Chapter 83

"So why are we here again?" Chloe whispered to me as I lifted a crate of powdered herbs onto a nearby chair.

I glanced over my shoulder as her scrunched nose wiggled at me. "Because I owe Rosalee one for helping me with Jack, and your brother is enjoying her company."

"Okay, maybe I need to rephrase the question. Why am I here?" She put a few more books on the shelf.

"Because you're visiting me, and I'm helping Rosalee, so now you're here with me... visiting." I smiled at my logic.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Or doing manual labor is more accurate."

"But we're doing it together, so it's good. Besides, you've enjoyed the books in here. Think of it as an opportunity to add to all that knowledge, which you find fun, right?"

"Oh, don't try to Tom Sawyer this, Renée. This is not what I consider fun," she scowled. She knew me too well for my smooth talking to work. "There's a boutique I want to browse through in Nob Hill and it's my last day here. If I'm going to be in Portland instead of Florida, I'd rather shop then spend my vacation time helping a Fuchsbau."

I pulled out my car keys. "You don't have to stay." I gave her a blank stare.

She looked down at the keys then back to me. "Well, I'm not going to leave you here," she scowled again. "I want you to go with me."

"We'll go," I said, "after we do this."

"Fine," she sighed. "But this better go into that 'Good Karma Box' you're always spouting off about."

I grinned at her as I worked with another crate. "Your good Karma is growing by leaps and bounds." I picked up one of the jars. Dried Datura metel? What in the devil was this?

"I'm going to go grab some more books," she sighed a bit more dramatically, but then she gave me a small smile. "Oh, the things I do for the ones I love."

"The boutiques will be open until six at least. I promise we'll stop by before they close."

"Yeah, yeah." She shook her head. "I know your promises."

I looked up. "We will go, I swear."

"I won't hold my breath," Chloe laughed as she went to the main room.

Monroe bounded into the back room with a childlike grin on his face. "This place is so cool, I gotta tell ya." He came over and put his arm around me. "I mean, I knew Freddy had a lot to offer, but now that I'm really getting to see the veritable cornucopia of inventory in here… Well, it's just, you know..."

"So cool?" I filled in the words.

"Exactly," he grinned as I looked up at him. "Just keep track of the time for me, will ya? 'Cause I've got a watch to deliver this evening, and being late looks bad when your job is, you know, all about time."

"I won't let you get sidetracked," I assured him. "I'm glad you're not burdened by doing this." I glanced at the doorway to the main room where Chloe had traipsed off to.

"Nah, just the opposite. Plus, I mean, like you said, we owe Rosalee one."

"Like I said?" I asked with a hint of suspicion. Monroe had excellent hearing.

He bit back his grin. "Yeah, well… You girls talk loud."

"Right, because our whispering is deafening," I smirked while putting up another jar.

"So, when are you going boutiquing?" Monroe asked, giving me a squeeze.

"Sometime before they close or I'll have a fit-to-be-tied bunny to apologize to."

"You know, not that I don't enjoy your friends being here and all, but I'm going to be happy to have you to myself once they leave tomorrow. Hot yoga was good this morning, but we didn't have time to continue that heat, you know… like, elsewhere." Monroe kissed my neck lightly before letting me go, leaving a tingle that drifted down my spine.

"That's the kind of heat I enjoy." I bit my lip slightly.

Although Monroe and I had spent time together, we hadn't had much time to ourselves since Chloe and Pete had arrived. While I was going to miss my BFF desperately, I was a smidge happy to get some real alone time with Monroe after tomorrow morning. But then Nick would be back soon. My mind wandered off the Monroe path over to the one that led to Nickland. Why did I keep doing that? But he was coming back engaged and happy. I needed to get rid of these stupid thoughts and focus on my own happiness.

"You know we still need to celebrate our lunar-versary."

"The rose was more than plenty," I replied. He desired me and my cheeks warmed at the thought.

"Nah, that was just a gestural thing," he waved his hands.

"How should we celebrate?" I asked with a coy grin.

"Oh, I have plans for tomorrow." He wiggled his eyebrows as he grinned. "Good, solid plans that won't get botched up this time."

"Okay, Mr. Planner. Any chance I can be privy to these plans of yours?"

Monroe wrapped his arms around my waist. "They involve you coming over and then the rest are surprises."

I gave him a knowing grin. "How did I not see that one coming?"

Monroe's cell phone rang. He let me go and pulled it from his shirt pocket. He rolled his eyes slightly while glancing at the display. It had to be Nick. I sucked in my breath.

He let out an exaggerated sigh before pressing the button. "Hey Nick, I thought a vacation for you kinda meant, you know... a vacation for me, too." Monroe paused, and then his face soured slightly. "My groin is fine, thank you."

I glanced up quickly in his direction. Monroe rolled his eyes and waved the comment off, shaking his head.

As he continued listening to Nick, his eyes widened. "Whoa, whoa, whoa... Is this a joke? That sounds like a Seltenvogel, if they weren't extinct."

"Seltenvogel?" I repeated, setting down the jar I was holding in my hand. That was like the Wesen version of the dodo bird. Chloe had said they died out eons ago. "Nick actually spotted one?"

Monroe put his hand to the receiver. "It sure sounds like it."

"Seltenvogel?" Chloe poked her head into the back room. In the main room Pete and Rosalee were faintly echoing the Wesen name, too. Monroe turned and continued to talk to Nick. "Yeah, Renée and I are helping Rosalee out in the shop."

Chloe cleared her throat.

"...and Chloe and Pete are with us. So yeah, the gang's all here. But let's get back to the Seltenvogel."

"Bring the phone in here, Monroe," Chloe called out.

Monroe told Nick a little history on Seltenvogel lore as we both walked to the main room. Pete and Rosalee were looking at Monroe with curiosity.

"In ancient times they were highly-valued. Usually kept prisoner, you know, like a concubine or a parakeet... Once in their life, a Seltenvogel produces this kinda large… glandular thing."

I think it's called..." Rosalee began, but then Pete and Rosalee said in unison, "an Unbezahlbar." They looked at each other and grinned. It was geeky, yet adorable.

Monroe's face was nonplussed as he turned toward Pete and Rosalee. "Easy for you two to say." He went back to the phone. "They think it's called an..." Monroe shook his head and held the phone out as Rosalee said the term again, enunciating each syllable.

"An Un-be-zahl-bar," Monroe mimicked the syllables into the phone.

"My brother has a book," Rosalee said while moving away from the bookshelves to another shelf in the center of the room.

I nudged Chloe, "I thought you said Seltenvogel laid golden eggs."

Chloe shook her head. "Yeah, I thought they did. I don't recall the glandular part." She let out a sigh. "And how does my brother know more about this than me? I'm the researcher in the family."

"Looks like Pete has been doing his own research lately." He sure showed me a thing or two about Waldgeists.

Chloe and I crossed the room to where Pete and Monroe were already huddled. Rosalee located the book and thumbed through the pages until she rested a finger on the page about Unbezahlbars. It included a diagram with steps on removing it from the Seltenvogel's throat.

Monroe put his phone on speaker and laid it on the top shelf, then lifted the book and read Nick the information. "Okay, uh, it is a dense mineral deposit which grows in the throat sack."

Rosalee read along with him. "It develops something like an egg." Her lips curved into a smile which was shared by Pete as they exchanged glances. Wow, they really were getting chummy. I moved my eyes back to the book before Rosalee could notice I was watching them.

"If the stone gets too big," Monroe continued, "it needs to be delivered. And the trick is getting it out intact, because if it's damaged, it's, you know, worthless."

"Okay, but what made them so valuable?" Nick asked.

"Well, it's unbelievably rare, for one thing," Monroe noted.

Chloe was peering over Monroe's arm. "I knew it! The Unbezahlbar's compound has the same mass, density and appearance as gold." Chloe practically sang out as she gave a smug smile toward her brother. "It's a golden egg."

Monroe glanced over at Chloe. "If you believe in that kinda thing."

"Good going, Sis," Pete replied with a smile. He was definitely trying to impress Rosalee. Any other time he would've responded with something witty and insulting Chloe's way. I'd seen it countless times before.

"I'm guessing a Klaustreich would know this, too?" Nick asked through the phone.

"Oh man," Monroe groaned. "This is the woman who's with the Klaustreich?"

"Yeah."

Chloe sighed in my direction. I nodded. We were good with silent conversations. Both of us were thinking about Heath and my attack.

"Listen," Monroe continued, "if he's anything like the guy I went to high school with, as soon as he gets what he wants, she's going to be in big trouble, man. And when I say big trouble, I mean she's gonna get plucked, okay? Big time." Monroe had hit the nail on the head with that statement.

"Be careful Nick. They aren't too fun when they don't get what they want, either. And watch those claws. They'll slice you in two," I added. Hopefully he wouldn't learn first-hand what those claws were actually capable of. My recklessness wanted to take a trip to Whispering Pines, but I ignored the idea. That was silly.

Nick thanked us and hung up. Monroe put his phone back in his pocket and let out a breath while shaking his head.

"Damn Klaustreichs and their need to possess everything around them," Chloe scowled. "I feel really bad for that woman."

"Well, she should've known not to get mixed up with one. I mean, come on, a cat and bird? That's like a recipe for..." Monroe halted his sentence and looked at Rosalee and Pete, who were giving him an odd look. "I mean, not that there's anything wrong with... Or that it's a..." Monroe turned to me quickly with eyes wide, begging for help.

"Klaustreichs are just bad news," I said. "But some women get ensnared by their charms." Thank goodness I wasn't some women.

"But Nick will take care of it," Monroe added, breathing out a sigh and looking relieved. I think it was more for getting out of that awkward conversation than it was for the safety of the Seltenvogel. I put my arm around him, giving him a squeeze.

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

We took a break from boxes and books for lunch at a Polynesian restaurant called Trader Vic's on Northwest Gilsen Street, which was only a few blocks away. They had a few decent vegetarian selections, and with the company I was keeping, that was what we needed today. Did Rosalee practice vegetarianism? We'd know soon enough. The weather was breezy and cool, but surprisingly not drizzling, so we walked.

Ten minutes later we arrived in front of the restaurant. Two large tiki statues stood on either side of the wooden main entrance door. The inside was much more elaborate. Tiki style furniture, statues, masks, and hanging glass floats gave the tropical ambiance of walking into a hut on the south pacific.

"Wow," Chloe awed as we walked inside. "And here I was all excited when Louisville got a Hard Rock Café."

I smiled back at her. "There's a lot of great places in Portland."

A waitress dressed in black and sporting a pink lei came toward us. "Follow me," she said and shortly after we settled into our seats, perusing the menu.

"Monroe, can I get you a Pina Colada?" Chloe was literally biting her lip not to laugh.

"Uh, it's kinda early to be drinking..." Then the light bulb went off in his head. "Oh, hardy har-har. You know, I'm kinda done with the whole 'Werewolves of London' thing, you know, after what happened this week."

"I couldn't help myself." Chloe let out a laugh and even I had to chuckle.

I ran a hand through Monroe's wild, curly locks. "But I have to admit, your hair is perfect." I grinned at him.

"Well, good to know," Monroe scowled. "Can we, like, focus on food instead of jokes, okay?"

I turned to Pete, who was sharing a menu with Rosalee. He caught me eyeing him and gave me a knowing smile then looked back at the menu. They were cute together.

"So, what looks good to you, Hun?" Monroe asked as he and I did the same with our menus. Chloe glanced at both couples on either side of her. For the first time my friend seemed lonely, and that was not a look she wore well.

"Renée?" Monroe asked. I was lost in thought.

"Oh, I was thinking the tofu curry with a side of edamame." I glanced up to meet his dark brown eyes. "What about you?"

"Actually that was what I was going for," he grinned at me, "with a side of Szechuan beans, stir fried with ginger and garlic."

"Great minds think alike."

"You know, you're getting good at picking out vegetarian dishes."

"Now I just need to get better at making them."

He chuckled. "Small steps."

Our waitress returned to take our orders. Monroe and I were on a ticket and Pete paid for Rosalee.

"Yeah, well, I'm on my own," Chloe said softly.

"I've got yours," Monroe offered with a smile in her direction.

"Thanks," she meekly replied.

Lunch arrived quickly. Rosalee had gone meat-free on her entrée after taking her time with the menu. Perhaps she was just being respectful. Conversation was light as Pete and Chloe discussed work.

Pete cleared his throat. "So, I'm looking at a few companies here in Portland. They have a couple of openings for a chemist that pays much better and there's more room for advancement."

Chloe shot him a look. "You aren't actually considering moving here, are you?" That look wanted to add, 'because of the Fuchsbau.'

"It's something I've been considering the last few weeks actually," Pete replied as he held back a sheepish grin, avoiding my gaze. Apparently, it wasn't the Fuchsbau he wanted to move for. "Portland has a lot of potential in the scientific field and Louisville just doesn't have that for me anymore. Plus, I already know Née and Monroe here," he turned toward Rosalee with a grin, "and if you stay, then I'll know you, too."

Rosalee beamed as a dash of color hit her cheeks. "I don't know if I'm staying yet. But Portland is a pretty nice place. I've missed being here."

"You didn't tell me you've been thinking about this," Chloe snapped and Pete turned his head back in her direction.

"I didn't think I needed your permission or anything, Sis."

Chloe scowled. "No, but it'd be nice to know if my brother was going to move clear across the country."

"I would've told you before I actually moved," Pete laughed "I'd need your help packing." Pete looked up at me. "So, what do you think, Née? Think I'd fit in?"

I shrugged. "It's different from home, but I like it here. I'm sure you'd adapt just fine, and you've been stagnant at your job for a while."

"Don't encourage him, Renée," Chloe hissed across the table.

I refrained from elbowing her since we were in public. "If he wants to move, it's his choice. He's a grown-up."

Chloe shot daggers through her crystal blue eyes, and then turned her glowering gaze back to Pete. "Sure, go. Maybe everyone I care about ought to just pack up and move to this crazy town." That was Chloe's way of being nice. She told him she cared about him.

"Well, I for one wouldn't mind you being around either," said Monroe, setting his fork down. "If you need any assistance in places to live, I've got a friend who's in real estate that, you know, might be able to help. He owes me a favor."

Pete nodded appreciatively while Chloe stabbed at her salad with a fork.

I glanced at my watch, "Where is your delivery at, Monroe?"

"On the North side of town."

"You have about thirty minutes to get there."

"Crap!" Monroe said as he stood up. "I hate to cut this short, but I've got to get going. I'll come back afterwards, though." Monroe gave me a quick kiss and laid some bills on the table.

The conversation became a bit strained between the bunny siblings as we finished lunch. Chloe was quiet and seemed lost in thought on the walk back. Rosalee and Pete had gone ahead, so I stuck with Chloe while she trudged forward.

"Hey, it'll be fine," I said and nudged her.

"He's not really serious, right?" she asked.

"Maybe, but even if he moves here, it's not like you won't ever see him again."

"Don't tell him this, but he's the only sibling I really like hanging around with. I mean, I love my brothers and sisters, don't get me wrong. But Pete and I have always been close, and if he leaves me too…" she trailed off with a sigh.

I wrapped my arm around her. "He's not running away just yet."

"Have I mentioned how much I hate Portland?"

"Yeah, just a few times," I replied.

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

The next few hours we continued to work on the spice shop. It was starting to look the way I'd remembered it, which was bringing back memories of Freddy again. I erased the thoughts from my mental white board and continued with moving bottles and jars of things I could barely pronounce to the shelves.

My cell rang as I was organizing bottles of Boswellia sacra and Commiphora myrrha.

"Dudette," said Donnie with a grin in his voice.

"Hey, how are you?"

"I'm good, but I just wanted to tell you I'm still searching for that vinyl you want. Man, your boyfriend wasn't kiddin'; it's like non-existent, dude. Hugues Nuages is like a Hugues nowhere to be found anywhere, man."

"Oh," I replied with a tinge of disappointment in my voice. "So I guess it was worth a try."

"No, don't fret yet, Dudette," Donnie said. "I still have a few other ideas up my sleeve. I'm just sorry it's taking some time, and I didn't want you to think I'd forgotten or anything."

"Oh, no. I didn't think that."

Chloe came up, silently pointing at the phone. "It's Donnie," I said as I held the receiver with my hand.

"Ooh, let me talk to him when you're done," she whispered with a smile. I nodded.

"I'm determined to find it," continued Donnie. "I'm, like, on a mission from the music gods."

I laughed. "Well if you find this Hugues Nuages record I will definitely owe you one, and the music gods will be pleased, too, I'm sure. Hey, Chloe wants to talk to you a minute."

"Chloe's in Portland?"

"Yeah, she came… for a visit." I hesitated. It was partially true.

I passed the phone Chloe's way. Rosalee poked her head around the corner.

"Were you just talking about Hugues Nuages a moment ago?" she asked with eyes bright.

"Yeah," I replied. "Do you know of him?"

"Know of him?" she gasped. "He's only the most talented, virtuoso Austrian Zitherist there was," she gushed. Apparently, I was not up to par on my Zitherists. Clearly this guy was a Wesen legend for some reason.

"I only know of him because of Monroe," I replied with an awkward grin. "I'm trying to find a replacement record for him as a surprise."

"Oh, they're hard to find," she nodded. "I'd love to have one myself."

Rosalee went on to tell me about how Hugues Nuages had lost his leg in a skiing accident when he was a kid and how she'd adored his music growing up. I nodded while trying not to grin. It was like watching Monroe get excited. Honestly, this was the most animated Rosalee had been, considering everything she'd been through recently. It seemed Hugues was a bringer of joy. Who knew a Zitherist had that much power?

Monroe returned an hour later and Chloe was getting antsy to go shopping.

"It's five forty-five, Renée. Stores close at six. Your promises are about as empty as these jars," she said while holding up the two in her hands. "I should've known we wouldn't leave."

"I'll come up with something, I promise. You'll get to go shopping."

"Promises, promises. Empty words," she sighed dramatically. "If you take me to Target that really won't count. You know that, right?"

I suppressed a smile. She knew me too well. "It won't be Target."

It was dark by the time we took another break. Pete and Rosalee were discussing the best uses for pine roots and resin while Chloe was engrossed in a book on herbal medicine throughout history. Monroe and I headed to the back room for some alone time.

"Hey, so I really didn't want our second lunar-versary thing to be as bad as the first one."

"We're in one piece, so it's faring better already. But if that Blutbad finds us again near our third one, I'm gonna think we're cursed."

"Tell me about it. Let's hope he stays behind bars where he belongs."

"This is a nice, relaxing way to celebrate." I grinned up at him. "Besides, I don't mind organizing things here. As long as we're together, then that's all that matters, right?"

Monroe nodded. "Well, tomorrow we're gonna celebrate for real, okay?"

"After Chloe and Pete leave, we'll make up for lost time."

A flash of red hit his eyes. "I like the sound of that."

"Let's get back out there and finish up." I motioned with my hand. "I have to come up with shopping ideas after this."

Monroe chuckled. "Good luck with that." He perked up his ears. "Why do I hear Nick all of a sudden?"

My eyes shot up toward the door. Was he here? Was he back? My breath caught in my throat.

We moved quickly back to the main room. Nick wasn't in the spice shop. Pete and Chloe were crowded around Rosalee, who had her phone out.

"Nick, you need to get that stone out of her before it cuts off her airway," said Rosalee as we approached.

Monroe glanced down at the phone and then to Rosalee. "Is that Nick? He called you?" He glanced back to Nick on the video chat. "You called her?"

"Can you guys do this later?" Rosalee replied bitterly. "That girl needs help."

"What's going on?" I asked Chloe.

"It's the Seltenvogel. She's about to deliver, so to speak."

"Really?!" I turned my direction back to Rosalee's phone.

"She says I need to take it out," said Nick in a panic.

Rosalee pointed to Pete. "You grab the book," She went back to Nick. "No, you... you need to cut it out of her. Do you have a knife?"

"Uh, yeah, I do." Nick set the phone down. The video showed him searching his pockets. Pete had located the book and turned the pages until he found the one we'd read before about the Unbezahlbar.

"Here's the information," said Pete. He moved the book toward Rosalee as he rested his finger on the procedure. Chloe and I darted over to the other side of the shelf, trying to read upside-down. No matter which direction we viewed it, this was not going to be an easy process.

Monroe stood behind Pete as he looked at the diagram. "Oh, boy," he grimaced.

"Okay, the cut should be made vertically along the widest point of the Unbezahlbar," Rosalee directed as she read from the book.

"The book says to make sure the skin is stretched tightly," Pete called out, "and press the knife through the flesh until it grazes the hard surface of the stone."

Nick sighed. "Okay."

Apparently he'd set the phone down. Tall trees were the only things visible on the phone screen. Gasps and whimpers from the Seltenvogel were all we could hear.

We stared at Rosalee, who was gripping the phone tightly. "Nick? Update," she said loudly.

Nick's head bobbed quickly back into view. "Uh, a little busy here."

"Nick, you need to avoid cutting near the anterior jugular vein, so just be careful, buddy," warned Pete as he read. "Stay in the center and watch the sides."

"Uh, not helping."

"You want to get close, but not too close," added Rosalee.

"How will I know if I'm too close?" Nick asked with an unsteady breath.

"Dude, you'll know," said Monroe. "Tons of blood. Trust me, it's not pretty. I've been there."

I glanced up at him.

"Well, not recently or anything," Monroe added quickly. "Thank goodness."

"He can do this, right?" I asked aloud.

"If he can't then that Seltenvogel may not make it," whispered Monroe as his eyes widened. "No pressure or anything."

"Not helping, either, Monroe," said Nick.

"Sorry," Monroe replied, sheepishly.

Nick's head came back into view again. "Okay. Okay. I think I'm, uhh... I'm done." He was gasping for breath himself now.

"All right," said Rosalee. "Now slip your hands into the cut and gently detach the Unbezahlbar from the Faserig membrane, holding it in place."

"When it separates from the membrane, you'll feel a slight pop from the stone," Pete added.

"Okay," replied Nick in a nervous tone a few moments later. "Okay, it popped."

"Okay, that's great," Rosalee said hurriedly. "Just, umm... Just simply lift it up… and out."

"Oh, God," Nick muttered through the phone.

I reached for Chloe's hand as we waited for Nick to respond. Hopefully he'd done everything right. God, he was brave. There were a few loud exhales and a chuckle.

Pete turned to Rosalee, "Is that a good sign?"

She furrowed her brow. "I don't know."

Suddenly a hand appeared on the screen, holding a jagged, golden lump. He'd done it. Oh, my. He'd done it!

"Oh... wow," sighed Rosalee. "How is she?"

"She... she seems to be breathing a lot better," Nick replied as his voice returned to normal. "I think she's gonna be okay."

"Great job, buddy," said Pete with a grin. "You've just done something really rare."

"Yeah, nice going, dude," Monroe added. "Uh, call me later, will you, when this all calms down, okay?"

Rosalee set her phone down as we all let out a much needed breath.

"Wow…" said Monroe as he stuck his hands in his pockets.

Rosalee laughed. "That's something you don't see every day."

"That was exciting," said Chloe. "Who knew we'd ever get to witness something like that?"

I smiled. "I'm just glad Nick was there to help her." I looked up to Pete and Rosalee. "You guys did great walking him through it."

"He did the real work. We just read the book," Pete replied. "I wonder why they were out in the woods."

"Maybe they were trying to get away from the Klaustreich," suggested Monroe. "Hopefully that Seltenvogel is able to fly the coop for good." He shook his head and chuckled lightly. "This must be the season for rare stuff. I mean, I find out I'm dating a Waldgeist and now, you know, Nick's, like, finding a Seltenvogel with a golden egg." Rosalee jerked her head in my direction with her doe eyes as wide as if I had headlights pointed at them."I mean next we're gonna find a..."

"A Waldgeist?" Rosalee's voice was unbelieving as I just stood there, wishing I was anywhere else. I furrowed my brow at Monroe, who paused mid-sentence, holding his hand gesture like a statue.

"How is that even possible?" Rosalee continued.

Monroe gulped as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down. "Uh, well she's..."

"I'm half Grimm, half Waldgeist." I spoke up. It was no use beating around the bush on this one.

"But they're a myth. They're..." She was talking and moving to books, flipping pages. "The legends talk about them like... Here." She pointed to an open book in her hand. "They clearly say legend."

"Well, they aren't as mythological as we thought," Monroe replied, scooping up the book. "Much like we found out that, you know, the Seltenvogel does, in fact, still exist and, you know, can grow a gold egg in their..." He moved his hand across his throat, "glandular area."

Rosalee came toward me, and it was my turn to be wide-eyed. She looked me up and down, sniffing me slightly. Why did they keep doing this?

"She seems human." Rosalee turned to Monroe, who just nodded.

"It's kinda mind-blowing right?" His gaze went back to the book. "I'm right there with ya, man."

"So what other parts of the legends are true?" She asked as she spun her head back toward me.

Oh boy, how much did I want to tell her? I trusted Rosalee, and she had more than proven she was as genuine as they come. So I told her everything.

Rosalee placed her hand on her head. "Whoa," was all she could say after I finished my epic tale of insane grandmothers, elders inside trees, and what had happened after Jack had stabbed Monroe.

I leaned against the counter. "Yeah, it's been a startling revelation for me, too."

She let out a breath as her hand dropped to her side. "Just when I think it can't get any more complex." She shook her head.

"Complex is becoming my new middle name," I replied with a small smile.

"Umm, some of this stuff doesn't come off like they're a legend," Monroe said with a strain in his voice. "Man, this reads more like a Waldgeist take-out menu, if you ask me." Monroe looked up from the book, his face pallid. "Your parts are used for, like, a lot of gruesome stuff." I crossed the room as Monroe clutched the open book to his chest. "Umm, you really don't need to see this," he insisted.

"Hand it over," I told Monroe, holding out my open palms.

With a heavy sigh, he lowered the book and laid it in my hands. A full diagram of different body parts were outlined on the pages in front of me. Wow, he wasn't kidding. Perhaps this was what the Hexenbiests had figured out with all their trials and errors. My head flooded as I read through the descriptions. Everything from my heart to my eyes could be mixed in something to cure a myriad of different ailments. It wasn't limited to Hexenbiests. I was a walking pharmacy. I looked up at Monroe, who was still gravely pale.

"Dude, I told you. You didn't need to see that."

"It's better to know this way than while someone is popping out one of my eyeballs." My eyes stung as I cringed at the thought. Oh, crap. I didn't want to think about it, he was right. I laid down the book. No more reading. My body was a temple not a buffet.

Monroe turned the book toward him as he flipped more pages. "Oh, here's something else. Your amygdala, which is in the temporal lobe right here…" Monroe touched the side of his head as reference. "That area of the Waldgeist's brain is larger than most, which this book suggests is the scientific proof of the legends that a Waldgeist can determine who's pure of heart. The amygdala is the catalyst in the brain that forms opinions about the information it's presented." Monroe glanced back at me. "So if yours is larger, then it's gonna be more sensitive to that kinda thing."

I rubbed my head instinctively. I cringed. The only thing I could think about was the Waldgeist they opened up to determine this brain discovery.

"Incidentally," Pete chimed in. "The amygdala is linked to the formation of the most primal emotions. But it also regulates the famous flight or fight response, too." He grinned. "That would explain why you get so emotional, more than most." His grin widened, but then he tamed it back down when Monroe gave him a curious stare.

"Flight or fight?" Monroe questioned. "Well, that sure explains a helluva lot, too." He grimaced a bit. "Too bad your fight seems to always win out."

So perhaps my reckless woge was the result of an abnormal Waldgeist brain gene. Maybe I didn't have the Grimm gene at all, as Monroe had suggested before. Sadly, that meant I still didn't know what I really was.

Dude," Monroe suddenly yelped, jarring my thoughts. His eyes grew wide as he looked up at me. "It says here you can regenerate more than just Wesen!"

"Yeah, I forgot to mention that." My eyes met Pete's briefly.

Pete tilted his head. "You didn't tell him about the leaf thing?"

Monroe looked at Pete. "What leaf thing?" He turned his focus toward me. "There's a leaf thing?"

"You still need to show us that trick," said Chloe with a curious grin.

"Chloe knows about the leaf thing, too?" Monroe scowled slightly.

"Yeah," I rocked on my heels as I told Monroe and Rosalee about Pete's experiment. "It seems I really do have a green thumb after all."

"Dude," Monroe drawled out. "And you didn't say anything?" He turned back to Pete. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"Sorry, buddy." Pete colored slightly. "So many things have transpired in the last few days that it's hard to remember what I've mentioned recently."

"Does the book say what it does to a Waldgeist when they use that… ability?" I asked Monroe, directing the focus off Pete. He hadn't mentioned it because he and I both knew what else happened that night, which was probably why subconsciously I hadn't discussed it, either.

Monroe moved his finger down the page. "Doesn't say. It just mentions how the regeneration works. The Waldgeist is able to, umm, trigger their frontal lobe in the brain to create this unique chemical compound, which is brimming with all these, you know, restorative properties that have yet to be recreated." He looked at the front of the book. "Well, at least back in 1903 they couldn't recreate them. Anyway, the compound intricately travels through the glandular system where it's secreted through the hands as a green, luminous mist." Monroe looked up. "So your hands sweat out a fountain of youth, so to speak."

"Lovely imagery there, Monroe," I replied.

Monroe went back to reading. "There are recounts from scrolls dating back to the Middle Ages in Europe of villagers praying to the Waldgeist to visit and bless their crops with prosperity. The Waldgeist was said to walk through and run their hands over the soil, bringing forth great harvests. In turn the villagers would…" Monroe cleared his throat. "Well, this is disturbing. The villagers would offer sacrifice to the Waldgeist to ensure they would return the next harvesting season." Monroe made a sour face as he twisted the book, looking at it from another angle. "There's, umm, pictures, which are very accurately drawn, and apparently these guys took a creative hand with their sacrifices. What kinda knife would you use to do that?" he muttered as he squinted.

"Well, if they were using their abilities back then for crops, then maybe it's not harmful." I paused. "Except for the sacrifices that went on." My stomach knotted at the thought.

Pete shook his head. "Née, it's still not wise. Just because that one book paints a picture that Waldgeists were using their abilities back in the day, doesn't mean it couldn't have adverse effects. I work with compounds all day long that we're only learning the long-term effects of."

"Well, can't we all see it used just one time?" Chloe asked. "There's no proof that it will hurt anything, either." Chloe's curiosity was outweighing her motherly caution. That was a first. "Many of us have abilities we use that are outside the established norm."

Monroe nodded. "If Ziegevolk can use their pheromones to pick up women, with toad breath I might add, then Renée oughta be able to, you know, bring good things to life with hers."

Rosalee went to the back room and returned with a dried out leaf in her hands. "It's a bay leaf," she explained as she walked over and handed it to me. "It's small so…" she trailed off, then glanced over at Pete, who was pressing his lips together, seemingly not on board with doing this.

I held my breath as all eyes locked on me. "Well, here it goes." I closed my eyes as I held the leaf in my hands. I thought hard about it being green and alive. The gasps were a bit distracting, but when I opened my eyes I was surrounded by my friends and a fresh bay leaf in my open palm.

Monroe picked up the leaf, holding it to his nose. "Whoa…"

"Ta-da!" I replied, biting back my beaming grin.

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

By the next hour, the five of us finished up at the spice shop. With the work we'd accomplished Rosalee expected to be able to have customers in by tomorrow.

"You guys have just been so wonderful to do this," she said. "I don't think I would've been able to do it all without you."

"Well, it was the least we could do after all your help," I replied.

"Definitely our pleasure, man," added Monroe.

"Speak for yourself," muttered Chloe. I gripped her arm tightly. "Glad we could assist," she said a bit louder.

We said our goodbyes and headed outside into the cool, night air.

"You coming with me, or with Née?" Pete asked Chloe as he opened the driver's side door.

"I'm still going shopping, because Renée promised we would," she replied dryly.

"Okay." He shrugged. "Well, I'm heading back and going to bed. Have fun." Pete hopped into the rental car and drove off.

I reached for Monroe while Chloe tapped her foot at me.

"Hey. You two go on and shop. I'll catch up with you tomorrow morning." He gave me a swift kiss. "Surprises tomorrow, don't forget." His genuine smile had me grinning.

Chloe reached for my shoulder as she stepped forward. "Okay, so now it's almost nine. Where are we going to go shopping this late at night on a Sunday?"

"I have an idea where there's a boutique we can visit," I replied with a grin. I reached for my phone.

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

"You sure you don't mind?" I asked Sandra again as she opened the doors of the boutique.

"No, it's fine. Glad I could help!" she replied as Chloe and I walked into Sandra's boutique.

Chloe was already smiling from ear to ear as her fingers glided over a few dresses on the far wall. "And I can have any dress I want?"

I turned to Sandra, and she nodded. "Any dress. On the house," Sandra replied as her squirrel features came out.

Chloe responded in kind and her nose twitched wildly. She quickly retracted. "Oh, this is gonna be fun!" her smile widened at the words. "Look at this one, Renée!" she gasped, pulling out a baby blue, sleeveless dress. She reached for a few more from the rack, carting them off to the dressing room.

"Thank you for doing this," I said to Sandra once Chloe had closed the door. "I feel awful calling this late at night."

"Don't be silly." She waved her hand. "I live close by to the shop, so it was no big deal, and it's not like it was midnight or anything."

"She'll probably wind up buying something, too," I said with a grin. "She loves to shop."

"Then I should be the one thanking you instead," Sandra grinned back.

Chloe was in and out of the dressing room as she and Sandra talked styles, colors, and everything else Chloe adored discussing. She'd found someone who could appreciate her love of clothes. Occasionally she'd ask my opinion, and I'd nod. The rest of the time she and Sandra were chatting nonstop. I smiled at the union.

An hour later, Chloe had a free dress and two new ones, along with a scarf, a clutch, and two necklaces. Sandra was all smiles and so was Chloe. I thanked Sandra again as we said goodbye.

"It was nice meeting you," Sandra said to Chloe before we left. She pointed to me. "You have a good friend there."

"Renée is a great friend to have," she replied. "I don't know what I'd do without her." That coming from Chloe was as high praise as one could get.

I helped my BFF with her purchases as we put them in the back seat of my car.

"That Sandra more than made up for spilling the beans to that Eisbiber," Chloe said with a grin. "I didn't think I'd like her, but she really surprised me." Chloe glanced in the back seat of my car. "She really knows her stuff. Some of those dresses are just to die for."

"Sandra is wonderful," I replied as I sat down in the driver's seat. "She really didn't mean to cause any trouble."

"You never know with a Nussesser. Some of them are nice, while others just like to gossip for the fun of it."

"Well, Sandra is not the latter," I told her. "I really do trust her, even after her slip up."

"I know you do." Chloe patted my arm like she was refraining from finishing that sentence. "This was a fun shopping trip."

"See? I told you we'd go to a boutique today," I grinned a bit smugly.

"So, Renée made good on a promise… for once." She shot me a teasing grin as she buckled her seat belt. "Maybe this is the first sign of the apocalypse."

"Oh, don't talk like that," I chided. "With the things I've found out recently, I figure that's the next thing to happen."

A/N: Long chapter, Whew!

Back to Grimm story mode from "The Thing With Feathers." My little OC characters changed that up a bit, since Pete and Rosalee are the ones that take over with helping Nick with the Unbezahlbar. Monroe still chimes in, though. (:

So Pete might become a story regular if he gets the job in Portland. Ooh... Aah...

Oh, Hugues Nuages. That Zitherist guy gets around, doesn't he? Rosalee has her chance to gush all over about him this way. LOL!

Rosalee now knows about Renée's Waldgeist abilities, and we got a bit of science about her abilities. (I had fun researching that part.)

Chloe met Sandra yay!

On a side note. I think (think?) I may have actually finished writing the rest of this story! YAY! Now, just editing myself before I send it to my outside editor for reviews. In process of sending Miss Editor 5 more chapters for review, so give me a bit of time for more chapters.

If you get bored, drop me a line. Comments keep me motivated. Even a small note means a lot. Thanks as always for reading and I hope you're enjoying this story. We still have a few big twists and turns, so like I said in my last story, stay with me, trust the characters, and have faith in the story.

STAY TUNED! (: