CHAPTER 11 – The New World(3)

"In your office, now!" Nick said to Renard in a raised and commanding tone.

This snapped him out of his daze too and before he could properly react, Nick took the initiative to proceed to his office, leaving the Captain and his mother in law without a choice but to follow.

"Burkhardt, you have some explaining to do…"

Renard immediately started the instance the door of his office closed. But instead of being swayed by the banter, Nick shuts him up by, without warning, pulling the key from his pocket and tossing it at him.

Taken by surprise, his reaction was delayed and the key struck his chest first before catching it.

"That's what you want, right?" Nick stated flatly before pulling the second key and tossing it too at him. "Here's another one."

Shocked, Renard and Catherine stared dumbly at the two keys resting now in Renard's hands.

"If that's what it'll take for you to leave my wife alone, take it!"

After saying his piece, he didn't wait for them to open a conversation or worse, an argument and exited the office right away. However, when Nick returned to his desk, he found both Hank and Wu waiting for him like lurking hunters. Juliette, on the other hand, is nowhere in sight.

"What?" Nick said, replying to their judging gazes.

"Dude, seriously?" The two began to ruthlessly nag at him for keeping both his marriage and children hidden. They understood his circumstances as a Grimm but as his close friends, they were extremely hurt that he'd kept it from them.

"In my defense," Nick glanced to Renard's office. "She's the Captain's ex and that hag with him is my mother in law."

Nick didn't repeat the inhibitions he did during the old timeline towards Hank and Wu in regards to the Wesen community. The first time they took notice, he held nothing back and oriented them with all the details including what and who their Captain is.

The two also gazed to Renard's office's direction and come to a conclusion. "Fair enough."

"But I thought you broke up with Juliette because you don't want to drag her into this?" Wu probed. "What about her?"

"Man, Nick just said that she's the Captain's ex. In a way or another, she's involved into the Wesen world. Maybe even before Nick." Hank said then asked for Nick to confirm. "Is that it?"

Nick did confirm. "She can't be dragged into if she's already in it."

"Is she Wesen?" Wu continued.

Nick nodded, "She's a Hexenbeist."

They both paused and began recalling which one her wife's kind is among those profiled in his Grimm books. "The witch Wesen?"

They recalled at the same time.

The next day…

The two piece together that for hiding his wife and kids, Nick had faked a lot of stuffs including his true residence in which Hank and Wu believed to be a single room apartment. Due to this, the two insisted for Nick to bring them to his real house and formally introduce them to Adalind and their children.

For that, Nick arranged a dinner in which he had also invited Monroe, Rosalee, and their triplets.

"This is your house?" Hank and Wu gaped at the mansion that revealed itself in the midst of a wide estate.

"Adalind has a penchant for fancy stuffs and since I can afford, I'd say why not?"

"Man, you're holding up a lot from us," Hank discerned.

"I have," Nick admitted. "And it's supposedly about to be over soon but that robbery that involved Adalind revealed these prematurely. Not that it'll disrupt my plans but it will surely inconvenient me a little."

"What are you talking about?" Hank spoken his and Wu's confusion.

"You'll find out soon," was Nick's only reply before they enter his house. "Addie, we're here!"

Nick greeted when they reached the living room, then Adalind emerged from the upstairs.

"Nick!" Adalind descended with quick steps and welcomed her husband with a lips crushing kiss. Pulling away, she then turned to Hank and Wu. "Hank, Wu, hi there."

"It's a lovely home you have."

"Thanks," she replied, then declared, "Dinner's ready."

"Monroe and Rosalee?" Nick asked.

"On their way."

"DADA!" At that moment, two little figures also popped out from upstairs and flew down to welcome him. Yes. Flew. They are prohibited to display their powers outside but within the house, the twins are given more leeway and their favorite ability to display is telekinesis and flight especially Kelly who loves to don a cape and pretend being a superhero. In fact, he's wearing one right now. Nick caught them both by each arm and wrapped them into a big hug. The twins giggled in delight. "Welcome home!"

"Hello, my angels." Nick kissed their cheeks. "Have you been good?"

"Cookie! Dada, cookie!" They announced excitedly.

"Cookie?"

"They helped me bake the cookies." Adalind clarified.

"Did you!?" Nick made a surprise and proud look to the twins. "It will be good I'm sure."

"Being a Dad suits you, Nick." Hank remarked out of nowhere but Nick could not agree more.


A week had passed since the unwanted gathering in the precinct. Renard and Catherine had been silent and according to his spies, Renard had gained some serious support from the aristocrats in Vienna after revealing that he's in possession of two keys. Though in reality, that's all those keys could offer into any coveting royalty.

How could Nick tell?

That's because he went to the Black Forest before and dug that chest and all he found in it was the cloth.

He had long since known that the staff is a fixed point in the realm of time and space and therefore, cannot duplicate itself through the manipulation of time and reality. But for safety measures, he dug it out and was relieved to not find a second stick there.

However, Nick guess that what Renard got is more than what he would have expect upon possessing two keys. For centuries, no other Royal had even been in possession of any of the keys until him and he got not just one but two.

That shall occupy Renard and Catherine for them to not bother Adalind while he, on the other hand, will have an undivided attention towards the last phase of his plans. Which is good.

Well, another good thing is that since his marriage is no longer a secret, Adalind is now unrestrained in meeting him in public which includes visiting him in the precinct. "Heard about this pain in the ass case so I brought lunch for you boys," Adalind said, holding in her hands three sets of bento and a basket of homemade muffins.

"Oh you're a lifesaver," says Wu. "We were starving."

"If only either of my ex-wives was like you, I won't be single right now." Hank remarked as he appreciatively receives his portion.

"Hey, these bentos are homemade too," Wu noticed upon opening his box and then asked Adalind, "You made these?"

Adalind grinned and replied, "With all your securities and housemaids being Inugamis, you will learn a lot of Japanese stuffs." Then, she warily gave a quick glance at Renard's office. "Sean doesn't seem to be around."

"He'd been busy," Nick said meaningfully. "Or should I say, I made him busy."

"Oh right," Adalind suddenly remembered something. "You haven't told me what you did last week after Bud and I left. So, what did you do?"

"I gave him the keys, both of them," he admitted. "That shall keep him and your mother busy for a while."

Adalind's shoulders drooped. Saddened, she said, "I'm really sorry. If I weren't only careless back then, you wouldn't have lost them." The keys might be useless now but they're still a family heirloom of the Kessler Family.

"It's fine," Nick tenderly cupped Adalind's cheek. "You're more important than those keys. But, if you really find it uncomfortable that they're with them, I'll find a chance to get them back, okay?"

Adalind smiled and kissed Nick's palm. "Alright."

Nick decided to go home early with Adalind and as they drove, Nick sudden asked, "Where are the twins now by the way."

"With the triplets," she said. "Rosalee volunteered to keep them for the afternoon."

"About them," Nick remembered, "before I forget to ask again. They'd already turned two last month. Any changes you've noticed since then?"

Adalind mused briefly and said, "Aside from their abilities' growth, nothing much. But something happened about two weeks ago and I'm not sure if it really is him or just coincidence but I think Kelly had compelled his nanny to woge."

"Compel how?" Nick probed.

"Kelly looked at her then his eyes turned completely black and the next thing that happen, his nanny woged. She wasn't even aware that she did."

Nick was intrigued. The abilities of the Grimms to witness the small woge is when the Wesen's emotions are in an unstable state such as surprise and sadness but if none of those are met, a Grimm can never know if one is a Wesen. However, if Kelly truly developed this ability, he could identify the Wesens among the Kehrseite whenever he wants.

"Give it a closer look," he instructed Adalind while sighing in discontent. "I can't attend to both of them as I should have because of the things I have to finish. But, once all of these are over, I can be with you and the kids whenever we want it."

Adalind just smiled. "Come on Nick, don't be too hard on yourself. You're doing fine. We're doing fine."

"I just want it all to be over. With House Varia's power, I can safeguard Portland without needing to be directly involved but that won't happen not unless I put the other Houses under control and completely eradicate Black Claw," he sighed again. "Addie, we've lived two lifetimes already. I just want to be a husband and a dad through and through in this one."

"Honey you will," Adalind said as a matter of fact. "And you're nearly done."

"Sorry about the sudden whining," he chuckled bitterly. "I just can't help feeling that I'm missing out a lot, being with you and the twins, being the husband and the dad that I wanted to be."

"I just said it Nick, you're doing fine."

Nick finally let a jovial smile. "Thank you. Doing fine or not, I will do better. I will make a better life for us and our children in this timeline. Then one day, we're gonna find Eve and reunite her with Kelly."

It's been three years but they've never once forgotten about Eve. This world was created due to her wishes and though Kelly had forgotten about her, her memories still resides in the depth of his soul. They could tell that even at his current state as a toddler that's yet to understand the concept of romance, he still longs for the return of his beloved.

He is yet to realize it but when he does, they wanted Eve to be at his side already.

"About that," it is Adalind who raise her concern now. They've been searching for Eve since Day 1 and thus, had put all the identified Beisters in all the States of the free world under watch. One or a pair of them will be Eve's parents. "Are you sure Eve will still be born as a Hexenbeist in this timeline?"

"That's what her instruction had told me," Nick said. "If from whom, I think she herself is not sure."

"How about Juliette?" Adalind broached. "She was born from her during the previous timeline, don't you think that maybe this time, she'll bring her about the natural way."

"I'd considered that," he admitted. "And I had placed someone to watch Juliette just to be sure. But, she remained single these past three years. And to all that somehow made it past the first date, none of them is Wesen, much more a Zauberbeist. So like this I don't know how she'll become Eve's birth mother."


A week since what happened in Nick's precinct, Juliette decided that it's about time to finally let go of Portland.

For three years since Nick left, Juliette realized that she's unconsciously still waiting for him and the belief that he too never finds someone else these past three years had kept that fantasy alive.

But now that is no longer the case. Juliette couldn't still comprehend what is it that Nick had involved himself with that he can't bring her along but he'd already found someone whom he can.

How can she compete with that?

Staying in Portland will just continuously hurt her. She needed a new start. Somewhere where there's no possibility that she might encounter Nick and his family especially his wife. Somewhere where it's just about her.

So she put the house, what used to be their house, on sale, closed her clinic, and looked for a new residence and job opportunity in other States. She's eyeing either Los Angeles or Phoenix but anywhere is fine as long as it's not here in Oregon.

And today, she received a response to one of her applications. It's in Salt Lake City in Utah. Her sheets impressed them and are eager to have her as soon as possible.

Juliette then immediately grabbed this opportunity and prepared to depart.

She doesn't know if one day she'll return in Portland again and at one point, confront Nick and have closure. But for now, she's content that she can at least evade the heartache of seeing the man she still loved married and in love with someone else.