Chapter 10

The following morning, at Saint Joseph's Hospital, a handful of people were gathered together, impatiently biding their time in a waiting room. Trubel was sitting in one of the chairs, leaning forward, her left leg bouncing up and down. Adalind was only a few seats over holding her sleeping toddler, Kelly. Monroe was pacing back and forth in a nearby hallway. Hank was attempting to get coffee out of a vending machine that looked like it had been there since the 1970's.

Whenever they heard footsteps in the distance they'd all stop and look in the direction of the sound hoping it would be someone with an update on Nick's condition. But, so far, all they've been told was that Nick was in surgery and had been for hours.

Finally, the doctor came out and walked over to them. He told them Nick's current medical condition, advising that the surgery went well, but that he was still unconscious and likely would be for quite a while. However, they could visit him in his hospital room if they wished.

When they entered his room, Nick was attached to a lot of tubes and IV's. His face was nearly unrecognizable from the swelling around his eyes and a large amount of medical tape and bandages on his face from his shattered nose.

The only one to have seen him prior to surgery was Hank, no one else was prepared to see how bad the damage was. Adalind's eyes filled with tears, as did Monroe's, but Trubel was the one who seemed to be taking it the hardest. Until she had seen it with her own eyes it was such an abstract notion that Nick was hurt. To see it in front of her, the sound of the machines, the breathing tube, the cuts and discoloration, nauseating yellows and purples spread throughout his face, neck and chest. Now that it was real to her, tears began streaming down her cheeks. She started pacing in a small area of the room. Her body refusing to let her keep still, so, to force herself to be motionless, she grabbed a chair and dragged it to the side of Nick's bed. She sat down, then slowly and carefully, she took Nick's hand in both of her own. Leaning forward in her chair, she touched the back of his hand to her forehead and when she felt his skin against hers, what little control she'd had over her emotions couldn't be held any longer, as grief washed over her, she closed her eyes and she wept.

Monroe looked at Hank and through anger and grief he said, "A Grimm did this to him?"

Hank grabbed Monroe by his jacket sleeve and led him into the hallway and said softly, "We don't know. We honestly don't know much of anything at this point. Or at least, we can't prove anything."

Monroe's anger was beginning to boil up through his grief and he said, "I'm gonna kill whoever did this, Hank!" Hank couldn't see it, but Monroe Woged. The anger getting the better of him.

Hank did his best to calm Monroe down, "Monroe, we will get this guy. If he did it, we'll catch him. You and I both know that Nick would rather this guy end up in prison... if possible."

"Excuse me," said a voice Monroe didn't recognize. He turned, still in his Woged state, and saw a young woman.

Hank asked, "Samantha, what are you doing here?"

She was still looking at Monroe who had only just removed his Woge and had stepped back so that she and Hank could talk.

Samantha Gray was in a small amount of awe at Monroe, "You're the best man?"

Monroe felt a little off guard and flustered and said, "Yeah, what of it?"

Sam turned back to Hank and said, "The police notified me about what happened at my house. I felt terrible and rushed down here as soon as I could. How's Detective Burkhardt?"

Hank said, "The doctors say he's stable for now. But it was touch and go there for a minute."

Monroe, unsure of who Samantha was said, "Do you know the guy who did this?"

Sam shook her head, "No, Detect... Detective..." She was attempting to explain that Nick had saved her life simply by telling her to not be home. She attempted to reel in her emotions, but her eyes began welling with tears again. She had cried so much since yesterday. The loss of her brother had taken a major toll on her and now finding out that Nick had nearly died in her home while trying to protect her... and that he's a Grimm... and that a Blutbad was standing here grieving over the near loss of his friend. None of it made sense to her, but it also made so much sense to her at the same time. Having met and spoken with Nick and learning what a decent person a Grimm could actually be. Finally, after wiping away more tears, she Woged from the frustration of how much crying she'd been doing, which caused Monroe to briefly Woge again out of reflex.

Hank, who had no idea either of them had done this, filled in the gaps as best he could by explaining to Monroe that it was Sam's brother who had been killed that led Nick to her home. Hank turned to her and said, "Sam, none of this is your fault. Nick is probably going to be unconscious for a while yet. Your home is still a crime scene and even if it wasn't, I'd still suggest it wasn't safe to be there until we catch the person who did this to Nick."

After she reverted to her typical appearance, Sam asked, "Do you know who or what it was that did this?"

Monroe said, "He's a Grimm."

Sam didn't understand his meaning at first and said, "Nick? Yeah, I know."

Monroe shook his head and said, "No. The person that attacked Nick, that man, is a Grimm."

Sam raised her hand to her mouth in shock, "So, there's two Grimms in Portland?"

Monroe pointed into the hospital room and said, "Three, actually. Trubel is at Nick's bedside. I don't think you could pry her away from there with a crowbar." Monroe was doing his best to use some levity to break the tension that hung in the air and it worked, a little. Sam's eyes were beginning to clear up."

Sam attempted to peer into the hospital room but all she could see was the foot of Nick's bed. She said, "Nick told me about her. That she won't hurt us just because we're Wesen?"

Before anyone could answer, Adalind stepped from the hospital room carrying Kelly and said, "Monroe, can you help me? I didn't bring enough baby stuff. I need to go buy diapers and wipes."

Monroe barely let her finish her sentence, "Of course! You can never have too many diapers and wipes. Come on."

As Monroe and Adalind walked off, Hank turned back to Sam and said, "I would normally introduce you to Trubel, but I don't think Monroe was overstating it much. She's tough as nails that girl, but... well, when it comes to Nick..."

He didn't have to finish his sentence. Sam nodded in understanding. She said, "I'm beginning to think he has that effect on more than just, what did you call her, Trubel?"

Hank sniffed out a brief laugh. He was so used to calling her that, he sometimes forgot it was a nickname. He said, "Yeah, that's what everyone calls her. I was trying to get a coffee out of the machine earlier, but screw that thing. You want to go get some real coffee?" The two of them walked off to find the closest coffee shop they could.

Inside the hospital room, Trubel had sat up and wiped away her tears. She then leaned forward and spoke to Nick, not sure if he could hear her or not and said, "It drives me crazy that you're the only person who does this to me. Don't get me wrong, if it were Monroe or Hank or Rosalee in this bed instead of you, I'd be upset and angry and I'd probably shed a couple tears, but dammit, Nick."

Her lip trembled a bit as she tried to hold back more tears, "You have to pull through and get better!" She sat in silence for a moment and then sighed and said, "You made me need you in my life and I don't think I'll ever forgive you for that." She took a deep breath and blew it out through her mouth and said, "Okay, I'll probably forgive you, just... maybe not right now. Wake up first and then we'll talk about it." She squeezed his hand in hers and whispered both to Nick and to whatever powers-that-be that could be listening, "Come on."

When Adalind and Monroe returned carrying a freshly filled diaper bag, Adalind judged that Trubel hadn't left her seat since she and Monroe had left.

Adalind turned to Monroe and asked if he could hold and watch Kelly for a few minutes. Monroe was all too willing to help. Adalind then turned to Trubel and said, "Hey, how about you and me go for a walk?"

Trubel shook her head without looking up and said, "No, I'm not leaving. Not until I"m sure."

Adalind asked, "Sure of what? That Nick is going to pull through?"

Trubel wiped at one of her eyes, perhaps a bit too hard, and nodded her head.

Adalind crouched down next to Trubel's chair, placing one of her hands on the armrest and said, "You know I love Nick. But, I have complete faith in him. Maybe too much faith, I don't know. But, you and I know Nick isn't going to let this take him away from us. He's going to pull through. I'm not saying we leave the hospital, I'm just saying we take a walk around the hallways. Clear our heads. Maybe get a soda?"

Trubel sat for a moment in silence, then sighed and said, "Okay."

Adalind was convinced it was the offer of a soda that did it, but was glad to get Trubel on her feet and walking around.

As they made their way around the hospital, Adalind said, "I'm really glad that you're here for Nick. And not just because he's in the hospital right now. I mean, all the time you've spent living in Portland. He's different when you're around."

Trubel nodded and said, "He likes having another Grimm in Portland."

Adalind smiled and replied, "No, I don't think that's it."

Trubel looked confused and asked, "What do you mean?"

Adalind wore a mischievous look on her face and said, "I know that what I'm about to ask is going to seem like a really rude thing to ask someone, but... Have you decided what you're going to get Nick and I for our wedding present?"

Trubel looked at the floor as she walked, shaking her head, she said, "I haven't a clue what to get. What do you get the Grimm and Hexenbiest who has everything?"

Adalind grabbed the sleeve of Trubel's jacket and she paused with her in the hallway. Adalind said, "I may be really presumptuous with what I'm about to suggest, but I have an idea of what both you and I could get Nick as a present. It's crossed my mind more than once, but after today, I'm convinced it's perfect."

Trubel lifted an eyebrow and simply said, "What?"

Adalind began walking again and said, "Okay, keep an open mind..."

In the coffee shop that Sam and Hank had found, they located a secluded spot to sit and sip on their coffees while they talked.

Sam was the first to speak up, "I hope I wasn't intruding by visiting the hospital."

Hank waved away her concern, "No. Besides, we're just playing the waiting game now. Nick is doped up with who knows how many kinds of drugs. Even if he were fully healthy, he couldn't wake up for a while yet with all that stuff running through his system."

Sam shrugged and said, "I just didn't know what the proper social protocol was. Given that he nearly died in my house, I felt like I should at least check in on him. Plus," she hesitated for a bit, "I can't believe I'm about to say this out loud, I was genuinely concerned for a Grimm's well-being."

She sipped at her coffee again and then asked, "So, you're totally okay with all of this? Our," she used one hand to signify finger quotes, "'secret world?'"

Hank leaned back in his chair and said, "I've known about it for a few years now and there have been days when you could ask me that and I'd say, 'Yeah, absolutely' but then something happens and I realize I'm nowhere near okay with it. Like that Woge thing you do. Sometimes, I'll just be looking at random people and thinking to myself, 'Are they doing it right now and I just can't see it?' But if you phrased the question differently and made it more about people. Like, am I okay with people being Wesen? Living and working side by side with them? Buying each other beers or," he pointed at their cups, "coffees? I wouldn't hesitate for a moment to say that I'm more than just okay with it."

He smirked and said, "Turns out I've been the godfather to a Coyotl for years and just didn't know it. Knowing that she and her father are Coyotls doesn't change anything. I love her just as much as ever."

Sam said, "I'm not gonna lie, what you're saying sounds nice, but we're taught to never, ever, and I mean ever, tell any Kehrseites about Wesen because we'll be hunted down and killed."

Hank nodded and said, "Oh yeah, I know. The first few times I saw a Woge, I didn't know what was happening. Scared me so bad I slept with a shotgun for I don't know how many nights and I nearly quit the force."

Sam asked, "How did you turn yourself back around?"

Hank finished up his coffee and wiped his mouth with his napkin and replied, "Nick. It wasn't really the ideal moment, it was literally life and death, and, as quick as he could, he explained it to me and we saved my Goddaughter's life."

Sam took another sip of her coffee and said, "A Grimm saving the life of, yet, another Wesen. To be honest though, sure, we're taught to run if we ever see a Grimm, but no one I know has ever seen one. There have been times I wondered if maybe my parents made it up, like to make sure I didn't misbehave as a child or something. But they were so adamant that my grandparents were killed by a Grimm when my mom was just a kid. So, when I saw Nick, it was a violent mix of disbelief and being terrified I was about to get my head cut off, and also having just heard that my brother had been murdered... Well, it wasn't a pleasant sensation."

Hank didn't know how to respond to that, so he didn't say anything at all. Silence hung between them for a few moments as Sam sipped at what was remaining of her coffee. Finally, she said, "Why was Detective Burkhardt at my house last night?"

Hank looked out the nearby window at the pigeons crisscrossing around passing pedestrians' feet, doing their best to peck at the scraps of food occasionally dropped on the pavement. He said, "That was just Nick being Nick. He wanted to make sure that you'd gotten out of there okay. We were supposed to do it together. He had mentioned it not long before, but then we had another crime scene and we needed to talk to the medical examiner and I went back to the station and didn't even think that Nick had gone without me. Hell, he probably went without me on purpose. Probably thought it was his responsibility. A Grimm."

At Hank's mention of a Grimm, Sam wasn't sure whether Hank was referring to Nick or the man who attacked him. It seemed to be an all encompassing statement. That a Grimm had to be the one to police other Grimms.

Hank continued, "I've been a cop for a while. It's dangerous work and sometimes we lose good people. They have all these psychologists we can talk to. But there's so much we can't talk about, Wesen and whatnot. When you've done this long enough, you hear about survivor's guilt, but nothing prepares you for it. I'm doing my best to not get sucked down into something like that again. But I keep thinking to myself, if I had realized just a bit sooner that Nick was too late getting back to the station, maybe I could have been there to help." Hank looked back at Sam and said softly, "I can't get torn up by all the 'maybes' though. I have to stay in the now and focus on what's next. Cause whoever could do this to Nick? He's dangerous."

Sam asked, "So then, what do you do about whoever attacked Nick?"

Hank said, "Nick was working on a plan, actually. But he wouldn't pull the trigger on it until he was sure about everything. Up until last night we weren't sure if the killings were committed by the Grimm or if they were even related. I'm hoping that once Nick wakes up he can tell us if it was the Grimm that attacked him. I know Monroe spoke like he knew for sure, but, we don't."

Hank tilted his head to the side before he said, "You know, when we were all sitting in the waiting room, Monroe had to call his wife every now and then, to give her updates. I heard him say to her that he should go out to your house and try to sniff the suspect out. You know, track him by scent or whatever." Hank let out a low whistle, "Rosalee wouldn't have any of that. I know it's tearing him up inside right now, but she's right. He shouldn't do that until we're prepared to handle whatever it is."

Sam furrowed her brow a bit and then said, "I didn't get to see the damage, but from how you're making it sound, Nick is still in really bad shape. He'll need time to recover. Weeks? Months? How can you take on a Grimm without Nick? That Trubel girl, you think she can do it?"

Hank replied, "Like I said before, she's tough as nails. So, maybe? I hate to keep saying it, but we don't really know what we're up against. For all we know there was more than one attacker. I do know one thing though, Nick likely won't need all that much time to recover. We just have to get him conscious."

Sam didn't understand, "What? Do Grimms heal faster than other people?"

Hank bobbed his head from side to side, gesturing, 'kinda, sorta' and said, "Grimms do heal a little faster than most, but" he paused for a moment for dramatic effect and then said, "not like Nick." He twisted his fingers over the corner of his mouth and Sam understood the gesture to mean that his lips were now locked and he wasn't permitted to say anything more.

In Nick's hospital room, Monroe was pacing again. He had been gone for a few hours, in part to give his wife Rosalee a visit to make sure her and the triplets were okay and he also had to stop by Nick's loft. Adalind had told him that she didn't know precisely where Nick had placed Zerstörer's Staff but so far as she knew it was in 'the tunnels.' The loft has a secret exit that leads down to what Nick believes are Shanghai Tunnels, one of the many tunnels scattered throughout Portland. In the past, Nick had used the Tunnels to hide 'the stick,' the broken off fragment of Zerstörer's Staff. Recently though, since the stick had been reattached to the Staff itself, Nick had been storing the Staff back down in the tunnels again. However, Adalind didn't know exactly where and Monroe had been unable to locate the Staff anywhere in the passage.

Monroe stopped pacing and looked at Trubel who was seated back in the same chair, holding Nick's hand. Monroe asked her in near exasperation, "Is the Staff possibly at the trailer?"

Trubel shook her head, "I was only up there for an hour or so unpacking boxes. But I didn't see the Staff anywhere."

Adalind shook her head and said, "Monroe, I know what you're getting at, but even if we had the Staff, we couldn't use it here. Can you imagine the reaction that would get if someone noticed?" Back when 'the stick' was the only part of the Staff they had available, they'd used it to heal major injuries just by touching it. However, it only seemed to work when Nick was holding it at the time. It would react violently if anyone else attempted to take it from him.

Monroe started pacing again and said, "I know, I know. But we have to assume that the Staff could heal him, right? When it was just a stick it could. So the Staff..."

Before Adalind could reply, Kelly began stirring in his carrier. Adalind turned on her mommy charm, smiling and cheerful, she stooped to pick Kelly up and Monroe stopped her. He offered to take Kelly for a walk around the hospital. If he was going to be pacing around, he may as well make himself useful.

After Monroe left, Adalind walked around to the side of the bed opposite Trubel. She carefully took Nick's free hand in hers, she had to be extra careful due to the IV attached to him.

Trubel asked her, "What did you mean when you said you might have too much faith in Nick?"

Adalind's eyes had been welling up with tears again. She dabbed at them with her finger and replied to Trubel, "I meant that sometimes I feel like he's unbeatable. I mean, I've fought him. Sean has fought him. Not to mention the hundreds of other Wesens and whatever else the world has thrown his way and he just keeps getting back up and refusing to quit. It's hard to put into words, because I care about him and I love him, but he doesn't make me worry about him. I have faith that when all is said and done, he'll be home at the end of the day. Maybe that's arrogant, but it's how he makes me feel. He makes me feel safer than I've ever felt in my life."

Trubel nodded her head and said, "The part about making you feel safe? Yeah, I can see that." It went unsaid, but Adalind got the impression that as resilient and strong as Trubel had been in the years before she met Nick, she probably didn't know what it felt like to be safe until she met him. Being able to let down her guard for the first time, maybe ever.

They were silent for several minutes when there was a soft knock on the door. It was Hank and the woman who Adalind had seen in the hallway earlier. Hank asked if they could come in and Adalind said, "Of course," in a tone that told him he was being silly for even asking.

As Sam walked into the room, she wasn't necessarily trying to hide behind Hank as he introduced her to Adalind and Trubel, but she was trying to use him to block her view of Nick. She felt so awkward and also afraid to see what Nick looked like in his hospital bed. Once the introductions were done however, Hank clearly had every intention of sitting down and Sam couldn't very well hide Nick from her field of vision after that. So, finally she looked in his direction and did her best to not gasp too audibly from the sight. She looked at Adalind and said, "I'm so sorry this happened to Detective Burkhardt."

Adalind waved away her formality and said, "I'm sure if he were awake he'd want you to call him 'Nick'. It's nice of you to be here, but," Adalind struggled with how to say what she wanted to say without it sounding rude, "um, why are you here?"

Sam pointed her thumb towards the room's door and said apologetically, "I can leave, I don't want to..."

Before she could finish her sentence Adalind said, "No, no. I'm not asking you to leave, I'm asking why you're here. Just asking out of curiosity." Adalind looked up in thought, smirked a bit and said, "Now that I think about it, if more people knew he was here, the room would probably be filled wall-to-wall."

Hank chimed in, "Wu would be here if he could, but he's canvassing the neighborhood, trying to find witnesses. And I know Bud would be here in a heartbeat. Maybe even his wife and kids."

Sam asked, "What are Wu and Bud?"

Adalind changed her expression to that of puzzlement and said, "You know what, I don't think we've ever come up with an official name for what Wu is, have we? We should make one and put a chapter in the books."

Hank decided to answer Sam's question, "Bud is an Eisbiber and Adalind is right, we don't actually know what to call Wu. But, technically, he isn't actually Wesen."

Sam didn't know what to make of that so she decided to finally ask what she'd been wanting to ask since the previous night, her curiosity getting the better of her, "When Nick was in my home, I was more scared of him than I'd probably ever been scared of anything. So, to calm me down he started telling me about himself and he mentioned that he's getting married soon. Are you his fiancé?"

Adalind didn't reply, she just lifted her hand high enough so that Sam could see the ring.

Sam nodded, but then stood there, clearly uncomfortable in the center of the room. She wanted to move, but she also wanted to ask so badly if Adalind really and truly is a Hexenbiest. She decided it was a bad idea and in a quick jerk she turned her body so she could walk to a chair in the corner but didn't make it a step before she jerked back to face Adalind. Sam raised a finger as if to say, 'One more thing,' but then pursed her lips as though the words outright refused to leave her mouth.

Adalind, sensing the question Sam wanted to ask... Woged. Her Woge can take a lot of adjustment to get used to. Her face morphs into an appearance of a dried up old corpse. Her teeth look rotten and ready to fall out. And when she Woges she has an involuntary muscle spasm that causes her lower teeth to clack against her upper teeth a few times, but on a crooked hinge so that her teeth both clack and scrape together awkwardly. The sound can cause others that hear it to cringe.

Sam let out a little yelp and Woged out of an instinctual reaction. The nose of her face becoming more beak-like as the owl feathers spread along her face and neck. Her eyes, a little larger in her Woge state, widened even more out of fear.

Adalind returned back to her former appearance and a moment later Sam did as well. Adalind, who knew there was a possibility the Woge would scare Sam, let out a little chuckle and smiled at her. Sam then understood there was no animosity, it was just Adalind's idea of a little joke played at Sam's expense to help lighten the mood. Sam relaxed where she stood and said, "I'm still struggling to get used to this."

Trubel, who'd been sitting in silence watching the interaction, said, "Don't."

Sam didn't understand Trubel's meaning and began to ask, 'What?' but Trubel continued.

"Don't get used to it. I haven't. I don't want to. It helps me to appreciate what we have in this room."

Sam nodded in understanding and just then, Monroe walked quickly into the room holding Kelly at arms length and said, "Someone needs a diaper change." He handed the toddler over to Adalind and when he turned around to face the rest of the room he jerked his thumb to his chest and said, "you guys understood it wasn't me who needs the diaper change, right?"

Everyone rolled their eyes, but Hank laughed a little at the joke. Monroe turned to Sam and said, "Sam, what can you tell us about yourself?"

Sam, feeling a little on the spot said, "Well, um, I had been going to school for journalism. But... I've had to put that on hold..."

Monroe realized his mistake. Sam had just lost her brother and she can't go home for who knows how long. He thought perhaps that the reason Sam was really visiting Nick in the hospital was that she didn't have anywhere else to be for a little while. He put his hand on Sam's shoulder and said, "It was your brother right? What was his name?"

And for a little while, Monroe and the others allowed Sam a chance to talk about herself and the love she had for her brother. Reminiscing about growing up with him. How the two of them had to work together to keep up with the bills and the struggles of maintaining the house after their parents had died. She shed some more tears as she mourned and spoke of the loss of her brother. But she also told them about the good times. Like the pranks they used to play on each other. The movie quotes that she and her brother would use to make each other laugh in even the most solemn of occasions. She even laughed a few times as she recounted his antics for her new friends. It didn't last long, but for a time, everyone let go of their grief and began thinking about the people they loved, the good times they'd had together and what they meant to each other.

When it seemed she was finished, Monroe asked, "So, the people you've been staying with, they're good people?"

Sam replied, "Yeah, I think so. They're college friends."

Monroe nodded, "What did you tell them about why you needed to stay with them?"

Sam looked at her feet and shrugged a little, "As much of the truth that I could that would make sense to them."

Monroe nodded an even bigger nod than before, "So... they're not Wesen."

Sam shook her head, "Nope."

Before the conversation could continue, Adalind shouted, "Oh my god!"

Everyone looked in her direction. She was looking at Nick, who, for the first time in over a day, was looking at her.

Chapter 11

Nick's eyes darted around the room. One of them wouldn't open all the way from the swelling around his brow and temple. He tried to sit up but found he was too weak and in too much pain to move much. The added hindrance of the breathing tube prevented him from speaking.

Adalind stood from the chair she'd been sitting in for hours and leaned in towards Nick's face and ever so gently kissed him on his forehead and whispered into his ear, "You're going to be okay, Nick. Just remain calm. Nick's hands still functioned normally, except for the IV sticking out of one of them, and he motioned with one of them that he wanted to be able to write.

Monroe stood up and said, "I'll look for a doctor and a pen."

After he left the room, Hank approached the bedside and explained to Nick that when Hank realized Nick was back too late to the station there must have been a problem. So Hank went to what he thought was the most likely location and found Nick in really bad shape. Hank called for an ambulance and rode with him to the hospital.

Adalind interrupted and said, "The doctors say you had several broken ribs, a collapsed lung," her eyes began to well up with tears again as she had difficulty finishing her sentence, "and internal bleeding."

Nick took Adalind's hand in his and squeezed as if to apologize to her that he was putting her through all this.

When Monroe returned with a pen and pad of paper he said, "I told the nurses to get a doctor cause Nick is awake, you know? And they didn't believe me at first. Nick, buddy, I think your Grimm healing is gonna throw some of the medical staff off a bit."

Adalind held the pad for him so that he could write on it, but all Nick wrote was, "GET ME TO THE TRAILER!" He underlined the word 'trailer' a few times for emphasis.

Trubel, who had remained silent so far was wiping at her face again, crying tears of relief that Nick had finally woken up. She asked him, "What's at the trailer?"

Nick wrote on the pad again, "THE STAFF."

Trubel was confused, she said, "I was at the trailer for over an hour and never saw it there."

Nick wrote on the pad again, "UNDER THE BED."

Trubel, doing her best to not cry anymore, attempted to joke a bit and said, "Well, that was a stupid place to put it."

Nick did his best to shrug given his current state of agonizing pain.

Sam leaned towards Monroe and whispered, "A stupid place to put what?"

Monroe looked at Sam, raised an eyebrow and did an exaggerated lean as he finally said, "You know what, it's probably best that you not know, you know?"

When Nick saw Sam was there, he wrote on the pad, "PROTECTIVE CUSTODY, NOW!"

Adalind passed the message along to Hank. Hank didn't hesitate. He took out his phone and began dialing as he walked out of the hospital room. He would take the steps needed to get her to a safehouse.

Sam was confused, "I don't understand, what's going on?"

Before anyone could explain, a doctor poked his head in the room. He honestly didn't believe that Nick was going to be awake so his intended glance was only going to confirm he was still asleep on his bed. But when he saw that Nick had a pen in his hand and was clearly lucid, the doctor stopped in his tracks and said, "Holy sh..." He managed to remember that he was supposed to be a medical professional and stopped himself from finishing his sentence and instead turned on his bedside manner. "So, how are we feeling?"

Given Nick's facial bruising, the tape and bandages across his nose and the breathing apparatus down his throat he was still able to give the doctor a dirty look and grunt a bit in anger at the stupid question.

The doctor understood the meaning and openly admitted he thought Nick would be unconscious for days.

Adalind interrupted and in her best lawyer tone she said, "Excuse me. I know that it's not conventional, but we have our own methods of treatment we'd like to utilize and my fiancé would like to know how soon he'd be able to travel. I'm afraid it's rather urgent that he be able to leave here with as little delay as possible."

The doctor looked at the chart at the foot of Nick's bed and said, "Oh my. Well, the damage to his ribs was beyond extensive. He could have a relapse at any moment. There are several life threatening risks if he were to leave the confines of the hospital. Based on the damage, we were expecting to possibly need more surgeries and weeks, possibly months, of physical therapy. I'm sorry, but I can't in good conscience release him out of our care."

Adalind pointed to the breathing tube and said, "What about this? Can it be removed?"

The doctor shook his head. "It's simply too early. I'm sorry."

As the doctor was exiting the room, Adalind looked at Trubel and mouthed the words, "Bring it here."

Trubel didn't need any further prodding as she jumped up. But she stopped and said, "I'm not going to be able to bring it here on my bike. I need a car."

Monroe tossed her his keys and said, "Be quick, but don't get pulled over or anything."

Hank walked back into the room, leaned into Sam's ear and said, "At Nick's request we're putting you into protective custody."

Sam protested, "But I don't understand. Why now?"

Hank looked at Nick and said, "If he could speak, I'm sure he could explain it all in great detail. For now though, I'm not going to make him write everything out. If he says you need protective custody, then you need to trust that you need protective custody. I've called for a police car to pick both of us up. I left my car at your house when I rode in the ambulance to get Nick here. Come on, let's go outside to wait for our pick-up."

Sam nodded reluctantly and then said, "One sec," She stepped over to Nick's bedside and said to him, "I can't thank you enough for everything you're doing and all you've done."

Nick looked at Sam, then looked at Hank standing at the foot of his bed. Nick arched his eyebrows and gestured towards Sam with his head and Hank chuckled as he said, "Nick says that he's just doing his job and to get you some place safe. Right, Nick?" Nick nodded and then grimaced in pain.

Hank looked at Sam and reiterated, "Come on, let's go."

As Sam walked towards the door she said, "You really got all that just from looking at him?"

As Sam and Hank walked out the door and down the hallway Hank could barely be heard saying, "Well, when you know someone long enough..."

Monroe had finally gotten control of his need to frantically pace away all his nervous energy. Nick waking up had relieved much of it, so Monroe took a seat and was holding Kelly while the toddler slept.

Adalind did her best to remain quiet while sitting next to Nick's bed while awaiting Trubel's return. Nick had taken some time to write out an apology to her, which she promptly ripped off the pad, crumpled up and tossed in the garbage bin. She told him, "That won't be necessary."

"Not to make your hospital stay all about me," she said facetiously, "but our wedding day is fast approaching and I have a million things to iron out. I'll not be having this," she flicked his IV tube with her finger, "interfering with our 'I do's'." Then she smiled and said, "You aren't just doing your job you know. You always go above and beyond. It's kind of aggravating."

Nick saw the humor in Adalind's eyes and tried to smile at her, but with the bandages and tape on his face and nose, even that small amount of movement hurt a great deal.

Just then, Trubel walked into the room carrying the Staff. The Staff, made nearly entirely of wood except for a diamond-like stone embedded near the top, was roughly seven feet in length. The only way Trubel could think to disguise it was to wrap it in the bed sheets she found at the trailer. It was also the only way she felt safe picking it up. No one quite knew the rules as to how the Staff should be handled or even what it could do.

Monroe stood from his chair and handed Kelly off to Adalind so that he could speak to Nick, "Listen, I know we're hoping this Staff will heal you, but maybe you shouldn't, you know, heal yourself all the way? Maybe? There's no telling how much this will freak out the hospital Staff."

Nick nodded in agreement, but it soon became a moot point. Trubel unwrapped the top of the Staff enough that Nick could hold it with his bare hand. Once he had a firm grip, Trubel gently placed the bottom end on the floor. Nick laid on the bed with the crook of the Staff awkwardly in his hand waiting for something to happen and after a moment, something did.

His body seized violently, arching his back off the bed. The machines that had been monitoring his heart and breathing began registering sporadic signals that wouldn't have made any sense to even the most seasoned of technicians and would later be blamed on a power surge in his room. At first, Trubel instinctively reached for Nick's hand and attempted to pry it off the Staff, but it was clear within only a couple seconds of trying that his grip was simply too tight. Adalind waved her away from making further attempts and instead they both stood back and waited as Nick's body writhed and contorted. After a minute or so had passed, Nick reached up with his free hand and pulled the breathing tube free from his throat. It took him a few tries to get it completely free but once it fell onto the floor he took a gasping breath loud enough to make Adalind worry someone on the hospital staff may have heard him.

Finally, Nick's body collapsed onto the bed and he dropped the Staff onto the ground. Trubel quickly reached down and wrapped it back up into the bed sheets and then kicked it under the hospital bed. Nick opened both his eyes and they were as clear as ever. No more swelling, the bruising was gone, Nick could breathe freely without any pain.

Monroe remarked, "Well, there goes that idea."

Nick reached over and pushed the 'nurse call" button and said to Monroe, "I'll leave all the bandages on, turn off the lights and maybe the nurse won't notice too much is different."

Monroe did as he was instructed and when the nurse walked into the room, she first noticed the breathing tube on the floor and rushed to pick it up. Nick said, "I'd very much like to leave here and sleep in my own bed now. Can you draw up whatever it is I need to sign that says I'm discharged? Tell the doctor that I insisted."

Oddly, the nurse took the situation in stride, as though it hadn't been the first time a doctor had been so incredibly wrong about a patient. Within twenty minutes, Nick had gathered up his things, put on his regular clothes, signed what he needed to sign and was escorted out of the hospital in a wheelchair. He continued to put on a show that he was still in a lot of pain and barely able to move. A couple of the nurses had made some feeble attempts at talking him out of leaving their care, but Nick would shake his head and say he had specialists standing by for him.

Trubel tossed the Staff into the back of Adalind's car and asked, "Where to now?"

Once Nick saw that he was in the clear, he began ripping away the bandages on his face and arm. As he did so, he said, "You are contacting HW and you are demanding every file, every scrap of paper, every whispered rumor they have on this guy." He stepped closer to Trubel and said, "If they have any problem with that, tell them if they don't give you what I need, they'll have to deal with me personally. That I'm through with letting them dictate the terms, got it?"

Trubel nodded and said, "Even if they cooperate fully, it will still probably take a couple days."

Nick smiled and said, "Hey, I'm a reasonable guy."

Without warning, Trubel put her arms around Nick and hugged him so hard he couldn't breathe again. At first, he was so caught off guard that he didn't react, but then he put his arms around her and said, "Thanks for being there."

When she let go she said, "Always." Then she walked off to where she had parked her motorcycle.

Nick turned to Adalind and said, "You, me and Kelly are heading back to the loft. I desperately need a shower."

Without warning, Adalind put her arms around Nick and hugged him as tightly as she could. Not nearly as tight as Trubel, but enough that Nick interpreted that her embrace was as much love as it was being grateful that she hadn't lost her fiancé today. Nick put his arms around her and said, "And thank you for being so amazing."

When Adalind let go, she smirked a cocky grin and said, "Always."

Nick turned to face Monroe and said to him, "Please apologize to Rosalee for me. I know this must have been hard for her to stay home with the triplets while you were here at the hospital..."

Without warning, Monroe put his arms around Nick and hugged him tightly. Nick laughed and also felt a little emotional at the shameless outpouring of love. He hugged Monroe back and said, "You're doing this because you're glad I didn't die, but also because you thought it would be funny aren't you?"

When Monroe let go, he stepped back, wiped at his eye and said, "You know me too well."

Adalind drove them both home. On the way, Nick fished his cell phone out of his belongings, called Hank and filled him in on everything that had transpired before Hank had discovered him nearly dead. That Spencer had stolen Sam's mail and, therefore, it was possible he could track her down unless she was in protective custody. Then he called his Captain, Sean Renard, and explained it all a second time. Renard informed Nick that it was believed that the Grimm may be responsible for as many as nine deaths they knew about. However, unless he confesses, they have no evidence to link him to any of them. There's no M.O. No pattern, no connecting link that can be said out loud in a court of law, like the fact all the victims were Wesen. No fingerprints or murder weapons have been found. They have nothing.

Nick texted Renard the only photo they had of their suspect and said, "It's time to bring the whole of Portland, PD down on this guy. Put out an APB, but do not approach."

When Nick hung up, there wasn't much to do except wait and hope that someone would report in that they'd found the Grimm. So, Nick decided to take things a step further and put his plan into motion. He called the Barlows and the Seidels and told them it was time to spread the word that there was a dangerous Grimm in town. To let everyone know. Spread the picture to every Wesen they knew and ask that everyone they send it to also send it to everyone they know, and so on, and so on. But with the added instructions of not approaching, to simply call the Portland PD to report that they'd seen him and to not, under any circumstances, Woge in the presence of the Grimm.

He called Rosalee and Bud and asked the same of them. To spread the word as far and fast as possible. He knew that news of a Grimm being in Portland would spread fast. He only had to nudge it a little. He didn't want the Grimm to be able to go ten feet without someone in Portland reporting him.

And the plan worked. Sort of. Several times, Portland PD was notified that Charles Spencer had been seen at various locations. When police arrived at the reported locations, however, he was nowhere to be seen. But there also hadn't been any more killings that could be attributed to Spencer. This went on for days.

Trubel was finally able to get the files on Spencer that Nick had wanted to see. Some of the information had been redacted, but so far as Nick could tell they were legitimate redactions. Nothing that would have been helpful in fighting Spencer.

The file that did seem to matter was mainly speculative. It theorized that Grimms have an unreported ability to adapt. That if a Grimm survives attacks from certain kinds of Wesen, the Grimm may become more difficult to victimize the same way again. In short, the report read, the cliche of 'whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger' may have some merit when it comes to Grimms.

Nick thought back to when he temporarily lost his vision after he'd been attacked by a Jinnamuru Xunte. A Wesen that best resembled a fly. After he lost his sight, his ability to hear had increased dramatically, even after his sight returned his sensitive hearing remained just as strong. So far as he knew, he could hear better than Trubel. Possibly because she'd never been blinded. Perhaps, there was something to it, but it's difficult to prove, since he'd have to survive more Wesen attacks.

The report went on to speculate that Spencer may have survived several different attacks from different Wesen species over his decades of being a Grimm and that could explain how he moves so quickly, depending of course on the Wesen and the nature of their attacks. However, those same attacks may have damaged his psyche permanently. His psyche-eval reports were not kind. As Nick skimmed through the pages he saw the word 'remorseless' more than a few times.

The report was better than nothing, but still left a lot to be desired. It had no personal information about friends or family. To Hadrian's Wall, it seemed that Spencer was the perfect fighting machine to take on a Wesen uprising around the globe. Beyond that, they didn't care to know much more about him.

For several days, reported sightings of Spencer became fewer and fewer. After a week, the Portland, PD was forced to release Sam from protective custody as they had no direct threats against her and the suspect, who was barely a suspect, had vanished.

Nick was angry that Sam had to be sent home, but at best she can still stay with her friends at her own discretion. That was some relief to their frustrating situation. Sam also had the daunting task of preparing her brother's funeral.

Nick had done all he could, but so far as he could measure, he'd failed. The Grimm may very well have left town and gotten away with several murders.

He and Hank continued with their due diligence, interviewing the families of the deceased. Attempting to find any other connection to a killer that perhaps wasn't the Grimm. So far, all roads led to nowhere.

In preparation for Nick's upcoming nuptials the precinct began transferring his case load to other detectives. Nick would have preferred to close these cases prior to his wedding, but he had to have a personal life too.

The Monday before his wedding as he sat at his work computer stewing in his frustration as he filled out paperwork and got his cases ready to be transferred for others to take over, Hank interrupted his unpleasant reverie, "Nick, I'm about to take off for the night. Was there anything you needed me to help out with before I leave?"

Nick let out a deep sigh that lifted the corners of the paper on his desk, "I can't think of anything, no."

Hank sat on his desk and leaned in towards Nick so he could lower his voice and only Nick would hear, "You know this isn't your fault, right? You were blindsided. There's nothing more you could have done."

Nick shook his head and replied, "I don't disagree with you, Hank. It just doesn't make me feel better. It doesn't make the victims' families feel better." He stood up, picked up a legal pad on his desk and slammed it back down again, "Knowing he's out there and probably killing more people is what is tearing me up though. More innocent people."

Hank couldn't disagree with him, so he took another tack, "Hey, remember, you have a wedding this weekend. Don't take that kind of negativity to your wedding."

"Yeah," Nick admitted. "Hey, did you ever find a date to the wedding? Is it still considered last minute five days before?"

Hank chuckled, shook his head and said, "Come on now, don't rub it in. It's not that I can't find a date, it's that... well... it's the wedding of a Grimm and a Hexenbiest. I can't just take anyone to that kind of event. She needs to be special... she needs to be..."

Nick finished for him, "Someone who knows what's what in case someone says the wrong thing at the wrong time?"

Hank lifted his eyebrows and nodded so fast it caused Nick to smile for the first time all day.

Nick sat back down in his chair and said, "Hey, what about Deputy Sheriff Farris? She's not in-the-know in the strictest sense, but she's seen some things, right? I bet she could be trusted. Plus, she is divorced last I heard, and fairly easy on the eyes."

Hank didn't dismiss the idea out of hand. Nick was right, Farris had seen the Mishipeshu, a spirit in Native American Folktales, much like a lot of Wesen that were placed in European Folktales.

Hank rocked his head back and forth as he weighed the possibility of asking her to the wedding and wondered aloud, "Do you think she'd want to be exposed to more weirdness? I feel like she always gets more than her fair share when we come around."

Nick hit Hank's knee with the back of his hand and said, "There is literally only one way to find out and that's to ask her."

Hank took out his phone and in mock anger said, "Fine! I'll call her." He found her in his contact list and dialed. As soon she answered, he launched off his desk and began walking towards the exit. In an overly friendly voice Nick heard Hank say, "Deputy Sheriff. How good it is to hear your voice. No, no. Everything's fine. I know this is kind of a last minute thing to ask you... But you see, this weekend..."

It was then that Nick decided it would be rude to continue to eavesdrop.

Chapter 12

The day of the wedding came and everything seemed fine. Nearly too fine for Nick's liking. He kept glancing at his phone in fear he missed a text, glancing out the window to see if the weather had suddenly changed from sunny to rainy and he kept pestering Monroe about the wedding rings. Everything was going smoothly and Nick had to tell himself that it really was okay for things to be going smoothly. That it wasn't necessarily the calm before the storm.

Nick and Adalind were by no means traditional, but Adalind still wanted some time to prepare for the wedding on her own. The concept that a groom shouldn't see the bride before the wedding was her inspiration and made for a convenience excuse. To accommodate her wishes, Nick had stayed at Rosalee's and Monroe's house the night before. The plan was to have all the men meet there and all the women would meet at Nick's loft before heading to the venue Nick had rented out for the wedding. The guest list was quite small, so he found the smallest place he could find. Neither he, nor Adalind, had any living relatives, save their children. All of Nick's friends became Adalind's friends with time.

Trubel was the first to arrive, but at the wrong location. When Nick opened the front door to let Trubel in, he didn't hesitate to ask, "Um, Trubel, why are you here?"

The answer was obvious. "I figured I'd leave my bike here and ride with Rosalee to and from the wedding. Don't get me wrong, the mental image of me wearing a bridesmaid dress on a motorcycle is pretty awesome, but why risk it?"

Nick smiled. But then a realization struck him, "Actually, this is perfect and you're early enough that we can make this work." Nick called out to Monroe who had been in the kitchen eating breakfast. When he arrived out in the living area Nick told them both, "Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but, I'm going crazy thinking any second now something is going to go horribly wrong. Maybe it's nothing. But I can't shake the feeling and I'd really like for one of you to go out and get the Staff from the trailer."

Rosalee stepped out from the kitchen, she had overheard the conversation despite Nick trying to keep his voice down. "Oh no... No, you don't. We are going to need every minute we can spare to get this wedding ready on time. Trubel doesn't have time to go driving out to the middle of nowhere." Rosalee had an uncanny ability to scold someone and make them smile about it.

Nick rubbed his temples and nodded his head, "Fine. Fine. I'll go grab it myself then."

Rosalee wasn't having any of that either, "No, you are not."

Nick scratched the back of his head and said, "I'm not getting cold feet or anything, I just worry about that other Grimm. We have no idea where he is right now..."

Rosalee put a hand up to signal Nick he could stop talking and said, "Okay, okay. I see your point." She checked her watch and said, "Ugh, men. You guys take like ten minutes and you're ready. The one person who can stand to be a little late is Monroe, right? The rings are near the end. So, Monroe, once you have on all your wedding clothes, drive out the trailer and get the Staff." She clenched her jaw and spoke her next words through her teeth, "Do. Not. Get. Grass. Stains. On. Your. Clothes." She kissed his cheek and called to Trubel to help get the triplets into the car. Thankfully, Bud and his wife volunteered to watch the kids during the wedding ceremony, but it was still quite a task to get them all there.

It wasn't long after that Hank and Wu arrived. Rosalee wasn't too far off in her time estimation. All the men were in their suits in roughly fifteen minutes. Nick and Adalind had decided to have the men wear black suits and neckties rather than the common tuxedos seen at weddings. Monroe then got in his car and went to get the Staff. Hank and Wu stopped in the kitchen to drink a beer each before heading out.

Nick glanced out the windows again to make sure nothing was amiss. But so far. The day seemed fine. Too fine.

When Nick arrived at the hotel he had rented space out of, he was confused when the manager told him there had been a mistake and that his venue had been moved to a larger hall. Nick raised an eyebrow and said, "And the hotel isn't charging any extra?"

The manager simply said, "Sir, the arrangements have been made. You are good to go in the larger space."

Nick certainly wasn't going to argue the point. So he simply asked if someone could show him where it is he and his party can rest until the bridal party was ready. They were taken to a men's dressing room.

Nick looked at Hank and said, "You think you're going to be doing this a fourth time?" Since Hank had already been married three times, Nick was asking if Hank would ever dare take the plunge again.

Hank pursed his lips and said, "Nah." But then a moment later he corrected himself, "Maybe."

Nick asked, "Where's your date?"

Hank answered without looking at him, "She'll be here. Don't you worry."

The wedding party consisted of Rosalee, Trubel, Monroe, Hank and Wu. Since there was an extra man in the party, Hank insisted he'd just find a date. No extra bridesmaid dress necessary. Thankfully, Deputy Sheriff Janelle Farris had agreed to meet Hank at the wedding. There had been talk of having Eve be in the wedding party, but her responsibilities at HW seemed to never end. Nick could only hope that she was still tracking Spencer.

Monroe walked through the door holding the Staff, once again, it was wrapped in bedsheets. He said, "See? I got back with plenty of time to spare. Where should I put it?"

Nick said, "Well, it's about that time when ushers have to go out and 'ush' right? So, could you take it out and stash it somewhere safe but close to the altar?"

As Monroe walked out, Hank turned to Nick and said, "Are you nervous?"

Nick replied, "About the wedding? Not so much. About the marriage, not even a little. But I am worried Spencer will show up to wreck the ceremony before, during or afterwards."

Hank asked, "Do you have any reason to believe he even knows you're getting married?"

Nick said, "Well, we did put a small announcement in the Portland Gazette. So, maybe. Still a long shot, though."

Hank leaned in closer to Nick and said, "By all accounts, you shouldn't even be walking right now. He probably thinks you're still laid up in a hospital bed and will be for weeks."

Nick nodded. That was the affirmation he needed to hear. But he was still glad that he had Monroe get the Staff.

There was a knock on the dressing room door and it opened a moment later with Rosalee sticking her head in but shielding her eyes on the off chance the men weren't fully dressed.

She shouted, "We need the ushers out here!" Then she closed the door without awaiting confirmation.

Nick gestured to Hank and Wu and said, you guys get out there. Though I'm not sure what all the fuss is about. There's only going to be like five people here.

As Hank and Wu walked out, Monroe walked back in and sat quietly in his chair next to Nick for only a moment before he asked, "You got your vows all worked out?"

Nick nodded and said, "Yeah, I think so. I've been running through them in my head for the past week"

Monroe said, "You know, man, I really feel like we're living a really special moment right now. In so many ways. A Grimm marrying a Hexenbiest. A Blutbad, a Fuchsbau and another Grimm in the wedding party? Not to mention the Wesens you invited that will be there to witness it. But, for just a moment, forget about the magnitude of the history you're about to make today. You're marrying the woman that you love, man. I get that you have the weight of the world on your shoulders sometimes. But just stop and think about that for a minute, dude. With the exception of your kid being born, this will be the best day of your life."

Nick nodded and took a deep breath. He slapped Monroe on his knee and said, "And that is why you're the best man. Come on, let's get out there."

Monroe stopped him, "Actually, I'm going to need a minute, I need to make a phone call real quick."

Nick checked the time and saw no reason they couldn't wait another minute or two. But before Nick could ask why Monroe needed the extra time, the phone call had already been made and Monroe was motioning for Nick to leave the dressing room.

When they walked through the doors of the hall, Nick assumed he entered the wrong area. Yes, the hall was larger than he rented, the manager had informed him of that, but there were so many people seated in the pews. It was by no means crowded, but he didn't need to count them to know that it was far more than he'd invited.

Nick stopped and began walking backwards but Monroe caught his shoulders and said, "Hey man, where you going?"

Nick pointed at the people in the pews and said, "We have to be in the wrong hall, I didn't invite this many people."

Monroe chuckled and said, "Well, dude, maybe you didn't... but I did."

Nick snapped to attention, looked at Monroe and exclaimed, "What?!"

Monroe spread his arms wide and said, "Yeah, this is my wedding present to you."

Nick tilted his head, squinted and asked, "How do you figure?"

Monroe tugged at Nick's sleeve to get him to walk to the end of the aisle while he explained, "Well, you see, I felt kinda bad about how few people you and Adalind were going to have at your wedding. And it occurred to me that you've helped a lot of Wesen in our community and never thought twice about it. Like, you remember when that Bauerschwein was killing Blutbaden with those mushrooms? And you and me a dozen or so Blutbaden got him to confess to it? Well, I invited those guys here. You helped us out. They wanted to show you their respect and support. My parents are around here somewhere, too."

Monroe pointed out a familiar face to Nick. It was Robin, a Seltenvogel, a bird like Wesen that Nick had rescued from a Klaustreich, an alley-cat like Wesen. "It took me weeks to track her down. But, when I told her what was going on she said she would be honored to be here."

Nick felt like he was on the very old TV show, 'This is your Life.' But putting aside the comic comparison, he was overwhelmed with the number of faces he saw. Several of which Woged when they saw that he was looking at them and they didn't react at all to the fact he was a Grimm. Well, they did react, but with smiles and waves.

Monroe finished, "I tried to track down the Glühenvolk but the last I heard was that they went to Alaska and that place is huge. I couldn't locate them. But I got everyone else I could. I didn't do it entirely on my own though. Hank helped too. See?" He pointed out the Seidels and the Barlows with their daughter Tabitha who were all seated on the same pew.

The pew in front of them was empty so Nick walked into that row and reached out to shake the hands of the people he'd met only a couple weeks ago. "Mister and Misses Seidel, I'm surprised to see you here."

Misses Seidel said, "Please, call us Isaac and Sasha." She pointed at her husband and said, "Isaac insisted we come. He was really taken aback at how hard you fought to catch the bast..." the rest of the words got caught in her throat. She straightened herself out and continued, "Besides, we wanted to accompany the Barlows." She leaned in towards Nick and covered her mouth with her hand and finished her thought, "You know, to help them feel safe."

Nick didn't know how best to thank them for attending so he shook their hands again and moved further down the row so that he could speak with the Barlows. He started with Tabitha. She looked so different. Wearing clothes that weren't oversized and with her hair parted down the middle, separated into two afro puffs on top of her head. Nick leaned down, smiled and said, "You're looking very pretty today, Tabitha." She smiled and hid her face in her hands. Nick laughed a bit at how she was smiling and acting so shy at the same time. He shook the Barlows' hands as well and thanked them for coming and said loud enough so that the Seidels could also hear how honored he was that they all came to his wedding.

Nick walked back to Monroe and asked, "Does Adalind know about this?"

Monroe let out a laugh and said, "Nope, cause if she knew, then you'd know." He tapped his temple. "Had to be smart about it."

Nick continued to walk down to the altar seeing more familiar faces as he did so. He saw a handful of people he knew to be Indole Gentiles and several Eisbibers that he knew to be friends of Bud's. He saw Jarold Kempfer and his daughter, Hank's goddaughter, Carly. Carly stood up from her seat to smile and wave enthusiastically at Nick. Nick smiled and waved back as he said, "I don't know what to say Monroe, this may be the most thoughtful gift I've ever been given."

Monroe smiled a mischievous grin, slapped Nick on his back and said, "The day isn't over yet, my friend. Just you wait."

As Nick waited for the wedding to start he did his best to go around the hall to shake hands and thank his unexpected guests for attending. He also stopped to visit Bud, who was holding his son Kelly, and Bud's wife was doing her best to keep the triplets amused. Their own children seemed to be pretty bored of the wedding already. Nick thanked them for being kind enough to watch their four children while also bringing their own. Bud, as gracious and kind as ever said, "Are you kidding me? We wouldn't miss this for the world!" He looked over at his own children and said, "Don't mind them though, this is the fourth wedding we've all attended this summer and I think they're over the whole concept. Kids."

As Bud began admonishing his children, demanding they sit up straight and be respectful, Nick looked around again and wasn't surprised to find Samantha in attendance sitting not too far from Sheriff Deputy Janelle Farris. Nick went up to the Deputy first, "Can I call you Janelle when you're in your civvies?"

She rolled her eyes and said, "I think we're well past formalities at this point." She stood up to hug Nick and he saw she was wearing a knee length red dress. A far cry from the uniform he'd only ever seen her in. He thanked her for coming and especially at the last minute. She had seen Nick going around the room shaking hands and had caught a few snippets of the conversations he was having with the guests and couldn't contain her curiosity, "What's..." she half gestured towards everyone in the hall, "all that about?"

Nick rocked on the balls of his feet for a moment trying to come up with an appropriate explanation, thankfully Sam had overheard and was kind enough to walk over and interrupt, "Hi, I'm Samantha, but you can call me Sam." She extended her hand out so that Janelle could shake it. When she released the handshake she turned to hug Nick which he returned in kind.

Sam turned back to Janelle and explained, "Nick here has helped a lot of the people in attendance. Including me. One could easily say that he's gone above and beyond the call of duty."

Nick shook his head but Sam wouldn't have it, "No, stop with the modesty." She looked at Janelle who was staring at Nick's face waiting for him to confirm or deny anything Sam was saying.

He finally admitted, "Okay, yes, I've helped some of the people here as part of my responsibilities as a Detective of Portland PD. Monroe and Hank tracked them down and invited them here as a surprise for me. So I was just thanking them for attending."

Janelle, still curious turned and asked, "Sam, how did he help you?"

Sam shook her head and said, "Oh no. I promised myself that I was not going to talk about the details of that today. Not while I'm wearing this makeup." Janelle nodded in understanding of the hazard of running mascara.

Nick, grateful for a change in topic leapt at the opportunity and said, "You look great by the way. Both of you do."

Janelle said, "You clean up rather nicely yourself. I see you decided to keep the stubble?"

Nick shrugged and as he walked away, he said, "My fiancé likes it."

He was about to go stand by the altar and await the start of the wedding when he saw his boss, Captain Sean Renard, the father of the flower girl, Diana, standing by the main doorway. When they caught each others' eyes they began walking towards each other and met halfway in the aisle. Nick assumed there must be something wrong for Renard to be there as they weren't on the best of terms, however, neither were they enemies at the current moment.

Nick was surprised to see that Renard was jovial. Well, jovial for Renard anyway. He always seemed to walk around with an air of superiority and it seemed, at least for the moment, he'd relaxed a bit.

Renard said, "I just wanted to stop by in person to see Diana in her dress before I went into the office. I figured while I was here, I'd let you know that there have been no other sightings of Spencer anywhere in the Portland area. I thought knowing that might help you relax and enjoy your day a bit."

Nick nodded, "I'd feel better if he were in prison. But yeah, that is good to know. Thanks."

Renard nodded once and said, "Rosalee told me to tell you that they should be ready soon and, in her words, 'get your butt down to the altar.'"

Nick said, "I still have my phone in my pocket, if there are any sightings of Spencer, especially if they're anywhere near here, call me."

Renard nodded his understanding and went back out the way he came in.

Nick walked back down to the altar. Because there were more men than women in the wedding party it was decided to have all the men wait with Nick while the women walked down the aisle for the wedding processional, so Monroe was already waiting for him. Nick leaned as close as he could get to Monroe and asked where the Staff was located, 'just in case.' Monroe pointed at the railing that was directly in front of them and told him it was on the floor against the back of it.

Nick tugged on the bottom of his blazer to straighten it out as he nodded and said, "Good." The wedding nerves were finally beginning to kick in. He looked behind Monroe and saw no one standing behind him, "Um, where are Hank and Wu?"

"Well..." Monroe hesitated because he was afraid Nick would overreact to the news he was about to deliver, "there was a slight change of plans for who the officiant is going to be. Hank and Wu are bringing them here now."

"Wait, what?! Monroe, why didn't you bring this up sooner?"

Monroe waved his hands in front of him and said, "No, no, this is fine. It's not as last minute as it sounds. The officiant just had another thing to do before the wedding and Hank and Wu are providing him transportation is all. I swear, it's all good."

"Why the change though?" Nick was becoming visibly frustrated.

Monroe put his hand on Nick's shoulder and said, "It's fine, man. We have it all worked out for you. Look, see?" At that moment, Wu and Hank came walking in through the side door with a man whom Nick recognized immediately. Judge Winston Baxter. He was wearing his judges robe and was walking calmly towards Nick. Nick half expected him to be carrying his gavel. The many times Nick had been in his courtroom, it rarely left his hand.

Nick couldn't hide his surprise as he said, "Judge Baxter? What? How? I'm confused."

The judge smiled and said, "Adalind asked if I wouldn't mind presiding over your wedding and I felt honored to do so." Then he gave Nick a wink and Woged. Nick immediately recognized him as a Lowen. A Wesen that resembles a Lion.

Nick raised his eyebrows and said, "Why do I get the feeling there's more to this than anyone is telling me?"

Judge Baxter didn't reply, he simply strolled over and stood behind the podium. The others got into position as they should have, but Nick was still staring in their direction in search of a response to his unanswered question. None of them would make eye contact with him, however. Before he could raise any more objections, the song of the Wedding March began.

Nick watched as Trubel, Rosalee and then Diana made their way down the Aisle. The bridesmaid dresses were such a light color of pink, that in certain lighting, they looked almost white. Diana, looking as innocent as ever, was tossing flower petals onto the ground. Nick remembered the conversation Adalind had with her a few days before, insisting that Diana use her hands to disperse the petals from the basket rather than her ability to float things with her mind. Diana had initially suggested she could put on quite a show of petals swirling around the venue before landing on the floor, but Adalind carefully explained that many people there wouldn't be prepared for something so amazing, and that, as with many things, subtlety is best. As she reached the end of the aisle and was satisfied she'd spread enough flower petals, she sat down on the pew closest to where her mother would be standing during the ceremony.

At last, Adalind appeared in the doorway wearing a Corset Tiered Chiffon Wedding dress. Rather than wear a veil, Adalind chose to wear a silver tiara. Her hair was tied up in the back. but in the front, locks of hair fell down, framing her face below the tiara. The bridal bouquet she carried was very small and understated, a combination of pinks and yellows.

Nick had no reason to be surprised. He'd known for a long time that Adalind was a very attractive woman, but nonetheless, he still felt as though she'd never been more beautiful and couldn't help but smile.

She took a few steps down the aisle and began to notice something was amiss. She looked first to her left and then to her right and Nick saw that Monroe had been telling the truth, Adalind wasn't expecting this many people. The look of concern on her face and the change in her stride, made him realize she was becoming overwhelmed, so he ever so subtly waved his hand at her and mouth the words, "It's fine." When she saw how at ease he was, she dropped her guard and walked gracefully the rest of the way to the altar.

However, as she stepped next to him she did her best to hide her face as she stood on her toes making as if to kiss his cheek and instead whispered in his ear, "Who are all these people?"

Without moving his lips, he said through his smile as quietly as he could, "It's Monroe's doing, I'll explain later." Then, he spoke to her in a normal speaking voice, "You are so incredibly beautiful, it hurts to look at you. Like staring into a sunset."

She poked him the chest and rubbed his chin with her hand and said, "You're not so bad to look at, yourself."

Judge Baxter cleared his throat and didn't hide that it was simply so they could get to the proceedings. He said, "As a judge," he pulled at his judge's robe for emphasis, "there are few things that give me as much satisfaction and fulfillment with my work as what we'll be doing here today. So, I thank each and every one of you for gathering here to celebrate the union of Nick and Adalind."

Nick looked into Adalind's eyes and she looked back, but she was biting her lip playfully. Like she was up to something. Nick had been to weddings in the past where the people involved played pranks on each other, but Adalind had never seemed like a practical joker to him. So he squinted and whispered, "What are you up to?"

Judge Baxter cleared his throat again, hiding it even less that he was trying to move things along. He continued, "Now, normally a wedding officiant would get up here and drone on and on about life long commitments and, if they're a religious person, the joining of two souls and several other cliches."

Nick didn't know where this was going, but he had no objections to fast forwarding to the good parts. Though he couldn't help to look around the room to see if there really was some master-plan prank that he was the only one not aware of. But everyone else there seemed to be just as enthralled in the judge's desire to speed things along.

The judge gestured to Nick as he said, "Now, normally, it is somewhat customary for the groom to give his vows first. However, I received a special request from Adalind that she be allowed to say what she has for her vows prior to the groom. Which I am inclined," he grinned and winked at Nick, "to grant."

Nick thought to himself, 'We had a rehearsal dinner only a couple nights ago and we are completely off script to what I was told was going to happen,' but rather than say all that, he reiterated, "What are you up to?"

Adalind smiled up at him and, just loud enough that only he could hear, she said, "Nick, relax. I have some things I have to say.

She then brought her voice to a normal volume, "Nick, I think it goes without saying, but I'm going to say it anyway. I love you. I love you more than I thought it was possible for me to love anyone that wasn't one of my children. To be standing here, in a wedding dress, getting married to you, I never conceived for a moment this could happen until you put this," she raised her left hand to show her engagement ring, "on my finger. And even after that, I've wondered several times since if I would wake up and find it was all a dream. To think that you would propose to me, after everything I'd done to you in the past, the hurt I'd caused... I never thought you'd forgive me because I never thought I deserved your forgiveness." As close to tears as she was, a loving smile crossed her face and she said, "But Nick, you found a way to let me into your heart and I am the happiest I have ever been for it. So, I thank you for that." A tear fell down her cheek and she half panicked, "Oh no!" and dabbed at her eye.

Rosalee came up from behind her with tissues and a compact. She was prepared for any tears that may rear their damp ugly heads in an attempt to destroy eyeliner. Nick and the rest of the people in attendance couldn't help but laugh a little to themselves at the spectacle. When she was done helping, Rosalee did a little curtsy and returned to stand behind Adalind.

Adalind continued, "As I was saying, the way you accepted me into your life when you genuinely didn't have to, and how you care for Diana and Kelly, it says so much about you as a man and a father. And now I'm gonna let you in on a secret..."

Nick tilted his head to the side, implying, 'Okayyyyy?'

Adalind continued, "The people standing up here with us. They're not your friends. They all stopped being your friends a long time ago." She took a deep breath and let out a breath to help prevent more tears, "They are your family, Nick." She swung her arms out wide to gesture to everyone in the wedding party, "This is what you do. Every person up here with us would proudly call you a member of their family and defend you to the ends of the earth. I know that we've both lost the family closest to us, except, of course, our children. But, Nick, you accepted me and made me a part of this family." She turned back to look at Rosalee and Trubel and then back around to look behind Nick at Monroe, Hank and Wu. "A new family that you've been making for yourself. It's not just the love that you've given me yourself, but the love and acceptance of those closest to you as well. I look at the people around us and I feel so much warmth and caring and understanding. Something I've never had before if I'm being completely honest. And it's something I'm proud that my daughter," she looked her Diana, "and our son," she looked over at Kelly," will get to be a part of as they grow up." She returned her gaze up into Nick's eyes and said, "So, thank you for giving me what I'm sure you didn't even realize you were giving me."

She bit her lip and she displayed her mischievous grin again. Nick raised an eyebrow. Before he could ask her again what she was up to, she began speaking again. "And now for my wedding gift to you. There is one person in the wedding party that my words may have been a little more true for than the others. I had to get some background information, Monroe and Rosalee were more than happy to fill me in on the details." Here, she stopped speaking to Nick directly and turned to face those in the pews. She spoke loudly for the benefit of the people in attendance, "Many of you aren't likely to know this, but when Nick met Trubel, she was homeless. Wandering from town to town. But Nick took her in. He gave her a safe place to sleep, food, a roof over her head. He gave her a home. Security. And just like me, he gave her a family." She turned back to Nick, she spoke her words carefully as she said, "I've seen the way you two look at each other. You love her like a father loves a daughter. I asked her about it and, she confessed to me, that she loves you like a daughter loves a father. You are the only father figure she's ever known, Nick. You made her your family."

She turned to face the people in attendance again and very loudly stated, "I think it's obvious that, in the strictest and most technical sense, Nick isn't quite old enough to be Trubel's father. But in the eyes of the law that doesn't matter. Also, Trubel is in her twenties, and again, in the eyes of the law, that doesn't matter."

Nick interrupted, "What are you saying?"

Adalind smiled, "Apart from our beautiful wedding, Judge Baxter is also here at my request to oversee the signing of official adoption papers." She turned to Diana, who had been sitting quietly swinging her legs back and forth on the pew, and said, "May I please have the papers I gave you earlier?"

Diana reached into her flower basket and pulled out paperwork that was stapled together at the corner. She smiled and handed them to her mother.

Adalind took them and said, "Thank you, baby." She turned back to the audience who was watching her intently. Even Bud's children had stopped dozing and were gawking at the proceedings.

She continued loudly, "I have in my hands here, actual LEGAL documents that, if Nick signs them, he will, forevermore, be Trubel's adoptive father." She gestured at her own children and said, "And Diana and Kelly will have a new big sister. Now, remember I'm an attorney," she pointed at Judge Baxter, "and he's a judge. We assure you, this is all perfectly legal."

She stepped back to show Nick the paperwork. The most important page, the signature page, already had two signatures on it. One was Judge Baxter's and the one next to it... Nick took the papers from Adalind and stepped over to Trubel, who, for the duration of Adalind's speech, had been unable to look Nick in the eye.

He put the signature page under her face and said, "You've already signed it?"

Trubel nodded and loud enough that only Nick could hear it, she said, "I didn't have to think twice."

Until that moment Nick had been in disbelief, thinking perhaps it was a prank. He was beginning to think he was possibly feeling how Adalind felt the night he proposed, because it never occurred to him that such a thing could even be possible. As his eyes welled with tears, he had to bend over and place his hands on his knees to steady himself.

He put one arm in the air as all he could bring himself to say was, "PEN!"

Adalind called out, "Oh, Diana, the pen!"

Diana reached into her basket again and pulled out the pen. She handed it to her mother who in turn handed it to Nick. Nick stepped back to the altar and used his finger to draw a small circle in the air, signaling to Monroe to turn around. Using Monroe's back to steady his hand, he signed papers to become a father for the second time.

Adalind called out, "Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you," using both of her arms, she gestured to Trubel, "Theresa Rubel Burkhardt!"

Everyone in attendance got on their feet and applauded. Several people were openly crying in the pews. Woged faced were popping up randomly through the hall. Nick walked as quickly as he could over to Trubel and wrapped his arms around her. She hugged him back and then neither of them could hold in their emotions any longer and they both cried for a brief moment. Rosalee and Monroe also had their share of tears. Wu and Hank managed to keep a grip on their emotions but they applauded along with everyone else.

Adalind had to get more tissues from Rosalee who was using quite a lot herself. As the applauding began to die down, Adalind made one more announcement, "Theresa Rubel Burkhardt would like me to remind you that she will continue to go by the nickname, 'Trubel.' Thank you."

Adalind took the paperwork from Nick and handed it to Judge Baxter who signed where he was required to sign and then handed the papers back to Adalind who handed them to Rosalee for safe keeping.

Nick had stopped hugging Trubel long enough to wipe at his eyes. He asked for tissues from Rosalee. Before he could return to the altar to continue his wedding, he hugged Trubel one more time so he could tell her, "I love you, Trubel. I will forever be grateful that you came into my life."

Trubel couldn't bring herself to say anything so she instead hugged him a little tighter.

After a few minutes of everyone clearing their faces of tears and gathering back what they could of their composure, they returned once again to the matter at hand of two people and their wedding ceremony.

Judge Baxter announced, "Now you see why I skipped a lot of the cliches and marriage related platitudes." Some laughter spread through the pews but many were still recovering from the emotion of watching a live adoption take place in the middle of a wedding.

Monroe put a hand on Nick's shoulder and said to him, "History, dude. People will be talking about this for years."

Adalind continued, "So... as I was saying... I love you, and I want very much to be your wife." She smiled to punctuate her summation.

Judge Baxter said, "And now the groom may deliver his vows."

Nick had a lot he had planned to say. He had wanted to try to clean up the near mess of a proposal he had made to Adalind months earlier. But all today's surprises had left his mind swirling. So he started as best he could, "Adalind, you've given me a tough act to follow." He smiled as he said, "I'm never going to forget what you've done for me here today. I was going to talk about how much you'd changed in the years since I've known you and all that would be true, but after today, anything I would have to say about it, couldn't do it justice. How you used to be? It just doesn't matter anymore. So, I'll just say this. You give me strength and purpose. As long as we're together I know we can accomplish anything. No matter what the world puts in front of us, we will overcome it. The love we have for each other makes us an unstoppable force and our marriage will be one for the ages..."

He paused. Adalind thought nothing of it for the first second or two. But after several seconds passed, she spoke, "Nick?"

And then he continued speaking as though there had been no break, "I love you and I want very much to be your husband." He nodded and smiled.

Judge Baxter released a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding and said, "Excellent. Now I'd like you take each others' hands."

They clasped hands and the Judge bade them both to repeat these vows to each other, "I promise to love you without reservation To honor and respect you, provide for your needs as best I can, protect you from harm, comfort you in times of distress, grow with you in mind and spirit, to always be open and honest with you, and cherish you for as long as we both shall live."

The judge continued, "Do you, Nick, take Adalind to be your lawful wedded wife, to cherish in love and in friendship, in strength and in weakness, in success and in disappointment, to love her faithfully, today, tomorrow, and for as long as the two of you shall live?"

Nick replied, "I do."

"Do you, Adalind, take Nick to be your lawful wedded husband, to cherish in love and in friendship, in strength and in weakness, in success and in disappointment, to love her faithfully, today, tomorrow, and for as long as the two of you shall live?"

Adalind shifted her weight forward onto the balls of her feet in the form of a tiny hop as she said, "I do!"

Judge Baxter smiled and said, "The rings, please."

Monroe fished the rings out of his pocket and handed them to Nick. Nick in turn handed his future wedding ring to Adalind.

The judge had them both recite the very simple promise of, "With this ring, I thee wed." as they placed the rings on each others' fingers.

Then the Judge clapped his hands together and announced loudly, his voice booming through the hall, "By the power vested in me by the state of Oregon, ladies and gentleman, I present to you Nicholas and Adalind Burkhardt. Nick, you may kiss your bride."

Nick placed his hand on the small of Adalind's back so he could lean her back as he kissed her for the first time as her husband. The people in attendance applauded, many of them stood as they did. As the applause began to die down however, Nick and Adalind had remained relatively motionless. Their lips connected in the same position for several seconds.

At first, it was amusing. People assumed it was just part of their show. But after several more seconds passed it began to feel awkward. Monroe leaned towards them and said, "Uh, Nick?"

When he didn't get a response, he stepped forward and began slowly circling them. A look of puzzlement apparent on his face, but looks of panic had begun to appear in Nick and Adalind's eyes. Monroe said, "Um, Rosalee, it doesn't look like they can let go."

Diana, who'd been sitting patiently in her seat began to grow worried as she called out, "Mommy?" Diana got up from her seat and approached the couple and gently tugged at the skirt of Adalind's wedding dress as she repeated herself, "Mommy?"

A light appeared on Adalind's and Nick's cheeks. Monroe's first reaction was that it was a reflection and began looking around for the source of it. Trubel had stepped over to them and as gently as she could she attempted to separate the two of them by force with no success.

When Monroe couldn't find the source of the light he looked back at the couple to discover the light was getting brighter. Slowly but surely, the light continued to get brighter and brighter. The expressions of alarm on Nick and Adalind's faces were clear to everyone in the hall. Families began to gather their things to leave. One of the first to leave was Bud with his family and Kelly. Wu and Hank took control and began asking the remaining families and Judge Baxter to please leave as well.

Janelle Farris wouldn't have it though. She was a Deputy Sheriff and took her oath seriously, she also began to herd people out of the hall before she turned to Hank and asked, "What the hell is going on?"

Hank didn't mince words, "I think it's pretty obvious we don't know."

The light that had been growing between Nick and Adalind had gotten so bright they were difficult to look at. Trubel had to shield her eyes as she attempted one more time, with less care, to separate the two of them. Diana had begun repeating herself over and over, "Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!"

Rosalee was just about to escort Diana out of the hall for her safety when a blue arc of what could only be described as electricity shot out from the light between Nick's and Adalind's faces and hit Diana squarely in her chest connecting the three of them. The arc of electricity buzzed very loudly and fluctuated in the air. Trubel, who'd not had any luck at all in separating them even a little, called out, "Let's all try to pull together."

It was very difficult to lean in towards them, as the light was still growing brighter and they could feel heat coming off of them. They all did their best to grab a different limb. Trubel announced, "On the count of three... One..." Before she could make it it two, a second arc of electricity exploded out from the center of the light, knocking all of them down, except for Nick and Adalind who remained frozen where they stood.

Monroe shouted, "Oh my god," when he realized that the second electric arc had shot through the railing by the podium and must have connected with the Staff that had, until then, been laying on the floor.

Monroe shouted to Hank, "I'll try to get the Staff, you try to get Diana!"

Hank rushed forward to grab Diana, but placing his hands on her was like touching the burner of a hot stove. Monroe rushed around to the other side of the railing to discover that while the Staff was still there, it was no longer on the floor, it was floating several inches off the ground. The blankets it was wrapped in were beginning to burn.

Monroe called out to Wu to get a fire extinguisher. When Wu returned with it, the Staff was hovering off the ground by a couple feet. Monroe used the extinguisher to keep the blankets from causing more fires around the venue. In mid-process of extinguishing the flames, Rosalee yanked on his sleeve to get his attention to point out that Diana was now also hovering a couple feet off the ground.

Monroe didn't have to ask anyone, as he looked around the room, he knew that no one had any idea what was going on or how to stop it. He began feeling an odd sensation as though he was being pushed. Yet, no one was touching him. As he surveyed the room he could tell he wasn't the only one feeling it. Everyone seemed to be getting pushed away from Nick and Adalind. He leaned into it in an attempt to get back to the newly married couple, but with every step he took it became harder and harder to move in their direction. Eventually, he began losing ground. It seemed everyone else had also lost a step or two. The force continued to push everyone further and further away. Only Nick, Adalind, Diana and the Staff remained in their original locations.

Monroe was just about to fall over from the force when he felt it dissipate. Then the force that had initially been driving him away, began pulling him towards Nick and Adalind. As much as he'd been trying to originally fight the force pushing him away so that he could could try to help them, once the direction had changed, he couldn't help but instinctively begin fighting the pulling sensation. Diana, who had seemed unable to move or speak since she had been struck by the arc of electricity, let out a long wailing scream. When, at last, she seemed to run out of air, the arcs of electricity began to crackle and pop and then with a final crack everything stopped.

Whatever the source, the bright light went out on its own. The Staff and Diana both fell to the ground, Adalind and Nick collapsed onto each other on the floor, and the others, who had been resisting the bizarre gravitational pull, overcompensated and fell over hard and fast.

Janelle had a lot of questions, but she knew that some things were more important in that moment. She rushed to Diana and found that she was laying on the ground, awake and apparently lucid. Janelle introduced herself to Diana and asked if she had been hurt. Diana looked her in the eye as if to acknowledge Janelle's existence but otherwise didn't respond. She began looking around the room and then down at her chest where she could see the burn marks on the front of her dress. This didn't seem to phase her much at first. But then she began saying things that didn't make much sense to Janelle. Diana said softly, "I can't feel the room. It feels hollow."

Monroe and Rosalee's first instinct was to check on Diana as well, but when they saw she was with Janelle and that she was safe they turned their attention to Nick and Adalind who were still collapsed on the ground. Monroe attempted to roll them over so he could see their faces. When he reached out to grab Adalind's shoulder it was uncharacteristically rough to the touch. Rosalee didn't have to touch Adalind, she saw what the problem was right away. She glanced over at Janelle and verified that she was otherwise occupied and said to Monroe, "She's Woged. I think she might be fully Woged." She pulled Hank and Wu over to huddle around Nick and Adalind as she asked them both, "Can you see her Woged?"

Hank began to nod his head, though in an unsure way, so Rosalee reached out and forcibly turned Adalind's face to meet Hank's. Hank nearly fell backward at the shock of what Adalind's face looks like in its Woged appearance. He said as softly as he could, "Yeah, I see it. Is she just unconscious?"

Monroe verified, "She's definitely breathing. So, she's alive, at least." He took off his blazer and covered her with it as best he could to protect her from being seen by anyone who wasn't aware of what a Hexenbiest is.

Rosalee had struggled, but she managed to turn Nick over so she could check his pulse and breathing and it appeared as though he was also simply knocked out for the time being.

Rosalee turned to Hank and said, "Hank, you have to get her," she pointed to Janelle, "out of here. Even if she were ready to be introduced into this world, THIS," she pointed at the Woged form of Adalind on the ground, "would not be the ideal way to do it."

Hank nodded his understanding and requested that Wu take Diana to his car, call her father and do his best to explain what happened. Hank then stepped to Janelle and offered to meet her shortly so he could do his best to explain what was going on, but now was not the best time to go into it. Janelle agreed but with a lot of reluctance.

Once Janelle had left, Monroe began shaking Nick's shoulders, even going so far as to slap him on the face a few times in an effort to wake him up. As Nick began to come to and his eyes opened, he squinted like he was looking directly into the sun. Monroe asked, "Nick, are you okay? Can you say something?"

Nick put his hands to his ears and quietly said, "Monroe, please, not so loud." Nick attempted to open his eyes a bit more, but everything was more than it was supposed to be. The lights were brighter, the colors were more vivid, but the hardest things in the room to look at were Monroe and Rosalee. Nick asked, "Monroe, are you Woged right now?"

Monroe shook his head and said, "No. Why?"

Monroe's words were spoken at a regular speaking voice but to Nick, he may as well have been using a megaphone and shouting directly into Nick's ears. Nick covered his ears with his hands and told Monroe, "Stop being so loud."

Monroe didn't understand, but did as he was instructed, he lowered his voice to a whisper and said, "Dude, tell me what's going on?"

Monroe's head movemvent was the strongest evidence of it. Nick was able to see the faintest echo of Monroe's Blutbad face as a blue shimmer over his skin. But when Monroe shifted, the shimmer would drag behind, taking a second or two to catch up. Though the shimmer wasn't very bright to look at, it caused sharp stabbing pains in Nick's eyes. He had to cover them or he felt he was risking becoming blinded by the pain. He opened them a bit to look at Rosalee, and again he could see the faintest blue shimmer hovering just over her face of what he knew to be her Fuchsbau Woge. The pain was tolerable until she moved and the shimmer would drag behind again for a second or two and Nick was then hit with more sharp stabbing pains his eyes.

He covered his eyes as quickly as he could and Monroe asked, "What's wrong?"

Nick responded, "Everything is so intense. I can hear everything. I can see your Woge even though you're not Woged. I can smell everything. I can feel every fiber of the clothes I'm wearing against my skin. I have to get them off. It's starting to hurt."

Monroe did his best to remain in a whisper as he said, "Whatever happened, Adalind is stuck, unconscious, in a Full Woge. Everyone can see her."

Nick reacted on his first instinct and said, "Get us to the trailer." But when his clothes began to feel more and more uncomfortable, he changed his mind, "Actually, just get us to the loft. We have to get out of here and figure out what's going on."

Nick couldn't see what he was doing but he reached out carefully to pull Adalind's unconscious body onto his lap, he placed her head on his shoulder and held her while Monroe, Rosalee and Hank began making arrangements to get them out of there without being seen.