/ / / Companion to 'Unavoidable Instinct' / / /

Nick called him one afternoon waking Roddy up on the couch, the show he'd been watching had been replaced by Dr Phil but at least he was being drowned out by John Williams for now. "Nick?"

"Roddy, you okay?"

"I was asleep," Roddy said rubbing a hand over his face.

"Elly was hurt earlier, she is in surgery. I wanted to let you know, I will call again as soon as I know anything more." Nick's voice choppy and forced.

"Nick," Roddy said completely awake now.

"Yeah?"

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just some stitches," Nick said obviously ignoring Roddy's real question.

"You were hurt too?"

"Yeah, but nothing much. Elly is worse; she was fighting with a Jägerbar."

"Is there someone with you?"

"Hank's here," Roddy smiled, even if Nick's partner didn't know about Wesen at least he knew about how Nick felt about Elly. Roddy had only met the man once, at a barbeque at Nick's house Nick and Elly had been doing their usual things, watching one another, talking as though they had a secret language and Roddy had been standing with Holly and her mother watching them and had caught Hank's eye as the cop watched them as well. In that moment he knew that the older man could see it, that Roddy was not alone in thinking that the Grimm and the Blutbad needed to yank their heads out of their arses and do something about how they felt.

"Okay, good." Roddy said. "If you need anything call yeah?"

"Of course, she'll be fine."

Roddy nodded even though Nick couldn't see it because those words weren't for him they were for Nick who desperately needed to believe them. "She will, Elly's tough, she'll get through this."

"She is tough," Nick's voice was just a little lighter and Roddy smiled at the thought that he had made Nick feel even a little better, even not knowing the story Roddy knew that Nick felt guilty and would be beating himself up for allowing Elly to get hurt regardless of the fact the Blutbad was more than capable of looking after herself.

/ \ / \ / \ / \

The next day Roddy went in to see Elly, Nick had called last night to tell him that she was out of surgery and okay but that she wasn't allowed visitors yet. He'd called this morning and been told he could come and see her between nine and eleven. He'd taken two buses and walked for almost twenty minutes but it wasn't quite ten yet so he didn't mind. He walked into her room to find Nick sprawled on the only chair snoring quietly and Elly asleep, she was pale and bruised with cuts and machines hooked all around her but the monitor attached to her heart was steady and reassuring.

Roddy went to the other side of the bed and quietly sat down, the smell of blood and disinfectant hung in the air making Roddy want to sneeze, sometimes he wasn't happy to have such a good nose – it generally alerted him to the idiots at his school being close but he could do without knowing what Elly's blood smelled like.

Roddy sat in silence his eyes flicking between Nick and Elly glad they were both going recover.

"Nick?" Elly's voice was soft and raspy but the second she started speaking Nick bolted upright his eyes locked onto her.

"Elly," Nick stood and Roddy could see the grimace he was shoving off his face as he looked down at Elly. "I'm here, you're okay."

Elly's head moved just enough to tell she was nodding before her eyes slowly opened looking slightly unfocused but she was looking at Nick regardless. "You're okay?"

"I'm fine, and you are going to be too."

"She bounced you into a tree," Elly said as forcefully as she seemed to be able to manage at the moment and Roddy looked at Nick more carefully he was obviously hiding most of his injuries, stupid Grimm – he only needed to do that with people who might hurt him and he'd only do himself more damage but Roddy knew so long as Elly was awake he would continue to pretend.

"Just a couple of stitches, do you want me to get a nurse?"

"No," Elly said her voice growing faint again. "So tire…" And Elly was asleep again. Nick gently lowered himself back into the chair gritting his teeth the whole time.

"Do you want me to get a nurse?" Roddy asked quietly but the Grimm still jumped and reached for his hip even though there was no gun

"Roddy, shit. When did you get here?"

"Not long ago," Roddy said. "God, relax okay I know it hurts a lot worse than you want Elly to know but you are going to hurt yourself if you are not careful."

Nick smiled tightly. "I think it's time for my pain medication."

"It's a little after ten."

"Sounds about right."

Roddy watched Nick though and he broke a tablet in half before dry swallowing it, Roddy got up and handed him a glass of water with an eye roll. "I can keep an eye on her so you can get some real rest."

Nick looked up at Roddy but smiled before nodding and pulling himself out of the chair gingerly, he soothed his hand down Elly's arm before he left and told Roddy to call him if he needed to leave.

Roddy watched Elly for a while her chest rising and falling rhythmically enough that he knew she was going to be okay. "Elly, you have to smarten up because Nick is going to lose his mind one of these days when you get hurt and then he might do something stupid. That and I just cannot see a good reason apart from the whole centuries old instinct to kill one another that is stopping you from declaring your love for each other and making cute little Grimm-Blutbad hybrid babies. He loves you Elly and I wish I could tell you that when you were awake but you are both as stupid as each other."

Roddy sat back and just watched her for a while, keeping an eye on her like he promised Nick even though the Jägerbar was either dead or in gaol.

For some reason eleven rolled around and none of the nurses kicked him out, lunch rolled around and a nurse who introduced herself as Kelly handed him a tray of food with a smile.

After he ate he pulled his assignment sheet out of his bag and started making notes, he'd planned to go to the library after seeing Elly but he wasn't going anywhere until Nick came back, Elly and Nick kept watching out for him this was the least he could do to return the favour and honestly he didn't want to do anywhere - didn't have anything to do, his dad was working and he was supposed to be practicing with Elly tonight, she had promised him pineapple upside down cake – he was sceptical but she hadn't fed him anything that wasn't amazing yet. Maybe he could make it for her after she got out, even if she couldn't play she might still let him come for visits and she could help him with his audition piece for Jacobs.

Dark clouds were rolling in from the west when Nick came back looking tired but slightly less haggard than he had before, Roddy told him she hadn't woken up and then after checking that the older man was okay Roddy left hoping to beat the weather home but Nick just handed him some money and demanded that he catch a taxi, Roddy nodded giving in because he knew Nick needed him to get home safely.

The next day when Roddy came to visit again Holly and her mum were there to see Elly. Holly came over and attempted to squeeze the life out of him as she always did and while her back was turned Elly relaxed her face tightening as she tenderly adjusted her body but as soon as Holly let go she was smiling again attempting to hide how badly she was hurt. Holly's mother had seen it though and ended their visit shortly after Holly again squeezed him in a tight hug before they left. As soon as they were gone Roddy sat down.

"You need to stop pretending," Roddy said firmly. "You and Nick are as bad as each other always trying to protect us kids but we can handle it just fine thank you very much."

Elly laughed but she relaxed back into her bed and groaned. "They have taken away the stuff that made me feel like I was floating."

"Is that good?"

"It's better for my control not so much for the pain."

Roddy nodded and was silent letting her relax for a little while but a few moments later she tensed and sat up staring at him. "Nick and I are as bad as each other? What do you mean?"

Roddy sighed. "He's hurt worse than he is showing and he doesn't want you to know and now I've put my foot in it."

"No, no that's good I cannot believe he's lying to me."

Roddy clenched his fist against the desire to point out the hypocrisy in that statement deciding instead to just let it go for now.

When Nick appeared Roddy left deciding he did not want to be there for the scene of them arguing with one another about being honest about their injuries – it had nothing to do with not wanting to see the disappointed look on Nick's face when he realised Roddy had unintentionally let the proverbial cat out of the bag.

After they let Elly out of the hospital Nick was always there, Elly's house slowly started feeling like Nick's too, even though he'd always been there they had both resisted Nick's presence taking over, the spare room had his clothes and the sheets smelled of him but the main house was all Elly. Every time Roddy visited in the month after the hospital the whole house smelled of Nick and Elly, the fact he was living there could be seen everywhere and Roddy honestly thought that they would finally crack and yet every time he visited they were just as bone-headedly stupid as they had been the previous time.

/ / / Both 'But My Colour Comes Back' and 'You Took Me For A Pushover' fit in here / / /

TBC...