Chapter 10 - Friendly discussions

AN – I will never get tired of saying this: THANK YOU for the reviews! All are very encouraging and very much appreciated! I think the next chapter will bring it all together and hopefully go out with a bang (although I do often add Epilogues)!

DISCLAIMER – Grimm and its characters belong to others, I play without legal right or profit!

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

So Grimms and hexenbeists are going to work together again?" Nick asked just as quietly.

Realizing that he had already read the books Juliette breathed a sigh of relief. Unlike the Crone, she wasn't sure of what their future held but, in that moment, the choice was easy. Smiling once more, she spoke more confidently.

"I think this hexenbeist and this Grimm can."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Um, Nick, is there something you forgot to tell us?" Monroe asked with both brows raised in surprise as Juliette entered the Tea Shoppe just behind the Grimm.

Rosalee woged and reared back in a mixture of fear and anger. Monroe moved closer to his wife but didn't take his eyes of Juliette even though she continued to look perfectly human. Hank and Wu also appeared shocked as the sergeant had just updated them with the news that Juliette remained missing despite their continued efforts to locate her.

Juliette tried to ignore the pinpricks of pain from their responses just as she ignored the need to woge after Rosalee had. The monster insider her was no longer in control, she wouldn't let it be in control. She knew she had made some mistakes and she understood their feelings; it still hurt though.

"There's a few things to tell you guys but first things first. Juliette is here to help, not to…" Nick winced at his own word choice and looked away when Rosalee finished the thought for him.

"Not to kill us, you mean? Like she tried to do previously?" Rosalee frowned as she remembered working so hard to help Juliette. She had felt guilty for unknowingly causing Juliette to transform into a hexenbeist and she had wanted to make it right. Juliette had become one of her best friends…before she had tried to kill them.

The tension grew as Nick remained silent for several moments. He still had doubts about Juliette and his friends' responses gave him pause. However, he still had doubts about himself sometimes too and it seemed easier to approach the problem from that angle.

"Look, we all have a past and we've all done things we regret. I killed that man and you guys helped cover it up. Monroe, Rosalee, you both have pasts but you've changed and moved on." Nick moved slightly to stand closer to his friends as Juliette lingered close to the door.

Monroe pulled his eyes from Juliette to frown at Nick. "Low blow man."

Nick raised his hands in a gesture of surrender as he tried again. "I just mean…I'm a Grimm. I've killed Wesen, a lot of Wesen. I even went after you Monroe when we first met. You were both suspicious and worried about what I am but we've managed to work together. We're friends, right?"

Monroe and Rosalee exchanged thoughtful looks. She continued to frown but she did tilt her head to the side as she returned to her human form. Both of them had struggled with befriending a Grimm and each time an old or new Wesen asked about Nick they had to defend him. Nick wasn't a traditional Grimm and they did consider him their friend. It was possible that Juliette wouldn't be a traditional hexenbeist either but they weren't quite ready to forgive and forget.

Hank still followed Nick's lead in all things Wesen but he was wondering if it wasn't the Grimm leading the way now but instead the man Nick defending his former love. As he remembered just what power Adalind had wielded over him, Hank also worried that Nick was under Juliette's spell.

Wu was the one who spoke first. "Can we go back to the 'I killed a man' thing? A human man? Was he a criminal or just..." Despite starting flippantly the man couldn't continue the line of questioning. He was still fascinated by the Wesen world but that didn't mean he understood it.

The group exchanged uneasy looks as they all realized that Wu hadn't been part of their group at that time. He had no knowledge of their choices and it was possible it wouldn't have supported them. After Nick shrugged slightly though, Hank offered a partial explanation.

"It was that bar fight after the zombies. Rosalee and Juliette were the witnesses. You weren't, um, aware of the Grimm thing at that time. We did cover for Nick but..." Hank turned to address his partner directly as he continued. "You didn't know what you were doing."

"A part of me did know. I've regained the memories now too." Those memories still haunted him at night, even more than all of the Wesen who had tried to kill him. He could picture the man and he could remember inflicting the injury.

Wu and Hank looked distinctly uncomfortable as did Monroe and Rosalee. They all knew Nick struggled with what he was especially when there was a conflict with his duties as a cop. When Juliette spoke all eyes turned to her.

"Just because you remember it doesn't mean you had control. We were there, Nick, it wasn't you doing those things." Juliette remembered struggling with her decision only briefly. Nick was a good man and she had wanted only to protect him.

"She's right, you know." Hank spoke up in agreement and nodded to Juliette in reluctant appreciation.

Silence again fell until Nick cleared his throat and opened his mouth to bring the conversation back on topic. Rosalee spoke before he could do so though.

"It's not the same thing Nick." Her look for Juliette was almost sympathetic...almost. She understood the overwhelming feeling of woging but that didn't mean she could overlook Juliette's actions.

Nick nodded his head and glanced briefly at Juliette. A part of him wanted her to explain her choices but a part of him feared her answers as well. He wanted to work with her and, if he was brutally honest with himself, he still loved her. Love couldn't fix everything though.

"Maybe I should just go." Juliette wanted to stay but pride demanded that she make the offer. She was glad when Nick spoke up against the idea.

"No, stay Juliette." He turned back to the others as he tried again. "We are outnumbered and we still have no idea who exactly we are up against with Crosley and his followers. Juliette helped me fight them the other night and she's willing to help again. We need all the help we can get right now."

Rosalee and Monroe shared a look and even Wu and Hank exchanged unsure expressions but no one spoke. The tension again mounted as the silence continued for several moments until Nick's phone beeped. Grateful for the interruption, he answered quickly.

"Burkhardt."

The others remained quiet but it took only a moment before Nick spoke again.

"Let me put you on speaker. Repeat that."

Sean Renard's voice demanded attention as he spoke with a brusque tone. "Adalind called and they are being followed. Meisner can't tell if it's Royals or Crosley but they are closing in on them. They are a few miles west of town, the Kingsley campground. I'm headed that way."

"We'll leave now." Nick advised as both Hank and Monroe nodded.

Rosalee put a hand on Nick's arm to stop him as she cast a significant glance at Juliette. "We need to take some things with us as we don't know what we'll be up against. We have to be prepared for the worst."

Juliette knew the warning was directed at her as much as the enemy and she accepted the rebuke. Rosalee was looking out for Nick and she couldn't argue against that choice. She too was trying to help him.

They moved quickly to the shop basement and gathered basics. Both Hank and Wu still preferred guns but Nick and Monroe claimed more ancient weapons for their choices. There was another brief moment of tension when both Rosalee and Monroe joined Juliette in Nick's car. It was clear the couple was unwilling to leave him alone with the hexenbeist. Avoiding Juliette's eyes, Nick simply nodded and started the SUV.

Hank and Wu had driven separately and both drove as they followed closely behind Nick. They were unable to reach the Captain so they stopped a mile away from the camp. Armed and ready, they moved quickly to approach on foot. Monroe led the way with Nick right behind him. Juliette and Rosalee came next and then Wu as Hank took the rear guard.

"Hey guys, take a look." Wu stopped and peered off to the side. Hank immediately joined him and Nick was only a moment behind. All three men stood staring at a vehicle nearly hidden by trees.

Rosalee looked at Monroe who was scenting the air but when he only shrugged she spoke up. "What's wrong?"

"Is that Sean's car?" Juliette asked as she stepped closer to the black sedan.

"Nope, that is standard issue FBI." Wu advised. "Think they locked the door?"

Hank and Nick moved to cover the sergeant as he approached the car cautiously. The door was unlocked but a quick searched revealed no identification.

"What's going on? Why would the FBI be out here?" Hank asked Nick.

Nick was wondering the same thing and he had no answers. "The Royals have insiders everywhere. Maybe Crosley does too. We need to keep moving but stay alert."

Again finding their formation, the group moved quickly as they tried to made their way through the campground. The first cabins were unoccupied but after moving another quarter mile Monroe suddenly stopped. He woged and sniffed the air several times before he turned to Nick and spoke.

"I hope you brought the Steinadler Knife."

Surprised, Nick nodded and removed the blade from his jacket. "Is there anyone else?"

Wu turned to Hank and mouthed the word in confusion. It was Juliette who answered his question though.

"Hawk-like creature, incredible vision."

"Remember Farley Kolt? The suspect in the jewelry store heist where the thieves appeared to kill themselves?" Nick didn't expand on the three coins but both Hank and Wu nodded. "Steinadler."

Even though Wu had studied Nick's books he still found it difficult to keep the Wesen straight in his mind. "Is there some type of Cliff Notes version of your books?"

Nick didn't bother to answer to the question but Hank did grin as he had thought about creating his own cheat sheet with notes. The possibility of it falling into the wrong hands was the only thing that stopped him. They were all careful to keep all police records free of any reference to the unusual world they lived in.

They continued walking until Monroe again stopped.

"Uh oh." A few more sniffs for confirmation and then Monroe continued. "There are others. I can't get a clear read but they all went toward that cabin."

The sound of gun fire had Nick sprinting ahead of the others as he opened his own senses and prepared for battle.