Chapter 2 – Lazarus effect

AN – The only down side to Guest Reviews is that I can't send you a personal message…for the guests who encouraged me to continue this (some rather enthusiastically) THANK YOU! It was the push of your reviews that is encouraging me make this a multi-chapter story. Now that doesn't mean that you'll like all of my choices (sorry) but I hope it will be a fun read!

AN2 – I don't have the entire story plotted out so pls feel free to review with suggestions or ideas! The focus will be on Juliette but all POVs will be included. For a few chapters at least that means we'll alternate as Juliette is separate from the others. My goal is for weekly updates but reviews will help me maintain a schedule (hint, hint)!

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing but I think I'm going to enjoy borrowing the toys for a bit longer!

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Replacing the desk phone receiver with more force than necessary, Nick Burkhardt cursed under his breath at the news. He glanced quickly around the squad room before he leaned forward to his partner who was watching him in concern.

"Juliette's body has disappeared from the morgue…and an intern is dead."

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Surprise flickered across Hank's face as he tried to process Nick's words. It seemed the nightmare hadn't ended with Juliette's death as he had hoped. He had caught the quick flash of pain and doubt over his partner's face before it had become a blank mask. Biting back his initial questions, he gave a nod and spoke.

"Let's go."

The pair of detectives arrived at the morgue at the same time as Sergeant Wu. The officer met Hank's eyes but neither spoke even though both wondered just how much more Nick could take. First there had been the murder of his mother then the revelation that his ex, the woman that he had loved and had wanted to marry, had played a part in his mother's death. The same ex had been killed by a fellow Grimm…but now her body had disappeared from the morgue.

Nick pushed through the doors and stared at the chaos of the room as he tried to rein in his anger. He had wanted Juliette dead but then he hadn't been able to do it. Truble pulling the trigger had been both a relief and a curse as Nick had realized that he wasn't quite ready to let go of the woman he still loved. He had held Juliette in his arms as the life had left her body and he had felt just as empty and lifeless as she had. He still wasn't ready to let go and the disappearance of her body flamed the anger, guilt and resentment that he had tried to bury.

"What do you have?" Nick turned his back on the scene as he bit out the question of the officer guarding the door. Both Hank and Wu moved to flank his sides.

"Looks like his throat was ripped out." The uniformed officer advised before consulting his notes and continuing. "The only body taken was a…um…Juliette Silverton. We are looking up her next of kin—"

"I'm her next of kin." Nick spoke through gritted teeth. He fisted his hands to keep from striking the officer as angry pulsed through his body. Without another word to the startled man he pushed by him to investigate the scene himself.

"Nick." Hank spoke in a low voice as he watched the new young officer glance around uncertainly. Realizing that his partner wouldn't respond, Hank looked to Wu who addressed the officer himself.

"Let's go out into the hall and you can review your findings with me." Wu pushed the young man out ahead of him and tried not to worry about the Wesen responsible for taking Juliette's body or what they intended to do with it. He also tried to ignore Nick's obvious anger. Having seen Nick as a Grimm and not just a cop, Wu knew the man could be very dangerous.

"Any ideas on who would take her?" Hank asked after they had the room to themselves. The CSU teams had already swept and he was grateful that no one was near them.

Nick gripped what was left of the body bag in his hands as he tried not to picture Juliette. He didn't want to see her smiling face as she told him that she loved him. He didn't want to see the distorted visage of her beauty when she woged into a Hexenbeist. He didn't want to see her lying in his arms bleeding. As he turned away he noticed the metal door leaning haphazardly against the legs of the autopsy table.

Hank wasn't surprised by Nick's silence so he moved to see the intern's body. His throat was shredded and before finding out about Nick and the Wesen world Hank wouldn't have had a clue what could have caused the injury. Fortunately or not, he started running through a list of likely suspects in his head as he remembered pictures and descriptions from Nick's books.

"Look at this." Nick had continued to stare at the door but had moved to kneel in front of it. He now held his fist against the dent.

"What are you thinking? It was damaged when it was removed?" Hank asked with a thoughtful frown as he crouched down next to his partner. He couldn't imagine what would have caused the damage and actually moved to look at the outside of the door. When he found it in perfect condition he looked back and saw Nick stand up.

"Nick? What's going on?" Trying again to understand, Hank stood up too and grabbed Nick's shoulder.

"The door was damaged from the inside, Hank." Nick watched his partner turn back to look at the door again and he simply waited for Hank to draw the correct conclusion.

Hank worked through the possibilities but only one seemed likely…if likely included the impossible. "But that would mean…"

As Hank couldn't finish the sentence, Nick did even as took out his phone and dialed Monroe. "Juliette is alive."

When the phone call was answered Nick repeated the statement. "Juliette is alive. We are coming to the Tea Shoppe." He then clicked off the line and moved to leave without another word.

Hank followed but paused to update Wu. They decided to split up as the Captain needed to be informed but neither wanted to leave Nick alone for any length of time. The car ride was quiet as both Hank and Nick kept their thoughts to themselves…it wasn't quiet in the Tea Shoppe though.

"You've got to be kidding me?!" Rosalee asked for the third time in an even louder voice as she paced around the shop counter. Her husband just raised his hands and gave her a similar answer once again.

"That's what he said and that's all – just Juliette is alive, we're coming to the Tea Shoppe. Nick's not always a big talker but I think he's gotten better. When we first met…" Monroe's voice trailed off as he noticed Rosalee's exasperated expression.

"I hope Nick gets here soon." Monroe mumbled slightly under his breath when his wife turned away to continue pacing. He understood her frustration though as he was also having difficulty processing the news. His world had certainly gotten stranger since he had become friends with a Grimm.

Fortunately, it wasn't long before Nick and Hank arrived; however, their discussion brought little information as they had more questions than answers. All four were scanning the books from Aunt Marie's trailer and Rosalee's collection as well.

"The Captain's case was unique - his mother did something to bring him back. Was there any sign that another Hexenbeist had been there?" Rosalee asked they had worked in silence for several minutes. She pulled down another book that she had already marked as she had continued to research Juliette's condition on her own. Her family had saved many lives over the years and regardless of what Juliette had done, Rosalee had been reluctant to give up on her friend. She had found only one other suspected case of a Hexenbeist being created instead of born though so she hadn't known where else to look. Juliette being alive though just might be the new angle that she needed to find something.

"Is it possible that she wasn't dead? I mean that somehow something in her powers allowed her to survive without someone else helping?" Hank asked. Every time he thought he had gotten used to Nick's Grimm existence something shook his confidence. Juliette's transformation had done that and now she was responsible again.

Nick paused as he had first assumed someone had taken her body and then he had assumed she had been resurrected. He had survived things that should have killed him and it was clear that Juliette was special too. Quickly organizing his thoughts, he sought to find some order and stability in the situation.

"You guys work on that. We need to see if we can find her." Nick paused as he considered whether or not Juliette remained the same monster who had tried to kill him after he had refused to kill her. Looking around at his friends, he realized that he might risk his own life to find out but that he couldn't risk their lives. Without his Mom and Juliette, these people were the only family that he had left.

"Be careful. She could still be angry with us. If you see her, don't try to take her down - just call me."