Family Ties Chapter Eight

-G-

AN – Thank you so, so much for all the comments! I do so love Grimm but I am also loving putting my own spin on some of the lore we saw and expanding on other bits we only got mentions of. Hope you like it.

I do not own any characters or stories from the tv show Grimm. Some dialogue is lifted from various episodes in Season 3. No infringement or copyright is intended. It's all for fun, no profit being made here.

-G-

The report is passed between the two men and they study it quietly.

"Well, I think this gives us a new direction to focus on," Victor says and turns to the only man standing. "You're sure of this information?"

"As we can be from this distance. I have men ready to go who can confirm as soon as they're on the ground."

"Do it," Kenneth orders and Rispoli nods and bows before leaving the room. "I believe it's time we had a chat with the bastard of the family."

"Yes, and make sure he is aligned with the family."

"Oh, I'm sure he is but a check in will do no harm. Just so we all understand each other. It would be simply dreadful if the King were to lose another son, especially one who could be involved with giving him the gift of his first grandchild."

"Yes, but the King has been clear. The grandchild comes first." Both men smile with shared understanding and turn to put their next steps into motion.

-G-

"Sunglasses," Nick states.

"Ok, that's interesting," Trubel said, "Kind of makes sense, the day I met you, I got jumped by a girl and she turned uh woged into one, into a Wesen, but didn't react to me. I wondered why she didn't start saying Grimm at me, but I had sunglasses on, trying to blend in. Think she was a Skalengeck."

"You been studying the books?"

She shrugs. "A bit."

"Well, it might be harder for you to get to them now but they should be safer."

"Why do we have to move it now?"

"Too many people know where it is, and we got this new stuff. I bought a piece of land. It's going to be a lot harder for people to figure out where it is." He gives a few more details about his time with the trailer since inheriting it and his family.

"Were they Grimms?"

"My dad wasn't, and my mom was-or is."

"You've seen her?"

"Oh yeah, she's come to visit a couple of times." Arriving at the site, Trubel looks impressed and Nick hopes it's enough. Still, the land can't be tied to him and as of this moment only three people know the trailer's new location. He'll have to add Hank and Monroe to that list, there's no way Monroe will accept not having access and Hank probably feels the same away. He trusts both of them and previous incidents have proven that several people knowing, and being able to get to the trailer have come in handy.

"I don't know how I'd feel if I saw my mom and dad again. Must have been weird."

"Well, a little bit." He thinks back to the fight with Kimura, his anger at the man and the whole situation with the coins and then his mother's re-appearance. Then her more recent involvement in his life. Weird didn't even begin to cover it.

"I don't know if my parents were Grimms or not."

"One of them had to be."

"Hey, do you think we could be related? Like, I've been through a lot of places and you're the first, other Grimm I've met. Could that be possible?" Nick hesitates to answer. His first instinct is to say no but that's more from probability than any other feeling. Because, if he does focus on his feelings than he'd have to say that he does think there's something there. Whether that's, like Trubel said, being from meeting another Grimm or from something more. He studies her face for a moment, thinking maybe. They have similar colouring and she has the same slight, yet muscular build as his mother and aunt.

"I don't know enough to say yes or no," he replies, "but it's something we could look into, if you're interested in finding out."

"I think I would be," Trubel replies and then shrugs self-consciously. "It would be nice to know if I had family out there, you know."

"Hey, no matter what we find out, you have family now. You have me." They stare at each other and Nick hopes she can feel how much he means his words. She might have come into his life in an unexpected way and she definitely lives up to her name but he wouldn't change any of it. She's like the little sister he never had and he's keen to build their relationship.

"Thanks," she replies softly and almost smiles then looks between the trailer and the chest.

"Well, it must not have been easy for him."

"Who?"

"Josh's dad," she says. "Why do you think he didn't want to be a Grimm?"

"Well, he probably wanted a normal life."

That's possible?" She pulls a face and Nick share the sentiment.

"No, and I guess it caught up with him in the end."

"If you could choose to be a Grimm or not, would you?" Nick pauses at that question, having not thought about it quite in that way. He hadn't had a choice; he'd just become a Grimm one day. What if he did?

"It hasn't made my life any easier. Or yours. Or Juliette's," he replies slowly, thinking it through. There's been a lot of changes in what's a relatively short period of time. He's a different man and if he wasn't a Grimm, could he say who he'd be?

Probably still a cop, doing his duty and coming home to Juliette to attend the events she wanted and settle in each evening to get up and do it all over again the next day. A routine he'd once relaxed into but now gave him some trepidation. His possible future life flashed before his eyes, cop and vet, married with 2.4 children and probably just as many, if not more, animals. He'd once cherished the thought of that future, had been working towards that, so why now did thinking about it make him uncomfortable?

He'd wanted stability and companionship after growing up the way he did. Losing his parents, then constantly moving around. He'd liked his 'adventures' with Aunt Marie but a part of him had always craved that sense of family he felt he'd lost. He thought he'd found it with Juliette but maybe that wasn't quite right either. Maybe he was finding family in different ways than the typical, nuclear family.

"Better being a Grimm than crazy." Trubel says and he thinks of all she's been through and what may come next. He wants to be there for her, for whatever she needs.

"Well, at least we know we've got each other in all our gory Grimm-ness." She laughs at that and Nick chuckles, thinking again of all that being a Grimm has brought into his life. Especially two of the best friends he's ever had.

"Right, we've got to get a move on. I am on a schedule today." Nick glances at his watch and calculates how long he has. Moving the trailer is the safer option but it will be impacting his travel time to and from it.

"Yeah, best man definitely can't be late for the wedding," she jokes and Nick shakes his head.

"Not if I want to keep my friends," he quips back. "What will you be doing while we're at the wedding?"

"Oh, I'm going to see Josh. He has some things to do and doesn't know anyone else in town so I said I'd hang with him."

"Alright, well will you need anything? I can leave money for food or taxis."

"Nick, I'll be fine. Thanks though. Let's get this done and get you into your monkey/penguin(?) suit."

-G-

"Do you have the ring?"

"I do," Nick hands it to Monroe and smiles at the slight tremor in his friends hand. The judge looks on as Monro turns back to Rosalee.

"I, Monroe, take thee, Rosalee, to be my lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward. For better for poorer, for richer for worse, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish till death do us part." He slides the ring on all the way and Nick can hear his shaky exhale. The judge turns to Juliette, standing in her grey dress behind Rosalee.

"Do you have the ring?" She hands the ring to Rosalee and Nick watches as she repeats the vows. He thinks Juliette smiles at him but through the sunglasses he's not entirely sure.

"Rosalee and Monroe, by the power vested in me by the state of Oregon, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride!" Nick leads the clapping as Monroe and Rosalee kiss. He hears the cheers from the guests and sees, from the corner of his eye, several of them woge in their happiness for the couple.

"It is with great pleasure that I now present Mr and Mrs-" The sound of shattering glass interrupts the judge and there are yells and screams as something comes through one of the windows at the back of the room.

Nick is instantly moving forward, down the aisle and towards the scene. He feels Hank a step behind him as several guest exclaim and Bart loudly calls for calm.

A rock sits in the middle of the broken glass, the shatter patterns clear this was the reason. He kneels as he takes in the scene, trying not to touch or move anything. Others start to gather around him and he stands up to halt their progress.

"Please, I'm a detective, please don't come any closer." There's a lot of people though and he's not sure they're feeling rational enough to listen.

"Everyone, this way to the reception! Please, follow the signs for reception and enjoy the glass of champagne waiting for you!" Juliette's voice reaches across the crowd and soon he notices Alice and Gloria's voices repeating the same message. The crowd thins and soon it's just him, Hank, Bart and the judge looking at the mess that was the front window.

"I can't believe this, "Judge Mason stammers. "I've never had anything like this happen before. Did anybody get hurt?"

"No, I don't think so, the chairs were a good distance away from the window," Nick replies as he studies the ground in front of him once more.

"I've called it in," Hank states as he puts his phone away. "Most of the guests have moved to reception so we should be able to pull them aside when the officers get here."

"I doubt any of them will have noticed anything," Nick murmurs. "We were all focused on Monroe and Rosalee and facing the opposite direction. Could just be kids messing around, a dare to mess up someone's big day." He can only hope but he's got a bad feeling about this. "Wait, there's something here …" The stone on the ground has writing on it and he angles his head to read it without touching anything.

"Die Einw-uh."

"Die Einwande," Bart finishes with a growl and Nick looks up at him. "It means objection."

"Yeah, don't think it's kids," Hank says dejectedly.

-G-

While the wedding was beautiful and he is so happy to have seen his friends join their lives together, Nick only spends a few minutes at the reception. He gives most of his time to assisting the officers who responded to Hank's call, pulling guest out to give statements and just trying his best to not let this sully a moment more of their day for Monroe and Rosalee.

And though he would have liked to dance with Juliette he wants to be able to give answers to his friends more. Especially when they meet in the back room to give them a brief description of what happened and the police's next steps and Monroe woges in his anger.

"Objection? What the hell is this?" He paces for a moment before going to Rosalee and hugging her.

"Police think it might be someone's idea of a bad joke, you know, wait for that line 'speak now or forever hold your peace' and then throw it in as a form of 'objecting'. They're getting surveillance from across the street and we have a good chance of identifying these idiots." Hank details and Nick nods along, choosing not to add in that the objection words were in German. It's not something they need to focus on right now.

"Look, I know this has shaken you, all of us, but this is still your wedding day. It was a moment but you have a lot better ones to think of. So, let's get you back to your reception, finish the night of in style and wish you bon voyage for your honeymoon." Rosalee shares a look with Monroe and he reluctantly nods. Nick knows it'll be hard for him to let this go, his worry about the unknown coming to the surface but he hopes his friends trust him enough to follow his suggestion.

"Ok, well, alright," Monroe stutters before squaring his shoulders. "We need you too man, don't think this is getting you out of giving your toast." Nick manages a smile and nod and joins them as they re-enter the reception together.

They all settle at the table and Juliette shoots him a look which he tries to send a reassuring one back but is quickly distracted by Bart and Alice. They both have questions for him, and definitely opinions about what happened nevertheless Monroe wasn't kidding and soon Nick finds himself on his feet, with the attention of the whole room on him.

"Monroe and I met through a broken window and from that one incident he has become one of the best friends I've ever had. And being there to see him and Rosalee meet for the first time, kiss for the first time and even being present for their first fight, which was wild let me tell you." He gets some chuckles at that and he pauses to pick up his glass. "It has shown me how strong these two love each other and how they are building their lives together. I wish them a long, happy time together and all the blessings they deserve. To Monroe and Rosalee!"

-G-

"That was a good speech," Juliette says as they return home. "I especially liked the bit about building a life together."

"Yeah?"

"Made me think of us," her words are soft and Nick tries to watch her and the road.

"In a good way?" He asks, thinking of his own proposal and the moment he recently was going to try again. She sighs and Nick's stomach twists.

"I thought we were good. I thought we were building our lives back together, after everything we've been through in the past year or so. But lately …" She trails off and he stays silent.

"I feel like we've gone backwards somehow. You proposed and I couldn't say yes then, and I was right because you were hiding such a big part of your life from me. And I understand, now that I know and have experienced some of the things that being a Grimm brings into your life. Just, I feel like I have to remind you that it's not all your life. I'm here and we're together and I thought that meant something."

"It does, Juliette," Nick starts but she holds up her hand.

"Please, I'm not finished." He nods and she takes a breath. "I love you and I want to be with you but right now I don't feel like you're with me. I know they are things that will pull your attention at times, you're dedicated to your job and get results because of that. You help people when they ask and I'm proud of you for being that type of person. I just need to know that I'm first on that list. That your devotion will be focused on me, that you will put me, and our relationship, above other … interferences."

"I hear what you're saying Juliette and all I can say is that I will try." They pull up to the house and she sighs as she releases her seatbelt and turns to him. Leaning forward she presses a soft kiss to his lips and brushes a hand through his hair.

"Try harder, please."

-G-

"Ok, I think we're ready," Adalind says as she looks around the room. They're in the sitting room with several of the toys that Diana has shown a liking to as well as other objects of varying weight. They're both on the carpeted floor while Kelly sits on the sofa directly in between them.

"You have the water?" Kelly nods and Adalind rolls her shoulders as she prepares herself. "Ok, I've not done this before but I know the steps. All Hexenbiest have to learn. And I've had it done to me, though not quite like this." She remembers energy sessions with her mother and how she'd felt after each one.

"I'm going to connect with Diana and just get a feel for her power. This is the start of teaching her and will give us a stronger connection so I can influence her energy levels."

"Influence?"

"Well, it's more like putting some boundaries in so she doesn't lose control. Many young Hexenbiests struggle as they come into their powers and abilities so parents learnt a way to help. Kind of like putting a volume control button on the stereo. The child can still play music but the parent can help with how loud it comes out. Done properly it's a unique and powerful bonding experience."

"Sounds pretty handy," Kelly comments as Diana looks between them both. She wriggles and gets herself into a sitting up position. "What did you mean by done properly?" Adalind sighs and thinks of course the mother Grimm picked up in that remark.

"I meant that this technique is a way of helping your child but also gives a parent a strong connection to their child's inner psyche when they are still developing. It should be all about the child but if a parent had their own agenda, well they could use this to impart that on them. I meant it when I said this was an influence." She focuses on her daughter and not the niggling thought that her own mother may have done that very thing. Too much has happened that she can't just discount it.

"And I have water because?" Kelly holds up the bottle.

"In case we get too lost in the connection. I should be able to bring us out but if things start happening, uh moving in unnatural ways shall we say, then use the water to shock me out of it." Kelly nods and Adalind takes a deep breath before shuffling closer to her daughter and taking her hand. Little fingers grip strongly and she smiles before Woging and opening up her senses.

The warmth she associates with her little girl is right there and she slowly brushes her own energy alongside. She feels the hum of their energies reacting and mingling together and smiles at the acceptance and love she feels. She thinks of her own love, of her will to do anything for her daughter's safety and pushes that into their shared energy and hears Diana's giggle at the sensation. Good, her daughter knows she is loved. That will never change.

Now, she opens up wider and lets her power build inside her. Trying to share with Diana the sensation of knowing what's inside you and feeling the possibilities that lie under your skin. Theres a flicker and then heat rises and surrounds her. Her daughter is a burning star, energy and power thrumming through her as she lets Adalind feel what's beneath her skin. She gets the sense of a core of magic, untapped and glorious in its possibilities as well as another, strong essence of power and supremacy. They co-exist deep inside her and together bring about something mighty. And terrifying. A thread wraps around them and seems to disappear into the space around and Adalind tries to take note of it before noticing the tie that flows between her daughter and herself. Everything is so bright and thrumming and it's hard to take a deep breath with the mightiness of it all.

But then it turns too bright, too hot and Adalind really is struggling to breathe. She feels for Diana and her daughter is pulsing, flashing light blinding her in time with her heartbeat. Too fast, it's too fast, too hot, too much-

Freezing cold water drenches her and Adalind gasps, the heat from their magic extinguished and she is brought back to awareness with a shock. She's laying on her side, hair spread around and panting for breath.

She looks to Kelly, who is standing over her and then to Diana, who is laying on the floor alongside her. She still has hold of her hand.

"Well, that was interesting," Kelly notes and following her gaze makes Adalind take in the room around them. It's in complete disarray, nothing where it was moments ago and frankly looking like a whirlwind hit it. She takes a deep breath and looks to Diana but her daughter just smiles and then tries to roll over.

"Right, I'll re-fill the water, you tidy up and we'll go again."

-G-

She's sobbing when he connects to the dream, shoulders heaving up and down as she covers her face. The muted colours that swirl around them seem to make the tears that fall glisten. He takes a step forward on instinct before coming to a halt, not sure comfort from him would be accepted.

"Adalind?" He asks quietly and she jolts, looking up at him through red rimmed eyes.

"Oh, Nick, you're here," she hastily swipes at her face and he wishes he could give her a moment but there's nowhere to hide here. They just have each other.

"You ok?" He queries and she sighs.

"Yes, just having a moment. I knew this wasn't going to be easy, I really knew that but I didn't think I'd find it this hard." He nods and then takes a chance, stepping forward to rest his hand on her shoulder and give it a gentle squeeze. He's not sure why but he wants to comfort her. She smiles at him, something wordless passing between them, and then hiccups.

"Want to talk about it?" He offers but she shakes her head.

"No, it's ok, thanks though." He nods and they stand in silence though he doesn't move his hand. Warmth and a slight pulse connect beneath his fingers and he wonders if that's her energy or his.

"It's just-" she starts with a gasp. "Has your mother always been so … hard?" He huffs out a laugh.

"I suppose … I don't really know. My memories are of a happy, loving family; bedtime stories with my mom and playing ball with my dad. But they're all a bit hazy now and I'm not really sure if they're real or just what I wanted to be real. I haven't known my mother since I was twelve. That's a lot of time to pass and still be the same person."

"I guess that makes sense. Goddess knows my mother changed as I grew up." He cocks an eyebrow at her and she understands his wordless request. "I have memories like that too. When I was younger and my mother would share things with me. But the older I grew the more she seemed to step back and then we only really interacted when she wanted something from me." She shakes her head and stands up taller.

"I'm not going to be like my mother," she states with finality in her tone.

"We can both be better," he agrees, "and learn from their mistakes." They share a smile and he squeezes her shoulder again as her hand comes up to rest on his.

"Yes, we can." And the colours swirl together, taking her away.

-G-

AN – Let me know what you think!