Hello *waves*
I apologize for this taking as long as it did. It has been a slow work in progress.
And I don't know about the rest of you but I am utterly annoyed at how they ended season 3 and so have been finding it hard to be motivated to write Grimm. I'm pushing through it, for the sake of the story, you guys, and a chance to (in my mind) fix what the writers have destroyed in the finale. It's not entirely working but, hey, at least this chapter's done. :)
I hope you like it.
M
Chapter XXV
Once Monroe and Rosalee were gone, Nick lowered himself onto the couch. Having been tired of being treated with kid gloves, he'd insisted on helping clean up. Of course, he hadn't been able to do much, given the crutches, but he'd done what he could. Once that had been finished, with thankfully little to no comment about him helping, he'd reminded Monroe and Rosalee to be careful and watch their backs and then had bid them goodbye. Now that they were gone, and the house was quieter, Nick had time to deflate a little.
His knee sent a deep throb of pain when it was jarred and it reminded him of the reason why he was hurt in the first place. His heart ached at the thought of his mother. The fact that she had been slowly planning to kill every wesen Nick knew, including his friends, was hard to swallow. Not only that, but it pissed him off. The idea that anyone was planning on going after his newly-minted family made his blood boil and Nick clenched his teeth in anger. That it would have been his own mother added a bit of guilt and betrayal to the mix. Then she withdrew her services and told him that someone else would be taking over. At first Nick had felt relief. And not just a little bit of hope. That hope was shattered – along with Nick's heart – when she announced that she would be leaving and that she wouldn't be coming back.
Water splashed onto his hand, bringing him back to reality. He breathed for the first time in what felt like a long time, and more tear drops fell down his cheeks. Nick quickly brushed them away and tried to regain control of his emotions.
The more he tried not to think of her and just how much her permanent refusal of him hurt, however, the more he did just that.
"Nick?"
Sean's voice pulled Nick towards the entryway of the living room. He stood in the center with his hands in his pockets and his shoulders back, relaxed. His gaze appeared neutral, but through a feeling which sounded like music that sang in the back of his mind, Nick could tell that the man was concerned, albeit reservedly so.
"Well, that was a fun night," Nick said after drawing in a deep inhale. He watched as Sean offered a slight smile and knew his attempt at lightening the mood, or perhaps even changing the subject entirely, had failed.
"I'm not sure your friends would put it that way," Sean returned, coming to sit down in the armchair to Nick's left. He settled against the old, faded leather seat and crossed his left leg over his right. In one of his hands he held a chipped mug with steam floating above it, disappearing into the air as it dissipated. His face held a smirk but for the life of him, Nick couldn't tell what his mate was thinking. He wasn't sure he wanted to, to be quite frank.
"Still," he continued, "It's good that they know about Sergio. It would be worse for them if they hadn't."
Nick shivered at the implication. Sean was making the new Grimm sound like a demon. For all his lack of soul, the man was after all, just a man. Surely he wasn't all that bad. But then again, maybe Nick just wasn't fully grasping how dire the situation now was. That was certainly possible - although he'd never admit it out loud - but he doubted it. He put some credit to how bad this guy appeared to the fact that Monroe, Rosalee and Sean were wesen. They thought that this guy was the devil because they'd been raised to believe that all like him - meaning Grimms - were demons themselves. As far as he knew, Nick was the only Grimm who not only tolerated wesen, but tried to help them and even befriended them. He was, apparently, a rare breed himself.
"You look tired," Sean observed, his expression never changing. His eyes seemed more keen to observe and watch Nick, more focused on him, but that was about it.
Nick thought about denying the statement, but he couldn't. Not only was he a terrible liar but Sean would know that it wasn't the truth through whatever he heard or felt through the bond that they now shared.
Ah yes, the bond. Although Sean had explained as much of it as he could, Nick was still trying to understand what exactly having this bond entailed and what it meant for his and Sean's relationship as well as Nick himself. He now knew that it could weaken Sean and his position within the community, but what did it mean for Nick? How would it weaken him? Would it strengthen him as Sean had insinuated the other night?
"Well, that would be because I am," Nick answered, throwing in a half smile which barely reached a quarter its normal strength.
The left side of Sean's lips quirked upward, the only sign of a smile that he would give, and then lowered his leg and leaned forward to place his mug on the table.
"Then perhaps we should get you to bed," he said, standing up and waiting for Nick to do the same.
"You just want to get me in bed," Nick retorted suggestively. Even so, he began the tedious process of standing up. It took a bit longer than it normally would due to his sleepy state, but it happened and then he began to carefully maneuver the staircase with Sean right behind him in case he should fall.
"Maybe," Sean conceded, "but not tonight." They reached the top landing and Sean came to stand just in front of his left, so that they were facing one another. He cocked his head ever so slightly to his left, as though using it to get a better look at Nick, and observed, "It looks as though you're not up to much at the moment."
Well that was certainly true. That didn't mean that Nick wasn't willing to try.
He opened his mouth to say precisely that but then something stopped him. Taking a moment to catch his breath he tried to determine what it was that had stopped him. The sound that was so harmoniously purring earlier was now screeching like a cat in staccato heat. There was a warning in that sound that told Nick not to push and, instinctively, he'd listened. It bothered him how easily he'd been swayed by a sound that he hadn't even realized he'd heard and his expression scrunched slightly to show it.
Deciding that figuring out the implications and trying to find a way to control his knee-jerk reactions to the bond could wait until he was sitting down, Nick began to make his way to his bedroom. Kylie was laying on his bed when he entered, her tail thumping on the bedspread when she saw him. She lifted her head and her ears perked and Nick smiled at her. He'd told her that she wasn't going to be spending a lot of time on his bed; clearly he'd been wrong. He didn't bother trying to tell her to get down. It would be nice to have another warm body sleeping with him tonight since Sean wouldn't be joining him.
Sean remained in the doorway as Nick placed his crutches against the wall by his side of the bed and then sat down on it. Nick took a moment to release a sigh of relief and then he began to disrobe. He reversed the steps he'd taken this morning, taking extra care when he slipped his pants off, and then lifted his body so that he could scoot back against the pillows without tugging on his knee.
Once he was settled, Sean fully entered the room and gathered up the clothes he'd haphazardly discarded onto the chair in the corner, tossing them into the hamper and then coming to stand beside Nick.
"Do you need anything?" he asked, his eyes roaming freely over Nick's mostly-naked form. The hungry look in them made Nick shiver in pleasant anticipation. He watched as the hazel heated to a burnt orange and his skipped a beat as desire spread through him.
Sean smirked, the orange cooling to a brown before returning to the normal hazel color. "Not tonight Nick," he reminded and teased in one. He leaned down and gently ran his hand along-side Nick's cheek, the caress loving and soft, and then stood up and walked to the door. Nick was annoyed to find that his heart sank when he realized that Sean wasn't going to give him a goodnight kiss and he hoped his expression didn't betray him.
"Good night, Nick," Sean bid as he turned the light off. he waited for a span of thirty seconds and then he half-closed the door, leaving enough room for Kylie to get out of she needed to, and walked back downstairs.
Knowing that he'd be heard, Nick whispered, "Good night Sean," and then he patiently waited for his mind to calm, his heart to slow, and darkness to envelop him.
oOo
The rest of the weekend passed in similar fashion. Nick and Sean stayed at the house, each trying to ignore their own desires in order to give Nick time to heal. Sometime during Saturday, the doorbell had rung but when Sean went to see who was there, he found an empty space where a person should have been. Only a mason jar with Nick's name written on it and a note being held underneath it showed that someone had been there. When Sean had brought the jar to Nick and Nick had read the note, he'd smiled and explained that he had a very jumpy neighbor, an eisbeiber, who was always trying to take care of him. There was no doubt, therefore, left in Sean's mind that the wesen had smelled him in the house and had quickly scurried away. Even so, he'd inquired after the contents of the jar and after having been told what was in it, he had gladly volunteered to slather the ointment over Nick's knee.
It had been very hard to control himself the night before when Nick had been lying in the bed, mostly naked and just waiting for him. The desire that had rolled off him had made Sean's body react in many ways - though he'd hoped that he'd hid them - and when Nick's wanting increased, he'd had a hard time walking away. It would have been so easy to take the man then and there, injury be damned. In truth, he could have taken Nick no matter if the Grimm had wanted him or not but he would never force Nick into anything involving their relationship, and he had begun to doubt that he'd be able to force Nick into anything outside of their relationship either - the man was proving stubbornly resistant to him - and so he'd kept himself in check - barely - and had left before anything had happened.
The ointment had been thick and uncomfortable for Sean to have on his hands. Even so, he'd taken great care in applying it, making sure that his touch was as gentle and unnoticeable as a feather landing on the bruised skin and liberally spread it far past where it had needed to be. He'd kept up the constant reapplication, watching in satisfaction as the knee had slowly begun to heal - albeit faster than was normal - as the weekend had progressed. By Sunday night Nick still needed to use the crutches to get around - and wasn't that a fight that Sean had enjoyed a little too much? - but he was no longer in as much pain nor did he tire out as quickly as he had just a few days before.
Now it was Monday and Sean sat in his office at the precinct, doing his best not to appear eager for Nick's arrival. Hank had texted him earlier that morning to inform him that he'd be bringing Nick to work and so all there was for him to do was stay busy and wait.
Luckily, staying busy wasn't that hard. There were quite a few emails that he needed to return - some of which had dummy email accounts so they couldn't be traced to the actual person - and a few phone calls to return. He'd managed to lose himself so well in those that he hadn't noticed that it was now two hours past the time that Nick was supposed to have come in and he still hadn't felt the man's presence via their bond. Lifting his head, Sean looked around the precinct, his agitation increasing when he found no signs of Nick or Hank within it.
Sgt Wu briskly knocked on his door and the entered, a file in his hands.
"Captain?" he said, asking for entrance. When Sean waved him in, he handed the file over. "This came in while you were on the phone with the Mayor's office. Mavis Kerfield found dead in her home, all the glass in the immediate vicinity broken. No signs of forced entry."
Sean briefly read over the file, guessing the answer to his upcoming question but figuring it best to ask anyways. "Who's on it?"
"Hank and Nick volunteered," Wu answered, confirming Sean's assumption. "I tried to find someone else, seeing as Nick is still on crutches, but they grabbed it out of my hands before I had a chance to." He looked around as though making sure he wasn't going to be heard and then he leaned in a little. "Personally, I think they just didn't want to do their paperwork, but that's just one lowly sargent's opinion."
At that, Sean smirked. "Yes, well, neither one has really been much of a desk-job kind of person," he said, doing his best not to infer that he only meant Nick in that sentence.
"True," Wu admitted, sounding a bit enthusiastic. When he remained in Sean's office even though his business in there was finished, Sean looked up to find the sargent watching him, a glint in the brown eyes that he couldn't define. He breathed, evidently coming back to his sense, and then said, "Well, I'm gonna go." He pointed as he left, closing the door behind him.
Wondering what the hell that was about, Sean's hand moved to pick up his phone. He stopped himself from dialing Nick's number, but barely. Just because he and Nick were involved - in some form or another - that didn't mean that he needed to, or had the right to - at least in Nick's mind - check up on him. To be fair that wasn't what he'd planned on doing, but that was how he would have had to play it off so that no one got suspicious and so he'd refrained. If Nick felt well enough to take a case, he was fine and Sean didn't need to needlessly worry himself over it.
Even so, annoyance at not being kept informed spiked through him and he felt himself communicate that through the bond, wondering if Nick would even feel it. He knew that Nick felt it when they were close, but he wasn't sure if the Grimm would be able to sense it over a longer distance. He'd told Nick that he would but he honestly hadn't been sure as the theory hadn't been tested in quite some time.
He smiled, this time the twist of his lips reaching to both corners of his mouth rather than just the one, when he felt annoyance tinged with indignance and the equivalent of an eye roll charge through the bond in response. Evidently Nick didn't like being checked up on, given the indignant note. Judging by the annoyance, he also didn't like how easily and quickly he responded. In time, Sean would tell him that he can train to interpret the signals as well as his impulses to obey them.
For now, Sean liked how immediately Nick reacted and how easy it was to sway the Grimm.
oOo
Nick stared down at the body of Mavis Kerfield, balancing on his crutches as he tried to stay out of the evidence. Normally he didn't bother trying not to contaminate the crime scene because he knew how to avoid doing so but he felt a bit clumsier than normal with the brace on his knee and the accompanying crutches and so he was doing his best to be careful.
"What the heck happened here?" Hank asked as he wandered around the perimeter of the shattered glass.
Nick stood upright, semi-pushing himself out of the leaning-stance on the crutches and began to follow Hank around the circle. Despite his best intentions, glass crunched under his boot and every so often he felt one crutch or the other go off balance as they stepped on glass.
After having looked at all he could on the main floor, Nick started up the stairs towards the second floor.
"Careful," Hank bid once he recognized what Nick was doing.
Nick ignored him of course, and made it up the stairs with relative ease. He looked at the broken glass which littered the hall and the small bits of blood that smeared some of it. He was just about to say something when a note of annoyance - with a hint of concern - screeched at him through the bond. Though he knew what it was, he wasn't entirely sure why. Even so, he felt a bit of indignation swing through him at the fact that Sean was, essentially, checking up on him. It wasn't like he was a child that needed constant adult supervision, after all. As he felt those feelings be translated through the bond, he also felt his annoyance at how the bond seemed to sway him grow.
"Even more glass up here," Nick called so that Hank, who was slowly coming up the stairs, could hear. "Somebody broke everything."
"Why would you break all the glass?" Hank asked as he joined Nick halfway down the hall nearby a mirror.
"Well, to make it dark," Nick automatically responded, voicing his first thought.
"Then why break the mirror?" Hank countered, making Nick pause since he had a point.
Then a thought occurred to him. "You know, I didn't see any cuts on her feet so she didn't come through this."
"Meaning she fell before it broke," Hank guessed.
"Or as it was breaking," Nick countered, thinking that was more than likely the right scenario.
As they had nothing else to go on and Nick was beginning to feel the familiar throb in his knee, he slightly pivoted as he suggested, "Let's go talk to the daughters."
oOo
Hank watched as his partner sluggishly made his way to the Charger. He hadn't been exactly thrilled when Nick had volunteered them for this case but, like Nick, he wasn't exactly keen on remaining behind a desk or investigating a homicide without Nick, he'd gone along, figuring that he could easily keep an eye on the injured man and make him sit down when the need arose. As it turned out, he hadn't needed to worry. After having climbed the stairs and made some observations in the hall, Nick had suggested that they go and speak to the daughters, one of whom found the body, and in the process had sat down on his own, apologizing to the daughters for needing to do so. The eldest had looked annoyed but the youngest had been sympathetic - albeit absently so - and had begged him not to worry about.
With that out of the way, Hank was able to pay attention to the interrogation - such an ugly word for a basic process - and to the answers that were given. Nothing much was to be gleaned from the two women who hadn't been in the house at the time. The only thing they could give was that they should talk to their step-brother-in-law Arthur Jarvis. They'd done that in record time and were now heading back to the precinct. Well, they will be once Nick climbs into the dang car.
Normally Hank wouldn't think it fair to try and rush an injured man but since Nick had stubbornly refused to allow Hank to help him, he didn't have a problem with it. He kept a close watch as the Grimm tossed his crutches into the backseat and then limp-hopped to the front passenger seat and gingerly lowered himself in.
"'bout time," Hank griped as he started the Dodge and drove away.
"The next time you're on crutches, I'll remember to hurry you," Nick griped, making Hank smile. His eyes traveled to his right to check on his partner, making sure that the man was mostly alright. His head was leaning against the headrest and his eyes were closed but otherwise he looked fine. Not in pain at least, though he doubted that were the case.
"How you doin'?" he chanced asking, doubting very much that Nick would give him an honest answer.
"I'm dandy, how are you?" Nick retorted with the usual level of sarcasm one got with him when he was hurting or sick.
"You should have stayed at the precinct," Hank returned with a snort. When they'd gotten in the car to head over to the crime scene, he'd tried, in vain, to convince Nick of that and so he had no qualms about reminding his partner of the fact.
"I seem to remember saying something to that back when a certain criminal was after everyone who had put him in jail," Nick quipped. "And I remember you leading said criminal to a quarry to handle him by yourself rather than letting the Captain help and getting yourself beat up in the process."
"I seem to remember you saying that you would have felt better if I'd stayed at the precinct whereas I specifically told you to stay at the precinct," Hank corrected. "Fine distinction."
"Yeah, yeah," Nick half-heartedly answered, apparently no longer having the energy to keep up the banter.
The rest of the ride passed in silence as neither man knew what to say. Hank was happy to let the quiet linger, especially when he heard Nick's even breathing. Taking a quick look, Hank noticed Nick wasn't asleep but he was relaxed, which was something of a miracle given what had been happening lately. Refraining from asking if Nick was alright again, or asking if he needed any help, Hank pulled into the police underground and parked.
He got out and - rather impatiently - waited for Nick to join him before he headed to the elevator and up to the homicide division's floor. The Captain sat in his office but Hank saw his eyes flicker upwards at Nick's entrance and follow the Grimm until he sat down at his desk. A brief expression crossed the Captain's face but since Hank hadn't seen it often, he didn't know what it meant.
While he and Nick got to work on their case, Hank puzzled over the Captain's expression. It took a while but Hank eventually did figure out what it meant and he smiled at it. The Captain had read something in Nick's posture that he hadn't liked and he was concerned. Only, since the Captain didn't have a legitimate reason for calling Nick into his office, so that he could inquire after Nick's health, he hadn't and now, if Hank had to guess, he was staring at Nick like a hawk does its prey.
To his left, Nick snorted at nothing and it drew Hank's notice. He raised an eyebrow at his partner, asking what that was all about and Nick shook his head, telling Hank that he'd explain later.
Fair enough. They were at work, after all. It wasn't exactly the best place to discuss Grimm stuff. But with his curiosity piqued, Hank had trouble focusing on work and so he spent the rest of the afternoon dilly-dally-ing until they could leave.
"You up for a pizza?" he asked as they began walking out the door.
Nick was distracted and not really paying attention. He stopped mid-stride and stared into the Captain's office. So, Hank tried again.
"Nick," he called, making sure that he had the younger man's attention this time.
"Yeah," Nick said, now focusing on Hank but still seeming distracted.
"I said, are you up for a pizza?"
"Yeah," Nick answered in that tone that he used when he wasn't really paying attention. "Yeah, my place in an hour?"
"Alright," Hank answered, puzzled as to how Nick was going to get home and why it was going to take him an hour to get there. "See you then."
"Yeah," Nick said, his gaze once again on the Captain's office. "See you."
Hank watched his partner head into the Captain's office and sit down. He waited for a few minutes, watching Nick's body language to determine that things were okay, and then he left, looking forward to pizza and explanations.
oOo
Sean watched Nick as he crutched his way into the office and then gingerly sat down. He didn't miss Hank near the entrance/exit, watching his partner carefully and nor did he mind the protectiveness that he was showing in doing so. It was good to know that Nick had other people looking out for him; especially since the man seemed incapable of doing so himself. If Hank increased in his care or tried to insert his dominance as Nick's best friend over Sean then there would be a problem but until then, Sean left it be.
The lingering stench of Nick's pain hung thickly in the air. Sean could tell that it was dissipating but for his own comfort, it wasn't fast enough. It would have been better for Nick to stay home for a little while longer, particularly if he was going to insist on doing all his normal duties but while on crutches. However, attempting to convince Nick of that was a lesson in futility such as Sean had never experienced before. It had been a battle of wills and dominance - both of which Nick had won simply because Sean hadn't been willing to continue the argument any longer.
"For the record," Nick said, starting a conversation that Sean knew he wanted to have but didn't know how to start. Granted, from those three words this wasn't the precise conversation he had been planning on but at this point, any conversation would suffice. "I don't appreciate you using this newfound," he paused while trying to think of a word to describe what he was thinking, "ability to check up on me while we're at work."
Sean smirked, finding Nick's anger just a little bit adorable. It was cute that the Grimm thought he could put Sean in his proper place. Then again, in this relationship, maybe he and Nick were more evenly matched than he had given them credit for. Nick may not be his equal in some ways - his entire lack of ruthlessness, for example - but in others, he could challenge Sean and most likely win. Not physically, of course, no, Sean would always be stronger than him in that respect. But Nick was more than capable of challenging him when it came to stubbornness and morals. Nick had no trouble standing up for what he believed in and he had no qualms about speaking his mind no matter who heard him.
"My apologies," Sean offered, if only to appease his mate. He wasn't sorry in the least for checking up on the Grimm but it never hurt to let the man think that he was. "I was merely wanting to know if you were alright."
"I thought you would have known if I wasn't," Nick quipped, folding his arms over his chest and relaxing into the chair, laying his injured leg out while the other tucked itself under the chair. He smirked, clearly believing that he had the upper hand.
Sean sat forward, leaning his arms on the top of his desk and folding his hands together. "In cases where the bond hasn't had a chance to fully be explored, that is not the case. It's true that as our bond grows stronger, we will be able to, essentially, communicate through the connection, for the moment, we can do little more than send bits of emotion through it."
At this, Nick furrowed his brow in an expression of confusion but he remained silent. Sean waited for him to speak his mind but it appeared the man wanted to wade through his own thoughts in privacy first and then express them to Sean. Fair enough. He was allowed privacy and a chance to digest whatever it was he was having trouble swallowing.
Taking advantage of the quiet, Sean allowed his mind to focus on the bond to see what he could get through it. When he received nothing but white noise, he smiled. He doubted that Nick was doing it intentionally but he was blocking Sean out of his mind and emotions. At any rate it wasn't important. With Nick in the room all he had to do was inhale and he'd be able to tell what Nick was feeling on the surface. He didn't even have to go that far to know that Nick was in pain - albeit only slightly now - but other than that there was a smell he couldn't identify, leaving him puzzled.
Perhaps, he thought, that was the point.
It made sense in an odd way. Nick's confusion on whatever it was he was thinking about was manifesting into a smell that left Sean unable to identify it because it was confusion itself.
As though coming back to reality, Nick inhaled and semi-shook his head, clearing whatever thoughts from his mind and focusing on Sean once again.
"Well, no matter the reason, can you try not to do it at work? It's distracting." Nick didn't sound half as firm as Sean knew he'd wanted to be and it made Sean curious as to the reason. Something wafted through his mind, purring like a content cat. Nick obviously, on some level, liked that Sean had been concerned about him, but he wasn't willing to let that show.
"Fair enough," Sean granted, knowing that Nick did have a point. If Sean were to continue doing that while Nick was unprepared or unable to block it out, he could get Nick hurt or killed. Better to leave it until they both could communicate more strongly. He leaned back in his chair and gave his partner a smile. "What are your plans for the night?"
"I think Hank wanted to grab a pizza, actually," Nick said, hooking his thumb over his shoulder where Hank had been ten minutes earlier. Again, his brows furrowed as though he couldn't comprehend why his friend wanted to do a dinner after having been with him at work all day. Clearly he suspected ulterior motives from Hank, he just couldn't tell what they were.
Sean smiled. "He wants to make sure that I'm not taking advantage of you," he filled in, unsure if Nick would have gotten there on his own.
"I thought I'd already cleared that up," Nick blankly replied.
"We did for you friends the Blutbad and the Fuchsbau, but not for Hank."
"You know," Nick quipped, gingerly leveraging himself out of the chair and onto the crutches. "If you're going to rule a city, you might want to get to know your constituent's names."
Sean stood, getting the door for Nick though the glare the Grimm gave him told him that he needn't have bothered.
"I'll work on that," he promised with a dry smile. Truthfully he didn't see the need to learn anyone's names when they were of little importance for him. But for Nick, he would at least try and learn these two.
"Yeah, you do that," Nick returned, hinting that he knew full well what Sean was really thinking. "I'll see you in the morning."
Sean nodded. "Oh, and Nick?" he called before the man had gotten too far into the office. Nick turned around to look at him, curiosity in his raised eyebrows. "Try and convince Hank that I'm not the threat he thinks I am."
Nick's expression was unreadable for a moment and then he smiled. "Will do," he promised and then grabbed Wu before walking out.
Sean sighed, feeling the tension of the past week settle into his shoulders. What he needed right now, no, what he wanted right now, was nothing more than to hunt. The regnant was practically gnawing at the bars that held it in check, straining to be let free.
Well, now that the danger to Nick had, somewhat, passed and the Grimm himself was busy, Sean didn't see the harm in preoccupying himself for a few hours before he went to sleep. Snapping his laptop closed, Sean stood up, gathered his things and went out the door in one fluid motion. The night would be cold, especially in the mountains, but in his dragon-like form, he would be alright. With eyes the color of deep red, he climbed into his Suburban and headed for the forests.
The hunt was on.
TBC