AN: Thanks for all the following and favourites, guys :). And a very, very, very special thanks to Merlyn Pyndragon again for her being such an awesome and patient beta :D

"Up with you! Hurry! The prince doesn't like to wait!"

Nick felt someone was shaking him hard and blinked. For a moment he didn't know where he was. Still caught in that dream about Juliette loving him in their bed in her house, he needed more time to realize he wasn't in Portland anymore, and that the one shaking him wasn't Juliette but one of the two clowns watching over him.

"I'm awake," he finally grunted sluggishly, lifting his still handcuffed hands to show he was awake.

"It's about time, Shorty. Move!" The one behind him grabbed the chain between the handcuffs and pulled it until the metal scratched Nick's wrists.

"I can stand mzself!" Nick yelled and moved around.

Damn, he felt like he'd slept for only a second. His body hurt, his wrists were chafed and swollen. And he felt really dirty and sweaty after all this time in the same clothes.

"Up with you! Move!"

Franz, Nick realized with a sigh, when he finally got up on his feet.

Hans was awaiting them at the opened door.

"What is going on here?" Nick wanted to know.

Hans grinned and came over. "The prince wants to see you, Shorty. And we are here to make sure you arrive save and secure."

Nick frowned. "What?" A second later, Franz threw something over his head from behind. Nick, now blinded and shocked for a second moved a step back but was grabbed pretty hard by his arm.

"This way, Shorty," Hans' voice told him.

His other arm was grabbed too and Nick felt himself being hauled out of the cell.

Why they were doing this? So he couldn't learn where they were bringing him? Then they didn't know anything about Grimm. The moment he lost his sight, his super-hearing began to work again. All his other senses worked perfectly, now after a day awake when sleep was no option. Usually with the help of a lot of coffee he did observations during his years as a cop.

Would he ever return to Portland? And if so, for how long? How was his life supposed to be like now?

Nick never really believed in all the hints that were given to him by Monroe and his ancestors. Why anyone would see him as a good? This was the 21st century, not dark ancient times centuries ago. But Nick now had to realize very quick that he was wrong. Maybe the times for the US have changed, but he surely wasn't in the US anymore. He still didn't know where he was but so far the only one without a German accent was Eric. The stony walls and the the small windows in his cell told him that he was probably in an old castle. True, some eccentric millionaires in the US also had bought castles to rebuild them in the New World, but Nick doubted this would be the truth in his case, which meant that he was in Europe! Hopefully, maybe somewhere in Great Britain where he wouldn't have a big problem with the language. But he was pretty sure, in recollecting the thick accents of his wardens, he was on the continent. And as far as he knew, not everybody on the European continent was able to speak or understand English. And that would mean a huge problem, especially because he didn't have a passport or anything else.

"Steps!"

This warning came a second too late and Nick was lucky to have been wearing his heavy boots. These steps felt like they were made from the same stone the walls in his cell were made from. He stumbled slightly, nearly falling onto his face, until Franz grabbed his back collar and steadied him. He resisted the urge to mutter a sarcastic remark and wriggled his lightly stubbed toe.

Somewhere, not that far away, he heard voices. From the sound of it, he again would guess those people were speaking German, but in a weird accent he'd never heard before. It sounded a bit like a singsong.

"Move, Thomas!" Hans ordered and pushed Nick a little.

Trapped between the two bigger men, who were probably Wesen, he felt helpless. One of the rare times since his heritage began, he had to confess.

Another walk, then again steps. And up here he heard nothing beside the sounds the three of them were making and the scream of a bird of prey somewhere outside. And the ringing of chains that was getting louder and louder.

Nick's heartbeat sped up.

Eric couldn't torture him! No way! He would never get away with that!

Well, he also thought harvesting organs for special medical use would be a fairytale, or glowing Wesen, or any Wesen for that matter.

A door squealed open on ancient hinges, and they entered a room. He could hear the difference between the walk outside and the high walls in here.

"Good morning, my sweet Grimm. I hope you found a little rest last night," Eric's voice told him.

Someone pulled the sack from his head. Nick blinked again several times before he was able to see and understand where he was now.

A torture chamber, truly. Nick felt like he was on the set for a cheap B-horror-movie. Chains were hanging from the high ceiling, a rack stood near a narrow slit of a window. There were several pillars, probably necessary for the stability of this building. On three of them he could see old handcuffs hanging down. And at a fourth not only handcuffs but a man, all bloody with rumpled clothes.

Nick swallowed the stone in his throat and tried a deeper breath. "What is this about?" he wanted to know, hoping his voice would sound more couragous than he felt.

Eric smiled. "Sweet!" He nodded and Hans and Franz dragged Nick to the pillar to the broken man.

"I thought I should give you a little lesson in what is waiting for you if you refused my generous offer, sweet Grimm," Eric answered, meandering over to them.

His two guards opened the handcuffs and raised Nick's arms above his head to fix his wrists to the pillar.

"You really think I would give in to torture?" Nick asked, trying to sound contemptuous.

Eric pulled a face. "Who said I was going to torture you?" he returned the question. Shrugging, he turned around to that poor other man. "May I introduce Klaus to you, my dear?" he asked, pointing at the other man. "In his former life he was a teacher and will be more than happy to be – let us say, he will be the subject of today's lesson."

Nick took again a deep breath to try to prepare himself. "You should let him go," he finally said. "I will not give in because you are going to kill an innocent man."

Eric turned again, smiling. "You see, this is the problem! Klaus isn't innocent. He is part of the Laeufer, the Resistance, if you have ever heard of that," he explained.

"I know about the Laeufer," Nick answered blandly.

Eric lifted an eyebrow. "Really? Well, you are a clever Grimm. Maybe you will be intelligent enough to give in. It's not that much I want from you. Right, Klaus?"

The victim at the other pillar shifted feebly, barely able to lift his head.

Nick sympathized with the man. He wished his hands were free to teach Eric his own lesson.

The Royal gave his guard a sign and Franz left Nick's side. A moment later the Grimm could hear another door opening but he couldn't see anything that was going on behind his back.

"It's pretty simple, my dear Grimm. You will watch today what I will do to you if you are refuse. Maybe quite the same – well, in the end I may just have to kill you, you know? It would be a shame, as your kind is near the extinction and you, as a key-Grimm especially valuable. I'm sure my brother told you about that, right?" Eric explained.

"I know that your family killed one of my ancestors to get his key, yes," Nick answered.

Eric lifted his chin. "But nothing about your worthiness? I'm shocked!" he told him, stepping closer again. "Grimm are pretty rare lately. To own one is a huge privilege, you know?"

"I'm not a slave. No one owns me," Nick spat at him.

Eric leaned his shoulder next to his captive, studying his face. "Well, sorry to correct you, but I am owning you now, my dear. And I have the privilege to tame you. I've read a lot about that, you know? It will be an interesting experience to turn all that stuff I read about your kind on you. True, you are a bit different, but I think the most should work pretty well on you. Don't you think?"

"I am human, not an animal or house pet," Nick snapped.

Eric grinned. "We will see what you are after my work with you is done. So far you were one: very effective."

Nick wished he could recall what happened that night at the container yard and the time since then. But still everything was blurry and went black when he tried to focus while everything else was pretty clear.

Great!

Franz came back, carrying a tray.

"Ah, wonderful!" Eric moved around to follow Franz to the other victim. "Oh, Hans will make sure that you are looking at what we are doing here. And he's pretty good in doing that. So, it would be best if you didn't challenge him, my sweet Grimm," the Royal told him, once more turning around to face him.

Nick bit his lips and took another deep breath. His heart was a fist pounding on his ribcage.

This was definitely the worst start of a day in his life – and unfortunately not only for him, he had to realize, after poor Klaus began to scream in pain.

It was surely the worst emotion ever, but Juliette was happy the first time since Nick vanished that night at the container yard. It was a good feeling to finally know what happened to her own body after this body began to react differently. And, as weird as it sounded, she was absolutely sure Nick was not only alive, but would also find a way back to her in time to welcome their first child.

But it was not the pregnancy that made Juliette happy. It was Monroe and Rosalee coming along and spending most the the afternoon planning, and continuing to do so into the evening. When Nick gote back he would be stunned, not only about her being pregnant but also about the new room on the second floor Monroe wanted to built together with the Eisbiber Bud.

Planning this made Juliette happy, distracting her from her usual sorrows about her lover. And she was happy to have some friends around with whom she could talk openly. True, she also talked to her usual friends, especially about Nick and his disappearance, but she couldn't tell them all the truth about the Cracher-Mortal, the Wesen and the zombies.

She had ordered pizza for them all. Because, her first reason, she was hungry and felt the overwhelming cravings for hot, greasy cheese and pepperoni, but also because she simply was too busy being excited to cook. It was good to have some friends around.

When the knock sounded from the door, Juliette was sure it was the delivery man with the ordered pizza. Her purse in one hand, she opened the front door ... only to take a step back, eyes wide in astonishment.

"Evening, Juliette," Wu said softly, lifting a small bouquet of sad-looking flowers. "I – I only wanted ..." he stumbled, tongue tripping over his teeth. With hanging shoulders, he stared at the floor as though it could give him the answer.

"I hope it's the pizza, I'm starving!" Monroe said from the living room. "You need some help?" With that, the Blutbad came along, only to stop in the middle of a stept. "Well, that's the most interesting delivery boy in my life, I swear!" he said. "Evening – sergeant, right?"

"What are you doing here?" Juliette interrupted.

Wu barely looked up. Again he shrugged. "I thought maybe I should look after you. But I see it isn't needed, right?"

Juliette shook her head. "Come in," she said.

Wu was still hesitating, staring up at Monroe. "You are Nick's roommate, right?" he finally asked.

Monroe nodded. "I am."

Wu still seemed very timid about what to do next. "Maybe," he finally said, "I should come later. I don't want to disturb you."

"You are not disturbing anything!" Juliette decided. With a bright smile she waved him in. "Come in and have a seat. It's been ages since we talked!"

Wu took a fast look over his shoulder but finally, with a weary sigh, he came into the house and went into the living room to find Rosalee there, sitting on the couch Nick had slept on three months, and flipping through the pages of a magazine.

"I should leave. I'm not the best one to hang out with right now," Wu said, turning around, only to find his way out blocked by Monroe, who was looking at him, frowning.

"Take a seat and tell us what's bothering you," Juliette said. Exchanging a look with Rosalee, the Fuchsbau then stood up.

"What about a smart tea?" Rosalee asked.

Wu turned around, feeling caught and helpless. He finally nodded. "Okay," he said.

"Then first sit down and tell me what's going on," Juliette said, seating herself on one of the armchairs of the other side of the couch. "If you want to speak to me in private, I'm sure Rosalee needs a little help in the kitchen in finding everything."

Wu slowly moved to the couch and sat down there. The bouquet he put on the table, and then he noticed the magazine Rosalee had looked through. With wide eyes he looked up again. "Oh!"

Monroe took the flowers from the table, looking down at Juliette with a silent question. "Underneath the sink. Thank you." Juliette smiled at him before she turned her attention again on Wu. "Yes, it's a surprise for me too. That's why Monroe and Rosalee are here," she told him.

"Is it – I mean it's not that you have to answer me but - ?" Wu looked down again.

"It's Nick's, yes," Juliette told him. "And now, what do you want?"

Wu looked at the magazine. One of those magazines for young couples expecting or beginning to raise their kids.

"You will hate me," he finally decided.

"I'm not hating anyone. I have no reason to," Juliette said. "Why would you think so?"

Wu looked up again but he couldn't stand her eyes. "I should have said something two months ago. Now it's probably too late," he finally said.

Monroe and Rosalee came back from the kitchen, but both stopped at the dining room after they saw Wu still struggling.

The sergeant finally looked up again. "I saw Nick, and very likely I was the last person to see him before he disappeared." Suddenly his voice was hard. "I – I don't know why but I somehow forgot it. There was so much going on that night, so much chaos. I mean, you remember that pretty much yourself, right? All those people, acting crazy. All those – those monsters. I mean, I know what the captain said afterwards. But, seriously, did you buy that?"

Juliette felt a stitch in her heart with Wu's words, but she kept her smile.

Whatever Wu had seen, it wasn't his fault. She remembered him very well back then. Wu had witnessed a lot that night, not only that he had to kill a zombiefied Wesen which had woged in front of him, he also had witnessed how Sergeant Franco was shot by another zombie. Franco was alive and would return on duty soon. But Wu was another story. No, Juliette couldn't hold him responsible. She believed him that he forgot about one scene. It only was hard that this one forgotten scene was about Nick.

Rosalee came back, took a seat next to the sergeant and gave a cup to him. "Here, this will help you," she said with the soft voice Juliette knew pretty well. She herself used that voice at work to bring not so good news about their beloved pets to the owners.

So she was right and Rosalee's tea was more than the usual tea brought out of one of her kitchen units.

Wu sipped before he put the cup on the table.

"Now tell us why you think you are the last person who saw Nick?" Rosalee said.

Monroe put the flowers, now placed in a vase and watered, on the dining table before he headed back to the living room, joining the others.

Wu sighed and began to move the cup with the handle. "I saw him," he finally answered.

"Where? When?" Monroe wanted to know.

Wu looked up and shrugged. "Back then, in that night at the container yard," he answered. "You know I was the one supposed to stay on Franco's side. When he got shot, I was there and wanted to put that crazy guy in custody. But he – I told him to put the gun down. First he didn't respond but then he dropped the gun, turned around and left us. As though we weren't there, you know? Thin air." He frowned and took the cup again to sip. "Sorry, I'm more a coffee guy," he said with a small smile.

Rosalee nodded and smiled.

"What happened next? After that attacker ignored you and went away?" Juliette wanted to know.

Wu pursed his lips. He thought about what and how he wanted to tell them what happened. Finally he nodded and looked up. "I made sure that Franco got help. Franco himself said I should follow that guy – and I did. With that I lost contact with everyone. We went to another part of the container yard. Somewhere where it was quiet, no one around. And then," he stopped, again frowning and searching for the right words, "then I stumbled upon that guy with the tophat."

Monroe sat up, astonished. "The guy with the tophat? You saw him?"

Wu nodded. "Yeah, yes, I did. And that guy was creepy as hell! I didn't remember everything from that night but afterwards, I recalled that Nick had mentioned him before. That guy came out of a container, and he was followed by four of those crazy people. And those people were carrying a metallic coffin."

Juliette took a deep and sharp breath and sat up herself. "Don't tell me Nick was in that coffin!" she said.

Wu looked down at the table, studying the cover of the magazine again. "He was," he finally whispered. "And he looked ... I mean I thought for a moment ... he was so pale and his eyes wide open. I -" He shook his head. "I knew you would hate me, Juliette. I don't know why I didn't tell you or anyone before. I simply forgot, I think. And the captain already started a search after body transports that night. So, I – I don't know." His shoulders hung down and there were tears in his eyes.

Juliette fought with herself for a moment. But still she was sure Nick was alive. She didn't know where he was but he was alive. And no one would change her mind as long as she hasn't seen his body!

"But I was wrong," Wu finally whispered. "Nick was alive. I saw it."

Nick in a coffin! That was probably the worst thing that could happen to him. Juliette knew about Nick having issues with small rooms. To be caught in a coffin would only make it worse.

"Wait a minute, did you say, you were wrong and Nick was alive?" Monroe asked, exchanging a look with Rosalee.

Wu nodded again.

"Why you are so sure?" the Fuchsbau asked.

Wu sighed. "I saw him blinking," he finally answered. "Seriously, some dead are doing mad things, getting up, moving around, trying to speak. I've seen a lot of weird stuff, I swear to you. But Nick wasn't dead. He looked like but he wasn't. That blinking was too – I cannot even describe it. Controlled? Timed? It looked like he was staring at me with those red eyes, as though he would come to life again for a moment, able to only do one thing. I think whatever happened before paralysed him so he appeared dead like the others we had found days before he vanished. But he wasn't dead, like the others. Not really, or completely, or whatever." Again he sighed. "And there was this other guy with the curly hair. I only saw him for a moment before he disappeared back into that damned container they also brought Nick out from. I'm sure he had something to do with what was going on there. And I'm sure he looked somehow familiar. Not like I had met him before but maybe a relative of someone I know."

"Can you describe him?" Monroe wanted to know.

Wu looked up to him, thinking about the question for moment before he nodded. "I think so."

Monroe exchanged a look with Juliette before he stood up. "You should drink the tea before it gets cold. It's a good one for your nerves," he said before he left the living room in direction of the kitchen again.

"I need a glass of water," Juliette decided and followed the Blutbad.

Monroe was pacing the small kitchen up and down when she joined him.

"What do you think?" she asked him.

Monroe stopped. "I think that guy with the curly hair was probably the Royal. Would explain why Wu thinks he looked familiar. It's the half-brother of Captain Renard," he began to explain when Rosalee joined them, too.

"And what are we going to do now?" Juliette asked.

"Probably we should involve the captain. This is way above our heads," Monroe answered and turned around. "If the whole thing is about the key ... ?"

"It isn't. Otherwise someone would have been showing up at the Spice Shop," Rosalee said. "This was about Nick and probably about him being a Grimm. You know what a Grimm still means to the Royal families." She hesitated for a moment before she said, "What gives me more to think about is that we don't know what happened to the Cracher-Mortal. He disappeared like Nick disappeared. But I have the feeling he's still around somewhere. Especially since there are still zombiefied people out there."

"You think kidnapping Nick was only one part of his plan?" Monroe said.

Rosalee looked at Juliette for a second before she shrugged. "He's probably lurking around, making sure that no one here will start to search for Nick," she said.

Juliette heard another tone in this voice, and suddenly she shivered.

Good God, this couldn't be the plan!

Monroe looked around the corner to the living room, frowning. "And what are we doing with him?" he finally asked.

Juliette looked up to the Blutbad. "Well, that's easy. We tell him," she answered.

Now it was Rosalee frowning and turning around to her. "Tell him as in ... tell him everything?" she asked, bewildered.

Juliette nodded.

"As in Wesen, Grimm, human. That kind of thing?" Monroe asked to get another nod. The Blutbad began to shake his head vigorously. "Man, I knew since that moment when Nick bumped into me two years ago, it was a bad idea to ever cross his path!"