I'm sorry guys... I haven't written in a long time... I've been going through a lot lately and it's been really hard. I'm doing better though, which is why I wanted to post this. Thank you for sticking with me for so long. There's going to be one more chapter after this. Thank you again for reading!

Renard was trying hard to act normal, but he was terrified. At first he thought Nick had run off, needing some time and space to figure out whatever caused the shock and self-depreciated look that crossed his features at Renard's admission. He'd allowed it.

But now, after almost seven hours of his Grimm's absence, the older man was starting to feel a little anxious about his disappearance. He was sitting in the main lounge area with the others, fiddling with the radio absentmindedly when his attention was turned to his Sergeant.

He was on the phone with someone, muttering and cursing when he heard the news. He took a deep breath when he hung up, walking over to Renard. Squaring his shoulders, Renard and Wu braced themselves for the worst. "Sir, someone matching the description of Nick was seen attacked by three Mouvais Dentes. He made it out of that fight with no serious injuries but some Reapers managed to get ahold of him."

The animated room quieted at the news. "Is someone following them?" Renard asked carefully. If his people were stupid enough to not follow Nick's kidnappers, he would kill every last one of them for their idiocy.

"Yes, sir. We have intel that they are headed to your deceased brother's home."

Renard considered this carefully. It was the only citadel his family had in Germany. His family still technically owned the property, so they could go in as they wished. He'd been inside his brother's home once when having early negotiations to protect Nick. Eric was monumentally paranoid, so it was filled with passageways and secret areas. If Nick were taken in the building he might never see him until Nick was released.

And if Renard knew his family – and he knew them quite well – Nick would be released as soon as his heart stopped beating.

"Call the people trailing them. Tell them to intercept immediately. We're on our way."

Everyone in their group walked briskly but silently, following Renard outside and into the cars. Wu drove with Renard, Adalind, and Meisner while Monroe drove the other car with Rosalie, Hank, and Juliette.

"Why did you take us in the main car?" Adalind asked. "I figured you'd take the Grimm's groupies."

Renard shook his head. "I trust you all to take care of Nick, but there's a difference in being willing to give your life for someone and actually wanting to give your life for someone. Sometimes I think the others are suicidal when it comes to Nick." He sighed deeply.

"With all due respect, Sir. I am certain they mean well." Meisner ventured.

Renard nodded again. "I do not doubt that for a moment, but Nick would be upset if one of his friends ended up dying. I trust all of your self-preservation skills more than the others."

Just then Wu's phone rang and Renard listened in. "We've intercepted," the other line said.

"Good. Keep them stalled for as long as possible. Keep in mind that's the Prince's Mate and those are German Reapers. They have that poison infused in the blades. If that cuts the Grimm even a little we'll be in for some trouble." Wu explained.

Shit. Renard cursed mentally. He'd forgotten about the Reaper blades here in Germany. They weren't normally used in the United States, as transportation of the poison was tricky. It was also too hard to make without being questioned by human authorities, so it just wasn't produced. In Germany, however, there was unlimited access. Every Reaper had one of these poisoned blades.

He'd seen what that poison could do to a Grimm. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat. They had to get to Nick fast or he would be in huge trouble.

Nick was swaying in and out of consciousness throughout the entire ride. On one of his more conscious states, he heard the car stop and some voices muttering something in German. Nick was getting really tired of hearing German. He couldn't understand it. Though, he probably couldn't understand anything at this point, what with the chains around him draining his energy. He could still feel the acidic burn on his skin when the truck moved over a bump in the road.

He heard more voices, but this time they sounded more frantic, angrier. There was shouting and Nick registered that the back of the truck had opened up and he was being dragged out, a blade pressed against his throat. He couldn't fathom the reason for the blade; he wasn't going anywhere. He was too tired to move, let alone try to escape. These chains were draining him thoroughly of his energy.

Renard, meanwhile, was already on site when he saw the truck open up to reveal the Grimm with a reaper blade pressed against his throat. He growled low, ready to tear apart the one who dared touch what belonged to him. His growl only got louder when he saw the chains around his Mate. He was acquainted with those chains once when he was captured by his father so many years ago.

In a calm yet threatening voice, Renard said, "Let him go and I'll kill you swiftly."

The Reaper holding Nick hostage laughed. "I could let him go, but where would the fun in that be?"

Renard snarled. "Do you have a death wish, Reaper?"

The creature smirked. "No. I just believe in an eye for an eye. You killed my wife in Portland!"

Renard quickly thought back to any and every trial involving Reapers in Portland. His mind finally brought forth a Reaper that had been involved in the attack against Monroe. "She was involved in an attack against a Blutbad in my territory. You know the law."

"She was my wife! Don't tell me you wouldn't break the law for this Grimm."

Renard nodded honestly. "I would. But I would take the punishment I deserved if I were caught."

"I don't care what you would do!" He snarled. "I'm going to get my revenge. If I can't deliver him to the Royals then I'll just kill him right here!"

Things moved quickly after his statement. Shots were fired when Wu and Hank took care of the Reapers on one side, Meisner and Adalind took care of the other side, and Monroe and Renard went to take care of the one holding Nick. Monroe made quick work of the chains and Renard's speed allowed him to snap the Reaper's neck even from the position he had been standing in previously. Nick fell to the ground unconscious and that was when Rosalie and Juliette went to check and see if he was alright. Renard watched closely, checking every inch of Nick for a cut that didn't come from the chains around Nick's hands and ankles.

It was Juliette who found it.

"Hey, there's a cut on his neck. We should probably bandage that up, too."

Renard's eyes widened in mortification. "Let me see."

The Royal bent down to investigate the cut and he gasped, knowing what this meant. The wound looked normal, minimal, but as the poison slowly moved its way into his body the veins in his neck pulsed a dark color. Judging by the small cut, Nick had maybe a week before the poison completely killed him.

Renard looked to Rosalie. "Do you know of any cure for the Reaper poison?"

She looked back at him, a knowing, sad expression on her face. "I can research one, but right now, no. I don't."

He was silent for a long moment, trying to reign in his frantic emotions. This was his fault. If he hadn't scared Nick off this never would have happened. "We need to take him back. Wu, take care of this mess. I'm taking the rest of them back to the hideout." He ordered.

Wu nodded. "Yes, sir."

It was a quiet ride back to the edge of the forest. Everyone was wondering if Nick would survive this. He had been through so much already and now he was dying due to Reaper poison. They would find a cure. They had to.

Once at the hideout, Rosalie pulled some of Nick's blood so as to test the poison's resistances. Hopefully they could use that to create a cure. Renard stayed with Nick in their bed, not once leaving his side. Looking at the Grimm, the Royal could see the sweat already forming on his Mate's brow. Renard knew that Nick would wake soon. He dreaded telling Nick what happened. It happened so quickly that Renard wasn't even sure what had happened. He just knew that his mate was dying and that he couldn't do anything about it.

As if summoned by his Mate's thoughts of him, Nick awoke. "Sean?" He called. "What happened? I feel like I've been hit by a truck."

Renard chuckled. "You were captured by Reapers while walking back here. We got you back, but…"

Nick's eyes widened. "What? Oh, no. Did someone get hurt? Is everyone okay?"

Renard's eyes watered at his dying Mate's sincerity. He was the one who was hurt and he was worried about everyone else. "No, Nick. No one was hurt. Just you."

"I'm feeling a little déjà vu here." Nick laughed.

Renard chuckled. As he did this, Nick caught the tears on his cheeks. "Sean, are you okay? Don't be upset. I'm okay."

Renard shook his head. "No, you're not. You were cut by the Reaper."

Nick blinked. "Okay. Why is that so significant?"

"The poison on the blades…"

Nick's eyes widened. "Oh…" He trailed off. "Am I… Is it deadly?" He asked.

Renard just pulled Nick in to gently kiss him, which Nick took as a yes.

He was dying.

"I guess that explains why I feel like I was hit by a truck." He joked morbidly.

"Nick, I'm so sorry. I scared you. If I hadn't have made you run off like that, this wouldn't be happening. I'm so"-

Nick silenced him with a kiss. "I love you, too, Sean Renard."

Renard looked down at his Mate. "You do?" He said dumbly.

"Yeah, you idiot. It just took me a minute to realize it." He smiled sadly. "When I was a kid, I was never really told that I was loved. My mother never said it and my dad was always working, so I don't remember if he ever said it. And you know my Aunt Marie. Do you picture her saying, 'I love you' every night? I thought that because I'd never heard the words, I didn't know what love was.

"But I guess I do know what it is. I don't need to hear it or witness it. Love's instinctual. It's something that just is. And I love you."

Renard's tears fell freely. He was terrified he was going to lose this man beneath him. "I love you, too." He whispered.

"Good," Nick said while pulling Renard down and around him. "Now go to sleep. I'm tired."

Renard almost said no. He was afraid that when he awoke Nick would be gone, but he listened anyways, his tired body forcing him to close his eyes and sleep. His Mate was a safe as he could be right now. Research was being done, so sleep was all he could do for now.

His mind wandered for a few moments to how Nick wasn't panicking over his current state. Through the Bond, he couldn't feel a single ounce of apprehension coming from Nick. Turning to his Mate, he asked, "Are you afraid?"

Nick shook his head sleepily. "No. It'll work itself out. I'm sure of it."

Renard wanted to agree, but he couldn't quite grasp Nick's optimism.

He dreamt of Nick dying that night, of his soul being taken in a silver beam of light, leaving behind only his cold corpse in the physical realm.

Renard woke in the morning. Quickly he studied his Mate and discovered that the poison had spread rapidly during the night, leaving Nick in a quivering state. As much as it pained him, he went downstairs and found the whole Grimm crew sitting over books. "What are you all doing?" He asked.

Rosalie looked up, eyes bloodshot from drowsiness and the telltale signs of someone who has stared at a book for far too long. It made him feel bad that he had slept and they had obviously stayed up all night. "This is what we do. Nick gets into some trouble, we research how to get him out of it."

"Have you found anything?" He asked, trying not to sound too hopeful.

She shook her head. "I've never seen anything like this poison before. It's like it adapts to different areas of the body, using its weakness to kill it."

He sighed, bracing himself for the possible answer to his next question. "I need you to be honest with me. Will you be able to find a cure in time?"

Her eyes widened. "I'm sure we'll find something. He'll be fine."

The expression in his eyes showed them all how worried he was. They weren't even upset when he shouted, "Tell me, dammit! Don't lie to me."

Rosalie's shoulders slumped. "No, I don't think so."

He just nodded slowly. His Mate was going to die, which also meant he would follow shortly thereafter.

Through his despairing haze he could see the anger that would hit him soon, relieving him from his aching sorrow. His family would die tonight. He would either make sure of it or die trying.

Monroe saw the menacing glare his King was sporting and he stood up to say, "I'll go with you. We'll kill them together."

"No," Renard growled. "This is my fight. You have a wife to take care of. I'm sending you all back on the next flight home. I know this trip was short, and I'm sorry for that. Thank you for your time. It was an honor working with you all." He said simply.

Then, with the utmost sincerity, he smiled and said, "Thank you for watching over Nick when I couldn't. I consider you all my friends and I'm grateful that you have involved me in such friendship."

There was silence before Juliette was the first to break down, her sobs tearing holes in each and every one of them. Hank walked over to Juliette, half carrying and half dragging her out of the room so that she could cry in peace. One by one they all walked away from the room, both silent and vocal tears being shed for their friend, partner, ruler, and Mate.

Wu and Renard were the last ones to leave. "Take them to the airport today, Wu. I have some business to take care of."

"With all due respect, Sir, in your current state, you are not fit for a fight."

Renard smiled sadly. "I never will be. He's going to die and I have to kill who's responsible before I can't any longer."

Wu just nodded, his bloodshot eyes the only giveaway of how he really felt about the whole situation. Then, he bowed. "It was an honor to serve you, King Renard. And Sir?" He began. "Give 'em Hell for us, will you?"

He smirked. "With pleasure."

Renard travelled to his and Nick's room after their talk. On his way he heard Rosalie sobbing while he could hear Monroe throwing things across the room. On the other side of the hall, Juliette and Hank were in a similar situation, though Juliette was helping with the throwing. Normally the Royal might care that his things were being broken like they meant nothing – which they probably did – but today he was going to die. His Mate was going to die and there was nothing he could do. He was about to let the anger take over, but before he could, he made a stop to Nick.

Nick was passed out on the bed, covered in his own sweat. Renard could hear how difficult it was for Nick to breathe. Renard thought Nick had a few more days at least, but at this rate it would be at most a few hours before he passed. Renard's chest constricted at the thought. No. He thought. I will not think of this.

He walked over to Nick and touched his head. He was burning up. The poison was destroying everything in his body. Through the Bond Renard could feel the agony his Mate was going through. "It'll be just a little while longer, Nick. You won't have to suffer through this anymore." Tears were streaming down his face when his Mate barely moved at his touch. Nick would not wake up again. Leaning down, barely concealed sobs wracking through the Royal, he kissed Nick for the last time. "I love you."

As if on his dying breath, Nick said, "I love you, too, Sean."

Renard broke down then. His anguish tore through him like no knife ever could. His Mate, his love, was dying and he couldn't do a damn thing.

He couldn't help Nick, but he could avenge him.

Renard forced himself to stand up from Nick's bed, finally letting the anger and hatred overwhelm him. He was about to leave when he saw someone unexpected outside of the window.

Renard growled low. It seemed Shane would be his first victim tonight. He didn't care why Shane was walking around his territory. He didn't care about anything except for the overwhelming need to rip Shane's head from his shoulders.

The Royal was free, and it wanted blood.

Wu, meanwhile, was pulling everyone out of their destroyed rooms and walking them to the cars. No one wanted to break the silence of death, but Monroe had to say something. He couldn't just stand around.

"You can't honestly expect us to quietly go along with you, Wu! I don't care what the rest of them want to do, but I'm staying."

It seemed the whole group was merely waiting for someone else to say this, as they all shouted their agreement and stopped walking to the car.

Wu turned to them all and said, "I was waiting for somebody to say it. I almost thought I would have to bring it up."

Suddenly, they all heard a shrill scream come from outside. Renard had done something and his prey was not happy. "Let's go," Monroe said, taking charge of the group.

"Hello, Brother. Fancy meeting you here." Shane said, feigning surprise.

Renard didn't even waste any time with small talk. He just charged, using his already-woged form to his advantage. His brother narrowly dodged the would-be fatal blow, but not without a heavy wound into his shoulder. Shane's eyes grew dark and he quickly woged, the battle now coming to equal footing.

Renard had one advantage over his brother, however. He had nothing to lose. He was reckless, and that made him powerful.

It didn't take long before the Royal had his brother screaming, his arm ripped almost from the socket. "I wish I had time to make your death painful." He said.

Shane, though his pained haze, laughed hysterically, saying, "But you don't, do you? Your little Grimm Bitch is dying! The Reaper got him!"

Renard threw a strong fist at his brother's cheek. The man needed to stop his hysteria, but he just kept laughing. He kept laughing until the second Renard slit his throat with a woged fingernail.

The Royal watched coldly as his dead brother slumped to the ground. As he studied his form, he couldn't see how this could have gone differently. Thinking of Nick, he wondered if the man would be mad at him for killing his own brother, but he guessed that didn't matter anymore.

Trying not to think of what was happening to his Mate, he sniffed the air for another intruder. His brother wouldn't come alone, which meant someone else was nearby. When he caught the next scent he knew something was amiss. His father would never be out here unless he had a reason. Even though his father was crazy, the man still wasn't stupid.

Renard chased the scent deep into the forest.

"I love you, Nick," he whispered. "I'll join you soon."

Nick could feel himself slipping away. It felt like he was trying to fall asleep, but then he would jerk awake again. He knew he would die. He heard all the shouting in the other rooms. He hated that he made his family feel this way, but there was no way around it. They would be okay without him. They would live.

But Sean won't.

In this case, the selfish part of Nick won out. He would have Renard for eternity. He wished he could help Grimm's wife with her problem, but that would have to wait for the next Grimm.

As Nick's vision began to fade, he wondered if this was finally the end. He hoped so. Dying was tiring.

Nick's eyes slipped close for just a moment, but then he jerked awake, this time coming up into a seated position.

He could hear something, voices.

Slowly he got out of bed and began to follow the voices. He didn't really think about the fact that he could suddenly walk with no problem. He just followed his instincts.

He was led outside into the forest. He looked over and saw his friends. He thought briefly that he should go over to them, but his instincts shut that down almost immediately. He needed to hide from them, needed to go into the forest. He needed to find something.

The Grimm kept walking until he could see a large building in the distance. That wasn't there before… He thought, remembering briefly his and Renard's walk through this part of the forest.

Walking up to the door, he saw a sign. Reading it aloud, he recited, "The Library of the Knights. Only We can pass through the gate."

He thought for a moment what this could mean when a light flashed across his vision and he saw something through the blinding light. It was some kind of meeting between Philipp Grimm and his Knights. They were back where they were in Nick's previous visions, except this time he noticed the hundreds of books lining the walls.

"Grimm, we cannot keep all of this here. The Royals will come for it."

"Don't worry. I have a plan to move the library. No one will be able to use this magick except for me. It is too dangerous if it falls to someone unsatisfactory."

The Knight nodded. "Tell us what we need to do."

The scenery went black and Nick felt like how he imagined a computer feels when downloading a massive file.

It only took a second, but to Nick it felt like hours. He realized suddenly what this library was. "This is the library of the entire Grimm lineages," he said to no one but himself. "When he said he would move the library, he moved it to the freaking afterlife!"

That's when it hit Nick.

He was dead.

Nick looked down at his form, wondering if there was something wrong, something that made him look dead. He could feel his desire to scream, hit, cry, something to release his emotions of regret and longing for his friends and his Mate. Shouldn't he have moved on? Shouldn't he have found peace? Why is he still here?

Because Sean isn't here, a part of his mind supplied.

"From the look on your face I can see you've finally realized your fate."

Nick's head turned towards the voice he heard. "Mrs. Grimm?" Nick questioned in disbelief.

"Don't look so shocked. You're dead, I'm dead. It's a dead party here." She deadpanned.

Nick winced. "I'm sorry I can't help you like I promised."

She shook her head. "Oh, no. You can help me still. In fact, you're in a much better position to help me while you're dead than you were when you were alive."

"How so?" Nick said, not quite liking her using, 'you're dead' so nonchalantly.

"You're a Grimm, therefore, you can enter the library. You can find the spell that will release me and perform it."

"How the Hell do you expect me to find a spell in a library that massive?"

She shrugged. "My husband had his ways. I'm sure you'll do just fine."

Then she opened the door to the library and pushed Nick through the threshold. The Grimm yelped, wondering briefly if he would fall into a trap; who knew what his ancestor Grimm was capable of? For all Nick knew, Philipp could have set a trap that would trap anyone who passed the threshold for all eternity in the library. Behind him, he could hear Lady Grimm sniggering. Nick glared back at her, mumbling something along the lines of, "I'm glad my fear is humorous," before turning and walking further into the library of his ancestors.

The hallway was long and dark. There wasn't much lighting so he didn't really have much use for his eyes. He felt like he was walking forever when he finally saw a light at the end of the hallway.

"Please don't let this be a terrible metaphor." Nick said as he approached the lighted area.

Inside it was massive. It was bigger than massive. There were so many books and scrolls someone might think he or she were in a movie. "Wow." Nick couldn't help his astonishment.

Nick closed his eyes for a moment, trying to take everything in. He sighed, then started to get to work finding the spell that would help Grimm's wife.

It took him several hours before he figured it out, and it was by accident. Nick was looking through at the fiftieth book he had chosen at random, then groaned when he couldn't read it because it was in Old German. "Couldn't you just be in English? Why German? I don't even know German!" He shouted at the book.

Then, to his shock, the words on the page melted into the book, then came out again in normal English. "Holy shit."

This gave him an idea. "Hey, Book," he really did feel stupid talking to a book. "Show me the spell that I'm looking for. It's a spell that'll help Grimm's wife move on and still keep the Veil up and going."

The book complied and he almost cried when he saw the words were still in English. "Thank you, Book."

He looked through the pages and found that the spell was actually pretty easy. Apparently spells could be done unlimitedly in the afterlife. You can't use too much magick and die when you're already dead, therefore you have an unlimited supply of magick to work with.

The only problem he could see with this spell is that he would have to tie someone else's soul to Mrs. Grimm's grave or else the Veil would drop. He had an idea, but he had to figure out how to get that person to the grave first.

As backup, he figured he could use his own soul. A promise was a promise.

He ran outside to Grimm's wife and told her what would have to be done. "Well, you're in luck, Grimm. It seems the man you're looking for is coming this way along with your Royal boyfriend."

Nick glared, but turned to where she was pointing. Both Renard and his father were coming towards him. Nick looked at Renard longingly. His Mate was in an awful state. He wished Renard could see him. "Don't worry, Sean. I'm working on it. We'll be able to rest together. I promise."

Renard had chased his father all around the forest. The man was a coward and was running from him. Whatever his father was up to had him desperate. He really was alone in this forest. "What are you looking for? What's got you so desperate that you're running from me like a coward who just wants to stay alive?"

Renard heard his father laugh. "I'm right where I want to be, Sean. It is here that I will drop the Veil. The world will know and I'll laugh when the humans turn to the Royals once more.

"It is our place to rule. It is our birthright, in our blood. We are Royals for God's sake!"

Renard growled low. "Don't flatter yourself. We are Royals by blood, not rulers. There's a difference." The Royal didn't know why he was trying to reason with a man long gone, but he couldn't help but try.

Renard heard something then. It sounded like a voice, Nick's voice.

Sean, don't acknowledge that I'm talking to you. I need you to listen carefully. Before you ask, yes. I'm... I'm gone. I'm sorry.

Renard's throat choked up, but Nick's voice was soothing in his mind.

Keep him here. I'm going to use his soul to uphold the Veil and let Grimm's wife move on. It's an ironic end for him, don't you think?

Nick's laugh was music.

I love you, Sean. We'll see each other soon, okay?

Renard nodded, not sure if Nick could see him but doing it anyways.

Renard kept his father talking. He wasn't listening to him, but he could hear Nick's voice getting louder. He was reading some kind of spell. His father finally said one more word before the man began to choke. Nick kept reading and Renard watched as a large flash of light pulsed from his father's suffocating form. Eventually he watched as his father suffocated to death and a light exploded from around his body. It was so bright that Renard was blinded for a moment. When his vision came to, he saw Nick waving at thin air.

"Nick?" He called hesitantly.

Nick turned. "Sean? You can see me?"

Renard nodded shakily. "I thought I would never see you again."

Nick smiled sadly. "This is probably a temporary side effect of the spell. I moved a man from life to death and trapped him here. He'll never be able to move on. He'll be stuck here for eternity."

Renard nodded. "The man who wanted to rip it down became the Veil's only protector."

Nick nodded. "See why I thought it was ironic?"

Suddenly, Nick's form began to fade and he smiled sadly when Renard began to panic. "I can't lose you, Nick. I can't live without you."

"Then when you die, come find me." Nick said.

Renard felt tears coming down his face, but he smiled through it. "Do I need to wear a suit?" He laughed.

Nick laughed in return. "No. I won't make you. I hate suits."

Before Nick could fade completely, Renard kissed him on the lips. "I'll see you on the other side, Nick. I love you."

"I'll wait for you, Sean. I"-

Before Nick could finish, however, he faded away completely in a ray of silver light.

It was then that Renard collapsed on the ground. His Mate was gone. He was finally allowed to die.

Nick, I'm coming. He thought. He vaguely heard the familiar, rushed footsteps of the others before he completely blacked out.

Back at the mansion, the markings on Nick's body began to glow.

I'm mean, I know...