Hank's hand gripped his shoulder tightly, silently begging him to not do anything rash.

The rational part of Nick's mind knew he should listen. He missed his chance to be a part of this, and as much as he wanted to be, he couldn't.

With the pressure of Hanks' hand firmly on his shoulder, he chose to look at the church's wood paneling and started tugging at the bowtie Monroe had wistfully affixed to his neck an hour earlier.

"Nick, I know you don't want to be here like this, but this was your choice, and dude, no matter how or why you're here, I'm not getting married without you," Monroe said. He leaned forward, as though he were going to kiss Nick, thought better of it, and pulled back slightly.

"I didn't say anything," Nick said plaintively, frowning and turning his attention to Monroe's bowtie.

"No, you didn't," Monroe said coldly, and Nick knew he wasn't talking about their current conversation. He rested his hand on Monroe's shoulder, knowing that they both knew there was little else he could do.

But knowing it didn't really mean they had to be content with it. And Monroe certainly wasn't. He had tied Nick's bowtie a little too tightly, and Nick half wondered if it had been intentional.

He stared forward at Monroe's back, watching Monroe put a clear amount of effort into holding his arms at his side, wondering how much of a mistake he had really made. He hadn't been ready when Monroe had asked, but that hadn't meant that he didn't want this, that there wouldn't be a day down the road when he was ready. And apparently, today was that day.

He just had to come to that conclusion at the worst possible moment.

There was a part of him that was subconsciously waiting for the minister to ask if anyone objected, and as he realized it, he forced his focus to shift to Rosalee.

She stood radiant in white on the other side of the altar. He couldn't ruin this for her. He knew it wouldn't be fair.

She and Juliette had spent hours poring over wedding magazines and making phone calls all across Portland to plan this.

As if to prove it wouldn't be just Rosalee's day he'd be ruining, Juliette gave him a short wave and a pleading look from behind her. He wished she didn't know everything.

He grinned at her warily, knowing her hands would surely be over Hank's if she were on the other side of the altar. He looked away.

Then Rosalee's eyes caught his, and Nick did a double take. Her lips were turned in a deep, contemplative frown. He wasn't quite sure what that was about. He knew he couldn't do anything for her, not now, but he raised his eyes in question. She shook her head solemnly.

As she did, Nick heard those words that he wished he hadn't been waiting for. And he wished desperately that Rosalee had been smiling. He told himself, unsure if it was true, that it could have given him the willpower to not do this.

And he took a step forward, and every eye in the church turned on him.

Whispers flooded through the aisles.

"A Grimm and a Fuchsbau? Unheard of."

"I think he's with the Blutbad, Aunt Flora."

"He's a Grimm. Of course he objects to a Wesen wedding.

"Who invited him anyway?"

"He's not planning on killing all of us, is he? Maybe we should leave."

"Maybe we should all kill him. There's only one of him, after all."

"A Grimm being the only sensible person at a wedding. Well, I never."

Then one remarkably calm, familiar voice lashes at him with a simple request.

"Nick, please. Don't," Monroe said.

"I..." Nick stammered, at a sudden and complete loss for words. "I've rarely known two people who love each other more, and I'm not going to try to prevent them from sharing that. But I ...I can't be here. Monroe, I'm sorry. Just...I'm sorry."

With that, he walked off the side of the altar and fled out the church's side door, assuming the wedding would go on without him.

He cringed against the sound of the wedding bands jingling against one another in his pocket.

He knew that he'd just done something completely unforgivable, and all he wanted was to get as far away as he could from the disaster he'd just created.

He wanted to leave, but he knew he couldn't. He couldn't undo what he'd done, and he had to face the music with Monroe and Rosalee.

And even if he didn't, he was incapable of leaving. He and Monroe had come to the church together in the Volkswagen. Rosalee and Monroe were taking a train down the coast after the reception, and he was meant to drive them to the train station before taking the car back to Monroe's. And even assuming he would be willing to temporarily steal Monroe's car, the keys had been locked in the church's basement for safekeeping for the duration of the ceremony.

Regretting everything, he found a cold, concrete bench in the church's courtyard and sat down on it, throwing his head in his hands. The cool wind cut through his suit jacket and button up, but he felt too numb already for it to matter.

Some time later, and he really had no idea if it was five minutes or an hour, warm hands coiled around his shoulder.

"It's too cold out here. Come back inside," Rosalee said brusquely. Nick raised his eyes. She was the last person he was expecting.

He tried to determine how angry and upset she was, but her expression betrayed nothing.

He didn't move.

"Nick, I'm getting married, and I'm getting married today. So, I'm going to marry Monroe and so are you. And unless I'm very wrong, you ran out because that's what you want."

"It is. It really is. But ..." Nick said, a thousand objections at the tip of his tongue.

"Monroe still wants that too. You know that. He's not happy with you right now or, to be honest, me. Your act sort of had a follow up," Rosalee said, blushing. "I didn't want to get married under false pretenses, and not admitting that the three of us have a complicated relationship together would have been doing just that. We both know Monroe wants the three of us to be in this together. That's why he proposed to us at the same time. So, like I just told Monroe, who's rather anxiously waiting for us to come back, this wedding is all or nothing."

Nick's chest constricted at the thought of Monroe still standing anxiously on the altar, knowing he wasn't coping with the situation. But the three of them wanting to be in this together didn't solve more logistical problems.

However, Rosalee seemed to be a step ahead of him.

She waved her hand dismissively. "Both our families left after the two of us ran out. Good riddance to them. Mine was reluctant enough about Monroe. I don't want to imagine what they would say about you and certainly not you and Monroe."

Nick frowned at her skeptically. Family was important to her and her carefree tone didn't level with him.

She sighed wearily at his expression.

"No, Nick, I can't tell you I want to get married without them, but they're not going to understand. My mom already saw me walk down the aisle in my dress, though, and really, I think, that's what I wanted most from this," Rosalee said. "So, it's just Hank, Juliette, and Bud now. I told the minister what I wanted to do, and he told me, in no uncertain terms, that polygamy was against the state laws of Oregon and left."

"You want us to get married, but we can't? You lost me," Nick said.

"Bud's going to marry us," Rosalee said.

"Bud?" Nick asked.

"If the state of Oregon isn't going to recognize the legitimacy of this anyway, we might as well have someone we like officiate," Rosalee said with a teasing smile.

"You know, aside from the Mormons, I don't think anyone's trying to make that legal," Monroe said. He was walking towards them slowly, frowning deeply.

"That's probably a good thing," Nick said. He immediately regretted it.

"Well, for people who aren't us," Monroe said bitterly. "Now, are you two done playing with me? Because I really can't go through this again if it's some kind of charade."

"Monroe, we both love you, and I think you know that," Rosalee said.

"We just don't know how to do this," Nick said, moving his hand around the three of them.

"It is uncharted territory, generally speaking," Monroe said. "But I really thought we were past that."

"In some ways we are," Nick said.

"And," Rosalee lifted her dress up at the hem, "in some ways, we aren't."

"I didn't know I was ready for this, to be committed to this," Nick said. "But I am. So, Monroe, if you'll still have me, I'd like to be your husband."

Monroe rolled his eyes. "Is there a reason you couldn't have realized this, I don't know, a week ago or even this morning?"

"I thought it was too late to be a part of this," Nick said, pulling the rings back out of his pocket.

"Maybe it was, Nick," Rosalee said. "But if you'd said something, there's a possibility we wouldn't have left Monroe stranded on the altar."

"He just likes to cause drama," Hank said, clapping his hand over Nick's shoulder. "Don't you deny it either. I've been around you too long."

Nick didn't know what to say to that or Hank's sudden appearance. So he said nothing and waited for Hank to carry on.

"I know I'm interrupting, but Juliette, Bud, and I would really like the three of you to do whatever it is that's going to lead you to a life of bliss or whatever it is you're aiming for," Hank said. "If you need a little more time to figure it out, that's fine, but please try to remember, we're waiting."

As Hank walked back towards the church, Nick looked back at Monroe. "Well?"

"It took you three months to figure this out, and you're giving me three minutes?" Monroe asked. "I should be telling you I don't know why I give you the time of day, but I've never been able to resist you. And I'll be damned if you don't know that. So, yes, Nick Burkhardt, despite all of my better judgement, I'll marry you."

"I'm so moved," Nick said.

"You want a proper speech, go back in time and say yes the first time," Monroe said.

Nick nodded his head in acquiescence to that.

"So we're ready for this?" Rosalee asked.

"I think so," Nick said.

"If either of you ditch me again," Monroe said as he let his eyes glow red in a threat that neither of them believed had a bite to it.

"We won't," Nick and Rosalee said simultaneously.