O Fortuna
Chapter 5
Day one of the rest of your life.
Season 5 episode 2
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At least The Royals will have an easy time finding me.
Adalind waited on the front steps while Nick stuffed his keys into the door. So where in the hell are they? I was supposed to be with my daughter on the yacht to Vienna. I'm sure they'll be along today, tomorrow at the latest.
Nick swung the door open and the smell greeted her. Juliette's house...
She met Monroe and Rosalee finishing up baby preparations. The bassinet and baby mobile were ready. Baskets of housewarming gifts filled the counters and coffee table, making sure Nick's son was taken care of.
Then Rosalee took her into the kitchen and rolled out the spread.
This can't be for me.
Guilt twisted her stomach and sadness crushed her chest. One-half night in the hospital with Nick had only emphasized the fact that she knew literally nothing about him. Her few hours in the spice shop and then in the hospital with Rosalee left her knowing infinitely more about her than the father of her son...
And truth be told, for all her skills at manipulating them, she really didn't know men all that well. She attracted hoards of them, but dating them? Between working eighteen hours a day at the law firm and her introverted personality, not so much. Her personal record of three months and four days remained unbroken. And she set that milestone before law school. She didn't enjoy being single, but that's the life of a Hexenbiest, I guess. And then there was her mother. Her soul wrecking, relationship destroying, boyfriend killing mother. Another reason I should be thankful my mother is dead, I can't imagine what she'd say.. Or do...
They were mortal enemies five days ago, and yet, Nick's friends rolled out the red carpet...
For me.
Never once in her life had she experienced anything like this. Nobody was putting their hand out. Nobody was negotiating terms. Nobody was forcing her to sleep with unfamiliar men. They weren't handcuffing her to a steel ring set into a stone floor or herding her around at gunpoint... And they weren't shoving her out into the street. Like last time.
They welcomed her.
And they know what I am.
Words left her as guilt knotted her stomach again. Her memory flashed back, barely nine months ago, to her last trip to Portland.
Sean paid a literal fortune, for Diana, but he didn't want anything to do with me. He gave her to a Grimm and shuffled me off the first chance he got.
Monroe brought her back to reality, "We'll let you two... You three get situated."
She watched it float completely past Nick, but it echoed in her ears.
Rosalee tilted her head, winked, and shuffled Monroe out the door.
They welcomed me... They want me here, with Nick.
He escorted her to the guest room, where she learned that Juliette was murdered and died in his arms two nights ago. My powers, my mother, and now Juliette. Hexenbiests don't live long around him...
She watched the dagger twist into Nick's heart at the mention of Juliette. Be decent, offer him some consolation. "Thank you for doing this."
Murder flared in his eyes and a roaring black hole of death opened inside him, sucking all the air out of the room. He shut down, gritting his teeth. His face snarled, You did this!
Terror washed over her. She was trapped on the bed with Nick blocking the door. A vision flashed through her. Gritted teeth and wild blue eyes inches from her face. Choking. Flailing. Pain swallowing her as his stone-hard grip crushed her windpipe. Her dead body, wrapped in vines, dragging over roots and rocks into the black hole in the base of a giant tree while Nick drove away with a baby seat in the back of his Landcuiser.
She flattened against the headboard, pushing as far away as she could get. Her eyes flicked towards the window. You won't make it.
She braced for the smash into her teeth, but Nick was at the crib, running his fingertips over Kelly's cheek and ever so gently caressing his son's forehead, brushing the infant's silky wisps of black hair. He exhaled and walked out the door without saying another word.
She rubbed both hands against her throat. I'll never mention her name again, so help me. You are going to have to help him forget. He has to forget Juliette, and about what you are, if you want to live.
She laid on Nick's guest bed, trembling. Her mind ran a thousand miles an hour and her eyes would not close. She wrapped herself around a pillow, forcing her breath still, listening for boots as exhaustion soaked through her bones. At least The Royals will be along soon. Focus. Just survive today.
Kelly's breathing sang a sweet lullaby as his scent wafted into her nostrils. A smile crept past her lips.
Her eyes opened and closed a dozen times as she tried to sleep in the unfamiliar place. Feet tromped down the stairs and soon the house was still.
Her stomach grumbled. Still eating for two...
She perked her ears, but only heard the sounds of an empty house. She crept downstairs and stopped in her tracks at the bottom step. Nick stood at the bar with his back to her. Her breath hitched when a razor sharp kitchen knife slid into his hand. A shimmer of sunlight caught her eye. The side door was half open, letting a soft breeze flow into the house.
Adalind planned her negotiation. I'll send him upstairs to check on his son while I escape, but I can't be in the way.
The sight of her fingers running through her son's silky hair while he suckled ran through her mind and her throat started closing.
Nick caught her totally off guard with a warm smile and a sandwich. Be polite. Smile. Don't say anything stupid! Survive.
She sat across the bar, giving Nick a clear path up the stairs while she complimented his plain ham sandwich and made small talk. She watched his eyes and hands like a hawk, waiting for the bomb, the eviction, the death threat, or the knife.
"I'm thinking of selling the house."
Boom! And you're walking the street again while Nick disappears with the baby.
Strange words dribbled out of her mouth before she could catch herself. "We're going with you?" Are you stupid? Of course WE aren't going with him... The baby is going with him and your body will be eaten by some creepy tree way out in the woods, if you don't get out now.
Nick's eyebrow quirked.
She held her breath, waiting for the shoe to drop. The words, Please, don't kill me, You can have your son if you let me live, hung on her lips, but he caught her totally by surprise, again.
"Yeah, if you like."
What?
She paused, completely outmaneuvered, as he laid the opportunity before her: It's up to you. Walk away, free and clear.
His eyes said, You're free.
Of course I'm not going with you! Do you think I'm crazy? But the words floated out as her elbows rested on the bar. "Sure."
What the hell did you just say? Did you just agree to live in the same house with The Grimm? Are you out of your freaking mind? Remember the part about your dead body being eaten by a tree?
Surprise flashed across Nick's face as she chewed.
Yeah, I know. That makes two of us. Why the hell did you agree to stay with him?
She focused, leaning into every scrap of Lawyer spidey-sense and whatever whispers of her powers that remained to read him.
She complimented the sandwich. Nick's steel blue eyes twinkled and that damned smile lit his face.
Her body instinctively relaxed and she took another bite. No! Don't relax! He's a professional. He's trained to put you at ease before he murders you. But her breathing calmed and her frayed nerves settled.
Dammit! He must have drugged my sandwich.
She focused, interrogating every nuance of flavor. She could identify literally every ingredient and chemical within the meal from the hydrogenated soybean oil to the mono and diglycerides. No, it's just a regular sandwich. What the hell is wrong with you? How is he doing this? Making you relax around him? Agreeing to live with him?
She made more small talk as Nick chattered like they were on some kind of crazy date. The tension melted out of her shoulders and she settled into the bar stool just in time for Nick's phone to ring.
It was the precinct, and there was a body. Off he went, and on cue, Kelly was calling.
She took her sandwich up stairs and changed Kelly. The old rocking chair in the corner looked just right, and he was hungry. "Kelly, I think I'm going crazy. We get to play family, at least until the Royals arrive. They will probably be here today, tomorrow at the latest. Then, you'll get lots of daddy time."
She burped him and he snuggled into her chest. His eyes drooped and his lips creased into a lazy smile. A smile crossed her face as she ran her fingertips over his fine black hair.
She kissed his cheek and he smiled. She kissed it again, and the scent of her newborn baby filled her senses. Her eyes twitched. A tear rolled down her nose, and then a second.
I have no choice, I have to get out before he kills me.
She rubbed her fingertips over his face and his tiny hand found hers. His fingers wrapped around her thumb.
Tears washed down her face as grief knotted her. Memories of losing Diana flooded in. Every ounce of her soul ached. Her breath hitched and her chest cramped, pushing every drop of air out. Pain wracked through her, and she trembled while tears dripped onto Kelly's face.
"I can't... I can't... I can't do it. We'll just have to go. I'll get a bag together for us and we'll be long gone before he gets back."
She rubbed the burp cloth across her red-rimmed eyes, and then Kelly's, kissed his cheek, and pushed out of the chair. She made her way downstairs, laid him in the bassinet by the door, and had her fingers on the duffel bag when the doorbell rang.
She peeked through the window and then wiped her face. She settled herself and put on her best smile. "Rosalee."
"Is this an OK time?"
"Yeah, he just ate. I'm trying to get him back to sleep."
Rosalee's face beamed, putting Adalind at ease as they talked about her first hours at Nick's house. Adalind chose her words carefully. "Nick has been great, and that makes things even greater, as long as it lasts."
But her fingers trembled and her voice quavered, anticipating Nick's return.
Rosalee glanced at her eyes and then the duffel beside the bassinet. She fixed two cups of tea and sat in the green couch while Adalind settled into the loveseat with Kelly snuggled into her chest. Rosalee told of Nick's devotion to his friends and his protective side. How he moved heaven and earth for those he cared about. Then, the adventures. The Eisbiebers, local Wesen children, Nick saving herself and even recovering her from being kidnapped, Monroe's run in with Wesenrein, Juliette's half-dozen crazy adventures, and then the whole story of Nick indoctrinating Trubel and even his own mother into friendships with Wesen. She even told the story of Nick hacking her loose when the J'boko tree sent vines to capture and eat her.
"A tree that eats people? That's weird?"
Rosalee described it.. Miles out in the woods. Huge and spreading, coarse brown bark, raised roots that exuded some sort of gooey sap, and a big hole that opened up in it's base.
Ok, that's crazy. That's what I saw.. That couldn't have been Nick's thoughts, I don't have any powers...
Her words blurted out, "Does it ever seem like his Grimm side comes out, you know, like you get the feeling he wants to kill you?"
Rosalee's face twitched as her mouth drew closed. She sipped tea, fidgeted, and let her breath trickle out her nostrils. She bit her lip, choosing her words. "Nick is still a Grimm, and his killer instinct sort of runs in overdrive. It took me, all of us, a while to get used to that."
"So, that's just normal, then?"
"Yes, well, mostly..."
Adalind's mind drifted to the look of relief on Rosalee's face when she witched the murder out of Nick's eyes in the spice shop, making him forget about hacking Wesen to pieces and dote on her instead. Oh, right.
A quiet snore puffed out of Kelly's lips. Adalind nestled him into the bassinet and stretched her arms.
Rosalee told the story of being infected with Yellow Plague and attacking Nick with scissors.
"You attacked a Grimm, as a Wesen? You're still alive. What happened?"
"He knocked the scissors out of my hand. I tried to fight him, and everything went black. I woke up and I was fine. Monroe said Nick carried me back to the spice shop, and made sure I got a dose of the cure."
This new revelation soaked in and her trembling dissipated. Reality returned as Adalind sipped her tea. But Rosalee, you're not a Hexenbiest. "What happens when I turn back. The suppressant won't last forever."
Worry flashed across Rosalee's face, though she tried to hide it. "I've been thinking about the same thing."
"I don't want to be a Hexenbiest again."
"Seriously?"
"I was not very nice. I know that. I can't do that to him, or to Nick, after what happened to Juliette." You know, the part about murdering the last Hexenbiest who hung around...
They discussed the possibilities, but Rosalee's worries remained etched on her face. She glanced down towards the duffel, and then back at Adalind.
A tear rolled down Adalind's nose. But I'm always going to be a Hexenbiest. You and I both know what I have to do.
Rosalee's brown eyes begged her, Stay for now. Please.
Adalind's finger brushed the duffel's strap. "What we did makes it too unpredictable. I don't mean to scare you off, but you're the only friend I have."
Fear rippled across Rosalee's face, and she tried to smile. "I'm not scared."
It was a look Adalind knew all too well. It's not your fault. It's me. This is what I have to do.
Adalind's first finger curled around the strap as another tear rolled down her nose. She braced against the love seat to stand, against the protest of her incision, but the doorbell rang.
"Are you expecting anyone?"
Of course. You and I both know I'm expecting The Royals. "No."
Adalind's face twisted as she pushed up. Stupid stitches.
Rosalee beat her to the door, but it wasn't The Royals, it was the FBI, and they were looking for Nick. Two agents walked right in and announced they would wait for Nick's return. They settled into the chairs in the living room.
The female agent noticed the baby. "He's so sweet. How old is he?"
"Almost one day."
"Oh, congratulations. What's his name?"
"Kelly."
"He's so adorable. I have two of my own. My son is eight and my daughter is twelve years old." The agent proceeded to tell Adalind about the local elementary schools and their ratings, day care centers, parks, and kid friendly fun in the area.
The agent chattered away, commiserating with motherhood stories of sleep deprivation, middle of the night diaper runs, the price of formula, and trying to work in the FBI while raising an infant.
Another tear trickled down Adalind's nose. She excused herself to the bathroom and found herself staring out the side door, dreaming of her son. She locked herself in the bathroom and cried her eyes out. I can't do it. I can't leave him here. I know I have to, but I can't do it.
The female agent looked her over when she returned. "Everything ok?"
"I was just crying."
"Is everything ok?"
"I don't know what's wrong with me. It's everything."
The male agent snorted. "My wife cried about everything for the first two weeks, after our son was born."
The female agent quirked her brow, but Adalind replied, "It's just all so overwhelming. I barely got any sleep last night, my stomach is sore from the stitches, and Nick got called away to the police station again. I still can't drive, and we need some formula."
The male detective pinched the bridge of his nose and groaned.
She had just barely settled back into the couch when Nick walked in.
Surprise flickered across his face, not at the FBI agents, but that she was still here.
Rosalee took Adalind's hand and escorted her upstairs with Kelly. She whispered, "I don't want you two down there if something happens."
Rosalee knows way more than she's saying. She prodded, but Rosalee wouldn't offer any more than, "You know how these things sometimes go with a Grimm."
The agents soon left and Rosalee headed home to her husband.
Adalind was trembling while Nick stood at the door, watching Rosalee get into her car. Everything came blubbering out. "I don't like this Nick. If something happens to you, I have Kelly, but I have no job, no place to live, no place to raise him. I mean, what if he's like me? What if he's like you? What if he's some sort of weird combination of both of us? A Hexengrimm or Grimmenbiest?"
Nick was closing fast, but she was full of new mother hormones and worrying about a dozen ways to die, living on the street, having to start completely over, and losing her baby, all over again. "I can't do this alone."
His hands were inches from her when her breath hitched.
No!
He was blocking the way and she had no escape. She cringed and braced for the smash into her face and crush around her throat.. Her only chance was to offer Kelly and bolt out the door, but she froze...
Nick's hands softly cupped her arms and he looked straight into her eyes. "It's going to be ok."
The Grimm breached every single line of defense and her mind went completely blank. His hands supported her weakness. His confidence and resolve shored up her terror and guilt. The spark in his eyes said, Please stay. This is the only good thing in my entire life, and I'm not ready to lose it.
His touch sapped every scrap of her will to fight. Her head was melting towards his shoulder.
What if...
The phone rang, snatching her back to reality. It was Hank. They had an emergency, and Nick was off again.
Ok, what the hell just happened? He was about to kill me and now I want to snuggle on the couch.
Kelly woke, informing her that he was hungry and needed changing. She exhaled, This is one crazy place, and headed back upstairs.
Tomorrow. The Royals will be here tomorrow. All you have to do is survive till tomorrow...