Chapter Thirteen
Juliette and Collette hadn't planned what to say to Gail and Robin, who were stationed on a hilltop keeping watch over the old lair of the Dämonfeuer that had once kidnapped Juliette. They had been positioned there just in case Manon hadn't betrayed their group and had actually led Nick into their planned trap.
As Collette and Juliette arrived in the car that Nikki had left behind, with only the two of them stepping out, Gail wasted no time and immediately asked about her sister's whereabouts.
To Juliette's surprise, Collette lied. Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke, "The Grimm killed her."
Gail was stunned. She rocked on her feet for a moment, clutching her head in her hand. The facts began running through her mind. Nikki had only used the Siphon once, but even if she'd never used the Siphon at all, Collette had used it three times and Juliette had used it twice; the three of them should have easily been able to overtake the Grimm.
Gail could only bring herself to ask, "How?"
As Collette regained her composure, she reached out and placed a hand on Gail's shoulder, providing a small amount of truth. "That Staff he has is incredibly powerful. Even more than we anticipated." Her words were heavy, visibly weighing on her. "He also had about a dozen Hexenbiests on his side."
Robin furrowed her brow, displaying doubt, but Juliette met her gaze and nodded in confirmation.
Gail stood in stunned silence, her mind struggled to process the devastating news. The weight of the revelation hung heavy in the air, and the group remained frozen in that moment, grappling with the enormity of the situation.
Juliette kept her mouth shut, not because she was in mourning, but because she hadn't expected Collette to so easily abandon the truth, and now she was weighing in her mind how she could use this to her advantage. She had been completely thrown off track from her goal. She didn't care about power theft or helping their Coven. She only wanted Adalind dead, preferably by her own hand. However, she had never felt further away from accomplishing what she set out to do weeks before. She would have a lot of thinking to do to try to find a way to manipulate the Coven back to her goal.
At the news that the Grimm had Hexenbiests helping him, Gail repeated herself, "How?"
"I was thinking about that on the drive over here." Collette began pacing back and forth. "It has to be that new Wesen Council they're trying to start. They must be trying to enforce Wesen law. Remember, it was established at the suggestion of the Grimm, so they must have no qualms about fighting alongside him."
Collette stopped pacing and shook her head. "Even though it goes against everything we ever thought we knew about Grimms and Wesen." She walked over to their parked car and popped the trunk. She reached in, grabbed a bag, unzipped it, and after a moment or two of digging through it, she found what she was looking for and held up a thumb drive for the women to see. "I put this together before I walked away from HW. It's a list of every Hexenbiest they knew about worldwide. I know I said we'd stop using the Siphon until we got that Staff from the Grimm, but I think we can all agree that circumstances have changed. I don't know what that Grimm did to become immune to our abilities. If we're going to stand a chance against him and his makeshift army, we'll need more strength."
At this statement, the other women became visibly uncomfortable. They didn't want to use the Siphon if they could avoid the pain, especially Juliette, who had no ambition or even a passing desire to become more powerful than she already was.
Collette noted the hesitation and she began pacing again. "Nikki's death should ignite a blazing inferno of vengeance within all of you. The Grimm we face is no ordinary adversary. He's not the kind of Grimm we were taught about as kids. He's shattered the boundaries of history, forged an abomination of an alliance with Hexenbiests. That Staff holds enormous power, but it should be ours!"
"Other Covens have underestimated us for far too long. They believed they held the upper hand, but we can show them the true meaning of power. Nikki's sacrifice won't be in vain. With that Staff in our possession, we can harness its magic, unlock what appear to be ancient secrets, and each become forces beyond imagination. We can potentially reshape the very fabric of the Wesen world, bending it to our will. Our. Will."
She paused her speaking and stopped pacing for emphasis as she turned back to them and repeated herself, "Our will." She pointed at herself and then she gestured broadly at them, "Ours! If this illegitimate Wesen Council insists on making it 'Us versus them,' then that's what we're going to give them."
Nick was exhausted. The Staff may have healed his wounds, but he'd spent hours coordinating efforts to keep their activities off of official channels, and the Staff didn't seem to do anything about lack of sleep. He'd also made arrangements to have his car towed. Unfortunately, he still had even more to do.
When Hank had dropped him off at the Seidels', all the lights were out. Everyone was asleep. He let himself in with a copy of a key Sasha Seidel had provided him. As quietly as he could, he made his way up the stairs and let himself into the bedroom where Adalind was sleeping. Using the dim lighting from the streetlight outside, he first checked on his son, Kelly. Nick was happy to see him sleeping soundly. He stood and watched him for a few moments. Staring at his son, he reached up and rubbed the area of his shoulder where Juliette had forced Hank to shoot him. It was fully healed now; there was no pain at all. But he could still remember how badly it hurt. Being a detective and a Grimm, the possibility of dying in the line of duty is always in the back of his mind. However, staring at his son made the prospect feel more real than it had in the past.
He shook himself out of his reverie. Nick quickly changed his shirt, disposing of the blood-stained one with the bullet hole into the garbage. He found Adalind's robe and slippers. He had to wake her up, though he wasn't looking forward to saying what he needed to say to her. He took in a deep breath, exhaled and then leaned down to gently nudge her awake. "Put these on. We need to talk."
Adalind shivered a bit as she removed the blankets from herself. She was groggy but happy to see that Nick was home. She sat for a moment on the edge of the bed, wearing a tank top and a pair of Nick's boxers she had commandeered for herself several months prior. She yawned, then slowly and begrudgingly, she slid her arms into the sleeves of the robe. It sat crooked on her shoulders, half on and half off. Nick leaned over to help her stand up, but instead, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down onto the bed with her. Trying not to wake their son, he had no choice but to fall down onto the bed with her rather than resist and possibly make a commotion. She wrapped herself up into the robe as well as his arms and then pulled her body into his for warmth and comfort. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder, having no idea he'd been shot just inches from that spot just a handful of hours before.
Nick hadn't intended to fall into bed with her, but now that he was there, he was fully enticed by the prospect of falling asleep next to her. The problem, though, was that they had things they needed to discuss.
He nudged her and whispered, "We need to go downstairs and talk."
Rather than reply or even open her eyes, Adalind simply nuzzled her head further into Nick's frame, emitting a soft grumble and a series of gentle hums. The low, muffled tones carried a clear message that she didn't want to get out of bed. Her sounds were a blend of both contentment and protest, a wordless plea to stay in the warmth and comfort they shared.
Nick persisted, his voice barely above a whisper, "Adalind, we really need to go downstairs and talk."
Adalind's protest grew more pronounced, her discontent palpable even in the hushed room. She shifted her body, emitting a soft, frustrated sigh that carried a hint of exasperation. In a subtle, but also endearing, act of defiance, she lifted her leg and wrapped it around Nick's, pulling him closer to her. The gentle embrace added an extra layer of resistance, as if to say, 'Can't we stay here a little longer?' Her desire for comfort and intimacy overshadowing his pressing need for a discussion. All the while, she remained mindful of their sleeping son just feet away, ensuring their actions kept him undisturbed.
With less than a whisper than it was words formed through a gentle sleepy exhale, barely audibly, she murmured, "I love you."
Nick couldn't bring himself to be angry. Though he believed the conversation he needed to have with her was important, he also recognized the warmth and solace of the moment. Perhaps it could wait until morning? At least in the strictest sense? A gentle smile played on his lips as he lay tangled up with her, fully clothed, shoes and all. He surrendered to the soothing rhythm of their breathing. In the safety of that intimate moment, he closed his eyes and allowed sleep to claim him, grateful for the respite and the simple serenity of being in her arms.
The next morning, when Nick woke, he found himself alone in the bedroom. Adalind had taken their son downstairs and was already in the kitchen, preparing breakfast. The enticing aroma of what he presumed to be pancakes filled the air.
As he mustered the energy to rise from the bed, still dressed in the clothes he had fallen asleep in, the thought of a refreshing shower crossed his mind. However, he decided to prioritize his conversation with Adalind first.
Descending to the lower level, Nick entered the kitchen to find Adalind bustling about, effortlessly flipping pancakes on the stove. Their son, Kelly, sat in a highchair nearby, gleefully making a mess with bite-sized pancake squares she had cut for him.
Adalind hummed a sweet melody to herself, her movements graceful as she alternated between the stove and a plate set on the kitchen table. Upon spotting Nick's arrival, a radiant smile graced her lips, and her voice carried a singsong quality as she greeted him, "Good morning!"
Nick nodded in response, his own smile mirroring hers. Her infectious good mood put him at ease, and he hesitated to dampen it. Yet, he couldn't ignore the pressing matters at hand. There were time constraints to consider, and his concern for her safety traveled heavily alongside his desire for her happiness.
Leaning against the counter, Nick approached her, observing her joyful demeanor. Before delving into the potentially contentious conversation, he inquired, "Are the Seidels at work?"
Adalind nodded, her smile unwavering. She playfully attempted to feed Nick a piece of pancake off her fork. She raised her eyebrows in mock impatience, inviting him to accept the morsel she offered. He couldn't help himself but give in to her cheerful persistence as he accepted it into his mouth.
As she continued to bob her head and hum, a sense of rare contentment exuded from her. Nick couldn't recall ever seeing her quite like this, her joy seeming to radiate from within.
He began to contemplate that perhaps her joy wasn't just from having lost her Hexenbiest abilities, which he knew she was happy about. But also, the very normalcy of their surroundings. Though it wasn't their home, it was a normal house, with normal windows and a normal kitchen. As opposed to the loft he owned that Adalind had half-jokingly referred to as a fortress. Perhaps her joy stemmed from temporarily ignoring the reality of what was going on with Juliette and her Coven to instead embrace a life of normalcy that may only last a short time. He looked around the room, at how bright it was, how the colors on the walls were so vibrant. Whereas the loft was a collection of browns and grays, and the few colors it did have could at best be described as faded, made worse by the dim lighting intended more for a warehouse storage than a home.
He had been thinking of buying a new place for them but had kept putting it off, mainly for safety reasons. Now the procrastination was making him feel guilty for perhaps neglecting Adalind's happiness by forcing her to settle.
Lost in thought, Adalind squinted an eye at him, "What are you thinking about?" She said it in a way that she hoped would make him smile, but instead, he became very serious.
"We need to talk."
Adalind flipped a pancake in her pan and grumbled, "The four most dangerous words in any relationship."
Nick continued as though Adalind hadn't spoke, "Yesterday, one of Juliette's Coven members, well... in lawyer speak.. turned state's evidence. She has essentially switched sides. She explained how Juliette is stealing power and she explained why."
Adalind began cleaning up the mess she had made in the kitchen as she listened to Nick explain everything that Manon had told him. He did his best to explain the previous night's events to her as well, though he left out the detail about how he'd been shot.
"...so once the clean-up had finished, I called Renard. I asked him to reach out to his mother again. He's going to try to get her to come here."
Nick hesitated because he knew he was about to broach subjects that were sure to change her mood, "I also suggested to Renard that he use some of his vacation time and take a trip with Diana. We can't put it past Juliette to try to steal her power too."
Diana wasn't quite as powerful as she once was before they'd done their accidental power theft a few months prior, but she was still more powerful than most. Especially for a child as young as she was.
Adalind shrugged off that piece of news, "Maybe I could go with them? I could spend time with Diana and Kelly, and I would be safe from Juliette while you try to stop her."
She wasn't finished making her suggestion before Nick began shaking his head, "If they were to somehow track you down, you'd just be putting Diana in danger. Besides, Manon is prepared to go through the process of reversing her power theft of you and Megan. We would need you here for that."
Adalind was wiping down the breakfast table with a damp cloth; she stopped and looked at him. Without any anger or animosity, she simply said, "No."
He was expecting her to be unhappy with the suggestion, though he hid his exasperation, "Adalind, I know you don't want the abilities back. But we have to normalize Manon again so she can walk around in public. I'm even more concerned that you're able to defend yourself."
She walked over to the sink and began rinsing out the rag she had been using to clean, and when she was finished, she turned off the faucet, turned to Nick, and said, "I don't care. No."
Nick closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He struggled a moment with how to respond to such a simple response to such a complicated problem.
When he opened them again, Adalind was wiping off their son's hands and face with a baby wipe. He began weighing in his mind if he should simply drop the matter and allow Adalind to be free of her Hexenbiest abilities. He wanted her to be happy. He thought back to a discussion he'd had with Trubel about how his biggest worry was something happening to a loved one when he simply wasn't around to protect them. Adalind being an extremely powerful Hexenbiest helped keep his mind at ease. Tension formed in his temples as he struggled with the conflicting desires of wanting Adalind happy but also wanting her safe.
After a moment's pause, he decided to try a different approach, "Can I ask you why this is so important to you? Even if Juliette and her Coven weren't a concern, you're still the husband of a Grimm. You have a child with a Grimm. At any point, some bigot may decide they don't approve of our relationship or our son. I feel better knowing you can protect yourself and Kelly."
While Adalind had been wiping things down with her rag, Kelly had kept trying to grab it, so she retrieved a clean one, wet it down, and gave it to Kelly to play with. He currently had a corner gripped in his tiny fist and was flinging it back and forth chaotically.
She paused her cleaning for a moment and watched him kicking his feet in the highchair that the Seidels had gotten out of storage for them. She thought to herself she needed to think of a gift for the Seidels to show her gratitude for them being so gracious and kind.
Adalind turned to Nick and replied to him, her tone serious but not unfriendly, "You know that old story about the scorpion and the frog?"
Nick shrugged and nodded, and Adalind continued, "The scorpion stings the frog because that's the nature of the scorpion. People who reference that story see the frog as the victim, and that's true, but the scorpion dies too. It started out wanting to cross that river. It had no intention of stinging the frog. But eventually, its nature... its self-destructive nature... took over and it ruined a perfectly good thing."
"You don't know what it's like being a Hexenbiest and the sway it holds. Every day I worry that no matter how good my intentions are, that my self-destructive nature will take over and ruin things. So, those concerns you have about me being able to defend myself... I constantly felt like I had to defend myself from myself. I don't want to be a Hexenbiest again."
Nick nodded his understanding and decided not to press the matter any further and instead opted to lighten the mood a bit, "So, in this analogy you're using, I'm the frog?"
Adalind had expected him to continue their argument, so she let out a brief snort of laughter at being caught off guard. She thought about his question for a moment, then smiled, "Yes, but not one of those ugly frogs." She took a step in his direction and put on a flirtatious expression that was intentionally over the top, "You'd be one of those really handsome frogs."
Nick leaned forward to kiss her. Their mouths pressed together, a slight tension in their cheeks betrayed their suppressed grins. Adalind then grabbed Nick's wrist, spun herself around gracefully with her back finding a perfect fit against his chest, as she guided his arm to encircle her so that she could feel the comfort of his embrace as they watched their son bang the tray of the highchair with his rag-covered fist.
The two stood in silence until it was broken by the sound of Nick's cellphone buzzing in his pocket. He retrieved it and saw that he had forgotten to charge it. The Caller ID displayed that it was the police station calling. He answered, and it was Sergeant Wu.
'Nick, you got a package here this morning,' Wu said.
Nick often received mail at work, usually junk, but occasionally he would get something like a file shipped to him from another precinct. Nothing out of the ordinary. However, Wu wouldn't call about that.
"Is there something I should know about this package?" Nick asked.
Wu's reply sounded more like a question than a statement. "Only that the return address is some bank in a place called Valletta in a country called Malta."
Nick raised an eyebrow in thought, then took the phone away from his ear to ask Adalind,"Do you know anybody in Malta?"
Adalind's face scrunched up in puzzlement. "I don't think so."
Nick brought his phone back to his ear. "Wu, put it somewhere safe. I have some things I need to take care of, and then I'll come over.' He attempted to make it sound like he had to tend to official business, but in reality, he just needed to take a shower and also charge his phone."
