I tried everything I could, but I wasn't a big fan of this chapter. I feel like it was slow and boring... But, here it is.

It took about three months to get their things together.

It wasn't that they needed time to pack; that happened in about thirty seconds once Nick had thoroughly convinced Hank, Juliette, Monroe, and Rosalie that he needed their help. It wasn't that they were nervous or scared; there was plenty of that to go around so fear and nervousness should be a given by now. It was the intricacies that needed time and careful planning.

First, Monroe and Rosalie had to find people to cover the spice shop and tell Monroe's clients that he would be going on a vacation with his wife. That had taken some explaining on Monroe's part, especially to his more time-consumed clients. He assured them he would take care of everything once he got back, but that he had to take some time off.

Juliette didn't have too much of a problem getting off work. Her problem was her apartment. Payments on the house would still have to be made and without a steady paycheck she would lose her house and everything in it. Of course, Renard assured her and everyone else that he would cover that. Nick was, of course awe-inspired by his Mate's generosity.

Hank, Nick, and Renard had the most trouble getting off work. They were detectives and a police captain. Renard could get off easily enough with his connections to the higher ups but he couldn't just use his connections to get Hank and Nick off work as well. It would raise too many suspicions. So, they had to wait a while for Nick and Hank to gain some time off. Somehow, much to the Royal's relief, Hank and Nick hardly ever took a day off unless it was forced on them. So, they had a lot of paid off-duty time already saved up.

Another major complication was Renard's territory. If he and Nick left, anyone could take it from them. So, Nick and Renard spent a lot of time tracking down the Royal's sister, hoping she would take temporary control until the two Kings could return.

That was what took so long. Renard's sister was good at hiding, so when Natalia was finally found, she apologized and accepted the offer. Renard, of course, in all his possessive Royal power, threatened his sister, saying not so subtly that if she double crossed him he would be personally knocking down her door to rip her to shreds.

The sister Royal was surprised when the Grimm gave his own scare. She would never say it aloud, especially to her youngest brother, but she was more terrified of the Grimm Witch, knowing of his powerful ancestral line.

Her brother really chose a truly powerful Mate.

The final, most difficult process was giving everyone a story of why they were all on the same plane going to Germany, just in case something was brought up about it when they got home. They decided to take commercial flight instead of Renard's personal aircraft so as not to raise suspicion or the chance of being spotted by the Royal family. The Royal had taken care of passports and any other records needed for the flight. They decided that their story was going to be simple: they needed vacations. They were all close friends and wanted to spend some time together in a country they all could relate to in some way or another.

If they were investigated, Hank and Nick might receive the worst of it, as it might be seen as fraternization because Renard was there, but they were sure that they could argue against that, as they could do what they wished in their off-duty times.

So, after everything had been taken care of, they were now sitting in the Portland terminal, waiting for the plane to arrive to take them all to the Frankfurt, Germany airport.

Renard pulled Nick to the side for a moment, updating him on some news they were waiting on. "I've just been informed that Adalind and Meisner have arrived in Germany and are on their way to get us a safe house. I've got someone else coming with us on this flight to help us with finding the location of the house."

Nick sighed, running a hand through his hair and worrying his bottom lip. In high school he used to bite his bottom lip when he got nervous, but he had forced himself to kick the habit once he joined the force in fear of criminals noticing his apprehension. It seemed that habit decided to resurface. "I'm still worried about Monroe. He's been nervous this whole time and I'm worried he might lose it. I trust him with my life, but I'm not sure I trust him with his."

Renard nodded, chuckling at his Mate's wording. "He will be fine, Nick. I assure you."

Over in the terminal seats, Monroe shouted, "I can still hear you, you know."

Nick blushed, looking sheepish. He walked over to Monroe and spoke his apologies. "I'm sorry, Monroe. I'm just worried about you, I guess…"

"Nick, shut up. You've been trying to find excuses for all of us to leave since the situation was explained. Just tell us all, "I'm worried about you guys and I don't think you should come," in your puppy-eyed Grimm-ness, then in your terrible logic you will explain why it's a bad idea, finally we'll tell you that we're coming along whether you want us to or not and we'll move on. How's that?" Monroe watched his best friend laugh, but could still smell the uneasy nervousness like the plague had attacked the small Grimm. In a rare bout of seriousness, the Blutbad said, "Nick, you shouldn't be nervous. We're here because you're our friend. And, for Rosalie and I…" He trailed off, clearing his throat awkwardly. "For Rosalie and I, you're pack." Nick's eyes widened, eternal gratitude showing in their worshipping gleam. "Oh, come on, Nick. You seriously had no idea? Why else would I help you? You forced your way into my life, sent me on life threatening missions, and not to mention all the favors you owe me. Hell, after this you will be doing my bidding until you die.

"But you also introduced me to my wife. You gave me something to focus on other than my self-loathing because of my past. You showed me that not all Grimms are bad. If you still don't think you're pack, think some more. I willingly defended your aunt when it went against everything I believed. I've fought alongside you when the Prince was unable to. I've literally helped you bury bodies.

"So, yes, Nick. You are pack. Now put away your eyes before I end up saying more sappy bullshit." Monroe was bright red at the end of his spiel, but Nick was smiling bright.

Rosalie, Hank, and Juliette had heard the whole thing and were nodding their agreements. "We'll follow you to wherever you take us, Nick." Rosalie said with a soft smile and a look that could only be read as pure trust.

They all chatted idly while they waited. Even Renard joined in with them, telling them stories about the nineteenth century. Hank leaned over to Juliette, whispered something, and pointed at Nick, who was sitting next to the Royal while the older man told a story about an interesting encounter he had with a scientist who thought the world was simply a cardboard box and God was a child playing with his toys. It wasn't so much that story that had Hank and Juliette laughing softly to themselves. It was the soft smile pulling at Nick's lips as the smaller man watched and listened to his Mate tell his tale. It was the barely noticeable entwined hands between the Royal and the Witch. It was the look in the younger man's eyes when his Mate would turn to him. Nick may not know it yet, but he was hopelessly in love with this man.

Juliette giggled into her hand. "Nick is so adorable."

Hank snorted. "Yeah, sure. I wouldn't use adorable." At her put-off look, Hank explained, "I've seen him on day three with no sleep and being the first one to find out the coffee machine broke. That man isn't adorable. He's terrifying."

Juliette looked thoughtful. "I remember in college how he was with no sleep. I imagine it would be terrifying for most people."

"It wasn't for you?" Hank was genuinely shocked.

She shook her head. "Remember, I was in college, too. Nick and I got into some serious fights during no-sleep study binges. It sometimes got so bad that our landlord would have to remove one of us from our apartment."

Hank said nothing, but he must've had a mortified expression on his face as Juliette started laughing loudly.

Monroe, who was sitting on the other side of Nick, leaned in and whispered between the Grimm, his wife, and the Royal. "Twenty bucks says those two are dating." He pointed between Hank and Juliette.

"No!" Nick whispered firmly. "I already have a betting pool with Wu that they have been dating for two months now. No one has ever won a bet against Wu but I'm certain I'll win this. I can't put money in another pool."

Renard cleared his throat. "I have it on good authority that Wu has won that bet."

The two wesen and his Grimm Mate eyed him suspiciously. "What do you mean?" Nick asked carefully. "Wu said their dating, but they don't know their dating. How could that possibly be the correct answer?"

"Hey, Nick. Don't worry. I know you tried to beat me and you were pretty close, but no dice," a familiar voice said.

Nick turned to find Sergeant Wu standing in front of him. "Wu?"

"Hey, Nick! Or is it King Nicolas now? I'm too sure what to call you anymore."

Nick blinked. He blinked again. Monroe had a thought pop into his head. Nick's expression clearly said, "Does not compute. Please try again later."

"Sean? What? I don't…"

"Nick, meet Drew Wu, a loyal member of the Laufer and the head of our intelligence." Renard saw Nick's dumbfounded expression and said, "Did you honestly think he didn't know anything about wesen? Who do you think I get my information about parts of the city I rarely see? Adalind?"

Nick stared for a full minute and Monroe laughed, picturing the word, "Recalculating" on his forehead.

Nick took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Then, turning to Wu, he simply said, "Seriously?" The Asian man took it as his silent acceptance of him as well as his own version of, "I don't even know anymore."

Renard smirked at his Mate. He'd wanted to tell Nick about the Sergeant, but with everything that had happened he hadn't the time. Nick turned to Renard, silently asking why he hadn't been told. They shared a few silent words and exchanges before Nick understood.

Rosalie laughed and the two turned to her. "You two speak in code." The two just turned to each other and the Royal raised an eyebrow. Nick furrowed his brow and shook his head. They silent exchange only added to the humor and they were all laughing at this point.

"So," Nick asked, turning to his former college roommate. "Since Wu got here this thought has been on my mind and it's driving me crazy. I have to know." He pointed between his partner and her. "You and Hank. Are you guys a thing?"

Hank looked at Juliette, both sharing a quick look before nodded. "For about two months now." She said.

Nick's eyes widened before he cheered. "Yes!" He shouted. "Pay up, Wu! I win!"

"Actually, we aren't even sure it's been two months. It could be longer. It just kind of hit us one day. We just fell into that step and now we're here, I guess." Hank explained.

"We were going to say something, but we weren't sure how to explain when we got together in a way that made sense. We aren't even sure it makes sense to us." Juliette continued.

Nick grumbled before pulling out his wallet and handing over a twenty to Wu. "Thank you very much, Grimm. It's been a pleasure doing business with you."

"So, Renard," Hank began. "How long have you and Nick been together officially?"

"Three months." He said without missing a beat.

Wu smirked as the detective mumbled some heavy profanity before handing over a fifty. "Told you, Griffin. I won that bet. You said they'd been together for seven months."

Nick glared at his partner. "Seven months? Seriously, Hank?"

The man shrugged unapologetically. "You two were eying each other for a lot longer than three months."

Nick blushed and Renard laughed, knowing that what the man said was true. "I told you, Nick. I told you before the Day of Truce formal that there was a bet going around about us." The Royal was still laughing when Nick replied.

"You told me to ask Hank about it! The last time I asked Hank a question about something that wasn't work-related it ended with me wanting to gouge my eyes out!" Nick blushed furiously, remembering that terrible video as if it were burned into his memory.

Renard's laughter died down to a soft, final chuckle and he wrapped his arm around Nick's shoulder and pulled him close so he could kiss the top of his head.

"Aww, ain't you two just adorable!" Wu said in his best southern belle impression, though it was only in half-mockery. The two really were adorable.

After a few more minutes of catching up, they heard the call on the overhead for them to board the plane. "Well, you guys ready?" Nick said.

"Always." Hank said.

The Grimm sighed. "Well, let's get on with it, then."

It was the longest flight Nick had ever experienced. He thought it was bad enough when he flew from New Jersey to Portland. This, however, was awful. It wasn't that Nick was afraid of flying and he didn't get sick on planes. No, the problem was his inability to do anything. Nick didn't like to sit unless he had something to focus his attention on.

This plane ride might also be worse because Renard seemed intent on getting into his pants quite literally in their seats. Nick had brought a blanket to sleep with on the plane so that he could reduce the jet lag as much as possible, but the Royal had other plans that obviously didn't involve sleeping on this plane.

"Sean, stop. Do you realize how many people are around us?" Nick said, slapping Renard's hand away.

The Royal didn't seem put off by this at all. In fact, his smirk grew even wider. "Then be quiet. Besides," he chuckled lowly. "We're in the very back. No one is next to us therefore no one is paying attention."

The Grimm whimpered as the Royal successfully slipped his hand passed the zipper and undone button of his jeans and into his boxers with ease. Nick gasped when he gripped his half-hard cock, slowly stroking it to full attention. "Sean!" Nick wasn't sure if it was him yelling at his Mate or moaning his name.

Renard took it as the latter and continued to stroke him with practiced skill. Nick leaned into the Royal's shoulder, biting down whenever he felt the need to moan. Nick was breathing heavily and whimpering. Moans were still escaping him which brought the concern of one of the flight attendants. "Is he alright, sir?" He said cheerfully, though his voice conveyed concern.

Renard simply nodded as he swiped his thumb over the slit of his Mate's cock, making Nick whimper. "Yes," Renard said in a controlled voice. Nick wasn't sure whether he was embarrassed, angry, or beyond the point of caring. When Renard's hand gripped harder and stroked faster he figured he should have known he was beyond caring. "He just doesn't like flying."

The man smiled, knowing nothing of what was going on beneath the blanket. "Okay, just let me or another attendant know if you or he need anything." The man walked away right when Nick's breath became ragged. A few moments later, Nick was biting hard into the older man's shoulder and closing his eyes tightly as he came into his Mate's working hands.

Nick panted as he came down from his post-orgasm high. When he was somewhat recovered he glared at Renard who was wiping his hand on some tissues, an innocent expression on his face. Well, as innocent as you can look when you just jacked your Mate off in public.

Scratch that. He didn't look innocent. He looked smug.

Nick wanted to be embarrassed and mortified, but he just couldn't help but start planning all the ways he could get the Royal back. Wait till the Mayor comes to the Department for his routine check-in. Sean will regret this. He thought mischievously as he wondered how hard it was to give a blowjob under a police captain's desk.

Nick's eyes began to droop and he soon fell asleep on his captain's bite-covered shoulder, not that the older man minded. Soon, even Renard was falling asleep, his head tilted to the side as he closed his eyes, letting himself fall into a light slumber.

They arrived at the Frankfurt airport a few hours later. As soon as they were off the plane, Wu pulled out his phone and made a call to Adalind and Meisner. Once he got the information he needed, he turned to the group. "Adalind and Meisner are outside. They have two vehicles with them and they will be driving to the estate. There are extra cars at this place but I'm going to have to ask Hank, Juliette, and Nick to refrain from driving, as I'm not entirely comfortable with three people who have never been overseas driving in a foreign country where they don't even speak the language."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Nick said. "The last time I drove, Sean got mad and said I wasn't allowed to."

Renard rolled his eyes. "You almost drove into Monroe's house, Nick."

Monroe yelled in disbelief, "He almost drove into my house?" at the same time Nick said, "In my defense, I thought Rosalie was about to be assassinated."

"That's not a defense, Nick! You almost drove into my house! If you think someone's going to be attacked, you go in quietly! You don't drive at ninety miles an hour into a person's house!" Monroe yelled.

Nick turned to Monroe. "But I didn't." He said simply, as if that would fix everything clearly wrong with what he had almost done.

Monroe groaned into Rosalie's shoulder. "I used to say that Nick was going to be the death of me and only kind of mean it. Now? Now, I know. I know for a fact that Nick Burkhardt is going to be the reason I die in the very near future. He's going to drive his beat up truck into my house and kill me." He sighed. "I can only pray he doesn't take you too, Rose."

Rosalie patted his back comfortingly, placing a kiss on his cheek. "You're sweet, Monroe," she said with a smile.

They walked out of the airport and towards where Adalind and Meisner said they'd be waiting. "Hey, Grimm. Ready for a road trip?" Adalind smirked.

"Do we seriously have to ride with her?" Nick asked Renard, ignoring the put-off look on the Hexenbiest's face.

"No, Nick. You can ride with whoever you wish. I, on the other hand, am riding in this vehicle." He climbed into the black SUV.

Nick sighed. "Fine." He grumbled before climbing in beside the older man.

Adalind made a mock gagging noise. "You follow him around like a love-sick puppy. Why do you let him do that again, Renard?"
Renard growled low. "Do not speak to my Mate that way. I've tolerated it to a point but rest assured I will not allow you to speak to him in such a manner any longer."

"Don't listen to him, Adalind," Nick explained. "He's just grumpy because he woke up in a strange position and now his neck hurts."

Renard's growl only got louder, but he didn't retaliate against the smaller man next to him.

Adalind just shook her head in disbelief. "I don't understand how you can blatantly insult Renard in his face and still live to tell about it. He's got you wrapped around his finger."

Nick glared at her. "I'm not controlling him in any way. He just likes me more than you."

"Yeah, because you grace him with regular sex."

Nick blushed, but still retorted with, "Is that why Meisner likes you more?"

Adalind laughed. "Probably."

Renard listened to the exchange, not sure whether they were verbally attacking each other or just talking. He'd never been one for modern slang, but "frienemies" seemed like a very fitting term here. Also, he thought about what Meisner and Adalind would be like as a couple. He wasn't sure if they were an actual couple right now or just having sex on a regular basis. He didn't take Meisner or Adalind for the "settling down" types, but there was always a first time for everything.

It really was a road trip. They were driving for almost three hours before they finally reached their destination. They said it was a safe house, but it was honestly a castle. The place was massive. Nick wondered who owned this place and was allowing them to stay here. He'd have to thank them.

"Sean, this place is huge! Someone has to know it's here and could therefore be watching it. That's not a very safe house!"

Renard chuckled. "Don't worry, Nick. This place is safe. I promise."

"How do you know?" He asked suspiciously.

"Because it's mine."

Honestly, Nick needed to stop being surprised by what came out of his Mate's mouth. "Oh."

Once inside, Nick fully took in the grandeur of the place. It looked practically Medieval on the outside, but on the inside it was very modern.

Monroe whistled low. "This is a sweet place. And it's right outside of Baden-Baden."

"Baden-Baden?" Nick, Juliette, and Hank asked at the same time.

"Oh, you uncultured imbeciles!" Monroe mocked. "Baden-Baden is a pretty large tourist attraction. It's got these sweet Roman bathhouses in it that you can use. It's pretty nice, though, since we're staying along the edge of the Black Forest, we should've stayed near Furtwangen. There's Clock Museum there and I've always wanted to go. I hear they have this new clock called the…"

As Monroe rambled about clocks, Nick turned to Renard, smiling. "He's so cute when he rambles."

Renard growled possessively. Nick wasn't sure how he knew it was a possessive growl. They all sounded the same, but he could hear the possessiveness in the growl as if Renard has just said, "Mine," and wrapped his arms around his waist.

Nick patted the Royal's shoulder softly. "Don't be so insecure, Sean. You know you're the only one for me."

The Prince still pulled his Mate into a long kiss in front of Monroe, however, just to be sure the Blutbad and Nick knew who belonged to who.

Juliette finally broke. She couldn't keep in her excitement for her closest friend. Once Renard had released Nick, Juliette just wrapped him in a hug. "Juliette?" Nick asked.

"I'm happy for you, Nick. I really am."

Nick's expression softened. Juliette had always been the one who worried about him when he was in college. She was like his sister and his mother wrapped in one. She was the only one who was ever there for him when he lived with Marie. He returned the embrace fully. "I'm happy for you, too. Just let Hank know that if he tries to make you his fifth divorce I'll kill him."

Juliette nodded. "Don't worry. I will." She pulled away and said, "Redhead, remember? Fiery temper and all that?"

Nick winced at the memories. "An understatement of the century, if I ever heard one."

Renard wasn't normally this overprotective, but he was exhausted and his neck really did hurt. So, when Nick said what he said about Monroe, he knew he overreacted but his nerves were frayed. He never liked planes. He was around when they were invented so needless to say he didn't like them. It made him uneasy to know that planes evolved from the most unstable invention that was put together by glorified farmers.

He didn't care that he was probably being petulant and rude, but he grabbed Nick and started walking down a hall with the Grimm in tow. Nick gave an apologetic smile to the group as Renard practically dragged him away and yelled for Meisner to show them to their rooms.

Once in the room, Nick turned on Renard. "What the Hell was that about?" He said angrily. His anger quickly dissipated when he took in the Royal's exhausted countenance. "Never mind," he said, shaking his head. "Let's just get you to bed."

Their bags were, not surprisingly, already in the room, so Nick went over and grabbed Renard's sleep clothes. After sleeping with the man for three months, he learned that Renard did not like to wear shirts when he slept. It worked out perfectly for Nick, as he preferred to wear just that. So, Nick and Renard stripped to their underwear before pulling on their respective clothing items. Renard wore a pair of old Portland PD sleep pants while Nick took the Royal's dress shirt he had been wearing previously. It draped over his smaller frame helplessly, but Nick still wore it for multiple reasons. One, the Royal had comfortable shirts that always kept him warm. Two, it smelled like his Mate and Nick found a huge comfort in that. The main reason, however, was simply because he knew Renard found comfort in their mingling scents.

Renard watched his Mate undress, following the lines of the now-healed markings as the smaller man's body moved to undress. They read and reread every book they had for weeks and they still couldn't find anything even remotely similar to the designs that covered Nick's flesh. It unnerved him, to say the least, though, he didn't think they were dangerous. The burns didn't appear until after the incident with the keys. He highly doubted that Philipp Grimm purposely intended to kill his descendant. They still weren't sure what it did, but he was almost certain it wouldn't do anything harmful.

Climbing into the large poster bed, Renard pulled Nick close to him, inhaling the familiar scents. He was worried how the next few weeks would turn out. When he explained to Nick why they needed to go to Germany, the Grimm seemed worried.

Three Months Ago

"Sean! For the last time! Why are we going to Germany? What's got you so scared?" Nick asked. Honestly, he was scared, too. He didn't know what was going through his Mate's head. Nick winced, gasping out a cry when he moved to quickly and the burns were jarred.

Renard turned to Nick. "Nick, please. Lay down. I'll take care of this. You need to heal."

Nick shook his head. "No. I'm not doing shit until you tell me what's going on."

Renard growled dangerously as his Mate challenged him. Nick, though Renard could clearly see the Grimm was having a hard time standing upright, stood his ground. The Royal within never liked to swallow his pride, but his Mate was in pain and sick. Mates always come first. "Fine, but please, Nick. Sit down at least."

Nick nodded slowly, limping over to the bed. "Now, what's wrong? Why Germany?"

"The map. We need to get to that location before my family finds out about it."

"Why?" Nick said, straight and to the point.

Renard rubbed his eyes. "When I was a child, my mother and I were on the run from my father. At this point we were in the Black Forest in Germany somewhere around the 1760's. She used to tell me this story she called The Veil. It was about a Hexenbiest and a Witch who fell in love, but a human saw the true form of the Hexenbiest and was terrified and ended up killing the Hexenbiest. In revenge, the Witch shrouded the human race with a spell cast upon his dead wife's wedding veil, shrouding the humans from being able to see the wesen for all eternity."

"I kind of see where you're going with this, but you're going to have to elaborate a little more." Nick said, intrigued.

"She used to also tell me that the spirit of the Witch still lurked in the place of his wife's grave. I thought she was telling me a joke when she told me that lore pointed the Hexenbiest's grave to be in the Black Forest. My mother would end it by saying that only those who are led by the Witch can find grave.

"I think the map is where the grave is, Nick."

Nick blinked. "You think the story is true?"

"It's the only thing I have to go on." He said. "I know there's not a lot of evidence, but I…" He trailed off, not sure how to word what he wanted to say. "I need something to focus on, I guess. I can't just sit here and watch you suffer without doing whatever I can to find an answer."

Nick's expression softened. "Sean…"

Renard shook his head. "Nick, let me do this."

Nick didn't want Renard to go on a wild goose chase but, honestly, his story might have some truth. They didn't have much to go on except for a map. Even if The Veil was just a fairy tale, the map still led to the Black Forest in Germany. So, Nick agreed. "Okay, but why did I need to tell everyone else so suddenly that they need to pack for Germany? Why not just us?"

Renard looked down. "I can't lose you, Nick. I will do everything in my power to protect you, and if that means putting my pride aside and letting others help me protect you, then that's what I'll do. I also know you trust them and they would want to know firsthand what was going on."

Nick smiled. "It's okay to admit they're your friends, too. At least Hank. You know Hank. He works with you."

"Hank works for me. It's different."

Nick tapped his chin with his finger. "Are you sure? Because you're sleeping with someone who works for you, unless the other night was merely a pleasant dream I'm recalling rather vividly." Nick smirked when Renard rolled his eyes. "Eye rolling is not very dignified for a Prince now, is it?" Nick laughed.

"It is when you have a smartass for a Mate." The Royal deadpanned. "Now lay down with me. We need to sleep."

Present

Renard still wasn't sure if it was a good idea to come here, but his gut was telling him to come. He didn't have anything except a gut feeling and a feeling was better than sitting in Portland with no answers to the questions he had running through his head. Before closing his eyes and going to sleep, he placed one final kiss onto Nick's forehead. The Grimm had long fallen asleep, so he probably didn't hear it when Renard whispered, "I love you, Nick," before finally caving to sleep.

Adalind is so awesome. I love her! I know I've said that, but it has to be said.