O Fortuna

Chapter 14

Dinner is better when we eat together.

-/-/-/-/-/-

Portland was awash with speculation over the the mayor's office. The normally laid back population was now buzzing. Political candidates were clambering to fill the vacancy. Consultants and out of state interests, smelling blood in the water, were swarming in, and Adalind was watching.

A giant scrum of weird cranks and naive locals were polluting the local news with their delusions. Ah, the joys of local elections. The actual race was coalescing around two candidates. Andrew Dixon was one of her asbestos clients. Sure, he was a Kehrsite, but the city had not spared him. He was a sensible guy, but had become vocal about sorting out the morass of regulations hamstringing local business owners.

Adalind chuckled as she clicked over to another channel. Leslie Mann, the now famous investigative journalist from Channel Five, was riding the tidal wave of nationwide talk shows for spearheading the mayor's ouster. The words "Pulitzer Prize" echoed whenever her name came up. The woman was clearly basking in the glory, and Adalind was happy her name had not been tossed onto the fray.

Lawyering had been a welcome change. It was a reminder of her competence, worth, and value to other people. It was far too easy to lose yourself, to forget who you were in the haze of motherhood. When around Nick's friends, she couldn't help feel like "Nick's Girlfriend," "Nick's son's mother," or "So, you're Juliette?" But there were the glimpses, moments when she was preparing casework and meeting clients. Then she felt flickers of Adalind Schade.

Her eyes drifted down the list of tonight's preparations, mentally checking off item after item, and stopped at the filigree script ABS adorned with little flowers scribbled under her notes for chicken, oatmeal, and milk. She scratched it out and continued with salad fixings. You're playing with fire. How many times have you let yourself fall in love? Sean? Eric? And look at how that went. But it didn't help. As soon as her eyes returned to the list, there was another Adalind Schade Burkhardt monogram scribbled between cereal and laundry detergent.

Trubel had been recalled to HW last week, and she cried when they had a party celebrating her recovery. Adalind's mind drifted to their last ride. Cool air caressed her skin under the pink leathers as the big Ducatti carved through another hairpin turn through the dappled shade of giant spruce trees while Mount Hood's white cap filled the entire skyline to the north. A dozen ten-mile per hour switchbacks had their knees nearly scrubbing the blacktop, but the motorcycle's iron grip never loosened. Trubel hit the gas coming out of a steep turn and rocketed between a log truck and a beige RV lumbering by. The road straightened, allowing them to stretch it out past snow mobile rentals and the log-post entrances of winter park trails. The wind blowing off the mountain carried a flurry of snow. The wintry haze made a strange sight when Portland was eighty five degrees. Another half hour and they parked between pickup trucks at a dingy diner on the Washington side of the Hood River gorge. Staring out the diner's fly-specked window, she couldn't help think of fresh-caught trout sizzling in a cast iron skillet over a wood fire on the glittering riverbank. That will be a treat when Kelly gets a little older.

Trubel's expression changed when Adalind asked how she was feeling about going back. "It's so much fun, you know, jettijg all over the place and saving the world. But.. It's different here." She waited till the world-weary waitress headed past the cash register. "The Wesen there. They still don't trust me. It's like they are scared to say a word, like I'm going to hunt them down and kill their kids."

Adalind nodded. She knew that feeling all too well.

Trubel's hand drifted through her matted hair. "I was used to being alone, but then I came here and I'm not treated like a freak or an axe murderer. You know, I've been with them a year now, and Wesen still won't go on missions with me."

"How do you do it, then?"

"Most of the time I run field operations alone. Sometimes, I meet up with another Grimm, or a couple normal people. There are a few, like Meisner, who can see Wesen, but they don't have any powers."

Adalind let out a long sigh. "The leadership doesn't just tell them to suck it up and get on with it?"

"They are nearly all Wesen."

Adalind saddled up behind Trubel and they jetted out, weaving and winding their way down the Washington side of the Columbia River gorge. She missed rides like this back in her pre-Mom days, with the wind whistling through her helmet and the sunlight glittering off the rapids below.

Cold chills crawled over her body as her thoughts turned to her run at Aunt Marie and then Nick. Every other Wesen they had ever sent after those two ended up dead. A couple dozen Hundjagers, a Mauvais Dentes, a Nuckelavee, and then a Cracher-Mortel. If that wasn't good enough, her own mother had paid the price for her hubris. She went after Juliette alone that night because The Verrat wouldn't cooperate after everybody associated with Hank's attack turned up beaten to death. The Wesen Council soured on the subject after receiving a Marschusse's head in a box. Kenneth paid with his life and a king was lost. She had the strange distinction of being only one who had survived going after him.

They stopped at an overlook high above the river. The view went on for miles. Trubel leaned against the guard rail, pitched a rock into the yawning abyss, and asked, "So, what am I supposed to do. I'll end up dead if nobody will support me on missions."

Mischief filled Adalind's face. "You could always play the girl. Let one of the big, bad, 'I'm not afraid of Grimm,' types rescue you."

"Ugh! Seriously? It's not like I want a date."

"They probably feel intimidated by the whole 'Badass with a machete slung across her back' thing."

Trubel wrinkled her nose. Adalind continued. "How many female operators are there?"

"Besides me? I guess just Eve. I've met plenty of female analysts and a couple spies, but nobody who does what I do."

"So break the ice. Find a strong loner type and befriend him."

Trubel snorted. "Like Monroe?"

Adalind winked. "I'm just saying. Speaking of female operators. How are things going with... Um.. Eve?"

"Meisner is worried. Nobody will even get near her."

Adalind nodded. She knew that feeling all too well.

A wrinkle creased Trubel's brow. "You think I need to reach out to her. Break the ice."

Trubel rubbed through her hair and scowled as she continued. "What am I supposed tp say? Sorry for shooting you. I hope you don't take it personally."

Adalind sighed, but something else was bothering Trubel, so she waited, but the Grimm bit her lip and slid her helmet over her cropped hair. The remainder of the trip took them winding down the sheer rock faces, past waterfalls and towering spruce trees of the Columbia River gorge. Now, she wondered, what had happened. Rosalee had clammed up the same way. She wasn't about to interrogate Nick to find out. His relationship with Juliette needed to stay in the past.

-/-/-/-/-/-

The downside of Trubel's return to HW was no adults to talk to during the day. The upside was that playing around on her mother's couch was no longer off limits. Just last night, Nick pulled her onto his chest and sent her to the moon.

In the mean time, Nick's new hobby was banging on the door in the secret tunnel. He would sneak off after Kelly's bed time with a bag full of tools. I suppose it's better than hanging out in bars... It really wasn't a secret that he wasn't much of a fixer. Seriously, a can of penetrating oil or rust remover would probably go a long way, but the hammer's pinging echoed all the way to the hidden wall panel. Luckily, he was good with his hands. She mentioned inviting Monroe over to look at it, but Nick mumbled something about keeping their new place secret. They weren't exactly hiding, just not broadcasting their location. Solebody determined could figure it out. Probably, he just wanted to do it himself.

Adalind was busy today. They were having the gang over to celebrate the Mayor's ouster. At first, she resisted. She didn't feel like it was really a victory, but everyone kept insisting. She had been wanting to invite them over for a house warming party, and this seemed to be the excuse Nick needed. High roast chicken with mashed potatoes, gravy, fried asparagus, and fresh bread. For Monroe she was doing a vegan cauliflower steak with a peppercorn and wild mushroom wine sauce. While Nick wasn't exactly a cook, he was good with a knife and happy to help prep, as well as get the house squared away.

Butterflies danced through Adalind's stomach as she checked through the dinner preparations one last time. Nick had snuck home early to help. While he wasn't a cook, he made short work of taming the endless mountain of bottles, burp cloths, and baby toys that seemed to just keep coming and coming and coming.

It's not like she didn't clean. This was different. The Mayor had just been transferred to Federal Prison. The list of charges against him were still growing.

And so she went back over the sparkling house one last time.

There was just this one gnawing itch. She had not exactly expected Hank to accept the invitation... Not only had she lead him on to poison him, but she set Hundjagers on him too. And worse, she had gloated over it. Now, the man she had sent to the hospital twice was riding up the elevator with... Her stomach knotted. A whole crowd of people she had previously tried to kill. Rosalee was the only one of the whole bunch she had not actually gone after. She exhaled hard. They were the ones who wanted to celebrate with her, and she wasn't going to let them down.

The cookies were coming out of the oven when the service elevator clattered open. They welcomed everyone. Nick headed to the roof with Monroe while she gave Rosalee the nickel tour. Hank and Wu made a bee line her way. She was sure they were here to corral her for the You might fool Nick, but you don't fool us, talk. Adalind braced herself and turned on a welcoming smile. She was about to apologize for poisoning them the last time around, but their eyes were locked on the plate full of steaming hot, chocolate chunk cookies.

She beat back the flare of guilt. The last thing she needed was an argument over the ethics of witching both of them sideways at the behest of their own boss, so she gently took the reins. Mischief glittered in her eyes. "Now boys, you'll ruin your appetite."

Wu wiped his mouth. "They smell so good."

"I made them fresh."

Hank's eyes were glassy as his tongue drifted across his lips. "Are those macadamia nuts?"

She leaned in and whispered, "Of course. I made a few extras for you to take home. Do you want one?"

Their heads bobbed like puppy dogs.

"Ok, just promise you'll eat dinner. Rosalee will know if you don't." She lifted the platter towards them. Like children, their hands crept up and caught a large cookie. They glanced around furtively before slinking off with their prizes.

Rosalee snorted out a laugh. "I think there might have been some side effects."

Adalind winked. "Well, Christmas presents just got a lot easier."

She had steeled herself for stone faced silence mixed with sidelong glances. She expected the polite toleration as the outsider in their midst. Instead, here was playful teasing, jokes, and stories shared around the table.

Monroe refilled Hank's wine glass. A big smile filled his face. "I mean, it's not like I meant to run him over. There were dogs!"

Hank's eyes sparkled with laughter as he continued with his tale. "So there I was, laying on my back with this monster standing over me. His eyes were glowing red and I swore he was dripping blood. I mean, I had just watched An American Werewolf in London the night before, and now, there's one standing over me."

Wu snorted. "It's a good thing this bludbad is vegan, isn't it."

Hank quirked an eyebrow. "Where were my manners. I should have asked... Excuse me, Mr. Werewolf, but before you eat me, I need to know how you take your kehrsite."

Monroe grinned. "Definitely white wine with Kehrsite."

Wu swallowed hard when Rosalee and Adalind both nodded. Rosalee winked and said, "A Riesling is always good, but I wouldn't turn down a nice, sweet white Zin."

Hank scowled. "Come on, you can't be serious."

Nick's eyes twinkled as he elbowed Hank. "Well, since we're talking dinner, my mom's stack of Bludbaden recipes are laying around here somewhere."

Monroe laughed. "Savages, I tell you."

Nick continued. "At least we butcher our kills."

Hank elbowed Wu, and muttered, "See. I told you they looked like recipes."

Monroe was laughing. "Hank brought it up." He slid his fork under a slice of grilled cauliflower topped in a rich brown sauce. "Mmm. I would have fallen off the wagon that day if he would have showed up with a bowl of Adalind's wild mushroom reduction. Where did you find this recipe?"

Adalind batted her eyes and put on a mischievous smile. "Maybe we can swap. I'm nearly out of your spicy vegan sausage."

Nick rolled his eyes. "How do you eat that stuff? It's like having a mouth full of fire."

"It's good."

Rosalee snorted. "It did come out a bit spicy."

Adalind's eyes twinkled as she teased. "Yeah, but we're also talking about the guy who thinks salt is spicy."

Nick laughed. "Not that spicy? You guys should have seen her clean out a whole plate full of the ghost pepper challenge wings at Roosters."

"Kelly liked them too."

"My son kissed me and left a blister on my cheek."

Wu's eyes bugged out. "Did you say the challenge wings at Roosters?"

Nick nodded.

"I tried those once. The first bite is like heaven, and then it was like molten lava erupting inside me."

Adalind laughed. "See, they're really good."

Nick took another swig of beer and continued. "Oh, they smell fantastic... Until your sinuses catch on fire."

Everybody laughed as the conversation drifted back around to the mayor's demise at Adalind's hand.

The group raised their glasses while Monroe toasted. "Here's to Adalind, the best damned lawyer in Portland. She couldn't have sacked a greasier slime ball."

Rosalee raised hers and continued. "And here's to Adalind for keeping us out of the news."

Nick snorted. "I think he got off easy."

Monroe nodded. "He deserved the Hundjager treatment."

Wu chimed in, "I think Nick killed all of them."

And Hank answered, "I sure hope so."

Nick shook his head. "They always come up with more."

Adalind brought the tray of cookies to the table. "Cookies?"

Hank and Wu's eyes were glassy as their fingers crept across the tray.

Monroe's laugh huffed out. "Did you put something in those cookies?"

Adalind deadpanned. "It's my mother's old recipe."

Hank shrugged and took another big bite while everybody else stopped and stared. Nick's wry smile bloomed. "She's kidding. They are just normal chocolate chunk, macadamia nut cookies. I talked her into trying the recipe in her new cookbook."

The joking resumed with more stories as Adalind basked in the most normal dinner she never expected.