Chapter 91

Dreams of Nick danced in my head all night. I was grinning from ear to ear when I awoke. I didn't have any trainings today, so my plan was simple: Daytime with Monroe, nighttime with Nick. Simple and easy.

I hummed Sweet's 'Love is Like Oxygen' as I showered.

"Love is like oxygen;
You get too much you get too high.
Not enough and you're gonna die.
Love gets you high…"

Currently I was on a love overload and I was beyond high. Hopefully I wasn't being too prideful, but my heart and mind were determined to make this work. I'd find equal time to be with both of them. My heart was big enough to share the love, and I could make them happy.

After my shower, I dressed quickly, and then called Monroe.

"Hey, this is an early call for you," he said. "Everything all right?"

"Great actually. I'm working from home today, so maybe if you're not busy I could work from your home?"

"I'd like that," he replied with that trademark smile of his pouring though the receiver.

Rummaging through my bathroom, I found a small spray bottle. I headed back to the kitchen and poured the wolfsbane mixture from last night inside, screwing the cap on tightly. Hopefully this would work, but did wolfsbane have a smell? The book had said it would confuse his senses. Would Monroe realize his senses were confused? I shook my head. No time to worry now.

I gingerly sprayed the car seats and took in the smell. I didn't smell anything, but I didn't have a Blutbad nose, either. I closed my eyes tightly, taking in another whiff. Nothing. Either it would work, or I'd have to explain why my car smelled like wolfsbane. I'd rather explain that than why it smelled like Nick.

I made a pit-stop at Best Buy across the bridge before heading to Monroe's. Fortunately, I was in and out quickly, and then I drove back over the bridge and to Southwest Hamilton Street.

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

Monroe opened the door and looked oddly at my hands full of shopping bags as I stepped inside. I set everything down on the couch.

"What's all that?" he asked.

"Close your eyes," I said with a grin.

Monroe did as I asked. I lifted his hands and handed him a box while a grin played on his face.

"Okay," I said. "Open them."

He looked down at the box. "Whoa, the whole collection?" Monroe asked.

I nodded. "Fifty years of James Bond."

Monroe looked the box over. "Oh, but it's the Blu-Ray set. I don't have one of those things."

I pointed to the couch. "You do now."

"Dude, really? What's all this for?"

Because I felt guilty as hell.

"Because you enjoy James Bond and I want to watch them with you."

Monroe chuckled. "You're the only woman I know who would marathon Bond with me."

"Good. Then this ought to give us a few date nights."

We connected the new player to Monroe's TV and watched Dr. No while I tried to work. Work was cast off to the side as we watched more of the movie. Eventually the movie was discarded while Monroe and I did much more enjoyable tasks. Thoughts of Nick left me as Monroe took my body over, engulfing me with that fire that I knew so well. Strong hands gripped me and I melted into his embrace.

For the next hour the Blutbad took control and I was in heaven. Afterwards I collapsed in his arms, moist with sweat, and enjoying the silly grin planted on my face.

The rest of the day was spent watching James Bond with a short break in between for lunch. I was distracted through most of it. My thoughts trailed back to Nick. I'd see him soon and then we'd…

"Did you hear me?" asked Monroe a bit loudly, interrupting my thoughts.

"What?"

"I was telling you that the screenplay for You Only Live Twice was written by Roald Dahl. You know the author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. He also wrote the screenplay for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang which, ironically, is also by Ian Fleming. How that dude went from espionage to musical cars I'll never know."

"Hmm…"

"Everything okay with you?" Monroe asked, pausing the movie. "You seem a bit… off tonight." He reached for my hand. I looked into his soulful, brown eyes, regarding me with concern. But Nick's blue-green ones floated back into my mind. "So what's brewing inside that brain of yours?" He raised an eyebrow as he watched me. "You've kinda got this, like... glazed, umm, anesthetized look going on."

Was it that obvious I was lost in thought about another man's eyes? Crap.

"I'm great," I replied, forcing my smile. I tried to block out Nick and just think of the brown eyes in front of me. "Work has been… I'm just…" I could usually come up with things easier, but I just wasn't able to get the words out smoothly.

"You're here, not at work." Monroe pulled me toward him. "Watch some more Bond and just unwind a little, okay?"

"Yeah. You're right." I leaned against his shoulder as Monroe pressed the play button.

"Your cheatin' heart will tell on you…"

The words beat at my brain in succession like a banal drum. What was I gonna do?

Once we were Bonded out, I went back to my PowerPoint, keeping an eye on the clock. Nick would call soon, I was getting anxious.

Monroe flipped channels on the TV. "Hey, isn't this that one show we watched, umm, that one time before?"

I glanced up. Sookie and Eric were on the screen. "Yeah. That's True Blood."

"So, now I'm more confused," said Monroe as he continued to watch. "Now she's with the blonde vampire? Last time we were watching this thing wasn't she, like, pretending to be with the Werewolf to find the brunette vampire 'cause she loved him or something?"

"Yeah, but this is the next season," I explained. "In this season things change because of the witches that are in town."

"There's witches?" Monroe chuckled as he shook his head. "Are there Zombies, too?"

I laughed. "No Zombies."

"What does a witch have to do with them getting together?" Monroe asked as he gestured toward the screen.

"Well, Sookie normally detests Eric, but you see Eric has lost his memory because a witch put a curse on him. So now Sookie is seeing him in a whole new light and falls for him." I curled my leg under me. "She takes Eric in and starts to realize he's not so annoying after all. Actually, she does more than fall for him. She loves him. Like really, loves him and…" I stopped on that last part. Minus the memory loss, I was describing my relationship with Nick. Crap. My face flushed slightly. "So, then later in the season Sookie accidentally jolts Eric's memory and he's back to his normal self."

"Wow, they're going with the whole amnesia shtick, huh?" Monroe shook his head. "Why do TV shows do that? I mean, it's such a well-worn plotline. You'd think they'd come up with something, you know, a little more creative than that, you know?"

"Yeah, but it's a plotline people seem to enjoy," I idly replied. "And it really changes up the dynamic of the characters, especially in this show." I turned toward Monroe. "We don't have to watch this."

"We can watch a few more minutes," Monroe replied as his eyes focused on Sookie's extremely short, denim skirt. "I don't mind really." I held back a chuckle.

On the screen, Eric looked down at Sookie. "Are you mine?" he asked, almost curiously.

Sookie crossed her arms and scoffed out an indignant, "No."

"Do you belong to another vampire?"

Sookie hesitated, but then replied more softly as she glanced down, "No."

With sincerity Eric asked, "Would you like to be mine?"

"Um, not really," Sookie sarcastically replied as her arms remained tightly crossed in front of her, "but thank you for askin',"

The word 'mine' had me a bit tense as it played out on the screen. Monroe hadn't said it since our talk after the red rope debacle. I wanted to question him and find out why he didn't ask me to be his, instead of doing some ritual in the woods without my knowledge. Maybe Blutbaden didn't ask their potential mates. Maybe they just took whomever they wanted.

"So, umm, is she telling him the truth?" Monroe asked with as much curiosity as Eric had asked Sookie. "She's doesn't belong to anyone?"

"She's being truthful. Right now she's an independent woman."

"What happened to the brunette vampire?"

"She still loves him, too. It's complicated. She really loves them both, but in the end since she can't choose either one of them, she leaves them." I shuddered. Would I have to give up both Monroe and Nick if I couldn't choose, too? It seemed Sookie and I still had a bond after all.

"Does the werewolf dude ever get any love?" Monroe grinned.

"Oh, he gets a bit here and there." I nudged him. "It wouldn't be good TV if she wasn't having steamy love scenes with all of them."

As Eric blocked Sookie's path while trying to leave, he asked, "What are you?"

Sookie looked down again. "I am really sick of being asked that question is what I am," she slowly replied.

Monroe turned to me. "So what is she?"

"Well, she's a fairy. And fairy blood, unfortunately, is like liquid cocaine to vampires. They taste like…" I trailed off. Talking about these things hit just a bit too close to home. "They're… addictive."

Monroe chuckled. "Is that why you asked your grandma if you were a fairy?"

"Maybe," I crossed my own arms. "But thankfully I'm not, which is fine with me. I'd hate to have vampires knocking down my door, wanting a free sample."

"Doesn't seem like they have to knock," he chuckled. "She invites them in to spend the night."

My mind bounced back to the Blutbad sampling me by the Blue Moon Bar. He thought I tasted pretty spectacular. And Monroe had already mentioned I had a unique flavor, too. No, I didn't want to be Wesen cocaine that was for sure.

"You wanna watch the next Bond?" I offered. We needed to watch something else, stat.

"Let's save those for later." Monroe turned off the TV. "So what do you want to do for dinner tonight?" he asked as I set my laptop down on the couch beside me. He curled his arm over my shoulder. "I was thinking we could go out and, you know, maybe try this new Moroccan place I passed by on a delivery the other day. What do you think?"

"Oh, I was going to head out soon, actually," I coolly replied.

"Do you have plans tonight?" Monroe asked as he trailed his fingers up my arm.

"Just transcribing the journals with Nick."

"Again?" He raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you do that last night?"

"Yeah, but we found another journal hidden in a cabinet."

"Hmm… Okay, so let's grab some dinner, then you and I can head on over there together."

"No," I shook my head. "You don't have to do that. It might go late."

"I know why you don't want me over there," began Monroe and I tensed under his arm. "You think I'm going to be offended with what I might read. It's not like I haven't read parts of those books before, and I'm fine with it. I mean, as fine as one can be, I guess considering the content. But anyway, it would go much faster, you know, if I helped out. I really don't mind, you know?"

"It's not that," I replied as I nuzzled close beside him. "It's just boring work."

"No, that's not why you guys don't want me to help. He's afraid I'm gonna touch something I shouldn't, isn't he?"

Nick was already touching something he shouldn't. Namely, me.

"That's not the reason, Monroe."

"Well, then what is it? Tell me."

I raised my head up to face him. "Honey, you can come if you want to, but do you remember how Nick was in the car to California with all the questions?"

"How could I forget?" he scoffed.

"Well, it's ten times worse than that. It's hours of questions."

"But you guys talk about other things, right?"

No, because our mouths were too busy kissing.

"Not really. I'm just trying to play nice." I feigned a smile. I wasn't playing nice at all. I was playing a dangerous game.

"I can handle the questions."

I nodded. Totally screwed. If I pushed anymore, then he was just going to get suspicious. "Okay then. I'll text Nick and let him know you're willing to help out tonight."

I stood and went over to the cedar chest, pulling my phone out of my shoulder bag. I let out a quick breath and texted Nick.

Monroe wants to help us w/ the database tonight. He's coming over.

I remained standing, waiting for a reply. Finally it beeped.

No. We'll just see each other tomorrow.

That wasn't going to work. If Nick cancelled then Monroe was gonna either know something was up or really think Nick didn't want him around. I typed quickly.

If we cancel it'll look suspicious. U need to clean the trailer up.

Another beep.

Fine. I think I have more wolfsbane. I'll take care of the trailer. Give me a couple hours.

I nodded slowly. Okay. This would be okay.

We'll call when we're on the way.

I dropped my phone back into my bag. Steadying my breaths, I turned to smile at Monroe. "Nick will see us in a few hours. So, you said something about Moroccan?"

A/N: Renée isn't feeling entirely guilt-free with what she's doing.

So, Nick and Monroe together... Not exactly as simple as Renée had hoped, huh?

I've said it before... I'm a big fan of True Blood, so I'm sure there will be more references to that show/book series.

One more chapter today before the new episode of Grimm airs tonight. (: