Mixed Messages
Chapter 6
The witching hour

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A few weeks later...

Adalind was due in Court first thing and nothing was going right. Little Chuck woke up at 3:00AM, Nick's "allnighter" with Hank just passed the 48 hour mark, she burned breakfast, Kelly and Catherine bounced off the walls like jumping beans, and there wasn't a single drop of coffee in the house. To make matters worse, Diana picked this morning to argue with her about every single thing.

The spice shop door swung open with a welcoming jingle. A loud rip punctuated the early morning quiet. Adalind looked down with a scowl at her torn sleeve, herded four meandering children into the shop, and said, "In in in! Come on, move along!"

Diana stopped short in the middle of the doorway, turned back around facing her mother, and said, "No mom! I am moving, just not that way!"

"Go. In. The. Door!" Adalind said as she pushed Diana through the door, exasperated. Her hands overflowed with bags of baby stuff, change clothes, and snacks. The frazzled momma witch passed her wits end fifteen minutes ago and things around her were starting to levitate, and said, "Rosalee, you in here?"

Rosalee said, "In the back." She gently shook her head, closed her eyes, and touched her forehead, listening to the situation unfold on the other side of the door.

Adalind grumbled, "We seriously need a nanny!" Rosalee nodded in agreement, just in time for baby Chuck to spit up milk on Adalind's suit. Adalind looked down, groaned, reached for a burp cloth, and said, "I think I'm going to cry! Diana, can you grab my spare pink shirt out of the bag?"

"Mom! There's no pink shirt in the bag."

"Diana! That pink shirt in your hand!"

"No mom! That one is light purple."

Rosalee discretely slid Mandy's picture into her pocket as she walked out. Three kids galloped past her into the back to catch up with their best friends. She saw the frustration boiling over in Adalind's face, and said, "You ok this morning?"

Adalind's bad mood combined with exhaustion pushed her over the edge and she unconsciously read Rosalee's mind. Jars levitated up off the counter, and she said, "What do you mean Nick has another daughter? Is he cheating on me?"

The surprise caught Rosalee and gave her pause. Adalind's friendly, giving demeanor made her forget Hexenbiests could read minds until moments like this.

The witch rippled across Adalind's face as jars floated and rattled, and she said, "What do you mean it's not like that?"

"Adalind, Nick's not cheating on you," Rosalee said, "You seem pretty stressed this morning. Can I get you a cup of coffee?"

"Sorry, absolutely nothing is going right this morning." Adalind said as she took a deep breath, tried to calm down, and telekinetically returned all the jars back to their places. She continued, "I've been dreaming of coffee since 3:00AM, and we're completely out. It's like you read my mind."

The rich, earthy scent filled the shop as Rosalee poured hot water over coffee grinds. Adalind drummed her fingers and found herself salivating as she watched the steaming liquid dribble into her cup. She inhaled a long whiff and smiled, then savored her first sip. She felt the tension in her shoulders release and the frustration melt away as the hot, savory liquid worked it's magic. A bright smile lit her face, and she said, "I am eternally grateful that your dear, beautiful, Monroe insists on good coffee."

Rosalee sipped her own cup of coffee, and said, "The girl is thirteen. She was born well before Nick ever met you, or even Grimmed. He doesn't know about her.

I've known her mother for almost twenty years. She became obsessed with having a baby. She didn't have money for medical procedures, so she took matters into her own hands, and got pregnant. She tried to make sure the men could never find her again. Apparently one of those men was Nick several years before he Grimmed."

"But how is she sure it's Nick's?"

"The girl is half Lowen, half Grimm. How many Grimms have you ever met?"

"Still, that doesn't mean anything." Adalind said, her lawyer sense tingling and buzzing.

"She kept a file with all the men's internet profiles and pix. Nick was one."

"So, what's her angle? Is she trying to go after child support, claim paternity, or something?"

"No, actually the opposite. She tried everything she could come up with so the father could never find out or track her down."

"Ok then, so why is she reaching out now?"

"They are a Wesen couple. Imagine their surprise when their daughter Grimmed. They were just looking for some parenting advice from a Grimm. They actually don't want Nick or you to find out. Nick met the girl's other parent but doesn't know it."

"Oh, why don't they want us to find out?"

"A Grimm police officer married to a Hexenbiest lawyer? They're Wesen. They are terrified about the two of you murdering them and kidnapping their daughter."

"Oh." Adalind said. Memories of Diana's kidnapping suddenly flooded her. She lost her breath and gripped the countertop when the powerlessness of having her heart ripped out of her chest washed over her. She closed her eyes, exhaled, steadied herself, and slowly sipped her coffee. She wiped her eyes, and said, "We would never try to take their daughter from them."

"But you can appreciate their concern."

"Yes, but now I want to meet this daughter of Nick's. You don't happen to have a pic do you?"

"It just so happens I do. Her name is Amanda."

"Wow!" Adalind said. "She does look a lot like Nick's mom and Catherine. I think you're right. This Amanda could well be Nick's daughter."

A worried look crossed Adalind's face. She snuck her hand onto Rosalee's hand, focused her powers, and said. "Rosalee, your friends are in danger and they don't know it. We need to convince her parents that they need to get to know us. The girl is a Grimm. It's not if somebody comes after them, it's when. We both know they are in danger, both because she's a Grimm, and because she is mixed. How many times were you and Monroe attacked and kidnapped because of just being married? How many times because of us? How many times have we been attacked and kidnapped? What if the Wesenrein goes after them like they went after you? What if The Royals crank up their shenanigans to kidnap Amanda to get themselves a Grimm again?"

Rosalee gently pulled her hand away. She wasn't expecting Adalind to witch her like this. She didn't understand why Adalind would bother. She felt like she had been thinking exactly the same thing for months, and said, "I agree. We just need to be sensitive to their situation. Misty and Sandra are extremely gun shy as you can imagine. They know several families who lost their children to situations like this."

Rosalee's revelation slowly sank in, and Adalind thought, Nick has a teenage daughter by a lesbian couple? I guess they're adults. She shrugged, and thought, Nick and I have been married almost two years and Nick's mom still doesn't approve of our "lifestyle choice." I'm sure my own mother has rolled over in her grave half a dozen times since we reburied her.

Rosalee touched Adalind's hand, and said, "Please don't tell Nick. Sandra and Misty begged me not to tell him."

Adalind disliked keeping things from Nick, especially things like this. She learned that lesson in the Black Claw debacle, and it nearly cost her dearly. For now, though, she decided to try for the sake of her friendship with Rosalee, and Rosalee's friendship with the girl's family.

A half-Lowen daughter, she thought to herself, I wonder what she's like. She was sure that they would come up with a plan to meet the girl and her parents.

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A few days later, Adalind found Diana coloring a picture of an olive skinned girl with dark curly hair, feline features, claws, sharp fangs, and black eyes. Diana asked, "Mom, do we have another sister?"

"Well honey, you might. We don't really know."

Diana flashed her eyes purple, and said, "We should go see the baby otters."

"Baby otters? Where?"

"At the zoo." Diana pointed at the TV. A Seattle Aquarium ad featured cute new baby otters.

Adalind scratched her head. I'm never totally sure with Diana. It could just be something she saw on TV, or she might be frontrunning the entire universe again. She asked, "Honey, is she going to be there?"

"Yes," Diana replied with a bright smile. "Tomorrow."

Luckily, tomorrow was Saturday...

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Nick finally finished packing the car for the trip to the Seattle Aquarium. Adalind fretted over how to break today's mission to her husband. His phone rang the instant he settled into the driver's seat. He rolled his eyes, grumbled, gave her a kiss, and said, "Hank says we have a body. I promise, I'll go with you next time."

Adalind suddenly found herself relieved. That worked itself out nicely.

She headed out for the aquarium while Nick headed to the scene.

She didn't cherish chasing four kids through the Seattle Aquarium by herself, but she was on a mission. At least kid friendly curiosities filled The Aquarium and provided lots of adventure for little ones to explore.

Four kids reached elbow deep into the cold, salty water of the "tide pool" exhibits. Giggling, they handled live critters, crabs, and sea urchins. Of course little Chuck was jealous of everybody else catching squirmy, creepy things.

The bathroom soon called the little ones. Adalind left Kelly with Diana while she took care of Catherine and Chuck. She returned to find Diana and Kelly chattering away with a petite, dark haired teenager. The girl told them all about the different animals they handled, and even helped Kelly catch a hermit crab.

Diana watched her mother walking back, and asked, "Mom, can I go see the baby otters with my friend?"

"Oh, so you already made a new friend?"

Diana flashed her eyes purple, and said, "Yep, her name is Amanda."

"Ok, just stay close so I can see you."

"Ok Mom." Zoom, off they ran to see the baby otters.

Adalind smirked. Well, that was easy.

She watched as Amanda introduced Diana to two women, and pointed back towards the three of them. Hmmm, the blonde haired one looks Lowen, I'm guessing that's her mother Sandra. The other one must be Misty?

Catherine complained about the water she splashed water on her shirt while Adalind released the hermit crab Kelly tried to sneak into his pocket. She said, "Look kids, it's story time." Adalind collected the kids and herded them towards Ocean Storytime. The storyteller smiled as Catherine and Kelly interrupted her with endless questions.

Kelly couldn't wait for otter feeding time. He ran over and pressed his nose against the cold glass in anticipation. He grumbled as Chuck and Catherine pulled and tugged to get their own view. Otter lunch made the kids hungry for their own lunch. She herded them into some seats just in time for Diana and her new friend to bounce back over.

"Mom, this is Amanda," Diana joyfully exclaimed, "She has two Moms too."

Adalind laughed, and said, "Good to meet you, Amanda." She took the opportunity to sense the girl when they shook hands. Well, she's definitely Nick's daughter. Her blood doesn't lie.

Amanda laughed as four children chattered at her simultaneously. Diana asked her questions about school, Kelly told her about otters and fish, Catherine told her about the birds, and Chuck, not one to be left out, pointed and babbled.

Sandra and Mindy found their way over, introduced themselves, and laughed at the three-ring circus surrounding their daughter.

Soon, five famished kids joyfully devoured hot dogs and pizza while parents chatted over salad. Adalind watched Misty suddenly recognize the uncanny resemblance between Catherine and her own daughter. Panic started to cross Misty's face as she realized who she ate lunch with. Diana brushed her hand on Misty while coming back from a drink refill. "It's ok," Diana whispered, "She's our sister." Misty's eyes slightly glazed over, the worry evaporated, and she smiled.

Adalind saw it coming as Misty leaned over towards Sandra. The witch intensely focused her powers as she watched Misty whisper, "This is the Grimm's wife and kids."

Panic welled up within Sandra, but Adalind's hand already touched her hand. Sandra's eyes glazed over lightly as Adalind quietly said, "It's so good to finally meet you. We've been looking forward to this. Don't worry, we would never try to hurt you or take your daughter."

While Adalind left all the spells and potions to Rosalee, witching and manipulation was literally her day job.

Sandra's panic that The Grimm's Hexenbiest wife tracked them down turned to happiness at connecting with the rest of Amanda's family. They seem so normal and friendly, the complete opposite of what I was expecting. Then again, so is Mandy, she's nothing like I expected a Grimm to be. She felt like she had been wanting to meet his family for months now and wondered to herself why it had taken so long.

Soon they were smiling and chatting like old friends. Adalind couldn't shake the feeling of trouble brewing. Maybe I'm just paranoid because of our experience. Wesen, Royals, people trying to kidnap Diana and the kids, blood purity nuts, the devil, people who hate Hexenbiests, Grimms, lawyers, and cops. It just never ends.

Whatever it was, she couldn't shake it.

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2.4k words 12/4/20 r4