Nick preferred to not allow Catherine to get anywhere near Portland.
For his own peace of mind, he didn't want there to be any chance of Catherine getting her claws into his children.
Luckily, he had a family member who could easily travel anywhere she wanted without being noticed.
Contacting his mother through email, Nick wrote the message:
Subject: Family Problems: Maternal Grandmother
Children are not being treated fairly by their maternal grandmother. It is strongly advised that she has zero contact with the kids.
Shortly after, a reply came.
Subject: Maternal Grandmother
Is mother of the full understanding and acceptance of not allowing maternal grandmother near children? Is she willing to cut her out of her life completely?
Nick replied.
Subject: Maternal Grandmother
She has accepted that her mother can no longer be a part of her life. And all that that entails. Her priority is the safety and well-being of her children. She feels her mother will continue to cause problems if allowed to remain in contact.
Nick heard nothing back. But a few days later, an eisbieber who owned a flower shop delivered a large bouquet of hydrangeas to the Burkhardt residents.
"We got an order placed on our website to deliver the largest arrangement of hydrangeas we could create and deliver them to your wife. No name was given. And it was paid by a account with the username: KB. I hope you know what's going on because it all seems a little cryptic to us."
Adalind's mother's body arrived in Portland for burial shortly after. Cause of death had been ruled accidental. She had slipped on an unsecured carpet and had taken a tumble down a large flight of stairs.
Even though she knew the monster her mother was, Adalind still felt grief. She had spent her whole life hoping for love and acceptance from her mother, and now, there was the final certainty that she would never get it.
Nick held her in his arms, offering unconditional love and affection. He assured her no one would judge her however she felt. So she allowed herself to mourn, and sought comfort from her husband whenever she wanted it. She also vowed that she would be a much better mother to her children than her mother ever was to her.
It was a strange thing, Nick thought, how even in a timeline so very much changed, that some things happened just as they happened before.
Nick's mother had killed Adalind's mother in both timelines. Sure, it had happened on different days, different locations, and the cause had been different, but it had still happened.
It made Nick worry what else might be inevitable. And it made him bound and determined, more than ever, to destroy any threat to his family.
He set his sights on tracking down and destroying Bonapart and Black Claw before it could rise.
While he was certain that there was no chance that they had any leverage against Adalind and could threaten her into leaving Nick staying with Renard, the grimm did not want to risk anything.
Just the thought of Renard having the opportunity to get his hands on Adalind sickened and enraged Nick.
He nearly went insane during that time, he was not about to let that happen again.
When these thoughts plagued him, Nick felt himself getting possessive. He would hold Adalind or the kids tighter. Gaze at them longer. Do everything to keep them close to his side.
If these thoughts should whisper through his mind as he and his wife were making love, he tended to get more dominant. He would purposely suck marks into her skin. Marks that would be visible for days. And always one on her neck for all the world to see.
Adalind never protested his behavior, nor did she question it.
He sometimes feared he was going too far in his behavior. Then one day, he overheard a conversation between Adalind and Rosalee that assured him his barbaric behavior was well received.
"I see Nick was in his primal grimm mood last night." Rosalee motioned to the mark on Adalind's neck.
"Mhmm. It was amazing. Whatever case he's working on has made him all territorial. I know it sounds horrible, but I love when he gets in these moods. All manly and possessive."
"It's not horrible. Monroe gets into those moods sometimes, too. It probably wouldn't be much fun all of the time, but they're nice in making a person feel wanted and desired."
"I know what you mean. Sometimes I wonder if I'm too assertive for Nick. And then nights like last night remind me that I'm with a real man who doesn't have a fragile ego. That he's more than willing and able to dominate when he wants to, and has the skills to ensure I enjoy every bit of it."
Nick stopped worrying about his behavior after that.
Instead, he focused on stopping a threat he was sure was coming.
Until he could figure out how to inform his friends and HR about the upcoming threat without having to explain how he knew of it and possibly sounding like a lunatic, Nick looked through his own resources by himself.
It was when he was by himself that Nick came across an old book in the trailer. He noticed it tucked away between the bed and the wall, as if someone had been reading it and dropped it there.
Inside, he read about a grimm that could tap into power, but only if they are protecting the people they love.
A way to destroy even the largest armies, if they were a threat to a grimm's family.
This power would help Nick destroy Bonapart and Black Claw.
Because he had the two things he needed, a strong love for his family, and The Staff.