Nick was surprised when Sean called him into his office and actually warned him about Adalind's mother.
"I don't know what Catherine is planning, just yet, but I know she fully intends to do something drastic. She hates Adalind being with a grimm, even more so now that there is a child grimm involved. I am certain Catherine would rather see Adalind dead than risk the chance of having a grimm's baby."
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because I refuse to endanger myself over something as foolish as bigotry. And you have proven to be very resourceful. If you can gain the love of a hexenbiest, you could convince any wesen to become your friend. Being your adversary would be unwise, and might result in my death. Since I don't want that, I hope that we might find a way to coexist."
"I really wish I could trust you, but the problem is you only do anything for your benefit. You would betray any and everyone if it meant gaining power. I'm sure you think you're aligning yourself with me, but as far as I'm concerned, this is a temporary truce. The very second I think you've aligned yourself with those that would cause harm to innocent people, I will take you and whoever is with you down."
"I guess I can't expect anything less."
Grimm
On his way home, Nick worried how he was going to tell Adalind that her own mother was plotting something against her, wanting to punish her for her life choices.
He knew Adalind would be upset, and as loath as Nick was to cause any pain to her, he knew they needed to be as prepared as they could possibly be. And Adalind was the only person who knew her mother well enough to be able to anticipate what she could be up to.
Nick had to admit, only to himself of course, that he was really tempted to just force Catherine Schade to drink some of his blood.
Grimm
"Don't even think about it!" Nick heard Adalind shout as he entered the house.
"It's just a small can." Trubel argued.
"No soda, especially ones with caffeine after five. If you want a sweet drink, have some lemonade or juice."
Nick shook his head and chuckled to himself.
Adalind was trying to be a good caregiver.
Being aware of the bad effects of caffeine on developing children, she had made a rule that Trubel was not allowed to have anything with a high amount of caffeine after five o'clock. And she wasn't allowed to touch the coffee at all.
Of course Trubel, being twelve, didn't care about what was good for her or not, all she cared about was consuming whatever tasted good.
Adalind had been worried about Trubel's consumption of junk food, like potato chips and cookies, but as long as she also ate the fruits and vegetables Adalind served her at meal times, that at least was a battle that didn't need to be fought.
Though Adalind did try to have healthy snacks at the ready and in easy reach in the fridge, whereas the potato chips always seemed to be stored on the highest shelf on the pantry, hidden behind tinned produce.
"The caffeine war rages on, I see." Nick observed, giving an exasperated Adalind a kiss.
She sighed and said, "She probably thinks of me as the wicked stepmother from every fairytale. Is it really so wrong to want her to get what she needs and nothing that could harm her?"
"Trubel adores you. She knows you're trying to look out for her. I'm sure the worse she thinks is that you're being overprotective."
"Hey, Nick." Trubel greeted, walking in with a glass of fruit punch. The kind that was actually made from fruit, and not sugar water.
Adalind did the grocery shopping for the household, mostly because she didn't trust Nick to not purchase a cart full of junk. So she always used her own money, and never showed any sign that she resented spending on Trubel.
Another sign of that was that Trubel's clothes were all provided and paid for by Adalind.
The hexenbiest took the young grimm shopping for all items a twelve year old girl would need. And when Trubel had insisted on a particular style, Adalind hadn't argued or tried to maneuver her in another direction.
Trubel preferred wearing jeans, not dresses, and she liked dark colors.
Adalind fully accepted how Trubel was.
And Nick knew that even if Adalind was a little disappointed to not have someone to put in princess dresses, before long there might just be a baby girl Adalind would be able to dress up any time she wanted.
Grimm
Nick waited until after Trubel had gone to bed to tell Adalind about what Sean Renard said. He didn't need his grimm abilities to know that Adalind was distressed by the news.
"Why is it so hard for my own mother to love me for who I am? I'm with someone who makes me happy, why can't she accept my choice?"
Nick honestly had no clue what to say. He was worried about his own mother's reaction when she eventually arrived in Portland and discovered he was with a hexenbiest.
A part of him was excited about seeing his mother again and getting a second chance with her, but another part was worried that his mother may just behave similarly to Adalind's mother.
True that she seemed to be fine with it in that strange time when the spirits of his mother and aunt had joined with him and grown Trubel to defeat Zerstorer, but that might have had something to do with Adalind providing a grandson named after the mother grimm.
In the new timeline, with the only grandchild being an adopted one, Kelly Burkhardt might not be as accepting of her son's romance with a hexenbiest.
Grimm
Adalind worried that her mother's evil scheming would cause Nick to become so irritated with the whole situation that he would decide that Adalind wasn't worth putting up with her toxic mother.
Instead of expressing her fears to Nick, she decided to show him that she loved him and was willing to do any and everything to be with him.
Hoping to compensate for her mother's behavior, Adalind became more affectionate.
Although Nick enjoyed being with Adalind, he didn't want her to do anything just for the sake of trying to hang onto him. Realizing there was an insecurity underlying her advances, Nick asked her to talk to him and tell him what was wrong.
"I don't want to lose you." She confessed, tears beginning to pool in her eyes. "I've never been happier than when I'm with you. I'm so afraid that my mother is going to drive you away."
"I'm not going anywhere." Nick assured her. "And I'll burn the whole world to the ground in order to keep you with me."
A bright smile spreading on her face, Adalind threw her arms around Nick's neck and hugged him tight.
Grimm
Catherine Schade was determined to drive a wedge between her daughter and the grimm.
She was frustrated that Sean Renard was refusing to use his contacts and resources to get the job done, forcing her to use her own skills.
But Catherine had full belief in her own abilities. She knew she was a clever and powerful hexenbiest. Any plan she devised would be brilliant.
The perfect plan would not only end the affair between Adalind and the grimm, it would also gain Catherine the object in which the royals coveted and believed was possessed by a grimm.
If Nick didn't know where it was, then the child he took in might.
Thinking of the child gave Catherine the idea she believed would surely end the relationship between her daughter and the grimm.
After all, the death of a child could strain any relationship.
Grimm
Catherine did her research and found that Adalind would leave her office at three every day to go to a fuchsbau owned and operated spice shop in order to pick up the child grimm that was being tutored by the fox wesen.
Nick would arrive at their place at around five thirty; later, if he was working on a case.
That meant that Adalind had time alone with the young grimm.
Catherine saw that in order for her to be alone with the grimm child, she would need to turn herself into her daughter.
Grimm
Trubel sensed there was something off about the person who looked like Adalind.
She picked her up early from her lessons with Rosalee, claiming she couldn't stay and chat due to needing to get home and look up research for a case.
The vehicle that Trubel was rushed into looked like Adalind's, the same make and model, even had the same air freshener, but it looked and smelled wrong, it wasn't as familiar.
This Adalind drove too fast, while normally the speed limit would be adhered to, "Because as parents we need to set a good example." Adalind had said once.
The voice rhythm seemed wrong, and the flow of words were strained, as if the woman were forcing herself to say what she was.
Trubel realized that the strain came from the woman trying to be nice and speak kindly to the twelve year old after noticing a look of disgust that the fake Adalind tried to hide.
There was too much anger in the eyes to be the real Adalind.
"You seem on edge, Adalind. You must need your evening cup of coffee. I'll go make us a pot."
"Thank you dear, I could really use a cup."
Trubel quickly turned and went into the kitchen, before her face showed the fake Adalind the young grimm knew her to be an imposter.
Adalind never drank coffee after three. And she would have used her powers to hide the coffee maker if Trubel tried to have some.
Grimm
With the grimm brat busy in the kitchen, Catherine looked through the rooms, searching for the object of power that the royals believed a grimm possessed.
If she couldn't find the object on her own, then she would kidnap the kid and hold her in exchange for the treasure.
If she did find it, she would kill the child and display her for the grimm to see. Since Adalind was the last person to be seen with the child, she would be the obvious suspect for murder.
Adalind would be forced to run to Catherine for help when the grimm and the police went after her for the murder of a child.
With the treasure the royal's coveted, Catherine would put herself in their good graces. The royals would welcome the hexenbiests with open arms.
They might even gain more power if Catherine convinced Adalind to seduce Sean's legitimate brother, Eric.
Even being the mistress to the crowned prince could have it's perks.
Grimm
While in the kitchen preparing the coffee, Trubel sent a group text that someone was pretending to be Adalind, and that she was in the house.
There was an immediate reply from Adalind's phone, she said someone had let air out of her tires and she was running late, so whoever that woman was claiming to be her, wasn't her.
Nick messaged that he and Hank were on their way. They had the siren on and were driving as fast as they could.
"The blood of a grimm kills the wesen inside a hexenbiest." Nick messaged. "It might be Adalind's mother pretending to be her. Try to get her to consume your blood."
Trubel took a paring knife and, gritting her teeth so as not to make a noise, sliced a line in her fingertip.
She squeezed several drops into a mug that Trubel knew for a fact that Adalind hated. Hot pink with watermelons all over it, it actually hurt the eyes when looking at it. The mug was only given to guests that were unwelcomed.
Whenever Nick walked in and saw a person drinking from that mug, he knew it was his job to suddenly remember some important task Adalind needed to do, therefore cutting the visit short.
Trubel put a bandage on her finger. She then poured herself a mug of coffee, adding a generous portion of cream and sugar to both. She made sure to hold her mug in her hand with the bandage on it, in order to hide the wound, as she carried the drinks to the fake Adalind.
"Here you go, Adalind. I made sure to use your favorite mug."
Trubel took a drink to hide her smirk at the grimace on the fake Adalind's face when she saw her mug, and then made an even more soured expression at the cavity inducing amount of sugar in the coffee.
Suddenly, the fake Adalind dropped her mug and grabbed her throat.
Trubel watched in shock as the image of Adalind transformed into a different woman. One who was much older.
Catherine Schade felt like her whole body was on fire. A searing pain consumed her. She tried to use her powers to gain control but found them to be useless. She cried out in agony, hearing her hexenbiest scream.
Catherine collapsed to the ground just as Nick and Hank rushed in.
They watched as some ghostlike image of a rotting corpse rose from the unconscious form and then vanished.
"Is she dead?" Hank asked.
"Her hexenbiest is." Nick answered.
Catherine opened her eyes, and looked around. She got up, her legs shaking as she registered what had happened.
"I'm powerless." She looked at Trubel, her face contorting in rage, "You brat!"
"You're the bitch that tried to hurt her. I say the outcome was more than fair." Nick smirked.
If Catherine had had her powers, she would have thrown everything in the room at him. But she was a human in the presence of two grimms, one fully grown, and she had nothing.
Adalind ran in, followed closely by Monroe and Rosalee.
"This is all your fault!" Catherine screamed at her daughter. "If you hadn't started shacking up with a grimm.."
"If you had just let your daughter be happy, you would still have your powers." Nick interrupted. "Don't blame anyone but yourself. Maybe if you learn to play nice, we can help you get your powers back. I happen to know that there is a way."
"I want nothing from you." Catherine screeched, then turned to her daughter. "You are dead to me. You are not my child anymore."
"You were never my mother." Adalind said in a low voice, maintaining great strength even though she was heartbroken by her mother's actions and words.
Catherine tried to slap Adalind as she walked past her, but Nick caught her wrist and growled, "Lay one hand on the woman I love, and your body will never be found."
Burning with rage, but knowing she was beaten, for the moment, Catherine walked out of the house and drove away in her rental car.
Grimm
"I am so sorry. I should have known something wasn't right when you didn't want to stay and talk after Trubel's lesson."
"It's alright, Rosalee. My mother is very clever and was very powerful. She might have tried to use her powers to harm you if you had questioned her." Adalind assured her fuchsbau friend.
"Well, we don't have to worry about her powers anymore." Monroe quipped.
Shaking his head with a smile at his friend, Nick hugged Trubel and said, "I am so glad you're alright. And it was clever thinking, putting grimm blood in the coffee."
"Thanks." Trubel beamed proudly.
Adalind joined in on the hug. "You are an extraordinary girl, Trubel."
"Thanks Adalind. And I'll never complain about the no caffeine rule again. Since that's what saved me."
The group decided to stay and have dinner together. Wu joined them a little while later. They all wanted to spend time with Trubel after nearly losing her.
While they were together, they discussed that they needed to find a way to prevent Nick and Adalind from having their powers taken.
And once they got a new place, they needed to find ways to prevent anyone who wished them harm from entering their home.
Catherine might have been taken care of, for the moment, but there were still far too many who would try to hurt a grimm and his family.
Grimm
Nick took a moment from the celebration to call Sean Renard.
"Catherine Schade tried to hurt my daughter. But Grimm's blood got into her coffee and well, the hexenbiest is no more."
"Catherine underestimated her opponent. And she paid the price."
"Let's just hope you never do the same."