The street was almost abandoned at this time of the day. Kelly stood across the street, eyes on the shop that was open, but had actually little customer traffic. The front was mostly wood, the small windows milky. They let no one look inside. Light came through the glass front higher up. The light brown wood was in harmony with the blue boards decorating the entrance, which was set back a little. Elaborate writing proclaimed this was an Exotic Tea and Spice Shop.
Kelly walked inside, the bell softly announcing her presence. The warm air inside wasn't just physical warmth. It was age. Old shelves, an ancient register, drying herbs hanging from the ceiling, a ladder leaning against the shelves that were filled with boxes and glass containers that showed exotic contents, books between them. The light came from old bulbs that gave everything a soft edge, taking the harshness and transforming it into a coziness never found in the more modern stores.
She sensed the wesen almost immediately and by the reaction of the woman, she knew exactly who Kelly was. Eyes widened and her face shifted.
Fuchsbau.
"No," the woman breathed and stumbled back. "What…" She straightened a little all of a sudden and squared her shoulders, her instinctive reaction making way for bravery. "How can I help you?"
Ah, one with a backbone. Kelly was intrigued. The fuchsbau knew exactly who she was facing and still she wasn't trying to run or begging for her life. Fuchsbau were rarely on a Grimm's radar. They were cunning tradesmen and you better counted your money and every other possession after making a deal with them, but they hardly bothered humans.
"Where is the blutbad?" she asked.
"What?" The fuchsbau's face was by human again, her façade firmly in place. "What blutbad?"
"You heard me. I know he comes here. I know you two have been seen together. Where is he?"
"I don't know what you're talking about!"
Kelly moved fast, fingers already curling around a knife that had been hidden in her sleeve. The fuchsbau gave a cry of alarm and made a run for it, but a Grimm trained for decades wasn't easily fooled. She grabbed the woman and threw her against the wall, holding the knife to the vulnerable throat.
"Where is he?" Kelly repeated calmly.
"I don't know!" she cried, terror in her expression. "I really don't!"
"But you know where he lives."
"No!"
"Lie." It was delivered softly, evenly. "I'm not interested in you, only him. Fuchsbau don't protect blutbaden. So, where is he?"
There was a sudden shift in the air, a little tingle along her spine, and the Grimm knew before she heard the roar of outrage. She let go of the fuchsbau and ducked, rolled around, bringing up the knife, just about missing the blutbad coming at her.
Kelly's foot shot up, hit the wesen in the pit of his stomach and he fell back with a wheeze. She followed that up with another blow and he crashed to the ground. She was on him like lightning and red eyes stared at her in naked fear, his clawed hands making a weak, warding off gesture.
Pathetic.
But strangely enough a confirmation that he was a wieder, not your run-of-the-mill predator.
"You are him," she said softly, knife ready, one hand around his throat.
"I'm not!" he protested. "Whatever you think I'm involved in, I'm not that kind of blutbad! No maiming or killing and no little girls in red! I swear on my grandmother's grave!"
"You're involved with my son."
The wolf features dropped and the human façade stared at her in shock. "What?! No! No, I'm not! I'm not involved with anyone's son. Or daughter. Really! I'm straight. On the straight and narrow. Really straight and very, very narrow!"
She slipped the knife into the sleeve and got up in one fluid motion. He blinked and slowly got to his feet.
"You work with my son," Kelly said after a long second of silently contemplating the taller blutbad. "His name is Nick Burkhardt."
Now he gaped. "Nick? You're Nick's mother?! But… you're… aren't you supposed to be not so alive?!"
She felt almost amused by him. "He said he trusts you."
"Uh, yeah."
The fuchsbau had by now joined the other wesen, looking like she would face down whatever came next. She even placed herself a little in front of the more dangerous blutbad. Yes, she had a backbone.
"And we trust him," she stated bravely. "He's our friend. He helped catch the killers of my brother. And I help him when he needs things."
"As do I," the blutbad added. "He's a really good friend. Really. No ill intent. I swear. I mean, he's a Grimm and it took some getting used to, and, man, he was weird for a Grimm, not that I've met many…uh… right… well, it was a rocky start…" he murmured. "Uhm, I'm Monroe, by the way."
"Rosalee," the fuchsbau added politely.
"Nick told me your names."
"Right!" Monroe said, nodding. "So, uh."
"You came here to threaten us?" Rosalee asked.
Kelly didn't answer, just looked at them in a carefully calculating way. They were a mismatched, unlikely couple. He was scruffy looking, wearing a handknit sweater, pants that were a bit too wide, and a jacket that would fit a much bigger man. The fuchsbau, while not ultra stylish, looked a lot more modern, though also wearing a knit cardigan over a black shirt and older blue jeans.
These were two of her son's trusted allies. A fuchsbau was a gamble already, but trusting a blutbad…?
"I came here to understand," she finally answered.
"Yeah, well, I don't understand him either," Monroe said immediately, then his eyes widened as his brain caught up with his brain. "I mean, I know it's weird. And more weird for you, right? As his not-dead mom. Which is weird all by itself. But he… grows on you. And he's a good guy."
A good guy. A good Grimm. Someone wesen trusted and helped.
Kelly just turned and walked out the shop, thoughts whirling more than before.
X X X
Monroe blinked as the Grimm disappeared like a ghost. One moment she was there, the next she was… out the door without another word. Inside him, something uncurled from the tight knot of tension and fear, and he felt a tremor run through him.
"His mother?" Rosalee startled him. "This was really Nick's mother? He said she's dead."
"I know," Monroe replied, fighting back what he thought was a major bout of PTSD. "And she scared the crap out of me!"
"Me, too," she whispered and slid closer, seeking comfort.
Monroe pulled her into a brief hug. Then he abruptly released her, looking startled by his forwardness and the closeness to the fuchsbau. He gave a brief, helpless smile, then dug out his cell phone.
"You think I should call him?"
"And tell him his not-so-dead-really scary-mother threatened us?"
"Well, not in those words, but… You think she's the real thing? Really? His mother?"
"Is she a Grimm? Definitely!" Rosalee told him firmly. "Those vibes? Uncanny! Grimms have relations, so maybe she is his mother, or someone else from his family."
"Yeah, well, she is that. No doubt about it. The knife was a dead giveaway. She the vibes are creepy. But about the mother stuff? She's dead, right? He said his parents were killed in a car crash!"
"Apparently someone lied."
Monroe stared at her, then shook his head. "No! No, he wouldn't lie about that. I mean, you had to look at him when he told you and you simply knew it was what he believed…" He trailed off. "Man, what he believed! Right! He thought she was dead and she wasn't."
"If she is his mother," Rosalee pointed out.
Monroe started to hit the speed dial. "Gonna find out about that," he muttered.
X X XX XX X X
The light of the sun was slanting through the window, creating warm patterns on the worn wooden table and the tiled floor. The smell of coffee hung in the air, the windows were partially open.
Sean looked at the man stretched out beside him on their shared bed. Nick was still asleep, completely nude, and lying on his stomach. It gave him a good view of the claim mark, which he had renewed without a second thought. The blanket was riding low on Nick's narrow hips, revealing just enough to tease but not enough to call it indecent yet. Sean smiled at the memories of last night.
Nick was no submissive. He was strong-willed, he knew what he wanted, he was demanding, he could take charge, and Sean had found himself giving in now and then. Last night Nick had surrendered to him completely, had arched into his touch. It had been a night of tenderness, mixed with a passion that had left them both breathless and shaken.
Like a reaffirmation of life, he mused. Sometimes he needed that. Especially after Kelly Burkhardt's resurfacing. It had rattled him just as badly as Nick and the younger Grimm had questioned Renard's truthfulness.
No, he hadn't known about it. And yes, he would have told Nick if he had. They had an agreement and where Nick was learning about politics from Frank Rabe and sometimes even from Monroe, some things only the man mated to him could answer.
But Sean hadn't known.
Knowing he had a mother-in-law who was a powerful and feared Grimm wasn't as heart-warming as one might think. If not for the fact that killing a Guardian would bring down Kelly as well, probably kill Nick in turn, Renard might be on her hit list by now.
So last night had been... hot, to put it into one word. He had watched Nick in the throes of climax, arching into him, crying out his name as he came. Sean had held onto him, echoing the cry with a groan of his own, both men linked together in more than this physical way. It had been a meshing of power, of strength, of perfection.
Leaning down now, Sean nipped at his lover's skin, kissing the mark he had left there last night. There was a little murmur from Nick and he turned, sleepy eyes blinking open, and a smile stretched his lips.
"Morning," he murmured.
"Good morning," Sean replied, caressing the smooth, warm back.
"You awake long?" Nick wanted to know, smothering a yawn.
He looked delicious and warm and relaxed. The darkness of the night before had evaporated, though it hadn't disappeared completely. Right now Sean enjoyed the more mellow version of his Grimm, the intensity hidden under the guise of sleepiness.
"A little."
He usually woke before Nick.
"An hour?" Nick teased. "Two?"
"Barely thirty minutes," he replied, bending down to capture the Grimm's lips.
Nick rolled onto his back, wrapped his arms around Sean's neck, and raked his fingers through the short hair.
"What did you do all that time?" came the amused question.
"Watching you."
"Uh-huh. How interesting."
"Yes, it is." Sean looked into the clear gray eyes, saw the amusement and happiness reflected in them, and warmth curled through him.
Nick was filled with so much life, with such optimism and positive energy, it astounded others. He had broken through Sean's defenses and it had left the other breathless.
"I love you," Renard whispered, words he rarely if ever really used..
Nick smiled. Happy, warm, completely open.
iI need you/i, Sean thought. iAnd you're mine. You belong to me alone./i
He had no idea whether it passed along the bond, but the general notion probably did. He could see it in Nick's eyes.
He wouldn't give him up; for anything. Even if Kelly stayed, even if she tried to separate them. Nothing could cut the bond.
"Love you, too," Nick answered.
The Grimm let his fingers play over Renard's skin. It was soothing, a wonderful caress, and he felt himself relax even more. Sean nuzzled the soft skin at Nick's neck and his mate hummed in pleasure. Nick turned his head and their lips bumped into each other.
The resulting kiss was nearly enough to let the Guardian forget about anything but his mate. He finally drew back, grinning at the breathless look in the gray eyes.
It still took them another five minutes to finally leave the bed and Sean wondered if they could make it out of the bathroom on time.
X
As it was, they did make it out of the bathroom in a rather decent time, though Nick had proven to be a tease all the way around. It had reached a moment where Sean had been hard pressed not to just take the invitation and forget whatever they had had planned. Still, he congratulated himself on his self-control.
X
When the phone rang Nick just glanced at the display, brows rising when he saw it was Monroe's name.
"Burkhardt," he answered it.
Renard stopped from where he was tying the knot of his tie, brows lowering in a little frown.
Nick listened for a second, then a "She did what?!" exploded out of him. "Yes, yes, she is and no, it's difficult to explain and I really didn't know, Monroe, honest. I… she threatened Rosalee and asked for you?!"
He pinched the bridge of his nose and Renard was suddenly right there beside him, the vibes coming off him strong enough to reverberate inside Nick's head. Even without the psychic bond he would have sensed it.
"Shit," the Grimm breathed. "Damnit! Why?!"
He listened, his face taking on an expression of disbelief.
"Yes. Thanks, Monroe. I'm really sorry. Really. I didn't know…" A small smile flitted over his features. "Yeah. Thanks. Tell Rosalee I owe her an apology. I owe you both more. I'll make it up. I promise."
When he hung up and turned, the gray eyes reflecting his turmoil, Sean was right there.
"What happened?" the Guardian asked calmly.
"My mother happened. She found Rosalee's shop somehow. I never gave her the address. She threatened her with a knife, demanded to know where Monroe was, and when he defended Rosalee she threatened him as well. Just to get to know them." He raked a hand through his hair. "I wish I knew why. Or what's going on with her!"
"She's testing the waters, Nick."
"By attacking my friends?!"
"The Grimm way of testing the waters."
He glared at his partner. "This isn't testing the waters, Sean! This is harassment and threats and instilling fear and terror because she can!"
"The Grimm way."
"Stop saying it like that! It's not the Grimm way I see it!"
"Nick," Renard said soothingly. "Go and talk to your friends, make sure they are alright. And if you still need a way to work through your anger, let me know. I think we can arrange a training session of a different kind."
Nick grinned. "I might just take you up on that offer."
And then he was out the door and heading for the car. Renard smoothed his tie and smiled to himself.
tbc...
