CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE

Nick sat in his truck, anxiously waiting for Renard's henchman to bring Adalind back. He'd been parked not far from her house for a few hours already, and he was starting to grow impatient. He knew he'd convinced his captain that there was no other alternative than to let Adalind go, but part of him still feared he'd never see her again. He shook his head and willed himself to stop worrying. As he nervously tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, he noticed a car approaching down the road. Its headlights were off, which led him to believe whoever was behind the wheel didn't want to draw any attention. Nick sank down in his seat, keeping his eyes on the car as it pulled in front of Adalind's house. He attentively watched as a man dressed in dark clothes got out and moved towards the rear of the car. He unlocked the trunk and moments later, Nick saw him carrying Adalind towards the back door. It took him every drop of restraint not to run out of his truck and into Adalind's home right then and there. He wanted nothing more than to put a bullet in the unknown man's chest, but he needed to be careful; although Renard was most probably going to follow his advice and not tell the Royals about his relationship with Adalind, he couldn't trust his minion to show him the same courtesy. Nick nearly lost his patience, but he managed to wait until the man walked back out and drove off into the night.

After making sure the car had completely disappeared, Nick got out of his truck and ran into Adalind's house. He quickly made his way to her bedroom and saw her lying on the bed, still unconscious. He was so relieved to have her back. The mere thought of losing her made it nearly impossible for him to breathe. He slowly walked to the bed and lied down next to her. He carefully wrapped his arms around her, closed his eyes and gently rested his forehead against hers. He remained still for a moment, just taking deep breaths to calm himself down. Renard had attempted to take away the two people who mattered most to him. And although Nick had managed to prevent his worst nightmare from becoming a reality, he knew full well that the threat was still out there; now more than ever, he needed to protect his family. He opened his eyes and gazed at the mother of his child and one true love of his life. He felt his heart constrict in his chest as he watched Adalind's beautiful face; if he ever lost her… the outcome would be far too painful to bear.

He suddenly noticed her eyelids start to flutter.

"Nick" she murmured.

Even though her eyes were still closed, she had clearly sensed that the comforting arms enveloping her were his. She had recognized that the soothing melody in her ears was none other than the familiar sound of his breathing.

"Where are we?" she asked, her voice still groggy from the sedative that had been administered to her.

"Home; you're safe" he answered, tenderly kissing her forehead.

Adalind tried to lift her eyelids but they felt incredibly heavy. After a few failed attempts, she finally succeeded in opening her eyes. Everything seemed blurry, so she blinked a few times until her vision became clearer. Her efforts were greatly rewarded when she looked up and saw Nick's handsome face.

"Hey beautiful" he said, cupping her cheek with his hand.

"Nick…" she whispered. "How did you find me?"

"I didn't. But I convinced Renard to let you go."

"Sean… he knows about us…"

"I don't want you to worry about that right now. I need you to rest."

She closed her eyes and tried to recall what had happened to her. She already knew Renard had come into her home and attacked her for falling in love with Nick. Then someone else had come up behind her and drugged her. Whatever drug had been forced upon her had been incredibly potent because her mind was still foggy. She could sense there was something else… but what was it? And then, like ocean waves crashing into large rocks, the memories came flooding back. She remembered reading the medical report from the routine blood test she'd been forced into the day she'd gone back to work; the high hCG levels present in her blood had indicated she was pregnant.

She slowly opened her eyes and noticed Nick was staring at her. 'My love' she thought. 'The father of my child.'

"Nick, I have to tell you something…"

"We can talk tomorrow…"

"No, you need to know" she interrupted him. "I'm not exactly sure how to tell you this…"

"You don't have to; I already know" he told her, stroking her back.

How could Nick know she was pregnant? She had just found out herself.

"How do you…"

"I found your test results" he explained before she could finish her sentence. "I stumbled upon your medical report, crumpled up into a ball inside the trash can."

"I didn't throw it out" she said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"I know… Renard did."

"Sean? Oh my God, Nick… he knows I'm pregnant?"

"Yes, although he didn't admit to it. But it doesn't matter. You're safe now and I won't let anything happen to you or our baby."

His words made her heart flutter. 'Our baby'. Yes, this was definitely their child; she hadn't been with anyone else in months. Nick had only become her lover a few weeks ago, but the thought that this child could be someone else's clearly hadn't crossed his mind; he just knew the miracle growing inside of her was his own flesh and blood.

"I'm sorry… I wish I could've been the one to tell you" she said.

She searched his eyes, trying to gauge his reaction to the news. But before she could say anything else, he leaned in and kissed her softly. His lips lingered on hers for a moment before he broke the kiss and gazed into her eyes.

"Are you ok?" he asked.

"I think so… I feel fine aside from the drowsiness."

"No, I mean are you ok with… having a Grimm's baby?" he said, his voice fading down to a whisper.

His question caught her off guard. She hadn't had time to fully process the news of her pregnancy or its implications. She'd never really thought about having children before, so she wasn't sure how to feel about becoming a mother. But her hesitation had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that this baby was Nick's.

"This is all so unexpected, I think I'm still in shock" she told him, sliding her hands up the length of his arms. "But the one thing I know for sure is how much I love you… every single part of you… including the one growing inside of me."

Nick smiled and tightened his arms around her, holding her close, and making her feel safe.

"What about you?" she asked. "How do you feel about this? You didn't exactly sign up to become a father this quickly with someone you just met."

"No, but this feels right, like it's all meant to be. All the odds were stacked against us, but we still fell in love" he said with a smile. "And now, we created a new life; one that will bind us forever. I love you" he whispered. "I love you both with my life."

He lifted her chin towards his and kissed her tenderly. Her body was still numb from the sedative, but her entire body responded to the touch of his lips. She wrapped her hands behind his neck and pulled him closer, her lips desperately clinging to his. She sensed her pulse starting to accelerate, and her heartbeat quickly followed suit. She felt alive again; more than ever before.