CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Adalind was sitting in her armchair, wrapped in a wool blanket. She felt inexplicably cold. 'If only Nick were here to keep me warm' she thought, rubbing her hands up and down the length of her arms in an attempt to fight off the shivers. At first, she'd assumed she was sick with the flu, but she'd experienced no other symptoms aside from chills. Perhaps it was her pregnancy; her child sucking in all the warmth to keep growing stronger. She smiled, thinking about her little miracle, safely sleeping inside of her.

A loud knock on the door interrupted her reverie. She reluctantly freed herself from the blanket and made her way to the entrance. She opened the door but immediately regretted her decision as soon as she saw him, standing on her porch.

"Good morning, Adalind" he said, an evil smile spread across his lips.

She instinctively backed away, distancing herself from him.

"Leave" she told him, her voice shaking, partly from the chills invading her body, but also from fear.

"But I've come by to congratulate you" he responded, ignoring her request. "I've heard the wonderful news. You and Nick must be ecstatic."

"Get away from me" she whispered as he shut the door behind him, slowly advancing towards her.

"Come on, Adalind. Don't be frightened; I'm here as a friend."

"You don't have any friends" she replied, stumbling backwards and landing in her armchair.

She was cornered, and he had her right where he wanted her; defenceless, with nowhere to go.

"That's not true; you and I enjoyed some good times together. Don't you remember? I honestly believed you and I were great friends… that is until you decided to sleep with the enemy" he uttered as his smile vanished.

He was glaring at her, his eyes darkened by the intense anger visibly raging inside. She'd betrayed him, blatantly disobeyed his orders, and chosen to cross the line; actions which had lead her directly into Nick's arms.

"I'm going to make you wish you'd never fallen in love with the Grimm" he seethed through his teeth.

"Never…" she murmured.

"You've chosen to join the wrong side of the battle lines. And now, you must pay the ultimate price for your betrayal. The child you're carrying will never see the light of day."

"No, please… not my baby…" she pleaded with him.

Without taking his piercing gaze off her, he reached for something behind his back. By the time Adalind realized what the shiny object in his hand actually was, it was already too late. Sean swung the sharp knife high above his head and, fed by his fury, he plunged it straight into her abdomen.

"No!" she screamed.

"Adalind…"

"No! My baby!"she cried, fighting off the arms that attempted to hold her still.

"Adalind, Adalind! I'm here!" she heard Nick's comforting voice say.

She opened her eyes and immediately burst into tears as Nick enveloped her in his arms.

"It was just a nightmare" he whispered in her ear. "It's over. You're safe."

"It seemed so real" she said, tears rolling down her cheeks. "It felt so real."

"It wasn't" Nick reassured her, cupping her face in his hands. "I won't let anyone hurt you or our baby. I promise."

"How? Sean got to me once… he can do it again."

"Trust me, he won't. And even if he tries, he'll have to kill me before I let him anywhere near you."

"Nick…"

"The only thing I want you to worry about is getting some rest" he continued before she could say anything else.

Adalind simply nodded and cuddled herself in his arms. Nick was right; the only thing that mattered now was making sure their unborn child remained safe. She needed to protect him or her at any cost.

"I think you should see a doctor" Nick said after a moment. "Just to make sure whatever drug they sedated you with didn't harm you or the baby."

She lifted her head to look at him. The thought of the trying experience she'd been through having any negative impact on herself or her child's health hadn't even crossed her mind. She suddenly felt terrified at the slightest possibility of losing her baby. She'd only found out about its existence, but this child already meant the world to her; not only did this new life symbolize everything she cherished, but it also tied her to Nick in every way possible.

"Will you come with me?" she asked. "I don't think I can do it without you. I need you there with me in case…" she said, her voice breaking when the emotion prevented her from going further.

"Of course" he answered with a comforting smile. "I'll be there by your side for every single moment."

"I love you" she murmured.

"I love you more" he replied, bending his head down to kiss her.


Nick hated that Adalind was going through hell… and worse, that it was all because of him. Her kidnapping had left her extremely shaken, and as much as he wanted to help her get past this traumatic event, he wasn't convinced his love and support were enough; she'd always fear Renard would come back to finish the job. Nick needed to do more. Unfortunately, permanently getting rid of that bastard wasn't an option. Although the Grimm inside of him had no problem with crossing that line, his more rational cop half simply couldn't bring himself to kill his captain… at least not yet.

He instinctively tightened his arms around Adalind and rested his chin on her forehead. The one thing he knew for certain was just how much his family meant to him. The woman he loved more than anything was carrying his child; protecting their lives was his sole priority. And there was only one way to ensure their safety: he needed to be there for them both, at all times.

"Adalind" he said as she lifted her head to look at him. "I want you to move in with me."

"What?" she replied softly.

"We're a family now… it doesn't make sense for us to live apart."

"Nick…"

"I know how you feel about my home" he interrupted her. "You don't feel comfortable being there because of the life I shared there with Juliette, but…"

"No" she answered.

"No?"

"I know what you're trying to do; you want to make me feel safe. And I love you for it, but… we can't live together."

"Why not?" he responded, confused by her refusal.

"Because the Royals are without a doubt watching you. There is no way they won't notice the Hexenbiest living with you if I move in."

"Adalind… we're having a baby. I won't let the Royals, or anyone else for that matter, keep me from being there for my child. And I simply can't be apart from you" he added, caressing her face.

"I feel the same way… and I'm not saying never. But we need to be careful for the time being."

"I don't want you to be alone right now… can you at least let me stay here with you?" he pleaded with her. "I won't accept no for an answer, so you may as well say yes right now" he added with a smile.

Adalind hesitated at first, but after a moment, she gave in. She placed both hands on either side of his face and pulled him into a kiss.

"So does that mean yes?" he asked her when she broke the kiss.

"That means I love you" she replied in a whisper. "And that I'm incredibly lucky to have you" she added with a faint smile.

"I'm the lucky one… you and this child are my life" he said, gently rubbing her stomach. "And I'm here to protect you both. There is nothing I won't do for you… I love you, Adalind. More than words can say."

Tears had already started to form in her eyes. Nick wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close until their foreheads were pressed together. He closed his eyes and slowly exhaled. He wasn't oblivious; he knew things were complicated, and that this situation with Renard and the Royals would probably get worse before it got better. But being with Adalind was worth all of the grief they were both being dragged through. Absolutely nothing in this world could ever make him stop loving her and wanting to be with her… especially not now that they had created this perfect little life growing inside of her.

He felt a knot rise in his throat at the mere thought of losing her. He opened his eyes and noticed Adalind was staring at him. He saw himself mirrored in her eyes, along with the pain that was visibly being inflicted on his heart. He wanted to be strong for her, to shield her from the evil lurking outside. But as much as he longed to be brave and be her hero, he was still human after all.

When the tears spilled from his eyes, she immediately lifted her hand to wipe them away. But she didn't stop there; she pulled his face to hers and tenderly kissed his cheeks, which were still moist from the tears that had betrayed his resilience to remain in control.

"It'll be ok" Adalind murmured. "We'll be ok."

Here she was, still vulnerable from the ordeal Renard had put her through, both physically and emotionally. And yet, she was the one comforting him, reminding him that their love was strong enough to conquer all.

"I'm sorry" he whispered, his voice quivering.

"Shhh" she breathed, leaning in to kiss him again.

He drowned himself in her embrace, forcing himself to eclipse the rest of the world and focus on her, and only her. Adalind was right. They would be ok… because they had each other to lean on, to draw their strength from so they could stay alive. And no one could take that away from them.