CHAPTER TWENTY

CALIBAN

It wasn't much of a road trip, but Goodfellow still called up a car service to bring an SUV from his lot. He even got one with heavily tinted windows so Promise could tag along. By the time we got through traffic to the west side of Manhattan, the vampire could exit the vehicle without worrying about a lick of sun.

Night had fallen and the Fort was locked to tourists. That didn't mean the Niko of my world wasn't already there, it just meant we had to wait for the security watch to mosey on through before leaving to swing by the next closed up tourist trap. It didn't take long, which was good because the watch on my wrist was ticking down to the fifth hour.

This world's Niko started to pull out some bolt cutters from the back of the SUV to take on the chains over the front gate, but Cassie grabbed the cutters and tossed it back into the trunk. "Are you serious with that?" she laughed through a whisper. With a short swipe of her talons the lock fell into pieces with some chain as confetti. Nik and I caught the sides of the chain before it fell down and rattled the high fence.

She rolled her eyes at my brother's glare and pushed the gate open. It whined dully, but that wouldn't even be enough sound to alert the guard should they have still been around. We filed in silently and took to the shadows to the left. Niko and Cal were still paranoid that this was some sort of trap, but with the dead Grimm being our Grimm there was no way anyone but family could lure with those words. Even our Grimm couldn't.

The fort still hadn't recovered from out battle with Janus and Grimm in this world. Judging by the toppled tower and the red paint still flaking around the former foundation it looked to have gone down in much the same manner. The Vigil probably left the paint because they knew no one could read Auphe –or fake Auphe as it were. The city had enclosed the rubble in chain link and tarps, plastering on caution tape to keep civilians our. Construction vehicles were spotted around the area, so they seemed to be making some effort.

We walked around the perimeter in silence, until Cassie broke off from the group. She tore across the open expanse in front of the collapsed fort and crashed into a dark figure so far away he was almost a speck on the horizon where the waves crested softly and foully against the beach.

Cal gave me an odd look, maybe surprised I hadn't stopped her mad dash or maybe confused by the affection she'd just shown his other world brother. Nik loved his big sis though, despite his plea for me to stay put in our world. I would always trump Cas and she would never try to change that. I knew if she was ever told that Niko had been prepared to leave her in the other world to spare me the possibility of becoming molecular fairy dust, she would never hold it against him.

Now though, he held her against him. Embraced her tightly with the rising moon glinting off the blond highlights in their hair.

"She greet everyone like that?"

I chuckled and waved for our pilgrimage to follow down toward the beach –only a beach by definition. The grass was lush under our feet and made all of us silent, even Cal and I. My brother approached with an arm around my girl, though he eyed the others with apprehension. I could hear Cassie explaining the situation to him softly, so by the time we met up he didn't look ready to strangle me and slap me upside the head for going right to 'past me'.

"How was the trip?" I asked. I reached out and gave his arm a squeeze; our version of a hug. Considering how rough the ride was for Cassie and me, I could only imagine the repercussions for a human.

"Came through on the lawn outside the facility site." 'Facility site' because the Manhattan chapter hadn't created their top secret labs in this world beneath Ward's Island. "Lost six hours and woke up in the hospital. Someone on Ward's must have called it in."

"No trouble getting out?"

Niko shook his head. "How are you?" he glanced at the others assessing their postures, marveling at the likenesses. "You're injured…"

He was talking to other Cal. I had a few scrapes and bumps, but Cal was still standing with favor to his ribs. "I'm fine. Let my brother handle worrying about me. You have your hands full with Bonnie and Clyde over there."

"An alternate dimension," Niko murmured absently and shook his head again. "Amazing, but I suppose we're lucky. Having Grimm in the past…I doubt our future would have lasted."

"Why are you here? Is something wrong with the gate?" I prodded a little more than concerned he would chance the leap as well, even for me.

Niko lifted his arm as Cassie moved from him to me, slipping her arms under my jacket to snuggle. Still casting inquisitive sidelong looks at the others, who were likely doing the same to him, Niko replied with slow deliberation. "Someone got impatient and I was getting worried. They were able to confirm that you made it through with your physical integrity intact, but knew nothing of the world you entered. We are blind to what's going on here. I doubt you would have waited as long."

"Who got impatient?" Cal needled. I shot him a sharp glare and made to kick his shin.

"Stop asking those questions. You don't want the answer, you dick."

I glanced back at the others. Cal's Niko didn't seem to know what to make of seeing himself standing in front of him without a mirror. Since I'd been there myself, I understood. I patted him on the shoulder to empathize. "If the gate's open, we should go."

Robin lurched forward in a motion that almost seemed an attack. I tensed, but he only grabbed for Cassie, pulling her into a hug. He was near tears at this point, I could hear it in his voice when he told her he'd miss her and he loved her. I was cruel that he had to remember, cruel that he would always remember, but there was no other way.

Turning away from the emotional goodbye, I nodded to Cal, which he returned. "Sorry, we couldn't take 'em both out."

"Our Grimm, our problem, but thanks for trying."

I nodded again, waiting for Cassie to pry herself from the puck's arms. "If there's anything left in that tin Robin gave you, you might want to make a smoothie or something. Get your gates back in line."

"Used it all." Of course he did. His brother nearly died, he didn't even want a scar to remind him. Niko's neck was smooth and nearly unmarred. The slash marks were barely discernable on his olive skin, unnoticed unless one was searching.

"Sorry for the extra nightmares too," I added.

Cal gave me a smirk, gray eyes flickering over to Castiella. "Got some nice dreams out of it too."

Cassie shifted from Robin, to take up both of Cal's hands. "You have a family, Cal. Don't forget that and don't compare. Your bond with this family was strong long before I ever showed up." She pressed onto her toes and kissed him. It lingered, but remained close-mouthed for my benefit. "You are a survivor, Cal Leandros, but never a monster."

"That's your goodbye?" he commented. With a defiant look in my direction, he grabbed Cas up by the nape and proceeded to give her a much more intrusive kiss. I allowed it for all of the five seconds I counted in my head, then slipped an arm around Cassie's waist and tugged her away from the other me. I didn't say a word, but my glower and his shitty smirk were enough communication between us.

Nik, my Nik, cleared his throat to quell the jealousy roiling between his identical brothers. "We should go. We have guards posted to keep someone from wandering through the portal, but six hours is long enough for the gate to be open."

Slick, big bro. Somehow he knew we hadn't spoken of the kids and he knew not to mention Dante's gate-wielding in front of our doppelgangers. He brought up a good point though. Poor Dante had been holding this gate for hours, probably fearing for our lives as we didn't reemerge.

I gave the group a wave and opened a gate behind us to Ward's Island. Best not to give Cassie any more time to drag this out. It was time for the Band-aid method.

"Miss me only a little," my girlfriend called out as I pulled her through, eager to finally get home.

The shift wasn't as awful as before, though it did disorient enough to have me pass out. Someone caught me before I nose dove into the metal grate floor. Blacked out for a few hours just like last time, but when I woke it wasn't in another world with another me gazing down in perplexity. This time I woke with my face half buried into my pillow, on my bed, in a luxurious penthouse that I would have no hope ever paying for if my brother hadn't knocked up a rich vampire.

I rolled over and my shoulder knocked into a small crooked knee. Peering through loose black hair, I saw Cassie smiling down at me. She was glowing. Not literally, just in that way people exuded bliss and excitement. It looked good on her.

I scooted up into a sitting position next to her, resting my back to the wall. Connor was in her arms nursing a bottle with his eyes closed. They never let Cassie nurse him naturally, several reasons for that I was sure. Namely consistency –they took him away from her whenever they pleased and he needed to be fed more than once a week or month. They also didn't want to encourage that bonding between them. The milk she might have produced was dried or drying up, but she didn't seem to mind that she had to use plastic and formula instead. He was safe, home, and in her arms. That was plenty good enough.

"How'd you wake up before me?"

Cassie grinned wider. "Stubborn will."

I chuckled and kissed her, before pushing down the fuzzy duck blanket wrapped around my baby boy and dropping a kiss to his soft little Mohawk of white blond hair. "What a wild ride."

Cassie hummed in agreement, then after a significant pause sighed in the guilty manner of one about to reveal a secret. "I'm sorry for my behavior these passed few days. Seeing you after so long I just…"

I nuzzled into her neck and kissed a trail down to her collarbone. "We'll make up for lost time, don't worry."

"But I did worry," she argued and turned to face me. Her mahogany eyes bore into me. "Cali, I'm sorry. I was scared that I wasn't going to get back. I doubted you and…I almost slept with him."

I lifted my eyebrows. "Which 'him'?"

She tilted her head in confusion. "You…"

The fire in my chest quickly diminished to ciders. If him had been Goodfellow we were going to have some words. "Cas, I'm somewhat surprised you didn't. I saw the way he looked at you. That was more than just lust. I mean, I slept with a wendigo when you were gone."

"That was eight months not eight days and you thought I was dead."

"Eight days in another world with no assurance that you could get home. Besides it's been over five months since we've seen each other." I rested my head to her shoulder and brushed a finger over Connor's head. "I'm not going to say I wouldn't be pissed and oddly jealous, but he was me. He really was me. So I would have forgiven you." I kissed the cap of her shoulder. "Plus I get you for the rest of my life. Seems selfish of me to deny him a kiss or two."

Cassie hummed again, her contented mood returning. "I love you, Cali."

"Obviously," I teased and cupped her cheek to kiss her more deeply. The door eased open as we parted and round gray eyes peered in, followed by a short cut of dark chocolate hair and a pale inquisitive face. I motioned Dante in and he quickly proceeded into the room, then he crawled onto the bed. I chuckled as he lied down on in stomach to wedge between us. His chin propped to his mother's knee and his hand twisting back to take mine and squeeze. Sometimes he really acted like a little kid. Mom and dad were gone for a long time and he didn't want to be one second apart from us. It was fine for now, but he wasn't sleeping in the bed with us when he had nightmares.

"Is Niko alright?" I asked. Dante nodded, watching Cassie burp his little brother intently.

"He woke briefly, but decided not to stay awake. Promise is with him."

Big brother must have really been down trodden to sleep in. I shifted a pillow behind my back and settled in myself. The king-sized bed was crowded, but I somehow didn't mind. I listened to Cassie and Dante chat softly, my eldest son curious about our adventure. It was a pleasant sensation; feeling their warmth and heartbeats, smelling the botanical mix of earthen flowers and night shadows. I smiled as I closed my eyes.

"Dad?"

I tapped my thumb to his hand still close enough to touch mine even if he wasn't holding it anymore. "Yeah?"

"I need to tell you something, because it seemed important for you to know before."

I peeled one eye open and looked down at Dante's serious expression. "What?"

"I slept with Riordyn."

My eyes squeezed shut and I banged my head a few times on the wall behind me. Cassie just giggled beside me and a second later Connor's musical trill followed.