involved in. So by all means. Call him back."
He gave her another defiant look, one eyebrow arching challengingly and now it was her turn to scowl.
Damn him. She loathed the thought of having to share in an already impossible and stressful role leading the library committee with Valencia on hand with her former lover. She and Sean had done a great job of avoiding one another and both made it a point to keep as much out of each other's path as possible. The only place where it was unavoidable were when matters of concern with Diana came up, and even then, they both tried to avoid involving the other. Adalind was perfectly content to have Nick to rely on and share in decisions regarding her daughter, and since she was living with and married to him, she thought it only fair he had a say anyway. Plus, he always had Diana's best interests at heart, something she could hardly say about Sean.
"Nick," she said after she took a deep breath, dropping her arms to her side. "Let's not fight about this."
Nick stared back, unmoved.
Two could play that game.
"You're Kelly's father—"
"I wouldn't even play that card," Nick interrupted. "I think we can both agree I've stepped up above and beyond as a father than either of us anticipated given the circumstances surrounding his creation." Adalind opened her mouth, lips formed in a perfect "O' of affected indignation (though what he said was true), as Nick continued before she could make a rebuttal.
"Renard is Diana's father. It seems to me, it would be a perfect representation to have both you and him spearheading the committee."
"If you stick me and Sean in the same room together he's likely to have a spear thrown through his head. I remember a really nice one from your aunt's weapons cache. It's a little charred, but the pointy end should still work, no problems."
Nick let out a dark chuckle.
"And that's to say nothing about you when I get my hands on you if I don't see you seated beside me in the library this Tuesday evening at six o'clock sharp. I wouldn't dare be late," she said, bracing one hand against the surface of his desk and the other on the arm of his chair as she leant down, looming over him in all of her artificial five foot-five height. "I may not be a hexenbiest anymore, but I'm not without the ability to make you suffer. And if I have to deal with Sean…boy, will you suffer."
Nick smiled thinly.
"You don't scare me," he said, taking a moment to breathe in the scent of her, the spicy perfume she wore, a gift from him last Christmas. He surged forward suddenly, taking her by surprise, and kissed her, a mostly brief but solid peck on the lips.
"Anyway, if that's all you've come to say, Hank and I still have work to do," he said, and Adalind became aware of Hank hovering behind her. He snatched the chair of his she had vacated back, as though she might try to retake it, and set what appeared to be a jelly donut on the desk beside his keyboard.
"A pleasure as always," Hank said to Adalind, managing to keep most of the sarcasm at bay.
"I mean it, Nick. I'm not doing this alone. Tuesday, six o'clock. Don't be late. And you," she said, turning to Hank," better not find any homicides for him to work then, either."
Hank gave her a look of annoyance.
"I'll tell all the criminals that you've got something really important going on and to wait until Wednesday," he snarked.
"Thank you," Adalind replied graciously, not at all bothered by the condescending tone.
"Tuesday. Six," she said sternly one last time to Nick. "Or so help me god the real hell that will unfold when I hunt you down and find you."
Nick mimed a salute and snatched the report Hank held.
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She glanced around nervously, looking for Nick. She was eyeing the south library door, the entrance she would peg him with using, as it was towards the back of the library and would allow him to sneak in and likely avoid any interactions with Valencia (and most of the wesen parents who were unaware a Grimm resided among them). Or at least, it would likely give him the opportunity to spot her first, and therefore take evasive action to get the hell out of her way.
Valencia was currently preoccupied with one of the presidents of an arts council, she wasn't sure which one, as there were several Valencia belonged to and supported, but Valencia had spied her setting up her notes and slides for the projector at the table that was laid out for the committee heads near the front of the room. She figured it was only a matter of time before she was the next victim and she wished Nick would hurry up and make his appearance since she wouldn't have to endure it alone. She had threatened him one more time with showing, thirty minutes ago, and he had promised he was almost done at work and would be on his way.
She registered someone pull out the chair to her right, and she felt a relieved smile spread across her face as she pulled some file folders from her briefcase.
"Finally, you had me kind of wor—" the words, and the smile, died on her lips when she looked up.
"This is supposed to be some kind of book meeting?"
"Sean?" she said, not believing her eyes.
"What are we expected to do here?"
"You're not expected to do anything. Why are you here? Where's Nick?" she hissed, remembering at the last moment to lower her voice.
"He and Hank got called out to a robbery."
"I just talked to him thirty minutes ago!" she hissed.
"Well, he just got assigned the case as he was heading out the door," Sean said.
"By who?" Adalind exclaimed, though there was only one possible answer, and it was wearing a sharp tan suit with perfect creases in the pants.
"By me," Sean said coolly.
"Unbelievable," Adalind uttered, and it was the understatement of the year, certainly for what she was feeling and what she wanted to say.
"We're short staffed," Sean said, "Bauer and Holbrook were shot in the line of duty, and Tillerson is out with the flu. If it makes you feel any better, Nick fought tooth and nail to get out of it."
"Really?" Adalind said, taken aback in surprise.
"No, he stopped fighting almost immediately when I told him I would sit in for him on this 'incredibly important' meeting."
"Of course, he did," Adalind muttered, pulling out her phone and dialing Nick's number. It went straight to voicemail. "Oh, the hell, did you just—" Adalind sputtered, ending the call and quickly redialing.
"He's at a crime scene," Sean said mildly, taking a seat in the chair and looking out around him at the other occupants in the room, smiling benignly at a few who made eye contact.
"He's about to be his own crime scene," Adalind retorted furiously. "Nick. Nick!" she shouted, and realized everyone was staring at her. She smiled brittlely and turned her back to the room. "Nick. Nicholas," she ground out in a much lower voice. "When I get my hands on you—" she began and registered Valencia beside her, introducing herself and making small talk with Sean.
"There's nowhere safe, you hear me," she threatened in a fierce whisper. "Nowhere. What you did—there's no coming back from that, Nick. I warned you."
"Adalind, I don't believe I've had the chance to get to know your handsome companion here," Valencia interrupted and Adalind spun around and offered another fake smile. "Is your husband not coming?" she asked innocently and Adalind pulled the phone away from her ear.
"Uh, no, apparently he got called out to a crime scene," she said, stabbing accusing eyes at Sean.
"Oh, he's always so busy working," Valencia confided to Sean, and Sean smiled charmingly in understanding. "Sighting him at a school function is like spotting a yeti or something. Weren't you the incredibly handsome police captain at the charity event?" she continued smoothly, eyeing Sean with interest.
"Well, I don't know about—" Sean began with faux modesty and Adalind rolled her eyes as Valencia interrupted him again.
"You were! I remember you, so tall," she said coyly and flashed another smile. "Do you know Adalind's Detective Burkhardt?"
"He's Detective Burkhardt's boss," Adalind said snappishly. "And the reason why Nick isn't here."
Sean glanced at Adalind, and offered a smile of apology. To Valencia, of course. Not that any apology from Sean about anything would have worked on Adalind.
"Duty calls, and two of my detectives were shot in the line of duty," he added, "and as such, we're short-staffed at the moment. Everyone's having to pick up some extra workload. Unfortunately, crime doesn't stop in Portland," he added with a pointed look at Adalind.
"No," Adalind agreed, shaking her head. "No, it doesn't. It's going to spike sharply when I get my hands on my soon to be dead husband," she muttered under her breath, flashing a murderous look at Sean, too, but it went unnoticed as he was focused on fending himself off from Valencia's advances.
"Are you taking his place on the library committee?" Valencia asked Sean. "Committee members are reserved for parents of the schoolchildren," she informed him apologetically.
"Temporarily stepping in," Sean replied. "Our daughter attends the school here," Sean told her, gesturing to Adalind. "I'm just here to show my support as a concerned parent. Adalind, of course, will handle everything, I'm sure," he said flashing another smile, this time at Adalind, as she glared daggers back.
"Oh, you must be Diana's biological father," Valencia said. "I didn't realize," and Adalind suppressed a smirk as Sean's smile dimmed a little.
"Pick up!" Adalind said into her phone, turning back to the scathing rebuke she was trying to leave on Nick's voice mail, but she was cut off as the voice messaging system ran out of room. She hung up again and dialed back.
"Diana goes to school with my little Remy, surely she's told you about him?" Valencia asked Sean, but fortunately he didn't have to fumble for a reply as Valencia barely paused for acknowledgement.
"You can't avoid me forever," Adalind said, when the leave message tone sounded again. "You live with me. You sleep next to me," she added. "It won't be anything to roll over one night and smother you in your sleep with a pillow or poison your Bolognaise. Nick!" she tried, but to no avail.
"Yes, Remy," Sean said, after a long-winded soliloquy from Valencia about her son. "Yes, Diana, she talks about him all the time."
Adalind snorted and rolled her eyes again.
"Do you spend much time with your daughter?" Valencia asked him.
"Not as much as I'd like," Sean replied, another piercing look at Adalind and she frowned.
"Yes, it's hard to sacrifice time away from your sex life to form meaningful bonds with your daughter," Adalind retorted, and Sean flashed a strained smile at Valencia, as though apologizing for an errant child. He fixed a darker look at Adalind, and she turned away, aware that this wasn't the time or place to get into the finer points of their battle over custody of Diana.
"Excuse me," she said distractedly as Nick's phone once again went straight to voice mail. She moved a couple of steps away from the table and Valencia took the opportunity to move a couple of steps closer as she perched a hip on the edge of the table in front of Sean.
"Well," she heard Valencia say after a moment, "It's never too late to get involved with your children's lives and their future. We're glad to have you on the committee."
"Committee?" Sean replied.
"Yes, for the library."
"What does the committee decide? What books to allow as part of the curriculum?"
"Oh, goodness, no, we have another committee for that," Valencia said with a giggle and Adalind was momentarily glad Nick wasn't there to hear that news.
"We have some big decisions to make with fundraising efforts and grants to apply for. As you can see, we're due for some upgrades, she said, waving her hand around them.
Sean looked up at the three-story marble ceiling and then around the expansive room, the second-floor nooks with floor to ceiling bookcases, the rows of Mac desktop computers near the east side, the works of donated fine art dotting the walls.
"Right, well, you can bet that Adalind and I will explore options from every angle. We only want the best for our children."
Dear God, she was never going to leave this nightmare. She still had a dozen motions to file on her case. And if Nick thought he was avoiding one by not being here, he was sorely mistaken. There would be another one, waiting for him, when he got home. She waited impatiently for the tell-tale tone.
"Okay, Nick, that's fine. Don't answer. If that's the way you want to play it, then that's the way you'll have it. I just hope you're ready, because it's game on, Grimm."
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