Chapter 71

"Now what do we do?" Chloe moaned quietly as the noises amplified in my bedroom.

"If he's waking up, then we need to get the Verdrängte Erinnerungen in him, like, as soon as possible," said Monroe.

"And just how do we do that?" Chloe snorted. "I'm sure he's going to want to drink some mystery liquid while he's all tied up."

"I'll get him to drink it," I said quickly.

Chloe stared blankly at me. "It won't work."

"You don't even know what I'm going to do yet." Our brain links weren't that good, and besides, I didn't have a plan for her to reject yet.

"Renée, I know you and your reckless ideas." She shook her head. "He can just sit in there and scream his damn head off if he wants to until that Grimm gets here."

"Sure, because my neighbors won't mind someone screaming their lungs out for help for however long it takes Nick to bother to stop by."

"Hey now. Nick will come as soon as he can," Monroe interjected, resting his hand on my arm. "Maybe I should, you know, punch him again to shut him up?"

"We're not punching him."

Chloe shot me a sly grin. "You wanted to kill him, so why not let Monroe punch him?"

I let out a deep sigh and pulled out the vial. "Because he can't drink this if he's knocked out."

"Well, we're not giving it to him." Chloe crossed her arms. "The Grimm can do it."

I shook my head. "Jack's had a run-in with Nick before. He isn't going to take it from him, either."

A loud "Ooooow!" resounded from my bedroom.

"Umm, well he's gotta drink it somehow," Monroe said as he stood and ran his hand to the back of his neck. "I think I bought a funnel at Bed Bath and Beyond." He held his hand to his bearded chin. "I could go get that."

"No, we won't need that." I shook my head at him. "Like I said, I'll get him to drink it."

"Renée, we only get one shot at this," Chloe warned, "so if he spits it out then we're screwed."

"He'll drink it," I said confidently.

Monroe wiped his hands against his jeans. "Oh man. I really don't want you going in there."

I glanced up at Monroe. "He's tied up, he can't do anything," I reminded him. "If he does, then you can hit him again." I forced a smile.

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

I was pumped up on liquid fire in my veins. I wanted this over. As I slowly turned the doorknob, Jack groaned loudly. Upon opening the door, Jack's eyes were still closed, but he was shifting on the bed as more grunts and whines came out of him.

Monroe and Chloe remained right behind me.

"Don't make a sound," I told them both and slipped the vial back in my pocket.

I walked a few steps into my bedroom, then turned and shut the door quickly, locking it before they could say a word. A few teeth clicks and a low growl echoed on the other side of the door. Oh, I was gonna get an ear full for this one. I took in a breath and edged toward Jack. I was a gal without a plan, with only my recklessness to guide me on.

"Aaargh!" Jack cried out.

I knelt beside him as he groaned again. I rubbed my hand gently up and down his arm. Jack's green eyes flew opened and terror filled them. He thrashed about on my bed.

"What the fuck have you done?" he yelled out.

"Shh…" I said soothingly.

"Renée, I swear you fucking better… Ooow! Dammit!" He'd moved his head too quickly. The welt on his forehead was already purple. He was lucky Monroe hadn't crushed his skull in with that punch.

"You got hit pretty hard, Jack. Try not to turn your head and it won't hurt as much."

Jack kept his head still, but his eyes darted around the room. "Why am I tied up in your bedroom?" His eyes locked back on me. "You better let me go right now, I fucking mean it, Renée!"

"I'm sorry I had to tie you up, but I need to you to hear me out without reacting. If you listen and calm down, then I'll let you go."

The faint growl behind my bedroom door distracted me. Monroe wasn't happy with what I'd said, no doubt, but he needed to trust me on this. Jack didn't seem to hear Monroe, thank goodness.

"Can you calm down?" I rubbed his arm again. Whenever he was sick, I'd always rub his arm as we lay in bed. Hopefully it would relax him enough so he'd shut the hell up.

"Yeah, fine," he replied in a quieter voice. "Where did the werewolf go?" Panic traced Jack's face. "Where is he?"

"In the other room," I somberly replied. "You stabbed him and he's dead." Tears welled up in my eyes, conveying I was telling the truth.

"He's a monster. I know what I saw that night. He had red eyes, Renée. Red fucking eyes! And sharp teeth, and fur, and… Ooow!" Jack was getting agitated, flailing on the bed, and bobbing his head around again.

"You're not crazy." I held my breath and then continued. "He's a wolf."

Jack's eyes widened at my words. "But, it's not possible though, right? That stuff is…"

"…something out of a fairy tale?" I finished his thought and shook my head. My hand was in my pocket, rubbing the glass vial with my fingers. Oh, this better work if I was telling him this.

Jack stopped moving and remained frozen at my words.

I sat closer beside him on the bed. "There are creatures in this world, Jack. People aren't always people. I've been able to see them all my life. Monroe is a wolf-like creature. He looks human, but that night at the bar he forced his true form to scare you since you were..." I sighed. "Well, you know how you are when you're drunk."

"So it's true… everything I researched? He's a werewolf?"

"In a way, yes." Blutbaden, werewolves… I wasn't going to get into semantics. "Well, he was until you killed him," I softly added.

"He's really dead?"

I nodded slowly.

"Well, good," Jack said smugly. I kept my face smooth, but I wanted to punch the other side of his head. How dare he! I pressed on my practiced calm to keep the thoughts back. "So, those drawings in that notebook of yours…" he continued. "They were all...?"

"Yeah. That's how they look when I see them." Jack was smarter than I thought. "They don't look that way all the time, just when they're emotional. But most humans see them just like they're normal people, except when they want to be seen. Monroe wanted you to see him that night."

"So what are you? Are you a monster, too?"

"No," I replied with a wave of my hand. "I just have the ability… this extra sensory vision to see them."

"So, you see these things all the time?"

I nodded again. In a weird way, letting Jack know my secret was freeing. Sure, it was going to be erased from his memory here shortly, but for now it was good to let the secret out.

"Why didn't you tell me all this before?"

"Would you have believed any of it if I had?"

"Uhh… Well, it's kinda…"

"Yeah, that's why I didn't tell you."

I glanced at his bruise as I frowned. "But that horrible wolf wounded you something awful tonight. I pegged him completely wrong." I reached for his forehead and he struggled again. My hand lightly ran through his hair and across his forehead, while I looked lovingly into his eyes. God, it sickened me to do it. "I can't believe he hurt you this badly."

Jack relaxed under my hand and that twinkle passed across his eyes. "Yeah, he beat me pretty hard. I'm in a lot of pain, Babe."

He was buying it, hook, line and sinker. I needed an Oscar for this performance.

"Oh, it looks awful, Jackie Bear." The endearment left an acidic taste in my mouth. Jack's eyes softened at the words. "I'm going to get you something for the pain, okay? I've got a liquid pain killer that ought to do the trick."

"What I need is a stiff drink."

My fingers caressed his cheek. "We can do that later, but you need medicine right now."

Jack nodded slowly. "Yeah, okay."

I stood and went to the bathroom. Pulling out the vial, I searched for something else to put it in. There was no way he was going to take it from this thing. Dixie cups. I had a packet of small ones for mouthwash. Perfect. I emptied the contents into one of the paper cups, said a small prayer that he would drink it, and went back into the bedroom.

I sat back down on the bed next to Jack as I held the small cup in my hands, trying to keep them steady. "I'm going to untie you, but you gotta promise me you'll relax and stay in here with me. I need you here with me right now," I said as sweetly as I could muster.

Jack nodded. I loosened the pantyhose and Jack rubbed his head as I worked on the bonds around his legs. He sat quietly for a moment and I leaned against his arm.

"Jackie Bear, I'm so sorry this happened. Can you forgive me?" I asked.

He kissed my forehead and I held back cringing. "I want to. But I need you to come back home." He put his arm around me. I ignored the knots in my stomach and angled toward him with the 'pain killer' in my hand.

"You're right. I think I should go back." I forced a wide smile. "It's better in Louisville."

"I've missed you so much, Kitten." He leaned in and kissed me on the lips. It was all I could do not slap him.

The Dixie cup sloshed a bit in my hands. Holy crap! I couldn't afford to spill it! I slowly pulled away from the kiss and smiled up at him. His green eyes were fixed on mine as he grinned at me.

"Here's some liquid Tylenol," I causally said while handing him the cup. "It's not a lot, but the liquid works faster than the pills."

He looked into the cup. "It's purple."

"Yeah. I think it's grape flavored," I replied with a shrug.

"So, these creatures… How many more of them are there?"

"I don't know how many. They're everywhere. Remember our dentist, Dr. Kalkon? He was a turkey-like creature."

"No way. A Turkey? There's different animals?"

"Yeah, many different animals... and other types, too."

"This is just... insane," said Jack as he drank down the liquid in one gulp. "Ugh..." He coughed loudly. "It doesn't taste like grape, it tastes like..." Jack fell back on the bed, glassy-eyed.

I stood immediately. "Jackass," I muttered as I wiped at my mouth. I moved to the bedroom door. Monroe and Chloe almost fell in as I opened it.

"Why the hell did you lock the door, Renée?" Monroe exclaimed as he grabbed my arm.

"Sorry. I couldn't risk you coming in, or him trying to get out."

"Did he drink all of it?" Chloe asked while pushing past me.

"Yeah, now we gotta move quickly."

Monroe looked me over with his eyes a bold red. "Jackie Bear? You didn't seriously call him that."

"Pet names are usually stupid."

"And what the hell was all that about me being a horrible wolf?"

"I had to say something so he'd trust me."

"Yeah, okay. But, you know, you didn't have to tell him I died."

"He had to think he succeeded."

"Don't remind me."

"Guys, you can discuss that later," Chloe said with a scowl. "Right now we need to focus on the fuckwad in the bed."

The three of us hovered over Jack.

"So, umm, how do we do this?" Monroe whispered.

"Rosalee said to say the person's name, and then just mention what needs to be forgotten, then say what it needs to be replaced with." It still sounded too easy.

"Well, go on then," Monroe coaxed.

"Jack," I said loudly.

"Yes," he replied in a slow, monotone voice. He wasn't blinking, and his glassy eyes were staring straight forward toward the ceiling.

I looked back to Monroe, who was waving me on to continue.

"That night you saw me and Monroe at Phoenix Hill Tavern, you need to forget we were there and what you saw. Instead, you got so drunk with your buddies that you were making up wild stories, and now you can't even remember those stories you told everyone. But you know it was just the alcohol talking, and that's what you're going to tell everyone if they ask."

"I was drunk with my buddies… I made up stories... Just the alcohol," Jack repeated in an almost robotic-like voice, never blinking.

"And, Jack... You need to forget about the reason why you came to Portland and everything that happened at my house tonight. You need to forget about the notebooks, all your research, holding Chloe hostage, the fight with Monroe, and what you and I talked about. Instead, you came to Portland to..." I hesitated. What the hell could I replace the memory of tonight with?

"You came to Portland to apologize to Renée for being such a dick," Chloe chimed in. "You arrived here at her house tonight to let her know you're moving on and this is the last time she'll ever see you again, but you tripped outside and hit your head on the front stairs because you're clumsy. All the research you did about werewolves was for a novel you were writing, but when you go home you're going to throw it all away, because you suck at writing and are giving it up."

"I was such a dick... Last time she'll see me... Hit my head... Clumsy… Suck at writing," Jack repeated slowly.

I flashed my eyes up at Chloe, who was practically glowing with satisfaction. Monroe just shook his head.

"So, is that it?" I whispered to Monroe and Chloe.

They both shrugged in unison. I closed Jack's eyelids. His zombie eyes were incredibly creepy.

"What if it doesn't work?" asked Chloe.

Monroe scratched his beard. "Then we tie him back up and wait for Nick."

"It's gotta work," I said aloud, more for my own benefit than anything.

"Let's carry him into the living room," Monroe suggested. "If he wakes up in here that's gonna seem kinda weird."

I nodded. "You get his head, we'll get his feet."

The three of us lifted Jack and dragged him to the living room and over to my couch.

"Jack," I said after we put him into a sitting position. "Wake up."

Jack's eyes popped open. He jerked his head around to all of us watching him, and then grabbed his head. "Those concrete steps hurt like hell," Jack whined.

"Yeah, you took a nose-dive," I said while steadying my voice.

"Whoa, what happened here?" He looked at the mess of my living room.

"Some asshole broke in and trashed her place earlier today," Chloe said harshly.

"Oh..." Jack replied. "Damn, Renée. I hope they find the douchebag that did this."

I sighed. "I'm filing a report."

Jack looked concerned. We were all still staring at him.

"Do you know why you're here?" Chloe asked.

"Yeah, I came here to apologize." He rubbed his temple. "I know I've been a dick since we broke up," he said while turning his eyes toward me, "and I wanted to personally come here and tell you I'm sorry." His green eyes looked the most sincere I'd ever seen them. Funny how it took a potion for that to happen. "You won't be seeing me again after this. It won't be easy, but I'm moving on."

"Thanks, Jack," I said, biting the inside of my cheek.

"You deserve to be happy, Renée," he pointed to Monroe, "and if he makes you happy then... Well..." He shook his head, like he was fighting saying it.

"That means a lot, Jack," I replied. "Thank you."

"So, dude, if that's all you wanted to tell her, then maybe you oughta, you know, head on out." Monroe motioned to the front door with his hand.

Jack glared at Monroe, but he didn't reply. He was wobbly as he stood and shook himself. "Dammit, that fall got me good." His hands went back to his head. "I'm so clumsy sometimes." Chloe faintly chuckled and I glared at her.

"Yeah, you've got a pretty big bump on your head," I replied.

"I need to call a taxi." Jack stood up straighter. "That's how I got here."

"Allow me," said Monroe while pulling out his cell phone. The cab company told Monroe they'd arrive in fifteen minutes. That was fifteen minutes more than I wanted to wait.

Jack sat back down on the couch and I balled my fists as I stood up.

"You got a beer?" Jack asked.

"Yeah..." I gritted my teeth and stomped into the kitchen with Monroe right on my heels.

He leaned against the kitchen counter. "So, umm, I think it worked. That's good at least," he said as I opened my fridge and pulled out a few bottles of Rogue. "I mean, it's not good he's on your couch, but at least he doesn't remember anything."

"Yeah, but he's... It's..." The filing cabinet drawers in my head were slamming in and out in a fury. I hastily snapped off the beer lids, envisioning they were Jack's head.

Monroe reached for my arms and rubbed them. "We can survive until the taxi comes. It'll be brief."

I nodded, but I wanted him off my couch and out of my fucking house.

We returned to the living room and Jack gave me a half-smile. Chloe was sitting in the chair, giving her hair a twirl and pursing her lips.

I passed out the beers and took a long drink of mine. Hovering as I drank a few sips, I finally sat on the opposite end of the couch from Jack, who was peeling the label off his bottle. He only did that when he was nervous. Monroe sat on the arm of the couch next to me. It was too awkward, too quiet. Where the hell was that taxi?

"What flight did you take from Louisville today?" I asked Jack, breaking the silence. It made no sense that he was here before we expected him.

"I took a flight yesterday," Jack replied, looking up from his shredded label. "I got in around ten last night and found a hotel."

So, Pete was wrong. Okay, it wasn't my logic, it was Pete. Good.

"Chloe, why are you here?" Jack asked, turning his eyes toward her.

"I'm visiting," she curtly replied. "It's what friends do. We visit."

Jack took a swig of beer. "Sorry I asked."

I couldn't handle sitting this close to him, so I got up and organized some of my books back on the shelf. Monroe came over to help me.

"Hey, is that the same TV we looked at getting?" Jack asked from behind me as I finished organizing the books on the top shelf.

"Yeah," I replied without turning.

"You said that it was too big and expensive when I wanted to get one."

I actually grinned. "My perspective changed." Thank goodness he hadn't broken that, too.

A pair of headlights lit up my curtains followed by a honk. Thank God. I shot up from my knees and headed for the front door.

"Taxi's here," I said brightly.

Jack stood and downed the rest of his beer, setting the bottle on the coffee table.

"Well, I guess this is it." He shuffled slowly toward the door, with a melancholy expression. Suddenly he hugged me. I caught a glimpse of Monroe's woge and Chloe jumping up to reach for his arm. "I'm going to miss you, Renée," said Jack as he held me. I patted his back hesitantly a few times and he finally let go.

"Goodbye, Jack," I said with an even tone while holding the door open.

Jack walked down the stairs and toward the taxi. I slammed the door shut, collapsing against it.

Monroe rushed over with a growl. He laid a hand on my shoulder, giving it a tight squeeze. "Dude, if he had done anything more than hugged you..."

"Well, thank goodness he didn't," I replied weakly. Monroe didn't need to know about the kiss. He didn't need to know about Pete's kiss yesterday, for that matter. Wow, I was becoming a tramp.

I looked up at my boyfriend the wolf and my friend the rabbit, trying not to cry. "I can't be here right now." I moved back toward my disaster of a living room. "Where is my cuckoo?" I asked Monroe.

He sighed as he stuffed his hands in his pockets. "I'll show you, but you can't get upset. I promise it's fixable, okay?"

I nodded bleakly. He went to the exercise room and reappeared with my clock in his hands. The front part was broken off, the hour hand was missing, and the bird was hanging at an angle. I didn't even want to know what had happened to the thing-a-ma-bobs and doo-hickeys inside. Tears welled up in my eyes. I didn't want to cry, but I couldn't help it.

He set the clock down on my coffee table. "Now, Hun, I already know ways to fix it where it looks like new. You know I'm good at what I do. I'll take care of it."

I moved toward Monroe, hugging him as I buried my face in his chest, muffling my cries of nonsense with some four letter words about Jack thrown in.

While Monroe bundled up my clock, Chloe stood and embraced me as I let out a sob. This whole day had been one, long nightmare.

A/N: Wow, so Jack's memory was taken care of and maybe (maybe?) this is the last we'll see of Renée's crazy ex. He got one last kiss before he left though. Poor Renée! Monroe still had to carry someone to a couch, since he's not carrying Wu to his apartment.

I love writing for Chloe. Her lines are fun to come up with!

4 more chapters today, some *big* things in these chapters going on, so I hope you enjoy! (: