Chapter 29

That evening I was checking off my mental to-do list with gusto. I was just finishing putting away towels in the laundry room when a faint knock on the front door stopped me mid-fold. With towel in hand, I headed toward the living room.

Monroe's head was on the other side of my peephole.

I opened the door quickly. "Hey, umm, I thought I was coming over to your place later."

"I have plans for us tonight," Monroe replied as he lingered at my front door. He was wearing my favorite gray sweater and jeans. A quick flicker of Kentucky passed through my mind.

I raised an eyebrow. "I thought you had a meeting tonight."

Monroe leaned against the doorframe. "One meeting off won't hurt me."

I gave him a concerned look. "You sure about that?" The meetings at Helvetica Tavern were important, and I'd already been the cause of the last one getting cut short.

"Yeah, I'm good, okay?" he replied as he walked inside, shutting the front door behind him. "I can meet with them tomorrow or something. But like I said, I have plans for us tonight." He grinned, and I couldn't help but mirror him.

"So, what kind of plans?" I asked.

"Surprises!" His eyes flashed a bold crimson as he spoke.

"I do enjoy your surprises, Mr. Monroe."

"Good." He reached for the door knob. "Come with me."

I glanced down at the towel in my hand. "Uhh… Oh, you mean plans, right now?"

Monroe nodded. "I mean, if you weren't busy or anything."

I tossed the towel on a nearby chair. The laundry could wait. My curiosity was piqued. "No, I'm not busy. Let me just get ready."

"Dress warmly," Monroe called out as I went into my bedroom. Dress warmly? Was it another run in the woods? Hmm... I bit my lower lip. We hadn't done that in a while.

I popped my head out from my bedroom door. "Do I need my running outfit?"

"No, nothing like that." Monroe shook his head. "Just wear a sweater. I don't want you to get cold."

I hid my disappointment. So, what was he up to? Rummaging through the closet, I chose my soft, baby blue sweater and a pair of jeans and tennis shoes. He said we weren't running, but I wanted to be ready just in case.

As I came out, Monroe was rocking on his heels and seemed filled with nervous energy.

"Everything all right?" I asked him.

"Yeah. Good. Really good. Are you ready to go?"

"Sure. Let me grab my jacket." I took my black one from the coat rack and we headed out.

Monroe opened the door for me and I settled in the seat of the VW. There was a large, navy duffle bag in the back seat.

"What's that?" I asked and pointed behind me once he closed his car door.

"Surprises!" he said again. His trademark smile emerged. Whatever it was, I was already giddy with anticipation.

We drove for a while, and I looked out into the clear night sky. Clear skies in Portland were rare and tonight the stars were brightly shining. I hummed Jessica Mauboy's 'Galaxy' as I reached for Monroe's hand.

"So in love with you,
There's nothing I won't do.
We come from different places, different constellations.
You make it feel like the whole world isn't real,
And I'm the only star in the sky…"

"So how far are we going?" I asked. We'd been in the car almost a half an hour. The city lights were getting fainter while more stars emerged.

"You ask too many questions." He chuckled. "Just be patient, and we'll be there soon."

Ten minutes later, Monroe pulled off into the edge of a wooded area.

"You sure there's no running tonight?" I asked as I looked over the terrain illuminated by the headlights.

"No running," he replied with an amused tone.

We got out of the car, and Monroe removed a flashlight from his pocket, brightening our way. He pulled the seat back, lugging out the duffle bag. On the floorboard was a large, black umbrella. I held back a remark. Nobody carries an umbrella in Portland? Sure, sure, Mr. Monroe. On my next shopping trip I was buying a nice one for my car, too.

Monroe closed the door and moved to the front of the car, opening the trunk. Inside was the picnic basket from the attic and a blanket. "You said you'd never been on a picnic, so I thought I'd change that." He lifted the basket and handed it to me, then he reached for the blanket. "If you can carry that, I have the rest."

"A picnic in the dark?" I asked with a smirk that he probably couldn't see.

"More than just that," he replied. "Follow me."

As I held the basket, a faint clinking noise came from inside. Glasses? Hmm…

We walked to a clearing right by the woods. Monroe set down the bag and laid out the blanket. I positioned the basket on the plaid cloth. Of course it was plaid. I held back a giggle.

Monroe handed me the flashlight. "Get comfortable," he said while he unzipped the bag and pulled out his telescope.

"Star gazing?" My eyes lit up. "Now that's a wonderful surprise."

Monroe grinned. "It's not the Rhone, but…"

"Starry nights over Portland are just as wonderful." I grinned back at him. He'd remembered the Van Gogh. Oh, Monroe. Always so thoughtful.

"There's an awesome conjunction of Jupiter and Venus tonight," he said while sliding out the tripod. "I thought it might be nice to take it in."

"Such a beautiful night." I sighed while gazing up at the myriad of stars above us. It was pitch black outside, and this spot had a low clearing, except for the tall tress behind us. The moon was low on the horizon, and there weren't any lights for miles. We were definitely far from the city.

Monroe fiddled with knobs and adjusted the tripod as he adeptly maneuvered his telescope into position while I held the light for him.

"Oh, that's a beauty," he exclaimed as he peered into the telescope. "Come take a look."

I stood and walked toward the telescope as Monroe moved over. Closing one eye and peering into the lens with the other, I viewed both planets very close together. Jupiter was pretty visible, with its rich orange stripes and that big red spot. Venus was much smaller, and its bright light almost distorted Jupiter's view. This was a decent telescope.

Monroe went into facts about both planets as I observed through the lens.

"It's so lovely," I said.

"I wanted to do this yesterday when they were at their closest, but then it was overcast, and I had my meeting, and then you were…" He chuckled. "But today actually worked out better since today is…" He cleared his throat. "Well, it's been a month since we… Umm…"

I glanced up as Monroe rocked on his heels. "So today is our lunar-versary?"

He tilted his head slightly. "Lunar-versary?"

I grinned. "Yeah, that's what people call it. But we've been seeing each other longer than a month."

"Well, it's been a month since we've seen, you know, all of each other."

"Huh? Oh… Ohh…" I bit my lip. "So, is that the date we're going by?"

"I mean, yeah. We were kinda official that day, so to speak."

I nodded. "Yeah, it was quite official." Thank goodness it was dark, because a heat spread over my cheeks. "So if we use that date, it means our anniversary is gonna be Valentine's Day." I laughed.

"Was it that day that we…? Wow, I'd completely forgotten. You know, I didn't even think about Valentine's Day this year. Man, I didn't even get you anything, come to think of it. I just haven't celebrated that in a long time. It was, like, just another day to me, you know?"

"Oh, I got quite a bit that day." I draped my arms over his shoulders. He kissed me, and I melted into him.

As he let me go he said, "You know, I bet we could get a good view of Saturn." Oh, Monroe and his ADD. He moved over to the telescope, adjusting more knobs and angling the telescope. "Yeah, here we go. Saturn… now that's the celestial Lord of the Rings right there. Check this out."

I came up beside him as he stepped aside. The rings were easy to see, and I smiled as I leaned back. "The place has a great view."

"Whoa," said Monroe as I turned away from the lens. "We better eat before the food gets warm."

Monroe led me over to the blanket and we reclined, munching on sandwiches of spinach, avocado, and feta along with an assortment of fruit while we gazed overhead. A blanket of stars sparkled and shined above us. It was a magical night. We sipped on wine, picking out constellations here and there.

"So, the one near Jupiter and Venus, that's Taurus," said Monroe as he pointed up. "The red star is—"

"Aldebaran," I cut in. "The eye of the bull."

Monroe's eyes flashed just as red. "Hey, you know your stars."

"I love astronomy," I replied. "I memorized the constellations and their major stars in grade school. When I'd go out running at night, many times afterward I'd find a clearing in the woods and just sit and stare up in perfect silence at the stars."

Just then a bright shooting star jetted halfway across the sky, trailing a brilliant iridescence of light.

"Make a wish," said Monroe.

I closed my eyes. I wished he'd say it… say it tonight. Those three words.

"That's a pretty big smile you have," Monroe commented, and I opened my eyes to his grin. "What did you wish for?"

"If I tell you, it won't come true."

He laughed at my smirk. "Oh, I see. So I don't get to know?"

I shook my head. "Rules are rules."

"Rules, huh?" He leaned on his elbow, resting his head on his hand. "And here I thought you were a rule breaker."

I edged closer. "Oh, I am, but this one I can't risk," I said coyly. "I want it to come true." God, I loved that man.

Monroe glanced behind him. "Did you just see a flicker of light somewhere?"

I shook my head. "No. Why?"

"I thought I saw something reflect off your eyes."

I chuckled. "Maybe you've had too much wine."

"It would take more than a few glasses for me to start seeing things."

I looked past Monroe again. "I don't see anything."

"Hmm… Must have been my imagination. Weird."

I set aside our plates and moved in close toward Monroe, resting my head against his chest. We laced our fingers together and talked more about stars and astronomy, snuggling and cuddling. We were back to nice, normal coupledom.

"Renée."

"Um-Hmm."

"There's been something I've been wanting to tell you," he said, stroking my hair. "For a while, actually. And, I mean, I... We've both gone through quite a bit this past month, you know? But I think, it's like, really brought us closer… And, well… I brought you out here tonight because—" Monroe paused as he jerked upright.

I rolled off of him onto the blanket. "Whoa, are you okay?" I asked, a bit dazed. Why had he stopped? He was going to say it. Oh, my God. But he stopped. No…

Monroe sniffed the air and groaned. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me." He turned his attention toward the woods behind us.

"What is it?" I turned my head hastily in the direction Monroe was looking. What was he staring at?

"Okay, I know I said no running," he looked back my way, "but we're gonna have to run. There's another Blutbad in the woods, and he's nearby."

"Another Blutbad?" Holy hell! My eyes widened and I darted them back to the wooded area. The faint sound of branches breaking stopped my breath.

"Yeah, well, maybe he's closer than I thought." Monroe's voice went up an octave.

I clambered up and we grabbed our things quickly. Racing to the VW, we opened the doors, tossing everything in the back seat. The growls emitted first before a shadowy figure moved against the discernible shape of the trees.

"Look, man, you didn't have this place marked, so you have no right to be angry," Monroe said aloud to the shadowy figure looming close. "But we're leaving, okay? So you can go back to doing… Well, whatever it is you're doing out here."

Intense red eyes emerged from the black form and they'd burned into me. The eyes seemed to get bigger. Crap, they were bigger because they were headed in my direction. The Blutbad hadn't responded to Monroe, but he was about to get up close and personal with me. The fear in me rose, and although I tried to push it back, I was unsuccessful.

"Renée, get in the car," Monroe ordered, but I was frozen in place.

The Blutbad was extremely close and visible now. I focused on his large frame, all massive and lofty. My head snapped back to his red eyes, burning with a scarlet fury and intent on watching me.

"I'll just take this instead," the Blutbad's deep, guttural voice hissed like a snake. My skin prickled all over at the words. Was he referring to me?

Monroe had a full woge and was on top of him before he could say anything more. Two sets of glowing red eyes moved about in the darkness. I reached for the headlight button in the car. A bright light cast a glow on both Blutbaden as they gripped one another. The Blutbad's paws hit Monroe square in the chest knocking him backward. Monroe struck back, taking him to the ground. Monstrous growls and snarls pierced my ears as they wrestled for control, fighting like dogs and rolling across the grass.

The other Blutbad bit into Monroe and he howled loudly. Monroe clamped down hard in retaliation which seemed to halt the Blutbad as he wailed and moaned while backing up. The cowardice was brief and he lunged forward, taking Monroe down on the ground.

My reckless woge shot out of me. I couldn't watch this any longer. I had to do something! Ducking my head into the open VW, I pulled the seat back, searching for anything I could use. The umbrella caught my eye. I grabbed it from the floorboard and practically ran toward the two battling Wesen. Monroe was still pinned to the ground, staving off the fangs of the other Blutbad, who had his head angled, ready to finish him off.

As hard as I could, I sharply jabbed the Blutbad in the lower part of his spine where I'd read about the vulnerable cluster of nerves. The Blutbad rapidly arched backward and let out a deafening howl, giving Monroe the opportunity to take him down. He bit into his arm and the Blutbad writhed in pain. Escaping from Monroe's jaws, he staggered back into the woods as quick as he could go, which wasn't all that fast considering what had been done to him.

I dropped the umbrella and let out the breath I could've sworn I'd been holding in the entire time. My body tried to give out as my woge ended, but I told it no. I didn't need to pass out again. I could control this. Passing out every time I had an encounter just wasn't going to cut it. I took another deep breath in as Monroe approached and held me.

He was having trouble standing, but he asked between breaths, "You gonna be okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fighting it," I breathed out as I leaned forward to let the light-headedness settle. Monroe rested his hand on my back. His ripped jeans were covered in blood.

"Oh, my God. Your leg!" I exclaimed.

"He got a good bite in, but mine was better." There was a smug tone to Monroe's voice. He reached for the umbrella. "I really hate to rush ya, but that dude isn't going to be too happy here in a minute."

Monroe was hobbling quite a bit as we dashed back to the car.

"Here, let me drive," I insisted as I helped him walk over to the passenger side.

"The Beetle is a stick shift, Hun," he said.

"I know. I can drive a stick."

"You can?" He sounded mildly surprised.

"Yeah, my dad taught me. He said every woman ought to know how to drive a stick. And now I see that knowledge actually comes in handy."

"Your dad was a smart man." Monroe smiled at me then winced again as he positioned his leg in the car.

"Maybe we should take you to the hospital. We can tell them it was a dog bite."

"Yeah, uh, no. I'll be fine, really. I've had worse, lemme tell ya." I didn't want to think about Monroe having something worse than this.

I pulled the VW out and got us back on the road. "Are you sure you're okay?" I asked as we drove back toward the city. "We've got to clean that wound."

"Uh, yeah," he replied quickly. I turned while trying not to gape at Monroe's mouth, which was caked with blood. "So, you weren't kidding when you said you'd been reading the books, huh?" I couldn't decipher his tone. Was he mad?

"I just reacted," I said softly. "He was so big and I thought he was going to kill you."

"It's not the size of the Blutbad in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the Blutbad," he replied with a smirk.

"Mark Twain didn't write that as a literal statement. And it wasn't about Blutbaden."

"I had it under control."

"Could've fooled me. It looked like he was going to rip your throat out."

Monroe let a sigh pass before he said, "That's not how it works. We were asserting our dominance. But having my girlfriend intervene doesn't exactly scream Alpha, if you know what I mean." He groaned as he held his leg. "I could've handled it."

"I didn't want to take that risk, I'm sorry. It just looked like..."

"Maybe you need to start trusting me instead of reading books." I understood that tone. I had offended him. It seemed I'd struck two nerves tonight.

"I was just trying to get him off of you. I didn't mean to emasculate you." My voice was a bit exasperated. Apparently I had crossed some Blutbad line.

"Don't worry about it." He waved a hand dismissively. "But I guess I'm going to have some things to share at my next meeting."

(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)

Once we were back at Monroe's, I helped him inside and onto the couch. "Take your pants off," I instructed. "Do you have a first aid kit?"

"Hall closet," he said as he managed to get undressed.

When I returned with supplies, I sucked in my breath at the bite. "Oh, Monroe. Honey…"

He cast a glance down. "Eh, I'll live."

The wound was beyond severe. I knelt beside him and gave him a damp wash cloth. "This is for your…" I gestured toward the blood on his mouth.

"Huh? Oh… that. Yeah." He sighed as he wiped his face with the cloth.

I applied hydrogen peroxide to a gauze pad and lightly applied the soaked pad to his wound.

He grunted loudly. "Hey! Owww!"

"Sorry, it's going to sting. We could still go to the hospital."

"No, I'll suffer through this."

I worked on treating the bite, taking great care to make sure it didn't get infected. Once he was completely bandaged, I helped him out of his sweater. Oh, that poor sweater. It was ripped and shredded in places. Well, he wasn't going to be wearing that one again anytime soon. Sadly, I set it aside and inspected the rest of the damage. Monroe had a few scrapes and scratches along his arms. I went to treating what I could as Monroe winced some more.

"If this bite doesn't look better in the morning, I'll schedule you a doctor's appointment," I warned, kissing him gently. Even after wiping away the blood, the metallic coppery flavor coated his lips. "Nick says Juliette is a vet. Maybe she makes house visits."

Monroe rolled his eyes. "Not funny," he said with a groan.

"I'm sorry if I interfered in something I apparently don't understand." I looked down a moment. This was where Chloe would separate us harshly.

Monroe took a finger to my chin, lifting it up to look at me with his deep brown eyes. "I know you meant well, but I'm your protector. Not the other way around."

Was that part of the mating ritual, too? I was his mate, so maybe that meant he had to fight for me. I wanted to ask, but I wasn't going to bring up the Grimm books again. Not tonight.

"This, umm, really wasn't how I was envisioning this night would go," Monroe continued. "That dude messed up my plans big time."

"So, what were your plans?" I asked him. He was going to say it out there, but then…

"Uhh… It can wait." He heavily sighed and closed his eyes. I hid my disappointment. He could still say it. It didn't need a blanket of stars and a glass of wine. I silently willed him to continue, but it didn't work. "Damn, we didn't even get to the chocolate covered strawberries. Those need to go in the fridge before the chocolate melts."

"I'll get the basket out of the car soon," I assured him. "Can I get you some tea? A pillow?"

Monroe shook his head. "There's a bottle of Johnnie Walker Blue in the bottom kitchen cabinet. Can you grab that?"

I nodded slowly. Whisky? Well, okay then. I stood and went to the kitchen, searching until I found the bottle. I grabbed a glass and added some ice. When I returned, Monroe was gripping his head with his hand. I approached cautiously. He flinched as I touched his arm.

"What can I get you for the pain?" I asked.

"You've got it right in your hand," he replied. "But I don't need the ice. Or the glass for that matter."

"Blue label. That's a high class Scotch whisky to drink out of the bottle." I twisted open the lid and passed it to him. "Is there anything else I can get you for the pain… besides this?"

He nodded at the bottle. "Nah, this oughta do it."

I slumped down on the rug by the couch while Monroe downed the longest swig I'd ever seen. He didn't take a breath. I felt drunk just watching him.

He looked up at me. "It'll just take the edge off. I won't be drunk from this."

"From what? That swig?"

"No, from this bottle."

My eyes widened. "You're going to drink…the whole thing?"

He gave me a stiff smile through his pain. "I told you it takes a lot to get me drunk."

"A whole bottle is a lot… It's verging on alcohol poisoning."

"Not to us." A smirk formed on his lips. "Wasn't that in the book?"

I raised an eyebrow. "No, for some odd reason the Grimms didn't recount their nights out partying and drinking with their Blutbad buddies."

"Okay, well maybe that kinda thing wouldn't be as well-known as some of the other things."

Other things… like mating rituals. I held my tongue. No, not going there tonight.

He took another long swig. "Why don't you get the things out of the car, okay? I'm gonna work on this." He placed his finger to my lips. "Hey, I'll be fine. Don't frown."

Of course I was going to frown. I was still shaking on the inside. He could've died tonight. So could I.

I reached for a couple of pillows and put one behind his head and the other under his leg. He didn't protest. I kissed him before I went to the car. Just the taste of his lips gave me a buzz.

After putting everything away, I resumed my position on the carpet by the couch. I wanted to comfort Monroe. He was the maimed one this time. While I wasn't going to 'kiss it better,' I needed to know he was going to be okay. Funny how getting whacked by a dragon warranted a trip to the ER for me, but when a wolf had bitten a chunk out of him, we just went to his place instead. Maybe I should've pressed the issue. I idly stroked his arm as the Scotch in the bottle diminished.

"What are you thinking about?" Monroe asked. I looked up and he was staring at me intently. He must have been watching the gears whirling in my brain.

"Sorry. I'm just worried about your leg. The emergency room isn't too far away. I'm sure there's a great '80s flick playing in the waiting room tonight." I forced a smile at him.

Monroe pulled me close and kissed my forehead. "You know, as much as I would love another waiting room movie night, I think I'll pass. Besides, they won't let me take the bottle with me."

I laughed as a few tears fell.

"Hey, now don't cry. It's just a bite." It was a gaping wound. That's what it was. "I promise I'll be okay. Why don't we find a movie and just relax here."

We sat and watched Annie Hall as we finished our picnic in the living room. I fed him chocolate covered strawberries while he chugged his Scotch, and I sipped on a glass of wine.

"Do these even taste good with that?" I asked him as he took another strawberry into his mouth followed by a drink.

"It's not bad. The sweetness of the strawberries blends well with the spicy undertone of the Scotch. Or I'm just a little tipsy, and I don't care."

I bit into another strawberry as Alvy said to Annie by the bridge, "Love is too weak a word for what I feel — I luuurve you, you know? I loave you, I luff you… two F's. Yes, I have to invent."

Alvy made a good point, even if he was just being funny. I loved Monroe something crazy. But the word 'love' just wasn't enough to really describe what I felt for this man. Too weak of a word. I rested my head back into the couch as I crossed my legs on the floor. With all the terrible things that had happened, like with the Blutbad tonight, and with the Daemonfeuer, and the Reapers, and even with Jack… Well, he'd done more in the last month than the words 'I love you' could ever convey. We'd say it eventually, but just not tonight. Tonight he'd proved it without saying a thing.

The strawberries and the Scotch were gone as the movie ended.

I leaned my head back. "How are you feeling?"

"Good. Yeah… mellowed out."

"Not drunk?"

"Nope. Just mellow."

After Monroe had waved off all my other offers to make him feel better, I gave him another kiss that took my breath away. Literally… It was like kissing a distillery. But if he felt better, then I didn't mind all that much.

"I want to thank you for what you did tonight." I looked into his half-lidded eyes, flickering russet. He was definitely mellow. "I realize it didn't go the way you wanted, but it was all just a really sweet gesture. And the things you said before… I want you to know I agree, and we're so much closer now with everything that's happened... and this month with you has been wonderful, despite everything else."

Monroe brushed his fingers through my hair and held my face. "Happy Lunar-versary," he said and shook his head with a chuckle. "At least this'll be something lunar I can look forward to celebrating."

A/N: Aww, Monroe's plans were kinda ruined. And the gray sweater has died... Noooo!

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