Stretching out still sore muscles, Nick cracked open one then the other eye. Sunlight. He wasn't sure when exactly he fell back to sleep, his thoughts had been spinning from everything that had happened the previous night. but they always landed back on the blonde which eventually led to thinking about the dream, again. He was making too much out of it, he knew. It was just a stupid dream about a pretty girl, that's all.

He could hear the clinking of dishes and pans from downstairs and smell bacon frying and coffee brewing. He decided he better get a start on his day. It was bound to be a long one. He and his partner were working a case about a kidnapped little girl, and he didn't want to delay, her life could depend on it. With one final stretch and a groan as his back cracked he climbed out of bed and headed to the bathroom, stopping to pick up Juliette's discarded wet towel from the carpet. It was an annoying habit that she refused to break which left him cleaning up the mess.

He was still tired and contemplated not shaving today. He actually hated doing the activity on a daily basis. He didn't mind a bit of stubble; it never bothered him. He only shaved because Juliette preferred it. Running a hand over the scruff he wondered if it would be worth her pouting at him for it.

"Screw it." He sighed and grabbed the brush instead, running it through his hair. Another thing he did for her, kept his hair on the longer side of short. It might be time for a trim he thought as the locks fell back over his eyes. Teeth brushed, he dressed quickly then made his way down stairs just as she was setting two plates on the table and going back for the coffee.

"Morning. How are you feeling today?" she asked chipperly.

"Morning. I'm okay. Why?" he told her, taking a seat. She set a hot cup of black coffee in front of him and kissed his cheek, then scrunched her nose at the growth still there.

"Because you were tossing, turning and moaning a good part of the night." she said, taking a seat herself.

"Oh, yeah just weird dreams." He told her, taking a sip of his coffee, which was never quite prepared correctly for his taste. Where Juliette loved the sweet milky version of coffee, Nick preferred his with light cream and 1 sugar. No matter how many times he has said that she still prepares it too sweet and too creamy, not as much as hers but still more then he cared for.

"Oh, what about?" she asked.

"I don't really remember. It was just weird, I think." Nick lied, not wanting to explain about the dream or answer any questions on it, he had asked himself enough as it was.

"I hate those dreams. You wake up with vague images of it and a shaky feeling." She said with a shiver. He nodded in agreement because that's almost exactly what happened, only he did remember ever detail of this dream, down to the last word.

Want to hold him?

"You were going to tell me how Marie is doing." Juliette reminded him. He sighed, a hand curling on top of the table as he chewed on a piece of bacon.

"She's… not well. Turns out she has cancer, end stage. The doctors are giving her weeks at most but thinks a week tops before she is gone." He explained.

"Oh Nick, I'm so sorry." She said placing her hand on top of his, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"Me too." he answered with a tight smile, sliding his hand from under hers and picking up his coffee cup as the reason.

Scarfing down a few mouthfuls of food and chugging half his coffee he got up. "Sorry, I need to get going. Looking for a kidnapped little girl."

He wasn't sure why but ever since last night, he has felt uncomfortable around her. He was chalking it up to the stress of Marie being in the hospital and this current case. He had a soft spot for children and was extremely intense when it came to any case involving them.

"Oh no. I hope you guys catch a break." She said, not thinking twice about it and going back to her breakfast.

"Me too. See you later." He called heading for the door, grabbing his jacket on the way.

"Nick." Juliette called rushing after him.

"Yeah." he had one foot out the door and had the sudden urge to escape.

"No kiss goodbye?" She grinned at him.

"Oh, yeah. sorry." He leaned in pressing his lips to hers. WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! His mind screamed at him.

"Have a good day, love you." She told him. Inwardly he cringed at the endearment and couldn't bring himself to say it back.

"Yeah, you too." he said giving her one last look before closing the door behind him.

Nick's mind was a race of thoughts and emotions as he drove to work. He wasn't sure which to focus on first or at all. He was disregarding the dream all together. Maybe it was just his brains way of saying he needed to man up and propose to Juliette now instead of pussyfooting around it, though that thought had him physically flinching at the idea. He was chalking the blonde up to her being one of the last people he saw last night and the fact that she was planning to inject his aunt with something. The way she suddenly changed her mind, apologized, and ran out of there made her suspicious.

Right now, his mind was swirling with thoughts of Grimms, trailers full of weapons and old books, and people that turn into creatures. He really needed to look at those books and he really needed to find a safer place for that trailer. If they were looking for it and his aunt then they couldn't know where it was. He would have to look into places that could house it inconspicuously.

The work day started off slow. No new cases and no emergencies, leaving Nick and his partner, Hank, to continue looking into their current case, which was top priority. Kid cases usually were. Nick's focus had been understandably off, and he had been staring at the same report for at least 20 minutes unseeing.

"You're kind of quiet this morning." Hank noted.

"Yeah, long night." he sighed, placing the report on his desk, and rubbing at his tired eyes.

"I heard. How's your aunt doing?" Hank asked in all sincerity and concern.

"She has cancer. She told me just before we were attacked." Nick told him.

"Oh man. I'm sorry. I know how close you two are. Is it treatable?" he came around and sat on the edge of Nick's desk.

"No, she's past that stage. She's in end life stage now. They thinks she has weeks tops."

"Damn, that sucks." Hank said slapping a hand on Nick's shoulder in sympathy. He startled when an electric shock hit him.

"Yeah, that's been happening a lot lately. Maybe I need to change fabric softener or something." Nick said in regard to the shock.

"Yeah… maybe." Hank agreed, a weird feeling of déjà vu hitting him.

"Anyway, she did drop another bombshell on me last night."

"Another? And what is that?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Remember when I told you about my parents?"

"Yeah, they died in a car crash, right?"

"that's what I thought as well, or that's what I was told. Turns out they were murdered."

Hanks head snapped back in shock.

"Get the fuck out of here. Seriously?"

"I shit you not." He grimaced, shaking his head. it was still hard for him to fathom. At the time it happened he knew nothing about Grimms and Wesen, as he aunt referred to those that can turn into creatures. Now, knowing what he does, or at least hearing and seeing what he did he wasn't sure if he was surprised at this piece of news.

"Did she say how or who or…"

"We didn't get that far. It was in the hospital right before she seized. She's been asleep since then. I'm going after work to visit her, maybe find out more."

"You think you might want to look into it?"

"I'm not sure. I'm still processing everything right now."

"I get that. Well let me know if you do, I'll help. Hopefully, we find out the bastards are already dead." Hank said, with another pat before returning to his own desk.

"Thanks. And yeah I hope so, but with my luck lately I doubt it."

Both partners went back to their work and were fully engrossed searching for potential suspects in the kidnapping when he happened to glance up and saw his captain come into the bullpen and head straight to his office with passing nods at officers. Though he didn't even glance at him, Nick had a strong feeling of distrust for some reason. He wasn't sure why. He had never had an issue with his captain before. Sure, he found him to be a bit pretentious and arrogant but nothing Nick really had to deal with on a regular basis. So why the sudden feeling as if he needed to be on guard around him?

"Hey partner, I think I found something." Hank said, rolling his chair around to Nick's side. He was holding a statement from a neighbor of the missing girl's family.

"What is it?"

"There's a guy, name's James Monroe, who made a statement about seeing the girl walking home from school. According to him she was skipping along down the street. Stopped to wave and then kept going like she normally does. He said that he went inside and was in the middle of repairing a clock when he heard a cut off shriek. He didn't think anything of it at the time but now wonders if it was her."

"Huh… well that's interesting. Think we should go check it out?"

"Maybe. I mean he saw the girl so maybe he might have caught someone at least walking the same path or seen a car that might have been out of place. Couldn't hurt to question him a bit more."

"Okay, let's do that." Nick said, grabbing his jacket from off the back of his chair. Pulling it on he stuck his hands in his pockets and fingers wrapped around something square, fuzzy, and hard. Pulling it out he realized it was the ring that he had gotten just yesterday. His plan to propose to Juliette. Why did the idea of that make him feel cold and clammy?

Shaking his head, he pushed those thoughts aside. Maybe it was just with everything that happened yesterday and Aunt Marie's warning to break things off with Juliette before something happens with his new found Grimm that was making him feel this way. Or maybe it was just nerves, he thought putting it back in his pocket. He would hide it in his dresser when he got home until he figured out when to propose. Something else for him to think about later.

"Nick. Before you go, a word." Reynard leaned out of his door to call, just as Nick and Hank were heading out to talk to the witness.

"Sure." He said before telling Hank that he would meet him in the car and heading into the captain's office.

"I just wanted to check in with you about your aunt." Reynard started closing the door.

"What about her?" Nick tried to keep the suspicion out of his voice, even as his body tensed. He couldn't figure out what it was about him or why now and not when he first transferred but he had a strong feeling that he could not be trusted, no further then as his superior at work.

"Well, how is she after the attack?"

"Not good actually. She has end stage cancer, she's not expected to live long. Maybe a week." Nick admitted. He didn't see the harm in telling at least that much, especially since the concern seemed genuine. Seemed being the operative word. He wasn't sure if it was or not. He always prided himself on being able to read people. But there was a feeling that he couldn't explain that said that his captain was good at lies and evasion.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I had hoped for good news."

"Me too." Nick sighed.

"Listen, I know the attack is still under investigation but unfortunately I will have to remove the protection detail from your aunt." He said then raised his hand against the protest Nick was preparing to give. "I know and I am sorry. I just can't justify it to the higher ups and with us being understaffed, it's not feasible. I can keep her under watch for at least another day but past that, it is out of my hands so to speak."

Nick slumped in his seat feeling a headache coming on.

"I understand. Thank you for the allowance so far."

"Of course. You were headed out?" Reynard asked, flipping open a file on his desk. Nick took that as a dismissal and stood.

"Yes, going to question a witness in that kidnaping case. We are hoping he saw something more than just her. It's a long shot but we want to try."

"Sounds good. Let me know if you get anything new."

"Yes sir." Nick said as he exited, closing the door behind him.

*GRIMM*

Adalind, dressed, prepped and ready for her day, stood at her kitchen island enjoying a cup of coffee. The dream, though it had rattled her, had also filled her with warm and fuzzy feelings. There was confusion as well. She had never had a dream like that, one that felt so real and that felt as if it was a memory more than anything. She had read enough in her spell books to know not to take it lightly and she planned to go through them after work to see what she could find.

In the meantime, she was flipping through a magazine and mentally relaxing, already knowing today would be brutal. She had a meeting with a client first thing this morning, a court case on the docket in the afternoon and two meetings with clients right after lunch, one of which would prove to be difficult as they were already demanding things that were not possible with their situation. Not to mention the mountain of paperwork she still had to go through that would likely cause her to work late. She was not looking forward to any of it even if it was her job. It was a good thing she decided to wear her power suit today, black formfitting pencil skirt and jacket, which was currently strewn across a chaise in the living room, with a blood red silk shirt underneath. Never mind what she was wearing underneath it. It was her don't fuck with me suit and never failed to make her feel smart, powerful, and competent, not to mention sexy. Something that she didn't feel a lot of the time thanks to her mother and in part Sean.

Speaking of, she could hear her door unlock and sighed. She had un-spelled her door when she woke up expecting a visit from her mother and not wanting to hear the extra nagging for that. She already knew she would hear about last night and just like last night she was in no mood. But she knew she couldn't hold her off forever. It was always best to get it over with so she could go on with her day.

"Adalind." Her mother called, her voice chipper as always in the beginning. It always gave a false sense of security to Adalind, like her mother actually enjoyed her daughters company and not that she had a hidden agenda. She was used to that tone so didn't even bother looking up from her reading.

"In the kitchen." She called to her, her voice as dry and bland as over cooked and under seasoned chicken.

"Ah, there you are." Cathryn said as she floated into the kitchen area, grabbing a cup of her own and pouring herself some coffee.

"Please, help yourself." She muttered.

"No need for the attitude. I just came over to chat, why not do that over a cup of coffee." She said doctoring her beverage. Adalind inwardly cringed at the amount of cream her mother used. She didn't understand the point of drinking coffee if you were just going to dilute it like that.

"And what would you like to chat about?" she asked, going back to her copy of The Advocate.

"Adalind." Cathryn reprimanded. Sighing she looked up at her, placing her cup on the counter.

"What can I do for you mother?" she asked, pasting on a saccharine smile.

"You can start by telling me what exactly happened yesterday." She responded, ignoring the derision.

"It's like I told you last night, nothing. She wasn't alone and I dropped the needle." She answered, taking her cup to the sink, rinsing it, and placing it in the dishwasher.

"Sean mentioned that there was another Grimm there and he stopped you."

"How long after you left here did you wait before calling him?" Adalind snorted as she stride out of the kitchen and into the living room to put on her shoes and jacket.

"I didn't have to contact him at all. He was in the garage area when I left."

She nodded, briefly wondering why he had stuck around after she basically dismissed him.

"He also said that you told him that you would no longer work for him." Her mother said, hand on hip and stiletto nail tapping impatiently on the marble tile.

"Well, since I don't actually work for him that's an overstatement. But no, I will no longer be his puppet and don't intend to help him in his quest for power."

"It's not puppetry. You're dating a prince Adalind, why would you not want to help him become king?"

"Correction, I was dating a prince. If you could even call it that." Adalind paused from straightening her collar and thought it over.

Could you even call it dating? In the beginning it was like a fairytale. Dates at fancy restaurants, unexpected drop-ins with wine and chocolate when she was having a bad day. Cuddling on the couch and talking about their day. But that all started to drop off once they slept together. The dates were far and few between and the drop-ins started to feel more like business transactions. There was still wine and candy and there was still sex, really good sex but most times she felt as if she needed to send him a bill for a consultation.

"Adalind, what is going on with you? Just yesterday you were gung-ho to help him finally gain the throne. What changed?" her mother sighed in exasperation.

"What changed, mother, is that I realized that I didn't want to be a toy, weapon or whatever for him to use at his convenience. Despite what you both seem to think I am not an idiot and I refuse to be a pushover anymore. If I had succeeded then it would be my life on the line not either of yours. Nick, the other Grimm- who we have no confirmation on whether he is or not, saw my face. He's a detective, it's his job to find criminals. Me injecting a defenseless woman in a hospital with some unknown to him substance that would have killed her, would make me a criminal."

"They're Grimms, it's not the same."

"They're still humans. It's absolutely the same. And we don't know that Nick is a Grimm. We only know that his aunt is." Adalind reminded her. She never mentioned to her mother or Sean that she had seen the Grimm in question earlier in the day and she knew for a fact that he was one. She would never reveal that.

"You're looking at this the wrong way." Cathryn insisted. "Who cares if Sean wants you to do these things? He does it because he trust you to get the job done, without getting caught. And we may not know for sure if this Nick," the disgust in her tone emphasized. "Is a Grimm or not. Doesn't mean he couldn't be, maybe he will after she dies. She probably thinks he will if she just arrived, knowing she was dying, to see him. She have given him the key."

"How do you know she is dying?" Adalind asked with a tilt of her head.

"What? well Sean must have mentioned it or something." she said waving it off.

"And how does he know? I mean she is in the hospital for the attack as far as anyone knows. I didn't even know she was dying, until you just said it."

"That's not the point, Adalind. The point is we have to get that key."

"Ugh, I am so sick of hearing about this key. What is so important about it? What does Sean need it for? Is it magical? a weapon? does it unlock some secret artifact that can destroy enemies? Why does he want it?" she asked, annoyance creeping into her voice.

"To get the throne."

"Okay, we are just talking in circles now and I have to get to work. Are you staying or going?" She asked grabbing up her briefcase. Sighing Cathryn approached her, bracing her hands on both arms.

"Sweetheart," she started. Adalind found it funny that she never really noticed before that every time her mother used that endearment that it sounded forced. Or maybe she just never acknowledged it before. She spent so much of her life just wanting her mother to love her for who she was that she happily accepted it and caved to her demands.

"You have to think of the bigger picture here. Getting that key will secure Sean's place in the family and possibly get him the throne. Killing a Grimm, a monster whose only goal is to behead our kind, would definitely show the rest of the families that he is willing to do whatever it takes to keep us safe and keep the laws for Wesen." Her mother said with a wistful smile on her face and a vicious gleam in her eyes. "As a hexenbeist you would finally have what we all desire. Be it as a queen or just an ally. We would finally have the luxuries we have worked so hard for."

"Mother," Adalind said, using the same sweet voice she had used. "Those are things you have worked for and want. I have no desire to be Sean's or any man's concubine for the rest of my life. I am perfectly happy using my intelligence to get the things I want." She said breaking her mother's hold and opening the door.

"Honey-."

"Nope, not happening mother. If you want all those things so badly and think Sean can get them for you, then have at it. I'm sure he will jump at the chance to bed you if it will get him what he wants." She said, then studied her mother closely. She wasn't as adapt at reading some people as Nick was, so she wasn't 100% positive about this but still it niggled in her mind. "Unless you are already sleeping with him."

Her mother huffed rolling her eyes, but Adalind caught the slight stiffening of her back as she did, she nodded.

"Of course you are. Why does that not surprise me? I want to say that I am hurt or angry about that. But honestly… I don't think I care. You two are perfect for each other, so have fun with that. Now, again, I have to get to work and the option to stay is off the table. So, let's go before I am late."

Shaking her head, Cathryn put her cup in the sink and followed her daughter to the door that she had standing open.

"I'm not sure what has gotten into you lately but this new found… morality is very disappointing. Give me a call when you come back to your senses." She said exiting, head held high and the disapproval rolling off her in waves.

"I'll be sure to do that." Adalind muttered as she locked the door and spelled it again so that her mother or anyone else could not get through.