I am SO SO SO SO SO sorry that it has taken me so long to update this fic.. I have no excuse and only hope that the new chapter was worth the wait.
Let me know!
M
Hank drove home late that night, his mind trying to wrap itself around all that Nick had told him.
They had met at Nick's house at the appointed time with Hank carrying the pizza - rat free this time - and the beer. He'd counted on the beer just being for him but apparently Nick no longer used his pain medication and so he'd taken some for himself. After having grabbed some plates and sliding the pizza onto the coffee table, Hank and Nick had sat down, relaxing into their seats and getting comfortable.
Nick hadn't wasted any time in delving into explanation. According to him the captain had filled him in on what it was that Hank had wanted to know and Nick hadn't seen any point in tip-toeing around the topic.
The problem was that, judging from how vaguely Nick had explained the bond that he now shared with the captain, Nick barely understood how the entire thing worked himself. And that bothered Hank. But going to the captain for answers was out of the question. Hank had seen the way the man had watched him as Hank had watched Nick in his office. It hadn't been a friendly stare. In fact, it had been bordering on hostile. The last thing that Hank wanted was for his boss to think that he was overstepping boundaries. Even so, both he and Nick needed to know more about what was going on.
Pulling into his driveway, Hank pulled out his phone.
"Hey, Monroe," he greeted once the man had picked up. "Hey, you and Rosalee got a minute?"
oOo
Rosalee greeted Hank and Monroe with a smile and a pot of coffee. The last thing that she had expected was to get a call from Monroe saying that Hank had called him and wanted their help. What he wanted their help with, she had no idea and Monroe didn't either. They both guessed that it had to do with Nick and from there they went a step further and guessed that it had to do with what was going on between the royal and the Grimm.
"Hey guys, come on in," she said as she opened the door and then locked it behind them. Technically the shop was closed so there shouldn't be anyone wanting to come in but when it comes to wesen emergencies, you never knew what could happen.
"Thanks," Hank said, tucking his hands into his pockets. "Sorry to bother you guys so late."
"It's not that late," Monroe answered at the same time that she said, "It's no problem."
The pair shared a look that held a small smile. After letting it linger a little longer, Rosalee turned back to Hank and asked, "So, what's goin on?"
"What do you guys know about this bond that's developed between Nick and the captain?"
Yep, that was pretty much what they had expected. Even so, how do you explain something like that to someone like Hank?
Offering a small smile and gesturing towards the back room, Rosalee suggested, "Let's go in back and Monroe and I will try to explain what we can."
oOo
By the time Friday rolled around, Nick was thoroughly annoyed with the crutches. They were cumbersome to say the least and all Nick wanted to do was throw them out the window. He really didn't need them anymore, anyways. But Sean and Hank, both, had threatened him in one way or another - Sean with desk duty and paperwork, Hank with bodily harm - if he stopped without a doctor's approval and so here he was; stuck with the damn things attached to his sides.
Where the hell was he going to find a doctor who wouldn't demand a bunch of tests or question how he'd healed so fast? Both his partner and his boss had specifically said that Rosalee didn't count so he was stuck sitting at his desk, doing his absolute best to try and figure out how to play his injury off as seeming worse than it had been to a new doctor. So far it wasn't going well.
"Hey, Nick," Wu called to him as he obligingly came to Nick's desk to talk to him. "Hey, you got anything new on the Kerfield murder?"
"Uh, no," Nick said, looking around for support from Hank who wasn't actually there. He looked up at Wu with a furrowed brow, confused. "But you already knew that," he said, drawing his words out to show that he knew something was up with the sergeant, although he didn't know what. "So, what is it you really want to know?"
Wu hesitated for a moment, looking around as though afraid he would be spotted or heard. After making sure that the proverbial coast was clear, he sat down in Hank's chair and then scooted it closer to Nick's desk. Nick sat up and scooted his chair closer to his desk as well so that he could hear Wu.
"Do you know what's going on with the Captain?" the sergeant asked, his eyes never once focusing on Nick despite how concentrated his tone was. They actually seemed to be watching Sean in his office as he spoke.
Nick sat back, casting a wayward look over his shoulder at Sean in his office before he looked back at Wu, his attention solely on the other man, all while doing his best to look nonchalant. He wasn't blind to the reasons behind Wu asking him specifically about the captain. He knew that Wu had to suspect something, if not more, and he didn't want to give the man any cannon fodder for the betting ring that Nick knew was circulating through all departments of the precinct.
"No, why?" he asked, grabbing a file on his current murder case to appear relaxed and working. He was still stumped on what could have caused this. Because, yes, he had no doubt that the murder was wesen; he just didn't know what kind. Having being given rides home, he couldn't necessarily have one of the uni's take him to Aunt Marie's trailer to find out and he wasn't about to ask Hank either. He kind of liked the trailer as his own private place and while he'd had Monroe there on a few occasions, the blutbad hadn't been intrusive and hadn't brought the trailer up in conversation unless Nick had brought it up first. It was like he knew that Nick believed it to be his sanctuary and he didn't want to tresspass on it.
Suspicion briefly flitted across Wu's face but he was careful not to betray it. Instead he leaned back, looking to all the world relaxed and started to idly play with a pen that Hank had abandoned at the last minute. The ballpoint pen spun in a dizzying circle as Wu twirled it around, making sure all the while that it never went out of control. It drew Nick's attention from the file in his hands to the spinning object and kept him entranced. Nick had a brief moment of annoyance from being distracted but soon his mind began to wander and he lost hold of his irritation.
"No reason," the sergeant said. "I just thought you might know why he's been in such a foul mood."
As a matter of fact Nick did know why the captain was grumpy. All the entire week, Sean had been trying to grab his attention via the bond. He'd sent signals of concern and amusement in the beginning then they turned to annoyance and frustration when Nick refused to respond. He hadn't exactly figured out how to block those signals from coming in at most inopportune times but he'd gotten better at hiding his reactions to them and had somewhat figured out how not to send something back. Between the case, Hank's concern over the bond Nick shared with the captain, and Kylie, Nick hadn't really had much time to consider furthering his relationship with his boss. In fact, he hadn't really talked to him since Monday when Nick had been in his office.
But as Nick wasn't about to tell Wu all that, he gave a smile and shrugged. "Sorry," he said, "I can't help ya."
Monroe! The name flashed in his brain like lightning and suddenly Nick wondered why it had taken him so long to think of the solution. Technically it was two solutions but the main one he was focusing on was getting the blutbad's help with the case.
He sat up so quickly that his head swirled a little. He briefly wondered when he'd eaten last but the thought had barely finished before he'd wiped it away. He hastily gathered up his crutches and was out of his chair faster than he probably should have been able to be, and then he was out the door without another word to Wu, who was probably still sitting at Hank's desk.
He stopped when he realized that he couldn't just fly out like he normally would have. Pivoting he went back to Wu who had a rather dumbfounded look on his face.
"Can you take me home?" he asked, hating how ridiculous the question sounded.
"Uh, sure, did you forget something?"
"No," Nick answered, following Wu as they both exited the floor and went down to the parking garage. "Well, sort of. I just remembered that I said I'd follow up on some leads for the case." Well, at least that wasn't a total lie. "But my knee's been hurting a lot today, so I figured I'd just do it at home." Okay, so that was a lie.
Judging from the expression that Wu cast sideways at him as they drove out of the underground, the sergeant knew that he was lying to some degree but he'd never been bold enough to call any of them out and so he kept his skepticism to himself.
Getting to Nick's house from the precinct was a rather quick drive. The traffic was light during midday and Wu had had no trouble weaving through what little there was. Before long, he pulled up to the curb outside Nick's front door and parked the car.
"You don't need to get out," Nick assured the sergeant when he noticed the other man unbuckling his seatbelt. He opened the door and awkwardly got his crutches out of the front seat. "I can manage from here."
"Are you sure? The sidewalk looks slick."
"Yeah, I'm fine," Nick answered, now working on getting himself out of the car.
"Do you want me to tell the Captain?"
Nick froze for a minute. He should say yes since saying that he'd let the captain know would only put fire under the slow-burning pot of suspicions that Wu already had cooking. But telling him the lie that Nick had told Wu would make him worry and no doubt express that worry over the bond - something which Nick did not want to be bothered with today. For a second Nick was torn. Then he realized that to avoid further suspicion, there was only one option he could take.
"Yeah," he said, slowly getting himself standing. He leaned down so that he could look into the warm car. The chill that had danced around Portland had fully settled into damp frigidity with the clouds above promising more snow. Nick shivered with the temperature change, enjoying the blast of heat that slammed into his face. "Thanks for the ride, Wu."
"Anytime, Nick," the sergeant said. He sounded a little annoyed at being used for a taxi service but he also sounded as though he'd just woken up from a dream and wasn't sure how he'd ended up in the car at Nick's house. The complete 360 that Nick had done had evidently left him feeling dazed. Good. It was better for him to wonder what the hell had just happened; it left little room for him to speculate whether or not Nick was seeing the captain and if he was, then for how long.
Nick waited for Wu's car to disappear from sight before he hastily started climbing the walkway to his front door. Wu had been right - it was slippery but Nick made to the porch in record time. As he slid his key into the door, he pulled his cell phone from his back pocket.
Kylie greeted him in the foyer, her tail wagging as she patiently sat, waiting for him to come to her. Nick wasn't exactly sure where she'd learned to do that because he sure as hell hadn't taught it to her. All he knew was that, starting Monday night, every night he had come home, there she was, sitting and waiting for him to get closer to her so she could give him a welcome home lick.
Before shutting the door, he stepped out of the way and held it open for her. "Go on," he told her, nudging his head towards the yard outside. She looked up at him, cocked her head to the side and then sprinted out to do her business.
Dialing Monroe's number, Nick abandoned his crutches at the doorway and heavily limped over to the living room, easing himself onto the couch once he'd gotten there.
"Yello," Monroe greeted, sounding busy. In fact, Nick knew he was busy because he hadn't answered Nick's phone call like he normally does, meaning that he hadn't actually looked to see who was calling before he'd picked up.
"Hey, it's Nick."
"Oh, hey, what's up?" There was some muffled sounds and then another, more distinct, sound of him dropping a tool. Yep, definitely busy.
Feeling bad for bothering the blutbad when he was working, Nick hesitated in truthfully answering his question. He was tempted to lie and get off the phone as quickly as possible. But the truth of the matter was that the search for the murderous wesen would go a lot faster with Monroe there.
"Can you meet me at the trailer?" he asked, lowering his voice out of sheer habit rather than need.
The sound of Kylie's nails on the floor told Nick that she'd come back in and he got up to go close the door so the cold air wouldn't get in. He'd just gotten to his feet when he heard the door close on its own and then saw the lab happily trotting into the room to sit by his feet.
Was it normal for dogs to be able to close doors?
"Uh, yeah, man, just give me about half an hour and I'm there."
Ah, so Monroe was just finishing up - well that made Nick feel a bit better.
"Sounds good. I'll see you then."
"Wait, don't you need a ride or somethin?"
Figuring today was as good a day as any to push his luck, Nick said, "No, man, I'm good. I'll meet you there," and hung up before the blutbad could argue any longer.
Kylie gave a rather reproachful bark, making Nick raise his eyebrows in surprise.
"What, you close doors and are a mother-hen too?"
She didn't back down and this time her tail wasn't thumping either. In fact, she was staring at him rather intently, as though expecting him to behave. Nick scoffed and reached out to give her a quick pet on the head. He didn't know why he was talking to her like she understood him. Not only did dogs not speak English, but they couldn't speak at all.
"Right, well, I'd better go dress warmer," he said, easing himself to his feet and heavily limping towards the stairs.
Kylie barked at him again, making him turn to look at her. She was once again sitting in the foyer but when he looked at her, she looked at the crutches he'd abandoned and then looked back at him. It was though she was telling him to use the damn things. Shaking his head to hopefully clear the crazy out of it, Nick turned back around and slowly made his way to his bedroom.
What was his life coming to when he thought that dogs could not only talk but give demands and reproaches?
oOo
Monroe shivered as he climbed out of his Beetle. Even with his blutbad internal heating, he found it cold. Winter had definitely settled into Portland, bringing with it more snow and more dampness. He didn't mind either as he liked snow; in a way it was romantic in its perceived purity. He was actually beginning to plan a little something for Rosalee and him when they next went out. Of course, he'd actually have to ask her out again for that to work.
Aunt Marie's trailer - also known as The Trailer - was dirty. Its time having been spent in the wide array of Portland's weather hadn't done it any favors in that respect. It looked run down and worth nothing - both of which were good things since Nick didn't really need anyone wanting to steal the thing. For a moment Monroe simply stood in front of the trailer, staring at it in awe. He still couldn't believe that he'd been allowed inside and on more than one occasion. As he'd told Nick, it was like being inside a Grimm museum; it was full of Grimm history and books and old antidotes that probably still worked today. Monroe loved history. He believed that the more you learned about history the better prepared you were for the future.
The door to the trailer opened before he had a chance to reach the handle and Nick's dark hair poked out of the doorway. Monroe instantly noticed that the Grimm wasn't using his crutches which he wasn't sure was a good or bad thing. Still, he wasn't Nick's mother - thank God for that - and so he said nothing.
"You going to come in or you going to stand out there all day?" Nick asked, stepping back to let Monroe in.
"Well, I guess someone's grouchy," Monroe retorted, following the man inside the trailer and slamming the door shut behind him.
"Yeah, well, forced desk duty can do that to a person," the Grimm retorted as he went to sit down behind the simple yet useful desk. He seemed to be moving pretty good considering how badly he'd been hurt. And although it was obvious that Nick couldn't put his full weight on the leg yet, Monroe couldn't deny that the Grimm probably didn't need to use crutches either.
"Looks like you'll be getting off it sooner than you think," Monroe observed as he closed the door and sat in an abandoned chair. He pulled an old, worn book into his lap and lazily opened it. "I'm assuming I'm here for research?"
"Sort of. Do you know of a wesen that can shatter all glass in the vicinity?"
Monroe searched his memory but shook his head when he came up blank. "I got nothin."
"Then yes," Nick said in a sigh, "you're here for research."
oOo
Nick left the trailer with the smallest of smiles on his face. Not only did he have a way of dealing with the murcielago BUT he also had the name of a legitimate doctor who also happened to be a wesen. Monroe had been a bit uneasy about sending Nick to see her but he also said that if anyone could care for a Grimm, it was here.
Once he was out, he locked the door and climbed into his Toyota. After making sure those doors were locked (you could never be too careful if you were a Grimm), he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed the doctor's number. In order for him to stop the attacks he had to be officially off desk duty and there was only one way that was going to happen.
"You have reached the office of Doctor Marcie Kisic. Please leave your name, number, and a brief message and someone will get back to as soon as is possible. If this is a medical emergency, please hang up and dial 911. Thank you."
"Hi. My name is Detective Nick Burkhardt. I'm friends with Monroe, who assures me that you are the best. I am in need of medical clearance to get back to work and was told you could help me. If you could please give me a call back, my number is 555-544-2632*. Thanks. Bye."
With that being done, Nick tossed his phone into the cup holder and turned his truck on. He'd almost gotten home when his phone had rung.
"Hello?"
"Is this Detective Burkhardt?"
"Yes it is."
"Hi, my name is Doctor Kisic. You called a little bit ago."
The voice was friendly and kind, surprising Nick with the youth he heard in it. She couldn't be more than 25; 30 at the most. How did she have her own practice already?
"Yes," Nick said, not doing so well at hiding his enthusiasm. "Thanks for getting back to me so quickly."
"Generally for medical clearance to return to work, people like a prompt response," the doctor reasoned with what sounded like a smile in her voice. "I've talked to Monroe and he's explained your..dilemma. I am free any time after three o'clock. Will that do?"
So, she cleared her schedule to make sure that Nick didn't scare any of her patients away, huh? Fair enough. It wouldn't do for him to come out to a room full of wesen and have them all woge and then either try and kill him or run for their lives, screaming at the top of their lungs.
"Sounds perfect," he said, biting back the brief spark of anger he felt towards how quickly other wesen judged him. It was a bitter pill he had to take but as the days wore on, Nick was slowly finding it easier to swallow. That didn't mean that it didn't get stuck in his throat every now and then.
"Great, I'll see you then," she answered, sounding pleased. "Oh, and Detective? Please leave all weapons at home. There'll be no one here who needs to lose their heads."
Nick gave an uncomfortable chuckle. He couldn't tell if she was joking or threatening him. For all he knew, it was both. "I'll do my best," he promised, though he knew he'd be bringing his gun just in case.
The phone call ended and Nick pulled into the driveway and up to the shed out back. He'd never really been one to park here but since it was just him living here now, he figured he might as well start. Besides, the distance from the driveway was closer than the street which saved him from having to walk too far on his weakened knee.
At the back door, Kylie barked once, signaling that she knew he was there, and then went quiet. He opened it to find her once again sitting and patiently waiting for him to enter. How anyone could have abandoned this dog was beyond him. She fidgeted as though she wanted to move and greet him but then she sat still again.
Nick limped over to her and gave her ears a scratch. He checked his phone to see how much time he had before he had to be at his appointment and then grabbed a bottle of water and sat on the couch. He had a couple of hours before he needed to meet Monroe's doctor friend. He might as well enjoy the quiet while he could.
He had just begun to nod off, cold water still in his hands, when there was a knock at the front door. Kylie, who no doubt had been aware of the guest before he had, didn't even bark. Instead, she went over to the entryway and sat down, much like she did for Nick. That alone told him who it was at his door. Had he been given enough time, however, Nick still would have known. The feeling of familiarity he felt through the bond hummed in the back of his mind. It was almost as though a part of him was recognizing his other half without his consent.
"I'm assuming that since the dog isn't growling, I can come in," Sean said as he closed the door behind him.
Kylie sniffed at him as though dismissing him and came back into the living room to sit by Nick's side once more. Instead of relaxing onto the floor, she stood erect, watching Sean as he came closer. It appeared the dog only trusted the regnant to a certain point, and him being close to Nick wasn't it. Her upper lip curled back as Sean stepped close enough to Nick to touch him and a low growl rumbled through her chest. Sean placidly eyed Kylie with a growl of his own echoing hers. Nick half expected Kylie to back down then, but she didn't. Her hackles rose as she stepped forward as though to pounce. Her teeth were now bared and the growl was no longer a rumble but a warning.
"Impressive," Sean remarked with a slight eyebrow raise. "Apparently she believes I'm encroaching on her territory."
"Well this is her house," Nick replied offhandedly. His mind felt sluggish and his energy felt nonexistent. He didn't know where the sudden fatigue came from but right now it was threatening to drag him down to oblivion.
"It's not the house," Sean corrected.
Nick looked down at Kylie then up at Sean. "What? Me?" he asked. Now that he thought about it, it made sense. He knew that dogs were possessive of their owners, some to the point of violence, he just never thought one would be about him. Of course, that was probably because he didn't think he'd ever own a dog. He sighed. "Well that could make things difficult."
"Not if you were to correct her," Sean reasoned. There was an undercurrent to his tone that suggested he was curious as to why Nick hadn't done that yet but Nick knew that the stoic leader wouldn't care to actually voice such thoughts. "As you're not only hers but her pack leader, she would respect your authority."
Did he? Did Nick want to correct Kylie? Or did he like the protection that she offered against Sean?
The idea was ridiculous, honestly. Nick craved Sean; no doubt just as much as Sean craved him. But was it his body that craved Sean or his whole being? Evidently a small part of him was still fighting against this whole situation but Nick couldn't figure out why. He'd made the choice to give in, hadn't he? He'd decided that, on some level at least, he wanted Sean. Not necessarily for a mate, granted, but he was sure that it wouldn't be long until that was true too.
So why was he, essentially, hiding behind a dog?
He scares you, a voice at the back of his mind whispered.
Indignation instantly swelled up within him as his pride rebelled against the idea. Nick was immediately fighting against the suggestion. There was no way he, Nick Burkhardt, Grimm of Portland, was afraid of his boss!
But then, he amended, Sean wasn't merely his boss, now was he? He was a wesen - a regnant which, to Nick's understanding, is a very powerful creature which could very well kill him if it wanted to. Not to mention that he was also royalty in the wesen world which meant that he wielded quite a lot of power from that position alone.
Yeah, thought Nick, I have good reason to fear him.
Music, soft, gentle and cooing sang through Nick's head, effectively breaking up his thoughts. It scattered them like one would a broken up puzzle and then swept them away to the far reaches of his mind so that Nick no longer felt the doubts they had brought up. The feeling within the music told him that he didn't need to fear Sean; that the regnant would do nothing to hurt Nick and would kill any who tried.
"I can take care of myself, you know," he said, annoyed that Sean had been able to tell what he was thinking and felt the need to protect him because of it. There was no way in hell that Nick was going to come through this relationship being the weaker of the two. If anything, they were evenly matched and he wanted Sean to know that too.
Sean's expression never changed (and neither did the tone in the bond) but his tone was just shy of a wry laugh. "Nick, from day one you've always had someone covering your back whether you knew it or not. The blutbad certainly helped but at times there were others watching out for you."
"Okay, moving past the part where you felt that you had a right to have me watched, I have been taking care of myself for quite some time." Feeling the need to do something, Nick stood up to face Sean with as much strength as he could muster. Beside him Kylie shadowed him, albeit while remaining slightly in front of him. "I may be somewhat new to the Grimm thing," he admitted, knowing there was no denying it, "but before I was ever a Grimm, I was a cop. And while we may not be trained killers, we are taught how to take care of ourselves."
Kylie gave a bark after Nick had finished, making it sound like she seconded his opinion, and then proceeded to stare at Sean as though to dare him to challenge her. Technically her support, if that's what Nick would or could call it, somewhat diminished his point but whatever. She was a dog for heaven's sake. It's not like she actually understood a word they were saying.
The smile that formed on Sean's lips was not what Nick would ever refer to as friendly or feral. In fact, he would have actually called it mocking and it pissed him off to see it.
"We'll wait until you're healthy and then we'll test your theory, shall we?"
The teasing that came through Sean's challenging tone did nothing to undermine the sheer glee that shone through his hazel eyes at the prospect. Whether it was the idea of getting more physical in one way or another with Nick or the suggestion that he could then deal out some form of punishment on the Grimm, Nick couldn't tell and at the moment, he didn't care. He smirked back.
"See, that right there is why I don't correct her," he said in all seriousness which belied the smile on his face. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a doctor's appointment to get to. I trust you can let yourself out since you let yourself in."
Walking away, Nick made sure to grab his keys and wallet before walking out the back door. He didn't bother to check and make sure that Sean left; he already knew that he had.
TBC