It should come as no surprise that the royals did not trust each other. Even members of the same family had a tendency to plot against one another.
They all wanted power. And they all were willing to do anything to get it.
That was how multiple mercenaries, each working for different members of the royal family, were sent to Portland, Oregan at the same time.
Each with the exact same mission; capture the grimm,Nick Burkhardt.
-GRIMM
Prince Eric called his half brother, Sean Renard, and requested to meet with him, claiming to want to catch up and help their bond as siblings.
Not trusting his legitimate brother and established heir to the throne, but also knowing he had to play nice for propriety's sake, Sean agreed and made a reservation at the finest restaurant in the city, making sure to request a table in the middle of the room. Where there would be plenty of witnesses in case Eric tried something.
His contacts inside the royals doings told him that they were planning something big, and it would be happening in Portland.
The half royal could feel everything he had been planning slipping through his hands. He had failed to take control of the grimm. Instead, he had managed to turn him into an enemy and lose a very valuable asset; Adalind Schade.
He had underestimated Adalind. And he had failed to see what she was truely worth.
Sean realized he had made a mistake to believe she was so easily manipulated. He had really made the mistake of seducing her while continuing the relationship with her mother.
He had no doubt about that was what had caused her to run to the grimm in the first place.
And now there was the problem that the grimm had proven himself to be much more resourceful than anticipated.
Even the plan to make Nick useless by blinding him had failed.
The grimm, Nick Burkhardt could see, had a powerful hexenbiest that loved him and friends who would stand by him through anything.
Sean knew he had lost the grimm as an ally and pawn for power. His only hope was that Nick was too much of a match for all of the other royal families. And could overcome whatever they had planned.
==================================GRIMM
A woman dressed all in black stepped off of the bus. She adjusted the hood, the pretense being to keep the rain off but really to ensure her face was covered. Ensuring that her blades were secured underneath her garments, she made her way to her primary destination.
==================================GRIMM
"Guys, we got some weird stuff going on. Even for Portland." Wu said as Nick and Hank entered the house that was the most recent scene of some strange events. "Paramedics called in a guy who was pronounced dead at the scene. Then the guy wakes up and attacks them."
"They made a mistake." Hank shrugged.
"They say there's no way they made a mistake. Their machines are working fine. They had to call uniformed officers for help. No one fired a shot, but the perp/victim collapsed and was pronounced dead again. He's being taken to the morgue now."
"Could be drug related, I saw people rage while on different kinds of stuff." Hank speculated.
As they were walking out of the house, Nick looked into the crowd of onlookers that were a common occurrence at most crime scenes. But something caught his eye. Or, that is, someone. The man looked very out of place among the others. He seemed to be there with a specific purpose.
There was a strange other worldly elegance about him. He was certainly dressed like someone from a different world.
Top hat, cane and dress jacket, he was far too dressed up for the middle of the day and for that area of Portland.
But just as quickly as Nick spotted him, the top hat man disappeared.
Putting the strange encounter to the back of his mind, Nick followed Hank to the car and the detectives made their way to the morgue where the return to the dead man was headed to be processed.
And then things took a turn for the weird yet again, when the dead man woke up in a rage, again, and attacked everyone and everything in his path.
To make things even more confusing, a green slime had been found in the victim's nose. Lab tests revealed the slime had many similarities to the substance found with blowfish.
"So are we leaning toward this being wesen related? Or are we thinking zombie apocalypse." Wu deadpanned.
"Portland seems a strange place to start a zombie apocalypse. A third of the population is vegan." Hank remarked.
"A wesen with a taste for comedic irony?" Nick suggested. "Looks like we need to be looking through my ancestor's journals."
======================================GRIMM
"Cracher de mortel" Nick read out loud. "A wesen that sprays a substance that allows them to control their victim."
"They're not very common. And they usually prefer warm climate areas." Adalind said. "The fact that one is here in Portland and it's targeting large amounts of people makes me believe there is a much darker agenda at work."
"I'm with Adalind on this one." Monroe said. "There's no way that any wesen would draw that much attention to themselves when there's a grimm in the city unless someone is trying to gain that grimm's attention."
"So we're thinking this cracher de mortel is working for somebody?" Hank asked.
"The royals." Roalee stated in irritation. "They've already sent verat and musai. Those failed and now they're trying something bigger."
"And more dangerous." Adalind added. "The cracher de mortels victims are extremely violent. The only one who can control them is the cracher de mortel. The wesen have soothing voices that are hypnotic to their victims." She pressed her body to Nick's, placing her hand over his heart. Looking up at him with eyes full of love and concern, she pleaded, "Please be careful. You might be the ultimate target of this wesen."
Nick smiled and kissed her tenderly on the lips. "Now that we know what this wesen is, I know what to look for. And with my strong hearing, I'll be able to sense him before he gets close enough to spray me with his slime."
"Meanwhile, we need to find an antidote for all of the cracher de mortel victims." Rosalee advised.
"Between my books and yours, we should be able to find one." Adalind said to the fuchsbau. "I'll bring my books to the spice shop, so we can make the potion as soon as we find the cure."
"Tomorrow." Nick advised. "We should try to get some sleep tonight, and deal with this wesen and his victims when we're well rested and able to think clearly."
Everyone agreed with him. They said their goodnights and headed to their respective homes.
========================================GRIMM
The woman in black watched the two royals enter the restaurant. The large windows allowed her to see them while she stood outside hidden by the shadows.
When the much taller one left, the shorter of the two looked toward the bar, where there sat a dark skinned man holding a cane and tall hat.
=========================================GRIMM
Sean Renard could sense his half brother was hiding something.
And he had a feeling that the strange events that were happening in Portland were somehow connected to Eric.
He made a few calls to those in power who were loyal to him, informing them to be on the lookout for anything suspicious.
-GRIMM
A cell phone buzzed, signaling a message. The words read, "Eric Renard has hired a cracher de mortel. You must find the grimm and where he keeps his ancestors' artifacts before Prince Renard and his minions do. If you can not capture the grimm, kill him. Signal when your job is completed. There will be further instructions."
The owner of the phone erased it's history, put it away and continued on with the mission.
-GRIMM
Nick could feel eyes on him. Watching his every move. He might think it was paranoia if it weren't for past events.
His boss had lied to him and tried to manipulate him.
There was a group of royals out to either take him or something in his possession.
And there were wesen who just didn't like that a grimm existed and wanted him dead for something his ancestors did.
Not to mention the fact that just because he was a cop meant there were a lot of people who hated him.
So Nick felt he was justified in being paranoid.
While he and Hank were investigating the latest attack of the cracher de mortel, Nick saw a man standing in the crowd who was staring at him menacingly.
He was a different man than the dark skinned man with the top hat and cain. This new man was in ordinary clothes. Nick sensed he was trying to blend in. And maybe he would have succeeded, if Nick's grimm instincts weren't screaming that this man was dangerous.
But there was also a sense that the man was only there to watch. He had no interest in trying anything with so many people around.
It gave Nick the opportunity to scan the crowd for the dark skinned man with the hat and cane.
This time, he didn't see him, but his eyes did pick up a figure dressed all in black.
Nick's instincts told him it was a woman.
There was also an air of danger about her. However, the threat she possessed was not aimed at him, so Nick continued to scan the crowd and investigate the scene. He made sure to keep on alert for the two figures that were obviously very dangerous.
-GRIMM
"This is getting insane." Nick said to Hank on their way to their precinct. I feel like I'm just waiting for an attack. I know one's coming, I just don't know when exactly that would be."
"With this new life you have, that seems to be an everyday thing." Hank replied.
Nick had to agree with his partner on that one.
-GRIMM
"Luckily, we don't need anything special to kill a cracher de mortel." Adalind said as she, Rosalee and Monroe worked on a potion to cure the blowfish wesen's victims.
"Yeah, it would be better if Nick just shot him. I don't want to imagine what a grimm would be like under the influence of the rage slime, should he get too close." Monroe quipped.
The two women agreed and continued on with their work.
Fortunately, they found the cure. Unfortunately, they discovered a problem with it.
Adalind called Nick to let him know they had found the cure, but that he, Hank and Wu needed to see for themselves why it wasn't so simple.
When the men arrived at the spice shop and entered the side room, it was impossible for them not to notice the giant syringe with the three needles.
"I'd sure hate to be stuck with that thing?" Wu snarked.
"The cracher de mortel zombies are going to feel the same way." Monroe returned.
"This is the only known way to administer the cure. But it's going to be very difficult." Rosalee said with concern.
"Especially since we know there are at least a dozen victims. Probably a lot more." Nick said with equal concern. "Administering the cure one at a time might not be possible."
"So we need to find a more efficient way." Adalind surmised. "Or a lot of innocent people are going to die.
-GRIMM
The woman in black watched the strangely mixed group through the skylight on the roof of the shop.
It was both a curious and astounding sight. Humans, wesen and a grimm working together to solve a problem.
-GRIMM
"Are you going to go back to the trailer, see if there's anything to help us there?" Hank asked.
Nick shook his head. "I don't need to. All of the books are here. The stash of weapons are not going to help." He turned to Adalind and Rosalee. "We have to rely on our beautiful experts in potions to figure out the solution."
-GRIMM
The woman in black was surprised to see the hexenbiest smile brightly at the grimm and give him a very deep kiss. That the grimm expressed no hesitation and tried to prolong the contact.
-GRIMM
"Alright you two. Save for after we stop the zombie apocalypse." Hank teased.
-GRIMM
Hank, Wu and Nick returned to the precinct to search for more leads.
Monroe, Rosalee and Adalind continued with their research on the cure and how to improve it.
The woman in black stayed to watch the wesen work for a while, then moved on.
-GRIMM
"Nick, he's coming your way!" Wu called over the radio.
They had been called to an apartment complex. Another apparent victim of the cracher de mortel. They weren't sure if they could call it luck or not, but it was an opportunity to catch a zombie, take him to the spice shop and try out the cure.
The zombie man rushed to Nick in a rage. The grimm was able to use the man's force against him, getting him to the wall. The man's increased strength allowed him to push himself from the wall and round on the grimm. He gripped onto Nick's shoulder, trying to gain purchase, but Nick was able to keep him back so that all the zombie could grab a hold of was Nick's shirt. A tear was heard but Nick didn't pay attention to it. Until he was able to knock the zombie man out and tie him up.
"Looks like you'll be needing a new shirt." Wu quipped.
Nick looked down and saw his shirt was now in tatters.
"Go ahead home and get changed." Hank offered. "Wu and I can get this guy to the spice shop."
-GRIMM
Nick entered his apartment and went straight to his bedroom. Quickly grabbing a new shirt and throwing it on, he made his way back out the door when he noticed the man with the menacing presence he had seen that day at a scene come rushing to him and morphed into a wesen.
NIck suddenly found himself face to face with a wesen that looked like a large cat with two very big teeth, like a sabre toothed tiger. And it was obvious the creature had only violent intentions for Nick.
It was the middle of the day, meaning all of Nick's neighbors were at work. There was no one to hear the fight going on or call the police.
Nick wondered if the wesen had planned it that way.
Nick was unable to draw his service weapon, but the wesen was unable to use his small crossbow.
The two men had to rely solely on their own physical qualities and intellect to overcome their adversary.
The sabretooth wesen was very strong. And he certainly had the speed and agility. However the wesen had not realized the grimm would match him on all three factors. Never had he had a single opponent that was such a challenge.
The wesen tried to gain the higher ground by jumping on top of the couch and pouncing on the grimm. But Nick easily cleared out of the way and delivered a hard kick to the back as he went past. It injured the wesen enough to make breathing difficult. Giving Nick enough time to grab the wesen and throw him against the kitchen counter. A loud snap was heard and the wesen stopped moving. Nick realized that his neck had broken from the impact.
He was about to call it in when the figure in black came through the open door.
Believing it was another person trying to kill him, Nick threw a punch, which the woman, whose hood had fallen away from her face, had countered.
Nick was about to reach for his gun when the woman said,
"It's alright, Nicky. It's me."
"Mom?"
-GRIMM
To say that Nick was surprised to see his mother, who he'd thought had been dead for sixteen years, was an understatement.
"I know you have a lot of questions." Kelly Burkhardt said. "I promise to answer them. But right now you need to trust me. Do not call the body in. He is working for a member of the royal family. Once they know he is dead, they will know his mission has failed and will send someone else after you. They may also try to find some way to have you punished for his death. The royals are very manipulative and their power far reaching."
Having dealt with a manipulative royal, who was also his police captain. Nick listened to his mother and didn't call it in.
Knowing his friends needed to be updated and could help, Nick and his mother made their way to the spice shop. She explained to him how she went into hiding after wesen staged a car crash that took the life of Nick's father and a female friend of the family whom the wesen mistook for a grimm. Cutting off their heads and allowing Kelly to fake her death and hide her true identity in her quest to end the power of the royals.
Introducing his mother was just as tense and awkward as Nick knew it would be.
Everyone tried to be polite, but there was no mistaking no one knew how to really act around one another.
"You guys' Thanksgiving dinner is going to be really awkward." Monroe commented under his breath.
Rosalee shot him a look. Hank and Wu chuckled nervously.
"It's nice to meet you." Adalind said, not wanting to show she felt intimidated by the woman and still wanting to start off in the best way possible.
"You're a hexenbiest." Kelly Burkhardt commented. "I've been watching you. My son seems to care about you."
"And I care about him." Adalind said, looking the older grimm in the eye.
"That's good. You can help us deal with the dead body."
"What dead body!" Four voices said at once.
Nick explained what had transpired when he was getting a new shirt.
"We need to get a house as soon as possible!" Adalind demanded, hugging Nick and peppering kisses all over his face. "Once we have our own home, I will be able to put protective spells all over it, so no being will ever be a threat in our own home."
"Yeah, you guys should really get on that, after we get rid of the dead body in Nick's apartment." Monroe suggested.
"And after we deal with the cracher de mortel." Nick said, looking around. "Speaking of, where is the zombie guy we got at the apartment complex?"
"Sleeping right now." Rosalee explained. "It takes time for the antidote to work. We injected him, but we still need to find a way to help a larger number of people at once."
"I saw the cracher de mortel." Kelly said. "But I could never get close enough to him. There was always something or someone in the way, keeping me from getting a shot. And he always seemed to disappear when I tried to follow or get close."
"Same thing happened to me. I knew there was something not right about him, but as soon as I tried to talk to him, he seemed to vanish into thin air." Nick confirmed.
"Maybe he is a master of voodoo." Wu suggested, and received eyerolls and puzzled looks from the others in the room.
The good news was that the antidote worked. Though the victim could not remember anything about his attack or his time as a zombie.
"So we still don't know why he is here or the true plan is." Monroe griped as Wu escorted the cured man out to take him home.
"I saw Prince Eric, heir to the throne, talk with the cracher de mortel." Kelly informed the group. She looked at her son. "It seems that multiple royals sent several mercenaries to ensnare you."
"Why would the royals go to so much trouble to have control of me?" Nick asked.
"Nick, you have to understand how valuable you are to the royals. To all wesen groups, actually." Adalind advised him. "The side you choose could be seen as having the upper hand in this long standing war."
"I want nothing to do with them or their war."
"I don't think they're going to give you a choice, man." Monroe commented.