AN: Welp, here we are chapter seven. Still a couple more to go. Dry your eyes.
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"I need a favor," Nick began.
"Name it, Nick."
"I need you and Rosalee to keep an eye on Adalind and Kelly while Meisner and I are doing this."
"Sure, Nick," Monroe agreed.
"And I need you to not let her know you're keeping an eye on her."
"Oh. Oh-kay. Monroe said, looking confused. "And why are we keeping that from her?"
"I just don't want her to be worried that something might happen. She's been really worried and I'm regretting telling her about it. She doesn't know when it's supposed to happen and I'd like to just be in and out with it before she even realizes."
"Are you worried something might happen to them?"
"I don't know. Maybe. I would just feel better if she and the baby weren't alone."
"Okay. Yeah, okay, I mean Rosalee can invite her to dinner or something," and Nick nodded. He turned to look back down at the schematics covering the workbench in the basement of Rosalee's spice shop. He heard Monroe shuffle restlessly beside him, but he focused on going over the plan one more time.
"Say, uh, Nick. Speaking of that-You mind if I ask you something about Adalind?"
"Hmm? What?" Nick replied, distracted.
"Is there…uh, is there something going on between you two?"
Nick looked up. "Why would you ask that?"
"Uh, no reason, it's just…at the police station, there definitely was a vibe between you two."
Nick felt a pit in his stomach. Perhaps that's what had had Renard so curious about them, too. Was it that obvious? Not that he was trying to hide his…relationship…with Adalind, it's just…he wasn't broadcasting it. He was still unsure how to define his relationship anymore with Adalind. Baby-mama? Girlfriend? Lover? Friends with some fringe benefits? Hexenbiest that had tried to kill him and all his friends repeatedly over the years before she tricked him into having sex with her to strip him of his Grimm powers and became pregnant with his child as a result? He didn't want to answer any questions about it until he knew for sure where he stood, and right now he stood at a precipice.
"I mean, I'm sure I'm totally reading this wrong, it's just the other day seeing you two together, and then I remembered something Trubel had said…"
"What did Trubel say?"
"Nothing, really," Monroe hastened to explain when he saw the dark look on Nick's face. "It was just the way she said it. That you guys might be involved in some way."
Nick looked down at the blueprints, unseeing.
"If I'm way out of line, just tell me," Monroe said.
You're way out of line. It was on the tip of his tongue to do just that, but he was he really going to continue lying to friends? To himself?
"It's complicated," Nick breathed, and Monroe ducked forward closer to him in shock.
"Wow. Wow. It's—it's true? Wow. Oh-kay, then."
Nick looked heavenward with his eyes.
"I mean that's good, buddy. You're moving on from Juliette…with…Adalind." Monroe choked out before adding, "I mean, that's good. Good. Good, good, good."
"Will you stop saying that?"
"Sorry. Sorry. I just…wha-how? How did that even happen?" Monroe got out and held his hands over his mouth like he hadn't meant to say that.
"I don't know," Nick admitted. "Living together, the baby...It just…did," he finished lamely, unsure how to put words to it either.
"Well, that's…great!" Monroe said, trying his best to play the supportive friend. "I mean…it it…is it serious? Are you in love with her?"
"More serious than having a kid and trying to raise it together? I don't know," Nick murmured. "We're still trying to figure things out. It's complicated," he said again. "It's not like we're a couple in the usual sense."
"She did try to kill you," Monroe nodded in agreement. "And Juliette. And Hank, Rosalee, me a couple of times," he added.
"Yes," Nick agreed tersely.
"And she was pretty much responsible for the entire—"
"Monroe! Believe me I'm aware."
"Right. Sorry buddy."
"Besides, she's…she's a lot different now."
"Right, I mean she's no longer a Hexenbiest, really," Monroe said, watching Nick closely. "Well, I mean, that's good. If you're happy, I'm happy."
Nick gave him a look. "No, you're not, but it's fine. I'm not even sure if I am happy, but surprisingly, I'm not miserable. There might be some happiness here and there."
"What? I'm not unhappy. It's not like I want you to be miserable. You've been running on auto-pilot since the whole thing blew up with Juliette. It's understandable if you're a little confused about things. Like you say, tight quarters and all."
"But see, I'm not sure I am confused," Nick said heatedly.
"Whoa, okay. Okay."
"Sorry, it's just I'm so sick of hearing it. Believe me, I've been over it a million times myself. Close quarters, sentimental because she's the mother of my child, losing Juliette, loneliness. It's not any of those, or it's all of those, I don't know."
It was quiet, the sound of Rosalee above them taking care of customers the only noise for a long moment.
"She's not as bad as everyone thinks she is. Or at least she's not like that anymore. She's a good mom. She's kind of funny, and warm-hearted. I think she really wants to try and be different from how she was before she lost her powers. We're both really trying."
"She's serious about keeping them lost, too."
"What do you mean?"
"She told Rosalee she doesn't want to be a hexenbiest again. In fact, she and Rosalee have been researching ways to keep her from ever regaining her powers permanently."
"What?"
"Yeah, so…yeah…I think you may be right, about her trying."
Nick mulled the information over.
"Look, if anyone deserves to some happiness in this last year, it's you Nick. And if she makes you happy…even a little bit…I can find a way to deal with it."
Nick nodded.
"Thanks."
"No problem, man."
Nick gestured to the plans. "Can we get back down to business now?"
"Absolutely."
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For once he arrived home early, and was rewarded for the effort with an empty loft. He dropped his badge and keys on the counter and sifted through the mail before tossing it back down on the counter again. The single bed that Trubel had stayed in was made up, and Nick realized it had been weeks since she'd been in the loft. He noted with a dry snort that the utilitarian bedding had been replaced with something that no doubt fell under the "non-ugly" category. He looked across the loft and registered a few other changes he hadn't paid attention to. Wall art dotted the cinderblock walls, breaking up the cold sterile room. A couple of lamps now lit the space, providing softer light than the harsh fluorescent. He noted one sat on a small end table next to the contemporary chair and ottoman she had somehow managed to fit into the car and get up into the loft herself.
He had broken down and had helped her haul a glider rocker into the bedroom so they could rock Kelly to sleep.
There was a sense of warmth and hominess despite the space, and he almost felt bad for not letting her have more leeway with converting it into something livable instead of strictly functional.
It was only supposed to be temporary, he thought. Just someplace safe and away from the threats while he tried to figure their situation out. That had been eight months ago.
Slowly, so carefully he almost hadn't noticed, she had tried her best and made a home here for them. Kelly would probably take his first steps here, say his first words somewhere in this room. And looking around him he was dismayed to think his son might grow up in this stark, barren place. There wasn't even a room for Kelly. He had always just envisioned Kelly staying with his mom for whatever unspecified, but what he had assumed to be short—shorter than eight months—amount of time he thought that they would all be living together. Now he realized that sooner rather than later he would need a designated space for him.
The elevator clanged and he pulled his thoughts away from the loft, waiting for the lift to rise. He was greeted by the sight of Adalind, grinning widely in surprise to see him.
"Hey. You're home early," she said, popping up to kiss him. He reached for her as she pulled back and within seconds it had gone from fairly chaste to deep and passionate.
"Whoa," Adalind breaking away for a moment. "Are you okay, Nick?"
"Fine," he said, trying to resume where they had left off, but she pressed a hand against him and managed to stay just out of reach. "Easy tiger. Baby in the room," she said, relaxing her arm when Nick backed off a little and looked at his son, curious eyes locked on his parents.
"Right," he said, and Adalind nodded and patted him on the chest.
"Seriously, everything okay?"
"Yeah, everything's fine." She nodded again, and picked up Kelly from his stroller and set him on the floor with a couple of toys, and moved to the kitchen, gathering ingredients for dinner, and he leaned on the other side of the counter alternating watching her and keeping an eye on Kelly. "So what have you guys been up to?"
"Park," Adalind said. "The one over on Lincoln and Wilfordshire. He likes the swings, and I like the gardens. And it's just down the street from my favorite coffee shop."
"Ah," Nick said.
"What about you? How was your day?"
"Spent most of it with Monroe, going over some things in our investigation," Nick said.
"Right," Adalind replied, frowning. "The investigation. How's that going?"
"Good."
He watched her in silence for a moment, listening to Kelly bang a toy against the floor.
"I told Monroe about us."
"You told Monroe what?" She said.
"About us. I told Monroe about us."
"Us?"
"Yeah, us."
"Oh."
"Are we an…us?" she asked, and Nick would have been annoyed by the question had there not been the hopeful lilt at the end of it.
"I think so."
She nodded, arranging her ingredients for dinner, but she had already arranged them once, and Nick spied a pleased smile playing on her lips.
"How did he take it?"
"He was…surprised," Nick said carefully, and the smile dimmed. "But supportive," and she met his eyes.
"Really?" she said, skeptical.
"Really," he confirmed. "I mean, I don't think he's going to go out and buy us monogrammed towels or anything, but I think he might be more receptive to the idea than either of us might have thought."
"Wow."
"So…is that the reason you're so glad to see me, tonight? I mean, not that I'm complaining."
"I can't just miss you?" he asked.
"You can miss me," she said with a kiss of apology and busied herself with dinner. Nick grabbed a beer out of the fridge and watched his son play for a while.
"He's so close to crawling," Adalind remarked. "We're going to have to baby-proof everything in the apartment."
He took a swig of his beer and nodded, glancing up at the place again.
"I was just thinking about this place before you came in."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Not sure that I ever thought we would be here this long."
"You mean, together, here with me," she quipped.
"Yeah," he admitted. "This was just to hold us until I could figure something out for you guys."
She nodded in understanding.
"We may need to look at something else. More child friendly."
Adalind looked up in surprise. "You mean, move?"
"Yeah," he said, not understanding the undertone he detected there.
"Why?"
"Why?" he asked again.
"It's fine."
"Are we talking about the same place? The dungeon-y place," he reminded her.
"It needs some sprucing up," she said. "if somebody would just let me redecorate…"
"There's not even a room for Kelly. I mean, we can't all share the same room forever can we?"
Because at one point he'd like to have sex again now that it was on the table.
"What about upstairs?
"Upstairs?
"Yeah," She pointed to the metal stairs that led up to the roof.
"That goes up to the roof," he said. Adalind rolled her eyes.
"No, it goes up to an anteroom that has another door that leads to the roof. That space would be perfect for us." Us. It was a jolt to it hear it said back to him.
He grimaced. "Are we talking the same space?"
"Yes. You just don't see the potential here, Nick," she said, clearly warming to the topic. "Some paint, some decent furniture, some décor. This could actually be a really nice place."
"You're serious?"
"Yes."
She had obviously given it some thought, and then he remembered all those decorating and home improvement magazines she had been reading.
"I am NOT going shopping with you for any of it," he said flatly, and Adalind faintly thrummed with excitement.
"I wouldn't want you to."
Nick snorted.
"Honestly," She continued, "After the last time, I mean you complained the whole time. Besides, Rosalee is a much better shopping companion."
"Right," he said, wondering if Rosalee had any idea what she was in for.
"Does that mean I can get a sofa, and we can bring some of real furniture in here?"
He nudged George over to Kelly, who ignored him in favor of his plastic police car. It apparently made the siren sound, too, but sometime over the last week Kelly had broken that part of it.
"We'll sell most of what I've got in storage. You can use that as your budget for the loft."
"Nick!"
Nick shook his head. "I don't want most of it. We'll get new," and Adalind agreed hesitantly, but Nick was positive it was the right decision to make. The things that he and Juliette had picked out when they had a life together had no business here. "You'll have to be careful. Order it and have it sent to Rosalee's shop, and then I'll rent a truck and we'll move it ourselves. I still don't want to risk too many people knowing about this place."
"So that's a yes."
Nick rolled his eyes. "Yes," he said with a great sigh. Adalind shrieked, catching Kelly's attention and flew around the counter to hug Nick excitedly. She looped her arms over his head and around his neck and kissed him deeply, and they spent several long moments enjoying and exploring the sensation.
"Thank you," she said.
"You're welcome," he murmured with another light kiss on the corner of her mouth. She clapped her hands excitedly and went back to dinner.
"You won't regret it!"
"I already do," he replied.
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