Sean Renard nodded his thanks to the waitress as she brought him the martini that he'd ordered. The Hotel Trentwood in Philadelphia boasted one of the finest drink selections and bar staff in the country. Various circumstances had dictated that he stay in the City of Brotherly Love, either by himself or in the company of friends, and on every occasion, he'd made it a priority to have drinks at the Trentwood. Taking a sip, the martini proved to be just as tasty as always. How fortunate of the conference organizers to manage to book the Trentwood conference rooms, making this miniature vacation a rare gift from the tax payers of Portland OR.

Thoughts of his adopted home made him think about the precinct he'd left behind. Despite all of the unusual circumstances of his life, Portland had indeed become a safe haven for him. He could remember all too well when Mother had plucked him out of boarding school in a mad dash to escape Eric's mother. Those early days were terrifying for a thirteen year old boy but…if it was ever within his power, he would've done anything to protect her. His…father…sure wasn't going to do anything. But in making it to Portland, though a man in his position was never entirely safe, he felt comfortable there. He'd quickly rose through the ranks of the Portland Police department and through several wise investments by Mother, the pair were quite comfortable, he as a Police Captain and she retired in a cottage in British Columbia.

Their personal history aside, Nick Burkhardt had been the perfect choice to leave in charge in Sean's absence. Hell, sitting in the chair might actually give Nick a little refinement, sand off some of the rough edges as it were. He was a good man and Sean owed him, but he also couldn't help seeing the young detective as a little…uncultured was probably the best term.

"Captain Sean Renard?"

Sean looked up from his internal musings at the new arrivals. The first was an attractive redhead, maybe late thirties or early forties but, Sean couldn't help but notice, still an utter knockout. Unfortunately Sean also spotted the wedding ring on her right hand; too bad about that. Sean's past lady friends would call him many things but definitely not one to chase after a married or taken woman. Her friend on the other had…Good Lord. She reminded him of Adelind. But where Adalind Shade had the aura of someone of excellent cunning, this Latina before him simply exuded physical intimidation. She was certainly attractive but there was something about her…and THERE it was. It was just for an instant but Sean's keen eyes instantly registered the flash of amber across her already unique green eyes. She was a Balam. This woman quite literally embodied the saying "If you mess with the cat, you get the claws".

"Forgive me for interrupting but my name is Dr. Anne Possible, Middleton Police Medical Examiner. This is my friend Sgt. Gabriella Gordon, Erie PD. We were at your talk today about the Donna Reynolds Kidnapping and the proper handling of vigilantism in high profile cases."

"Of course; what did you think?"

"Next time, do a better psych evaluation on your intern," Sgt. Gordon replied with not just a hint of sarcasm.

Sean couldn't help but chuckle. "One of my Sergeants said exactly the same thing when we led Ryan Smolson away in cuffs." He gestured at the other side of the booth. "Would you ladies care to join me?"

The pair of ladies readily agreed and took the offered seats. Sgt. Gordon ordered a beer and after perusing the wine list, Dr. Possible ordered a glass of a particularly exquisite French Riesling. The woman quite obviously had good taste. "I'm curious though why the case would be so remarkable in your eyes," Sean replied, taking another sip of his second martini.

"Well, in all honesty, the kidnapping itself wasn't what piqued my interest," Dr. Possible explained, taking her glass of wine. "It was more Ryan Smolson himself that I was wondering if I could pick your brain over."

It would've been that. The precinct had seen numerous interns come and go over the years. Most of them always seemed to find a particular officer to latch onto as a mentor or idol. But looking back on it, Ryan Smolson's attachment to Nick should've been a red flag from the start. Not enough to predict Smolson's obvious break with reality, even for a Lebensauger, but that would be one that Sean would remember for a while.

Sean ordered dinner for all of them, the house special of King Salmon in a Belgian crème sauce, the feline Sergeant would undoubtedly appreciate that, and settled in to go deeper into the Reynolds case. Surprisingly though, Dr. Possible, or Anne as she insisted on being called, already seemed to know a surprising amount about the case, almost…almost as if she'd been on the case herself. Was Sean imagining it or…or was there a hesitation when she spoke of Smolson's victims, almost as if she'd been about to refer to them as something OTHER than ordinary criminals?

"Forgive me Anne but…you seem to be almost as knowledgeable about this case as I am."

She'd been caught and she knew it. She looked askance at her friend next to her and heaved a sigh. She'd overplayed her hand and was prepared to pay the cost. Taking a closer look at her at that moment though, something seemed…familiar about her. Sean didn't miss much but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Forgive me Sean but…Nick Burkhardt happens to be a relation, my second cousin to be exact. Furthermore, those Laufer agents that I'm in contact with happen to speak very highly of you."

In that instant, Sean felt as if he'd been slapped across the face by a scorned woman. THAT was what seemed so familiar! How could Sean have been so dense? He remembered well the week off that Nick had taken off to visit a newly discovered relative on the East coast. And why had he never made the connection that they might share other…family traits? AND she worked for the Laufer?

He glanced over at Sgt. Gordon. Common sense dictated that she was already aware of her friend's identity but best to err on the side of caution. "Is it safe to assume that you know her…true nature?" She only nodded. "Well…uh…my mother would be disappointed in me for not remembering Nick speaking very highly of his East Coast cousin. Still…my question stands. Why so interested in a Lebensauger's mental break with reality?"

Anne's eyebrows shot up. "He was Wesen?"

"Oh yes," Sean nodded. "Took quite a shine to Nick."

"Well, a friend of mine who runs an antique store recently came into possession of an old 19th century copy of Albträume für Wesen Kinder," Anne continued, polishing off her wine and digging into the salmon. "Nick and I occasionally swap war stories so to speak in our emails and that little gem recently came up."

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

He'd barely set foot into his hotel room when Sean heard his cell phone ring. He'd actually been having an enjoyable evening. Her connection to Nick aside, Anne Possible had proved to be fascinating conversation. She graduated top of her class, starting half back on the Middleton University Women's Soccer team, easily could've parlayed her degree into a brilliant career in medicine, but despite it all she found far greater satisfaction as a Medical Examiner. Hearing her speak about her own cases, she spoke with such a passion that Sean couldn't help but admire her. In another life…well, suffice to say that would've been quite an interesting courtship. Of that, Sean was certain.

Looking at the number, he instantly recognized the international number as that of Sebastian Lauren, his long-time co-conspirator and confidant in Sean's crusade against the Royals. What was he doing calling Sean now? Last Sean had known, Sebastian was on vacation in Venice, one of the rare occasions in which he was fairly certain that Sebastian actually meant a vacation. Thank God Sean had thought to bring his burner phone in case of emergencies. Digging into his duffle bag, he unearthed the phone and dialed the number.

"This is you on vacation?"

"Forgive me old friend," He replied. "But you know that men in positions such as ours are always working. I've managed to uncover some information. It seems there's been a shift in power since your half-brother's demise."

That wasn't really unexpected. Very rarely when you cut off the snake's head did the body die. Of course someone would've had to fill the void and House Kronenberg sure wouldn't have dared hand the reins to him, leaving cousin Viktor as the logical choice. A child of extreme privilege, Viktor was ruthless but severely lacking in imagination. That had allowed Sean to turn away any evidence in Eric's murder from being directed at him. Viktor may prove to be trouble in the future but Sean was confident that he could steer clear of any traps or threats.

"And what news from my not so dear cousin?"

"Well, it seems you've managed to allay your cousin's suspicions for now…but not that of a few of the other families," Sebastian continued. "Regardless of any evidence that may exist, the Venetians have contracted a hit on you."

They…they'd put a hit out on him? Normally the Venetians weren't quite so brazen. Of all the seven houses, they were the most private. If you kept your nose out of their business, they kept their noses out of yours. To his knowledge, his operations hadn't stepped on any of their toes. So why then were they contracting a hit on the Bastard Boy of Kronenberg? Viktor hadn't received Father's blessing but it was an absolute certainty that he would…so was this the Venetians currying favor? Was this a preemptive strike for something Sean MIGHT do? Eh…all of these were questions for another time.

"Do we have an idea who they sent?"

"There's a bit of luck in that regard. Though details aren't certain, my contacts are positive that they've managed to enlist the help of a man called Lynne, a wealthy Grimm and his two children. The real news is that Lynne is an outspoken Ende Der Zeiten. Our intelligence says that the likely one he'd send would be his daughter Adrienne. We believe she has a particular hatred for half-Wesen."

"There's nothing for it but to be on guard. I've made contact with the Laufer branch and managed to uncover…a new contact at the conference I'm attending." He'd have to make contact with Anne as soon as possible. It shouldn't prove difficult to locate her room and he was fairly certain he'd read her well enough to know she'd be game for a little fun. "Has the assassin gotten state side yet?"

"Yes," Sebastian sighed. "We last tracked the Grimm landing at Middleton Airport."

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

"Ronnie…do you ever get the feeling like you're being watched?"

For about the fifth time in two days Kim couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her. But every time she looked over her shoulder, it was like the person was able to duck out of sight. Once again, Kim tried to discretely look over her shoulder but could only see her fellow students, all of whom were supremely focused on their own lives; nothing out of the ordinary, at least not in high school. Maybe she was just getting paranoid. Mom had left the previous morning and ever since, Kim just couldn't shake the feeling that…eh, she probably WAS getting a little paranoid. There was nothing following her. There were no Hexenbeasts waiting in the shadows to bewitch her.

"I guess," Ron replied, eyes darting around, looking for any threats to his girlfriend. "You okay KP?"

"I guess I'm a little paranoid," Kim sighed, holding Ron's hand for reassurance. "Aunt Amy found an old Wesen storybook in a trunk we were restoring a few days ago and ever since, it's gotten me a little creeped out."

"Wow, that's unlike you," Ron pulled her close in an attempt to comfort her. "Normally you keep shoveling down popcorn during the most gruesome movies. Do I even want to know what book it was?"

"Albträume für Wesen Kinder," Kim sighed, savoring her boyfriend's comforting embrace. "She told me about the…the Ende Der Zeiten."

It was only for a moment but Kim instantly noticed Ron's ever so slight stumble and the shiver that shot up his spine. Unless Kim was mistaken, Ron actually seemed to hold her tighter. "Never mind what I said. Mom about bit Dad's head off for reading me that story; seriously nasty stuff; it still gives me the creeps. But have no fear," He spun her around and pulled her into a tight hug. "The Ronster is here. You just need to get your mind off of it. And what better way to do that than a little game time at Casa de Stoppable?"

The more she thought about it, the more Kim realized that that was exactly the reason why she loved Ron so much. In the first place, though video games weren't always her thing, Ron always seemed to know just the thing to bring a smile to her face and make her laugh. Of course, video games were pretty much Ron's answer to everything but Mom and Aunt Amy insisted that that was a rare trait indeed. And in the second place, Ron always knew exactly the right thing to say to put her mind at ease. Spending the day at Ron's DID sound appealing…but Kim could think of a lot better things to do than video games when the two of them were alone.

"It's a date Stoppable."

The final bell rang, dismissing the students to their cars and their buses for the day, and sweeping the love birds into a wave of fleeing students. All seemed particularly glad to be gone despite it only being Thursday. Kim had knocked out her homework in study hall and was therefore looking to a long stint of "Wesen-ology" down in her and Mom's personal bat cave. Sometimes Kim had to marvel at the sheer number of volumes and journals Mom and their ancestors had accumulated over the years. And with the translator she'd downloaded to her computer, actually reading the entries was a snap. Still, Kim thought as she climbed into her car now back from the repair shop, she should ask for a few copies of Rosetta Stone for Christmas. The majority of the entries were in German so that was a given; maybe Russian and Greek? If nothing else, having a few other languages under her belt would be spankin for when Kim took over for Aunt Amy after college.

Pulling her car into the garage and entering the house, Kim dropped her bag by the door to the basement and made a bee line for their workroom. Now where was that volume she'd been eyeing? The black leather cover had seen better days, she remembered, and…there it was! She hefted the book down to the center table and opened to the first page. The name read Ange Cheval but one look at the sketch and Kim recognized what could only be a unicorn Wesen. She'd come across several mythic creatures in these books, mermaids, sirens, and the like but she'd been hoping to come across the origins of the unicorn myth. Okay, so it was pretty girly but…she was a sucker for unicorns.

Her high school French was progressing enough to loosely translate the name as "Angel Horse". Snapping a picture of the text with her camera and quickly uploading it to the laptop, the translation program went to work and produced a flawless English translation. The entry was from the mid-1700s, an ancestor who'd gotten lost in the Ardennes and stumbled upon a small herd of them. "September 19th, 1761," Kim read out loud. "My journey to Copenhagen has been hampered by these damned twisting trails resulting in my being trapped in a gully. What should've been an easy jaunt has turned into a maze but in doing so I've made a discovery. What had previously been only rumors to me has been confirmed. The Ange Cheval are real. Like numerous times before, my hand went for my sabre…but in looking at them, my instincts died a quick death. They were beautiful, like nothing I'd ever seen. Their faces having a distinct equine appearance much like a Nucklavee, their coat was of a shimmering white, their heads bearing a single horn of a brilliant turquoise. A herd of six, two parents and four children, they seemed to know that my desire to kill them had been hampered and were not shy about approaching. They offered their help in guiding me through the mountains, stating that it would be their great pleasure as they knew them well. True to their word, they seemed to know the trails of this terrain better than any guide I've encountered. Upon exiting into open country, I quickly found myself once again alone but left with an ample supply of food. In the years since, I've tried to find them again, if only to thank them, but each expedition has proven fruitless."

Wow…it was unusual for Kim to find such an uplifting story in these books. There wasn't much else to the entry, no indications towards behavior or anything like that, but by the sound of it, they preferred the countryside to cities. It sounded like they only were ever found if they wanted to be, giving them sort of a mythic quality similar to Glühenvolk or Seltenvogel.

Kim had just started in on Scharfblickes, thankfully an entry in English, when her cell phone chimed. The Cops theme song? Mom's work number? With Mom out of town, why was Middleton PD calling her?

"Hello?"

"Thank God," Detective Brody's voice came through the speaker. "Kim, it's Detective Mackenzie Brody; your Mom's not picking up her cell; I need you at the Department as soon as possible. Something's happened and I need the help of…of someone like you."

That could only mean…she needed a Grimm? That was the only thing it could mean; but…what could Detective Brody possibly want with a Grimm? Had something gone down in the Wesen community? "Uh…sure; I'm on my way."

Something about this felt…off. Problem with a Wesen or no, what was a Police officer doing contacting a seventeen year old girl? What was Kim getting herself into?

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

In eight years on the police force, another four as a US Air Force MP and trained sniper, Mackenzie Brody liked to think she'd seen it all. She'd handled pimps, drug dealers, and thugs. In the Air Force she'd handled muscle-bound jackasses who couldn't handle their booze…and as a woman, she'd held her own when they tried to get fresh. Hell, Brodys had been in the thick of law enforcement for nearly ten generations. Her Great Grandfather was an Untouchable, Eliot Ness's right hand man. Her twice Great Uncle was a member of the "Gangster Squad" that took down Mickey Cohen. She should've been able to stand anything. But looking at the projection on the screen before her in the ME's office made all the training, all the credentials and family lineage go out the window. She was like a simpering little pup only a day away from Momma's apron strings. She'd never been so supremely glad for the Glock holstered on her belt.

"I didn't think anything of it when I was finishing Anne's autopsy on the first victim," Charlie Herrygers explained, as he indicated the three screens indicating three separate victims. "I thought it was just some kind of funky tattoo. But when these other two victims had the same mark, I looked a little closer and it's not a tattoo at all…it's a brand. Somebody actually burned that symbol between their shoulder blades. Are…are we dealing with some kind of serial killer here?"

If only it WERE a serial killer. She'd gladly take a Zodiac Killer or a Jack the Ripper over this walking nightmare! The Ende Der Zeiten were in Middleton! What…what was she going to do? Nearly every Wesen in existence feared the Ende Der Zeiten Grimms. Going public with this in a city where half the population was Wesen would…this was a fucking A-bomb. It would create a panic like nothing she'd ever seen. Why did Anne's cell have to be out of service?!

As if on cue, a small knock sounded on the door. Mackenzie was already so shook up she nearly leapt out of her shoes but recovered quickly enough to open the door…revealing the next best thing to Anne herself. Kim Possible hadn't wasted any time in getting here and right then, the spunky redheaded teen was the most welcome sight Mackenzie had ever seen.

"Oh thank goodness," Mackenzie practically yanked the poor girl inside. "Charlie, I need the room."

Mackenzie REALLY wasn't in the mood to argue and thankfully Charlie picked up on that, quickly marching out of the room. Kim seemed to be caught up in the whirlwind as it were. Mackenzie marched her past the covered corpses and sat her down in front of the three temporarily blank screens. This…please God let this be the right thing to do. Anne might never forgive her but…Mackenzie was out of her element and needed help. "I'm sorry for calling you like this Kim but believe me when I tell you that with your Mom gone, you're the only one I can trust with this."

"Uh…okay; what can I help with Detective?"

"Well, I don't know how much your mother has told you about…your kind," She…she couldn't even bring herself to say the word given the circumstances. And she counted Anne as a close friend, having made peace with her…heritage a long time ago. What was wrong with her? "But we've got something very dangerous to the Wesen in Middleton." Mackenzie felt a shiver shoot up her spine and she knew that she'd just woged. Damn it; she needed to get a grip! She ducked behind the monitors and powered them on, making that damned symbol reappear on the screen. "Has your mother ever told you about…"

"Ende Der Zeiten," Kim gasped. If it was possible, the poor kid looked about as scared as Mackenzie felt. "That…that's a…a…Staubestunde!" A chill went up Mackenzie's spine at the mention of that word.

"By these victims, one of them is here in Middleton and killing Wesen," Mackenzie sighed. "This…this could start a panic. I need to get your Mom back here as soon as I…Kim?" She walked up and snapped her fingers in front of the girl's eyes. Without warning, Kim shot up out of the chair and towards the door. Had she been a fraction of a second faster, she'd have made it out the door. "KIM," Mackenzie slammed the door and wedged herself between it and Kim. "WHAT is the matter?"

"It…it was watching us…to…together…and…I've…I've got to…to warn him…to save him…I…I love him!"

The girl was hysterical, going around in circles. Mackenzie took a deep breath. She was probably going to regret this. Bringing her arm back, Mackenzie slapped Kim across the face. The girl reacted as if she'd just been snapped out of a trance, still gasping for breath.

"Kim, you need to get a grip," Mackenzie barked, taking Kim by the shoulders, looking her right in the eyes. "I'm Wesen. This…this is something out of my worst nightmares. I…I need you to keep a level head, for my sake if nothing else. Now what is the problem? Who do you have to save?"

KPKPKPKPKPKPKPKPKP

The images were like a bolt of lightning striking directly at Kim's nervous system. She'd only learned about the Ende Der Zeiten Grimms a matter of days ago but walking into the MEs office…seeing those images on the screen, Kim immediately recognized the implications of it. One of those monsters was in Middleton. It wasn't Kim's imagination running away with her. Ever since Mom had gone out of town, the Ende Der Zeiten Grimm had to have been following her and watching…oh NO! The Grimm had been watching her and…and Ron! How long had…Kim had kissed him while human and when…and an Ende Der Zeiten Grimm surely wouldn't…she had to get out of here! She had to get out of here and warn him, get him somewhere safe. She was vaguely aware of somebody saying…something…but it didn't matter. Nothing that wasn't Ronald Stoppable mattered. She leapt out of her chair towards the door, determined to get to her Prince, do whatever she could to help him.

…THUMP…

She collided with the door! She couldn't get out! Ron was going to…she…she had to get out! Kim could feel herself being whirled around. Then, like a great slap to the face, Kim felt herself jerked back to reality. She…she was staring at Detective Brody.

"…now, what is the problem? Who do you need to save?"

"My…my boyfriend," Kim gasped out. "Ron Stoppable's my boyfriend and he's a…a Mannschaft Falke. For…for the past few days I've been feeling like someone's been watching me, following me, especially around Ron. I…we…we've got to get to his house. If anything ever happened to him…"

No…no, she couldn't even think that. Detective Brody appeared to be mulling things over and after a precious few seconds that seemed an eternity, she nodded her agreement. She was going to HELP!

"Okay Kim," She agreed but fixed Kim with a very stern look. "But we're going to do this my way. Because if anything ever happened to YOU, your mother would never forgive me," She stepped away from the door and let Kim out. "I want you to go to my car and wait. It's the dark blue Dodge Challenger in the employee parking lot. I need to grab some things before we go. While I'm gone, try and raise your mother. Phone, text, smoke signal her if you have to. But we need her back if we're going to stand any chance of ending this nightmare. Are we clear?"

Kim gave a tentative no. The prospect of waiting, even for a moment, wasn't very appealing but…she'd have to stomach it. At least she could call the house. Mr. and Mrs. Stoppable would still be at work but…but maybe she could catch Ron. There were a bunch of places where he could hide in their house. Bursting out the doors of the police station, Kim whipped out her phone and began dialing Mom. As badly as she wanted to hear her lover's voice, Detective Brody was right. Mom needed to know about this. But like Detective Brody had found before, wherever Mom was, cell service was nill. Leaving a quick message explaining that there was Grimm trouble back home, Kim moved on to Ron. Kim tried his cell first. With any sense of justice, he wouldn't be home yet. The phone rang several times before the line picked up.

"Hey KP; what's up?"

"Ron, where are you?"

"At home," Ron must've been able to sense the worry in her voice. "Kim…what's wrong?"

How much did she dare tell him? As scared as she was,, this was something out of every Wesen's worst nightmare, the story they were told as kids to get them to behave. "Ron, you need to listen to me very carefully. There's…another Grimm in Middleton…and I think they've been following us."

There was a muffled "Oh My God" as Kim jumped at the sudden thump. Detective Brody had quickly appeared, storing a dun case in the trunk. "Put this on," She ordered, tossing Kim a bundled that turned out to be a Kevlar vest.

Kim quickly donned the vest and picked up her cell to the sounds of Ron's half panicked cries. "Ron?"

"Kim…WHAT is going on? I'm seriously freaked out here!"

"It's going to be okay Ron," Kim breathed, climbing into the car. What could she have him do? Get on his scooter and ride? That could be exactly what the other Grimm wanted, to get Ron out in the open. "Listen to me sweetie, here's what I want you to do. I'm on the way with the police. I…I want you to go to your family's junk room; there's no windows and only one way in. Barricade as much stuff as you can in front of the door. DO NOT open the door unless you hear me say 'the Fearless Ferret will rise again'. Please…can you do that for me, quick and quiet?"

Ron quietly voiced his agreement and killed the cell, promising to call again when he was inside the room.

"An goatha insint na Cath," Detective Brody breathed, pulling out of the lot.

"What's that mean?"

"It's old Irish," She sighed, building up speed. "The winds call for battle." She grabbed the radio. "MP Niner Two to MP Bravo One; I'm going to need assistance at 731 N. Hillcrest Drive."

Author's Notes:

Hope you're liking the building of tension. Get ready for a globe-trotting adventure. Sorry this chapter took me so long but I've been under the gun at work.