It had taken the better half of the summer for Mireille Luce Renard to convince her younger brother to grant her a visitation right for Portland. Not that she couldn't have come by otherwise. It was simply polite to introduce oneself to the Guardian of a city when entering the protectorate, and after the Maurice Incident – yes, capital letters – she had been extra careful. Her brother had been extremely volatile concerning anyone else of his family coming into his protectorate, especially since he had found a Grimm mate and the relationship was still rather fledgling at best.

Mireille had understood. She had been patient, too. She knew how important the partner of a regnant was to the wesen in question, how territorial her kind was on the best of days – she was no exception – and Maurice had made matters worse with his behavior.

They had exchanged mails. They had talked twice in person – and her brother had been a prime example of cool aloofness and perfect control. She had even called Nick Burkhardt a few more times, liking her brother's chosen mate more and more each time. That he was a Grimm made him all the more interesting and she had wanted to meet him in person.

Nick was special. She had heard in Sean's voice and read it between the lines. The subtle threats what would happen should she harm him had been just another helpful hint.

But Mireille had no idea what had happened in the past days.

It was simply her bad luck that Sean had neglected to call her to call off the planned dinner.

So two days after Christmas, Mireille Luce Renard left her hotel and took a cab to the address of her brother, the Protector fo Portland.

x x x x x

Nick had been more or less awake when Renard had left the apartment to 'handle some matters'. Nick had nodded fuzzily, curled up on the couch and still freezing. Sean had touched him gently, he had felt the bond hum gently, and it had been reassuring. Still his arm hurt and he was trying to chase the cobwebs out of his head. He had little luck with that and had simply dropped off to sleep once more.

x x x

The door bell roused him and Nick groaned softly as he got up, following the bell automatically.

As he looked at the screen that showed him the security camera's image, the fuzziness lifted a little.

He had seen the woman before.

On a picture.

An old one.

Tall, dark-haired, the same features as her brother, dressed impeccably in dark pants, a white blouse, matching dark jacket and stylish shoes that had probably cost more than Nick made in three months.

Mireille?

Oh shit! shot through him. The dinner date!

Tonight! They had planned a private dinner at the condo with Renard's sister, the Guardian of London. A place where Sean would feel secure enough as another regnant was getting to know his bonded. Nick would have chosen a restaurant himself, but he had come to understand that despite being such a cool and composed ruler and captain, Sean Renard fell back on very primal urges and instincts when it came to Nick. And nothing the Grimm said or did had helped ease his mind.

But he had forgotten about Mireille. Nick had forgotten, too, though he had the excuse of feeling more like a popsicle than a human being. His mind was an ice cube.

He opened the door, about to say something, when Mireille got there before him.

"Dear lord, Nick, what happened to you?"

Green eyes not unlike Sean's looked him up and down.

"Uhm, a nilwaran?" he answered, feeling slightly dizzy.

Features shifted briefly and Nick saw the wesen behind the human façade, as beautiful as her brother was, with lighter colors but the same sharp eyes. Those eyes were running up and down his body. Nick knew what he looked like: pale and bruised and battered, one hand wrapped in bandages, wearing sweat pants and a thick hoodie against the cold he still felt.

She sighed and shook her head, all composed and human again. "Grimm business."

It wasn't even a question.

Nick just about aborted the shrug, thinking of his injuries, and let her in. "Kinda."

"Where's Sean?"

"Uh… I'm not really sure. I think he mentioned business and…" Nick trailed off, frowning a little. "He had some things to take care of."

"I bet he did."

Nick blinked, feeling exhausted and still very foggy. He stepped aside, remembering his manners.

"I'm sorry, Mireille. Come in, please."

Mireille hesitated a brief second, as if she pondered the idea of entering her brother's territory without him being present.

"I think it's okay if the bonded mate invistes you, right?" the Grimm asked quietly.

"It certainly is. But the mate in question is seriously impaired through his injuries. My brother might not like another regnant's presence right now."

"Miri, please. You are family."

She smiled, a warm expression in her eyes. "I know that you know about the non-existent family bonds and values, Nick. My genetic relationship with Sean holds no meaning. I'm a danger to you."

Nick met her eyes with a firm expression, fighting back the headache and the general soreness a little longer."You're not a danger to me, Mireille."

Again her features shifted and Nick smiled at her. She was only the second regnant he had ever seen aside from Sean and he liked her a lot better than Maurice, which wasn't such a great feat.

"Please come in."

The human façade was back and she tilted he head, eyes piercing into his. "You are a very special person, Nick Burkhardt. I've met Grimms before. It wasn't a pleasant encounter. The last one was a bloody menace. You are very pleasantly different."

Then she walked gracefully inside.

"Look, sorry about the date… if he didn't call you… he didn't, right?" Nick asked, closing the door.

"No, he neglected to do so. But now I see why. An injured mate takes priority." There was slight criticism in her British accented voice that he wasn't here. "Don't worry, Nick. Now, sit down before you fall over. You look a tad pale."

Nick gladly did so and watched the woman who was his mate's older sister walk into the kitchen as if she owned it.

"Uh, Mireille?"

"Would you like some tea?" she called.

"Okay…"

Smiling calmly, holding a packet of cookies, she ushered him onto the couch while the water was heating.

"I'm famished. I thought I was getting a dinner treat." She winked as she opened the packet. "So, tell me what happened."

Nick did.

Tea was ready ten minutes later and Mireille told him firmly to stay on the couch. She served it in large mugs and ate another cookie.

When Renard didn't show within thirty minutes of Mireille's arrival, Nick called for take-out, which had his kinda-sister-in-law smile even more. He didn't call Sean because he knew whatever had dragged the other man away from his vigil over Nick had been important, and Mireille wasn't a danger to him. She was actually a delight.

He liked her, had liked her after their first few phone calls, and he had grown into that relationship with his mate's sister quite quickly.

x x x

So when Sean Renard walked in the door he found his chosen mate and his older sister sitting on the couch, amiably eating Thai take-out, looking relaxed and completely at ease.

He wasn't.

Not at all.

Eyes flared golden and his features shifted as his control was out the window.

Nick straightened abruptly, the sound alerting him to the regnant's emotional state. Pain flared in various body parts, but he ignored it. The bond was suddenly a sharp blade trying to cut loose from him. He grabbed it automatically, pulling hard and abruptly.

"Sean," Mireille said, rising gracefully, eyebrows lifting slightly.

She kept her human looks, her posture non-threatening and calm.

"What are you doing here?" he snapped.

Nick tugged again, now grabbing the bond like a leash and refusing to let go. Gray eyes flared and met the golden ones that challenged him.

"In case you forgot," the Grimm said, voice level and firm, "we had a dinner date with your sister."

Renard blinked and shifted back.

Mireille smiled cheerfully,

Nick glared at the taller regnant, refusing to give in and let go of the bond, as much as it exhausted him to hold it like that.

"Dinner?"

"You had sharper days, little brother," Miri sighed, shaking her head. "But I can see why you are so dense right now. An injured mate can do that to you."

Renard moved closer to the mate in question and Nick gave him a narrow-eyed look, daring him. The emotions were quieting down, but the regnant felt a lot more volatile to him than he should have any right to be right now. The golden hue still permeating the green eyes was tell-tale.

"Relax," Nick murmured.

It got him a hint of fangs and a rumble.

Mireille smiled. "It's okay, Nick. I understand his reaction, which is instinctual. I believe it's only because of you and your presence that Sean hasn't attacked me."

"You are our guest!" Nick insisted, daring Renard to say anything else.

"Right now I'm a potential danger to a regnant's mate." She inclined her head to the Grimm. "Thank you for dinner, Nick."

"You're not leaving!" he protested.

"I am. It would serve no one to aggravate instinctual, territorial behavior like that any more." Mireille looked at her brother with something akin to pride. "Take care of him. He is a sweet guy."

Nick felt a blush creep up his neck.

"I'm staying at the Vintage Plaza. Call."

Renard simply nodded, apparently not trusting his voice, and Mireille smiled again. She gave
Nick a little wink, then calmly left the apartment.

The moment the door closed after her, Renard rounded on Nick, the features still too sharp to be human, the eyes tell-tale golden, and before the Grimm could say something, the regnant was suddenly close.

Very close.

Barely touching him because of his injuries, Sean's arms lay lightly around him and his face was buried in the dark hair. Nick felt the bond relax, going limp, and then there was a soft whisper of a sigh.

"You know you just about attacked your sister, who you allowed into your protectorate, who we had a dinner date with?"

Renard's eyes were closed, his body still too tense for Nick's liking.

"Sean?"

"Sorry," the taller man whispered.

"Call her?"

It got him a nod.

Nick ran his hands over the broad back, feeling the tension drain now, too.

"She's your sister," he murmured. "She's not the enemy."

"You're injured."

"I'm a detective, captain," he said sharply. "An officer of the law. I can defend myself. And I'm a Grimm. I knew who she was. I'm not weak prey."

Another sigh.

Renard finally stepped back, face a mirror of his emotional state. Nick watched him closely, noting how badly this had hit his mate. Long fingers touched Nick's pale face, then ran down one arm to the injured hand. Nick caught the fingers with his good hand.

"I'm fine, Sean. Mireille is not your enemy. Call her. Make a new date."

"I will."

Nick ignored the twinges and dull aches, leaning in to kiss the regnant's lips. Renard replied gently, then drew back.

"You're tired."

"And you're a mother-hen." Nick smiled a little more. "Hungry?"

Renard blinked, surprised by the change of topic.

"Got some left-overs."

He smiled at that and followed Nick to the kitchen, where he stopped his Grimm from heating up the food. He did it himself and settled on the couch, Nick stretched out next to him, feet up. He felt tired, pleasantly full, and the bond had by now become the usual background hum.

He fell asleep not much later.

tbc...