I have always loved Halloween and TV episodes about Halloween! So, I just had to write SOMETHING for this holiday. I am also Irish, so I used the traditional, Celtic pagan festival of Samhain for this story - it is thought to be the origin of our modern Halloween celebrations, so I thought it fitting!
Hope you enjoy this "treat!" And it's not a "trick" - I will still be updating Believer, either tomorrow or Wednesday (31st or 1st).
Happy Halloween!
A GRIMM HALLOWEEN
Nick had never been a huge fan of Halloween, but as he watched Adalind but the finishing touches on Kelly's fuchsbau (or fox, if any kehersite asked) costume, he had to admit, the kid looked pretty cute. Adalind looked up triumphantly, hands on hips, and then turned to face him.
"Well, what do you think?" she asked, her eager smile disarming him, and he found himself smiling back at her.
"Looks great," he replied, and her smile, if possible, grew even wider. She looked down at her watch and groaned.
"We don't have much time to get ready for Monroe and Rosalee's party," she gave him a look up and down, "did you ever decide what you're going to be?"
Nick looked down at his sweater, jeans and boots, then spied his badge on the table. Picking it up he clipped it on his belt and smiled.
"I'm a cop," he replied.
"Seriously?" Adalind raised her eyebrows at him, but he merely nodded. She huffed out a sigh and walked to the bedroom, muttering something about a lack of proper halloween spirit.
Nick grabbed a beer from the fridge before looking down at his son, who seemed to be looking at him with something akin to disapproval.
"Hey, don't give me that look, buddy," Nick said, bending down and scooping up a squirming Kelly, "not everyone can love Halloween as much as your mom and Aunt Rosalee. And definitely not as much as your Uncle Monroe."
"Do you like my costume, Nick?" Diana asked from behind him and he turned around to see her in a traditional witches costume, hat, broom, warts, and all.
"You look amazing, kiddo," Nick said with a genuine smile. He walked over to Adalind who standing behind her daughter, a look of pride on her face, "a witch? Really? A bit on the nose, isn't it?"
"Says the cop dressed as a cop," Adalind replied sarcastically, but there was a hint of humor in her eyes, "now I need to get ready." She hurried back into the bedroom. Nick set Kelly back down, and he immediately toddled over to Diana, who let him play with her broom. He watched the kids play for a moment, then headed into the bedroom where Adalind was getting ready.
"So, what time does this thing start," He asked, his words barely out of his mouth before he was robbed of breath at the site of her, "what are you wearing?"
"I decided to be a cop, too." Adalind answered, her voice all innocence. Her costume, if he could even call it that, consisted of a very short, very tight, blue dress with a plunging neckline. A black patent leather belt cinched her small waist, and there was a rather frail looking pair of handcuffs dangling against her hip.
Nick stared at her open mouthed for a moment, then regained his power of speech, "I can honestly say, I've never seen a cop dressed like that."
"Really? Wu never came to work in one of these?" Adalind asked, turning slightly so he could see the back of the costume, and the way it hugged every curve.
"Please don't put that mental picture in my head," Nick said with a wince, "You're ruining a beautiful moment."
"Well, the costume is 'sexy cop'," Adalind admitted, biting down on her lip, "so I guess that's the difference."
She sat down on the bed and pulled out a pair of thigh high black stiletto boots and pulled them on, watching him as he watched her. She stood up and walked towards him, running a hand down his chest before hooking it into one of his belt loops.
"Although, I have to say," Adalind murmured, placing a light kiss against his mouth before pulling away slightly, "you seem to have pulled off the 'sexy cop' thing without a costume."
He cupped his hand around the back of her head and pulled her mouth to his, her mouth opening under his as she sighed and pressed her body flush to his. Nick's hand easily found its way into the plunging neckline of her costume and Adalind gasped at the sudden intimate contact.
"We have to get the kids to Bud's house," Adalind said, her voice full of regret, "they're throwing a party for all the kids while we're at Monroe and Rosalee's house."
"That's nice," Nick replied, his mouth working a hot trail down her neck, to her collar bone. Before he could get any further, she pulled away from him, and he frowned, "what?"
"We have to go! And if you keep doing….what you're doing, we're not going to leave this bedroom," Adalind replied, her voice holding some disappointment.
"Would that be such a bad thing," he replied, reaching for her again, but she swatted his hand away.
"No, it wouldn't, but we promised our friends we would be there, so we're going," Adalind huffed out, then, a bit sheepishly, "Can you go get my coat. I don't want the kids to see me dressed like this."
"What? You don't want our children to see their mother dressed like a stripper….I mean a cop," Nick ducked the pillow she threw at him, and walked out of the room in search of her coat. The sooner they got to the party, the sooner they could head home.
%%%%%
"I see you really got in the spirit this year, man," Monroe said sarcastically as he handed Nick a drink.
"I feel like everyday of my life is Halloween," Nick replied, his eyes surveying the house full of people, mentally trying to determine the wesen/human ratio in the room, "so why should this day be any different."
"Well, just don't rain on everyone else's parade, okay?" Monroe said, sliding on his skeleton mask before moving on to mingle with his guests. It always amazed Nick just how much Monroe loved Halloween, and how it altered his usual introverted behavior. It seemed to do the opposite to Nick, who instead of seeing the fun in the sea of masks around him, could only see the possible threat. Catching a mask out of the corner of his eye, he found that he was always double checking to see if it was really a mask, or something more sinister.
Sighing, he put down his drink and pushed his way through the crowd to where Adalid and Rosalee were standing, deep in conversation. They both looked up as he approached and Adalind gave him an overly bright smile.
"Hey there," she said, then angled her head at Rosalee, "don't you think Rosalee looks great?!"
NIck could tell by Adalind's tone that there was only one way to answer that question, but he still took a moment to actually look Rosalee up and down. Just entering her third trimester, Rosalee was already quite….large. Of course, she was carrying three babies, so it was to be expected. She was dressed as a gumball machine, a plastic bag filled with colored ballons surrounding her, making her already large figure larger.
"Yeah, you look great," Nick said, with as much enthusiasm as he could muster, "that's a fantastic costume."
"I look enormous," Rosalee said, and to Nick's dismay, he saw tears start to run down her face, which she hastily swiped away before looking over at Adalind, "I'm sorry, it's just these hormones, I can't control my emotions, and then you walk in here looking like sex on a stick, and I feel even more enormous!"
"I'm sorry," Adalind said, pulling down her costume, trying and failing to make it cover more of her body, "But I've been pregnant twice in the last three years, so I totally understand where you're coming from."
Rosalee looked her up and down with disbelief, "I can't imagine ever being that small again. I have three of them in here stretching everything every which way."
"It will happen," Adalind said reassuringly, "and just think how much fun next Halloween will be with three little ones to dress up!"
The thought seemed to cheer Rosalee up and Nick fell into easy conversation with them as the party continued around them. Rosalee had a hard time moving around, so it was the perfect excuse for Nick to stay in one place to better survey his surroundings. And a moment later, he was rewarded for his diligence, as a familiar face came through the door. He nudged Adalind in the side with his elbow and she turned her attention from Rosalee to him.
"Look who just walked in," Nick said with a smile, "WITH a date."
Adalind looked in the direction of the door and smiled as she saw Wu walk in, an attractive young woman on his arm, dressed like a fairy.
"That's great, I always thought….." Adalind's words trailed off as her smile turned to a slight frown, and she cocked her head in that way Nick knew meant she didn't like what she was seeing.
"What?" Nick said, sitting up a little straighter in his seat, "Is something wrong?"
"She's a fairy," Adalind said with a hint of contempt and Nick frowned and looked back at Wu's date.
"Well, yeah, I guess she's dressed as a fairy, but she's not actually…" He looked at Adalind again and she raised both eyebrows at him, "are you telling me that fairies are real?"
"Oh yeah, they're real alright, and not in that cutesy Disney way that you're thinking," Adalind said, then turned to Rosalee and tapped her shoulder. Once Rosalee turned, Adalind nodded towards the other woman and asked, "What do you think, is she a real fairy or not?"
Rosalee took a long look, and then started to nod, "she might be, but on halloween, it's so hard to tell. I'll get Monroe over here, see what he thinks."
As Rosalee waddled off, Adalind turned back to Nick.
"Take another look at her," Adalind said, "see if you notice anything off about her human form."
Nick sighed, but did as he was told, taking a long, leisurely look at the beautiful woman that was now chatting animatedly with Wu and Hank.
"Alright, I think you looked long enough," Adalind said sarcastically.
"You told me to!" Nick said defensively, "and besides, I don't see anything different about her… at all. What am I supposed to be looking for?"
"Look at her wings," Adalind said, leaning in closer to him, resting her hand on his leg as she spoke, "they look real. Probably because they are real. Her 'costume' is more authentic, too. Not some cheap store costume."
"Like 'sexy cop,'" he replied, looking down at her with a smirk.
"Shut it," Adalind replied, then added, "and this was not cheap."
"Rosalee said you saw a fairy...a real one!" Monroe sat next to her, and Adalind nodded her head eagerly at him, and Monroe practically bounced with excitement, "it doesn't get any more old-school halloweeny than that!"
"How are fairies a part of Halloween," Nick asked skeptically, "isn't Halloween all about ghosts and goblins and scaring the crap out of people."
"Well, ya, it is now," Monroe replied, and Nick could tell that his friend was gearing up to impart a history lesson, "but the Halloween we know now is based on the old Celtic pagan celebration of Samhain, which in Gaelic means 'summer's end' or 'end of summer'."
"And they believed that on this day, spirits could walk the earth among us, so they would light large bonfires to ward off bad luck and any evil spirits," Adalind jumped in, "and when the villagers would return home, they would each take fire from the large bonfire and light a hollowed out turnip to guide them home and protect them from any wandering spirits. And so you have it…..the modern Jack O'Lantern."
"Aaaaand, villagers would dress up in disguises to try and confuse the spirits into thinking they were also spirits, and not a human," Monroe added, sitting on the edge of his seat, "that way, the spirit wouldn't drag them to the 'other world'. And that's why to this day, we dress up on Halloween."
"Fairies are one of the spirits that are allowed to roam free on Halloween," Adalind continued, keeping her eyes on the suspected fairy across the room, "fairies are believed to be souls that weren't good enough to get into heaven, but not quite bad enough to go to hell. They have the power to bewitch humans, making them see and believe things that aren't really there."
"Sounds a bit like a hexenbiest," Nick said, and Adalind's brows drew together and she frowned.
"I suppose there are some similarities," she replied, "But fairies can only walk the earth on Halloween. And they are here for the express purpose of bewitching humans and collecting their souls to take back to their fairy mound. This allows them to stay on their plane of existence for another year."
"So, you think she is going to bewitch Wu," Nick said slowly, looking from Adalind to Monroe and back again, "and steal his soul."
"I don't know why you still look surprised when we tell you these things," Adalind said with a shake of her head.
"Just making sure I have all the information before I ruin Wu's evening," Nick said with a sigh, "tell me, does this fairy woge, or is she always in this form?"
"Part of the reason they only walk the earth on Halloween is because they always have their wings," Adalind said, "so I'm not sure if there is any further transformation."
"They have no reason for a human form as they don't ever live among us," Monroe said thoughtfully," I would say we should hit the books, but I don't think we have that kind of time."
They both looked over at Wu, who had what could only be called a goofy expression on his face, staring adoringly at the woman beside him.
"Well, I would say he is either bewitched or has a serious case of lust," Monroe said, "maybe a little of both….likely both. I mean….look at her."
"Look at who?" Rosalee asked, walking up behind them. Monroe jumped slightly at the sound of her voice.
"No one, I mean, just the fairy…and Wu...just Wu….not the fairy" Monroe stammered, and Nick gave him a sympathetic look while Adalind rolled her eyes at him.
"So, you think it's a real fairy," Rosalee asked, and Adalind and Monroe both nodded as Nick shrugged.
"How do we confirm?" Nick asked, "should I yank on one of her wing?"
"If you want to get punched in the face," Adalind answered dryly, then added, "I think maybe you need to get her alone. If she identifies you as a Grimm, then we'll know for sure."
"You want to use me as bait?" Nick asked, somewhat incredulously.
"You're the only one who can tell us for sure if she is fairy," Rosalee said, then she held up a box that was decorated with Celtic symbols, "I spent the summers with my mother's family in Ireland. The Irish believed they could ward of fairies with amulets made of iron and peony root. I think I may actually still have one that my great aunt gave me during one of my visits. If you wear it, the fairy won't be able to bewitch you, and you should be able to get close enough to her to break the enchantment that Wu is under."
"If we leave them alone much longer, it will be the spell Hank is under, too," Adalind said, frowning in the direction of the trio in question, then looked at Rosalee, "So how does Nick break the enchantment?"
"I'm not exactly sure," Rosalee admitted, "But I'm hoping we can get some answers from the things I have in this box. We've never encountered a fairy before, so I haven't looked in here in years."
Rosalee gently opened the box and they all peered inside. There was a locket, a chain and a small card with faded writing on it. Rosalee carefully picked up the card and read the note:
With wing of green and eyes of gold
The fairies powers are often untold
A locket of iron and peony root
Will protect the wearer from mischief afoot
If the soul has already been entwined
Wrap a chain of iron upon her neck from behind
The souls of the victims will be returned
The soul of the fairy will be burned
"Well that sounds unpleasant," Monroe said with a frown, "I was hoping for a happier ending on Halloween."
"We don't get a lot of happy endings around here," Rosalee said with a sigh, picking up the locket and holding it out to Nick.
"So how do I get this fairy alone?" Nick asked Adalind as he slipped the locket around his neck and put the chain of what he hoped was iron in his pocket.
"You will have to exercise some of that considerable charm, I suppose," Adalind said with a grin.
Nick raised an eyebrow, "do you have any idea how long it has been since I flirted with a strange woman."
"Well, you know how to make people comfortable so that they will talk to you," Adalind said with a shrug, "try using that. I'll keep Wu busy."
"How are you going to do that?" Nick asked with a furrowed brow.
"With my considerable charm," Adalind said, winking before giving him a more serious look and adding, "be careful."
"Always," He replied. He watched Adalind walk over to Wu, Hank and the Fairy and sighed before turning back to Rosalee and Monroe.
"Where can I take her?" Nick asked.
"Backyard," Monroe answered, "I'll double check, but nobody should be back there."
"So what do you think is going to happen when I put this iron chain around her?" Nick asked.
"I wish I could tell you," Rosalee answered, "but I'm going to guess fire will be involved."
"I just hope it's not some spontaneous combustion type situation," Monroe added.
"Yeah, me too," Nick said, then took a deep breath," okay, wish me luck."
"You don't need luck, man, we'll be right behind you," Monroe said reassuringly, then added under his breath, "way, way behind you."
%%%%%
Adalind didn't like to admit it, but she really had no choice since Wu was under an enchantment. She had to use her powers on him. Luckily, her hexenbiest powers of persuasion were stronger than whatever bewitching the fairy had done to him. Although, it still took some serious concentration on her part, and he obviously still thought he was in love with her. When Adalind got there, Hank had been half in love with her, too, but Adalind was pretty sure that the full force of the enchantment hadn't taken over….yet.
"Isn't she beautiful," Wu said wistfully as Adalind led him away. The fairy hadn't been happy when Adalind had swooped in and asked Wu if he would walk her to her car to retrieve her 'forgotten' phone.
"Yeah, she's a real keeper," Adalind said sarcastically, as they walked through the crowded living room.
"I'm in love with her, you know," Wu said in a loud whisper, and Adalind cringed. Being love drunk was just as bad as being drunk drunk.
"Well, I'm happy for you both," Adalind answered in placating voice. She looked over her shoulder and saw that Nick had joined Hank and the fairy. And Nick was giving her that smile. She knew it well - it was the one that made her want to give him the last donut, or let him have control of the remote, or…..well, other things. She had told him to be charming, but did he need to be that charming?
Adalind looked at Wu's love struck face and huffed out a sigh before deciding that locking him in Monroe and Rosalee's guest room was probably the best course of action. She easily led him up the stairs and into the room. She had the door shut and locked before Wu quite knew what was happening, but Adalind wasn't in the mood to listen to his protests as she hustled back down the stairs.
When she got to the bottom, she scanned the room for Nick and the fairy, but couldn't see them. She frowned as she walked over to where Monroe, Rosalee and Hank were talking.
"Did you fill him in?" Adalind asked, gesturing her head towards Hank, and they nodded, "so where did they go?"
"Nick took her to the backyard," Monroe answered uneasily, "maybe you and Rosalee should stay here while Hank and I go check it out."
"Oh no," Adalind replied, pushing her way past, "no way I'm going to miss this."
%%%%%
"I think maybe we should get back to the party," the fairy said as Nick led her into the secluded yard.
"I thought you might like some air," Nick said, "It's so crowded inside."
"But I wouldn't want to leave Wu for long," the fairy answered with a smile, "or Hank for that matter. We were having such a good time."
"I was just hoping you could show me who you really are," Nick said quietly, "and I didn't think you would want to do that in a room full of people."
"I don't know what you mean…." the fairy answered nervously, her eyes suddenly darting around, then landing back on his. They glowed a gold color, and her face changed suddenly, taking on a more elphin visage, her ears coming to sharp points.
"You're a Grimm," she gasped, and she turned, hoping to make a quick escape.
"And you're a fairy," he confirmed, grabbing her arm as she tried to flee. She tried to jerk it from his grasp as he pulled the iron chain from his pocket. Her long, sharp fingernails dug into his skin and he let go in shock. She ran towards the door, but Adalind was there, and the fairy stopped in her tracks.
"Oh no, you aren't going anywhere," Adalind said, woging into her hexenbiest form. The fairy gave a cry of distress before Adalind grabbed for her, holding her tight as Nick approached with the chain. He stopped short of putting it around her neck.
"What are you waiting for?" Adalind hissed, "we have to break the spell."
"We don't know what this actually does," Nick said, suddenly unsure, "If she bursts into flames, I don't really want you to go up in flames, too."
"Just do it," Adalind said, "I'll let go as soon as you do."
Nick nodded and reluctantly wrapped the chain around the fairy's neck from behind. As soon as it was in place, Adalind and Nick both let go. Adalind quickly retracted back to her human form.
The fairy let out an inhuman scream, and her wings ignited in flames, burning down to the skin before dropping completely away in a pile of ash. The fairy turned and looked at them.
"What have you done?" the fairy whispered, looking at the pile of ash around her.
"We saved our friend," Nick replied. The fairy looked at him, then stood.
"Are you going to kill me?" she asked calmly.
"No," Nick replied, then looked at her closely, "are you still a fairy?"
"I don't think so," she responded, looking down at her hands, then back up at him in disgust, "I think you've made me human."
"Wu is okay," they all turned as Hank came through the backdoor, "everything okay out here?"
"Yeah, I think we're done here," Nick said, taking Adalind's hand and pulling her towards the door, "have you had enough Halloween fun for tonight?"
"The night is young," Adalind said in reply, "and I am definitely not done having fun."
%%%%%
"Whose genius idea was it to have the kids spend the night at Bud's house?" Nick asked as he used his body to press her firmly against the elevator wall as they made their way back up to the loft.
"Mine, of course," Adalind said with a sigh as his mouth worked its way from her ear to her neck, and then to her collarbone.
"That's because Bud is terrified of you," Nick said with a small chuckle as he dipped his head lower, his mouth tracing the soft curve that was exposed by the daring neckline of her costume.
"I prefer to say intimidated," Adlind replied with a huff, shifting slightly against him to give him more access, "and it's not like you don't 'intimidate' him, too."
"Fair enough," Nick answered, lifting his head and putting his mouth on hers, his teeth gently nipping at her bottom lip until she opened her mouth under his, and he groaned as his hand moved to gently push off the shoulder of her costume. He tore his mouth away from hers and started working his way down the now exposed flesh of her shoulder.
The elevator opened, and they tumbled out, fumbling with clothes as they went.
"I don't know if we're going to make it to the bed," Nick said toeing off one boot, and then another as Adalind tried, and failed, to get out of her skin tight costume.
"I don't really care," Adalind responded, giving a frustrated sigh as she tried again to squirm out of her clothes.
"Let me help you with that," Nick said, grasping the deep V of her neckline and wrenching it in two, "hope you weren't planning on wearing that again."
"No, I think it served its purpose," Adalind said with a slow smile. She backed up slowly until she was perched on the kitchen table, nothing but her thigh high boots on, "want to play good cop, bad cop."
Nick quickly rid himself of the rest of his clothes and walked toward her with purpose.
"Which one am I?" he asked her, grabbing her hips and turning her so she faced away from him, and she bent slowly over the table, grinding into him gently as she went.
"Oh, I know how good you are," Adalind purred, "and you definitely now how bad I can be, so….."
Her words trailed off as his hand went low, stroking her gently, until she cried out in frustration.
"Nick….please…." Adalind said, and he smiled a slow lazy smile.
"I think I've been bewitched," he said, leaning down and brushing a light kiss along the back of her neck.
"It's about time you got in the Halloween spirit," Adalind replied, then she sighed in satisfaction as he drove the point home.