Plopping down onto the worn bus seat, dufflebag placed on her lap, she exhales slowly. Eyes closed, she begins counting back from a hundred, just like one of her therapist's had taught her.
As the bus vibrates beneath her, the hair on the back of her neck stands on end. More than likely, she's simply feeling the energy of another passenger, who happens to be a wesen. She refuses to react to the feeling; refuses to act like a cornered animal—refuses to be identified.
She's vulnerable, alone and with her eyes closed. At least, that is what she imagines herself to look like. Her small stature has never helped her exude the dangerous energy that came so easily to her brother. In some ways, that was a benefit; in others, not so much.
It's fine. She's fine.
When the bus pulls away, she feigns relaxing into her seat. She never lets herself completely relax–can't–not since she'd come into her heritage.
Hell, she doesn't even shower without a weapon in the vicinity. More than one, preferably.
It's a lot. Too much, sometimes. She's different than Nick; her senses on a level he couldn't even begin to understand. Not that she's ever told him; he has enough on his plate as it is.
When she first began seeing woges, she ignored them. Nick had already presented a year prior, sharing everything with her as he found it all out. She didn't jerk or freak out, or let anyone know. She was in her mid-twenties, not a normal time for a female Grimm to present.
Which is fine. Everything is fine.
Marie always looked at her like she was some kind of disappointment, growing up, anyway. Whether that's because she never presented as a Grimm while younger, or because she just didn't match up to what Marie thought she should be, she doesn't know.
Never will, now that she's dead.
The sting of that hurt is a dull thrum, now.
She settles into her seat by the window, finally opening her eyes to peruse her surroundings. She's subtle about it, using the reflections in the window to watch. There are very few passengers, thankfully. The wesen she was feeling was a harmless Fuchsbau, an elderly one, at that.
Every exhale frosted the air, her breath fogged up the window glass. Not many people take a trip to Portland, Oregon this close to winter, apparently. She wouldn't even be here, herself, had Nick not called her, crying that Juliette had finally left him.
She knew it had been coming; all the signs were there. She'd warned him, they all had. Monroe, even more so than Hank. Nick never listened to anyone, though. So, here she was, all her meager belongings stuffed into a singular dufflebag, heading to Monroe's house. Because, of course, Juliette managed to kick Nick out of his own damn house.
Bitch.
The very thought of it infuriates her, and she doesn't plan on letting Juliette keep it. Hell will freeze over first. But, that was a plan for another day. Right now, she's focused on getting to her brother's side to help him heal.
And make sure his vulnerability doesn't get him killed.
When the bus drops her off in front of City Hall, she's relieved.
A plane ticket had been out of the equation; too expensive. And she wasn't going to ask Nick or Monroe to cover it. Her visit is supposed to be a surprise, anyway.
Her legs burn as she stretches them, having been stuck in the same seated position for close to fourteen hours. She groans as she reached her arms above her head.
Dufflebag on her hip, she struts down to the nearest sandwich shop to pick up Nick and Hank's favorites. It was close to one in the afternoon, and she's positive they've probably forgone eating. To be nice, she also picks up a couple dozen glazed doughnuts, before heading to the station.
There's a possibility that Monroe sent Nick to work with a lunch, but he'll eat the sandwich anyway, because he's always hungry. The magic in their blood burns more than they could ever eat.
Whenever those two stop dancing around each other, they'll be a phenomenal couple, she muses. It's easy enough for anyone to see; Hank had even started a betting pool a couple months ago. Back when Juliette first started to get suspicious and accuse Nick of cheating on her.
The idea is laughable. Nick, cheat? The man couldn't even flirt. How he even ended up with Juliette for as long as he did still astounds her.
Don't get her wrong, her brother is a catch. He's handsome, polite, and hardly ever gets angry. He cleans, can't cook for shit, but always does the dishes. He always gives as good as he gets, but with Juliette, all she ever did was take.
Nick did everything for her, even before he became a Grimm.
He was more a slave than a partner, at least, that is how she always viewed their relationship. But, she kept silent. Nick's choices are his own. Even if she had said something, he would've never believed her.
The thought hurts, but she knows it's true.
It's why she's stayed away for so long. She couldn't have a front row seat to his treatment, and not say something.
Grabbing the doughnuts from the cashier, she heads straight for the South Precinct.
The only one, at this moment, who knows that she's here, is Monroe. She didn't want to spring a house-guest on him. Blutbaden don't react well to those kinds of surprises. So, she'd given him a call as a warning, and to make sure that Nick was actually at work.
Trudging up the stairs, she heads straight for the bullpen. On her way up, she passes a couple wesen officer's, not that she reacts to them. She simply catalogs their presence in her mind.
It's easier for her, since they don't have to actively woge for her to see them.
It's loud in the Precinct, her senses on high alert. She can feel a headache forming at the base of her skull. She blocks out the noise as best she can, but there's always noise.
She's approached as soon as she steps into the bullpen, "Good afternoon Ma'am, I'm Officer Wu, can I help you?"
He's polite, so she doesn't feel like giving him a hard time like she normally would. "I'm looking for Nick Burkhardt." She states.
She's never been to the Precinct before, so they wouldn't know her. Hank only knows her because of the last time she came down to visit, like three years ago. It was Thanksgiving. Juliette had forced Nick to invite his friends and family. The only family they had left was each other, and Hank was an honorary member because of being Nick's partner.
Needless to say, Juliette wasn't too happy. She'd wanted a big party, but got the opposite.
"He's currently speaking with the Captain about a case. If you'll have a seat, I can let him know you're here?" He offers.
She shakes her head, a little frustrated that this wasn't working out the way she'd planned. But, he is a Detective, so this is pretty much par for the course. "I apologize. Is there anyway I could be a surprise? I'm Nick's sister, and he has no idea I'm here."
She places the doughnuts on the man's desk, hoping to curry a little favor. It was the reason she bought them, might as well try.
Officer Wu gives her a once over, eyes widening, "You're Nick's sister?"
A soft laugh slips out, "Yes, unfortunately." She gives a conspiratorial wink.
He's shocked for all of a minute, but motions for her to follow him. Not before snatching a doughnut, however. "It's just a simple burglary case. I'm sure they won't mind the interruption?"
He doesn't sound too confident.
She hesitates, not sure about meeting the Captain. Everything Nick has told her about Renard hasn't been pleasant. Being a Royal, she needs to stay as far away from him, as possible. She's skirting a precarious line, as it is, just being in Portland.
As long as she can maintain her composure, everything should be fine. It will be fine. At this point, she's not sure who she's trying to convince.
"Lead the way!"
He guides her to an Office past the bullpen, not bothering to knock before opening the door.
"I've got a surprise for you, Nick." Officer Wu cheers, promptly ushering her into the room before anyone can say anything at all.
The tension is thick. Whatever they'd been discussing before being interrupted, was important.
Simple burglary my ass.
A smile slips across her face when she catches eyes with her brother, who leaps out of his seat and rushes to envelope her in a loving embrace. His hold is hard enough that she'll probably have bruises, but she's not going to complain. They haven't seen each other in two years, his reaction is to be expected.
She inhales, and draws in his unique blend of coffee, pine, and a deep musk that's similar to other Grimm's she's met.
It takes him a minute to compose himself, "I didn't know you were coming.." He's at a loss for words.
Still smiling, she graciously reaches up to wipe a stray tear that has escaped him, not wanting anyone else to see it. He's staring at her like if he looks away she'll disappear, but that's not happening.
It's about time their family came together.
A throat clears, and Nick tenses before gathering the rest of his composure. "Captain Renard, I'd like for you to meet my sister, Everly Burkhardt."
Nick moves to her left, allowing her to be seen by everyone in the room. Hank smiles and gives her a little wave before her attention is on the man behind the desk.
It takes everything in her to not flinch when she sees him. A Zauberbiest is nothing to scoff at. They're dangerous, to say the least, and Nick never informed her of this. She'll need to be even more careful about possibly exposing herself and her abilities.
Grimm's, in general, are rare these days. Even in their circles, she'd be considered a treasure. She can't imagine what lengths the Royal's would go to, if they knew she existed.
She plasters on her brightest smile, holding her hand out as she approaches the man. He, himself, had gotten to his feet when Nick introduced her. He's tall. The tallest man in the room. He towers over her, making her feel smaller than she usually does.
His vivid green eyes caress her appreciatively, but no more than any man has ever glanced at her. He's attracted to her; she appeals to him. Everly appeals to many, but she is more than just a pretty face.
"Nice to meet you. I didn't know Detective Burkhardt had a sister."
She startles when they shake hands and fire shoots up her arm from the contact. Her hand blazes where his fingers met her skin, like his touch has branded her. The burns don't show, but it's hard to breathe.
She needs to leave. Now.
Everly shrugs, "He's always been protective of me, so I'm not surprised." Her chest hurts from the force of her heart beating against her ribcage.
"Well," Captain Renard nods, "I hope we'll be seeing you around, Ms. Burkhardt." It's a clear dismissal, but still polite. He doesn't think much of her, which is good.
She inclines her own head, "Probably, since I'm looking to move here, permanently." She glances back at Nick, with a grin.
"Really?" Hank pipes up, "Maybe you'll be able to wrangle him into some proper behavior."
As Wu heads back to his desk, she can hear him mutters, "We can only hope."
Everly can't help but to throw her head back and laugh, shoulder bumping Hank as she goes back to Nick's side.
"I'm not a miracle worker."