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Summary: Elizabeth Lascelles owed a debt to a Grimm named Marie Kessler, so when said Grimm shows up on her door step with a thirteen year old boy no questions are asked. Moving to Portland to make use of Sean's resourses to protect them Elizabeth begins to train Nick for the day his Grimm powers awaken, so he doesn't blunder his way through life.


Chapter 2: Of Grims and Wessen


Renard watched as his mother spread a salve over the remaining scratches from a Klaustreich he'd arrested that morning. The teen had snatched a purse, and subsequently led Sean and his partner on four block chase before turning on him. When the boy woged Sean's Lowen partner responded in kind, and the Klaustreich charged him thinking he was just a Kehrseite. Oh he enjoyed correcting that misconception.

He was just buttoning up his shirt as the front door banged open and Nick entered, Adalind on his heels. Sean released an irritated growl, he'd been unable to broach the subject of the Hexenbiest with Nick during their weekend in Seattle. How do you convince a teenager a slip of a girl like Adalind was dangerous, without mentioning Wesen. Adalind greeted his mother politely before following Nick into the kitchen where they began pulling out textbooks and notes.

As the teens began working on their homework he followed his mother into her parlor. She secured the room against eavesdropping and activated a mirror that showed them Nick and Adalind in the kitchen. As soon as Adalind's gaze refocused on her textbook Renard spoke, "What game is she playing?"

Elizabeth smirked, "From what I learned Nickolas stood up for her against a couple bullies. Of course he didn't understand the undercurrents of what was happening. The bullies were Wesen, their families had a score with Adalind's mother, so sent their sons to ruff up her daughter." She poured them each a cup of tea before taking a seat facing the mirror, "I have taken to teaching her a few tricks, her mother is a vain creature. All she worries about is seducing another fool into giving up all their money to her."

Sean was wise enough to not mention his mother's own vanity. Frowning he watched the two teens, "So she doesn't know what Nick is?"

"Of course not." Elizabeth smirked, "To her and any other Wesen he is Kehrseite. Though I have been trying to convince Marie to reveal the truth to him. Even if he isn't a Grimm his life will never be fully separated from our world. The Verrat, the Reapers, even the Royals will always be a possible threat to him."

His mother spoke the truth, even if Nick himself never awoke his family's traits, his children or grandchildren could in turn be Grimms. The Reapers would target him to prevent any more Grimms being born, while the Royals and their Verrat lap dogs would want control. A thought suddenly entered his head, a story his father told him before the Queen chased them from the palace.

"The keys...you don't think Marie and Nick have one of the Seven Keys." Sean watched the look cross his mother's face, a look of disapproval she rarely showed him.

After several minutes his mother spoke, "Even if they do, what business is it of ours...if you haven't forgot Sean the Queen would rather take our heads then worry about some ancient legend." Setting her cup aside she glanced to the mirror, "Besides, is your father the kind of man you would want in possession of the Treasure of the Seven?"

Sean had to agree, the King was not a man to be trusted. Their flight from the palace had been evidence of that truth. With a nod he put the idea of the keys aside for now. Instead he returned focus on the teens, who had set aside their homework in favor of joking about something, "Why doesn't his mirror have speakers?"

His mother gave him an exasperated look, "It's a mirror Sean, not a television."


(4 Months Later)


Nick followed Elizabeth and Marie into the trailer storage park. His aunt's trailer sat hidden between several larger ones, if he hadn't seen it before he'd have ignored it. He was still confused about why they were here, kind of like confused by his aunt's sudden arrival this morning. In their last phone call she'd never mentioned a visit, and that had been only three days ago.

Marie glared at Elizabeth, "I'm still not sure about this, bringing him into this before he's ready."

"Marie this isn't something anyone can be made ready for." She glared back at Marie, "Would you rather wait until he's nearly thirty and no choice is left when he starts seeing us. Please even you had some forewarning as a child."

Relenting Marie led them into the trailer, a place Nick had never been allowed since the night he'd left his parents before the accident. The two women stood silently as Nick surveyed the odd collection of books and artifacts. He noticed Elizabeth's curious gaze though her's was more knowing than his.

Finally finding his voice he turned to his aunt, "Wh...What is all this?"

His aunt sighed as she responded, "Our family legacy...You mother and I...We were raised to understand this." Pulling a book from one of the shelves she flipped it open then sat it on the table, "We are known as Grimms, our duty is to protect Kehrseite from these."

Nick wondered what Kehrseite meant as he looked down on the book, a horrid corpselike visage looked back. Below the hand drawn image the word Hexenbiest was written in flowing script. Looking to his aunt he frowned, "What are Kehrseite, and Hexenbiest?"

Elizabeth decided to speak up, "Kehrseite are normal humans...like yourself unless you become a Grimm." Her face took on a serious expression, "As for Hexenbiest..." A twist of her head and her face shifted to resemble the image in the book, but far more horrible. Nick realized the image didn't do Elizabeth justice in how terrifying she looked. Elizabeth continued speaking, her normal musical voice now a rasping sound, "...that would be my people."

Nick looked to his aunt, "You knew what she is?"

Nodding Marie glanced at Elizabeth as she reverted, "Yes, I met Elizabeth and Sean in Russia before you were even born. I was young and wanted to see the world, my boyfriend at the time wouldn't leave my side." A regretful Marie continued, "It was because of him we crossed paths. A Reaper had found us, after dealing with him we had to sneak out of the country. The Verrat had cornered Elizabeth and Sean. I doubt Elizabeth actually needed our aid, but we didn't pause to ask before dealing with the Verrat."

Elizabeth picked up the story from there, "Sean was young, just coming into his true self..."

"Sean's a Hexenbiest too?" Nick interrupted.

A smirk crossed Elizabeth's face, "No, a male Hexenbiest is a Zauberbiest, but Sean is actually only a half-Zauberbiest." She then continued with the story, "As I was saying Sean was just learning to control himself, he woged in front of your aunt, but unlike how I woged to you just now it wasn't meant to be seen. As a Grimm your aunt was able to see it, she of course reacted in true Grimm fashion. After a brief standoff we came to an agreement."

Marie picked up from there, "I helped Elizabeth and Sean get out of Russia, and brought them to a friend of theirs here in Portland. In return Elizabeth was indebted to our family."

As an intelligent teenager Nick quickly pieced the last six months together, "That's why she took me in when you got that job offer?"

"Yes, but not because of the job offer." Marie sighed, "In my younger years I took a hard stance as a Grimm, and often made enemies. There are groups that attack Grimms, some because of what we do, others because of what we are."

Elizabeth noticed Nick starting to figure things out, "You are safe with me Nickolas, that is why your aunt left you with me. My powers make it impossible for anyone to find you unless I let them. As added protection I placed you in a school where I have an ally of sorts, your principal is a Zauberbiest. As far as Zauberbiest go he's decent, though he'll always be trying find ways his students can be of use to him."

"Like all his ilk." Marie rolled her eyes. Closing the Hexenbiest book, she pulled two more from the shelf and along with an envelope handed the stack to Nick, "There's a key to the trailer in the envelope, Elizabeth will bring you to exchange books and answer any questions you have on the other items within the trailer. Do not bring anyone else here, or let them know about this. The fewer people who know the better." She walked over to a cabinet and placed her hand on the door, "Anything outside this cabinet are open to you to look at, but this is off limits until you're a bit older."

Nick nodded before following Elizabeth out of the trailer.


(Following Weekend)


Nick sat at the kitchen island rereading the books he'd taken from the trailer. He was scribbling notes in a notebook, and frowned as he turned the page. He'd been looking into his ancestor's writings on Hexenbiest when he came across another Wesen type, the Mellifer.

He was examining the image of two Mellifer attacking a Hexenbiest when heavy footsteps entered the room, looking across the island he saw Sean enter and slouch on the barstool across from him, "So what are you looking up today?"

Nick turned the book to Sean, "Mellifer...bees."

"Yeah, nasty little gossips those ones." Sean tapped at the image of a Hexenbiest tongue and mark, "They like to think of themselves as the allies of the Grimms, something your ancestors never bothered to argue." The half-Zauberbiest flipped a few pages before stopping on an image of a pig faces man, "Bauerschwein also like to think of themselves that way, at least when it comes to Blutbaden. Although if it came down to a fight I'd much perfer the Blutbad having my back over the Bauerschwein."

Nick read through the Bauerschwein entry then frowned, "Blutbaden eat them...isn't that canabolism?"

Grimacing Sean nodded, "From the outsider perspective that would be true, but in the Wesen community they don't see it that way. There are a lot of Wesen who eat other Wesen and Kehrseite, at least in the past, it's not as common these day. Yet you still have those who follow the old ways."

Pulling another book over Nick opened it to a marked page, "When you came by the other day I overheard you complaining about something called the Lowen Games...I found a mention of it here." Turning the book to Sean the image of two Lowen fighting in an areana was visible, "When I asked Elizabeth about it she said it was a barbaric ritual that should have died out long ago."

"Once again very true," Sean had caught his partner betting on the Lowen Games the previous weekend, "Unfortunately the same thing can be said for Wesen and Kehrseite. The lure of money and power is a slippery slope, once tread it's hard to find your way back up."


To Be Continued