Hey all!
First: I have a story in the Ironman section on FF. It is called "Snarky Stark", so if you're a fan of RDJ and Ironman, feel free to check it out and leave comments! Ironman is in the comics section, or you can just go to my profile and find it there.
I'm sure people know this already but I have to just announce so happily that Grimm season two premiers Monday August 13 at 10! Whoop whoop! And also that the Grimm season 1 DVD will be in stores August 7! Who's gonna run to the nearest store and wait in line for that? I know I am! Lol.
Finally, back to the serious matter at hand of finding the trouble maker(s) in Portland and bringing you more angst. Enjoy!
….
Hanson rushed into the hospital with Alan. They were greeted by a sobbing fair-haired woman and a little raven-haired girl who was looking nervous and pale. Alan immediately hugged his wife Izzy and scooped up the little girl, whom Hanson presumed, was Sasha. Hanson quickly shook Izzy's hand and offered to help them with anything. She nodded graciously.
"What happened?" Alan asked her.
"Sasha said she drank something and she got sick." Izzy sobbed.
"What did she drink?" Alan asked, looking upset.
Izzy shrugged and flailed her arms absentmindedly, "I was panicking, I didn't even check."
"What did the doctor say?" Alan asked, looking ashen.
Izzy shook her head, "We don't know anything yet." She sobbed. Alan held his family as they sat down and Hanson felt a pang of sadness for them.
"I'm gonna go and get everyone some coffee or something. Did you want anything?" he asked finally. He wanted to make himself useful in some way to his friend.
Alan and Izzy, however, shook their heads.
"Sasha, did you want any hot chocolate or something?" he asked and was surprised to see her face become paler and her eyes grow wide with fear.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
Izzy and Alan looked at her quizzically.
She quickly shook her head.
Hanson got down to her level and asked her gently, "Sasha, do you know what happened to Sadie? Did she drink something that made her sick?" he asked.
She glanced shyly at him, then at her parents and finally nodded.
"What was it?" Hanson asked.
Her lip quivered.
"It's okay, you can tell me. I'm helping the police." Hanson reassured her.
She gasped, "Am I in trouble?" she cried.
Hanson shook his head, "Not if you tell the truth. It could really help your sister if you tell me."
She cried and finally sobbed, "I told her not to! Strangers gave us hot chocolate and she drank it! Mommy I told her not to!"
"Oh God!" Alan paled.
"What's going on?" Izzy asked.
Hanson looked sadly at them, "I've been around on the streets and drug cartels have been targeting kids using candy or some kind of weird…" he shook his head. He'd never heard of hot chocolate mix. He'd have to tell Nick that the drug gangs are now targeting schools and children using cocoa mix.
"Is there a pay phone here?" he asked. He'd better make the call fast.
….
Nick pounded on Bud's door. Bud answered it looking surprised, fearful, but pleasantly so.
"Nick! I mean…Detective…" He stuttered.
"Just Nick. How are you Bud?" Nick smiled and was ushered in by a relieved looking Eisbeiber.
Monroe followed him and Bud was suddenly nervous, "Another Grimm?" he asked in a shaky voice.
Monroe shifted and Bud nearly doubled over and had a heart attack.
"Relax buddy, I'm a vegetarian." Monroe chuckled as he retracted.
"Whoa, man, Nick…You gotta give me some room to breathe here…and a little warning." Bud panted, still clutching his chest.
"It's okay, Bud, he's with me. He's been helping me on some cases, kind of like you have." Nick explained. Then he introduced them.
"Bud, this is my friend Monroe, Monroe this is Bud."
"Pleasure, man!" Monroe said, kindly holding out his hand.
Bud looked a little nervous.
"I'm a Weider Blutbad." Monroe explained patiently and Bud finally relaxed a little and shook his hand.
"So what can I help you with?" Bud asked, gesturing them to sit on his couch, "You want any coffee? Pie? Oh! My wife made this excellent-"
"Actually Bud, this is kind of an emergency." Nick said kindly.
Bud nodded, "What can I do?"
Nick got right to it, "Do you know of any Eisbeiber's with a daughter, who's maybe 6 or 7 by the name of…Eleanor?" he asked.
Bud blanched, "What's wrong with my Ellie?" he asked, tensing.
"She's your daughter?" Nick gasped.
Bud nodded, "What's wrong?" he looked between the two.
Monroe and Nick exchanged dark looks.
"Ellie!" Bud called, then whispered quickly to Nick, "You promise your friend is safe?" he asked.
Nick nodded, "I trust Monroe with my life." He reassured Bud, who finally nodded.
A little girl came in just then. She was a portly little thing and had worry lines on her face and the cutest dimples that matched her fathers. She shifted when she saw Nick and Monroe then got nervous, scuttling over to her dad.
"Ellie, this is Detective Burkhardt." Bud explained, "Don't worry, he's a good guy. But he wants to ask you something. And I need you to be a good girl and tell the truth, okay?"
Ellie nodded, looking nervous.
"Ellie, do you know a girl named Rainie or Lorraine?" Nick asked.
Ellie nodded, smiling a little, "She's my friend. She's mute." She explained.
Nick smiled, "Well, she's my little girl." He told her.
"Ellie has said some wonderful things about Lorraine." Bud piped in, "Says she wants a play date."
Nick smiled, and then got back to the matter at hand, "She told me that yesterday some people gave her and some of her friend's hot cocoa mix, telling them to give it to their parents. Did you take any?"
Ellie frowned, and then looked ashamed as her dad stared in stunned disbelief. She finally nodded, looking down.
"Oh Ellie!" Bud chastised, "You know better than to take anything from strangers!"
"I didn't drink it! I threw it away, honest!" Ellie said.
"You didn't give it to anyone?" Nick asked, feeling relieved.
She nodded.
"Where did you throw it away?" Monroe asked for Nick.
"I threw it away in the school dumpster." She said, then looked worried, "Sasha and Sadie took some home though and so did Rainie."
Monroe nodded and grinned darkly, "Yeah, we know."
"What's this about exactly?" Bud finally asked.
"Turns out this cocoa mix has some very bad side effects." Nick said, "It's a good thing you threw it out, Ellie."
"Is your daughter okay?" Bud asked, concerned.
Nick nodded, "She's fine, but somebody else got hurt." He explained and Monroe shifted uncomfortably in his chair.
"I see." Bud said, nodding.
"Look, we just wanted to make sure you were safe, we're gonna go on ahead and warn the other families as well, make sure the kids know now not to take stuff from strangers." Nick said.
"Oh, believe me, we will have a talk about that." Bud said.
"Thanks, Bud. Keep in touch." Nick stood up and shook his hand. Then he smiled at Ellie, "It was good to finally meet you. Maybe we'll set up a play date for you and Rainie."
Bud nodded and put his hand on Ellie's shoulder, "Will do, and thanks Nick." He nodded politely to Monroe and both got up to leave.
"I like him…seems nice." Monroe said as they walked to the car.
"Yeah, reminds me of you…but less snarky and more well behaved." Nick joked.
Monroe rolled his eyes.
Just then Nick's phone rang and he answered it.
"Burkhardt."
Monroe listened and could see Nick's face pale and get tense, "We're on our way." He said, quickly.
"Who was that?" Monroe asked.
"A kid who's been helping the police. I think I know where the other girls are." Nick said as he pulled out quickly.
…
"It's where? Okay." Rosalee said, hanging up. She was relieved when Roddy and Holly got back.
"Okay, I have a job for you two." She said quickly. Roddy paused with a donut halfway to his mouth, then tossed it on the table, rolling his eyes.
"What is it?" Holly asked.
"Nick knows where we can find that mixture. It's at Rainie's school in the dumpster." Rosalee told them, "One of the kids threw it out."
"Smart kid." Roddy mumbled. Rainie looked down embarrassed. He still didn't know it was her who had accidentally poisoned Monroe.
"Okay, I need you two to find it and bring it back quick. The Eisbeiber girl is okay, but one of the girls is in the hospital." Rosalee said. Rainie looked up, tearfully. She would have gasped if she had a voice. Callie hugged her comfortingly.
"Is she okay?" Holly asked.
Rosalee shook her head, "No clue. But if we hurry, I can make an antidote."
"On it!" Roddy said, "Reinegans are known for scavenging."
Holly rolled her eyes, "You are not a savage." She grumbled, ushering him out.
Roddy had to chuckle. He knew at this point to just not bother correcting her.
…
Nick got to the hospital and waved Hanson over.
They filled each other in on what had been happening, without divulging any Wesen material of course.
Nick went to meet the parents and introduced himself. He could tell Sasha was pretty shaken up. Her twin sister was in the ER.
He finally went back to Monroe who was on the phone, looking brighter, "You did? Awesome! We're at the hospital in the ER. Someone can drive Rose here and we'll get it to her."
He hung up and walked over to Nick and whispered so no one else could hear, "Holly and Roddy found the mixture, Rose examined it and now she's making a cure. She's almost done. She's bringing it over."
"Uh, that's great but how are we going to get in?" Nick asked, feeling flustered.
Monroe's brightened mood vanished and his face fell, "Oh. Yeah, didn't think about that." He mumbled, "We need to think of something fast. That girl may not have much time." He added, scratching his head impatiently.
Nick nodded, "I know, just…let me think."
Hanson came over just then, "What's the plan? Can I do anything?" he asked.
"Hanson, thanks but, there isn't much-" Nick smiled.
"Please, Alan and I go way back. I need to do something." Hanson pleaded.
While Hanson and Nick argued, Monroe was pacing.
He was smelling blood again as they wheeled in an accident victim. He tried controlling his urge, but found he had trouble with his woge. He kept shifting randomly and it was taking all of his self-control not to look conspicuous and keep everyone safe.
Nick noticed and came over concerned, "Monroe, what's up?"
Monroe panted, "Sorry, man, all this gore…" he shifted again.
"Your friend okay?" Hanson asked, coming over, then suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.
He stared in horror at Nick's friend who was suddenly growing fangs, long ears, and claws.
Hanson closed his eyes and shook his head, sure he was just seeing things. But nope. His friend was still shifting into some kind of Gremlin.
Hanson looked away quickly and noticed something out of the corner of his eye. One of the nurses suddenly grew buck teeth and large ears and fur. Hanson was sure he was dreaming. Then he turned around and saw Nick and Monroe staring at him.
When Nick saw the nurse retracting, it hit him.
Hanson was staring in horror at them both.
Nick couldn't believe it. Hanson was a Grimm.
…..
And, gonna stop there again! Hope you enjoyed it! Don't forget to check out my other story xoxo!