Chapter twelve: Endgame

Trubel and Rosalee were having a hushed conversation at the corner table of the breakfast room in the inn. The Fuchsbau had stood watch over Renard's sick bed the whole night and was now getting a late breakfast. Ever since she'd left the room, Trubel was shooting questions at her.

"And you are certain the journal said Feenvolk? Nothing else?", the Grimm was whispering, excitement written all over her features. Rosalee hid her smile behind her cup of coffee, but Trubel saw it. She didn't complain, too happy to care. Nick was going to be a Grimm again in no time!

"And you don't know how its done? It only said that the fey had to be bound to him?"

"And that you needed the wings of the Feenvolk for a ritual, yes", Rosalee repeated. Trubel snorted, her mouth full of delicious sweet bread. What luck that Elle had come along! Things would be alright in the end, Sean was getting better, Nick would be okay and she was staying. Nervously, Trubel took a moment to swallow before communicating her decision with the others. Everyone was present except the Prince and the fey, who had been asked by Nick to protect the Royal upstairs. Just when she had found the courage to address the issue, all the windows exploded. Argh! Worse timing ever! Unladylike, she cursed and broke off the leg of her chair.

"C'mere, you fuckers", she muttered grumpily, placing herself between the street and her friends. Screams were echoing off the crowded space, the other guests running in panic. Trubel shoved a woman out of the way as the first Wesen jumped through the broken glass and attacked. Twack! Her self-made weapon hit him straight in the chest, knocking him down. He retaliated with a mean kick, which she dodged. Before he could get back up again, she forcefully placed the chair leg in his groin and watched his face loose all color.

"That's what you get for messing with a Grimm!", she shouted, jumping onto the neighbor's table and smashing the vase for sound effects. Several of the intruders turned to her at the noise, exactly what had been the goal of her move. Quickly she surveyed the choices of weaponry. A solid glass full of apple-juice got turned into a football and was kicked across the room. It hit the target, an ugly Bauerschwein, at the base of its neck.

"Gotta love Scottish work of quality", Trubel commented and grinned when Hank gave her a thumbs-up. Then she used her leg of the chair as a baseball bat, giving an insect-like Wesen that had gotten too close to Juliette a good beating. Next came the cutlery cart. As fast as she could identify the targets, Trubel let the knives, forks and spoons fly. The trick of shouting something unintelligent like:

"Oh no, I'm defenseless!" and then hurling a knife at the unsuspecting monster seemed to be working best. She shook her head about so much stupidity. Then she saw the Prince of Scotland step into the room, advancing on Nick, who was battling a Hundjäger with a long piece of china. No way he could match the Royal's fighting. She had to help! Suddenly, she heard a creaking sound above her and jumped aside before claws slit the air where her head had been a moment ago. One of the attackers had climbed the wall and chosen to come at her from above. With a shock, Trubel recognized the Wesen from the paintings she'd seen in Nick's trailer.

"Mauvais Dentes!" The male bared its teeth and sprang at her again. Trubel rolled, shards of glass pushing into her skin. Her fingers found a butter-knife, grasping it desperately. I must look ridiculous, she thought, raising the small weapon in a defensive stance. But Nick would be fine, he could always call Elle down when he got in trouble. Right? Her moment of indecision nearly cost her life, because the Mauvais Dentes chose this moment to lunge.

"Shit!" Claws met metal, sparks flew and Trubel had to step back to save her skin. On the table next to her lay a fork, which she took in her left hand. Two not working daggers against a trained killing machine. Just great.

"Elle?" Was that Nick's voice? And where was fucking Tinkerbell when you needed her? Crap, here he comes again! This time, the claws got her. A cut appeared on her shoulder, luckily not very deep. Enough to make her angry, though. Trubel tapped deep into her ancestors' heritage, pulling every trick out of her sleeve. Things she had learned on the street, things Nick had taught her and things she hadn't even known she could do. All together, it was barely enough to keep up. Back and forth they fought, exchanging blows and, in Trubels case, a lot of insults. In fact, the girl was getting ready for another verbal punch in the gut when she slipped on the wet floor.

"No!" All at once, she was sitting on the slabs, the beast on top of her. Instinctively, Trubel pulled her knees to her chest and catapulted the Mauvais Dentes off her as soon as it came close.

"Aaah!" It had gotten her boot, leaving a deep scratch on her foot in the process. Trubel rolled to her feet, readying herself for another attack. Only then did she notice the ghostly silence in the inn, which was only broken by dull sounds from the first floor. During the landing, the Mauvais Dentes had impaled himself on the frame of an iron bar stool and the rest of the fighting had died down as well. Hank, Monroe and Juliet were in the corner, staring at...

"Oh, crap." Prince Alistair of Scotland stood above a stunned Nick, his rapier held high. He was going to kill him any moment.

"Let go of him!" It should have been her voice, Trubel thought, so self-assured and in control. But it wasn't. A dark hooded figure stepped through the window, pointing something at the Royal.

"You brought a gun to a sword fight? Now that's plain cheating", the Prince said slowly. Monroe smiled at the newcomer, saying she'd arrived just in time. As Alistair stepped back, Nick rose to his knees, watching the dark person in shock.

"Mum?"

"Hey, Nikki." So this was Nick's mysterious mother, Kelly, Trubel thought. Somehow she wasn't surprised the woman was a bad-ass. She was now ordering the Prince to leave and not come back, which the man actually did. Wow, points for authority.

"Where is Elle?", Nick asked, carefully touching a cut on his forehead.

"You told her to protect Sean", Kelly guessed. At the same moment, the door on the first floor was blown off its hinges and another Mauvais Dentes fell down the stairs. Its body was broken and covered in bite marks. Seconds later, Elle appeared from the room, wearing a satisfied expression. Trubel admired her entrance, although the frozen blood on her face and the wild look in her eyes were kind of unnerving. Meanwhile, Kelly had come up to her.

"You're Nick's mum, the Grimm", Trubel said in place of an introduction and would've liked to hit herself. Thank you, Captain Obvious! But Kelly nodded, shaking Trubel's outstretched hand.

"And you're the girl my son told me so much about, also a Grimm. Good. Now that this is settled, let's get back to Portland, shall we?" Trubel gaped in amazement. What a woman!