CHAPTER FIFTEEN
IT ALL JUST HAPPENED SO FAST
The first thing done when driving back to the house, was Hank calling the hospital to get an update on the Captain.
"When did he go in?—All right. Do they know how bad it is?—Yeah. Yeah, thanks." He hung up and told them, "Captain's in surgery now. They don't know anything except he's been shot more than once."
"Three times, I think," Trubel said from the middle backseat with Lena who was patching up her head wound with the kit she kept in her car. Jessie and Scott were in the very back. "He was gonna shoot him again, except he saw me. That's when I ran."
"Had you ever seen him before?" Nick asked, peering back at them.
"No. And he didn't know I was a Grimm until he woged," Trubel said.
"He was Wesen?"
"A Hundjager," she reminded him. "He was kind of surprised. That's why I had time to get the machete. He thought I was just a girl."
"I wish I could have seen his face before you cut it off," Jessie quipped from the back seat.
"What do you think Adalind was going to do to you?" Trubel asked Nick.
"Nothing good if the Captain was that worried," Hank surmised.
As they got closer to Nick's house, they heard siren wail and could see a fleet of cop cars outside. Trubel squirmed in her seat. "We should turn around."
"We have to deal with this," Nick insisted.
"I killed that guy," Trubel emphasized.
"He was trying to kill you," Lena pointed out. "It was pure self-defense."
"They're gonna be all over Trubel," Hank warned.
"What am I supposed to say?" Trubel asked with wide eyes.
"It all just happened so fast," Jessie pitched in from the back seat. All eyes turned back to her as she shared a sad look with Scott. Their friend, Scott's first love, Allison, had been killed by demonic ninjas while they were battling the Nogitsune, a dark trickster spirit that had possessed Stiles. Of course, they couldn't tell the truth to the police about the way Allison had died. So, they came up with a vague cover story of some thugs trying to carjack them, and they stabbed Allison in the struggle. If they got too overwhelmed, or couldn't remember what to say, they would just say, 'It all just happened so fast.'
"What?" Trouble asked, peering at Jessie.
"You tell the truth; you keep the backstory vague. You didn't know who that guy was or what he was or why he shot the captain," Jessie told her. "You're just a scared young woman, and he tried to kill you. You tell them how you defended yourself, and if you get too overwhelmed or nervous, just say, 'It all just happened so fast.' You were operating on adrenalin, you're probably still high off of it now, and you have a headwound. It's plausible that you'll be disoriented, nervous, and still scared."
"You've done this before?" Trubel asked, dumbfounded.
Jessie and Scott let out a sigh as the werewolf answered solemnly, "Unfortunately."
"All right, look, we better figure this out pretty quick. Because if we have to lie, we better all be telling the same one," Hank said as he pulled over and parked the car.
"What if they arrest me?" Trubel asked as they began getting out of the car. Lena was taping gauze to her headwound.
"All right, just remember it was self-defense," Nick reiterated.
"What about the machete? How's she gonna explain that?" Scott asked.
"Tell them it was Aunt Marie's," Jessie suggested. "She collected a bunch of weird old stuff and used to stay in that room."
Nick nodded. "Perfect."
As they approached the house, Wu and his partner walked out to greet them. "Hey. Where you guys been?"
"We were at a wedding. Had our phones turned off," Hank said, frowning.
"Isn't that the Captain's car?" the partner asked, gesturing to it across the street.
"Yeah," Nick nodded. "Hey, who's the primary on this?"
"Meacham and Pogue. Listen, I've got some bad news," Wu sighed.
"We know... Captain's been shot," Hank said. "We just got off the phone with the hospital. He's in surgery."
"He's lucky to be alive," Wu said. "When we brought him out of the house, I didn't think he was gonna make it to the hospital." He paused when he saw Trubel behind Lena and Jessie. "I know you. The criminology student, right?"
"Uh, yeah," Trubel answered nervously.
"Yeah, Theresa's been staying with us," Lena added.
"Good thing you weren't here," Wu muttered.
Nick let out a sigh and looked at the officer seriously. "She was."
Wu partner gaped. "Did you see what happened?"
Trubel frowned. "Yes."
"She killed the shooter," Nick revealed.
The guy's jaw dropped. "What? The guy's head was cut off."
"He tried to kill her after he shot the Captain," Nick said.
"All right, we better get with Meacham and Pogue on this."
"Yeah, all right."
"Yeah. Inside."
Nick looked back at them as he and Hank made to go inside. "You stay here. We're gonna talk to them first."
"You okay?" Lena asked Trubel in concern after the others went inside.
"Sort of."
"Just remember what we told you," Jessie said. "It's going to be okay."
Trubel just got more and more angsty as they waited for the others to come out. Scott kept Jessie in his arms, protectively. They should have known coming up here wouldn't be a vacation from trouble.
"Hey, maybe it'd be better if I just got out of here," Trubel said as Nick and Hank and a couple other men exited the house.
"That'll make things worse," Lena told her. "They already know that you were here. Just remember what Jessie and Nick said."
"Theresa, these are Detectives Pogue and Meacham," Nick introduced the two new men. "They just need to ask you a few questions."
"Okay," Trubel sighed.
"We just want you to walk us through what happened," Detective Meacham said calmly.
"We got company," Hank said as a couple more cars drove in and parked at the corner. "FBI."
"It's about time," Pogue said as he and his partner walked over to greet the newcomers.
"What are FBI doing here?" Scott asked, wondering if his presence would get back to his dad somehow.
"The guy Trubel killed used to be a federal agent," Nick said.
"What?" Trubel gaped.
"He was a bad guy. And we need to deal with this," Nick insisted. But Trubel got skittish when the Agents looked at her and tried to back away. Nick caught her arm. "You cannot run."
The female Agent with curly hair pinned back and tan skin spoke when the officers led her and her partner over to them. "I'm Special Agent Chavez. This is Special Agent Rosten. The detectives have filled us in on some of what happened. Detective Burkhardt, we understand that this is your house, and you were not here at the time of the attack?"
"That is correct." Nick nodded.
"But Miss Rubel was staying here?" she asked.
"In the upstairs guest room," Lena said.
Chavez nodded along and turned to peer at Jessie and Scott just behind them. "And you two are?"
"I'm his cousin," Jessie offered. "This is my boyfriend. We were invited to the wedding and drove up from California."
"Were you staying here as well?" she asked.
"Yeah, on an air mattress in the living room," Scott said.
She nodded. "Walk us through what happened," Chavez said, gesturing to lead Trubel inside.
Nick went to follow. "I should come along with you."
"That won't be necessary," Chavez held him off.
"She can handle this, Nick," Lena told Nick, taking his hand, squeezing it.
"What if she gets tripped up on a detail?" Nick asked, worried.
"Then she'll do what Jessie said," Lena pointed out. "She'll play up the adrenalin and the headwound and say it all happened so fast and gather herself and start again if she has to."
"We've got to let them do their job," Hank said from behind him. "Can't let it look like we had anything to do with it."
"They're gonna want formal statements," Nick sighed.
"Then you're gonna have to go into the precinct, huh?" Lena asked.
"Stay together," Nick told her, looking between her, and Jessie and Scott.
"Of course," Lena gave him a look. "Try not to look so nervous. You're not supposed to know about anything that happened in there, remember?"
Nick let out a heavy sigh as they continued to wait for Trubel to come back out. When that finally happened, he and Hank followed her and the Agents along with Pogue and Meachum to the precinct.
Lena, Scott, and Jessie were stuck waiting outside on the porch until the police and CSU were done sweeping the scene and gathering the evidence they needed. Night had fallen by the time they carried out the wesen FBI agent's body and head and whatever else they needed. When the last guy followed the group out, he addressed Lena as he said, "We're done. Sorry it's such a mess."
"I can clean and everything?" she asked. "I don't have to leave anything alone?"
He nodded. "Yes, ma'am."
Lena sighed as he left, and she let the three of them into the house. Things were broken. The floor and area carpets were covered in blood and discarded blood-soaked gauze. There was a large bullet hold in the wall, splintering the wood.
Scott grimaced at the smell of the blood hitting him full force. "Ugh."
Jessie pursed her lips. "I know. We'll help clean this up, Lena."
"I don't even know where to start," Lena sighed. There was a knock at the door, and she went to open it. Monroe and Rosalee were standing there, still in their wedding clothes. Her shoulders sagged. "You two sure don't look like you're off to your honeymoon."
Monroe shook his head resolutely. "Couldn't do it."
"Not with what happened," Rosalie added.
"Don't let this ruin your day more than it already has," Lena protested. "We don't wanna get you guys roped into this mess."
Rosalee gaped at her. "Lena, are you kidding me? You think we could go anywhere with what's going on? You're not the new girl anymore, you know how we work. Together."
The couple walked into the house. Monroe asked, "Where's Nick?"
"He had to take Trubel to the precinct," Jessie said.
Rosalee frowned at the bloody mess on the front floor. "Is this where Renard was shot?"
Scott was still grimacing at the smell. "Yeah."
Rosalee gave Lena a tight hug. "Oh, my God. Lena, this is terrible."
"I'm more upset that this all ruined your wedding day," she said, hugging her friend.
"What do you think this Adalind wanted to do to Nick?" Scott asked no one in particular.
"Whatever it was, it must have been awful," Monroe shivered.
"Do you think it was some kind of revenge plot?" Lena aske generally. "I mean – she must blame Nick – or all of us – for losing her daughter."
"Her daughter?" Jessie questioned.
"Nick will catch you up on that later," Lena said tiredly.
They posited and talked and drearily took in the scene around them until the door opened and Nick and Trubel walked through.
Lena went first to Trubel, checking her over as if she could have gotten more injured at the precinct. Jessie went to her cousin, hugging him tightly.
"How did it go?" Monroe asked.
"No charges were filed, so we're good for now," Nick said as Lena and Jessie switched between him and Trubel. Lena clutched Nick's hand as he frowned at his friends. "Monroe, Rosalee, you shouldn't be here."
"I told them that too," Lena said, cuddling into his side.
"Nick," Monroe sighed. "Honestly, man... what, are we gonna be hanging out on a beach with what's happening here?"
"I am so sorry I screwed up your wedding," Trubel said, stepping around Lena and Nick to apologize to the newlyweds. "I didn't know everybody was…"
"Trubel, you did what you had to do for Nick," Rosalee comforted the young woman with a hand on her shoulder. "What we need to focus on is if Adalind is going to try again."
"Well, that's not gonna happen 'cause she's on a flight to Vienna," Nick revealed.
"She's headed back to Vienna?" she questioned.
"How's the Captain doing, anyway?" Monroe asked.
"Not good," Nick frowned, seriously. "He might not survive."
"I can't believe all of this," Lena sighed. She looked to Monroe and Rosalee. "You guys should at least go home and get some sleep."
The couple reluctantly agreed and made their leave. Nick stopped Monroe to say, "Hey. Look, man... I don't want you screwing up your life because of me."
"Dude, I wouldn't even have a life to screw up if it wasn't for you, okay? So quit complaining," Monroe quipped back.
Jessie walked them out.
"You should get some rest tonight too, Trubel," Lena told the young woman quietly.
"Okay. I guess I'll see you guys tomorrow," Trubel said as she walked upstairs.
Somehow, Scott and Jessie were able to convince Nick and Lena that they were okay to sleep in the living room and that they should all go to go to bed. But as soon as Jessie and Scott heard Lena and Nick go to sleep, they set to cleaning up.
"I remember where the cleaning stuff is," Jessie said, leading Scott to the cabinet under the sink and grabbing a bucket, vinegar, and gloves and sponges. She also grabbed a trash bag for the discarded gauze. Scott rolled the area rugs up and set them against the wall before pulling on the gloves Jessie handed him.
Jessie crouched down on the pool of blood in the middle of the stairs where the FBI Agent's head had fallen. Scott was crouched over the place where the Captain was shot. They wiped at the blood first with paper towels and then began scrubbing at the spots of blood in the hardwood floors, trying to make the house a little less traumatic for the people living there.
They were working quickly – supernatural speed helped – when Nick walked out of his room and started padding down the stairs. He paused when he saw Jessie. "Hey."
She looked up. "Hey, what are you doing up?"
He chuckled quietly, crouching next to her. "I could ask you the same thing. You don't have to clean any of this. You should be sleeping; you're driving back to Beacon Hills in the morning."
"I don't need a lot of sleep since turning," she said. "I can drive most of the way in the morning while Scott rests and then we can switch at some point."
"Scott's cleaning too?" he questioned.
"Down here," Scott's voice filtered over from the front of the house.
"We want to help, Nick," Jessie whispered. "You shouldn't have to deal with this on top of everything else."
"It's not your guys' responsibility either," he said.
Scott quietly got up to meet with them at the stairs. "We don't mind. We understand about cleaning up messes this kind of world leaves behind."
"This one's not your mess," Nick pointed out.
"That doesn't matter," Scott said. "You're Jessie's family."
"What are you guys doing up?" Lena's sleepy voice sounded above them.
Jessie chuckled at the woman. "Exactly what it looks like."
Lena twisted her head back to see the small splatter of blood along the wall at the top of the stairs and sighed. "Well, you're not doing it alone. And I can't sleep anymore. So, let's get this done."
They remained companionably quiet as they cleaned up most of the mess before finally going to sleep early into the morning.