Disclaimer: All characters and basic concepts used in this story are the property of their respective owners. I own nothing; they are used solely for entertainment purposes. Any copyright infringement is not intended or implied.

Credit: A special thanks goes to pink chocolate unicorn—without you it would not have been possible. Thank you for always standing behind me; for everything you do for me :)

This is a Nick/Trubel story :) Yeah, exactly, you read correctly and I repeat it best again: This is a Nick/Trubel story, this is just a precaution, be forewarned! Only just in case, that you are not surprised or complain ;-)

Thank you to all who have Reviewed, Favorited and Followed. I am very happy about it - and I hope you will enjoy the next one :)

Chapter 3

After what seemed like hours, and still not knowing if Nick was home or what he would say or do, Theresa finally arrived at the house. She stood outside for a long moment, staring at the silent house.

It all seemed like forever ago...

She shook the thoughts and entered the house, cautiously looked around as she opened the door.

Nick was just about to go into the kitchen when he noticed the front door open. He paused and looked at the door, staring at it intently and waiting to see who it would be. He dropped his hand to his holstered gun, unsnapping the guard. He was tense as he waited, expression stony as he expected the worst—but when he saw who it was, he relaxed, a small smile on his face.

"Trubel," he said, his hand dropping away from his holster.

"Nick." Theresa sighed, relieved, and took a step towards him. "Is everything okay with you?" she asked as a precaution, noticing he'd been moments away from pulling his gun. Although she already knew the answer. If Nick would say 'good', it would be a lie.

"As okay as it could be," Nick said in a measured tone. He ran a hand through his hair, sighing softly. He quickly changed the subject; "Do you want some coffee?" Nick did not know what to say otherwise. He looked at her intently.

Theresa noticed his reluctance to speak and respected it, dropping the subject and followed him into the kitchen. They walked past the living room, Theresa watching Nick as he went. When she saw the living room, she swallowed thickly.

Memories flashed quickly through her mind's eye:

"I'm done fighting, Juliette."

"Maybe I still love you. Maybe that's something that just never goes away."

"I'm done."

"I know. I wish I was. "

"Good-bye, Nick."

"Good-bye, Juliette."

"No! No, no, Juliette."

"Nick."

"Juliette, no. no, no."

She shook her head, ridding herself of the memories as she began to cry again. No, this was definitely not a pleasant memory. She followed Nick into the kitchen, where he was waiting for her. He was just about to put on the coffee.

She stopped next to him, leaning slightly against the counter to watch him. After a long moment of silence, she opened her mouth a few times before words actually came out.

"Nick, I'm sorry—What I did yesterday—" she blurted, the words almost bursting out of her in a rush.

Nick turned around so that he could look at her. "I know..." he said quietly. "I also asked that you kill them if you had the opportunity."

Trubel could see that he was really struggling not to cry. It made her eyes prickle and her throat tighten in sympathy.

Nick took a deep breath, looking away for a moment. "You know what the worst thing is? First, Juliette transformed into a Hexenbiest. Then Adalind, coming to me and showing me her baby bump. Then finding out Juliette slept with Kenneth, only to then lure my mother to Portland."

He swallowed again, his throat clicking dully. "She was killed because Juliette had her hands in this. She planned it. I still can't believe that it was my Juliette—that she changed so much. She was my first great love."

"Nick, I'm really sorry about what happened." Trubel looked at the tiled floor, and he immediately went up to her and put a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I know," Nick said sincerely, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze before letting go. "And I am glad that you were there when I needed you the most." Theresa looked up again and met his eyes, and Nick recognized the sadness in them. It wasn't something he'd ever seen in her eyes before. "Hey, Theresa, I really don't blame you. You did what I couldn't do."

Theresa looked at him the eyes, and saw the sincerity of his words. A little of the guilt and sorrow abated.

To be Continued?