Chapter Summary: As Nick settles into life in Portland, a dark wind starts blowing over Renard's Canton so he and his people rally together.

Notes:

Lines within The Sands

Nick and Renard sat in a small café enjoying the midday environment, as Renard had been feeling better, he'd convinced Nick to go out with him. They chatted about Renard's actions around his Canton and how much it had began changing since he'd last been in Portland. In turn Nick finally told him about his adventures across the globe as he finished his parent's mission in destroying the coins. Renard let out a sigh of relief at the announcement that they were no more, this was when Nick decided to drop the information that he was looking to settle down in Portland.

This brought mixed feelings to Renard, he was overjoyed that Nick was staying close, so they could finally allow what was growing between them to take root but at the same time he asked why Nick was looking for another place to live when he had a place with Renard.

"It's not a slight on you Sean" he explained while enjoying the food they'd ordered.

"I care greatly for you and staying at your place fulltime would only hurt your position, your Canton is still new. And now you are in the light it's growing quickly. I'm still a Grimm no matter how you spin it, until the wesen of Portland completely trust me, having me so close to their Prince may make them question your rule. If I live among them and let them see over time that I'm not a threat to them or to your rule, then we can revisit that idea at a later time" the look on Renard's face didn't convince Nick that he completely agreed with his decision.

"It's not going to change how I feel Sean, you'll be welcome to come by anytime. Hell, you'll be getting a key as soon as I do. My home will always be yours, my place hopefully will be at your side" Nick said nervously as Renard smiled at him.

"Always." said Renard as he placed his hand under Nick's chin and raised his face to meet his before kissing him.

The smug smile on his face as they separated made Nick scowl playfully at him, before he spiked his food with his fork and shoved it in his mouth. Renard just chuckled and went back to enjoying his meal, soon they were chatting about what Nick wanted out of a home. Nick made it clear he was happy to pay for it himself stating he had money in trust, Renard eventually agreed that he'd leave it to Nick on the agreement that he'd let Renard pay him for any case's he sent Nick's way. He'd tried to argue but Renard had referred to a not so known loophole that allowed the Pd to keep a few bounty hunters with clean records on retainer, for cases they cannot attend to.

Once finished up Renard beat Nick to the check making him complain, so Renard agreed that Nick can pay for dinner. Nick gave him a look but Renard talked him into staying over another night before explaining he needed to do shopping in the morning.

The weeks passed slowly for Nick as he found himself a home he could afford not far from Renard's apartment and close to the forest, Renard had made sure Nick had good security and a safe place to train out of sight of prying eyes. Nick had tried to protest but had agreed with his arguments when he'd pointed out about his life as a Grimm.

Now it was moving day and Nick was equal parts giddy and nervous as he'd never had a place to call home before. Nick hadn't had a lot to move in with so he'd grumbled at Renard's gift of furnishing for his home, but he had to admit Renard had good taste. Monroe and Rosalee had offered to come visit in a few day stating that they'd let him and Renard settle into the house, Nick had groaned at the implications in their words. Renard on the other hand was working today but the smile had crept upon his face as Nick had handed him the key the night before, he'd agreed to come to the house after he'd finished for the night.

So, Nick was alone while strangers flitted round his home delivering and fitting his appliances, by the time midday rolled round Nick was ready to lock himself in his room. But as it slowed down leaving him and one repairman alone in the house Nick dared to leave his room, he could hear the poor guy muttering and cursing under his breath. Walking out he flipped on the coffee pot and after texting Sean his updates he went to offer the guy a drink.

He was a small guy who seemed to be constantly nervous, his head was stuck within the guts of his fridge when he approached. He bashed his head as he heard Nick approach, this caused a problem as Nick was texting when it happen so he missed the guy wogeing until he'd looked up. The look of pure fear on his face before he raced out the house leaving his tools, made Nick groan knowing a whirlwind of problems would soon becoming his way. Firing off a message to Renard about the incident he cleared the guys things and placed them safely away before heading to pour himself a coffee.

Renard smiled to himself as he looked out the window of his office, as he listened to Nick's woes on the other end of his phone with a humour in his voice. He was filled with a sense of pride as he listened to his soon to be mates complaints about settling down and dealing with normal people's woes. For all of the problems Nick was having he could hear the happiness within his voice, after all Nick had told him of the loneliness he'd lived after losing everything and everyone in his life. Now that he'd completed the mission his parent's had left him, found friends and was now about to settle down. He'd come along way in such a short time, in the end Renard settled Nick's worries by agreeing to join him for the night (Not that he wasn't planning on doing that anyway).

Placing his cell down on his desk the smile on his face lingered a little longer as he sat down, and began looking through the case files and paperwork. He was engrossed in his work when a knock at his office door heralded Sgt Wu's arrival. Looking up he greeted him openly as Wu explained he had a visitor who'd given him the creeps, Renard raised an eyebrow at his comments but still kept a weary eye upon his visitor as he entered.

He was a tall slender man that looked like he was one step up from some of the junkies they arrested on a day-to-day basis, but Renard kept and open mind as he sat down before him. He spoke with a strong French accent but his English was better than some of the native speakers he knew, this rubbed Renard the wrong way. He knew he could have spent time learning it on his own, but the air he gave screamed the Royal's influence.

"This is not the position I expected of a man of your status?" questioned the man smugly as Renard remained emotionless.

"Unlike those for whom you've been associating with in the past, I believe in ruling from within. For myself to rule a Canton completely can not be without the efforts of all within, to rule with an iron fist is to doom ones destiny to the headsman's axe" Renard quipped back, a hint of venom in his words and a slight malicious smirk on his face.

The man was emotionless but Renard was schooled enough in court politics to see the cracks in his mask appearing, he could see his knuckles whitening as he gripped the chair indicating that Renard's words were cutting deeper than the man was letting on. The slight ripple under his skin was the icing on the cake, he was no Grimm so the man's Faux par ment he wasn't as schooled as his family's usual lackeys.

"Now" Renard spoke up smugly as he lent back in his chair as if it was his throne and, in a way, it was, it was both his seat of power within his station and his public seat of power within his Canton.

"Before I grow weary of your presence, I would state your business within my Canton while you can still leave of your own accord" Renard said calmly though the threat behind his words was thinly veiled making the man move uncomfortably.

"Your Canton is still growing and is yet to be considered a threat to that of the royals of Europe, they still consider this back water country undesirable so they have left you too your own devices. But now rumours have reached our ears; the presence of a Grimm is not to be taken lightly. To allow one to run freely within your domain is not a move of a wise ruler, but to openly claim ownership of him is to be viewed as an act of aggression that needs to be met with bloodshed" he sneered at Renard who remained emotionless as he lent forwards.

"My Canton is ruled by my law, it welcomes all whom follow those laws, and expels those who break those laws. The Grimm's intentions are known to those who need to know, he's proven himself to be no threat to myself or my rule. He's actually become more of an asset to me than most of my agents" Renard states cooly as the man became more agitated.

"A Grimm has no place…..." he growled as his pleasantries began falling away.

"This is my Canton, under my law. DO NOT tell me how to rule it" Renard warned him coldly as he was beginning to lose patience with his guest.

"He has no master; without a leash he has no honour towards anyone. You dam your people and you dam yourself for it will be your head he will come for first" he spat before Renard got up and stood by his closed door.

"Your honour is broken, and your presence is no longer welcome. I suggest you take the last of my good will and leave my Canton, for should myself or my people see your face again after sunrise your life will be forfeit for your lack of etiquette. Send Yannick my disregards " with that the man got the message and left the office with his tail between his legs and his pride in tatters.

Renard closed the door and sat back down; his anger was palpable. For a moment he thought about contacting Nick to inform him, but he stayed his hand. He didn't need to concern him at the moment, he'd been running his Canton long before he'd come into his life. He wanted to calm down and put a few things in place before he'd involve his mate within his affairs. Nick had a lot on his mind at the moment, so he'd inform him later once he was away from prying eyes, instead he left messages with

Sam and Serena to meet him before he gathered up his things and left the station.

Nick was glad to finally be out of the house, the weather was glorious so he'd traded out his leather biker gear for steel toed boots, torn and faded blue jeans, a white vest top and an open blue and white checked shirt over the top. He was also grateful to finally use his shades for their intended purpose instead of a mask for his Grimm side.

He was carrying a bunch of flowers, and his mood was light as he arrived at the Spice Shop. Rosilee was behind the counter and beamed when she saw him enter. Hugging him Rosalie took the flowers happily as Monroe came out from the back to greet him. Nick hands her a small list and asked Rosilee if she had any of the ingredients in stock,

"Dude, I forget you're a Grimm some days. What do you have planned for this lot?" asked Monroe as he looked at the list over Rosilee's shoulder.

"Some are for topping up my own stocks, the rest are for Sean he wants to ward my place but he's let his own stores get low" Nick answered absentmindedly as he looked through the shelves, Rosalie smiled at him.

"I actually wanted to speak to you about that before you left town, but it slipped my mind. If you let me know what you need topping up, I'll supply the refill or the ingredients for a family rate" she chuckled as Nick gave her a look.

"You don't need…..."

"Hush Nick, consider it a protectors rate. Helping you keeps us all safe, I've done the same for Sean and his people. It's good for me since you'll need supplies and in return, I get to feel safer" Nick wanted to argue but the lump in his throat kept him silent.

He just hugged her and was about to thank her when the bell indicated a customer. As they turned to greet them the repairman from earlier raced into the shop,

"Monroe, Rosilee. Help, raise the alarm there's…there's and Grrrrr Grimm in Portland" he panicked, as he threw himself at Rosalie.

"Bud…...Bud…...BUD" yelled Monroe making him turn round when he saw Nick and woged before panicking again.

He tried to run but fell over his own feet and hit the floor, where he tried to crawl away in fear. Monroe and Rosilee sighed before moving to calm the other man before he caused a real problem.

"Bud dude it's ok…...he's not a threat" Monroe said calmly as he had his hand on Nick's shoulder, the other man was still panicked and unconvinced.

"Bud this is Nick, he's the one we've all been hearing about" spoke Monroe as his words seemed to calm the other man, who had finally stopped uncontrollably wogeing.

"He's the…..." questioned Bud as he pointed at Nick who was holding back the need to roll his eyes.

"Yes, he's the one that stopped the J related robberies, found Sam Bertram's killers, solved Freddy's murder and save that little girl from the rogue Blutbad" answered Rosilee as Nick kind of blushed as they listed his achievements since arriving in Portland.

"Yeah, Bud he's even the reason the Prince has decided to become more public, he's on first name basis with him" Monroe added with a smirk as Nick scowled at him for his actual meaning.

Bud calmed down and centred himself, pulling himself together he looked Nick up and down before offering him his hand.

"I'm Bud… Bud Wurstner, I'm sorry about earlier but you have to understand. This isn't normal for us, well me your not what we've grown up fearing" stuttered Bud as Nick smiled and took his hand.

"Nick Burkhardt. don't worry about it. We've all had to get used to changes, by the way I've put your tools to one side if you'd like to pick them up? If you're not comfortable I'll pass them to Rosilee for you" said Nick warmly as he shook Bud's hand.

"No..no I'll pick them up off you later" stuttered Bud again with a smile.

The small group chattered for a bit as Rosilee collected the things off Nick's list, once done he paid for his item despite Rosalee's objections. In the end he agreed to her discount telling her he'd bring her a nice bottle of something later in the week, before heading off back to his house to prepare for Renard's arrival.

Renard stood whiskey in hand as he looked out the mirrored window of his office at the Copper Kettle, a local wesen only nightclub. The night club had been the first property he'd owned after his arrival in Portland, and though he wasn't there often it held a special place within his heart. It was also the hub of where he conducted his regal or wesen related business when not using his permanent room at the Hotel deluxe.

He'd long removed his Captain's mask by sheading his suit, tie and all evidence of his association with the Portland Pd. He was now dressed once again in his black pants, crimson shirt and black leather jacket, his Pd weapon was stored away in his safe while his twin silver blades engraved in gold sat proudly on display beside him. The door slowly opened but Renard didn't need to look up, he wore a proudly smug look upon his face as he scanned the dance floor below. Sam, Serena, Father Emilio and three others joined him and waited for him to turn round.

"I'm sorry to have called you all away from your lives but he have a threat to us all among us" said Renard as he turned to face them, he wasn't taken back when he heard growls from the group.

"Yannick and his Reaper's made it clear that Nick's presence in Portland is unwelcomed, it seems it's making them very nervous" Renard stated through gritted teeth as the glass in his hand shattered under his increased strength.

Looking down at his now bloodied hand his green eyes seemed to glow golden as all watched the wounds knit back together before them, looking back up at his people he saw nothing but steel in their eyes. Nick had a way of making people protective of him even without meeting them, Renard wasn't surprised to see Father Emilio joining Sam and Serena in solidarity toward Nick.

"They dare set foot here and make demand of you Sire" growled Sam as Serena seconded his words.

"They have no right or power here" she spat as Renard's smirk just got darker as he walked over and made himself another drink.

"We need to prepare, I'm no fool. This is a test of my rule, something's brewing and it can only mean dark things for us all. My duty is to my people, but I will not bow to the whim of others, Nick is now a member of my Canton and is here by my approval." Renard spoke proudly before swallowing his drink.

"The Grimm is an agent of your will my prince, just as we all are. He is your right hand, the arbitrator of your laws. If they believe they can use him to force your hand, then they have never met the young man" spoke Father Emilio making the others jump since it was rare for him to speak up.

Renard was happy to hear the reaction from his people as he stood watching them, these were his most trusted agents so their opinions mattered to him. They were his eye's and ears, going were he could not, it pleased him that they had accepted Nick as one of them since Father Emilio had not been far from the truth. Even without his romantic interest in Nick, he'd intended for him to take up the original positions the Grimm's once commanded within the wesen world. As an arbitrator of the ruling royal's will, the keeper of their territory's laws.

"So, what is your plan Mon Prince?" questioned the older woman in the room as she stepped forward.

"simple Henrietta, for now we watch, we follow and we assess. If they make a move we will strike" commanded Renard as the group bowed before him leaving him with just Henrietta for company.

"Your mother would be proud of you Mon Prince, I hope your Grimm is worth all this" she said kindly before passing him a book, making Renard look at her confusedly.

"A gift" she said before leaving him to look at it, when he was finally alone, he realised just what he had been handed. It was a book of ancient spells and rituals that belonged to his family's clan, he'd understood this was Henrietta's way of telling him her and his mother accepted his choice of mate.

Smiling to himself he tucked the book into a small case he had before he checked in with the clubs staff then he heading out to go see Nick.