Sean looked up at the knock on his office door and waved Nick in. Hank followed after the Grimm and shut the door.
"How was our FBI agent?" Sean questioned, once the two men were settled into their seats.
"A little put out," Nick replied with a grin. "I'm sure that she'll work it out in the end. She's a smart woman with sharp eyes. She's more focused on finding Agent Stewart at the moment, it seems."
"Is she on our side?" Hank questioned.
"I'm not sure what side she's on," Nick answered. "Sean?"
"They always play by a different set of rules," Sean remarked. "Could you tell if she woged?"
"Not without seeing it," Nick mused as he ran a hand through his hair. "I can only guess but I would say yes."
"She was seeing if you were a Grimm?" Hank questioned. "How is that going?"
Nick blew out a breath as Sean grimaced and Hank laughed at their expressions. Wu knocked on the door and Sean waved him in.
"We got a lead on that photo of the woman about the double murder," Wu reported. "She's staying at a Backpackers on Main and 23rd street, under the name Theresa Rubel."
"We're on it," Hank announced and stood.
"We'll take my car," Sean said and stood up. "This woman intrigues me."
xXx
Sean froze as he held the woman against the car and looked into her dark eyes, like an abyss spinning down before he saw the beast under his skin looking back at him. Sean stumbled back as the woman yelled out and went for his throat. Nick and Hank quickly grabbed her shoulders and hauled her back. She yelled out as the two men tried to hold her while Sean tried to catch his breath.
"She's a Grimm!" Sean chocked out in disbelief.
"What!" Nick squeaked then ducked as he woman threw an elbow out.
"She's a Grimm," Sean repeated then stepped back into the fight.
The woman focused on him and threw herself forward. He quickly sidestepped and grabbed her arm as he twisted his body and brought her down. Nick grabbed one of her arms as Sean twisted the other behind her back as she struggled and shouted out. She was like holding an eel. Every time you thought you had a good grip on her, she would wiggle loose with a surprising amount of strength.
"Just settle down," Nick yelped as he got an elbow to the chest. "Just stop, we're not trying to hurt you!"
"Get off me then!" The woman yelled as she struggled.
Hank then clipped a cuff on the wrist Sean held before clipping the other on the one that Nick held. Sean eased up on his hold before sitting back and Nick and Hank pulled the woman to her feet. She locked eyes with him as Sean stood and dusted his pants down.
"He's going to kill me!" She yelled out.
"No, he isn't," Nick told her. "This is Captain Sean Renard and I'm Detective Nick Burkhardt and this is Hank Griffin. I'm a Grimm as well."
"He's going to kill me!" She repeated and tried to struggle loose.
"I'm not going to kill you," Sean snarled and pulled his badge and held it up. "We just want to ask you a few questions about a double murder."
"They attacked me," She defended.
"Are you Theresa Rubel?" Hank questioned and she nodded sharply.
"No one calls me that," She snapped back with a glare.
"What do they call you?" Nick uttered.
"Trubel," The woman stated proudly.
"Well you have certainly brought that here," Sean commented. "Take her in."
"Sean," Nick broached.
Sean nodded and walked away to give them space. He stood far enough away that he couldn't hear them but still close enough that he could come to their aid. His eyes tracing over Nick as he stood there with his arms crossed. Now that he knew what the woman was he could feel that presence around her but it was just a flicker of what he normally felt from Nick. She was just the beginning of the Grimm that she would become while Nick was further along.
"Renard," Sean answered when his phone rang.
"Hey, boss." Wu greeted. "You're not going to like this but we have another one of those killings with the Grim Reaper symbol."
Sean swore with his eyes focused on the two Grimms.
"Text me the address and we'll be there soon," Sean ordered. "We are just wrapping something up."
"Yes, sir." Wu replied and hung up.
Sean went to slip his phone away before a message caught his attention and he opened it up. He scrolled through it in interest before smiling and sending a reply back. He looked up to see Hank and Nick marching the young Grimm towards him, between them.
"We have another murder," Sean reported.
"I didn't do it!" Trubel defended.
"Let's hope not," Sean answered. "Get in the back of the car."
"You can't just order me-"
"Get in the car," Sean hissed and Trubel shut her mouth quickly.
Nick clapped a hand to her shoulder and opened the back door of the car. He shoved her in then followed her into the car. Sean slipped into the driver's side as Hank collapsed in the passenger seat.
"What kind of murder are we looking at?" Hank asked.
"Another Reaper," Sean replied as he put the car into gear and pulled out. "Wu just called."
"Reaper?" Trubel demanded from the back.
"Reapers are Wesen that seem to like hunting down Grimms," Nick replied and Sean glanced in the rear-view mirror and could tell that the woman didn't believe him. "This one seems to like killing people and leaving a calling card."
"Radio?" Hank asked.
"Please," Sean answered and Hank chuckled as he flicked it on.
Sean eased the car to a stop outside a motel and stepped out. He did a quick glance around.
"Put Ms Rubel into the back of the one of the marked cars, for now," Sean ordered. "Take the temptation to run away from her."
"Yes, sir." Hank answered and grabbed Trubel's arm and pulled her towards a marked car.
Sean looked down at Nick as he glanced around. He let the Grimm take everything in before Nick frowned then rubbed his eyes. Suddenly his head snapped up and over towards the gas station across the road. Just as an old Volvo station wagon pulled out and Nick focused on the car as it drove past. Nick then winced and rubbed his temple as he felt a headache coming on. It seemed like the potion was wearing off earlier than they thought it would. He was just happy that he got through his meeting with Chavez without a problem.
"Nick?" Sean questioned.
"That car," Nick uttered. "Did you catch the number plate?"
"Gas station CCTV should have recorded it," Sean remarked. "Wu!"
Wu looked over at them before making his way over.
"So, we have one male," Wu reported. "Throat cut and it's pretty nasty, they didn't care about the mess they were making-"
"Wu," Sean cut in. "I need you to collect the CCTV footage from the gas station across the road for the last twenty-four hours, from this time back."
"Right on it, sir." Wu replied quickly and hurried off across the street.
They walked towards the motel, police and cars swarming around. Nick and Sean made their way up the stairs to the second level. They stopped outside the room and peered through the open doorway. Wu hadn't been kidding, it was a blood bath. Nick stepped into the room and to the side, out of the way of the forensics. His eyes caught on the drawing on the wall.
"We have a problem," Nick uttered. "This isn't the same killer."
Sean felt a chill at Nick's words as he carefully picked his way over to the victim and crouched down. He pulled on some gloves, and ignored the blood, as he gently eased the man's hand out then felt that chill again. He checked his other hand before looking over at Nick as he studied the drawing.
"No tattoo," Sean called over to him as he stood and Nick gave him a nod and tilted his head to the side.
Sean got the message and they both walked outside and back down to the parking lot. Sean and Nick looked around and his eyes were drawn to the young Grimm in the back of the marked car.
"Same killer?" Hank asked as he came over to them.
"No," Nick answered. "Same drawing but the artist is different."
"Victim wasn't Verrat," Sean added. "Doesn't fit the MO of the last two Reaper murders."
"Another Reaper?" Hank questioned.
"Possibly," Sean drawled. "We'll have to see what the techs say about the murder weapon to confirm. They are murderers regardless. Hank, run down the leads with Wu."
"Or lack of," Hank muttered and gave them a nod before walking away.
"What about Trubel?" Nick asked.
Sean blew out a breath.
"Go get her," Sean ordered. "We'll take her with us."
Nick nodded and wandered over to the marked car and pulled the girl out. He looked them over as Nick tugged on her arm. She had stopped struggling but Sean was sure that if they gave her an inch, she'd be running. She pulled further back when they got closer to him and Sean could see the fear in her eyes. The fear of a child that had been on the run and had found out the monsters were real and that no one was going to save her. She then straightened up and looked him right in the eye and Sean gave her a smile. She had a back bone at least as a hard look came into her eyes. She would fight to her last breath and he was in no doubt that she was a Grimm.
"We have things to talk about, Ms Rubel." Sean intoned as he opened the back door of his car.
"He'll kill me," She gasped and tried to break out of Nick's hands. "If you leave me with him, he'll kill me!"
Sean grabbed the woman's arm and threw her into the car and she yelped. He palmed off his keys to Nick as he slipped into the seat next to the young Grimm. Nick didn't say a word as he started the car and pulled away from the motel. He looked at the woman and could see her trying to control her fear.
"You are a Grimm," Sean stated. "Nick is a Grimm, he has the same talent that you do to see Wesens. We are not going to hurt you, unless you do something stupid."
Trubel just stared at him with large eyes. Sean settled back in his seat as he kept one eye on the Grimm as Nick drove. He didn't need to know where they were going, he already knew. When they turned onto a forest trail, Trubel tensed and Sean could tell that she was planning to run the second that she could. She had the feel of a predator and yet the actions of prey and it pulled on his wild side.
Nick stopped the car near his trailer and pulled up the handbrake. He stepped out of the car and opened the door for Trubel. The woman didn't know whether to pull back from Nick or Sean. Sean took that out of her hands and pushed her out of the car. She squeaked as Nick caught her and she untangled herself from the seatbelt. Sean strolled around the car and Nick took care to uncuff Trubel's wrists. Once the woman was free, she spun away from him quickly.
She braced herself as her eyes darted from Nick to him then looked around.
"Is this what you do?" She demanded. "You've brought me out here to kill me!"
"Because we have nothing else to do," Sean drawled. "Then to bring young women out to the woods and kill them. After arresting them in relation to a double murder and showing her our badges and just taken you from a crime scene."
"Ignore him," Nick told her as he walked to the trailer. "He's just cranky that he hasn't had lunch yet."
"Or coffee," Sean added as he crossed his arms and just watched Trubel.
"I bet you're wishing that Monroe had installed that coffee machine now," Nick quipped as he came out of the trailer with a book in his hand.
Nick flicked the book open to a page then held it up for Trubel to see. The woman's eyes widened as she stared at that page. Nick held the book out to her. She took it in her hands in shock, her eyes flicked over to him and Sean gave her a level stare.
"You're a Hexenbiest?" Trubel stuttered and Sean groaned, Nick just had to grab that book.
"No," Sean answered as Nick snorted. "I am a Zauberbiest."
"Male Hexenbiest," Nick added and Sean groaned.
"Not the same," Sean grumbled. "I'm only half, anyway."
Nick snorted and looked over to him.
"What does that mean exactly?" Nick asked and Sean growled softly.
"Priorities, Nick." Sean pointed out.
Sean and Nick looked back at Trubel as she tried to look at the book and them at the same time.
"Did you kill those two men?" Sean questioned.
"They attacked me," Trubel defended. "Before I knew it, they were on the ground and I ran. I just wanted to get away."
"Then got into their truck and ordered take away," Sean added.
"They attacked me!" Trubel yelped and held up the book. "They were monsters."
"Not all Wesen want to attack you," Nick stated.
"But they are monsters!"
"Yes," Sean intoned. "They are and capable of great violence but so are humans."
Trubel looked at him with wide eyes.
"Some are more prone to it than others," Nick conceded. "And some just want to live their lives."
"The challenge," Sean told her. "Is working that out."
"You're both cops," Trubel uttered.
Sean pulled out his badge again and held it out, she hesitated for a second before snatching it from his hand. He didn't take it personally then glanced at Nick sharply when he rubbed his head again and quirked an eyebrow in question. Nick just shook his head and Sean focused back on the woman.
"Captain Sean Renard," Sean introduced again. "Nick is a detective in my department."
She looked at his badge and the book in her hand before looking around. Sean knew it was too much too quickly. Nick picked up on that as well.
"Hungry?" Nick asked with a smile. "I could go for a coffee and some fries."
"Ah, yeah." Trubel stuttered and held out Sean's badge.
He carefully reached out and took it from her hand. He slipped it away as Trubel watched his every move. Nick held up his keys and he gave him an amused look.
"I'm going to have to move the seat again," Sean complained and Nick gave him a grin.
xXx
Sean watched as Nick's eyes kept being drawn back to the waitress as she cleaned tables and he knew that Nick's talent to see Wesen was starting to come back. He couldn't see the woman's tail but by the way that Nick's eyes tracked back and forth he could. Nick then flinched and rubbed the side of his head and Sean felt concern run through him. It looked like the talent to see Wesen wasn't the only thing coming back to Nick. He then snorted as Nick quickly looked away when the waitress looked back over to them before gliding towards them smoothly.
"Would you like anything else?" Alice asked with a smile.
"Trubel?" Nick inquired.
"Milkshake?" Trubel answered between fries.
"What kind?" Alice questioned.
"Chocolate," Trubel continued. "With cream."
"Coming right up," Alice replied and wandered off.
Sean looked on in interest as Trubel put Nick to shame in putting food away and started to wonder if it was a Grimm thing. She paused when she noticed him watching her and gave him a glare.
"I think that you have beaten Nick's record," Sean commented mildly.
"Record?" Trubel demanded.
"In the amount of food that a person can eat in one sitting," Sean explained as he picked up his coffee and Nick snorted.
"Been a while," Trubel muttered and started back in on the food.
Nick patted the leather-bound book on the table and Trubel's eyes were drawn to it.
"Believe us now?" Nick asked and Trubel slowly nodded.
"Doesn't mean I trust you," Trubel said blandly.
"We don't expect you too," Nick remarked.
"So," Trubel started to say then paused when the waitress came over with her drink and placed it down before walking off. "What happens now? Am I still under arrest?"
"You are a person of interest in a double murder," Sean told her flatly. "Drink your milkshake."
Nick snorted loudly before covering it up with a cough. Then gave him a grin that had Sean thinking thoughts that he couldn't entertain in public. Nick's phone ringing pulled him away from those thoughts.
"Burkhardt," Nick answered his phone.
"Hey, Nick." Rosalee greeted. "I've worked out what the herbs are that you brought me. Do you have time to come by? Or wait until tonight at dinner?"
"We'll swing by soon, it's been a bit of a full on day." Nick told her then looked at Trubel. "I will be bringing Sean and another Grimm."
Rosalee was silent on the other end of the phone.
"Oh," She stuttered. "Okay, I'll warn Monroe."
"Thanks, Rosalee."
"No problems, Nick."
"Does she have something for us?" Sean asked.
"Yeah," Nick answered and looked at Trubel. "We are going to a spice shop that is run by a friend of mine. She and her partner are Wesen and good people."
Trubel looked sceptical at them before trying to get the last of the chocolate syrup out of the bottom of the glass with the straw. Sean pulled out his wallet and counted out a few bills and placed them on the table. He saw the way Trubel's eyes followed his every move as he stood and gave Nick a nod before he walked out to the car. He knew that Nick had things to talk to the younger Grimm about without him there.
He leaned on the side of his car as he pulled his phone then paused. There was a text from Adalind sitting there and with a sigh he called her.
"Sean," Adalind purred and Sean recoiled from that tone of voice.
"Adalind," Sean countered. "What do you want?"
"You sent me a photo of Diana," Adalind sobbed. "Why?"
"I thought it was only fair to pass the photo along to you," Sean answered.
"Fair?" Adalind hissed. "Only 'fair'. Did you think it was fair when you handed her over to someone else to raise-"
Sean ended the call in frustration and didn't answer it when Adalind tried to call back. He flicked the phone onto silent as Nick and Trubel appeared. He took notice of the smooth way they walked and his lips quirked up. Sean slipped into the car and Nick and Trubel took the back seat, it looked like Nick still didn't trust the young Grimm not to do a runner. Sean flicked on the radio as he drove then started when Nick leaned over from the back and flicked it to a different station. Sean was starting to believe that his car wasn't just 'his' anymore.
They pulled up in front of the spice shop and Sean stepped out and looked around. Nothing stood out to him as Nick and Trubel got out of the car and the woman looked around in interest. Sean kept an eye on her as Nick came around the car and they walked towards the door. Nick went first with Sean at the rear and Trubel in the middle. He was sure that fact didn't escape her notice as she looked around the shop. Her mouth dropped open as she looked at all the jars and she reached out to grab one, Sean grabbed her wrist. She started and pulled back and he released her.
"Don't touch," Sean warned.
She stood back and crossed her arms over her chest as she glared at him and Sean raised an eyebrow. She looked away first under Sean's level stare and stalked over to Nick.
"Hey Nick and Sean," Rosalee greeted with a smile then her eyes flicked to Trubel. "Hello, I'm Rosalee."
"Trubel," The woman muttered and tilted her head slightly.
"Nice to meet you," Rosalee replied with a slight shiver. "You must be the new Grimm?"
"Apparently," Trubel mumbled.
"Well," Rosalee gushed and pulled out the plastic bag that Sean had dropped off. "These were interesting."
"So, they are more than just regular herbs?" Nick questioned in 'police' mode.
"Oh, yes." Rosalee said in a rush. "And bad news as well. When these are added together with a couple of other ingredients they make a very powerful sedative."
Sean stepped forward in interest and Rosalee showed them which herbs would need to be used.
"Enough to knock out Hundjägers?" Sean questioned.
"Yes," Rosalee confirmed and flicked her eyes to Nick. "Or a Grimm."
Sean tensed at that.
"And the other herbs?" Nick asked.
"I'm not sure," Rosalee replied. "Mainly harmless but if they have a Hexenbiest and other ingredients…"
"Speculation," Sean finished and Rosalee gave him a smile.
"Is dinner still on tonight?" Rosalee asked as her eyes flicked to Trubel.
"How about," Sean countered. "You come to our apartment for dinner instead?"
Nick looked over at him in surprise and the offer was worth it to see Nick's expression.
"Ah," Rosalee stuttered then gave them a smile. "Yes, of course."
"We'll have another guest with us," Sean added. "And she eats more than Nick does."
"Hey," Nick spattered. "In that case, I'm calling Hank."
Sean shrugged a shoulder and glanced at Trubel to see her watching them in interest.
xXx
Sean stepped into the apartment to silence and he tensed slightly. He held the bags from the vegetarian restaurant in his hand as he walked into the kitchen. Nick had set the table in the dining room and he smiled at that then counted the spots and wondered who the last spot was for. He looked over to see Trubel in one of the armchairs with the book in her hands but her eyes were focused on him.
"Where's Nick?" Sean asked as he placed the bags down.
"Said he was going to have a shower," Trubel replied.
"You didn't want to have a shower as well?" Sean inquired as he pulled out plates. "There is a second bathroom."
"I just got stuck reading," Trubel answered and stood up. "I'll do that now."
Sean nodded and started to dish out the food. He paused when the buzzer went off and he let the others in. When a knock came at his door, he strolled that way easily and opened the door.
"Hey, boss." Hank greeted as he strolled past. "Do you still have those ciders from last time?"
"In the fridge," Sean answered.
"Thanks for the invite here, Sean." Monroe greeted.
"It's vegetarian all round tonight," Nick called out from back in the kitchen. "Monroe you better hurry up before Hank takes all the drinks."
Monroe grinned and hurried forward. Rosalee and Juliette rounded out the group and Sean tensed when he saw her.
"I hope you don't mind me coming?" Juliette whispered, looking unsure.
"Nick said it was okay," Rosalee added, nervously. "I checked with him first."
"That's fine," Sean intoned as they moved back to the kitchen.
Nick had finished plating everything up while Monroe and Hank were helping place it on the table. Sean sided up next to Nick and the man gave him a grin.
"Trubel has gone to have a shower," Sean reported as he picked out a cider before Nick and the others could steal them all. "Monroe, have you had food from the Little Green Hopper?"
"Yeah," Monroe replied. "Is this where you got this?"
"Yes," Sean answered.
They looked over when Trubel arrived and she stood there for a few seconds before Rosalee stepped forward and introduced her to everyone. They settled at the table and Sean placed his hand on Nick's knee under the table. He could see Trubel relaxing as she sat between Juliette and Hank and he could understand why Rosalee had asked Juliette along. She was a human that was still trying to understand the world around her. Much like Trubel herself.
"Right there?" Nick asked as they stood in the kitchen together after dinner.
"Bit drained," Sean admitted softly. "How are you?"
"Bit of a headache," Nick answered. "I can feel more now than I could before."
"It's wearing off?" Sean asked and placed his hand on his arm. "I can't feel anything yet."
"Yes, it's wearing off. Why don't you head back to your office?" Nick offered. "I'll keep the kids under control."
"That's what I'm afraid of," Sean groaned and Nick gave him a grin as he rubbed his arm.
xXx
Nick made his way silently down the hallway and glanced in at his old room to see Trubel sprawled out on the bed, fast asleep. He walked past her room and towards Sean's at the end of the hall. He opened and closed the door and using the soft light coming in from the windows to make his way to the bed. He could see Sean already curled up and asleep as he stripped down. Nick slipped into bed and gently snaked an arm over the other man and Sean shifted.
"Is there still an apartment out there," Sean muttered.
"Apartment? Yes." Nick snorted. "Ciders? No."
Sean chuckled and rolled onto his back as Nick shifted around and laid his head on his chest. Sean curled his arm around him and he relaxed back. They lay there for a while as Nick looked out on the lights of the city and listened to the beat of Sean's heart under his ear. The warm burn of good food and alcohol making him sleepy.
"Should we be concerned with waking to a woman holding a knife above us?" Sean asked and Nick snorted.
"I think we are more likely to wake up and she's done a runner," Nick replied as he curled further into Sean's side. "I wouldn't worry too much, I'm sure one of us would hear her before she could use that knife."
"Hank and Juliette were keeping her in the conversation," Sean muttered as he rubbed Nick's back.
"I know how she feels," Nick mused. "It's hard to take it all in, when you start seeing Wesen, and she's been on the run for a while."
"I'll have Wu do a full background on her," Sean told him. "We'll have to take her to the station to make a statement on the two men that she killed."
Nick nodded.
"What are you planning on doing with Wu?" Sean broached and Nick blew out a breath.
"I don't know," Nick muttered as he ran his hand down Sean's stomach. "Hank wants to tell him but I can't help but think that it might just tip him over the edge again."
Sean rolled on to his side and took him into his arms as he captured his lips in a kiss as he tangled their legs together.
"I could talk to him," Sean offered.
xXx
Sean woke alone and frowned as he glanced around the room but couldn't see Nick. He felt concern rush through him as he rolled from the bed and snagged up his pants and shirt. It was only early and they didn't have to be at the station for another couple of hours. He walked past the room that Trubel was using without checking on her. He paused when he found Nick on the lounge, curled up with his arm hanging over the side. He knelt down in front of the Grimm and carefully grabbed his shoulder.
"Nick," Sean whispered as he shook him gently.
Nick groaned and his eyes blinked open, they were slightly bloodshot and Sean frowned.
"What are you doing out here?" Sean asked.
"Head," Nick said. "Woke with a pounding headache, came out here to get pain killers. Must have fallen asleep."
"The last of the potion?" Sean inquired. "Do you want me to woge?"
"Not until I've had coffee," Nick groaned. "What time is it?"
"Just after five."
Nick reached up and rubbed his head with a wince before waving Sean back. Nick carefully sat up and snagged up the bottle of tablets off the coffee table and took two and washed them down with the water. Sean helped him up and they walked back to the bedroom. Nick collapsed on the bed and Sean looked at him with amusement and concern. The Grimm shifted and wiggled around until he was back under the covers.
"Not taking that again," Nick grumbled. "Between the headaches, vision problems and crippling pain. It tasted like…well you don't want to know."
Sean just curled along Nick's back and kissed his shoulder.
"Not worth the side effects?" Sean purred.
"And it hasn't lasted as long as they said it would," Nick grumbled. "False advertising…"
Nick trailed off as he fell back into sleep and Sean just gently rubbed his thumb across his skin as he took in his scent. He kissed Nick's shoulder before following him back to sleep.
xXx
Trubel sat on the chair next to Nick's desk nervously as her eyes darted around the police station. He hadn't cuffed her as she sat there and she felt appreciation at that. Her eyes darted over, when a man across the room from them, skin morphed into scales and another man waiting in a chair slipped into fur. She focused back on Nick as he tapped away on the computer.
"How do you deal with it?" Trubel blunted out and Nick paused and looked at her. "Seeing them?"
"Takes time," Nick replied mildly. "Try to tune it out."
"And no one around here knows?"
"Except Hank and the Captain," Nick replied as he focused on her. "This is a secret under a secret."
Trubel looked around the busy station in interest as Nick went back to the computer.
"Hey Nick," Wu greeted and glanced at Trubel. "Ms Rubel's file as the Captain requested. He said to give it to you."
"Thanks, Wu." Nick replied as he took the file and placed it on his desk. "I am just writing up Ms Rubel's statement now."
"Do you want me to take her down to the cells?"
"No," Nick answered. "We're not charging her. Captain made the call."
Wu pulled back from that and Trubel got the feeling that this was a little out of the ordinary as Wu looked her over.
"Right," Wu drawled and went to turn away.
"Wu," Nick called and the man turned back. "The Captain would like to talk to you."
"Right," Wu repeated and wandered off that way.
Nick tapped away on the computer a little longer before turning the screen towards Trubel.
"Just read through the statement," Nick told her. "And make any changes that you need to, I'll just be in the Captain's office."
Trubel nodded and Nick gave her a smile that she was beginning to trust as he stood. She watched him walk over to the office and enter. She could see the three men talking through the blinds and knew that she could do a runner right then and wondered if that's what Nick was expecting. At the same time, they could have just killed her and they didn't have to feed her or give her a place to sleep.
She focused back on the computer and slowly read through what Nick had written. She understood that the detective didn't have to do this as well. In fact, she was sure that she should be down in the cells and under arrest for a double murder and that kept her in her seat. Could she keep running from the monsters now that she had come across people that would explain this to her? She knew the answer to that question as she altered a few words in the report.
xXx
"This is a joke, right?" Wu uttered as he looked from his Captain to Nick Burkhardt with wide eyes. "You've hidden cameras and everything?"
"No," Renard answered from across the desk. "Nick?"
Nick picked up a leather-bound book off the Captain's desk and opened it up. He held it out to Wu and his heart stopped in fear as he looked at the creature drawn on the page. He swallowed down the panic as his eyes caught on the handwritten story beside the picture. It was written in Filipino and English and focused on that, it wasn't the story that he was used to. It spoke of a man that was hunting the monster and the horrible acts that the creature had done.
He was drawn into the story, understanding some of it and not other parts as he read. He forgot where he was until the Captain's phone rang and he looked up sharply when Renard answered it. He looked over at Nick and the man gave him a grin.
"Keep going," Nick encouraged.
"What is this?" Wu questioned as Renard spoke on the phone.
"This is a book written by one of my ancestors," Nick replied. "It is filled with accounts of creatures that they have come across. The Aswang was one of those creatures and one that we have tangled with as well."
"I'm not mad," Wu whispered as Renard hung up his phone.
"We're all a little mad," Sean commented from his desk. "But not about this."
Wu looked at his boss with large eyes, to hear it from Nick was one thing. To hear it from his Captain was another. He focused back on Nick as he leaned a hip on the edge of the Captain's desk.
"You saw it?" Wu uttered. "That night, you saw it?"
"Yes," Nick confirmed.
"Why did you lie?"
Sean stood up and Wu focused on him as he came around and leaned on the front edge of his table. Nick just watched them without answering.
"For seeing what you saw," Sean told him with a serious expression on his face. "Can have lasting effects. It can drive someone mad even if they believe what they see. We didn't know how to help you, Sergeant. Whether telling you, that what you saw was real, would have sent you further over the edge."
Wu sat back in his chair as he looked at his Captain and saw the truth. What he'd seen that night was real and that brought up other questions of the weird shit that had happened in Portland. He felt like his entire world view had been opened up, and some of it, not for the good.
"I've got to get back to Trubel," Nick stated as he stood up.
Sean waved a hand at him as Nick left, leaving just Wu staring at the book in his hands. The drawing looked exactly like what he'd seen.
"Take your time with that book," Renard offered as he stood up straight and walked around his desk. "But it can't leave this office. If you have any questions you can ask Nick, Hank or myself. No one else."
Wu nodded sharply before going back to the book. Trying to wrap his mind around the fact that the thing that he had convinced himself didn't exist, did.
xXx
Hank collapsed in his seat at his desk and looked at Nick and Trubel on the other side.
"How's it going?" Hank asked as he tilted his head at the Captain's office. "Did Wu get into trouble?"
"No," Nick answered. "We told him."
"Told him," Hank stuttered and flicked his eyes around. "About you?"
"In a way," Nick answered. "I showed him the book. I'm not sure if the Captain explained Grimms or other Wesen."
Hank blew out a breath at that.
"Seems like we are telling everyone at the moment," Hank remarked.
"Why aren't we?" Trubel questioned. "Why is it such a secret?"
"It would blow too many people's minds," Hank answered with a grin. "It sure did a good job on mine. Where does the Captain get those ciders?"
"Black market," Nick replied with a grin. "He won't tell me, he just picks up a few cases and ropes me into hauling them up to the apartment."
"Wesen cider?" Hank chuckled.
"I'm sure that they are made out of someone's garage. He has odd contacts like that."
"Can he get me a case next time?"
"I can ask," Nick comprised. "Can't guarantee anything."
Hank looked over to Sean's office.
"Should we save Wu?" Hank asked. "I could go for lunch?"
"Yeah," Nick agreed. "I'll just finish this up."
Hank rolled to his feet and gave them a grin before heading towards the Captain's office and knocked on the door.
"Yea," Sean called and waved him in. "What can I do for you, Hank?"
"I've come to steal Wu away for lunch," Hank announced and the man looked up. "Hungry Wu?"
"Ah, yeah." Wu stuttered and stood up.
The man reluctantly placed the leather-bound book on the desk and Sean picked it up. He placed it away in his desk drawer and they both noticed Wu's eyes tracking it the whole way.
"Don't worry," Hank stated as he clapped a hand to Wu's shoulder. "Nick has lots more of them. We'll show you."
xXx
Weston Steward tapped his pencil on the small desk in the motel room in frustration. He had been a high standing FBI agent with a shinnying career, all due to his connections and the push of the Royals. The pencil in his fingers broke as he thought back to his failure and the fact that Sean Renard was still alive. He was on the run from his own department due to the man.
"Yes?" Weston growled into his phone.
"Do you have it?" A man asked and Weston tensed.
"I will soon," Weston promised. "We are on his trail."
"You said that last time," The man reminded him. "This is your last chance."
"Yes, yes." Weston said gruffly. "I am aware of that. He has been a little hard to keep track of-"
"We don't want excuses," the man snapped. "You have one week."
"Yes, sir." Weston said and the man hung up.
Weston growled in frustration and held onto his temper. This was all Sean Renard and his bitch of a Grimm's fault!
