A/N: First of all many, many thanks again to Merlyn Pyndragon for all the effort she's putting into betaing this story (and the other one as well :P).
Secondly, I'm sorry that this took so long. I left the Grimm-fandom and I'm really struggling to keep writing this story because I don't like leaving something unfinished behind. And I have a clear vision where to lead this story. But with completely loosing interest in the show it's hard to keep writing. It's sad but so far I'm still fighting the good fight to give you a finished story in the end. But please be patient as I'm barely able to write more than a handful sentences per day now.
In this spirit, thanks for all the encouraging messages and pleas to update this story. I don't know how long it will take but I try my best to give you the complete story.
When Wu finally made it home, he was more than ready for watching a little TV before heading to bed and finding the sleep he'd missed for so long. At least, he hoped he would find a little rest, now that everything was cleared and Nick, as far as Renard had told him, was free. Hopefully Nick would be back in Portland soon after all the money Renard, he and the others had spent on a car, the ticket and a lot of supplies.
Wu was wondering what would happen now to Renard's friend, who had to get himself out of Austria and Europe himself after he helped Nick. Maybe another rockie? Would be nice. Wu definitely looked forward to meeting this mysterious Christian.
Renard wasn't pleased at all about the plan Wu and Rico had come up with to get Hank out of the second precinct. Wu still thought it was a good one, but who was he to judge his own plan? Besides that he couldn't do anything anymore now. Rico was the mastermind behind the most of said plan, including Hank escaping together with his Wesen girlfriend.
Wu sighed and wished Juliette back into town. At least he would have one normal human being he could talk to about all this weird stuff. But Juliette was still looking for her uncle, or perhaps had just met him. Wu wasn't sure what he anticipated the most. Only having Juliette back as a voice of reason and wisdom in his upside-down turned life or a future when this madness finally calmed down in any way.
With a deep sigh Wu opened the fire-door and entered the floor where his apartment was. He would at least pretend that everything was normal tonight. That was all he wanted. In a paper bag he carried fries and two burgers, and he was looking forward to an ice-cold beer right after he turned on the TV. Not completely sure what to watch, he would watch something, anything. Hopefully one of his good old favourite movies but he could live with anything tonight. Anything not horror or fantasy like.
But just when he came around the corner, one hand in his pocket to get his keys, Wu stopped in the middle of the movement, staring with wide eyes at a woman who was pacing the hallway in front of his apartment, up and down in an endless, restless walk.
Wu blinked, trying to pull himself together, before he started walking again, very controlled in his movements and eager to look relaxed.
"What a surprise," he greeted his unexpected guest. "What brings you here?"
Hearing his voice, the woman turned around on her heels, staring at him for a split second before storming at him, throwing her arms around him. "Drew, thank the Lord! Finally you are here!"
Wu was stunned, plain and simple. He was so baffled that he was only able to return the embrace, his nose deep into her hair and taking deep breaths out of it.
Good God, she still used the same shampoo! And he loved it, like he loved so much about her. She was his big love, the only one he'd ever wanted. Unfortunately she only saw him as a good friend ...
"Dana, what are you doing here?" Wu finally asked.
Dana was married. He had been Best Man for her husband. No matter how much doing that had torn his heart apart, he was there for them, and he was there after Sam, Dana's husband, lost his job. Got the couple not only into the States but also found a job for Sam. Here, in Portland. Funny thing, Wu had barely seen him since they moved here.
"I needed one other person with a clear mind," Dana told him. "This whole thing seems to drive everybody crazy! I cannot stand that anymore."
Wu smirked. At least one person thought of him as reasonable person. That's quite more than what he thought of himself right now.
Dana let him go. Blushing, she stepped backwards. "Excuse me. I was worried about whether you would come home or not." She shrugged. "I know I could have called the precinct and asked there. But ... I need someone to talk to."
Looking at him with her wild hair and tears in her eyes, Wu put his original plan for the evening on the backseat and smiled. "It's okay. Come on in if you like." He walked up to the door to his apartment and put the key in the lock before he hesitated. Looking over his shoulder he asked: "You know I've a cat, right? And you are not allergic, if I recall correctly."
Dana nodded. "Your cat has a doggy name, I remember," she answered with a smile.
"Don't let Caesar know what you think of his name!" Wu smiled back and opened the door.
If Caesar had heard Dana, Wu couldn't tell. The cat was gone, hidden in one of his countless hideouts within the small apartment when Wu came in, following Dana and still fighting to calm down and bring his heart rate back to normal.
Dana, his beautiful Dana. The love of his life. She had never been here before. He hadn't even known that she knew where he stayed.
They had met in childhood when Wu was visiting Manila with his parents and was staying at his grandmother's. Dana lived only two or three houses down the street, and she came, like so many others, to listen to what Grandma Wu had to say. Grandma Wu, he remembered, was a storyteller and she knew a lot of stuff, all of the old legends and fairytales. And when she was in the mood she created new ones which left her audience breathless and sometimes terrified.
Yes, Wu remembered that very well. He loved to go to Manila and find out more about his roots. And after he met Dana he fell even more in love with the Philippines, only for her.
He didn't know why it was always only friendship from Dana, but he was okay with it as long as he could meet her, write letters, be there for summer vacations. When Dana came to New York, where Wu had been born and raised, to study, he felt like he had gone to heaven. The university was where Dana met Sam and fell in love with him – which was funny as Sam's family only lived a street away from Dana's house in Manila – and Wu's little world crashed down once more. He never showed to her or Sam his real feelings. Maybe that was the problem.
Dana looked around. This was the first time she had visited him at his apartment. Usually they met somewhere in the city for a coffee, or he was at her and Sam's house for dinner. So far they may have met four or five times since the couple moved to Portland after Sam got a new job here. Something Wu had worked on hard too. He'd helped them both to settle down after the huge move from the Philippines, first to New York and then to Oregon. After that the battle at the container yard happened and left Wu in such a desolate state that he did everything to avoid Dana, who called him nearly every day.
"You've it nice here," she said now and nodded. With a little smile she took one of the cat figures from the shelf and showed it to Wu. "It's good to know it's got a new home with someone who's carrying for it."
Wu blushed, remembering the cat figurine was a gift from Dana and the first piece of his collection. It wasn't that he'd ever asked for more cat figurines, everyone seemed to think that he, as owner of a cat, also loved to collect those. And with that Wu got cats in all sizes and from all material he could think of. Most of them adorable kittens in adorable poses.
"Yeah, I keep it safe from Caesar," Wu explained a little lamely, and put the paper bag with the fries and burgers on the table. "You want something to drink? Eat? I've burgers and fries but I could also look into my fridge ..."
"I'm good, thanks." Dana smiled and put the cat back on the shelf.
Wu nodded, not really knowing what to do next.
There must be a reason why Dana was here but he couldn't really figure out why. It wasn't like they were together all the time so he knew what had bitten her in the very next moment. But he didn't want to force her into explaining herself at the same time. He simply loved that she came to him, obviously searching for a solution to a problem he had yet to know.
"It's good to have you around, you know that, Drew?" she asked.
Wu felt warmth in his cheeks and turned around, away from her. "Don't call me that," he said, trying to sound light.
"You still have issues with your first name?" Dana was surprised. "I've heard about that from others. But I'd never expected that it is so hard for you. What's wrong with Andrew?"
To stay at the most important first: his first name wasn't exactly what everybody would expect. And back in childhood days in Manila, it was hard to be the outsider, the one who went away at the end of summer. The one with the foreign name. Others made fun of it, and with the years and all the spent visits, Wu learned to hate his first name. He couldn't recall when he exactly started to avoid it, to stick to his last name only.
Wu shrugged. "I don't like it, that's all," he said, looking over his shoulder after the highest heat in his cheeks was gone. "Nothing for you to worry about. That's more up to me now, right?" He tried a smile, not sure how Dana would react.
She smiled back – sad and tired. Suddenly Wu thought she looked pretty exhausted.
Wu pointed at the small dining area. "Let's have a seat and talk, watcha think? Why did you come to me? What's the problem?"
Dana turned and moved the first chair she could lay her hand on to sit down. "It's ... Lani," she said then with a sigh. "Or better it's Lani and Sam."
Wu frowned and took a chair close to hers. "What's the matter with your husband and your mother-in-law?" he asked. "I mean, I know you and Lani aren't besties but she always loved Sam and wouldn't harm him. What's different now? The distance?"
Dana shook her head, staring down at her lap, where her hands were busy kneading each other. "No, it's not the distance," she answered, hesitantly. Still avoiding Wu's eyes she continued. "Sam is mad with me because I let Lani know about my condition. And Lani wants to come over, to help me over the next few months. Sam doesn't want her anywhere near me but he's not telling me why."
Wu startled. "Your con... OH!"
For a moment it seemed to him like the earth had started to shake, ready to swallow him at once. His heart was breaking after he realized what Dana just said without actually saying it. And the next words to speak choked him.
"Congratulations. I'm happy for you."
Dana blushed again and smiled a sad smile. "I'm sorry, Drew. I knew this must be upsetting for you."
Wu tucked a smile on his lips. "Nonsense! Surely I'm happy for you, for both of you!" He let open for which two.
Then again he frowned. "But I thought Sam would love his mother to help. Why is he pushing her away now?" He thought about what he knew about the family of Dana's husband. "There's nothing wrong inside the family, is there?" he asked then.
Dana shook her head again. "That's what I don't understand. Everything was fine just until I told Lani that I was pregnant. Suddenly she wants to come here. And after I told Sam that I told his mother ... he wasn't really pleased but he's keeping me out. He's skyping with his family a lot and lately he's fighting with Lani every time they talk. I've no idea what's going on."
"Is it Lani's first grandchild?" he wanted to know then.
Dana nodded.
"Mystery solved!" Wu shrugged. "Grandparents are overwhelming, especially when they are becoming grannies and grandpas for the first time. Sam surely is a little greedy right now because Lani will share her love with the baby. You hear that often in my job." He smiled and touched Dana's hands gently. "Nothing to worry about, believe me."
But there was a weird feeling inside him ...
Eric felt like he was going to explode in anger any second.
First the Grimm escaped. And when he, Eric, finally came back to his castle he found police on his doorstep, called in because of a murder in the kitchen! Not to mention that his father was going to show up here in a few days. There was also the Adalind problem. Not that that would be such a huge issue after the spell started to work on Nick – or had started to work on him after he touched Adalind the first time. But Eric wanted this murder under controlled circumstances, not somewhere in Vienna where the chance was high that Nick would be arrested right after he got rid of Adalind. The Grimm on the loose ... that was a worst-case scenario right now after what Eric had done to Nick. And not to talk about Hans, who would probably ignore Eric's orders to bring Nick back alive and unharmed.
Police in the castle! They turned the whole place upside down to find evidence. And they asked questions, getting answers Eric couldn't control either.
Now, finally, after more than a day tearing the castle apart, the police had left them, in a chaos that would give the maids work for more than a week!
Eric needed answers. Unfortunately, not only had Pierre been the victim, but Christian was nowhere to be found. Eric could only guess that his private secretary had returned to the hospital. The injuries looked pretty serious. And if Christian had gone in a hurry, it was understandable that he hadn't left a note. It was more of a question why, if this scenario was the truth, Christian didn't call after he was checked into the hospital again.
He had to think about so many things at once, he would lose track of some, Eric realized. And to avoid this he needed Christian. Christian could run the daily matters on his own, and that would mean a lot less pressure for Eric at the moment. And Christian was the only one Eric trusted enough to run the businesses if Nick and Adalind escaped Vienna. Christian already had a proxy; Eric would only reassign the terms of this proxy.
But that was worst case. Eric still hoped Nick would show his face at one point, hopefully after he got rid of Adalind, as the spell Pierre had placed on him demanded in the last state. Nick would be much easier to control after that and hopefully it would only take a statement from Eric to lead his tamed Grimm back to the castle then.
That brought Eric to the question of why Eloise was taking so long in bringing him Nick's fiancée?
Degenhuber, his security chief, entered the office and bowed before Eric just after the Royal started to think about the new baronesse.
"Your highness," Degenhuber said.
Eric sighed and pulled a face. "What?"
It was clear that Degenhuber didn't have the best news for him. The Hundjaeger still stared at the ground, flinching and obviously trying to buy a little more time.
"What?" Eric repeated, this time more insistent.
"Your highness, I think we all have to realize that there was a traitor here at the castle. And I think we all know who this traitor is," Degenhuber said.
"And it took you two days to realize that?" Eric asked, full of sarcasm. "Wow, I think I employed the next Einstein here!"
"Your highness, I was suspecting it earlier, when we found out he'd disappeared. But I hesitated to tell you. It's best known that you trust him." Degenhuber lowered his head and stared at his shoes after this words, as though he expected Eric to try to behead him.
It only took the blink of an eye to realize about whom was Degenhuber talking about.
"Are you seriously offering me that as the truth?" Eric asked. "On what grounds?"
Degenhuber didn't look too happy. "Your highness, he isn't anywhere here! And he's the only one missing. I really think we should accept that Christian is the traitor."
Eric's stomach cringed and a sharp pain in his temple made him clench his fists. "That is absolutely impossible!" he snapped.
Degenhuber sighed. "Your highness, think ..."
"I said that isn't possible!" Eric's voice was smaller but colder now. Nonetheless it seemed he had screamed at Degenhuber.
"In case you missed it: Christian was robbed by one of the known members of the resistance," Eric continued. "And Meisner wasn't gentle in this case. Christian came here from the hospital, heavily injured. It is most likely that you will find him in one of the hospitals in Vienna, and not plotting against me!"
"I hope so for you, your highness," Degenhuber mumbled.
In that moment there was a knock at the door.
Eric looked up, frowning. "What is it now? I'm busy!"
"I have the information my d... Mister Degenhuber wanted me to report," came the answer.
Eric tilted his head and looked to Degenhuber. "You wanted, eh?"
Degenhuber shrugged. "I'm sorry."
Suddenly Eric was tired. The day had been more than merely exhausting. And arguing with Hans Severin and the Verrat wasn't the right recipe to relax. At least, he had to admit, Degenhuber did do something, even if this "doing" was nothing more than training his son.
"What is this information you have to bring Mister Degenhuber?"
The door opened a little and a boy's head peeked into the office. He woged and blushed at the same time when he saw Eric standing there. "Your ... your highness—" The head bowed.
Degenhuber winked. "Come on in, Stefan."
The boy—Eric realized it was more like a very young man, not older than eight- or nineteen— came in hesitantly, avoiding to look into Eric's direction.
"What did you find out?" Degenhuber's voice was warm and calm, helping the boy, Stefan, to concentrate.
"I checked the flight-lists," Stefan answered and offered his father a sheet of paper. "And ... and I found a name there."
"What name?" Eric demanded to know.
Stefan woged again, which made Eric roll his eyes.
So pathetic!
"Christian's, your highness," Stefan finally answered, now offering him the sheet of paper. "He took a flight. That's why we cannot find him."
Eric frowned. "This has to be a mistake," he said and grabbed the paper.
Christian's name was marked, along with the flight-number.
"Where did he go?" Eric wanted to know, certain that this was nothing more than a stupid mistake. Surely there was another man with the same name around. A guy who took a plane, maybe for vacation, maybe business. A guy who surely not was Christian.
"Vienna to New York," Stefan answered, his voice nothing more than a tiny whisper. "And from JFK to Portland International." He stopped and looked down to his feet. "I'm sorry, your highness."
This felt like someone just had pulled away the concrete ground from underneath his feet ...
After a nap on a bed instead of a stone park bench, followed by some homemade food and coffee, Nick felt like himself again. The house was pretty big, something that he hadn't expected after seeing the front. But he thought it might be a trick of the eye because this house was built on a hill and carved into said hill. What appeared on one side as a normal two-story house turned on the backside out as four floors to the ground. Not to mention the cellar underneath the ground floor on the back.
It felt weird but good. These people were willing to help them. After dark the Americans would leave Vienna, and Nick really hoped this would be the last time he saw this city. As much as Vienna seemed to be charming, it was dangerous, especially for someone like him. Too dangerous right now.
Marion was busy in the kitchen; he heard her rummaging. Besides the three of them, they were alone in the house now, Marion's daughter gone. Nick suspected the girl being away kept her safe in case someone had seen him and Adalind entering the house.
Nick felt the long missed weight of the cellphone in his pocket and had again to resist the overwhelming desire to call Juliette or one of the others. He missed them all so much and he would be more than grateful to have someone at his side he knew and could trust. As much as he believed Marion, he would feel much better with Monroe or Hank having his back, or Rosalee, who surely would have been buried underneath books by now to figure out what was wrong with him.
Nick sighed. Christian had told him calling was for emergencies only. And so far this wasn't an emergency, not as long as Adalind was within reach.
But maybe ...
A key moved in a lock, then Nick heard the front door open and he held his breath, listening to footsteps coming down the hall, feeling his heart pounding faster once more.
Whistling a song Nick didn't know, a man came down the stairs, playing with his keys and at first not noticing the stranger in the house. Nick didn't really know what to do, so he decided to play nice.
"Good evening," he greeted the stranger, who at first nodded, still lost in the song he was whistling. Then he stopped moving and whistling. Slowly he lifted his head and looked to Nick, blinking behind glasses.
He had warm eyes, Nick realized, warm and friendly. He looked at him with some interest but without fear.
"Another stray my wife picked up from the street?" the stranger finally asked. He used English, but with the hard accent of a German.
Nick raised one eyebrow. Stray? He?
"David? Did I just hear you coming home?" Marion called from the kitchen. "I have some ..." She came around the corner, hands drying on her apron she stopped in the middle of the hall. "Oh! You already met." She blinked at both men, obviously trying to assess about the situation.
"Yeah, I just met ... what's the name?" the man with the glasses, David, asked.
"I'm Nick," Nick answered and smiled.
David turned to Marion and looked at her, concerned. "I really hope you don't overuse our little secret. I didn't spend all the time and effort in renovating them to see them closed for good and us, in best case, in jail because we helped one time too often."
Nick turned to Marion, then looked again to David. "I didn't mean to ..." He stopped, not really knowing what to say. The tunnel was the only way out of town so long as every other exit was being watched.
"There's enough police and security out there on the streets to stop a revolution," David continued. "Looks like something's happened with the prince."
"Not with the prince," Nick corrected, automatically. After he realized what he just said he cursed himself silently.
"Excuse me?" David looked at him again. "I don't mind you being in my house or using the tunnels. But I think you've no idea what we are talking about. American, right? What happened? You lost your papers?"
Nick shrugged, not feeling too well in this situation.
"Actually, no. I don't think he had his papers with him when he was brought here," Marion said.
"So?"
"I'm one part of the reason why there is so much police and security is out there," Nick finally confessed, still not sure how much he could explain.
"We should really talk about this, David." Marion came closer.
"Where's the kid?" David asked.
"With a friend. I gave permission that she can have a sleepover."
David sighed and crossed his arms before his chest, watching Nick again. "And why are all those people out there looking for an American?" he asked.
Nick shrugged again and glanced to Marion. Suddenly he understood why Adalind thought he was crazy to trust a complete stranger.
"I'm a Grimm," Nick finally answered, hoping that would explain it. He was awaiting David to woge in front of him, but nothing happened.
Instead, David blinked again and looked at his wife. "Weren't Grimm the badasses in your bedtime stories? Isn't he supposed to be your villain?"
Nick understood. "You are human!"
"Of course I am." Finally David moved, leaving Nick and Marion alone in the hall while he went down to the kitchen.
"He's a Kehrseite. That's what we call humans," Marion explained.
Nick remembered. "I know. A good friend of mine is a Blutbad. He explained that to me for a while," he said, following David with Marion on his side.
And there it was again, the sad feeling. Nick knew he was homesick. He wanted to be back in Portland, with Juliette, solving crimes with Hank, having some beers with Monroe. Instead he was now what Marion's husband called a stray, homeless and in flight. It felt so wrong ...
"You are really unusual!" Marion shook her head, walking ahead to be at her husband's side.
Nick watched their backs, a sad smile lifting the corners of his mouth.
Yes, he was different. He had to realize this during his time as Eric's prisoner. And he was grateful that Aunt Marie told him to hunt only the bad Wesen, that he decided himself to do so. He was a Grimm and a cop, just like he'd told the Eisbibers two years ago. And, if Hans and Franz were the standard for Grimms, then he never wanted to be anything like them!
Following the couple into the kitchen, Nick was diving into his thoughts.
Marion was talking in a low voice to her husband. Nick was sure she was trying to explain the situation to him. And he started to wonder if she was mentioning Adalind in this explanation. So far Marion hadn't been interested in her at all. On the other hand, right now Adalind was part of the package as long as they haven't found a cure for what was wrong with him.
Rosalee would most likely know, Nick thought again. And if she didn't already know she would search her books until she found something.
Again he thought about the cellphone in his pocket, but he resisted. It was hard, especially after he realized that he really was chained to Adalind. Rosalee would find an answer, she would know what to do and she would succeed. The question was if Marion would be able to do that too. And Nick pretty much doubted that.
In the kitchen was Adalind, sitting at a table, a cup of tea in front of her, reading a paper Nick never had heard about before.
David only lifted an eyebrow, that was all reaction Adalind got. So Nick has been more lucky ...
Davidl glanced to the table again Nick noticed, and sighed before he turned around to him and started to talk:
"We will start here after sunset. It's better during the night; not as many people on the streets who might hear us."
Nick nodded. "Understood."
"I hope so." David sighed again, taking another look of Adalind. But now, Nick realized, David wasn't looking at her, he was looking at the little mountain of food Marion had put on the table. Food for Nick and Adalind until they found another village or town.
"Thank you for your patience and help," Nick said.
David turned around to him again. For a very long moment he simply watched Nick before he finally started to nod. "You are welcome." A little smile grew on David's face ...
Monroe was fixing one of the clocks he'd gotten from a customer in Sweden when the telephone in the Spice Shop began to ring. Keeping his patience, he first tightened a tiny screw before he put away his tools and went to the front.
"Rosalee's Tea and Spice Shop. Monroe's speaking," he greeted after he picked up the receiver, wondering who wanted to call him.
"Monroe?" he was asked from a voice he first didn't recognize.
"Yes?"
"It's me, Nick," the voice continued.
And Monroe's heart jumped in excitement. "I've heard you are on the run," he said with a bright smile. "I hope you are calling from an airport?"
"Not directly," the voice answered. "Listen, Monroe, I need to know some things. Can you tell me?"
Monroe frowned. "Yeah, of course I can. What's wrong?"
"It's not safe from where I'm calling. So I will keep this as short as possible, okay?"
"Not to mention the roaming fee, huh? Must be pretty intense," Monroe said.
"You could go there ..." The voice faded away for a moment.
"So, what's the matter?" Monroe couldn't help himself, he had a big grin on his face which didn't go away, no matter how hard he tried to stop it.
"Do you have any idea where Juliette is? I tried to call her on her cell, at home and at the clinic. I know it sounds weird but I really need to know."
Monroe frowned. "You tried to call Juliette but she didn't pick up?" He thought for a moment, trying to remember the last call from Nick from Christian's cell phone. Nick knew what Juliette and Rosalee had planned back then. Monroe remembered Juliette telling him that she wanted to go to her uncle to find out more about her own Grimmness and maybe discover a possibility to end her powers. So why would Nick ask where Juliette was? He knew she was gone, and no one knew how long it would take her to find her uncle.
The voice! It didn't really sound like Nick, and not only because the line was a bad one. Monroe's grin died on his lips.
"I don't know," he answered then. "Maybe her cellphone died because she forgot to charge it."
"But do you know where she might be right now?" the voice asked.
"Nope, sorry," Monroe answered and turned around, looking to the entrance to the shop, hoping a customer would come in. But of course there was no costumer when he needed one!
"You sure? She trusts you," the voice asked again.
"Well, as far as I remember she trusts you even more," Monroe said. "I'm sorry but I fear I've to go now. Catch your flight, Nick. I'm sure Juliette will be here when you will arrive. Oh, do you know when?"
The line was suddenly dead. And Monroe looked at the receiver, still frowning.
That was not Nick. But ... who then?
The tunnel was small and dark, old timber steadying the stone face of the ceiling. Nick was sure in better light he would actually see the marks of the tools the workers had used back in the day.
He could barely stand upright in the low tunnel, carrying the heavy backpack. He followed David through the maze of passages, some half caved in, others wide open. From somewhere around he could hear the sounds of tools and shivered, for a moment overwhelmed by superstition.
"This is creepy!" Adalind whispered behind him. The narrow but long space magnified the volume and let an echo grow.
"Sht!" came the order from ahead. David had stopped, the light of his lantern moving from one side to the other, illuminating the dark mouth of another tunnel for a moment. "I thought they would have been done by now," he mumbled.
Nick realized that there really were workers down here, somewhere in the other tunnels surrounding them. There was not only the one Marion mentioned, which started (or ended) at her house – there was an entire maze underneath Vienna's suburbs, hand-carved and renovated by someone who was still hard at work.
"Who is down here?" he whispered.
David, crunched over like himself, managed to look back at him. The light of his lantern kept half of his face in the shadows but illuminated the straight line on his forehead. David seemed to be worried about something.
"Grabenklauer," the answer came from behind, where Marion was watching as the end of their little group. "Tunnel building Wesen, a little like moles. There's a small community of them around. They have kept the tunnels repaired over the past few centuries."
Nick nodded and looked over his shoulder to see Adalind's reaction, but she didn't seem affected. He didn't know if she knew about these Wesen at all.
"Will there be a problem with them?" he asked.
"I hope not. But they are not very fond of others using the tunnels. They think they own them. We are tolerated because my grandparents, who built the house, opened the tunnels for them," David explained.
The sound of tools stopped, replaced by muffled voices. Nick tried his best but he couldn't make out what was said, only that there were at least three different persons talking.
"Keep quiet," David ordered and stepped forward.
Nick sighed quietly and followed. The backpack and the low ceiling started to get to him. His back hurt, and the tunnel around him seemed to constrict further. Trying to keep his fear of tight spaces locked up deep in his mind, he followed David as quietly as he could.
Adalind behind him was the only one in their little group who could go upright, and Nick was a little jealous right now.
If they were attacked he probably was in the worst position, not able to stand upright, with the heavy weight on his shoulders. No, this was no position he wanted to be in, but he didn't have any other option.
Counting his breaths, he followed David.
Somewhere around them some tiny rocks were falling. Hitting the ground, the sounds reverberated beyond and behind them.
Nick shivered, trying not to think about tight spaces at all.
The sounds of tools meeting stone returned and relaxed him for a second.
This was weird! It was so wrong! He didn't do anything bad. He should have been able to leave this damned city on ground level instead of through a manmade, century-old tunnel underneath the feet of those chasing him.
Adalind slipped, the sound carrying again, growing into a seemingly deafening echo.
"Watch your feet!" David ordered.
The tools stopped again, a voice asking something. Nick held his breath, not really knowing what to expect.
"It's me!" David shouted. "Don't worry, guys. We just wanted to take a little walk."
Again they stopped, waiting.
Nick looked to the ceiling when he heard something above his head. This ceiling wasn't made of stone. It was bare soil. And within this soil there was something light. Brownish but of weird shape. It seemed to look down at him ...
It took him a moment to realize that he looked into the eyes of a skull and couldn't help but jump a step back. Soil from the walls crumbled to the ground.
"Keep calm, man!" David ordered over his shoulder. "You might be a good guy but don't forget what you are and how those guys might think of you. You don't want them as your enemies."
Nick nodded.
Rookie! he thought of himself.
The Grabenklauer seemed to be satisfied with David's explanation, and the sounds of tools meeting stone returned a second time.
"We will be coming to a hall soon," David explained over his shoulder. "Usually there's no problem, not at this time at night. But there might be some of them there right now, as it's a passageway throughout the maze. Let me go ahead, check the air. If it's clear we are half way through."
Nick nodded again.
"Half way? That would make the other half of the night until we can leave this tomb!" Adalind complained.
"If you want to try the roads above ground, go ahead!" Marion hissed.
Adalind shut up but gave the Lowen an angry stare.
David sped up a little as the tunnel grew taller. Nick sighed, relieved to be able to stand upright again. His back hurt even more now.
"Wait here!" David ordered and vanished around a corner of the tunnel. Nick saw more light ahead of them. It seemed they had made it to the hall.
"It shouldn't take long," Marion told them.
And only a minute later David's voice was audible: "All clear! But hurry!"
Nick moved again. A second too late he realized that David had used his normal voice. That meant there was something wrong, because the echoes now danced all throughout the maze of tunnels. Too late to stop, with Adalind close behind him, Nick hoped for the best – but entered the hall to his worst.
There were six of them. Hundjaeger. And those six had cornered a handful of people, including David. Nick saw some of the strangers woge into something he'd never seen before: pale skin, small black eyes, huge claws on their hands. They reminded him a lot of naked moles. And they were afraid, near a panic, when they saw him.
The Hundjaegers grinned with sharp teeth, ready to do what was necessary to catch him again.
"Stay back!" Nick ordered, but didn't have time to prepare himself before the first of the Hundjaegers came at him.
Nick wished he had a weapon but he could do with bare hands as well, and he knew it. He let slip the door to his soul open, embraced the darkness that came out of his very core. The Grimm took over, the warrior with the ability to stand and fight Wesen.
The Hundjaeger didn't have a chance. Nick got him by his jaw, jerking his head around in one fluid movement and feeling the one short snap when the neck broke. The first attacker went down not knowing that his own power had taken him out.
Nick loosened the straps of the backpack while he went to meet the second Hungjaeger. Getting the heavy bag from his back, he threw it like a weight, hitting a third Hundjaeger and knocking him off balance.
A shot was fired in his direction but Nick was faster. Diving forward he rolled over his shoulder, grabbing one of the tools the Grabenklauers had most likely brought with them before the Hundjaeger had cornered them: an axe. Rolling back to his feet again, now armed with this tool-turned-weapon, Nick went after the second Hundjaeger, throwing the axe at him. The sharp edge of the tool impaled the Hundjaeger, who only had the time to yelp once before he died.
A fourth Hundjaeger was above him, trying to get hold of him. Nick dived under the grabbing arms. Turning with one smooth movement, he got hold of the pistol his opponent was carrying, and the magazine emptied into the chest of this fourth attacker. Nick rolled to his feet a third time, using the dying body as shield when more shots were fired. He realized these shots weren't aimed at all, but loosened in panic.
Marion was above another Hundjaeger while the Grabenklauers, suddenly noticing that they outnumbered the remaining Hundjaegers, fought the one who got Nick's backpack in the chest.
Where was the last one?
Nick knew if he let even one of these Hundjaegers escape, Eric would chase him down, no matter the distance between them. Eric would know eventually that the Grimm had left Vienna, but Nick had counted on gaining much ground before then. If the Hundjaegers got away, Eric not only would know immediately, he would also know Nick had help and most likely punish the Grabenklauer community, Marion and her family. And that Nick couldn't let happen!
He turned on his heels, searching for the last Hundjaeger, and froze for a second when he spotted him, holding Adalind and pointing a gun at her head.
"Stop fighting!" the Wesen demanded. "Grimm, you will come with me back to the castle. Or I will kill her!"
Marion, woged into her Lowen form, and David emerged on Nick's side, while the Grabenklauers vanished with their victim into one of the tunnels. Nick saw blood on Marion's face from the corner of his eye. So her opponent wasn't a problem anymore. Which left the one who held Adalind hostage the last one.
The Wesen seemed to realize this as well. He was nervous, his hands shaking. Adalind looked terrified but didn't move.
"You hear me, Grimm? You and your companions will come with me," the Hundjaeger ordered again.
Nick frowned, not really impressed, and turned to look for the backpack. David looked at him, surprised.
"Hey! Don't you move! Or I will kill her!" the Hundjaeger ordered.
Nick turned around and made a waving gesture. "Go ahead, do it," he said, taking the backpack from the ground and throwing it over one shoulder. Adalind stared at him with wide eyes, as did the Hundjaeger.
"I don't care about her. But maybe the prince will. You are holding his fiancée hostage. And she is carrying his child." Nick smiled. "I'm pretty sure he will be happy to hear that you threatened to kill his future wife and mother of his heir. I don't care. Have fun with her."
"What the ... ?" the Hundjaeger yelped.
And now Adalind reacted. "How dare you!" she cried, stepping hard on the foot of the Hundjaeger, placing her elbow into his stomach. "Nick Burkhardt, how dare you! After all I have been through with you the last couple of days!"
Nick's smile faded. Instead he lifted the gun he'd taken from the ground when he grabbed the backpack. He didn't hesitate, barely aimed, and pulled the trigger ...
