Thank you as always for the reviews/comments - keeps the creative juices flowing :)
This chapter feels kinda transitional to me - setting the characters up for the next bit of action! The calm before the storm, so to speak ;)
Hope you enjoy!
CHAPTER TEN
Adalind felt giddy, the wine causing her head to spin slightly. Nick was still looking at her with a look that was half amused, half desire. She liked the way he looked at her - she had never really laughed with Sean, or really any other man she had been with. She had liked what they could do for her, enjoyed the power her sexuality had over them, but she had never really bothered to enjoy them much beyond that.
"You can handle me, can you?," Nick tipped back in his chair, his eyebrows raised.
"I think I've proven that I can," Adalind responded, her eyes dancing mischievously, "at least three times I can think of right now."
Nick's eyes darkened slightly, and Adalind felt her body tingle in response, suddenly desperate to be away from the noise and light of the bar.
"You ready to get out of here?" Adalind asked, not waiting for his answer as she stood, shoving her arms quickly into her jacket and grabbing her bag. He grabbed her hand and together they shouldered their way through the crowded bar, finally making their way out in the cool night.
She shivered slightly, her suit not much of a barrier against the Portland evening. Nick dropped her hand and shrugged out of his coat, draping it around her shoulders. She had to laugh at how absurdly large it felt - and looked - on her slight frame. But it was warm, and it smelled like Nick, so she pulled it tighter around her as she walked.
"Thanks," She said gratefully and he smiled down at her, shoving his hands in his pocket to keep warm, "but now you're cold."
"It's okay, we're almost to the car," he shrugged nonchalantly.
Adalind tucked her arm into his elbow and laughed.
"Such the gentleman," she said flirtatiously, tugging him closer to her side, "who'd taught you such good manners?"
Nick furrowed his brow and concentrated for a moment before answering.
"I guess it was my dad," Nick said, a bit bemused, "I remember him doing things like that for my mom. I was twelve when they died, but I guess some stuff just sticks with you."
"How did your parents die?" Adalind asked, a bit hesitant to delve into something so personal.
"Car accident," Nick answered quickly, then sighed and added, "but now that I know what she was, I'm not convinced it was an accident."
Adalind nodded slowly, "That seems like a good assumption. Have you thought about looking into it?"
Nick shrugged, "I don't know, I mean, it wouldn't bring them back, so what's the point."
"Peace of mind," Adalind responded, "a chance for vengeance."
"Vengeance has never really been my thing…." Nick responded, but he started to sound unsure.
"Truly embracing your Grimm might change that," Adalind said thoughtfully, "this world...I don't even know how to explain it. There are so many people that want something from you, and if they don't get it…"
She trailed off and Nick sighed again.
"I was hoping that being a Grimm wouldn't really change who I am," he responded.
"I don't know if you'll have much choice in the matter," Adalind responded sympathetically, then squeezed his arm, "but this conversation has gotten way too serious and is ruining a perfectly good wine buzz."
They reached her office building and she stopped, tugging on his arm, a sudden thought coming to her.
"I think I left something in my office," Adalind's eyes sparkled up at him, "do you mind coming back up with me?"
He looked slightly suspicious, but nodded his head in agreement and followed her back into the building. The lobby was still well lit, but empty except for the security guard at the front desk.
"Hi there, Larry," Adalind said to the guard as they walked past, "Just forget something, shouldn't be too long."
"No problem, Ms. Schade," the man answered with a grin, "been a quiet night. It's always nice to see your smile though."
"How is that you managed to charm every man alive," Nick whispered as they waited for the elevator, "when you were a raging hexen-bitch."
The elevator doors opened before Adalind could properly form a retort. Nick grabbed her hand and pulled her in, pushing the button for her floor. As soon as the doors had closed, Adalind rounded on him.
"Hexen-bitch?" Adalind's eyes were wide in her indignation, and she poked a finger into his chest, "I can be very likable when I choose to be, buddy."
"I've picked up on that," Nick said with a bit of a huff, "we haven't passed a man all night that didn't seem to find you...charming." He pinned her against the wall of the elevator with his arms and looked into her eyes, "you seemed to save all your venom just for me."
"I think we established this, Nick," Adalind said in exasperation, "You're a Grimm!"
"I guess I'm still just trying to figure out which one is the real you," Nick said quietly, wrapping a lock of her hair gently around his finger.
She leaned back against the elevator wall and sighed, "I guess I'm still trying to figure that out, too."
"I like this version," Nick said, his voice getting deeper as he dipped his head and kissed her lightly on the neck.
"Me, too." Adalind replied, her voice breathy as her hands fisted in his shirt, urging him closer to her.
The elevator dinged as it reached her floor, and Nick pushed away from her with a sigh. Adalind gave him a sympathetic smile as she walked past him, leading him through the dimly lit hallways to her office. At this point in the evening, the offices were all empty, and eerily quiet.
Adalind opened the door to her office, stepping aside to let Nick in, the swiftly closing it behind him.
"What did you need?" Nick asked her, and she noticed his eyes following her as she walked around him, leaning against her desk, his jacket still bundled around her.
"I have a feeling you know exactly what I need," He quirked an eyebrow at her, and she threw her head back and laughed, "don't play coy now, Nick."
She pushed herself up from the desk, shrugging off Nick's coat, tossing it to the side, followed quickly by her suit jacket. She started working the small pearl buttons of her silk blouse, letting the silk fall lightly around her, pooling on the desk behind her.
"But if you need a little help remembering…." she whispered, sliding the straps from her white silk bra down her arms. NIck stepped towards her slowly, resting one hand along the side of her neck, his fingers trailing a light path down her shoulder, light goosebumps rising on her skin as her breathing became shallow.
"I could never forget anything about you," Nick said, seemingly surprised at his own admission, "not since that first moment I saw you….even then, I couldn't take my eyes off you."
His mouth descended on hers, the kiss light, the pressure increasing as she responded eagerly to him. He leaned into her, the pressure pushing her back against her desk, papers and folders scattering around them. Nick pushed her skirt up her thighs, and groaned.
"You're not wearing underwear," Nick's voice sounded painfully constricted as he allowed his hands to explore her.
Adalind gave him an innocent smile, "I guess I forgot to pack extra when I went to your place."
She reached down to release the garter holding up her silk stocking, but his hand grabbed hers and brought it to his mouth. He placed a kiss on her palm, then her wrist, "Leave them."
Adalind nodded and he dropped her hand. His hands grasped her hips and pulled her to the end of her desk, tilting her upwards slightly while he stepped between her legs. She gasped slightly, and then smiled.
"See, I can be quite likable," she looked into his eyes, dark with desire, and laughed.
%%%%%
Nick couldn't sleep again. His dreams had been haunted by his parents again, likely brought to the forefront of his mind by his conversation with Adalind about their death. His eyes shifted to where she was sleeping next to him. When they had arrived home from her office, they had barely made it to the bedroom before he had wanted her again. He was starting to wonder what had been worse - the spell compelling him to be with her, or the actual desire to be with her. At least with the spell he had an excuse. Now, no excuses.
Adalind shifted slightly, and opened her eyes, unfocused from sleep. She gave him a sleepy smile, but then frowned, a look of concern crossing her features. She tentatively reached out, brushing a stray hair from his brow. He took her hand and tucked it close to his chest.
"Are you okay," Adalind asked quietly.
Nick hesitated for a moment, his natural reticence making him unsure of sharing his feelings.
"I dreamed about my parents murder," Nick admitted, "I suppose because we were talking about tonight. Maybe you were right, maybe I need to find out more. The threat may still be out there. Better the devil you know…"
Adalind nodded, "I understand that feeling. If there is anything I can do to help, I will. I still have contacts in the wesen underworld. I'm not sure they would know anything, but I can try."
Nick smiled at her in the dark, "thank you," he whispered, letting his hand brush her cheek, "try and get some sleep."
She returned his smile and closed her eyes. Nick watched her for a while before slipping into sleep.
%%%%%
Adalind walked into the Spice Shop at lunchtime, hoping that Rosalee wouldn't be busy. Adalind didn't have many female friends….especially after the last two had been murdered. But she needed to talk to another woman. One who would understand her conflicted feelings. A fuchsbau in love with a blutbad was about as close as she could get.
Rosalee looked up and gave her a wide, genuine smile. She walked around the counter and gave a surprised Adalind a hug.
"I never got a chance to thank you for everything you did for Ian," Rosalee said, "and for me."
"Sure," Adalind said, feeling awkward, "anytime."
"God, I hope that was a one time thing," Rosalee responded with a laugh before taking a step back, "So what's going on?"
"I was wondering if I could take you to lunch?" Adalind said, twisting her hands anxiously, "maybe have a talk."
"A talk, huh?" Rosalee said with a knowing smile and a lift of an eyebrow, "sure, I can close up for an hour. There's a cafe down the street. We can just walk there."
After they had settled at the cafe and ordered, Rosalee looked at her expectantly.
"What did you want to talk about?"
"We broke the spell," Adalind blurted out, and when Rosalee didn't look surprised, she blew out a sigh, "I suppose you knew that already?"
"Nick told Monroe," Rosalee answered honestly, "and Monroe can't keep anything from me. It's part of his charm."
"I should have known," Adalind said, sitting back and crossing her arms. She shook her head in disbelief, "I still can't get over it - a Grimm and a blutbad, hanging out, talking about their feelings."
"Well, I think Nick and Monroe are both an anomaly to their particular species," Rosalee said with a smile, "It's kind of amazing that they found each other, to be honest."
"Kinda like a Grimm and a hexenbiest," Adalind said ironically, "I guess a former hexenbiest. But still, it's what I was, what I was raised to be. I am still having a bit of trouble getting used to the idea of being friends, much less anything else, with a Grimm."
"I can understand your reservations," Rosalee responded, "I had them when I met Nick, too, but he has proven himself to be a good guy, a loyal friend. He wasn't at all what I expected a Grimm to be - what we were all taught a Grimm would be."
Adalind nodded, and they fell silent as the waiter dropped off their food.
"Even if I could accept who he is as a Grimm," Adalind said between bites, "how can I ever expect him to accept what I used to be. How will he ever be able to look at me and not see what I did to his aunt and his partner."
Rosalee put her fork down and looked at Adalind, her face serious, "I did a lot of bad things when I was younger, but I was able to put it behind me, find people who accepted me for who I was. I had to be on my own for a bit to understand who I was, to learn to like the new me. You can, too."
"But you had to move to another city," Adalind pointed out, "you didn't stay and have to build a new life with the people you hurt standing behind you."
"That's true," Rosalee said thoughtfully, "I wouldn't say it's necessary to move, but in my case, it helped. No one here judges me, or what I did. They take me for who I am now."
Adalind sighed, "And that's not the only complication. Nick just broke up with Juliette. I'm not really on board with being anyone's rebound girl. Although, I'm not even really sure how serious that relationship was, I know they were living together, but….."
Rosalee shifted in her seat uncomfortably and looked down at her food.
"What?" Adalind demanded.
"Well, a few weeks ago, Nick proposed to Juliette," Rosalee admitted.
"What?!" Adalind was shocked, her fork dropping to the plate, "they were engaged?!"
"Well, no," Rosalee continued, still clearly uncomfortable, "Juliette turned him down, but didn't break up with him. She thought he was hiding things from her, but she still wanted to work on the relationship."
Adalind snorted at that admission, "Yeah, I would say he was hiding something pretty big."
"Look, if he had loved her as much as he thought he did, he would never have withheld the truth from her," Rosalee said, "and the idea that he could marry her and live happily ever after while keeping his grimm a secret from her was ludicrous. She was just that last piece of his normal life that he was trying to hang on to. But in the end, he knew it was kinder to end the relationship. She would never have understood, and she would never have been safe. And she would never know the true man that Nick was. And that's no basis for a relationship, and definitely not for a marriage."
Rosalee's words made Adalind feel a little better, but she was still uncomfortable with the knowledge that up until a few days ago, Nick was contemplating a life, and likely a family, with another woman. The connection she had felt to him since that night at the Spice Shop suddenly felt less special, and his attention more like that of a man who was used to having a woman in his life.
"All I know," Rosalee said reassuringly as she put her hand on Adalind's, "is that Nick does like you, Adalind. And that's a good start."
Adalind nodded with a small smile and continued eating her lunch, but the heavy feeling in her stomach just wouldn't go away.
Her phone buzzed next to her and she gave Rosalee an apologetic smile as she turned to take the call.
"Sean, how wonderful to hear from you again," Adalind answered, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Times almost up, Adalind," Sean replied, "What's your answer?"
%%%%%
Nick's day had already been ridiculously frustrating, and it was barely lunchtime. He had attended the Eisbiber Lodge meeting, only to be met with a resounding "NO" when it came to whether the witness should come forward and identify the hasslich that had murdered the man found in the cement. They topped it off by respectfully requesting that Nick not take their heads off for not agreeing to do as he asked. Not only did he not get the witness to cooperate, he was shown yet another example of how feared Grimms were in the wesen community.
He sat in his car and closed his eyes, unsure what to do next with his murder suspect. With no witness, all he had was his gut, and that wasn't enough to arrest the guy.
In his pocket, his phone rang and he quickly pulled it out, a smile coming unbidden to his face when he noted that it was Adalind that was calling.
"Hi there," he said in greeting.
"Hey, Nick," Adalind replied, her voice sounding a little hesitant, and he frowned.
"Everything okay?" he asked, sitting up a little straighter in his seat.
"Oh, yeah, everything is fine," Adalind responded, "I just got a call from Sean and he wants me to meet him to talk about his offer for me to leave town, and I wasn't sure how you wanted me to respond."
"Right….Renard," Nick sighed, another problem on his plate for the day, "Go ahead and set up the meet, somewhere private, and I'll come pick you up. We'll go together. It's time we put a stop to this whole thing."
He heard Adalind take a deep breath on the other end.
"Okay, if you think that's best," Adalind sounded resigned on the other side of the line, and he wondered at it.
"I do," Nick responded gently, "for all of us. No more secrets. And I won't let him hurt you, Adalind. I promise you."
"Thanks, Nick," Adalind responded, sounding a bit more like her old self, "I appreciate everything you did, and are doing, to help me. I'll call you back when I have a time."
She disconnected the call before he had a chance to answer and he frowned down at his phone. He supposed he could chalk up her odd behaviour to having to meet with Renard, and the inevitable confrontation, but it seemed like more.
For now, the questions would have to wait. He had a murderer to catch - and his Captain to threaten.
%%%%%
Two hours later, Adalind was in Nick's car, wringing her hands nervously as he drove them to the abandoned warehouse where she had set up the meeting with Sean.
"Hey," Nick said next to her, putting his hand on her clenched fists, "It's going to be okay."
"I know," Adalind replied, but her stomach remained in knots. The truth was it had nothing to do with meeting with Sean - she knew Nick could hold his own against Sean - but more with what would happen with Nick once the meeting was over. Once Sean was no longer a threat, she didn't have any reason to need his protection. She may never see him again, and the thought stung more than she had ever thought it would.
Nick parked the car, and they walked the short distance to the entrance of the warehouse, his eyes scanning his surroundings. No way did he trust Renard not to try something in such a remote meeting place.
Adalind led him up to a large, open space where Renard stood waiting, his back to them as he looked out the window.
"I was surprised you picked such a remote location, Adalind," Renard said without turning around, "I thought you would be to afraid to come to a place like this alone."
"I would have been," Adalind answered, her confidence returning as she felt the familiar thrill of confrontation, "if I was alone."
Renard sucked in a sharp breath and spun around, woged into the frightening visage of a half zauberbiest. Nick already had his gun out and pointed at him, a smirk on his face as he saw what his Captain really was.
"Now Captain, is that anyway to greet your 'pet Grimm'," Nick asked sarcastically.
"You bitch," Sean started to advance on Adalind, and Nick stepped in front of her.
"Don't even think about it," Nick's voice was threatening, and Renard regarded him closely, a cynical smile forming on his mouth.
"Charmed you, has she?," Sean gave him a knowing look, "I understand, believe me, I do. I've been there."
Adalind inhaled sharply and started to step forward, but Nick stopped her with a shake of his head. Renard was purposely goading her, and they couldn't let him get the upper hand.
"This isn't about Adalind," Nick replied, ignoring Sean's taunts, "this is about you and me, and how you have been manipulating me for months."
"You're right," Sean answered, swiftly switching gears and taking his focus off Adalind, "this is about you and me. And how we can work together."
"Work together?" Nick scoffed, "that may be a little difficult now that I know that you tried to have my aunt killed, not to mention what you had Adalind do to Hank."
Sean held his hands up in mock surrender, "I admit, mistakes were made, but I had no idea what kind of Grimm you would be. And as I am sure Adalind has explained to you, there is more at stake here than you could imagine. This is bigger than you, and bigger than me. Once the royal family knows about you, they won't hesitate to try and recruit you, and if that doesn't work, get rid of you. They want that key, Nick, you have no idea how important this is."
"I have a pretty good idea," Nick responded, his eyes sliding to Adalind, then back to Sean.
"And you can kill me, and this won't end," Sean continued calmly, "or I could kill you, but this still won't end. So unless you and I can figure out a way to resolve our differences, they will win, Nick."
"The royal families," Nick concluded.
"Like I said, it's a lot bigger than you and I," Sean responded, "and we're going to have to deal with this one way or another."
"And what about Adalind?" Nick asked, his stance relaxing slightly.
"Believe me, nobody wants this thing between Adalind and I to end more than I do," Sean responded with a hint of sarcasm.
"I think I could give you a run for your money on that one," Adalind responded with a huff, "so you might want to stop talking about me like I'm not in the room."
Sean's eyes flashed dangerously as he flicked his gaze to her, "I don't think you are in any position to be making demands."
"Actually, she is," Nick responded, a bit smug, "because if you continue to be a threat to her, there is no way that I am going to help you."
"God, you're good," Sean said, his eyes still on her.
"I'm pretty sure that's not a compliment," Adalind answered sarcastically, "but just so we're clear, I'm not the one manipulating the situation. That's you, remember?"
"I guess this means you aren't taking me up on my generous offer," Sean responded through gritted teeth. Adalind gave him a condescending smile and shook her head. Sean's gaze returned to Nick, "Fine, you have my word, I'm no longer a threat to her."
"Good," Nick replied, lowering his weapon.
Sean's eyes returned to hers, and she shivered when she saw what was in them, "You may want to have a chat with your mother, though. She may be a bigger threat you than I ever way. She's been a bit…..unsettled by recent developments in your life."
"What do you mean?" Adalind asked, immediately suspicious.
"I think you know," Sean replied with a cold smile, as he glanced in Nick's direction and then back to her.
"Why would my mother confide that in you?" Adalind asked, and Sean's smile turned to a smirk.
"Pillow talk," he replied casually, and Adalind narrowed her eyes.
"You slept with my mother?!," her voice full of contempt, anger clouding her judgment as she took a step towards him. Nick held out an arm, lightly holding her back. She took a deep breath, then asked, "how long?"
"A few months," Sean replied with a casual shrug of his shoulders, then smiled cooly, "but none of that really matters now that you have the Grimm on your side, does it."
Adalind closed her eyes against the pain of Sean's admission of his further betrayal, replying shortly, "No, it doesn't matter anymore. YOU don't matter anymore."
They continued to glare at each other for several seconds, then Nick cleared his throat.
"I think we're getting a little off track here," he said, obviously uncomfortable with the underlying tension, "the three of us may never be friends, but someone has to start trusting someone at some point."
Adalind huffed out a laugh, "I wouldn't trust Sean as far as I could throw him...which isn't very far, considering I'm not a hexenbiest anymore."
"Well, as a sign of good faith, I may have some information that would be helpful to you," Sean directed his attention to Nick once more, "There are two reapers on their way here from Germany. And they're coming for you."