A/N: Wow! You guys rock! Thanks for all the reviews, favorites and follows! And a very, very special thanks to Merlyn Pyndragon again for betaing
Adalind woke up from one of the most frightful nightmares she'd ever had in her life. She needed some time before her heartbeat and breath calmed down to normal pace again and she stopped shaking. Cold sweat was still breaking from her forehead but she managed to calm herself down eventually. Yet she could not help but shutter at what she had seen.
Eric about to kill her by ripping her apart piece by piece, but not without pulling out the baby from her body first, was such a frightening nightmare, she was sure she just felt how he took the child from her.
Her hand touched the little curve and then she sighed, relieved, to find it still in place.
Did she really want this for her child? the little voice in her head asked her again. Did she really want to spend the next few months on the run, only to finally give away what was growing inside her, when she could have it at least a bit easier?
She wanted her Hexenbiest back. That's why she formulated this plan. And she would get it back, there was no backing out now, she thought.
That little voice was silent for a moment before it asked her how long she would like to be on the run. If she would restored her Hexenbiest and Eric noticed, her best wish would be to be dead.
Adalind stared into the darkness.
This was unfortunately too true. The moment Eric found out, she wouldn't be safe anymore. She had hoped to trick him until she was in the position to control him. But what if this wasn't possible? She never heard of a Royal who was controlled by someone else than other Royals. So maybe ...
Adalind looked at her nightstand and picked up her iphone. For another moment she stared at the dark screen.
At least she would be safe during her pregnancy if she accepted the offer. Whatever happened afterwards was another question, and so far not on her priority list.
Stefania, what about her?
She would find an answer, Adalind was sure. Somehow Stefania and she would find a way to deal with this. Right now she didn't know how, but there would be a way, there had to be a way! Besides that, Adalind felt cheated and neglected by her so called ally. She was sure all Stefania wanted was the child. Whatever happened to the restoring curse, it never was meant for Adalind.
She would have a life if she accepted the offer. She trusted this guy, Christian. He was very convincing in the way he talked to her. And she already knew about the other parties interested in her child.
Adalind thought this through for a moment.
She could tell Eric she had some business to do in the US and had to leave him for a while. After the plan began, she could think about where to go. But at least she would have a safe place to hide, no matter what happened after that.
Adalind took a deep breath, activated her cellphone and opened the contact files. She had already saved Christian's number there and burned his card. The only way to keep both of them safe.
Again she hesitated for a moment, reading the number.
She was about to trust a man she'd only met one time, this morning. What if he turned out as a spy from Eric, someone who could manipulate the truth from her and then kill her after making sure she had lied to him?
Eric ripping the baby out of her belly before tearing her into pieces ...
Adalind shivered and touched the "Call" button.
There was no other way anymore, she was sure. This was getting out of her hands, and she had to at least get herself out of this before she lost her life over her plan. There would be another way to restore her Hexenbiest. Now she had to make sure that there would be another day at all.
"Qui?" a drowsy voice asked.
Adalind's heart missed a beat. He sounded cute, not only speaking French but also sleepy.
"This is Adalind Schade," she said, "how fast you can bring me out of Austria?"
After one of his guards pulled the sack from his head, Nick, wary of another trap, lifted his arms a little as not get blinded. But the lights were dimmed down.
Carefully he took a look around.
Hans and Franz both stood at the door, now nothing more than black shadows in the darkness. The room itself was huge, Juliette's house would probably fit into it completely. A giant chandelier was hanging from the ceiling, the fireplace wasn't much smaller. The paintings on the walls seemed pretty old, but due to the light, Nick couldn't make out what or who was painted on them. The table with the half dozen chairs in the middle of the room seemed like a toy in comparison to the vast room.
Nick shivered again. Lowering his arms, he also lowered his head again, submissive. This seemed to be a position that kept Eric from torturing him, so Nick decided to try it this way.
Hans had not only shaven his face, he also cut his hair before both Grimm forced him into washing himself. Better he would do it than his kinsmen, Nick had decided.
After washing, he got new clothes again. A grey suit with a white shirt underneath. It felt weird to wear this, not like his own. And Nick got the impression that this was planned this way. Eric wanted him to know that everything about him wouldn't be his personal property anymore, including himself. So much about Human Rights when it came to Royals.
Nick got a pretty good idea what Royals were about, and this didn't exactly give him much closure. He began to understand why everyone coming from Europe reacted so alienated. Heck, he himself would act that way IF he ever found a way out of this Hell.
"Ah, what a wonderful surprise!" Eric's voice came from the other end of the room. Nick moved around to see the Royal slowly coming up to him.
"Really, you are looking extremely good, my sweet Grimm," Eric continued. "I knew grey would be your color."
He came closer, grabbing Nick and giving him a hug.
"Really pretty, my dear Grimm." Eric looked at him again, hands on his shoulders like they were buddies. "Stunning! Come, you must be hungry."
Eric turned him around.
"Let us eat and talk, my sweet Grimm. I think there's a lot I have to learn about you. Besides the facts I've already collected."
That was a point Nick would die to find out. Someone had spied on him, and not only him. The Baron and also Eric knew a lot more about him than it would be possible if they just had Googled his name. The trap for him back at the container yard was perfect, and Nick was sure Monroe, Rosalee and Juliette also were trapped back then. Otherwise they would have found him before Eric had the chance to smuggle him out of the country.
Nick only wished he could remember more. Especially about those two months Eric told him about. The last thing he remembered was such a high level of pain, an excruciating agony, that he was simply paralyzed and couldn't move a single finger. After that, only darkness.
Did he do anything during this time? Did he run amok like the victims hitting Portland at the start of his last day there? Did he kill anyone?
Eric forced him a little to sit down before the Royal took the seat on the opposite side of the table. A table full of mouthwatering smells and scrumptious -looking food, bread and wine.
"Well, I thought we both should start now with going into detail about your job, my dear," Eric said to him. "I thought about a contract taking – let us say, nine years? It would be the time your predecessor worked for me. What do you think?"
Nick stared at a platter with a huge roast sitting right in front of him. The smell was tantalizing, savoury and he just wanted to sink his teeth into it.
"Did you just swallow your tongue, my dear Grimm?" Eric asked him, eyebrow cocked.
Nick took a deep breath, closed his eyes for a moment to focus again.
Damn, he was hungry! And all the food on this table made him even more hungry than before. To see and smell the food made it harder not to eat.
"I'm not working for you." His voice was no more than a weak whisper and he was sure even the breathing of four of them drowned it.
Nontheless, Eric heard him. Tilting his head, he looked at him again with a raised eyebrow. "Really? After what I'd done to you today, you are still turning me down? Do we really need another lesson, my dear Grimm?"
Nick looked up, flames to meet the blaze of the fireplace in his eyes. "I have a name! And that name is Nick Burkhardt!" he snapped.
His name, his memories. That was all he still owned, that was his. True, they brought him here with a fake ID. But he still was Nick, the Grimm, the cop, the detective, friend and roommate of a Blutbad, friend with the Portland Eisbiber lodge, also friend of a Fuchsbau and, not to forget, lover of the most beautiful woman in the world. That was something Eric couldn't take from him – he hoped.
The Royal leaned back, still watching him. "Are you?" he asked. "As far as I know your name is now Thomas Schirach. But, by the way, we should probably think about that one as ... well, let us say, someone else claimed that one very effectively."
Nick looked at the Royal. "So you also used me as bait for your brother?"
"I did." Eric put some food on his dish, spooning on generous piles of sauteed vegetables and creamy mashed potatos. "After the Baron trapped and prepared you I had to make sure that my brother wouldn't interfere. I know there's someone close to me selling information to him. And I guess you know that, too."
Nick shook his head, trying to ignore alluring, homely scent of Yorkshire puddings that just were within reach. "I don't know who, if that was what you wanted to know. I only saw photos of three files, one of them empty with the name I saw later in that false passport with my photo."
"You remember that? I'm impressed! The Baron wasn't sure if you would find your memory back for the entire day."
"I can remember that day, and I can remember how I was put into that coffin. I was blinded, yes, but I guess it was you who wished me a good night, right?" Nick's voice became colder and colder during these words.
He feared too-small spaces, and he would never climb willingly into a coffin. He remembered one of those stupid tests of courage teenagers did. One of his classmates was the son of a mortician and his so-called friends back then tested their own courage by lying down in one of the coffins. Nick never did. It was way too close to what happened to his Dad.
Eric chewed on a chicken leg, then laid it back on the dish, wiping his fingers delicately on a silky napkin. "Yes, that was me. And, honestly, it was way too funny to see you there. It was our first meeting, and I thought I should say something memorable. Looks like I did. Now of the matter of terms ..."
"I'm not working for you," Nick repeated, this time more determined. A muscle jumped in his jaw and his empty hands clenched on his lap. Still his chest burned like fire, still he was a little shaky from the electricity. But he wouldn't give in, not now, not ever. Well, he hoped not ever. The longer he stayed outside the torture chamber or even his cell, the more of his self-respect came back. He only hoped that it would stay this way. He would break if he changed his mind, and he knew it.
Eric tilted his head. "I thought I was clear enough. You have no choice, you are my property now. The earlier you accept this as your destiny, the earlier you can return to your beloved Portland and to your bonny little lady. What was her name? Juliette, right?"
Nick's face went pale. "You are not going to threaten her!" he said.
"If I don't have to, I won't," Eric told him. "But I should inform you that my well of information about you is still in Portland, awaiting my next orders. You don't want any of your friends injured or dead, do you?"
Nick shook his head, unable to speak this moment. There was a huge knot in his throat, and his heart, still dealing with the aftermath of the electricity, missed a second beat.
Not Juliette! She was innocent and already targeted by Adalind.
Nick closed his eyes, his hands became fists for a moment, until he got his self-control back.
Not his love, not his friends.
Suddenly he understood Aunt Marie and why she told him to leave Juliette behind, to leave everyone he cared about behind. Not only did he risk every life he cared about by being who he was, they were in danger because they knew him.
Hadn't he already learned this lesson with Hank last year?
"So we understand each other now?" Eric asked.
Nick shook again his head. "If you do anything to Juliette or one of my friends, I swear to you I will kill you!" Again his voice was freezing cold and in that second he had his own power back.
Eric didn't react, he just looked at him for a very, very long time. In the deepened silence one could almost hear the steam rising from the gravy bowl.
"I'm a terrible host! I forgot, you don't have a knife," he finally said, standing up again and coming around the table. "This roast was especially made for you, my sweet Grimm," he explained, then, moving the dish with the meat right in front of Nick to his side, cut off a part of it to put it on Nick's dish to slicing it into smaller pieces.
"You should eat. Probably the last good meal for a long time if you persist in acting bullheaded, my sweet Grimm," Eric suggested.
Nick looked at the Royal. For a split second he thought he had seen something like a woge, a small change in Eric's face, but it was gone so fast, he wasn't sure.
The dish was again placed in front of him and Eric took one of the empty chairs to sit down close to his side.
"My guess is, you have no idea what you are declining here. So maybe I should tell you while you are eating," the Royal told him, nodding his head pointedly at the food.
Nick looked at the meat pieces on his dish. It smelled delicious and still looked mouthwatering. The way Juliette would have made it, surely.
"I'm very generous to you, you know? You are a direct progeny of one of those Grimm who betrayed my family and stole our property."
Nick looked at Eric again. "And you know that because you know my family tree by heart? I've no idea where the key came from or whether if it was from a direct line or not. But I know I will never give it to you."
"You really like superlatives, huh? Haven't you already learned that never is way too huge a word for you? I can turn every second into eternity for you, didn't you realize this?"
"I did," Nick answered. "But you don't know where I hid the key. And I will not tell you."
Eric nodded and lowered his head, thoughtful.
Nick leaned back, taking a deep breath. He felt better now. And, to be true, he didn't know where Rosalee put the key so he really had told Eric the truth. He couldn't tell what he didn't know, plain and simple.
With a relieved sigh, he took one of the meat pieces and put it in his mouth. It tasted delicious, medium rare, just like he liked it. He closed his eyes to fully concentrate on his meal so he didn't see how Eric looked up again, grinning wolfishly.
"Your ancestors came to my ancestors with the plea to fund their crusade. My ancestors agreed, but under the promise that, should anything of worth be discovered, your ancestors would hand it over to them. They didn't. Instead, they hid whatever they had found, put some stupid superstitious monks in charge to make the keys for them and tried to escape. Most did, except one who was stupid enough to think the best hideout would be directly in front of my family. Well, he paid the price for his betrayal, just like most of the others did. Now there are still three keys missing, and one of them is - what a surprise - yours," Eric explained.
"That is no answer to my question," Nick said. "There are also three coins out there. Does that mean these coins would have been in my family all those centuries too? No. So I think it was about the key. You have no proof that it was my ancestor who betrayed yours. Why should I pay his price?"
Eric smiled. "That's why I give you the choice to work for me, my sweet Grimm. Come on, this is a dinner for both of us. Eat."
Nick looked suspiciously at the Royal. "You are not poisoning me, are you?" he asked.
Eric laughed. "That would take a lot of the fun out of this, don't you think? No, I'm not poisoning you, my dear. I only will make sure you have enough strength to stand what you are about to learn. There are no easy lessons anymore for you, I'm afraid."
"Will you kill another innocent in front of me? Or use another cattle prod?"
"As I've told you today, I don't want to bore you to death. Every lesson will be unique, believe me. Every single one. But I doubt you will need so much anymore, my sweet." Eric grinned again, straight in the face of his captive.
Nick looked once more at the meat on his dish. It was delicious but ... wasn't there a little bitter taste after he swallowed it? Maybe it was spiced so delicious to cover a special ingredient? Could it be this bitterness?
Nick pushed the dish away a little. "I'm full, sorry. I'm not that much into meat, I fear."
"And I fear, if you don't feed yourself, I will have to make you. So, what do you wish, my dear Grimm?" Eric asked, putting the dish back in front of his captive.
"What meat is this?" Nick asked.
"Good meat. As I've said, I'm not gonna poison you. Eat!"
Nick heard the shuffling steps of the two other Grimm. The fear came back immediately. Again he lowered his head, he seemed to shrink in his own imagination.
"Will you eat or do I have to fed you?" Eric asked, a dangerous playfulness in his words.
It was a damned meal, nothing more, Nick tried to tell himself. A little meat, nothing that would kill him – he hoped. And he could use this meal, his body needed it. He had not eaten enough during the last few days.
If he ate now, it would be the start of making his brain break. Eric would win, and that he couldn't let happen. If he ate, Eric would turn him into his marionette.
But if he didn't, they would force him into eating. They would torture him to make him eat. Eventually the meat would end up in his stomach, and would turn into the fuel he needed to continuing his fight.
But that meant giving in! Eric would win.
Nick stared at the dish in front of him, still listening to the steps, slowly approaching from behind.
He should act like a hero and decline. He should fight them, win and attempt to flee. Unfortunately, nothing from that would happen.
Eric looked at him, watching him closely.
No, he wouldn't break just because he ate a little meat, Nick told himself. The meat would end in his stomach, he could only choose the way how.
With the feeling like he had lost the battle, Nick finally took one of the pieces and ... ate it. But it tasted bitter from the very beginning ...