Authors Note: Takes place right around where we left off. This is my first Grimm fic. Also I showed great restraint to keep this Gen. Monroe really wanted to make out with Nick. This one is for you Rubystandish.
Warning: The contents of this fic may make you hungry.
Monroe woke; he slowly cracked one eye and focused on one of the many clocks in his bedroom. When he saw the time he internally groaned. He was used to getting up early but this was insane. He wouldn’t get up, he’d just lay there in his warm nest of blankets and maybe he’d catch a few more Zzz’s. A few minutes later Monroe was resigned to the fact that he wouldn’t be getting more sleep. He flopped the covers back with disgust.
Before going downstairs, he decided to peek in on Nick. Quiet as a Mauzhertz, he cracked the door open. He saw a Grimm shaped lump under the blankets and if he looked a little harder he could see a dark tuft of hair sticking up. Monroe smiled and eased the door shut. All appeared to be well in Grimm land. At least someone was getting some sleep.
Monroe went down to the living room; he stretched his arms over his head, his back cracked with a series of loud pops. He groaned quietly then began to stretch before he moved on to his morning yoga routine. After the tree position Monroe moved on to the downward dog pose and that’s precisely when he heard the pitter patter of little Grimm feet on the stairs. Monroe rolled his eyes to himself; of course Nick would wake up once he had his ass in the air.
“Nice downward dog, Monroe.”
Monroe could practically hear the little smirk in Nick’s voice. He lifted up and saw Nick dressed.
“I know why I’m awake, why are you?”
“Why else? There’s a body.”
Monroe headed for the kitchen. “I’ll make you some coffee.”
Nick followed him. He sleepily leaned against the counter as he watched Monroe bustle around the kitchen. Monroe pulled a thermos down from a shelf, hesitated and pulled down a second. Nick smiled softly. He knew the second thermos was for Hank. Monroe could be an incredibly thoughtful man and he was glad to have him as his friend.
“Do you think it’ll be a Grimm case?” Monroe asked as he poured the fresh brew.
Nick cocked his head. “Did you just make a pun? It’s way too early for puns.”
“Duly noted.” Monroe’s mouth curved into a small smile.
“Probably, I can’t remember the last time I had a non Wesen case. Also the crime scene is practically in your front yard. A body was found in Forest Park.”
“Again?” Monroe’s eyes widened. The last time there was a murder in Forest Park it was more than a year ago, the first time he’d met Nick. A baby Grimm; just coming into his family inheritance.
Nick grabbed up the thermoses. “I gotta go.”
“I’d say have a good day but it’s 4:30 in the morning and there’s already a body.”
“Yeah.” Nick sighed and let himself out.
Monroe got back to his yoga. Nick always had a knack for interrupting him no matter what he was doing. After a year of friendship he was mostly used to it.
Nick pulled up to the crime scene. He got out of his truck carrying both thermoses. He ducked under the police tape and headed toward his partner. Hank met him halfway.
Hank saw the two thermoses and smiled. “Trade ya.”
He produced a familiar pink bag that Nick knew contained the sweetest treat in all of Portland. He quickly handed over a thermos and snatched up the bag. Nick tucked his own thermos under his arm so he could peek inside the bag.
“Oh Captain, my Captain,” Nick happily exclaimed.
He wasn’t giving his donut rank, it was really called that. It was a glazed donut with a hand full of Captain Crunch cereal glazed to it. It was so sweet it made his fillings hum. With the aid of the donut and coffee it would keep him alert and awake. It was his usual ass crack in the morning breakfast. Nick bit into the donut and gave a happy little hum as he ate the first bite.
Hank was face deep in Monroe’s coffee making his own happy noises of appreciation.
“This is Monroe’s coffee,” Hank commented. “That man can make a mean cup of coffee. It would also explain how you got here so fast.”
Nick continued to eat his breakfast. Being a good detective Hank would figure it out.
“You left Juliette, didn’t you?”
Nick’s expression turned stony. “Yes I did.”
“Aw man, I know things were bad but…” Hank trailed off at a loss for words.
“I wasn’t going to keep sleeping on the couch, especially when she’s cheating on me with someone else.”
“What!?” Hank asked eyes wide and downright unbelieving. “When the hell did this happen?”
“Recently, Monroe saw it and Juliette admitted to it.”
“Christ, Monroe saw her. So you know who it is?”
Nick nodded grimly. “Unfortunately.”
“Well don’t keep me in suspense, man, who is it?”
Before Nick could answer he was saved by Sergeant Wu. Never had he been so glad to see the man in all his life.
“If you two are done with your tea party there’s a body over there. It’s not just going to leave you a little note about how it died.”
After Wu left Hank quietly said, “He’s just jealous he wasn’t invited to our tea party.”
Nick snorted a laugh and quickly stashed the thermoses back in his truck.
The area of the scene was lit up with floodlights as well as the flashing red and blue of two patrol cars.
“So what do we have?”
“Someone killed a homeless guy.”
“So no ID then?” Nick asked as he squatted down next to the body.
“Right, and it doesn’t appear that anything was taken off him but we just don’t know.”
“Who found the body?”
“One of ours, Ryder he was doing a sweep of the park,” Hank informed Nick.
“There are ligature marks on his neck, looks like he was strangled by something,” Nick pointed out.
Hank continued, “There’s drag marks that stretch from here into the forest. Might have been a combination of him being dragged and trying to get away? There’s dirt underneath his fingernails and claw marks in the dirt. It looks like he tried to get away form his attacker. Poor bastard died under a bench.”
Nick stood back up and looked around his surroundings. There were a few houses that weren’t all that far away.
“It’s probably a long shot that anyone saw anything, given the time,” Nick sighed.
“Probably, but maybe we’ll get lucky. Could be an early morning commuter saw something.”
Nick nodded. “We’ll canvas the street later. Let’s follow the trail, see what we see.” Nick grabbed a flashlight from a technician and led the way.
“So, who is he?” Hank asked.
“Who is who?” Nick stalled; he knew perfectly well what Hank was asking.
“The dick who’s trying to move in on Juliette.”
Nick turned and looked at Hank. “I really don’t want to talk about it. I don’t even want to think about it. I’m sure it’ll get real ugly soon enough” Nick stalked off into the forest looking for possible clues.
“Damn” Hank mumbled.
After Monroe finished his yoga exercises he made himself a light breakfast, a croissant with raspberry jam. He had just finished with the few dishes that he had when his cell phone rang. He scooped up the phone and checked the display, it was Rosalee. Monroe leaned his hip against the counter and tapped the accept button.
“Hey Rosalee, boy am I glad to hear from you.”
“Hi, What? Why?” she asked panic starting to creep into her voice.
“The spice shop is fine,” he reassured her.
“Then what is it Monroe?”
Monroe let out a long sigh. “I don’t even know where to begin, so much has happened since you left. I could really use your help.”
“Oh Monroe, I’m not sure when I’ll be able to come back. Tell me what’s wrong, is it Nick?”
Monroe’s eyes roved up to the ceiling. “Yeah, you could say that.”
“What happened?” Rosalee asked anxiously.
“Well, Nick and Juliette had a parting of ways… and now he’s staying here with me. Which is so not a problem; I mean he’s over here all the time anyway. Juliette is kinda sorta cheating on Nick but I don’t think it’s her fault.”
“Oh dear,” Rosalee murmured quietly.
“And that’s just the tip of the iceberg, unfortunately. There was this guy that came into the spice shop looking for a cure to curb obsessive compulsion issues in the love department. I told him that that kind of thing was pretty tricky and that they would both have to come in for a consultation. The next thing I know I’m watching Juliette locking lips with this guy.”
“Did you tell Nick?”
“Yeah, and let me tell you it was not fun. I think I would have rather been gored by a Bauerschweine than have that conversation ever again. And it get’s worse.”
Rosalee looked at the phone incredulously. How much worse could it possibly get?
“Yeah I recognized the guy; he was on the news recently. The guy just so happens to be Nick’s boss. Nick did not take that well; he went catatonic with suppressed rage or so I assume. He doesn’t want to talk about it and I’m avoiding it like the plague.”
“Nick’s boss?” Rosalee was utterly flummoxed.
“Yep.”
“But that would mean he knew about the spell. And if he knew about the spell he had to be involved in some way.”
“I think it was him that woke her up. She was in a coma. It was your basic sleeping beauty curse, wouldn’t you agree?”
“Yes, but Monroe, we’ve got bigger problems than that. If he could wake her from that, he has to be a Royal. But that’s crazy, what would a Royal be doing in Portland?”
Monroe chewed on that for a moment. “He put himself in a position were he would have easy access to a newly minted baby Grimm. Bet that would come in handy for him. Nick doesn’t know about him breaking the spell or most likely being behind the spell.
“Monroe!” Rosalee practically shrieked. “You have to tell him.”
“Yes, I know but did you miss the part where he was catatonic with rage, and that was just the cheating part. I think I would rather have a Coyotl chew off my… you know what, never mind...” Monroe coughs. “Besides all we have is circumstantial evidence at best. We don’t know for sure he’s a Royal. He seemed like a regular guy, maybe a bit creepy.”
“Monroe, you have to tell Nick. His boss is having obsessive feelings for Juliette. If Nick gets in his way he could kill Nick just to be with Juliette.”
“This is so above my pay grade,” Monroe murmured and roughly combed his hand though his hair making it spike up rather comically.
“Monroe, I’m sorry I have to go now.”
“Ok, call again when you can.”
“I will. Bye.”
The line went dead; Monroe let out a long sigh and tossed the phone back on the counter.
Monroe had a special work order to fix an antique clock. He’d spend the afternoon fixing old gears and warped springs. He couldn’t think of a better way to spend the afternoon. Working on the antique clock would soothe his frayed nerves.
Hank and Nick were back at the precinct trying to get a handle on the latest murder. Hank was going through some old files that he thought could be of help. Meanwhile Nick was searching through the police data bases for anything that could be relevant to the case. The phone rang next to Nick; his hand drifted over to the phone and picked it up. He was still concentrating on the screen in front of him.
“Burkhardt.”
“Hey Nick,” Monroe said jovially.
A soft smile touched Nick’s lips. He sat back in his chair and got comfortable.
“Hey Monroe, what’s up?”
“I was wondering if you’re not going to be too late would you mind picking up a pizza on your way home.”
“Yeah, sure I can do that.”
“Great, I’ll see ya when you get home.”
“Alright, bye.”
Ten minutes later Nick saw the captain walk in. A dark expression crossed his face and the pencil he was holding snapped between his fingers. He had to get out of there before he did something he just might regret. His career would be over if he ripped the captain’s head off and punted it across the station house.
“Hey Hank, mind if we start questioning the residents? I just need to get out of here.”
Hank noticed the mangled pencil still in Nick’s hand. “Sure Nick.” He stood up and pulled his jacket off his chair.
Nick tossed the ruined pencil in the trash and did the same. He’d rather interview potential witnesses all afternoon than be in the same vicinity as Captain Renard.
Monroe spent most of the afternoon hunched over the inner workings of an antique clock he had promised to fix. Soft Christmas music accompanied by the multiple ticking clocks serenaded Monroe as he worked. Occasionally he would hum a few notes along with the radio while he was intent on his work. After he replaced the last stubborn warped spring he closed up the antique clock with a satisfied sigh.
Monroe checked the time and saw that it was nearly time for Nick to come home. He hoped he had enough time to get the clock ready for shipping back to the customer before Nick came in. He had plans for tonight and this needed to be done first. Monroe went to his storage closet and got a box and all the packing he would need. He layered the bottom of the box with plastic foam that would cradle the clock and hopefully prevent any damage from coming to it. Then he gently placed the clock in the box. He admired the clock before he put more protective covering over the clock, and then sealed the box up. Monroe grabbed up the brown paper and set to work wrapping the box. Of course like everything in his life he had a specific way of doing things. He made sure the paper fit tight to the box and there were clean sharp lines to every fold. Of course Nick walked in precisely at that moment.
Nick held the hot pizza in his hands; he smiled as he watched Monroe.
“You know it’s not a bed. I don’t think you have to give it hospital corners.”
Monroe could hear the teasing smile in Nick’s voice.
“Haven’t you heard, presentation is everything and besides I want everything to look professional.”
“Of course, what was I thinking?” Nick lightly teased.
Monroe waved him off. “Go set up the pizza in the living room, I want to finish this up.”
“Yeah alright.”
Nick set the pizza box on the coffee table then went up to his room to change. He took his leather jacket off and draped it on the foot of the bed. He took his holster off and set his gun on the dresser. With a little sigh he pulled off his badge from his belt and placed that next to his gun. He sat on the bed and pulled off his heavy work boots. Nick traded his button down shirt for a soft t-shirt. He slipped on a navy blue hoodie before returning to the living room. Nick joined Monroe on the couch. Monroe handed him a plate with a slice of pizza heavily loaded with veggies. Nick took a bite and gave a happy little hum.
“So how was your day?” Monroe inquired.
Nick shrugged. “It’s still early in the investigation. We really don’t have any leads as of yet. I have no idea if it was Wesen or a person that killed that homeless guy.”
“Ehh, you’ll figure it out, you always do.”
“I kind of wish I didn’t know Captain Renard was screwing around with Juliette. I wanted to rip his head off.”
Monroe swallowed a bite of pizza. “There’s no screwing as of yet.”
Nick shot him a dark look. “And that’s supposed to make me feel better?”
Monroe sighed; he wasn’t any good at this kind of stuff. “I’m just saying it’s not that bad yet. And while we’re on the subject I want you to know I’m not going to take anyone’s side in this. You’re my friend and I truly like Juliette, she’s a wonderful woman. Under different circumstances I could see us having dinner parties together.”
Nick smiled wistfully at that. “I’m not going to ask you to choose sides. It means a lot actually that you like Juliette.” He let out a depressed little sigh. “Can we change the subject?”
“Sure, man.” Monroe waited a few beats. “How’s your baking skills?”
“Umm?” Nick looked at Monroe baffled as to what that had to do with anything.
Monroe happily munched on his pizza purposely keeping Nick in the dark.
Monroe smiled. “It’s why we’re having pizza tonight. I’ve got a ton of Christmas cookies to make for my church’s cookie walk tomorrow.”
“Alright, sounds like fun. Juliette was the one who made all the sweets, but I can follow directions.”
Monroe mentally squealed in delight and would have to remember to ask what kind of sweet treat recipes Juliette had. He already had several great vegan dishes that she gave him. He absolutely loved having someone he could swap recipes with.
They fell silent as they enjoyed their pizza and each other's company. When they were pleasantly stuffed they tidied up and then headed for the kitchen. Nick’s eyes widened when he saw Monroe pull out two large canvas bags of ingredients.
“Wow, that’s a lot of cookies.”
A big smile was plastered on Monroe’s face. Monroe dug out two aprons from the pantry. He quickly put on his green and white striped apron and handed the other to Nick, big smile still in place. Nick shook out his apron and then gave Monroe an unenthused look.
“It’s all fun and games till someone get’s stuck with the ruffled apron.” Nick took off his hoodie and slipped the apron on anyway. “I’m secure enough in my manhood to wear the ruffles.” Across his chest were festive reindeer with Christmas lights adorning their antlers.
“I got it as a gag gift from Hap years ago.” Sadness crossed Monroe’s face at the loss of his friend. He shook off his sadness, there were cookies to make. He went behind Nick and grabbed up the ties, smiling softly he quickly made a perky looking bow at the Grimm’s back. Maybe when Nick was distracted he could take a picture and send it to Rosalee.
“So what are we making first?”
Monroe set a bag of grid shaped pretzels down on the butcher block along with a bag of Rolo’s. “I thought we’d start with something simple and work our way up.” Monroe turned to preheat the oven. “I call these little bastard turtles; they’re so easy even you can’t screw it up.”
Nick outright laughed. “Little bastard turtles?”
Monroe smiled. “Yeah, well they’re called mock turtles, but they’re just a bastardized version of a real turtle ... sooo. You can start unwrapping the chocolate and putting them on the pretzels.”
Nick unwrapped a Rolo and popped it in his mouth. He smiled when Monroe caught him.
Monroe shook his head but smiled along with him. “What am I gonna do with you? Were you like this as a kid?”
Nick shrugged. “Probably. Aunt Marie wasn’t the cookie baking type.” He lined up the chocolate adorned pretzels neatly on the pan. “So is this something you do every year?”
“Yeah, someone has to put the little old ladies in their places every now and then.” He got a big mixing bowl down and started making the dough for the sugar cookies. “It’s just something I can do to give back, ya know.” Monroe concentrated on making the dough. “When I moved here I was a mess and so was my life. The church helped me sort things out and got me on the path to being Wieder. I met some life long friends and it really helped especially in the beginning.”
“That’s great Monroe, I’m glad there was someone there for you.”
“It really takes dedication to be Wieder, it’s not for everyone.” Monroe slipped the tray of finished turtles into the oven. “Let those bake for two minutes then pull them and put a pecan on top.” Monroe put the sugar cookie dough into the freezer to chill.
Monroe got out the ingredients for his special peanut butter dream bars.
“Every year ol' Eunice tries to show me up with her baking skills.”
Nick chuckled as he pictured Monroe and some 80 year old lady duking it out with bake goods. It was amusing to the Grimm.
“She a Schweinehund I don’t think you’ve come across one of those yet. It means skunk, it’s best to stay downwind of them if you get my drift.”
“Something tells me all the tomato juice in the world wouldn’t help an encounter with a Wesen skunk.”
Monroe snorted. “Not hardly.” He melted the peanut butter, butterscotch, and marshmallow on the stove. “Eunice tries to cover up her natural odor with Youth Dew. Especially for a Blutbad that’s like dousing your nose in alcohol and then setting it on fire. I swear the older she get’s the more she slathers on. When you see her I swear you’ll laugh. She’s got this scrotal sack she calls a chin.”
Nick looked at Monroe incredulously. “Did you just say…?”
“Scrotal sack, yes.”
Nick shook his head. “Please don’t.”
“Would you prefer the word testicles?”
“No, and I get the rather disturbing picture.”
Monroe asked. “You have tomorrow off, right?”
Nick nodded. “Yeah, supposed to anyway.”
“Then can we use your truck to drop all these off? Cuz there is no way they will fit in the Bug.”
“Sure.”
Monroe poured his peanut butter, marshmallow concoction into a pan and slid it into the freezer to chill as he pulled out the dough that would become delicious sugar cookies. Monroe set the bowl on the counter then dug around in a drawer till he found his cookie cutters. Nick smiled as he spied one in particular and snatched it up.
“I didn’t know they made wolf shaped cookie cutters.”
“Oh yeah, they make all kinds of weird things. It’s kind of appropriate since a lot of these I’m making for Anna, you’ll meet her tomorrow.”
Nick tried to remember if Monroe ever mentioned someone named Anna before, he didn’t think so.
“Are you trying to woo Anna with chocolate and sweets?” Nick teased.
Monroe snorted as he kneaded the dough. He gave Nick one of his patented ‘you’re an idiot’ looks. “Anna is ten years younger than me. We’ve been friends for years. She lets me play big brother occasionally.” Monroe smiled wickedly. “Actually you’re more her type.”
Nick laughed. “No thanks, I’ve got enough trouble as it is.”
“Eh, it’s just as well, female Blutbaden are known for their short tempers.”
Nick started making wolf and snowflake cookies with a few trees thrown in. “I’m assuming she’s Wieder?” He stole a scrap of dough and popped it in his mouth. Monroe slapped his hand.
“Yeah, though she’s not vegan.”
“So she’s more like Hap was?” Nick remembered that Hap really couldn’t stick with the vegan diet.
Monroe snorted a laugh. “No one is like Hap was.”
Nick had to laugh too; Hap seemed like one of a kind.
“Actually it was Anna that helped me work out my regimen. That girl has incredible will power. You won’t have to worry about her going off the rails even though she does eat meat. I make all Anna’s favorites cuz she appreciates them. It’s been hard for her, she’s going to lose her Oma soon. It’s rare but some Blutbaden that become Wieder are close to a couple relatives despite the non killing. So you can imagine how awful it is for her.” Monroe shrugged. “The chocolate is the least I can do.”
Nick’s heart swelled at Monroe’s sheer kindness. Again he thought how lucky he was to have met him even though it had been a rocky first meeting. Something occurred to Nick that he had been meaning to ask.
“Can Blutbaden even have chocolate? I know wolves aren’t exactly the same as dogs but they’re in the same family.”
“Well it won’t kill us, but like anything too much of a good thing is never a good idea.”
Monroe took the tray of cookies over to the oven. While Monroe was occupied with his tray of cookies Nick slid out his phone and quickly took a picture. He saved it to a file and also sent it on to Rosalee. A few minutes later his phone chirped with a new text message from Rosalee.
FoxieRose1: lol, ohhh cookies save me one!
MrGrimm: Will do. : )
When Nick looked up Monroe mock scowled at him. “You’re not as sneaky as you think you are. So what did Rosalee have to say?”
“She said your cookies looked good and she wants one.”
Nick stifled a laugh as he watched the big Blutbat actually blush. With all his Grimm and police work he’d obviously been out of the loop. He thought about both of his Wesen friends and decided that, yeah, he actually could see Monroe and Rosalee together.
Monroe busied himself putting some of his creations in festive tins for Anna and the rest were boxed up for the church. They worked long into the night. They talked about anything and everything as they usually did. Monroe got Nick back for the picture he sent to Rosalee. He got a particularly good shot of the Grimm in his ruffled apron ‘sampling the goods.’ Nick helped Monroe make a bunch of Buckeyes which he had never heard of, but after trying one he was a big fan. Since Nick had been woken very early he was fading fast. He left Monroe to ice the multitude of sugar cookies. As he fell face first into bed he promised that if there was more to be done he’d help out in the morning.
Nick slowly woke the next morning. He sleepily checked the time; all the clocks said the same thing 10:37. Nick was both grateful and confused as to why Monroe let him sleep in. Still a bit sluggish Nick made his way to the bathroom. He splashed cool water on his face then brushed his teeth and used the toilet. Back in his room he pulled on a pair of brown jeans with his blue henley. He jammed his feet into his boots, scooped up his leather jacket and was out the door.
Nick found Monroe in the kitchen. “Hey, why did you let me sleep in? I thought we had to deliver all the cookies this morning?”
“You needed the sleep; we’ve got plenty of time.” He handed Nick a tall mug of coffee and a huge muffin bursting with wild berries. Nick happily dug in.
“Did you get finished with everything?”
“Yep, everything is ready. After you’re done devouring breakfast you can help me load up your truck.”
Nick grinned and made quick work of his breakfast. “This is so good.”
Monroe just rolled his eyes fondly. “Of course it is, silly Grimm.”
They had to make quite a few trips to Nick’s Toyota Land Cruiser but they got everything in and secured, including the package that contained the antique clock. After Nick got behind the wheel Monroe informed him that they needed to make a quick stop at the post office to drop off his package.
The church happened to be only several doors down from the post office. As Nick pulled into the parking lot he realized that he’d driven past this church quite often and hadn’t known that it was a Wesen church.
Before he got out Monroe exclaimed. “You’re a cop!”
Nick gave him an incredulous look as if to say ‘where have you been for the last year and a half?’ “Yes, and every day since I met you.”
Monroe shook his head as if to say that he was getting to the point. “Cops have that special gel that they use when they have to examine a burned body. Do you have some?”
A look of understanding crossed his face. Nick leaned over and pulled open the glove compartment, dug around a bit before coming up with a small jar. He handed over the jar to Monroe.
“It’s just menthol, nothing special.”
Monroe pocketed the jar. “This could come in handy with the Schweinehund.”
Monroe loaded up Nick’s arms with containers of cookies while he grabbed up the tins for Anna. As soon as they entered the building Monroe saw Anna. She was set up in the best spot. The church had a small built in platform and that’s where the best cookies and holiday treats could be found. Everyone else set up their goods in a room off to the side. When Anna caught sight of Monroe a big smile lit up her face.
“You’re late,” she teased good-naturedly.
Monroe gestured over his shoulder in Nick’s direction. “Someone needed their beauty sleep.”
He presented her with the holiday tins all tied together with a bright red bow, which was her favorite color as well. She eagerly took the gift and set it safely behind her, out of the way, then launched herself into his arms for a big hug. “It’s so good to see you, Monroe.” Beneath his coat Anna snuggled up against his soft sweater. She smiled up at him. “Thank you for the chocolate, it’s much appreciated.” She narrowed her eyes at him. “It’s not vegan, is it?”
Monroe huffed a laugh. “No, don’t worry, I used the good stuff. Junkie,” he muttered fondly.
Anna lifted up on the very tips of her toes and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Monroe leaned down and kissed her cheek as well.
Nick had set the containers down on the table and watched the sweet reunion with a smile on his lips. Monroe turned to the side and gestured to Nick.
“Anna, I’d like you to meet a good friend of mine. This is Nick Burkhardt.”
Anna was almost eye to eye with the other man. She saw that he was very handsome but in the next moment she sensed the predator vibe that was the essence of the Grimm. Anna gasped softly a frightened expression crossed her face.
Nick looked down at his feet and let out a little frustrated sigh. He hated how every Wesen he met was terrified of him. It was particularly unpleasant when they begged for their lives before even meeting him.
Monroe squeezed her shoulder and murmured, “It’s ok Anna, he’s a friend.”
Anna took a shaky breath and held out her hand. “Nice to meet you, I’m Anna.”
Nick smiled genuinely and took her hand; it was cold to the touch most likely from nerves and them standing in the open entryway. Looking at her, he could see a resemblance to Monroe even though they weren’t related. She had a mass of dark curls framing her pale face. Her eyes were green instead of brown. Anna wore well fitted jeans that hugged her soft ample curves, a rather festive t-shirt with a smiling gingerbread man and a long grey sweater that resembled one that Monroe himself owned. Nick mentally shrugged, maybe it was a Blutbaden thing to love the holidays and soft sweaters. He smirked to himself; he doubted that fact would be in his aunt's books.
Monroe bustled over to the table and started setting out his holiday treats. Nick and Anna joined in.
“So how’s the competition this year?”
Anna smirked. “Pitiful as always.”
“That’s what I like to hear,” Monroe said with a wide smile. Monroe gestured to the other room. “Any thing or one I should stay away from?”
Anna shrugged. “Eunice.” Her nose wrinkled at the phantom smell her brain conjured. “Gertrude, and her dust cookies.”
Nick frowned and puzzled over that one for a minute.
Both Monroe and Anna chimed in with an explanation. “She uses old flour.”
Anna nodded grimly. “It makes the cookies taste like dust.” She turned to Monroe. “Oh, and you might not want to sample the fudge. The Jägerbär who made it decided to go commando today, so sanitary issues there.”
Monroe looked up at the ceiling and shook his head. “We’re in a church for crying out loud!”
“That’s what I said.” Anna looked every bit as disturbed as Monroe did.
Nick had to stifle a laugh.
Monroe dug the small jar out of his coat pocket. “Well, at least I’m prepared for Eunice.” He dabbed a small amount under his nose. “Woo, that clears the sinus’ up. Alright, I’m going in. Nick, on second thought you should probably just stay here. You know how Wesen tend to act when they see you and you know what happens when you startle a skunk. We don’t need a toxic event on our hands.”
“Alright, I’ll just keep Anna company.”
Anna moved behind the table and sat down. She pulled out the other chair and gave it a pat.
Nick sat down and looked at all the cookies before him. “So which ones did you make?”
She pointed out a flat cookie that was flecked with cherry chips. Anna selected one and handed it to him. “On the house.”
He gave her a perturbed look. He hated when Wesen felt obligated to give him things for free because he was a cop or a Grimm.
She smiled knowingly at him. “The next one you buy.”
“You know how they say cops like donuts, it’s actually fairly accurate.” Nick took a bite of the soft cookie. “Mmm, this is good.”
Anna’s hand wandered in the direction of Monroe’s tins. In no time she had a tin free and the lid pried off. With a happy sigh she bit into a rather large buckeye. She practically hugged herself it tasted so good.
“Monroe makes really good cookies,” she murmured through peanut butter and chocolate.
“Yeah, he sure does.”
“So you’re a cop? I think I remember Monroe mentioning something about that.”
“Actually, I’m a homicide detective.”
“How in the world did you meet Monroe?” She smiled shaking her head at the very idea.
“What, he didn’t tell you?”
“Not the details.”
Nick looked a bit sheepish. “I wish it was a better story to tell. You have to understand that I just started to get my Grimm abilities and I didn’t understand what was going on. A little girl was abducted by ... it turned out a Blutbad in the same area as Monroe’s house. I’ll admit I jumped to conclusions and flying tackled him in his own house. He’s been a big help though, I wouldn’t know what to do without him.” He smiled at her. “So how about you? How did you meet Monroe?”
Anna smiled back at him. “Well my story isn’t nearly as interesting as yours. We met through a friend through the church. She thought we’d get along and she was right. She thought I could help him out with establishing a regimen and sticking with it. And Monroe got to play big brother which I know he secretly enjoys.”
When Monroe got back he noticed Nick and Anna sharing a laugh, probably at his expense. Secretly though, he was glad that they could get along, and by the looks of it enjoyed each other's company.
He came up beside them. “Should I regret leaving you two alone?”
Nick looked up and smiled “Hey, Monroe.”
Monroe just shook his head fondly. “Come on, let’s haul the rest of the cookies in.”
Nick and Monroe with Anna pitching in brought in the rest of the cookies and set them out. They finished just in time for the second wave of hungry holiday customers.
When Bud got home from work he saw his kids running around and yelling like a wild pack of Hundjäger’s were chasing them.
He shook his head and called out, “You kids better behave or I’ll get Nick after you.”
The kids just laughed and dove into their tree fort. Bud had to admit it just didn’t have quite the same ring to it. The monster under their beds now had a name, and as luck would have it, was a real nice guy. He went in to greet his wife.
“Hi honey, I’m home.”
She bustled out of the kitchen carrying a sweet smelling pie in a woven basket.
“Ohh, that looks good.
“It’s for the Grimm, dear.
“Oh,” he deflated a little.
His wife smiled and gave him a knowing look. “I made two pies.”
Bud perked up at the news. “Then I better run this right over to him so I can be back in time for dinner.”
Bud returned to his truck and secured the pie on the seat beside him. He made the trip to Nick’s house in good time. When he rang the doorbell it was Juliette that answered.
“Oh hello, Juliette, Nick’s life mate. My lovely wife made Nick a pie to say thank you for saving my life.”
Juliette sighed, bit her lip and looked downright uncomfortable. “I’m sorry Nick’s not here.”
“Well that’s ok, you can just give it to him when he comes home.”
Juliette leaned against the door jam. “He moved out, Bud.”
“Oh I’m so sorry, um, I hope it didn’t have anything to do with, well what I mean to say is…” Bud nervously sputtered as he usually did when he was anxious, which was quite frequently.
“You can probably find him at his partner's apartment or more likely at Monroe’s house. I’ll get the address for you.”
Armed with a piece of notebook paper and a cooling pie, he got back in his truck feeling a bit out of the loop. It was such a shame. Nick and Juliette were such a great couple, they were meant to be together if you asked him. Poor guy, he worked hard keeping all the Wesen in line and the humans too. There probably wasn’t much time left for a personal life.
Bud pulled up to a cute looking little cottage that overlooked a park. He checked the address, yep this was the place. He started up the walk but immediately froze when he caught the scent.
“B..B..B.. Blutbad!” He instantly woge’d. “Awe Nick, what are ya trying to do to me?”
Bud tried to reason with himself. Juliette was a very nice woman and wouldn’t purposely send him to his death. And if Nick now lived here, that must mean that the Blutbat was friendly or at the very least non violent. Bud snorted at that. That was about as likely as Bauerschwein flying out of his butt. He scuttled up to the porch; set the pie on the stoop rang the doorbell and ran like hell. He was sure Nick would forgive him. An Eisbiber could only be so brave and he had his family to think of. Bud left with a squeal of tires getting the hell out of there.
Later that night Monroe and Nick were in the kitchen making dinner. Monroe decided to make one of Nick’s favorites. There actually weren’t many of them the picky cop liked. He was just grateful that Nick didn’t put up too much of a fuss cutting meat out of his diet.
Nick smiled as he moved around the kitchen and helped Monroe prepare dinner. Judging by the ingredients it was by far his favorite. He missed making dinner with someone. He and Juliette used to cook together when their busy work schedules allowed.
“So what did you think of Anna?” Monroe asked as he stirred the sauce.
Nick’s bright smile shone in his eyes. “I like her a lot, I think she’s great. She reminds me of you actually.”
“Yes, because I’m so enjoyable,” Monroe said somewhat sarcastically.
Nick laughed softly and bumped shoulders with the big Blutbad.
Monroe set about mixing together their dinner which consisted of tofu, pasta and a blended creamy vodka sauce.
“Nick, why don’t you go pour us some wine.”
Monroe dished up their meal and carried it out to the dining room. As they ate they chatted about anything that came to mind, they always had something to talk about. Though, usually it was about the different Wesen that were a danger to Portland. Nick loved to listen to Monroe, he was always so full of stories, facts and knowledge. When he got going on a topic he could be downright amusing. They were just finished eating when someone rang the doorbell. Monroe didn’t get many visitors so Nick assumed it was Hank. He hoped he wasn’t about to get pulled away on an assignment; he wanted to enjoy the rest of his evening.
Monroe set his linen napkin on the table. “I’ll get it.”
As soon as Monroe reached for the doorknob they both heard a screech of tires. Monroe muttered darkly, “There better not be flaming dogshit on my porch.” Monroe threw open the door and looked down. He cocked his head in confusion, there appeared to be a pie on his porch. He stooped down and picked it up. Monroe stepped out a little further and scented the air. His brow wrinkled up, was that beaver he smelled?”
Monroe ducked back in only to see Nick prepared for battle with his studded bludgeon. “Care to explain why it smells like beaver out there? Friend of yours?”
Nick set down his weapon. “Oh that was probably Bud; he’s my repair guy and friend.”
Monroe lifted the pie out of the basket. “Looks like we’re having dessert tonight, turtle pie I believe.”
Nick went to go get the dessert plates when he noticed Monroe heading for the back door. “Where are you going?”
Monroe cleared his throat “I’m just gonna go, ya know re-mark my territory.”
Nick rolled his eyes and turned away as he hid his smile.
Das Ende
Thanks for reading!