Happy New Years everybody! Hope you all had a great holiday!
So this chapter was originally supposed to be two separate chapters to build some suspense, but since it has been such a long wait between updates and the Holiday's are making me feel merry...well...here you go:)
Also, thanks so much for all the reviews, favs, and follows. They really help keep me going and focused on getting more chapters written down faster! Please enjoy this next piece of plot:)
The drive back to the precinct felt like an eternity to Nick. Finally they had something, a witness. As long as everything plays out the way it should, they'll be one step closer to finding these guys and hopefully before they have the chance to hurt anyone else.
He parks in the first spot he sees, the car's probably halfway into the next spot but at this point, he doesn't even care. Stuffing his keys into his coat pocket, he practically sprints across the parking lot and to his desk where he finds a man is calmly seated. Catching sight of the man who he assumes must be their witness is relieving but at the same time a little strange. The closer he got to the witness, the more he felt a certain familiarity associated with him. It was…different…but not unpleasant. It felt like a breath of fresh air or that warm feeling you get after smelling a familiar scent with a memory attached. The feeling made him pause in his long strides, but he quickly shook it off and kept walking.
Figuring he must know the guy, Nick took the time he had before he would reach his desk to actually look at the witness. The man appeared to be somewhere in his mid thirties with dark hair brushed off his face and swept to the right. He was lean, but had an athletic look to the way he held himself with dark eyes and chiseled features. All together the guy had an honest, clean-cut look, Nick surmised making his way closer. He tried his best to ignore the weird vibes he was getting from the man for now, he's probably just Wesen, he reasoned to himself. God knows he got a lot of creatures coming through here on a daily basis. He should probably keep his guard up though and if the guy woges, don't look in his eyes. That's all he needs is for their witness to blame him for the beheading of the three victims. Walking by the coffee machine, he quickly grabs a small shot of caffeine in a cup, taking a sip as he neared the witness.
The man looks up at him as he reaches his desk and sticks out his hand, "You must be Detective Burckhardt, pleasure to meet you," he said shaking his hand. He does a little start when he sees Nick pause, left eyebrow cocked, "Oh sorry, I'm the witness for the Jameson murder. My name is Hayden."
Nick smiles politely and gives one last shake before reclaiming his hand. He notes the man has a slight accent, barely noticeable. It must be somewhere in Europe he figures as he sits down in his chair, putting his coffee down next to his keyboard. "Okay Hayden, why don't you tell me what you saw today that made you suspicious," He asks deciding to forego the interrogation room for now. Pretty much everyone in the precinct was either out for lunch or standing around the coffee machine so there wasn't that much noise in the large room.
Hayden paused, eyes unfocused and mind elsewhere, "Well let's see, I was out on my afternoon jog like usual when I saw something really strange or at least I thought I saw something really strange… there was a dumpster in the way so I didn't see much but what I did see unnerved me a little bit," he hesitated and squinted a little as if recollecting his thoughts. Nick waited patiently until the witness spoke again.
"I saw two men standing in that alley; one's body was blocked by the dumpster so I only saw half of him but the other I could see all of and he was carrying this curved blade that looked sort of like a-a-"
"Scythe?" Nick offered when Hayden seemed at a loss for words.
"Yeah, that. Like what you always see Death holding or the Grimm Reaper…" Hayden muttered, appearing deep in thought.
Nick's eyes shot to Hayden's face at the sound of both the words Grimm and Reaper in the same sentence. He quickly tried to search the other man's face, trying to get a hint on what kind of creature he could be because that line could only be one of two things…either a really weird coincidence or a very obviously laid hint. But if he was Wesen, he didn't let anything show, the innocence in his eyes covering much of anything else. Nick definitely wasn't convinced. About to ask the next question he had ready, he was interrupted by the sound of his name being called. Looking over, he saw both Hank and the Captain beckoning to him from inside his office.
With a low sigh at the horrible timing, he pulled himself up and out of the chair, "Excuse me one second,"
"Quite alright, I'll just see what else I can remember," he replied helpfully, a friendly smile lighting his features.
This had better be important, he thought darkly as he made his way to Renard's office. Any other time would be fine but right now he was just wasting time. Walking into the office, he closed the door with more force than was necessary and turned to face his Captain.
Renard, like always, was seated behind his desk. He had his fingers folded and was gazing over them, the perfect picture of ease and confidence while he waited for Nick to sit down. But Nick felt too agitated to sit. After a couple seconds of silence, he realized that the Captain wasn't going to speak until he relaxed. With a low sigh, he slowly lowered himself into his usual spot beside Hank and waited for Renard to talk.
Without looking up, Renard leaned forward and shuffled a pile of papers he had in front of him, finally switching his intense gaze to the two Detectives, "I know this case has been frustrating for the two of you especially given the circumstances, but I managed to get in contact with a connection I have in Europe. He did some digging, but found that this particular information was heavily guarded and wasn't able to find much," Renard looked down and chose a paper out of the stack he held in front of him, sliding it across the desk, "He did, however, find this."
Looking at what turned out to be a photo, Nick's heart skipped a beat when he recognized himself in the picture. It was a snapshot of him walking down the street and holding a cup of coffee in his hand. He resisted the urge to pick up the photo and instead focused his gaze on Renard waiting for him to explain, his hands clenched into fists on his legs.
"This was found along with some important personnel files," he pulled out two more sheets of paper, "One name is Henry Brandt and the other is Armin Herrmann, although I suspect they traveled here under different names." Renard looked between the two detectives. "This doesn't limit us to two assassins. By the look of things, they want Nick and they'll keep sending Reapers until they get him."
After a short, tension-filled silence, Hank spoke, "How do we handle this?"
"Very carefully," Renard cautioned, pulling out a third piece of paper. "There was a third name found alone, it was sent to me as a precaution. I believe he too may be traveling under a different name, the one we have here is Kurt Jaeger."
Nick stared at the pieces of paper on Renard's desk, eyes fixed on the names as Renard continued to talk. The first two names obviously had to be the Reapers because of the personnel files, but the third name…what kind of professional was being brought in that had no title? Probably someone who used secrecy to their advantage if they didn't have a personnel file. Either way, they wouldn't be able to hide from him forever. One way or another, these murders were going to stop and if the end result was two dead Reapers, all the better, he thought darkly.
As if sensing Nick's dark thoughts, Renard turned his attention to him. "Nick…Nick," he repeated himself when the Grimm didn't take his eyes off his desk. "I want you to stay in the precinct for now. Just until we have a better idea of what we're dealing with."
Nick felt his eyes widen at Renard's words. He is not suggesting he go into protective custody and get pulled from the case! Not now!
"They're looking for you; it'll be safer for everyone if you stay on the sidelines," the Captain continued, ignoring the incredulous look he was getting from Nick and the slightly relieved one from Hank.
"Captain…I can't stay here," Nick began, "They're just going to keep on killing people until they find me!"
"It's not a suggestion, Nick," The Captain commanded, voice changing and rumbling with an authority that seemed to come naturally. "You don't seem to understand the role you play in all of this. We need you alive."
Nick abruptly stood out of his chair, anger flaring inside him. If he didn't want to completely lose his temper, he had to get out of that office before he said something he would regret.
Walking out the door, neither Hank nor the Captain tried to stop him which was a big relief. He needed to try and figure out what exactly was happening and he needed some time to do that...preferably away from the Captain and Hank. Catching sight of the precinct's small and kind of shabby looking coffee machine; he knew exactly what he needed.
Making a beeline for the coffee, he tried his best to take some deep breathes. All these emotions were definitely not helping with his thinking process. Pouring himself a cup of the much needed caffeine, he turned around to face the room now filled with bustling people and took a sip. Thinking back to what the Captain had said right before he left, he realized Renard was right…he didn't understand the role he played, or at least, the role everyone wanted him to play.
He still felt conflicted and definitely confused when it came to Renard; all he knew was that his gut was telling him one thing while his head was telling him another. He didn't know which was right at this point, but he definitely felt like he couldn't trust Renard when he would say things involving the terminology "we" in how much he was needed alive. To be honest, it just pissed him off that Renard was so worried about him when there were much more important things to be worried about right now, like the Reapers or that one mysterious name on the list or even the potential innocent victims that could be killed because they were wasting their time worrying about the stupid, scheming Royals and whatever the hell else was interested in him right now.
Focusing on the witness sitting at his desk, he breathed in and out, trying to slow his racing thoughts. He just had to focus on this witness right now, because he was pretty much the best lead they had. Taking another drink from his coffee, he watched as a deputy walked in between his line of sight with Hayden, stopping in front of his desk like he was talking with the witness.
Curiosity peaking as to what the officer wanted with Hayden, he walked over to his desk dropping his empty cup in the trash on the way and sat—or more like collapsed—into his chair.
The Police officer jumped slightly at the sound of Nick dropping into his seat and turned to face him with a worried look, "Oh, sorry Detective…I was just asking the witness a quick question,"
Nick nodded, doing his best to look as non-threatening as he could. Now that he had a better view of the officer, he recognized him as one of the few Wesen that worked a couple desks away from him and had found out about him being a Grimm. Which unfortunately meant the guy couldn't even look at him without at least Wogeing once in a fit of nervousness. As if reading his thoughts, the officer woged into a Maushertz with a nervous twitch of his head.
Raising an eyebrow, Nick only watched as the Maushertz stuttered his way through whatever it was he was trying to say next. On an impulse, he quickly glanced at Hayden—who was also watching the nervous officer—just to make sure he wasn't noticing anything strange about the Wesen's behavior, but what he saw made him hastily do a double-take, eyes widening in shock.
Hayden's eyes were black—pitch black—and it wasn't just the pupils, the darkness stretched throughout the irises too!
He couldn't look away, even when they flickered off of the Wesen standing next to them to meet his own. At a loss for words, he could only stare into what looked like a dark and soulless abyss as a strange emotion grew in the pit of his stomach. It was almost like fear, but not quite…there was a weird twist to the feeling, making him feel almost exhilarated like he had just gotten into a fight and won. It was then that he put together the weird familiarity he had felt when he had first saw him with what he was feeling and seeing now.
Hayden was a Grimm.
Nick continued to stare even though the eyes in front of him had long ago changed back to a dark brown, his mind cleared of all thoughts except for one. His witness was a Grimm. The same witness who had apparently seen Reapers kill an innocent girl and lived to tell about it. He watched as the Grimm across from him smiled, the frightened Maushertz long ago having scurried away to the safety of his desk.
"I guess we have more to talk about than I thought."
"Yeah, I guess we do," Nick said furrowing his brow. A deep distrust began to unfurl inside him as he noticed how calm and very unsurprised Hayden was acting at finding another Grimm. That alone was enough to make him uneasy. He didn't like feeling outmatched, especially towards someone like him. Feeling the same familiarity from earlier spike deep in both his head and chest at the thought of finding another Grimm, he quickly squished those emotions and stared at Hayden, doing his best to keep his face as emotionless and blank as possible.
"You're a Grimm."
"Yes," he gestured towards his eyes, "You know these always seem to give me away."
"I know the feeling," Nick prompted sitting back down in his chair and crossing his arms tightly over his chest. He was trying his best to hide just how desperately he wanted to hear more about this mysterious other Grimm before him, but had a feeling he was failing miserably judging by the small smirk that was fighting its way onto Hayden's face.
Giving him a contemplative look, Hayden gave a small chuckle, "I guess you do," he said a bit curiously before giving a daring smile, "it sure is one hell of an experience to see it for yourself though, right? I really don't understand all the commotion though, a bit unnerving yes, but not warranted such a strong reaction, don't you think?"
"Considering our history, I think it's at least a little expected," he answered receiving a polite nod of acknowledgment from Hayden in return.
"True," he said then chuckled, "and quite fitting. Could you imagine a world where Wesen would look at us and not tremble in fear?"
He considered that for a second. It was true—he really hated the reactions he got whenever a Wesen recognized him because the encounter usually ended with him either having to chase them down or fend for his life…two things he really wouldn't mind going a week without. But then there were also those times when he would have to use that fear to his advantage. It was rare, but sometimes he needed information that could determine whether a life was lost or not. Intimidation was the quickest way to get him that information.
He noticed Hayden was watching him, an expectant look on his face as if he were waiting for his agreement, but Nick didn't trust him enough to give anything about himself away quite yet. Deciding it was time to get back to the real issue, he asked the first question that's been on his mind since he saw the guy's eyes turn black, "Why are you in Portland?"
"Yes, yes, down to official business are we? Well no reason not to I suppose…" he admitted surveying the precinct before turning back to look at Nick directly, lowering his voice and leaning closer in his seat, "What do you know of a creature known as a Merken vogel?"
Nick racked his brain, thinking back to all the entries he's read in Aunt Marie's—or more like his—books. The name sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't put a face to match, "Not a lot, it's some kind of bird creature, isn't it?" he guessed recognizing some of the German.
"Right you are. A Merken vogel, which translates directly to mean 'mischievous bird', resembles that of a tropical bird with a small beak, bright feathers, and a rather interesting ability. They have the ability to copy one's voice to the point where it's essentially identical to the original owner's. I'm sure you can imagine the mayhem this creates."
Well that didn't sound good, a Wesen who could don the voice of anyone it meets? It did sound familiar though… thinking back to his conversation with Monroe and Rosalee earlier that afternoon; this might just be able to fill in a few blanks for them. He would check the books later on, just to make sure Hayden's facts were straight, but first he was going to find out more about this Grimm and his intentions. He glanced back at Hayden only to find the man studying him in return, his dark, inquisitive eyes searching his own.
"You've come in contact with this creature, haven't you?" he asked slowly and not waiting for Nick to respond, he continued in an eager verging on desperate voice, eyes lighting up, "I've been hunting this creature since Seattle, I have tracked him believing his destination is to seek safety in Alaska. But for some reason, he has stopped here in Portland…it doesn't make much sense, travelling North to escape one Grimm only to stop in the territory of another." Hayden speculated, his intense gaze holding his own, "We should work together to find him. You've obviously heard of him, it's written all over you face, and I know how to locate him. We could get him together." Hayden urged, barely contained excitement bursting out of his voice.
Nick shook his head. That definitely was not going to happen, "I don't think that's a good idea, Hayden. This is my territory, this Wesen is my responsibility. I think it'd be best if I took care of it alone," he practically demanded, surprising himself with the fierce protective nature that came over him at the thought of another Grimm hunting creatures in his territory.
Hayden was quiet for a bit, staring at the floor until looking up once again, taking a deep breath before letting it out slowly, "You know Nick, there aren't much of us left. I've searched the whole West Coast and even some East only to come up empty. I'm not sure if you realize, but this makes us even more valuable to those who benefit from our services," he hesitated, some inner turmoil rolling through his eyes, "I think the best way for us to stay alive is to stick together and do what needs to be done to show that not only are we powerful individually, but unstoppable as one."
Nick paused, feeling something almost like want develop in his chest. For a second, he could picture exactly what Hayden was saying. Alone, they would get picked off one by one until they eventually went extinct, but together, they could fight back and stop the Reapers and the Royals and whoever else dared to get in their way.
Wait. He ran a hand through his hair, tousling the dark strands a little bit. What am I thinking?
Survival and the only way to teach any Wesen who dared come kill in this territory what was coming to them, a dark voice inside him argued back.
He met Hayden's gaze and for a second, he almost said yes. He wanted to say yes. He wanted a companion that would truly understand the world he walked in, not accepted in the creature world, but also not belonging to the human world. Misunderstood, judged, feared— a feeling that no other creature could know in quite the same way. But then a small voice spoke in his head, a weak but annoyingly logical voice that said this wasn't him. He was a cop and that meant he had rules, he had lines to stand behind, he had morals that if broken he knew would haunt him for the rest of his life.
Making up his mind, he knew what he had to say.
"No, I'll find this creature and arrest him before he does anymore damage." Looking into Hayden's eyes as he finished, he could almost swear that the other Grimm's eyes flashed black again, but before he could confirm what he saw, they were back to brown, a sad smile accompanying them.
"I understand," he looked around the precinct from left to right before sighing and standing up out of his chair, "I should probably take my leave then."
Nick watched Hayden as he slowly began to walk away, trying to contain the bubbling need to yell for the other Grimm to wait. "You're staying in town though, right?" Nick practically blurts out before he could stop himself making Hayden stop walking in the middle of the bustling precinct. He can feel his cheeks burning as half the eyes in the precinct turn to stare at him. Focusing his gaze on the scarf wrapped around Hayden's neck, he quickly offered an explanation, "In case we need to contact you again for the investigation."
"I'll be sticking around, I came all this way after all," Hayden states as he begins walking again. Looking over his shoulder, he throws one more thing out, "I'll see you soon, Nick."
And with that, he disappears behind a group of uniforms and Nick is left sipping from his coffee and trying to figure out what the hell just happened.
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