Chapter 78

I pulled into my driveway. Chloe and Pete's rental car wasn't out front. Chloe was waiting up for me when I walked inside. Was Pete still out? Wow, it was kinda late.

"There you are," said Chloe as she set her laptop down on the coffee table. "I've been bored silly."

"So have I, actually," I said as we both went into the kitchen.

"Was the party not as glamorous as you'd hoped?"

"It wasn't really that," I replied as I leaned against the counter. "Those ladies just aren't my style."

Chloe put her arm around me. "What did you expect from a lawyer and her friends?"

I laughed. "Miss Lawyer is nice, but her friends… Well, they're just a bit uppity."

"You're definitely not the uppity type," Chloe said with a smirk. "I mean that in a good way, though."

"It didn't help that one of them was a Hexenbiest."

"What?!" Chloe exclaimed with surprise. "You really don't need to be mixed up with one of those, Renée! It's not safe with your Waldgeist side to even be near one," she chided with a click of her teeth as she had a woge.

"Thank goodness what I am isn't obvious," I replied. "Don't mention it to Monroe though, okay?"

Chloe retracted. "Don't you think he needs to know?"

"He doesn't need to worry about it. I don't plan on seeing her ever again."

"Fine, I won't say anything," she promised as she shook her head. "But I swear, you just aren't safe here."

"Here, there… it really doesn't matter, Chloe." I let out a quick sigh. "I just have to keep living."

She pointed a finger at me. "But if a Hexenbiest dissects you, then you won't be living for very long."

I reached for her arm, redirecting her mothering finger. "I'll be okay." I looked over at the Ziploc bag I'd set on the counter. "You want some apple tarts?" I'd change the subject with food.

"Oh, God, yes," she replied, opening the bag and taking one. She paused halfway to her mouth and set it back down in the bag. "No, dammit. I can't."

"Since when do you turn down dessert?"

"Since I've had my eye on this adorable French bikini I bought for Spring Break. I'm determined to keep this figure fabulous." She showcased her abdomen with her hands for effect.

"You do know we're not teenagers anymore, right?"

"Exactly, which is why I gotta watch my figure."

I shook my head at her. "I mean about the Spring Break part."

"Hey, my high school kids aren't the only ones who get to take pleasure in sandy beaches. I'm going to enjoy next week in Florida before I head back to my drab little office when school resumes. There's a reason I love working for the school system." She beamed. "Spring Break, Summer Break, Winter Break, weekends off. It's fantastic."

"I'm sorry you had to cut your vacation short by coming here."

"Bah. I couldn't leave you to do this on your own." She rubbed my back. "That's what friends are for. Besides, you'll just have to owe me a favor later."

I laughed then replied, "Godiva chocolates?"

"That's a good start," she replied, grinning. "But after Spring Break, because I plan on making up for lost time once I get back from Florida."

"What about Pete?" I closed the bag of tarts. "Think he'd eat these?"

"Nah. He doesn't care for stuff like that." Chloe shook her head as she reached for a bottle of water from the fridge. "But if they were chocolate chip cookies, they'd be gone."

"Oh, yeah. I know he loved those when we..." I paused. I'd always buy Pete chocolate chip cookies when he needed a little pick-me-up. It was a treat he loved, and I loved to make him smile. "Didn't your mom used to make chocolate chip cookies a lot when we were kids?" I asked instead.

Chloe laughed. "Whose mom are you remembering? Mine never baked a day in her life. That's why I always liked going over to your house." She grinned at me. "Your mom made some of the best desserts. She taught me more in your kitchen than I ever learned at home."

I grinned back. "Too bad none of my mom's skills ever rubbed off on me."

"Isn't that the truth. But your mom still makes the best rhubarb pie." She rubbed her stomach. "Dammit, now I really want a fucking tart... But I have willpower," she added adamantly and took a long sip of water. "Now put them away before I change my mind," she urged with her hands.

I looked down at the bag of tarts. Guess I was going to have to finish them off by myself. Oh, darn. I set the Ziploc bag on top of the fridge. "And here I was going to take you to Voodoo Doughnut tomorrow."

"What's a Voodoo Doughnut?"

"Guess you'll just have to come back and find out some time." I smirked. She just shook her head at me. I walked toward the doorway. "I've got to go change. Monroe is coming over to pick me up, so he and I can go see Nick tonight."

"Oh. The letter, right?" she asked, giving me a pained stare.

I nodded slowly. "It shouldn't take too long. He needs to know what's going on."

"Yeah. Well, I'll be here if you need me afterwards."

"Thanks, Chloe."

Chloe went back to the couch, and I made my way to my bedroom. I threw on my favorite long-sleeved, lavender shirt and a pair of jeans. I glanced at my watch. Monroe would be here in half an hour. My dad's letter was still in my dresser drawer. I'd hide it in my 007 cabinet along with all my other secrets once I returned. I pulled it out and laid it on the bed. Did any of this affect Nick? All these Royals and houses seemed as foreign to him as they did to me. But if Grimms played some role in their plans, then Nick was as much a part of this as I was.

I grabbed the letter and went back to the kitchen. The tarts were calling my name, and I reached for the bag. Was one more worth it? No, I had enough for one day. I put them in the freezer. I couldn't just throw them away, but at least in the freezer I couldn't eat them without thawing them out first. Problem solved! I smiled at my own cleverness.

There was a knock on my front door.

"Chloe, can you get that?" I called out. I reached for a wine glass. One more glass would take the edge off before I went over that damn letter again.

"Pete's back," Chloe yelled. "He forgot his key."

"There you are," I said with a smile as I walked back into the living room, sipping on my wine. "I was worried you got lost."

"No, I've been with Rosalee," Pete replied as he plopped down in one of the chairs. "She wanted me to thank you for the flowers, by the way."

I nodded as I sat down next to Chloe, who'd already lounged back on the couch. "Is Rosalee doing okay?"

"As well as she can be," Pete replied as he leaned forward. "We worked on the spice shop after the funeral to take her mind off things."

Chloe curled her leg under her. "You two are getting a bit chummy don't you think, Pete?"

Pete looked over at her. "And why is that an issue?"

Chloe scoffed, "What would Mom and Dad say if you brought a Fuchsbau home?"

"They wouldn't say anything. Unlike you, our parents are pretty open to whomever we date," Pete responded with a grin. "You're the only one of us that's closed-minded."

"I'm not close-minded!" she shot back, sitting up straight.

"Who was the last guy you dated that wasn't a Karnickelhöhle?" asked Pete with a knowing grin.

"Well, I..." Chloe stammered as her cheeks flushed in frustration. Chloe had always dated Rabbits. She could've had any guy in school, but it was the Rabbit guys she'd always wound up dating.

"Exactly," Pete replied with a smirk. "Clover, you're such an artgleich."

Chloe gasped loudly. "You take that back!"

Artgleich in Wesen terms was like calling someone a racist. Or would that be a species-ist? Well, either way it was a horrible term, regardless.

"Then open your eyes and realize there are more than just Karnickelhöhles out there. Jessica and Dale have been married three years, and they're doing great."

Dale was a chipmunk. Of the few times I'd seen him and Chloe's older sister together, they were always hand in hand. I'd always thought they were a perfect couple.

"Ester's been married five years to Herbert," Chloe retorted.

"Yeah. But Ester dated many different Wesen before she and Herb found each other," Pete argued. "But the point I'm making here is focus on your own relationships and don't judge everyone else's." Pete turned toward me. "Back me up on this, Née. You're a hybrid dating a Blutbad."

"Oh, I'm not getting into this." I held up my hands. "Chloe and Monroe finally like each other, and that took him saving her life to get to that point." I turned to Chloe. "But I will say that Rosalee is definitely genuine, and I know she's a good person."

Pete smiled at me. Personally, I was pleased as punch he liked Rosalee. But would it continue once he went home? Long distance relationships were never easy.

With a dramatic sigh, Chloe stood and said, "I'm going to bed."

"Chloe, it's only nine-thirty."

"Yeah, but it's been a long, laborious day," she replied dramatically, shaking her head as she walked up the stairs.

Pete turned to me once the guest room door shut upstairs. "Can you believe her?" He leaned his head against his hand.

"Ah, she'll get over it," I replied with a grin.

"You said you knew Rosalee's brother, right?" Pete asked as he chewed on his lower lip. "Did you all talk often?"

"I chatted with him a few times when I shopped there, but I didn't know him well. Why?"

"Well, Rosalee found some passports on a shelf while we were working today. There were three of them, and they all had her brother's picture with different names. It wasn't my place to judge, so I didn't say anything, but it was really strange to say the least."

"I have no clue, but I agree that's really odd. Maybe he was a spy?"

"Yeah, I thought that, too." Pete laughed. "But a spy for what?"

I shrugged. "Rosalee didn't know?"

"No. She was as surprised as I was when she found them."

I shook my head. "I don't know what to tell you. Monroe said he knew him, too, so I'll mention it tonight and see what he knows. You think it's all right to say something?"

"Rosalee didn't mind sharing what she found with me, so I don't think there's any harm in it."

I nodded. "If I learn anything I'll let you know."

Pete yawned. "I think I'm gonna head upstairs and call it an early night, too."

"Okay. Did you get anything to eat?"

"Yeah, I'm good. Rosalee and I had dinner not too long ago."

I grinned at him as I finished off my wine. "I'm glad you're enjoying yourself in Portland."

"This place has kinda grown on me," said Pete as he rose from the chair. "I really hate that we're leaving on Sunday."

"Well, you're always welcome to visit. You know that."

"I'm planning on it actually," he replied with a knowing look.

A/N: How long will those tarts stay in the freezer? We started with a dozen. Renée had a whole one and two halves at Adalind's party. So, might be interesting to keep track of that.
Chloe doesn't seem too happy about her older brother hanging out with Rosalee, huh? Going a bit early on finding the passports, but that's okay.

Interesting German word, "artgleich"... It means, 'conspecific' or 'belonging to the same species.' I'm going with the Grimm-ish German and turning that to mean in relationship terms, 'being with one's own species.' So for my German speaking folks, I apologize if that is not what this really means, but I'm taking artistic license on this one. LOL!

Thanks for all the lovely comments.
More chapters coming soon. Stay Tuned! (: