Chapter Two
Juliette was using all her efforts to remain cool, calm and collected. Especially in the presence of Collette. But on the inside, Juliette was seething with anger and contempt. She convinced Collette to take her back Portland. Collette had never actually come out and said she didn't believe Juliette about a Grimm being romantically involved with a Hexenbiest, but for the plan to work, Collette must believe that Adalind Burkhardt is a threat. Juliette, therefore, was going the extra mile to casually steer Collette towards seeing it for herself.
Juliette reached out to old contacts, Rosalee and Monroe. It put a bad taste in her mouth, but she pretended she was still Eve when speaking to them. They informed her that Nick was having a large get together of Wesen in the region and that it was going to be a, 'really big deal,' according to Monroe.
After Collette booked them a hotel room, Juliette decided to go off on her own for a bit. She didn't know why she wanted to do it, but she wanted to see the old house that she and Nick had shared for years. She took a cab thanks to some spending money that Collette had gifted her. Juliette was going to have to pretend to be Eve a bit longer and to acquire some funds from HW so she could stop relying on Collette. She didn't care whether Collette felt exploited or not, but knew that she couldn't rely on her forever.
She stood on the sidewalk on the opposite side, staring at her former home. She hadn't been back to it since Trubel had shot her with poisoned darts, nearly killing her. It was the secret government agency that Trubel worked for, Hadrian's Wall, that had collected her body, revived her and then forced mental compartmentalization on her, bringing out the personality of Eve. No one could ever understand what it felt like to be trapped inside another mind.
It felt odd knowing there was someone else living in her old home. She wanted so badly to go inside and lay down in the bed she and Nick had once shared, but the bed had long since been disposed of, just like she felt right now. Disposed of. Nick had moved on with his life, leaving her behind. Maybe she deserved it.
She wiped at her eye. All this sentimentality and regret was taking a toll on her. For a moment she wished she had the ability to repress her emotions the way Eve had done. But she also felt some relief at finally being able to mourn the loss of the life she previously once held. The life she had before it was turned upside down and ripped apart. There were several parties to blame for everything being stolen from her, herself included. But there was one person in particular that Juliette felt was the linchpin.. That was the reason she wanted to come back to Portland.
She checked the time and decided that if she were going to make the big event that Nick had scheduled she had better start moving. She had taken a cab to see her old home, but she preferred to walk for the time being, for the solitude.
When she arrived at the hotel that Nick had booked space in, Collette was already there waiting for her in the lobby. At the moment, they were trying to remain anonymous. Juliette chose to wear a jacket with a hood over her head. Collette, who knew no one would recognize her, wore a 1950's style Halter Navy Swing Dress with a matching navy blue coat over it. Juliette was annoyed at Collette's inability to blend in with her desire to appear 'retro.'
They decided to wait until it seemed most of the attendees had already filed in. Juliette didn't want to be seen by anyone that would recognize her until she was ready to be recognized. They found a spot near the rear and did their best to blend in with those already seated there.
Collettte leaned her head in to Juliette's ear and, while failing to hide her skepticism, she spoke softly, "So, we're sitting in a room full of Wesen waiting to see a Grimm?"
Juliette nodded and replied softly, "You'll see."
Collette leaned back in her seat and waited patiently.
Juliette was the first to see Nick making his way down the aisle, she reflexively brought her hand up to the side of her face in an attempt to hide herself from him, but he was more focused on greeting people who he apparently knew in attendance. Faces she didn't recognize.
As Nick made his way to the front, the chatter from the audience began to die down. When he reached the podium he gave his wife, Adalind, a kiss on the cheek. Juliette clenched her fist.
Nick tapped the microphone to make sure it was powered on and then spoke into it, "H-Hello... I'm sure a lot of you know me by reputation, if not by my face. My name is Nick Burkhardt. Before we begin, I apologize for being so tactless, but I had to pay to rent this hall out my own pocket, so we put a can up here," Nick pointed to an old coffee can that had the slit cut into the lid on top, "If anyone is feeling kind enough to make a donation to help pay for the hall, it would be apprec-" Before he could finish his words, several people had leapt from their seats
Collette couldn't hide her astonishment as she saw some of the Wesen contributors not just walk but rush to the front to place money in the can Nick had just mentioned to them. Each person patiently waiting for the person in front of them to put in their cash so they could have their own turn. Then they returned to their seats.
When it was clear that everyone had finished and no more donations were coming, Nick continued, "Thanks, that means a lot. So, as I was saying, my name is Nick Burkhardt and I'm a Grimm. This is my wife, Adalind, who is a Hexenbiest,"
Juliette glanced at Collette and raised an eyebrow as if to wordlessly say, 'See?'
Nick continued, "my son Kelly and there," Nick pointed to Trubel, "is my daughter, Trubel, who is also a Grimm."
Juliette furrowed her brow. Daughter? What was Nick talking about? He isn't old enough to be her father, not quite anyway.
Nick continued, "I think most people here know that my daughter and I don't go around indiscriminately hurting Wesen. But a couple months ago, there was a Grimm here in Portland who was doing just that. We were finally able to stop him-"
His wife Adalind cut him off, "No!" She leaned in so her voice would carry into the microphone, "No... Nick stopped him." She swatted his arm with her hand as she said, "Stop with the modesty."
Nick nodded and admitted, "Okay, I stopped him. But, the point is that for months he was hurting Wesen across the country and then he was in Portland for weeks. So... I got the idea that Wesen should know he was out there." This part Juliette was familiar with. She actually helped him lay down the groundwork when she was Eve.
"I asked all of you to tell everyone you knew, to warn them to be careful about when you Woge and who you do it around. I can't know it for certain, but several people have told me that this simple act, probably saved several lives.
"But it's more than just that. A few years ago, there was an outbreak here in Portland of Fluvus Pestilentia, If it hadn't been for Rosalee and Monroe," he gestured to the pew in the front row, "it's possible there would have been a full on pandemic. This community has unique needs and I've seen a lot of you come together and help one another as best you can when the situation calls for it. But, after that Grimm came to Portland, it occurred to me that more should be done.
"So, I am here to suggest a formation of a new Wesen Council here in Portland. An organization to help with emergencies and even the subtle day to day things that only the Wesen community would know about."
At this suggestion, there began a lot of chatter among the people in attendance. It was clear to Juliette based on what she could hear around her that this was fully unexpected by those in attendance.
Collette whispered angrily to Juliette, "Did you know anything about this?"
Juliette quickly shook her head but Nick continued speaking, "Before you make any decisions, I want you to know that no one in my family will be on the Council... if it's approved. I believe a Wesen council should be just that. Wesen. However, I will be available as both a Grimm and as a detective for the Portland, PD, should the need arise.
"At the end of this meeting, we're going to take a vote as to whether there will be a Wesen Council. You can't vote until you know what you're voting for though. So I'd like to introduce you to the person I'm nominating to be in charge of getting the council off the ground, the official title will be Chairperson. Her name is Samantha Gray. She's one of the people here who lost a loved one to the Grimm. At my request, she has volunteered to head the project should the majority of people here vote to move forward with it. Sam, would you come up here please?"
Juliette wasn't familiar with Samantha, she could recall hearing her name in passing when she was at Monroe and Rosalee's spice and tea shop, but had never met her. Samantha was very slender, white, taller than average with very long, straight, dark brown hair. She was wearing a blouse with black slacks and pumps. As she got behind the podium, Adalind, Trubel and Nick made their way to the front most pew and sat down.
Samantha thanked Nick for introducing her and then she said to the crowd, "Nick saved my life from the Grimm... twice. I say that because I want to be completely honest with everyone here. I will always be grateful to Nick for what he's done for me and I will tell anyone who will listen that he's a man of honor and integrity. However, I don't want anyone to think that my loyalties are divided between the Wesen Council and my friend who happens to be a Grimm. It's important, and Nick agrees, that he should hold no sway over council decisions. If we're not autonomous, then we're not a council. It's been decided that if the Council should move forward from beyond tonight, I will only be in charge for the first year. If I wish to remain Chairperson, a new vote will be held. At that time, if you feel I'm doing a poor job or that I'm not being impartial, a vote can be made to replace me as Chairperson. We want you to trust this Council and what we do to protect you and our world. The plan is to have an additional eight Council members, that, hopefully, we will choose here tonight.
"I'd like to open up the floor for any questions any of you might have and in an hour, we'll have a vote to find out if a new Portland based Wesen Council will move forward."
For several minutes, there were many in the crowd who had questions about the scope of the new council and what purposes they would serve. Samantha did her best to field the questions. Mostly referring to Wesen law that had been established for centuries. "What will be unique to the Portland Wesen Council," she added, "is that we will establish emergency and communication protocols for when something that impacts our community as a whole should occur."
After a few more questions were answered Samantha announced there would be a ten minute recess so those there could talk among themselves and they could have time to think about what was being proposed.
At this announcement, the people in attendance began filing out into the lobby of the hotel or clustering together in the hall to talk among themselves about the somewhat radical idea of forming a new Wesen Council in Portland.
Juliette and Collette, however, found it to be an excellent opportunity to leave without being noticed. As they made their way to the car Collette had rented in the parking lot, Collette asked, "That Grimm has a weapon that was able to perform a power theft and neither he, nor his Hexenbiest wife, have any idea how it happened or why?"
Juliette lied, "Yes. I think before we can do anything, the first thing we should do is use the device you already have and take away Adalind's abilities. They're too powerful to take them head-on."
Collette stopped walking and said, "You're that afraid of them?"
Juliette paused long enough to reply, "It's not a matter of fear. It's a matter of not underestimating them. They're smart, they're powerful and they have allies."
They both began walking again as Collette said, "Well, they're not the only ones with allies. I'll make some calls."
Inside the hotel, Nick, Adalind, Monroe, Rosalee and Samantha were grouped together a few feet away from the podium discussing how things were faring so far.
Nick was trying to read the room, watching facial expressions to see how people felt about the proposal he had made and wasn't having much luck. No one seemed angry or upset, that provided him some relief.
Bud Wurstner, Nick's Eisbiber friend, walked up to them at a brisk pace and seemed a little out of breath when he arrived. Nick saw the urgency in Bud's face and asked him what was wrong.
Bud, slightly in a panic said, "Guys, this is big. The reaction..." He put his hand to his forehead and took a breath, "Okay, so we're gonna need more than a ten minute break."
The group huddled around Bud but it was Nick who asked, "Why, Bud? What's wrong?"
Bud finally managed to calm his nerves as he replied, "People are spreading the word. Texts, phone calls, emails. What you announced today is big news," he spread his arms wide for emphasis, "And, in short, more people are on their way here."
Monroe couldn't help but smirk. He suspected that what Nick was doing here today would have some ripple effects. He just couldn't be sure of the scope.
Nick was fairly certain he knew the answer but asked anyway, "Are we in any danger?"
Bud furrowed his brow as he stammered a bit, "What? No, no, not at all. People just want to be involved."
Nick turned to Samantha and said, "Well, I know it isn't official yet, but technically you're in charge, do you want to give more time for more people to get here?"
Sam nodded and said, "Bud, please spread the word we're going to extend the break an additional thirty minutes."
Nick grinned. He was happy he had asked Samantha to take the lead as the chairperson for the Portland Wesen Council. An idea came to him as Bud was about to walk away. Nick stopped him and said, "Bud, I'd like you to volunteer to be on the Wesen Council if you think you'd have the time."
Bud was taken aback at the suggestion, "Me? Why me?"
Nick smiled. As much as other people had admonished him for being too modest he was about to do the same to Bud. He put his hand on Bud's shoulder and said, "Bud, you are a leader in your community. You maybe don't realize it but people come to you when they need help and they respect you."
Bud had a hard time looking Nick in the eye as he involuntarily Woged for a few seconds due to the emotions brought out by Nick's kind words, "Gee, I don't know, Nick. I mean... "
Nick didn't let Bud finish his thought as he interrupted, "No pressure, Bud. I just think you'd be an excellent person to have on the council. Talk about it with your wife and kids maybe. Then make up your mind. In the meantime though, please, go and spread the word like Sam asked about lengthening the break."
Bud nodded and left to begin spreading the word about the delay. He would also find his wife and kids and ask them what they thought about Nick's request.
After the extra time had passed, the hall had been filled to beyond standing room only. People were lining the walls. Nick saw a mix of facial expressions as well. Some didn't look happy. He wondered if perhaps the idea of a Wesen Council created at the suggestion of a Grimm might be rubbing some of them the wrong way.
Nick stepped back up to the microphone and reintroduced himself for the benefit of the new arrivals. When he got to the part about him being a Grimm, as expected, he saw a lot of faces Woge in the crowd. He saw one person in particular Woge and it was a Skalengeck that immediately took an aggressive stance. For a couple of seconds Nick thought he was going to have a fight on his hands, but a man reached out and grabbed the Skalengeck's shoulder and pulled him back, calming him down. Nick released his grip on the podium he hadn't realized he was holding. This was the first time the thought occurred to him that perhaps it wasn't a good idea surrounding himself with an unknown number of Wesen that could very well be hostile towards him.
Nevertheless, he powered on and introduced Samantha. She hit many of the same points as she'd made before and gave additional time for questions to be asked. Even though the size of the crowd had at least doubled since before the break, there were far fewer questions. Samantha assumed that those in earlier attendance must have communicated much of what had already been said to the new arrivals.
When it appeared that no more questions would be coming, Samantha felt it would be safe to have their vote. She cleared her throat and said, "For expedience sake we've decided to have a simple raising of hands to cast your votes. If the result is unclear we'll go ahead and do written votes."
Nick stood from his seat because he wanted a better view of the room to gauge the votes. Sam asked for those in attendance who wanted to have a Portland Wesen Council to raise their hands. It wasn't unanimous but the results weren't up for debate. The Skalengeck that had been staring down Nick earlier received a rough shove on the shoulder from his friend as encouragement to also raise his hand. The Skalengeck raised his arm, though begrudgingly.
Samantha, standing at the podium gazing around the room, smiled as she said, "Well, there you have it. Overwhelmingly in favor. We will officially have a Portland Wesen Council."
Nick knew it was a possibility that his proposal would go through, but he couldn't help but feel a small amount of disbelief. All these different types of Wesen in a room with two Grimms and there was no fighting or bickering. Most in agreement that a council is needed for the health and welfare of their community. Nick put his hand on the back of his neck and squeezed to release some tension.
As Samantha finished announcing the approval of the Wesen Council she gestured with her hand towards Nick and said, "Can we get a round of applause for Nick Burkhardt who proposed the Council strictly for our benefit and not for his?"
The applause was enthusiastic and sincere, several of those seated stood on their feet. Again, the Skalengeck needed a shove before he bothered participating in the applause.
Nick raised a hand and bowed his head a little to signal he appreciated the applause but that it was unnecessary.
As the applause died down Sam continued, "The last thing we need to do is get eight volunteers to actually be in the Council."
This was the part the Sam was apprehensive about. She was afraid she'd either get too many volunteers or not enough. The former was preferable to the latter, however, as a Council with no members isn't much of a council at all.
Nick was relieved when he saw that Bud was the first to stand up and raise his hand. Samantha smiled and waived for Bud to come down to the podium to stand next to her. A moment later, Nick was surprised to see Isaac and Sasha Seidel stand and raise their hands. They're a married couple whose son had been murdered by the psychotic Grimm, Charles Spencer. Samantha didn't hesitate to wave them down to stand next to Bud.
It took a few minutes but eventually five more people whom Nick didn't recognize had also volunteered and made their way down to the podium. Sam explained, "Publicly we can't refer to ourselves as a Wesen Council, so we will officially be calling ourselves the Portland Council of Citizen Welfare. PCCW for short."
Several people in attendance nodded their heads at the creative decision to give the Council an official public name. Sam asked once more for a round of applause but this time for the new members of the Portland Wesen Council. As the audience applauded Sam said, "We appreciate all of you coming out and helping to make history. There will be a sign-up sheet outside the doors where you can provide us an email address so we can update you."
People began filing out and Sam collected the contact information of the new Wesen Council members. Hank Griffin, Nick's partner in the Portland PD and only one of two people in attendance that were neither Wesen nor a Grimm came strolling down to the podium alongside the other non-Wesen attendee that he invited, Deputy Sheriff Janelle Farris.
Janelle was completely new to the idea of Wesen and Grimms. She was doing her best to keep up with some of the conversations around her. From what she could piece together, what Nick did here today was a pretty big deal. She approached Nick who was talking with the Seidels and thanking them for volunteering to be on the Council. He introduced her to the Seidels and explained that she's a guest of Hank's and that she recently became a Kehrseite-Schlich-Kennen, the term Wesen use for non-Wesen that know about the Wesen world.
Adalind began getting Kelly, hers and Nick's son, ready to leave. Monroe and Rosalee were doing the same with their triplets. Without anyone asking her to, Trubel stepped forward to help Monroe and Rosalee. They'd gotten good at handling having triplets, but nonetheless, they always appreciated a helping hand.
Adalind placed her son Kelly into their stroller and pushed him back towards the exit as Monroe and Rosalee did the same with their own children. She stood patiently waiting for Nick to wrap things up and say his goodbyes. She wasn't surprised when Monroe and Rosalee also stopped. She suspected Rosalee's intention was to keep Adalind company but Monroe's motive was that he was trying to soak in the view of what he perceived as history being made.
Adalind watched as Nick shook the hands of all the new Wesen Council members. Hank steered Janelle back towards the exit. Nick spoke to Sam for a moment. Adalind had no idea what they were saying to each other. She didn't understand why, but she felt a twinge of anger. Maybe even a bit of jealousy? Just as the realization struck her, Sam and Nick hugged each other and Adalind became so enraged and jealous she Woged briefly. As per usual, when she Woged, the dried up corpse appearance she took on caused her jaw muscles to spasm and her teeth to clack and scrape together. If not for that, no one would have known she had Woged, but Rosalee had heard it and turned just in time to see the fleeting remnants of Adalind's Woge.
Rosalee asked, "Adalind, what's wrong?"
Adalind attempted to shrug it off and not answer, but Rosalee took a step towards her furrowing her brow, speaking softly she said, "What's going on?"
Adalind shook her head and replied, "I just had a kind of, I don't know, flash of jealousy, I guess."
Rosalee couldn't hide her puzzlement, "You mean towards Nick and Samantha? That's..." She couldn't quite determine which word she wanted to use but after a brief pause she ended with, "...odd."
Adalind looked back at Nick who was finally making his way up the aisle as she spoke quickly, "I don't know, it came out of nowhere. Don't worry about it. I'm sure it was nothing."
Rosalee nodded her head but the look of concern on her face remained as she said, "Well, I hope it was nothing, because I think you can more than trust both of them."
Adalind added, "I know."
Before Rosalee could decide if she believed Adalind and her trust in both Nick and Samantha, Nick had gotten close enough to overhear so she decided to give up and assume Adalind would be okay.
Nick still had a lot on his mind from having just initiated the formation of a new Wesen Council and being reminded several times by Monroe of having made history, didn't notice anything amiss with Adalind or Rosalee.
Within a few minutes each of them had made their way out. Nick wasn't sure, but he felt that most likely Hank and Janelle were going to leave and have an actual date. Possibly their first official date, or at least their first successful one since their first planned date had been spoiled by the crisis at Nick's wedding to Adalind.
Trubel had lagged behind a little. As much as she respected and trusted Nick, she had been very skeptical that the event would remain free of violence. She had stayed silent on the matter and simply kept an eye out for potential threats. With everyone having left, it appeared her reservations hadn't been warranted. As she made her way to the exit Sam called out to her.
Trubel stopped and turned around to see Samantha half trotting up the aisle towards her. Samantha had always disliked dressing up, but for the occasion had decided to wear a blouse with black slacks and pumps. Not exactly fancy, but better than jeans and a t shirt.
Trubel, who was wearing her typical jeans and black leather jacket over a white t shirt, asked, "What's up?"
When Samantha had gotten close enough to speak at a normal volume she stopped trotting and walked a few steps closer to Trubel as she asked, "I was wondering if you'd like to grab a bite to eat."
Trubel shrugged a little, she hadn't eaten since lunch, so she nodded and said, "Yeah, I'm pretty hungry. There's a taco truck not far from here, not sure they're open this late though."
Samantha shook her head, "Oh, that's not what I meant."
Trubel didn't understand. Was Samantha hungry or not...
Samantha continued, "I mean, yeah, food. But what I'm really asking is, will you have dinner with me?"
Trubel tilted her head back a bit, raising an eyebrow, and then the words finally registered in her mind as she said, "Oh." Then the full depth of what was being asked hit her and she said a bit louder than before, "Oh!"
Samantha couldn't control her hands as she kept fidgeting with them in front of her nervously. She had built up all the confidence and all the courage she could muster up long enough to ask Trubel to dinner and now she was feeling like she was going to be sick. It didn't help that Trubel's facial expression was impossible to read.
In the few seconds that had passed since Trubel had realized what Sam was actually asking, she'd had a mental montage of how it would work to actually go on a dinner date with someone. Technically, Trubel was still in the employ of Hadrian's Wall, a secret government organization tasked with monitoring and stopping Wesen criminal activity on a global scale. She could be asked to leave the country at a moment's notice. In addition, her life with Nick was usually pretty complicated as well. Nick had previously suggested to her that she should consider the prospect of dating and she'd scoffed at the idea. At this moment, so much was going through her mind that she couldn't think of anything to say and the only syllable to leave her mouth was, "Um..."
Sam did her best to stop fussing with her hands as she said, "I'm sorry to put you on the spot. It's just that in the short time I've known you, I've come to admire how blunt and straight forward you are. I was hoping to get to know you better?"
Trubel wasn't sure how to react. If she were to ever date anyone, as unlikely as it seemed, she felt it would be something she'd have more control over. Or at the very least, it wouldn't come as such a sudden and unexpected twist.
It was taking too long for Trubel to respond and Samantha was beginning to feel she had overstepped and out of embarrassment she Woged for a several seconds. Her face contorting to that of an owl-like appearance. The feathers that appeared on her face blended seamlessly into her hair.
Seeing Sam Woge, Trubel regained a mental footing and stopped spiraling through everything that could go wrong if she agreed to have dinner with her. She took a breath and said, "I would like that."
Samantha smiled through her Woge and her face returned to it's typical appearance. She replied, "Excellent. I just need to grab the sign up sheets. I'll drive?"
Trubel's motorcycle was parked outside but she nodded, agreeing that having Samantha drive her would be fine.