Chapter 96

Lunch was spent in a remote little Chinese restaurant away from the road. Nick and I both relaxed, surrounded by strangers who had no clue we were horrible, adulterous people dining on sesame chicken and tofu stir fry respectively.

Conversation flowed like the hot tea in my cup. We openly held hands while talking and eating.

"My dad would be smirking at me right now if he were around," I said with a chuckle.

Nick took a drink of his soda. "Why's that?"

"Well, he was constantly trying to talk me out of dating Jack and find a nice cop instead."

"Really?" Nick laughed. "Nice to know he might've approved of me."

"My dad held a high regard for law enforcement, since he worked under the DA in Louisville," I said while Nick popped a large piece of chicken into his mouth. "I had a few dates with the captain's son, who was a highway patrolman. The guy was a real jerk, so it was a short-lived romance. But if I had brought home a detective... Well, my dad would've been calling you 'son' and inviting you on group fishing trips with his work buddies in a heartbeat."

"I would've liked that. Well, maybe not since what we found out about your dad." Nick grimaced slightly, setting his chopsticks down. "So, what did he do for the DA?"

"He was an EADA. When I was younger I wanted to follow in his footsteps, but he dissuaded me from exploring that line of work. Maybe it was because of what he did on the side with... everything else." I cast my head down.

"You would've been good at detective work," Nick replied, and I lifted my head to see his grin. "You impressed me with the art theft case."

"Really?" I leaned back in my chair, crossing my arms. "You seemed more pissed off than impressed," I noted with a small grin.

Nick leaned his arms on the table. "Well, I'm not used to having someone best me at solving crimes."

"I'm just good at puzzles, but I'm more of an armchair detective than a real one," I humbly reasoned. "Solving that case was just following the trail of clues. If I hadn't met Lydia a few times, I probably wouldn't have figured it all out."

"Your dad was right." Nick's sexy, toothy grin spread over his face. "You really are smarter than you know."

"Maybe I can help you again sometime." I took a sip of tea from my cup. "If you'll let me."

"As long as it doesn't put you in the line of fire again, who knows."

"I'm glad we found each other," I said. "Even if we don't know what this is yet..."

"You know, I just realized we haven't actually been on a real date," said Nick with a grin and bit into his egg roll.

"Yeah, I suppose we haven't." I picked at my meal with my chopsticks. "We're kind of doing this a bit backwards."

"We'll just make this our first one," Nick surmised. "I'll even pay."

"Okay, big spender." I grinned at him. "Thanks."

"Too bad we don't have more time today." Nick glanced at his watch. "Maybe we could go out someplace… sometime."

I nodded. "We could try." How we'd manage to find a place where no one would see us was concerning. Lunch across town was one thing, but what if Nick ran into one of Juliette friends? That would be tragic.

The waitress came by with the ticket and two fortune cookies on the receipt tray.

I reach for both cookies, mixing them up, and then grinned as I held both out to Nick. "Choose your fate."

Nick chuckled, choosing the cookie on the right. "You're big on this whole fate thing."

"Sure am." I nodded. "Fate and karma are as real as all the other things you've read." I gave him a knowing look as I popped open the wrapper on mine. Snapping my cookie in half, I slid out the white paper as I asked the universe what I should do about love.

*Depart not from the path which fate has you assigned.*

I held the paper with a sigh. Even my fortune cookie was team Monroe. Maybe it was a sign. No, I didn't want it to be a sign. Perhaps it meant another path. There were many other paths. But it was too much of a strange coincidence not to mean something.

"So, what does the universe tell you?" Nick asked.

I looked up at him. "Not sure…" I passed my paper over.

"Well, isn't it obvious?" Nick began as I leaned in. "It's telling you to follow the yellow brick road." He grinned widely.

"Okay, Toto," I smirked. "What's yours say?"

Nick cracked his cookie open, and removed his fortune. "Let's see what my future holds." He studied it a moment then nodded.

"So?" I curiously asked.

"Okay, I think maybe you're right. This one actually holds true." He dropped the paper in front of me, and I eagerly picked it up.

*You will be hungry again in one hour.*

"The universe has spoken." Nick chuckled. "Maybe I oughta get something to go?"

"No need." I tossed the paper back at him. "You're full of crap already."

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

After lunch we walked back toward Nick's truck. My eyes darted around, expecting Monroe to come out of nowhere.

"Stop him!" a woman shrieked behind us. We turned as a teenager was running at full speed in our direction with a black purse dangling in his hands. Nick belted toward him, but the kid ducked, escaping his grasp. I waited until the teen was close and held out my arm, clotheslining him as he fell backward into the sidewalk with a sharp thud.

Clasping my forearm, I winced. Okay, not the best thought-out idea. Wrestlers made it look so much easier than it really was.

The teen tried to scamper up as Nick ran over, but Nick was faster. In one quick motion, Nick was already on top before the teen knew what hit him. Nick pried the purse from his grasp and the teen flashed a woge into a rat as he gasped out a few breaths. Nick's head reared back, eyes wide.

"Grimm!" the teen squeaked out.

"Reinigen, right?" replied Nick with a smirk. The teen's eyes bulged as he tried to stammer out a reply, but by then the woman who owned the purse came rushing up.

"Oh, thank you so much!" she excitedly said as Nick handed the purse back to her. She glared down at her perpetrator. "He needs to be arrested. I'm calling the cops."

"No need for that," Nick replied. "I'm an officer." Pulling back his jacket, he showed her his badge clipped to his belt.

"Really? Well, take him in, book him, do something." She pointed an accusing finger at the teen. "He needs to be behind bars."

Nick waved her off. "I'll take care of him. Just go on and be safe."

The woman hesitated but nodded. "Thank you again, officer."

Once she walked off, I moved in closer. "You can't take him in. He's just a kid," I said as I knelt down beside the teen, whose expression looked like he'd just been abducted by aliens. "Let him up."

Nick stared hard at me, but then he let go so the poor kid could breathe.

"Don't cut off my head, okay?" He looked at both of us as he sat up, trying to support himself on his hands. "Look, I just needed some money. I'm sorry." He continued rambling as I tried to hush him.

The teen was telling the truth, and he seemed pretty genuine, but just scared out of his wits. He was wearing an old, stained white t-shirt and had a few holes in his jeans, but that may have just been the style. His socks, however, were mismatched; a black one and a green one. Was he homeless? No mother would let their kid out looking like that no matter what the newest fashion statement might be.

"What did you need money for?" Nick asked incredulously.

"My mom's been sick and she can't work, so the money we have is almost gone." He ran his hand through a shock of flaming red hair that made Natalie's seem muted. "I just… I needed to get some groceries." Tears welled in his eyes and his stomach growled as if it knew he was discussing food. "I know it was wrong, but she can't get better if she doesn't eat." His tale was palpable. He hadn't even mentioned that he was hungry, just his mom.

"What's wrong with your mom?" I asked softly.

"I dunno. She's been in bed for weeks. Fevers, vomiting. We don't have insurance, so she won't go to the doctor. Says whatever it is, it'll pass." He shook his head. "But she's not getting any better. She's all I have."

I looked into his watery, brown eyes. He was young, maybe fifteen at most, and he was scared, it was obvious. I turned to Nick. "Maybe we can help him and his mom."

Nick shook his head. "We can call an ambulance for his mom and…"

"No, she doesn't have insurance," I cut in. "They'll take her without it, but then what about him?"

"He's a minor, so he'll need to be in protective custody until the mother is able to take care of him again."

The teen stood, shaking as we discussed what to do.

"Do you still have Rosalee's number?" I asked Nick.

He nodded slowly. "Is that such a good idea?"

I turned to the teen. "Your mom… is she a Reinigen, too?" I whispered.

He nodded slowly. I turned back to Nick. "Maybe it's something Rosalee could take care of."

"Well, whatever we decide to do, let's talk about this off the street," Nick insisted while motioning to the truck.

The teen froze, shaking his head. I'm not getting in there," he squeaked.

"What's your name?" I asked him.

His eyes moved from the truck to me. "Benny."

"Okay, Benny. Nick, is an officer, so you're safe. We have an idea to get your mom some help, but you need to trust us, okay?"

"But he's a… and you…" The boy held himself while gaping at us.

"We're not going to hurt you," said Nick. "But we can't help you if you don't cooperate."

The teen grudgingly moved forward, and we got into Nick's truck. Nick gave me Rosalee's number, and I called her quickly.

"Hey, it's Renée," I said when she answered. "I have a question… Do you make house calls?"

After fifteen minutes of answering Rosalee's questions, she seemed to have an idea for a cure.

"It's a common ailment Reinigen get," she said, "but there's a remedy that's easy to make and it works quickly. She'll be on her feet in a few days."

"Whatever the cost is, let me know, and I'll take care of it," I said while turning to smile at the teen, who was cowering in Nick's back seat. "I'm going to have you talk to her son, Benny, so you can get the information. Okay, Rosalee?"

"Sure, put him on the phone."

I handed the phone over to Benny, who gave Rosalee the address.

Nick reached for my hand. "You really are a protector," he chuckled softly.

I held my arm where the large bruise was forming. "I guess I am."

Once Benny was done, he handed the phone back to me.

"Thanks again, Rosalee," I said into the phone.

"My pleasure. I'll work on it right away and I'll be over there soon. Will you be there?"

"No, I've got to get back to work. I was on lunch when this happened."

"How did this happen at lunch?"

I bit the top of my lip. "It's a long story, but if this kid gets help, then it was worth it."

"Okay," said Rosalee. "I won't ask for details."

"Probably best not to."

As I hung up the phone, Nick turned around in his seat. "Stealing is never the answer," he told Benny in a GI Joe, public service announcement voice. "If you need help, you need to ask for it. Okay?"

The young boy shook his head vigorously. "Can I go now?"

"Yeah, but I need you to promise you're headed straight home. Rosalee needs you there to let her in so she can see your mom. Can you do that?"

He nodded like a bobble head. "Thank you for not killing me."

Nick sighed. "Just don't let me catch you stealing again, okay?"

"I promise, I swear."

I turned to face him. "And what we are, that stays a secret. Can you promise that, too?"

"Yeah. If my mom found out I'd run into two Grimms, she'd freak out."

"Well, she doesn't need to freak out if she's sick."

"Right. Got it," he replied adamantly.

"Here." I pulled out sixty dollars from my shoulder bag and held it out to him. "This should help with groceries until she's able to go back to work."

Benny gaped at me, but reached for the money. "How can I pay you back for this?"

"You pay it forward. Sometime you'll help someone else in need, and you tell them this story," I replied with a smile. "Minus the Grimm part, of course."

The teen held back more tears. "Thank you."

We got out of Nick's truck as the boy walked off, hopefully toward home. Nick pulled me close and kissed me deeply. "We make a good team."

"Yeah, we really do." I looked at my watch. "Crap, I've got to get back to work."

"Let's get you to your car." He gestured toward my arm, which I was holding again. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Fine. I just need to work on my WWE moves." I grinned through the pain. Fortunately I had a suit jacket I could wear to cover the damage for the rest of the day.

He gave a short nod as he got in the truck. Hmm, that was it? Monroe had to normally be convinced a few times that I was fine. I shrugged. It seemed Nick took my words at face value.

On the drive back Madonna sang out 'Forbidden Love.'

"Once upon a time,
There was a boy,
There was a girl.
Hearts that intertwine.
They lived in a different kind of world.

Forbidden love.
Are we supposed to be together?
Forbidden love…"

I glanced over at the sexy man beside me. Was I on the wrong path? Things were so simple and normal. Monroe said there was no such thing, but with Nick there could be.

"Is this Madonna?" Nick asked.

"It is," I replied with mild surprise. Monroe would have already requested a channel change by now.

"So is she Wesen?"

I chuckled. "If she is, she hides it well." Chloe was adamant she was a Hexenbiest. The woman aged too well, was her argument. "Speaking of Wesen, you really need to practice your facial reactions."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that teenager morphed and you made this horrible face. You did the same thing at the restaurant on the way to California when you saw the Stangebär."

Nick laughed. "No, I don't."

"Yeah, you do."

He shook his head. "I'm still getting used to seeing that change, woge, whatever."

"I realize, but maybe you need to practice keeping a straight face."

Nick laughed and then replied, "I'll work on it." He reached for my hand. "Maybe you can help me."

"I can help you with many things, Detective Sexy." I turned and grinned at him.

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

That afternoon, I left work early after my training. I'd need every hour I could find if I wanted to fit in everything I had on my schedule. Once home, I nuked half a tart. I needed something sweet to keep awake. I'd just save the other half for later.

After my sugar fix, I phoned Rosalee again for an update. She had good news. Benny's mom had taken the medication, and it seemed like she was gonna be okay.

"We caught it before it became too irreparable. Another week and she may not have made it, I'll be honest."

"Thank you so much for doing this. That kid was so afraid for his mom."

"Yeah, he was pretty distressed. I'm going over there again tomorrow morning to check in on her."

"Good. I just hope she'll pull through."

"She will, thanks to you," Rosalee replied. "You're definitely different than anything I ever expected."

"I just try to do what's right."

"Well, between you and Monroe, you guys are very wonderful."

I pursed my lips. Monroe was wonderful, but I was a horrible person. Oh, Monroe. What was I gonna do?

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

Nick called after I'd finished a video chat with my mom. I had a few hours before I was going to see Monroe, so I had time to see Nick again. Before heading to the trailer, I took a detour to Best Buy. This time it was for Nick. I found a copy of The Maltese Falcon and another surprise.

Nick opened the trailer door, looking down at the Best Buy bag.

"What do you have there?"

"Just a few things." I smiled as I entered, setting the bag down on the bed and pulling out a box. "This will make the database easier," I said while handing it over.

"A laptop?" Nick asked.

I nodded. "It's for the trailer. It's safer to keep it all here instead of carting my laptop back and forth each time. Besides, how can you use the database when I'm not around?"

Nick kissed me hard. "Let's open it up."

"Oh!" I turned back toward the bag and pulled out the movie and a box of Crunch 'n Munch. "And we can watch this on it while we snack on this." I held up each item.

"Popcorn and a movie?" Nick grinned. "Sounds like a date to me."

After twenty minutes, Nick had a new laptop. While we reclined on the trailer bed, we watched Sam Spade as he found the stuff that dreams were made of. Nick seemed enthralled with Peter Lorre's woge, and we rewound it a few times so he could watch. After that, Nick became a bit bored, so he put his own detective skills to good use and found the spots on my neck that made me care less about what Sam Spade was doing and more about the stuff Nick was made of.

Nick started unbuttoning my blouse while kissing me.

"Maybe we should… figure out what we're going to do first… before we…" I breathed out between kisses.

"We could… just do a little… more… before doing that…" he responded as a few more buttons came undone.

Oh, I wanted to do more than just a little more. But the small voice in my brain nipped at me to hold off, and so I backed up.

"Let's just do more of this," I urged, leaning in to kiss him again.

Nick broke our kiss with a sour face. "So, are you saving it for Monroe instead?" he asked bitterly.

"No, that's not it," I replied quickly. "Nick, I love you. I do. And I wanna show you how much without all this guilt."

"You shouldn't feel guilty," he stated like I was debating an extra scoop of ice cream.

"Don't you feel guilty?"

"No," he said, and then looked down. "Well, I don't want to hurt Juliette, but I also don't want this to feel wrong, either."

I nodded slowly then kissed him again. "You feel right to me."

"Maybe we should take some time to think," Nick suggested. "Juliette's been wanting me around more, and if you're feeling guilty..."

"What?" I asked, cutting him off. "Are we breaking up?" Wait, were we even dating? Chinese food and detective movies did not constitute dating.

"Look, let's just take some time off this weekend and see how we really feel."

My heart plummeted like someone had dropped an anvil on it, but I nodded and dipped my head. "Maybe we jumped into this too quickly."

"It's been quick, I agree. But I do love you." Nick tucked a finger under my chin. "But this way we can gain some perspective. I don't want to tell Juliette if what we have isn't going to work." His blue-green eyes locked with mine. "If you're unsure, then we need to know that now and not later."

"I understand." I didn't, but it was too much to argue it all out.

So after a long kiss at the trailer door, we parted ways. Juliette expected Nick home for dinner, and I'd promised Monroe some one-on-one time at my place. We were cooking together tonight, because I was determined to get better in the kitchen. I adored him for cooking, but it wasn't fair for him to always be the one to do it.

Along the drive I was still thinking about Nick's words. Maybe he was right. If we couldn't stay away from each other for one weekend, then perhaps this was more than just infatuation. My love for him felt more real than a school girl crush, but then again, the love for Monroe was so real, too. I was torn between wanting to pass and fail Nick's test. All these feelings were too heavy to bear.

Stopping at the grocery store, I watched my time like a hawk. Monroe had texted me a list after I'd insisted I would buy the ingredients for dinner. It was like pulling teeth to talk him into letting me spend money. I pulled out my phone, scanning the list as I traipsed through the aisles, lickity-split. Most of the items I could manage, but when I got to the fresh artichoke, I paused. The only artichokes I'd ever seen were either canned or already in the spinach dip appetizers at TGI Fridays.

Pushing my cart over to the produce section, I surveyed the varieties of vegetables. Artichoke was a vegetable, right? Yeah, it had to be. Finally after a few minutes of perusing, I located the label amongst the leeks and the broccoli. Down below were large, green things that resembled stumpy versions of pineapple tops. I picked one of the foreign things up, turning it left and right. How the heck did you cook one? I reached for a produce bag and stuffed it inside. Guess I'd learn how tonight.

Fresh herbs were another conundrum. Marjoram? Maybe he'd meant margarine? I checked the list again. No, it clearly had the word 'herb' beside it. I trekked my cart to the herb section, adding the ones I was familiar with to the cart first; basil, parsley, and a clove of garlic. At least I wasn't completely ignorant. Finally I found fresh marjoram. It looked like many of the other herbs surrounding it; green and on a stalk. I held it near my nose, picking up a sweet and spicy scent I couldn't relate to anything else. Into the produce bag it went.

By the time I'd finished, I had two grocery bags of everything organic needed to make whatever dinner was floating around in Monroe's head.

I rushed home, pushing thoughts of Nick out so I could focus on a nice evening with Monroe. After last night, would the evening be nice? A rush of fear hit me as his words echoed in my brain. As far as pros and cons went, Nick was the leader in the non-scary category.

Taking care to throw my clothes in the washer, I had a long shower before Monroe arrived. So far, I was keeping Nick's scent away, or at least enough that Monroe hadn't questioned it. For good measure I'd sprayed the entryway and my porch with the wolfsbane mixture after I'd taken care of my car. The guilt still tugged at me as I hid the bottle away. I was spraying my liquid deception everywhere, trying to cover my tracks like a common thief.

Someone needed to lock me up and throw away the key.

A/N: Staying pretty Nick focused with these last two chapters. So we have pseudo-dates and a little Wesen of the week mini, where Nick and Renée work together as the Grimm Duo. But now the angst returns along with some guilt again on Renée's part. So how long will their planned separation last? Guess we'll see.

The fortune cookie fortunes are real ones I found online. Adding pictures to my profile if you wanna see them. Gives you that, warm, fuzzy, real-feel. (I'm weird, don't question me.)

Next chapter we're back to Monroe again post-trauma of their crazy night. We'll see how that goes.

Side Note: If you enjoy crossovers, there's a new Grimm/Vampire Diaries just started on the fan-fiction site by Lorelei Candice Black titled "Alaric Grimm." Imagine if Alaric found out he's Nick Burkhardt's long lost brother. The two worlds merge as they reunite. Good read so far, and I like it. But like Levar Burton always said, "You don't have to take my word for it!"