A/N: I own nothing blah blah.

Revelations Come at a Price

The room in which the Master was sitting was encased entirely in mirrors, giving the room an empty appearance. In it were two vampires, one sitting at a large throne, and myself, standing in silence. The mirrors reflected naught but the throne.

"Well well well, it appears you received my message, dear Arabelle."

"Dmitri." I nodded stiffly. I shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot; my eyes kept glancing back towards the only door. I was desperate to run out of there.

The Russian vampire laughed, speaking in the vampires' German, "I see you have no time for formalities."

"You threatened one of my friends." I cut to the chase; I had no use for his petty games.

Dmitri leaned back, lounging on the throne, "How exactly can you be friends with a Grimm? It's disgusting enough that you limit yourself to criminals."

I bared my fangs, but then allowed my lips to soften into a smile. I knew how I had to handle this. "I am desperate for company, you know." My voice was soft and lilting, "I just have no one to confide in."

He smiled in return and I knew I was steering this in the right direction. "Oh Arabelle, you don't need a rotten Grimm for company." I tightened my lips to stifle a reply. "You have me! I just wanted to get your attention today. No harm meant."

Blatant lies, but I ignored them, "So you'll leave him alone?" His face darkened. I had rushed the ploy.

"That is your fatal flaw, Arabelle. You are too territorial. Too wrapped up in your own little world. You have to learn the rules of our society."

What Dmitri was saying was true. I had a house by myself instead of living in one of the vampire communes. Vampires' talents were wide in range and supposedly communes allowed them to play off these talents, creating a working community. At least, that was the theory and the law by which Dmitri had forced everyone together. I was good at luring in humans, forcing them under my thrall. I was not a sociable creature, preferring to live on the edge of my commune. I escaped, narrowly being able to "convince" Dmitri to let me go. He was fascinated by my abilities and I had used them against him.

I remained silent, prompting him to speak again, "Why don't you just give me what I want and I'll leave your little Grimm and Blutbad alone."

A shiver went down my spine. This was exactly what I wanted to avoid. "I have to live my own life, Dmitri. You said it yourself. I am too territorial." After I had left, he realized what I did to him. He was furious, but never quite had the motivation to come and find me, settling for subtle messages. This murder and story that had threatened Nick was Dmitri's boldest move yet.

He laughed again, "What I said was that you have to learn the rules. I'm lonely, Arabelle. I need a mate."

I was grasping at straws, "What about love? Surely you must seek love to be truly happy."

"Power means the world to me. I must have power."

"Love has its own power."

"You slaughtered the man you loved. Do not speak to me of love."

I stiffened. I saw no way out of this. "You must give me time."

He bared his teeth in what appeared to be a triumphant smile, "The ceremony must take place under the next new moon."

Two weeks. I had two weeks.

Nick sat at a table, opposite Monroe, pouring over a large bound diary. "Are you going to help me look?"

Monroe leaned back in his chair, "You know... You could just ask me if I know anything about vampires."

Nick shot him a thoroughly aggravated look, "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Monroe laughed at a clearly angry Nick, "Watching you work is obviously more amusing."

Nick paused, "Well... Just tell me for god's sake, man." Nick wasn't sure why he felt a sudden sense of urgency, but he was sure that if Arabelle needed help, he wasn't going to be caught making jokes with Monroe.

"I'm not sure if we should be talking about gods here, that's a whole other can of worms."

Nick opened his mouth then closed it again, mentally making a note to ask Monroe about that when their lives weren't quite so hectic.

"The author of that note was the ruler of the vampires who took power about thirty years ago. Before then the vampire ruler was mostly a figurehead, someone who led during wars and the like. Dmitri changed all that. He forced the vampires into large communes so that his power could be directed more efficiently. He wanted to restore vampires to their former glory. You know, classic evil plan. Before all this happened, I may…" Monroe paused and took a deep breath, "have been friends with a few vamps. When they were swept away, I naively went to visit them. Turns out Dmitri didn't really care for Blutbads."

Nick nodded, "I can't really see you as a friend to the vampires, but sure... Carry on."

"Its not a thing I admit easily," Monroe bared his teeth in a sort of smile. "Anyway, I got an intimate look at their new society and how vampires in general operate. There are three types of vampires. The first type is the strong one. These vamps protect the communes and are known for their immense strength. The second are the brains. They are particularly gifted at making potions and growing delicate ingredients for said potions."

"And the last type?" Nick prompted.

"The last type of vampire is charged with luring in humans to feed the colonies. They use seduction and can place victims under their thrall to bend them to their will. I believe Arabelle is the third type."

Nick tried to look astounded, but he honestly wasn't. Arabelle was beautiful in her human form and when she changed, she wasn't an animal like the rest. Her beauty was simply more angular and sharp. "Why do you think so?"

Monroe laughed, "Well, Nick, if you could take her so easily in a fight, she's obviously not the first type." Nick glared at him. "The brainy vampires were the only ones who supported the communes. They aren't the best hunters and are generally weaker. Arabelle has her own house and obviously doesn't live in a commune."

Nick resisted the urge to smile. It was his luck that he landed a beautiful vampire... Albeit one who seemed to be in a little bit of trouble. "But what about the murder and the note?"

"I'm not entirely sure about that, but I have an idea. Before Dmitri's rule, a vampire could only be a legitimate ruler with a wife since she would hopefully provide him with the skills of a different type of vampire. As you can imagine, they mostly consisted of Arabelle's type of woman."

Nick rolled his eyes and motioned for Monroe to continue.

"Dmitri does not have a mate. I think he wants Arabelle and will use her apparent attachment to you in order to get it."

I had been at home only a few hours after my encounter with Dmitri and already I knew I had to see Nick. It was a royal mess I found myself in, quite literally. My hand toyed with the telephone cord, my fingers resting on the plastic numbers. I was not a sociable creature, but I had a few acquaintances.

"Hello, Charles?"

"Ah, Arabelle, my favorite vampire."

I smiled, "My favorite Klaustreich." Believe it or not, our two species got along fabulously, perhaps due to penchants for both seduction and aggression.

"What can I do for you?"

"I'm in a bit of a tight spot with vampire royalty." He made a sympathetic noise, "And I was wondering if you knew where that Grimm lived."

I heard a low chuckle on his end. "The royals want him dead? About time. Sure you can handle it?"

"You know me, Charles," I purred.

"Up to your old tricks again? Come see me if you're ever in a difficult spot… financially." I grimaced. He relayed me the address. Charles was obviously in the mood to reminisce, but I hung up as fast as I could, the very subject of my own past making me sick. I wasn't proud of what I had to do to get out of the commune, but I was not going back. I realized the tone in which I had talked to him seemed seductive, but the product of my seduction was what disgusted me. Sure I had a talent for this sort of thing, but I found that lately, I could not tolerate how they treated me.

I alighted on his doorstep, fully ready to plead for my life. To plead for his help. To plead for my freedom. My fist hit the door.

Surprisingly the woman from the café opened the door, "Hello. Can I help you?"

I attempted to contain my shock, "Um, I'm Arabelle and I was looking for Nick."

She narrowed her eyes and I knew she recognized me. "You're the one Nick was chasing after the night he…" The woman lowered her eyes.

"Yes. I'm sorry about that." I looked past her into the house. There were boxes lining the walls; it was obvious that she was moving out. The apology sounded false to my own ears and I wondered why I had said it.

"Right. He's not here."

I simply stared at her, hoping that if I kept quiet she might keep talking.

She sighed delicately, "I might know where he is though. Hold on." She turned around and disappeared into the house for a few minutes. I wondered if she was actually going to come back.

"Here." The woman returned and handed me a small piece of paper with an address written on it, "My name is Juliette, by the way. Nick might have neglected to tell you." Juliette grimaced.

I offered her a small smile, "Thank you so much. You don't know how much this means to me."

She turned around, "You're welcome." Her voice was curt, and then the door was closed.

Whew, I thought. I was not expecting that. With a few flaps of my wings, I arrived at a junkyard. Thinking she must have led me here out of spite, I rechecked the address. I turned the paper over and saw a quickly sprawled note. He's in the trailer on row five.

Suddenly, I knew I recognized this place. Nick brought me here after we first met. I could only hope he would help me now as he did that day.

Author's Note: Hey guys, sorry for the wait and probable disappointment with this. I dislike calling this a filler chapter, but it does set up the main conflict so all of that wordy dialogue was necessary. I hope everyone will forgive for this and keep reading! Love you and please review 3

~Margaret