SPNGR 9

Follow up from the last chapter: Nick's strong moral character may seem like a contradiction to his torturing the Levi with Renard.

Here's my logic: If it was human, or even the worst Wesen ever, Nick would not have tortured the non-Roberts. But once you see a Levi snacking on a human leg like it's a hoagie, the being itself becomes more of an abstract concept. I wanted to show the anger release for Nick. Normally, he would never go full Grimm on anyone because of his moral character, but this gave him a moment to embrace his genetic/inherent Grimm bloodlust without guilt. His anger has been building for a while: finding out about Sean, keeping Wesen a secret, all the Verrat/Laufer drama, it takes a toll. Plus his human stress of Juliet losing her memory of him and knowing keeping secrets is partially to blame for the whole coma-thing. Now he meets Winchesters, an angel, a demon and is face to face with a monster from Purgatory... The guy's just a raw nerve, better he de-stresses on a Levi than suddenly snap on anyone else.
I also wanted Nick and Sean to 'bond' over something that was not Wesen/Grimm related. They needed something to see and understand the darkness in one another without upsetting their new found alliance.

PM if you want to have a more in-depth discussion about this or any other points of contention in the story.

Disclaimer: Mine! They're all mine! Mwhah- No, wait… I own nothing, save this story about them. *sigh*


Rosalee diligently changed the dressings on Meg's wounds with quick but gentle touches. She applied a salve from her shop.

"This's a powerful antibacterial agent; it may sting."

"Have you tested it on a demon?"

"If it can keep Hasslichen wounds clean, then yours should be a piece of cake." She paused "Plus, this body is basically human, isn't it?"

"Why are you being so nice to me? You do understand what a demon is, don't you?"

"I understand that there are those that rebel against their pre-dispositioned instincts and do what they feel is right and not just what is expected of them."

"You're talking about the world's most gentle Big Bad Wolf. the only Grimm who isn't into decapitation, and a wicked witch who wants to be good..." Meg smiled "Not me."

"I don't see the difference. You're acting against your nature, Just like Nick and Monroe. And Captain Renard. It seems Castiel is going against his nature too." She smiled and tried to make a gruff voice "The angelic being's unsuccessful attempt to conceal his affection for your demonic beauty is endearing."

Both women laughed and then Meg sighed. "I know; he's adorable, isn't he? I hate him, and if demons could love, I'd... You know. OK, I hate that there's a part of me that wants him to redeem me; I hate that I crave his light... And I love his dark side, the side that rebels against Heaven. I love the idea of corrupting him –not completely, just enough so that he could be with me. "

"Sorry, I can't help with that but-" She held up a bag. "I stopped at a second hand shop and I got you some clothes. Are you ready to give up Monroe's hand-me-downs?"

"Yes, oh thank God – figure of speech only – I would love to have something designed for a woman…" She paused "These are perfect. How'd you-"

"I didn't figure pink was really you."

"There's one more thing that would help me feel like me."


The moment Castiel left the spice shop for the motel, Monroe rose and paced; his hands alternating between holding a sprayer of borax and a jug of holy water. His eyes bored into the basement door, trying to will Rosalee to emerge. Occasionally women's laughter would penetrate the floor. His reaction was a partial voge followed by an embarrassed sigh as he realized there was no imminent danger. Hank put up with it for about forty-five minutes before he spoke up. "Dammit, man. You gotta calm down. I've tried talking to you about sports, weather, even clocks for fuck's sake and you just won't relax… My blood pressure isn't gonna come down for days…"

"Sorry…" The word was spoken absentmindedly, not sincerely.

Monroe was beyond restless. Hank wondered if Blutbaden stress-eat; if that were the case, he was the most readily-available snack (and he couldn't easily escape with his busted leg). But, if he was truly going to befriend a "Big Bad Wolf", then he would have to treat him like any other friend. He'd never let Nick or his other buddies act like this.

"Monroe. Sit. The. Fuck. Down. Now." Hank winced internally at the harshness of the command.

Monroe slowly turned to look at the man at the table. His furrowed brow and red eyes melted away and he suddenly looked like a kicked puppy. "Maan, I'm sorry Hank." He slumped into a chair then flailed his arms. "Dude! What's taking them so long?"

"Are you talking about Nick and the others or Rosalee and Meg?"

"Both…" He growled, literally. "I mean, what if Nick's in trouble? And What if something's happened to Rosalee down there? Like what if she can get possessed?"

Castiel appeared. "Wesen cannot be possessed. I believe you have already been provided this knowledge. Worrying about impossibilities is even more futile than worrying about improbabilities."

Hank laughed outright at the angel's imparted wisdom "We'll keep that in mind. Thanks, man."

"Dude! Where is everyone? How did it go?"

"They have finished burning the Leviathans and require rest before continuing the mission."

"They're not the only ones." Rosalee emerged from the basement "I'm exhausted. Monroe, I'm going home with you and Meg will stay in the guest room." It was not a question. "Unless Nick's there?" She looked at Castiel.

"He is not. Juliette Silverton feels more secure if he sleeps there - now that her knowledge includes Wesen-"

Hank interrupted; he wanted to cut Castiel off before he overshared about Nick and Juliette. "How's Meg?"

"Doing just fine, Brown Sugar… Thanks for asking." Meg purred, startling Hank as she ran her hand across his shoulders as she crossed the floor to Castiel. "Clarence… Don't you want to complement my hair and my clothes?"

Her hair was dyed back to its 'normal' black and she was wearing skinny black jeans with a black tank top under a tight, dark blue off-the-shoulder sweater.

"You… You look Heavenly."

She laughed heartily "Looks are so deceiving, aren't they? Coming from you that is the ultimate compliment, but let's keep upstairs out of our conversations…"

He smiled and said he would get everyone home once they were ready.


Sam was heading into the bathroom when Dean stopped him with a fierce "No!"

"I will NOT take the second shower. Your Sasquatch body and girl hair use all the hot water. I did more grave digging, I get the hot shower."

"All you had to do was ask for the shower." Sam said while shucking his jeans and settling on his bed with his laptop. "I'll do some more research on Wesen…"

"No, I'm askin' you to hustle to the laundry room." He began digging in his duffle as Sam rose and began to gather clothes. "I only have one clean pair of underwear left…" Dean's voice trailed off. He stared at his brother as his tone reached 'pissed off' def-con four… "Bitch, are you wearin' my shorts? You perverted, thieving asshole… I just bought those."

Sam blushed. He was wearing a t-shirt and… Dean's underwear… Sam had a dilemma. He could either explain Cas' celestial clothing swap or he could confess to 'perverted underwear theft'….

"Sorry. I was out of clean… I'll get them washed and back-"

"Keep 'em; your huge ass has ruined 'em now anyway."

As Sam fled to the laundry room, he was sure of two things. One: he would soon be buying Dean new underwear. Two: tomorrow he had to talk to Cas, Rosalee and Nick before they unwittingly unraveled his lie.


Monroe pulled his arm out from under Rosalee and got up, kissing her forehead in the process. It was before six A.M. He was in desperate need to return to his normal regimen, and Pilates was calling to him. For a too-brief moment he thought maybe the whole Winchesters/angel/demon/Leviathan fiasco had just been a dream… but as his eyes adjusted to the light, the graffiti covering his home dispelled those hopes. He rubbed his eyes while on his auto-pilot route to coffee and waked right into Castiel, who was standing in the center of the kitchen.

"Dude! What the hell are you doing up at this hour?"

"You are up at this hour."

"So you got up because I got up?"

"I do not require sleep. I kept watch."

"Oh-kaay… So, you've been standing in my kitchen all night?"

"No."

"Uh, still confused, here. Man, you're gonna have to be a little more forthcoming until I've had my coffee…"

"I was not only in your kitchen. I monitored the dwellings of Sean Renard, Nick Burkhardt, and Hank Griffin along with the motel where the Winchesters currently reside."

"Always in the kitchen?"

"Dean has said that standing watch by the bed is…" he made repeated finger quotes like his hands were having spasms "Angel-pervy, uncool, rape-y, celestial-stalkerish, an invasion of personal space, lunar lurking, heavenly harassment, divine skulking and… Just. Fuckin'. Creepy." He sighed; his expression forlorn. "Sam says it's socially inappropriate."

"So is you saying all that…" Monroe muttered before adding "I guess the kitchen isn't so bad, then."

"Sean Renard and Hank Griffin were both startled yet understanding when they encountered me last night… However, I do not believe Juliette Silverton appreciated my vigilant fortification of her residence."

"Duude! She caught you lurking – um, I mean… keeping watch?"

"There was a lot of screaming. I tried to explain but Nick shot me before he realized…"

"Nick shot you?"

"I am uninjured."

"How's Juliette?"

"She harbors resentment for what she perceived as an intrusion."

Monroe laughed heartily "Yeah, you're lucky you weren't in in the bedroom. Nick woulda done more than shot ya." He clapped a hand down on the angel's shoulder.

Castiel simply stared at him without expression.

"Well, I'm gonna… do my Pilates, so…" Monroe shrugged and walked out of the kitchen.

"I shall just… wait here."


At exactly 7:00 A.M. Nick, Hank and Sean arrived at the Winchesters' motel room. The brothers were dressed in FBI-impersonation mode. They had a lot to accomplish. They needed to be sure to finish off the Leviathan threat, save the witches from demons and get Sam and Dean out of town before the real FBI took an interest in the case.

As they entered, Sean grabbed Nick and led him away from the table where the others gathered. Dean and Hank sipped their coffee and discussed the Seahawks' roster, both men excited about the NFL preseason. Sam feigned interest in football in order to not appear interested in the quiet conversation between Sean and Nick.

"My brother is in town. He wants me to join him for dinner tomorrow."

"Is this Verrat business or family bonding?"

"His mother tried to have my mother and me killed so you could say our relationship is… a bit strained." Sean paused "I think it's safe to assume whatever he's doing here, it's problematic… for both of us."

"Then, this is about the key."

"I know he is very determined. What I don't know is if he's acting on behalf of the families or behind their backs."

"Either way, we need to watch ours."

"I'm expecting some more info later; I just wanted you to have a heads up."

They returned to the table and picked up their coffee.

"So did everyone enjoy their three and a half hours of sleep?" Dean asked warily as he grabbed a third sugar-laden confection from the "VooDoo Doughnuts" box Hank proffered.

There was amused grumbling from Sean and Hank about Castiel lurking about their kitchens; Nick was much more vocal and much less amused. "I only slept about an hour or so because Juliet went for something from the fridge and he scared the shit out of her. She started screaming 'Wesen! Nick! Wesen!' and she came running out into the living room with him following her. I was so exhausted, I shot the poor bastard before I recognized him. He was explaining he's" Nick made his voice as deep as possible "an angel of the Lord assisting Nick's efforts to eradicate the Leviathan and demon threats in Portland." The other men chuckled and Nick continued. "It. Wasn't. Funny. He finally left, but I had to stay up and do my best to explain angels and demons and Leviathan to Juliette." He pointed at Sam and Dean "One of you is going to sit down and explain it to her. Fuck, I still think you need to explain it to me."

"Dammit, Cas…" Dean groaned "I'm sorry Nick, at least she didn't wake up with him in her bedroom…" He cringed "Believe me; that's just fuckin' creepy."

"Yeah, well, she just found out about Wesen less than two days ago and this was going to be my first official night back home…" He pointed at them again "He's your pet angel. Get him under control."

"Dean and Sam neither pet nor control me." All five men jumped as Castiel appeared behind Nick. "Although, they've both requested that I not stand guard next to the bed."

"Thanks to you, Juliette knows about demons and Leviathans now." Nick dropped his head and groaned. "She's probably heading for the hills right now."

"The manner in which I made Juliette's acquaintance was unfortunate." The angel paused "She's arranged to meet Rosalee for coffee at a diner near the spice shop. They do not have plans to tour any hills."

At this Nick gave a jerking chuckle and smiled. "Thanks, I feel better about that."

"Cas, is everything set up for today?" Dean asked, desperate to get back to the busy day they had ahead. "Are the real Roberts and Whitmore ready to be found?"

"There was little left of their bodies, but… Yes, they are."

"Everyone knows what they're doing, right?" Sam asked and all agreed.

"Cas, make the call."


As Sean and Sam drove to the precinct, the scanner in his cruiser relayed a message about a 911 call stating another victim was found in the park. It was quickly followed by call about a domestic disturbance. His phone rang. "Wu, I just heard the scanner. Send Burkhardt and Griffin to the Park; they have Agent Palmer with them. You and Franco check out the domestic. Agent Hetfield and I are headed to the precinct now." He hung up and looked at Sam.

"Looks like Castiel's 9-1-1 call worked. So you really think we can get them to all come together?"

"Once the patriarchs are killed by demons… I think they'll come running when the police offer protection."

"Can they really pull it off?"

"Dean's a pro and if Nick's half the badass I saw last night… Cas will put any potential human witnesses to sleep or erase their memories."

"He can erase memories?"

"When it's appropriate." Sam paused "I was going to suggest… Juliette… After Cas surprised her last night… but I gathered there's been tension with her and Nick; I didn't want to upset him."

"It might make angel and demon things easier, but… Believe me… You were smart not to mention it to Nick. Juliette's been through enough and she's come out stronger; Nick's finally back in her memories. There's no way either of them would ever let someone erase anything from her mind again."


Nick, Hank and Dean (Agent Palmer to everyone else) looked sadly at the remains 'found' in the park.

Nick couldn't help but think when the angel said "There was little left" he was over-exaggerating. He wondered if 'little' was an exact measurement in Heaven; that seemed as likely as Castiel over-exaggerating.

As if Hank was reading his mind, he nudged Nick and sighed "Whoa, man, Cas wasn't lyin' about 'little left'…"

Between the almost four hundred pounds that combined in Roberts and Whitmore, there were three partial hands, one whole foot and a few miscellaneous toes, what appeared to be a section of sternum, and a dozen or so feet of intestines. Hank mentally estimated that, all together, it weighed less than thirty pounds.

Dean was uneasy in the moment. He'd come off as flippant with Sean the night before, making it like Roberts' death was simply par for the course. He never liked to lose an innocent on a job and this was eating him up inside. Nick and Hank were looking at the remains of their co-workers, possibly even friends. "It's hard to believe there are two grown men in that pile. But at least the families will have something to lay to rest." He bowed his head respectfully and sighed.

"There's enough blood that it looks like two grown men were torn apart here." Nick whispered "Where did Cas get the blood? He knows we need the DNA match, right?"

"This is hard to believe, but it's their blood; every drop that was left where they were killed. He probably put the splatters back as exact as he could, given the change in location. The dude is so fuckin' literal. We asked for everything, we got it." Dean gave a half-hearted grunt. "This's one of the few times it actually worked out, damn it..."

A uniformed officer approached and reported to the detectives. Among the gory debris, they noted a badge and wallet, as well as a piece of what was clearly a PPD uniform and a police-issued Glock-19. After forensics took photos, Hank picked up the wallet and announced it belonged to detective Whitmore; they surmised the uniform and gun would belong to Roberts. Dean was impressed that Sean and Nick had the wherewithal to take the items off the imposters the night before and ask Cas to plant them at the staged crime scene along with the remains. Sean wanted his fallen men identified quickly so families could be notified and the men could be laid to rest; what little there was.

Nick, Hank and Dean spent the morning at the park. Making sure to be thorough, even though noting about the scene was much of a mystery to them. Nick asked the M.E. to check DNA and prints against Roberts and Whitmore first, evidence suggests they were the victims. He and Hank were going to take Agent Palmer and question nearby residents.


As they left, they stopped and picked up Monroe. He climbed into the back next to Dean and began animatedly saying that Rosalee called with an update on Juliette. She was doing well considering her introduction to Cas resulted in Nick shooting him and then yelling for him to 'get the fuck out of the house'… Things went much better when she met Meg...

"Meg? She met a demon now too?" Nick swerved as he attempted to turn and glare at Monroe. "What the hell, Monroe?"

"Don't look at me, man! Rosalee didn't want to leave her behind; it's rude, you know. Plus Meg helped shed some light" he sniggered "or darkness, I guess, on the situation."

"This just keeps getting better and better..."

"I think you mean shit's gettin' weirder and weirder..." Dean added. "Where are they now?"

"Meg and Rosalee are at the shop; Juliette went to work."

Wanting to lighten the mood, Monroe poked Nick's shoulder "Duude, you shot an angel? Then you yelled 'fuck' at him? He coulda smote you! Smote? Smited? Whatever… Man, you coulda been toast!"

"No, no smiting; he feels bad." Hank began laughing and switched to his deepest voice "He is apologetic regarding his unfortunate introduction to Juliette."

"Don't worry about bein' smote/smited/whatever, Nick. From now on, Cas'll just stay invisible. You're never gonna know if he's there or not; takes the celestial-stalking to a whole new perv-ish level."

"Fuck. You. All. He scared the hell outta her, and then me because I was asleep and she was screaming about Wese0 in the house." Nick smiled for the first time; knowing Juliette was OK (and not packing to leave him) helped him see the potential humor. He shook his fist in the air "Let that be a lesson to any and all. Come into my house and scare Juliette and you'll get double tapped before you can say 'Hi'." He used his deepest voice for the 'Hi' getting a raucous cackle from the others.

"Better'n bein' beheaded, there, Mister Grimm…" Dean smirked; Hank and Monroe agreed through more laughter and teasing.


Captain Renard and Sam looked over possible locations for the 'family meeting'. It was important that everyone in the witches' families attend, so it was conducted as official police business to encourage them to come. The venue was critical because they had to maintain order in the face of panic. They found a suitable location and confirmed availability.

Sam (a.k.a. Agent Hetfield) addressed a few officers, politely asking them to contact members of the Samuels, Matthews and Simons families to meet in city council chambers at city hall at six p.m. today. He handed out names and phone numbers, saying they need to ask those they call to reach out to others. Please explain the police department wants to ensure safety for every member of the families, but they don't have the manpower to contact them all individually. All legal adults will be required to attend.

He stepped into Sean's office where the Captain was engaged on a call, speaking French. Sam began to step back out, but Sean waived him in and gestured for him to sit as he finished the call. He confirmed receipt of an email and ended the call.

"Sorry about that; family issues."

"I understand, no need to apologize."

Sean nodded as if to tell Sam he appreciated the empathy, but there was no way he actually understood. "I heard you out there setting up the phone calls. You are nowhere near enough of an asshole to be a believable Fed."

"I'm used to being with Dean. He has enough of that Fed-machismo-asshole-attitude dripping off him for both of us." He waived his hands out and made a clearly practiced, yet believable apologetic expression "I'm the 'sorry about this dickhead' guy."

Sean laughed, but it was short lived as his phone rang. "Wu. What's going on?" He switched the call to speaker.

"Captain, I… I don't want to complain, but Franco and I… we've been waiting… I.A. and forensics are already finishing up, the M.E. wants to move the bodies, but… Whitmore and Roberts are M.I.A. We've been waiting almost two hours."

"Why is I.A. there?" Sean maintained his cool demeanor despite the frustrated, hurried, frantic voice coming through the line.

"Officer involved shooting. Franco saved my life. The woman here is dead. She was dead when we arrived on scene, I mean… and then the crazy guy came outta nowhere. He was high or something, because he was strong… Took five, six shots to bring him down. We just wanna get the hell outta here. Dispatch says they left word with Whitmo-"

"Wu. I need you to calm down. It seems likely that Whitmore and Roberts…" He sighed; Sam thought it was more for effect or out of exasperation than the gravity of the news hew was about to share "It seems they are the bodies found in the park."

The background noise from the crime scene came roaring to the forefront as the previously rattled and babbling sergeant was immediately, totally and completely silent.

"Wu?"

"Shit…" The voice was soft and eerily calm.

"Exactly. As of now, it's still unconfirmed, but there is strong evidence. Dispatch doesn't know, that's why you're still waiting. I can't announce until I have the confirmation. I'll send Lucas and Grant. Tell the M.E. they'll be to you in less than twenty."

"Thanks, Captain. Uh, you'll let me know when it's official?"

"Yes."

Renard disconnected the call and called in Lucas and Grant. They just returned from two people who were found dead in their home; looks like both were poisoned and they are unclear if it was murder/suicide or someone else's handiwork. It'll take crime lab hours to go through all the contents of the vics' kitchen; they were heading to the vics' employers now. Sean introduced 'Agent Hetfield', explained the situation at the park and said that questioning about the poisoning victims would have to wait. They needed to get to Wu and Franco now. After many angry questions asking Sam 'what was the FBI going to do about dead cops?', 'weren't he and his Fed buddy here to catch this sick-o?' and 'did they have their heads in their asses?', etc. Sam replied sternly in a gruff tone, but his words were infuriatingly polite. He informed them that Roberts and Whitmore voiced their desire to investigate the park at night and were expressly told not to go near there. He was sorry they were dead; but it was poor planning on their part (rushing in without proper back-up) that got them killed and not the FBI. He assured the detectives that the park murders were already number one on his list before the latest deaths, and he preferred to both catch a serial killer and stay alive rather than choose one or the other. He softened, very slightly, as he said their fellow officers won't have fallen for nothing. He and his partner are going to get the son of a bitch doing this; they just need to stay out of the way and focus on their own cases.

They left in a hurry and Sean looked at Sam, wearing a huge grin "I was wrong; you are an excellent G-man asshole."


"Where th'fuck're we?" Dean asked as Nick pulled into a boat and trailer storage lot. "We need to get prepped for this witch savin'. God, it burns in my mouth sayin' that. Savin' witches is weirder n' watchin' a werewolf eat bean sprouts."

"You're still on that? Dude!? What did you have against my lunch? It's not like I made you eat it. You don't see me bitching about your food."

"Whatever. Whiny-wolf. Hey Grimmy, I ask again, why the fuck're we here?"

"Call me Grimmy again and it will get you stabbed. I need some supplies and thought you might want to see where I work my Grimm mojo."

Dean entered the trailer and said "This is creepy, horror-hoarder are you?" HE waived his hands out and increased his voice by two octaves "The décor is so very retro; I just love the 'psycho-meets-death' theme…" His voice returned to normal as he continued "Actually… Death, he'd prob'ly love this; haulin' it to county fairs and eatin' all the junk food… It's fucked up, but I kinda like that guy, even if he scares th'fuck outta me." He sighed, and continued his musings. "I must be nuts that I wouldn't mind seeing Death again, just chatting over a fried meatball skewer or plate of beer-battered onion rings-"

"Dean." Hank's voice showed that he was slightly annoyed at the hunter's senseless babbles and sudden loss of connection to his surroundings.

"What? Oh yeah, sorry, just thinkin' 'bout someone…"

"Death?" The three others asked in unison.

"Long story. But ahhh… This place is cool." He began to lazily flip the pages of an open book as he took in his surroundings. "Sammy would jizz over all these books. Where'd you get 'em all?" He smiled, thinking how their own Batcave made this look like the kiddie section at Barnes and Noble.

"Inherited; it was passed down through my family for generations. Check out that cabinet; I think you'll really like what's in there."

"Vintage issues of Busty Asian Beauties?" Dean asked, waggling his eyebrows as he reached out to the doors of the large armoire Nick indicated. The others held their breath as Dean asked the cupboard "What wonders do you hold?"

Dean's eyes grew wide as he took in all the various weaponry displayed before him. His fingers appreciatively stroked the burled wood and leather hilts; he gingerly caressed the sharp barbs and blades. His eyes moved slowly from piece to piece, taking in each one and imagining the fear and destruction it could bring to its intended target.

"All this paraphernalia of subjugation and death… It's fuckin' awesome. Best. Cupboard. Ever."

He turned to look at Nick, nodding approvingly. "You just need silver an' holy water an' you're ready to be a hunter."

"I thought you'd appreciate it."

"Appreciate it? You sound like Cas. It's way beyond that; Think I might'a came a little." Dean gave his mega-watt smile and his eyebrows danced lewdly. He turned back to the cupboard and asked "Which of these are we here to get?"

"Nothing in there; we're here for these."

A sharp sound similar to a sword being brandished met Dean's ears and he turned to see a scythe nearly as tall as Nick. "Dude…" Deans smile widened as he took the profferd weapon from Nick and examined it. "What's it say on the blade?"

"It's German. It says "Reaper of the Grimms."

"Reaper? Of the?… Did you inherit them too?" Looking at Nick's smug expression, he already knew the answer.

"Someone sent reapers to kill me. They… didn't succeed."

A/N: Thanks to DeansBabyBird for letting me steal "paraphernalia of subjugation and death". She used it to describe the Impala's arsenal, but I think Nick's cupboard also qualifies.

Please read and review. Your reviews make me so very happy and I write more when I'm happy…