This was for a GrimmKink prompt. Found here:
http:/ grimm-kink. Dream width . org/ ()? thread= 137415#cmt137415 (1735html goes in the parentheses. delete the parentheses)
She couldn't have been more than 8, shivering and huddling close to the warmth of his jacket and Monroe's chest. She was drenched with rain water and mud. As much as Monroe's nose was screaming at him to put her down and get the scent of blood and muck away before he could lose control, he just couldn't let go of her. He could hear the sirens rushing in their direction and let out a quiet thanks.
The day had been one of those days where the skies were darker than dark, constantly splitting open and letting gallons of water down on Portland. Monroe had wanted to stay home and work on his clocks but he'd gotten a call from one of his clients, asking him to come out and look at her Antique Grandfather clock because it hadn't been working right. Mrs. Gregory had always been one of his favorites because she reminded him of his mother so he had gone to her house and fixed the clock. She had offered to let him sleep on her couch, since it was late and dark but he'd wanted to get back home. He was about halfway home when an SUV a few cars in front of him had swerved and hit the concrete road divider. Another car clipped it and then stopped, making the car directly in front of Monroe pull up short and skid into the second car. He had braked hard but still hit the car in front of him. He'd made it out of his Bug in one piece and could smell the blood of the other accident victims. The Wolf had snarled when he smelt his own emitting from a rapidly healing gash on his side but then the scent of a young girl had hit him. He could sense her fear and hear her cries but the thing that got him most, was her heartbeat. It was beating fast, faster than normal. The Wolf, for once, hadn't reacted violently and howled in anger at her pain. Monroe had almost immediately begun searching for her. He found her under some debris from the cars nd pulled her out before even more could fall on her. She immediately had latched on to him, for reasons Monroe couldn't fathom.
The little girl was still clinging to him tightly when the paramedics showed up. They took her away and she began to cry, reaching out for him as they walked away. He ended up siting on the back of the ambulance next to her as they looked her over. They were expecting a few bruises and cuts and were all surprised to find old bruises and scars along with the new ones. Monroe explained to them, when they all shot him nasty looks, that he had just found her on the bank and had nothing to do with it. They were placated and began looking him over. They sent him off toward the cops to give them his statement. As he was walking away, the little girl, still not speaking to anyone, came barreling at him and grabbed on to his legs. She wouldn't leave his side for anything.
He was at the station before he finally found out the little girl's name, Carmencita Rossi, and that her parents had died in the crash. The policemen on duty had also told him that according to the bruises, she had been systematically abused since she was about 2. The Wolf in Monroe howled out in Anger and wanted to kill her parents over again.
"What's going to happen to her?" He asked the policemen he was talking to, Wu his brain supplied, looking at the room where she was, coloring and ignoring the policewomen that was trying to get her to talk to her.
Wu looked over at the girl and shook his head. "Most likely if we can't find any other family members that can take her, she'll probably end up in the Foster system."
Monroe winced but when Carmencita looked up at him and smiled widely, he couldn't help but smile back at her.
"Monroe?"
Monroe quickly turned in his chair, hearing the Grimm's voice and before he could open his mouth, Nick was touching the side of his face where some pretty bad bruising was. "Damn, Monroe. What the hell happened to you?" Monroe totally blamed the shiver that it caused on the pain. Yeah, totally because of the pain.
"Bad accident on the highway." Wu said before Monroe could. He pointed at Monroe with his pen. "Hero boy here managed to get that little girl over there," he motioned at Carmencita. "Out of the wreckage before it crushed her."
"I'm not a hero." Monroe said quickly. He looked at Nick out of the corner and saw the Grimm's eyes widen then smile brightly at him and blushed slightly.
"You are, to her." Wu said as Carmencita came running toward Monroe from the room, the policewoman chasing after her. Carmencita stumbled as she ran then began to fall. Monroe jumped out of the seat and hit the floor on his knees, grabbing her before she hit the ground. Carmencita immediately hugged him tightly. Nick looked at them, completely shocked as the girl just hugged tighter to Monroe when the policewoman tried to take her away.
"Famiglia.(Family)" She said happily making everyone freeze around them. Everyone besides Monroe was frozen because that was the first thing she had said since getting to the station. Monroe was frozen because now that the girl was clean of the mud and grim, he could smell her true scent and she was a Blutbad, a pup but still a Blutbad, and the fact that he knew the word she had spoken.
"Hey, someone get a translator." Monroe vaguely heard Wu say.
"Wait," He said, waving the suggestion away. "Carmencita." He said gently pulling her away from him so that she stood on her own. She looked up at him with a huge smile. He smiled gently back. "Avete qualche altra famiglia? (Do you have any other family)?." He could fell everyone's shock as the Italian came from his lips. In his defense, he had lived in Italy for a few years before settling in Portland. Picking up the language hadn't been that hard.
She frowned and shook her head. "No, era solo mamma e papà e me. Siamo stati gli unici.(No, it was just mom and dad and me. We were the only ones)."
"Monroe?" Nick's voice asked from behind him.
"She doesn't have any other family." Monroe answered, tone betraying his deep sadness at the admission.
"You have to ask her about the abuse." Nick said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. Monroe felt warmth flow through the contact and shuddered but asked anyway.
She froze eyes wide but nodded at him and held out her arm, pulling back her sleeve. There were cigarette burns and deep scars all along her arm. Monroe's hands clenched into fists and Nick gripped tighter on his shoulder, feeling Monroe tensing.
"She said she was punished for not doing things right when her parents told her to do something." Monroe added and could feel a few of the Officers anger, which only fueled his.
"Tell her that she's safe now and they can't hurt her anymore."
"Sei al sicuro ora, Carmencita. Non possono farti del male più." Monroe said at Nick's urging and she smiled up at him.
"Lo so. (I know)." She answered softly, looking up as a woman in a business suit walked in.
"She's from CPS." Nick whispered low enough for only Monroe to hear and Monroe gave a quick nod to signal that he'd heard.
"Carmencita, Hai bisogna di andare con la gentile signora. (You need to go with the nice lady)." He said nodding at the women in the suit.
Carmencita looked up at him with hurt and tearful eyes. "Ma, voglio stare con te! (But, I want to stay with you.)" She said tugging on his sleeve.
Monroe swallowed, throat dry with emotion. The Wolf whimpered at her pain but Monroe knew that he couldn't take her. He was not a father by any means. He had never wanted a pack and he couldn't give her what she needed. "So che si desidera. Ma, non puoi stare con me. Devi andare ad una bella famiglia che posse prendersi cura di voi. (I know that you want to. But, you can't stay with me. You have to go to a nice family who can take care of you.)"
"Y-you visit me, yes?" She asked in broken English, letting go of his sleeve. Monroe nodded even as the CPS woman took her and spoke in low Italian to her. When the women looked back up, her face rippled as she nodded at Monroe and he was immediately relieved to see that she was a Hüterkinder. She would make sure that Carmencita was in a good home, maybe even somewhere that was near Monroe.
About 15 minutes or so later, Monroe was free to go and was halfway out the door when Nick jogged up from disappearing after Carmencita had left and offered him a ride home. Monroe agreed since his Bug was now towed to a nearby shop and he was dog-tired, no pun intended. He dozed on the way to his house and only roused when Nick gently shook him awake.
"She was Blutbaden, wasn't she?" Nick asked, softly letting go of Monroe's shoulder. The latter hummed out an affirmation and they fell into a companionable silence as they walked to Monroe's house.
Nick stood there somewhat awkwardly as Monroe opened the door. "The CPS women. She was a creature."
"A Hüterkinder." Monroe said tiredly, ushering him in. "it means Guardian of Children. They take care of kids like Carmencita when their parents are killed or when they leave their kids."
"She's in good hands, then."
Monroe nodded, flopping down on the couch. Nick sat down, moving Monroe's feet until they were situated over his lap and fiddled with something in his jacket before tossing a card at Monroe's chest. "She gave me that before she left. Said it was for you."
Monroe picked it up and turned it over and chuckled at the message.
I will be putting Carmencita in a Wieder-Blubaden household not far from where you live. The parents are named DeWitt and want to meet you once she is settled, please contact me whenever you are free to do so. Also thank your Grimm friend for finding them.
Monroe froze at the last part, looking up at Nick whom smiled sheepishly and scratched at the back of his neck.
"I saw the way you looked at her, like she was family. So when you were getting processed, I flagged down the Hüterkinder and told her about the DeWitt's. They live a few blocks away from here on Rosalind Street." He said in way of explanation. "I figured if she was close by, you and she could see each other more often."
Monroe just blinked a few times at Nick before surging up and pulling the man across him. Once Nick's head was close enough, Monroe immediately dove for his lips and kissed him. Nick let out a surprised huff but immediately responded. When they pulled apart a few minutes later, Nick had a slight starry-eyed look in his eyes and if Monroe had a tail in human form, it would have been wagging. They both broke down laughing and Nick settled his head on Monroe's chest.
Famiglia, Monroe thought looking at the message again. Famiglia, indeed.