When you're thinking of Lena, think Caitlin Stasey and Haley Pullos together but paler.

Also, there is some sensitive topics discussed in this chapter.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

HERE COMES TRUBEL

Lena was just pulling lasagna out of the oven when she heard the door open, "Nick?"

"Yeah," he called to her.

"I was wondering when you'd get home," she said. "I just finished with the lasagna."

"I hope there's enough for three," his voice sounded trepidatious.

Frowning in confusion, she went to see who was there. She saw Nick standing in the dining room with a young woman, who couldn't be older than twenty-one, dressed in dark clothing carrying a large backpack over her shoulder. She had dark eyes and short black hair cut close to her head, with fringe hanging in her eyes.

"Lena, this is Theresa Rubel," Nick awkwardly introduced.

"Hi, Theresa," Lena greeted the nervous looking girl awkwardly. "Are you staying for dinner?"

"Nobody calls me Theresa," the girl said, voice deep.

"Oh, well, then what do they call you?" Lena asked.

"They call me Trubel," she answered.

Lena smirked weakly, "Interesting. Can't lie and say I haven't been called that myself."

"Trubel might have to be staying with us for a little while. She needs to lay low," Nick said quietly.

"Lay low?" Lena repeated. "Is she part of a case of yours?"

"Little more than that," Nick hedged.

"By more you mean…?" Lena asked him with her eyes – wesen?

Nick smiled gracelessly, trying not to be as awkward as he felt. "She's a Grimm."

Lena had to do a double take, eyes widening, "A what? A Grimm?"

"Yeah. Sounded just as weird to me too," Trubel deadpanned.

"We can't get any rest around here," Lena murmured to herself. "How in the hell did you find another Grimm in one lousy day?"

"It's complicated," Nick admitted. "She just found out."

Lena crossed her arms and straightened her posture. "As in she just started seeing what Grimms see, or like she's seen them for a while, and you had to tell her what it was called?"

"The second one," Nick sighed.

"Oh god," Lena sighed too. She turned to Trubel, concerned and understanding, "That sounds like a nightmare, honestly." She took a breath and said, "Well, Trubel, I hope you're hungry because I've got a whole pan of lasagna just out of the oven. Have a seat, I'll grab plates and silverware."

Nick helped, getting them all glasses of water and setting the lasagna out on the table while Lena grabbed cutlery. They sat down and Trubel quickly dug into the food, shoveling it all into her mouth as quick as she could, gulping the water to wash it down.

She caught Nick and Lena watching her eat for a moment and blushed, wiping the corner of her mouth sheepishly. "Sorry. It's been a while since I ate with other people."

"Don't worry about it," Lena reassured her. "I've been there. When you don't know where your next meal is gonna be. Dig in, there's plenty."

Eagerly, Trubel dished out more lasagna onto her plate. She looked at Nick and asked, "So are all of the grimms so normal?"

Nick snorted, "You should meet my mother. She's been called a lot of things, but normal's not one of 'em."

"Does that mean we're related?" Trubel asked curiously.

"Maybe a few centuries ago," he surmised. "From what I can tell, it's like a recessive gene."

"At least you know you're not alone with this," Lena commented. "Nick has a cousin in California who's a Grimm too."

"So, you see these wesen things too?" Trubel asked her.

Lena floundered. Should they tell her that Lena was wesen? "I can. But I'm not a Grimm."

"So, how do you deal with this?" Trubel asked, gesturing between her and Nick with her fork.

Lena shrugged, "It's the world. I know about it. There's no going back."

"Lena isn't like us, but she…" Nick looked at her, asking permission.

Lena sighed and admitted, "I'm part wesen."

Trubel instantly dropped her silverware with a clatter and stood to attention. Nick stood too, holding his hands out for her, "Wait, no, no, no, she won't hurt you."

"I'm only half, as it is," Lena explained. "And I just found out a few months ago. I'm new to all of this too."

Trubel froze, still tense.

"I promise, you're safe here," Nick swore. "My friend, the other wesen you saw, he wouldn't hurt you either. Not all wesen want to kill you."

"Most of them are afraid of you," Lena quipped.

Trubel slowly sat back down, but still seemed on edge. She locked eyes on Lena, "What kind are you?"

"My father was a Fuchsbau," Lena said slowly. "Kind of like a fox. I can show you if you want? But I'm not a model for what other fuchsbaus look like since my mother wasn't one."

Trubel braced herself, clenching her hands. "Show me."

"Okay," Lena sighed, gearing herself up. She'd been practicing woging back and forth with Monroe and Rosalie. She gently swayed her head around, feeling the woge come over her. Her glowing eyes widened when she saw Trubel's eyes turn into black holes, reflecting her half-fuchsbau form back to her. But she took a deep breath and woged back. "I don't think I look that scary."

"Maybe not," Trubel reluctantly agreed. "How does a wesen end up with a Grimm?"

"Long story," Nick sighed.

"It's new," Lena said at the same time.

Once Trubel seemed to have her fill of lasagna, Lena got the guest room cleared out for her while Nick cleaned up in the kitchen. On Nick's insistence, she reluctantly put her stuff in his bedroom. She grabbed some plain pants and a clean shirt for Trubel out of her things and met the girl in the guest room. "Here, clean clothes for you to sleep in."

"I'm fine with what I have," Trubel said, still keeping a tight grip on her bag.

"Okay, I'll set them here," she dropped the clothes on the chair. "Don't be afraid to come find either of us if you need anything."

"I won't, but, uh, thanks for the lasagna," Trubel said awkwardly, finally dropping her bag.

"Don't worry about it," Lena assured her. "Good night."

As Lena shut the door, she motioned for Nick to follow her into his room. Once that door was closed, she turned to him, "Okay, I am really interested to know how the hell you found a Grimm. I mean, I saw her eyes downstairs. But how did you know she was a Grimm? Can Grimm see other Grimms like wesen see Grimms?"

Nick waited for her to pause before he answered her, "Monroe saw her."

Lena gaped, "Monroe saw her?"

"And she killed three wesen," Nick grimaced as he admitted.

"Are we harboring a murder suspect?" Lena asked sarcastically.

"Well, not technically a suspect, because we know she did it, but it was self-defense. They attacked her. She has no idea what she is, let alone what they were," Nick quickly explained.

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around how this is possible," Lena sighed. "We just got done with the whole Adalind's baby and your mom thing."

"I know this is a lot," Nick admitted. "She's been on the run for years. I mean, she thought she was crazy. She just needs a little help."

"Nick, you don't have to convince me," Lena reassured him. "I understand – outside of the Grimm stuff – what she's probably been through. I mean, I used to be her. She's got foster kid spat out by the system written all over her. She needs someone like you to guide her through this stuff, so she understands what it all means. Shelter doesn't exactly hurt either."

"Thank you," Nick sighed in relief. "I took her to the trailer, tried to explain what she was as best I could, but that's a lot to take in for someone as young as she is."

"You're just gonna have to keep going over it with her," Lena said. "Now… new sleeping arrangements…"

"Don't worry, I'll take the couch," Nick said.

Lena sighed. "You can't keep getting kicked out of your own bed."

"It's for good reason," Nick insisted. "And I know that things are different between us than they were when Alicia was here, but I also don't want to put any pressure on things by staying in here. We'll figure something else out if we have to. But we don't have to tonight."

Lena sighed. Part of her wanted to invite Nick to sleep in the bed with her. But the other part of her was too nervous to take that kind of step. They hadn't even had a first date yet. So, she reluctantly agreed. She then gave Nick a look, "You know she's gonna sneak out as soon as she thinks we're asleep, right?"

"I suspected as much," Nick admitted. "But do you really think…?"

"I used to be her," she reminded him softly. "I know."

Lo and behold, Trubel did try to sneak out with her things. She got out the front door, but Nick was waiting for her.

"Would you be more comfortable in a jail cell? Because that's where you're gonna end up if you walk out on this."

Trubel looked exhausted and still confused by the kindess shown to her. "You don't owe me anything."

"I know the world you've been living in. I can help," Nick told her.

"Why do you care?"

"Because I'm like you," Nick said, walking up to her. "It's not easy. Plus, I had help, and you didn't. Look. I haven't quite worked this out, but I just think this might help us both. You might have seen some things I haven't. Besides, I like having another Grimm around." As he went back inside, he handed her the black chess piece she'd dropped when she was attacked. It was special to her for some reason. He left the door open, knowing she'd return.

As soon as Nick woke up and started making coffee, he pulled out his phone to call Jessie.

"Hey, Nick, what's up?" Jessie answered.

"Hey, quick question, you have a friend that's an elemental witch, right?" Nick asked quickly.

"Yeah, Georgie," Jessie told him. "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I told you about Lena, right?" he responded.

"Yeah, what about her?"

"Well, we just found out that her mother was an elemental witch, so that means she is too," Nick told her. "I hate to ask for a favor, but do you think you could ask Georgie to talk to Lena and kind of help her figure out how it works, or even what her element is?"

"Of course," Jessie agreed instantly. "I'll talk to her when we get to school. She can probably call Lena when we have lunch or after school if that works?"

"Perfect," Nick smiled. "Thank you."

"No problem," she said. "It'll probably be good for Georgie to talk to another witch, what with Sonia still… away. Text me Lena's number and I'll pass it along."

"Okay, I will," he said. "Thanks. Bye."

"Bye."

Lena had just been coming downstairs as he hung up, "Hey, your room's free if you need clothes and stuff."

"Thanks," Nick said. "I just got off the phone will Jessie. She's gonna give your number to her witch friend, Georgie. She'll call you around lunch or after four since they have school."

"Thank you for doing that," Lena seemed relieved.

"It's no problem," Nick told her. He quickly went upstairs to change for the day before Hank showed up. They were going to try and re-introduce Trubel to Monroe and Rosalee as wesen.

"Hey, Lena," Hank said as she let him into the house when he arrived.

"Hey, Hank, coffee?" she offered as she led him to the kitchen.

"Please," he said as she poured him a cup.

"Hey, Hank," Nick greeted his partner shortly before he pulled out his phone to call Monroe and Rosalee.

"Hello," Rosalee answered.

"Hey, it's Nick," Nick replied.

"Hey Nick."

"Is Monroe there?"

"Yeah, just one second, he's doing his exercises."

"Put him on speaker."

Once she did so, he heard Monroe asking, "So how'd it go last night? Everybody still alive?"

"Yeah, for the time being. Look, I need your and Rosalee's help with her," Nick started gently.

"And by help, you mean..." Rose trailed off.

"What you did for Hank, and Lena," Nick said.

"Oh," Monroe muttered. "Nick, this girl is a Grimm. She can already see us."

"No, no, no. She's used to every wesen trying to kill her," Nick told them. "She needs to know that..."

"We're not all bad," Rosalee finished.

"This is the next step," Nick said.

"All right, all right, Nick. Just tell her to leave that machete behind," Monroe said.

"She has a machete?" Rosalee cried.

Nick quickly got off the phone and sighed, "Well, that's settled."

"I'm gonna talk to Trubel before you guys leave," Lena said.

"Wait, you're not coming?" Hank asked.

She shook her head, "I've got an appointment in half an hour." She quickly made her way up the stairs and gently knocked on the door of the guest room.

Trubel was still dressed and alert when she opened it. "Um, hey."

"Hey, can I come in?" Lena asked.

Trubel stood still for a second and then stepped aside to let her into the room.

"So, Nick arranged for you to meet our friends Monroe and Rosalee," Lena explained. "They're good people and it's important that you see for yourself that not all wesen want to kill you."

Trubel didn't say anything.

Lena sighed, "I know this is all overwhelming. I had a rough go of it in the system too growing up. I know I don't have to tell you that not all foster parents are in it for the right reasons. I was out on my own at fifteen. I always felt like a freak, like I was different, but I didn't know why. That was the case until a few months ago when I met Rosalee, and Monroe, and Nick and they explained it all to me. It takes time to wrap your head around the fact that you're not crazy and you're not a freak, that there are realities other people just can't see and experience the way you can. But we do."

Trubel seemed to be taking in her words, and relaxing. "You ran away at fifteen?"

Lena nodded patiently, "Yeah. I'm sure you know how hard things get on the streets. But I made a better life for myself and now I'm here with people who understand and want to help me. If you let us, we can understand and help you."

"We'll see," Trubel said quietly.

"Well, I have an appointment in half hour and have to get going, but you'll be fine with Nick," Lena said.

Trubel frowned, "Appointment? Are you sick?"

"No, I'm a midwife," Lena told her. "Used to be a paramedic."

"I bet that comes handy around here," Trubel commented.

Lena nodded wryly, "You have no idea."

"Hi, Nick, Hank," Rosalee sounded nervous as she answered the door and ushered the three of them into the house.

"Rosalee, Monroe. This is... Trubel," Nick awkwardly introduced.

"Well, I'm Rosalee," Rosalee smiled at Trubel.

"Fuchsbau," Trubel deadpanned.

Rosalee smiled strained, "Right. And I hear you met Monroe yesterday."

"Yeah," Monroe awkwardly chuckled. "I never really had a chance to properly introduce..."

"Blutbad."

Monroe grimaced, "Yeah."

Trubel looked around the room, seeing the collection of clocks on the mantle, "You, uh, really got a thing for clocks."

"Oh, yeah," Monroe eased a bit. "Big fan of time in general." He chuckled weakly, "I mean, you think about it... history, music, love. A long life, right? None of it would work without... Timing."

"And speaking of, we might want to get these other introductions out of the way," Nick urged.

Rosalee nodded. "So why don't we just start with explaining what a woge is?"

"I know what it is," Trubel said.

"Okay, well, there's also, like, um, stages. So there's Kehrseiten. And they are non-wesen, non-Grimm types," Rosalee explained.

Hank raised his hand, "That would be me."

"And they can only see us when we want them to," Rosalee said. "And grimms, like you, on the other hand, also can see us when we don't wanna be seen." She paused to brace herself. "You ready?"

Trubel nodded in a fluttering motion.

"Here goes," Rose sighed before she shared a look with Monroe and they woged together. They kept calm as they let Trubel take in their forms, watching her eyes turn completely dark. "See? No big deal." The couple relaxed and woged back. "See, everything's fine."

"How do you know I'm a Grimm?" Trubel asked quickly.

"Um... It's your eyes," Rosalee almost shivered at that.

"They get really dark when we woge," Monroe explained.

"It's kind of scary," Rosalee admitted.

"Really?" Trubel asked.

"Yeah, we're not talking kiddy pool dark. We're talking, like, all the way down to your soul, deep-type dark," Monroe illustrated.

Trubel seemed to relax then before muttering, "Cool."

Nick's phone rang then, and he quietly walked off to take it, "Burkhardt."

"So that went well, right?" Monroe asked with a strained smile. "Still friends?"

"This is so weird," Trubel chuckled lightly. "You know, everybody telling me what I saw wasn't real, I made it up."

"Well, honey, you didn't," Rosalee assured her, reaching forward to place a delicate hand on her shoulder. "Look, this is new for... for all of us. Nick is the first Grimm who didn't try to kill us. So, this is as important for Monroe and me as it is for you. But not all wesen are like us. So, you need to be careful."

"Okay."

"We gotta go. There's a body in forest park," Nick said as he hung up his phone.

"What about Trubel?" Hank asked.

"Um... We can take her with us," Nick said.

"How are we gonna explain that?"

"Ride along," Nick shrugged. "Yeah, we can say she's a, uh..."

Everyone stared at her, wondering what they could tell people about her that wouldn't seem suspicious.

"What?" Trubel asked under their looks.

"Criminology student?" Hank suggested.

"Oh, perfect," Rosalee said.

"Great idea. That's the best."

Lena was getting a quick bite for lunch before she had to get going to another appointment with a potential new client when her phone rang. She didn't recognize the number, but answered it anyway, "Hello?"

"Is this Lena?" a young woman's voice asked. "I'm Georgie, Jessie's friend."

"Oh, yes this is Lena," Lena quickly paid her lunch check and got into her car so she wouldn't be overheard. "Thanks for calling. I have no idea what I'm doing."

"It's no problem," Georgie said. "But I have to say that it's really strange for a witch to just come into her powers in her late twenties. I was a late bloomer getting my powers at four years old."

"Well, I might actually know why that is," Lena thought out loud. "I don't know if Jessie told you about my half-wesen side, but my Uncle Freddy had been giving me this tea to suppress it in order to keep me hidden. It must have suppressed the witch too."

"Possibly, I've never heard of something like that," Georgie said. "Why don't you tell me what kind of things you've been experiencing? That might help narrow down what element you have."

"Well, I've moved things without touching them, created this weird see-through but blue wall when someone attacked," Lena explained. "And once I… teleported? One second, I was home and the next there was like a twister around me and I was somewhere else."

"Well, definitely sounds like you have air," Georgie said confidently. "You move things without touching them because you move the air around them. And you can manipulate air into a solid form, that's how you made the wall. And witches can teleport, but the mode of transportation always has something to do with your element. Mine is fire, so I disappear and reappear in flames. Yours is air, so you'll do that with a strong wind."

"Wow," Lena said slowly. "This is a lot."

"I understand it may sound overwhelming to you," Georgie said. "I grew up with my abilities knowing what they are. Same with my sister. I imagine your powers have been coming out in great emotional distress? That used to happen to me when I was younger."

"Yeah, pretty much," Lena sighed. "Mostly when I get scared or panic. I've yet to be able to do anything when I try to on purpose."

"That'll just take time and practice," Georgie explained. "You basically visualize what you want to happen, happening, and it becomes an extension of you. Eventually, it'll be second nature."

"I hope so," Lena said as she heard a shrill ringing over the phone.

"That's the bell, I've got to get to class," Georgie said. "Look, you have my number now. Feel free to call or text me with any questions you might have later. And trust me, anything you go through is just a normal part of being a witch."

"Thanks, I'll talk to you later," Lena said as they hung up.

Lena could not believe her ears when Nick brought a bleeding Trubel home. Apparently, Trubel rode along with Nick and Hank for the day and ended up using herself as bait to expose a shop lifting ring two lebensaugers were running. Of course, when she returned to their hideout, they attacked her. She stabbed the female in the neck, while Hank and Nick arrived in time to shoot down the male.

"Oh my god!" she exclaimed when he finished telling her what happened. She pointed sternly to the couch and ordered Trubel to sit down while she got her medical bag.

"I'm sorry," Trubel murmured as Lena cleaned her wound. "I screwed up, didn't I?"

"Well, you found the girls, so..." Nick trailed off. They could tell that he was disappointed and frustrated with how today had gone.

"Hey, it's okay. I messed up, I know it," Trubel admitted while Lena started wrapping her wound in gauze. "I'm just not used to being the hunter. And I guess I got carried away. I need to know more. I hope you're still willing to help me."

"Why don't we continue this in the morning?" Lena suggested as she taped off the gauze and started putting her supplies away. "You both had an exciting day and need to rest."

"Okay," Trubel slowly nodded and said goodnight before going to bed.

"How bad was it?" Lena asked Nick as he let out a sigh.

"She's gonna get herself killed," Nick lamented.

"She made it this far," Lena pointed out, pulling him to sit next to her on the couch. "Now that she knows she's not crazy, she just got excited to help. To learn the truth. She probably feels like she's way behind and is just in a rush to catch up. I know that's how I still feel sometimes."

"You haven't drawn blood," Nick quipped.

Lena frowned and sighed. She put her hand over his and said softly, "Nick, I should probably tell you some stuff about me. I was a very different person when I was younger. I did a lot of bad things."

Nick schooled his features, asking evenly, "What do you mean?"

Lena averted her eyes, "I don't want you to think differently of me."

Nick encased her hands in his and squeezed them, "Look at me."

She slowly lifted her eyes to meet his.

"Whatever you have to tell me, won't change how I feel about you," he assured her. "I know and care for who you are now and that's what's important to me."

Lena let out a shaky breath, "Okay… well, you know I was homeless for a long time as a teenager."

"Yeah, I do," he said softly, not wanting to cut in too much.

"Well, I got pretty desperate," Lena spoke quietly, distantly. "I was a young girl, alone, hungry, cold. Lots of dangerous characters try to take advantage of a situation like that. I had to do a lot of things I'm not proud of just to survive."

Nick waited patiently for her to carry on.

"I shoplifted," she revealed. "Whatever I could to hawk later for money for food and clothes without holes in them. I never got caught doing that. But like I said, dangerous people try to take advantage, got me involved in dealing drugs, taking them, picking pockets. Whatever it took to survive. I was scared. I had no one looking out for me and the people who pretended they were, were just using me."

"Lena, you didn't have a lot of options," Nick told her. "And you still got out of that life. I mean, you got better. Like Rosalee. It's not you anymore."

"That's not the worst of it…" she whispered, pulling her hands away from his and wrapping her arms around herself.

"Lena, it won't change anything," Nick tried to reach for her, but she flinched away.

"Just let me get it all out before you react, okay?" she pleaded with him.

Nick calmly nodded, just watching her and trying to silently reassure her that he would still be here when she told him what she needed to tell him.

"Remember Frankie?" she asked. "How I know how she felt being gang raped."

Nick clenched his jaw as he nodded, having a feeling of what was coming next.

"That was because…" Lean sighed as she wiped away tears from her cheeks. She couldn't look at him. "While I was mixed in with the wrong people, I was sharing a squatting spot in a warehouse with two guys. I thought they were watching out for me. I trusted them. But… they just wanted… what they wanted…" She sniffed loudly and rubbed at her tear-filled eyes, letting out a small sob. "They, uh, woke me up in the middle of the night one night. Told me I had another job to do in order to earn my place with them. I thought we were going to rob some late-night joggers or something. But that's not what they meant."

Nick felt anger bubbling up inside him at what she must have gone through.

"They raped me," she said, voice choked up. "One of them held me down while the other… took his turn. When they were done, they told me to stay put because they'd be ready for round two soon. I was so scared. I knew they'd kill me once they were really done with me, or worse, I'd become their whore whether I liked it or not. So…" she took another deep breath, "when I saw one of their guns left on the ground under a sleeping bag, I picked it up and I… shot them in the back. Until there were no bullets left. I dumped the gun in the creek while I ran away, as far as I could. And I always regretted the way it happened. Because it was over for them before they ever really paid for what they did to me. But it's never over for me."

After her story was over, small sobs rocked her body as she curled into a ball, crying into her hands. While Nick was outraged at what she'd gone through, he held none of that animosity against her. He took her into his arms, even with her fighting his hold, and brought her against his side. Her head lolled onto his shoulder as she let her cries out. He remained silent, stroking her hair comfortingly.

Once her cried subsided, Nick kissed the top her head, whispering fiercely, "You were all alone in a bad situation, the worst situation. You had no choice when the worst happened. It was self-defense, no one would ever blame you for what you did. I don't blame you." He pulled her face up to look at him and kissed her forehead. "It doesn't change anything other than showing me how truly strong you are to have overcome so much. I'm proud of you."

"Are you sure?" she whispered. "I know it's a lot to ask someone to accept."

"I'm sure," Nick reassured her. "I swear. Over the past few months, I've gotten to know you well and I think you've gotten to know me too. And I care about you, a lot. I admire how strong you are. I like it when you get excited over helping Rosalee with the wedding. Or when you talk about work. How you find enjoyment in rock 'em sock 'em robots and know how to make pizza from scratch. You're easy to talk to and you've taken all this Grimm and wesen stuff better than anyone I've had to explain it to."

She smiled weakly and wiped under her eyes that now got a little smudged with makeup. "I like you too, Nick."

"I promise your past doesn't change anything," he said certainly. "I'm still here for you."

"Then can I ask you a favor?" she averted her eyes insecurely.

"Yes. What is it?" he asked.

"Will you come sleep in your bed with me?" she whispered. "Just to sleep. Maybe hold me? I don't want to be alone."

"Are you sure?" he asked, cupping her face.

She nodded, "Please?"

Nick gave her a gentle kiss and agreed, following her upstairs. She still changed for bed in the privacy of the bathroom while he quickly changed in the room. And things felt a little anxious as they slipped under the duvet. But once she laid her head on his chest and he put his arm around her, they relaxed into each other.

"Nick?" Lena whispered as she fell asleep. "Thank you…"

"Any time, I'm here," he whispered back as he fell asleep with her.