Chapter Six

Nick had called ahead to make sure that Monroe and Rosalee wouldn't mind letting him stay there with Kelly for the next day or two. He hated to impose, but as always, they were more than happy to help.

When he arrived and got Kelly situated. Setting him on the floor with some toys to play with, though chew on was a more apt description. Kelly was in the habit of putting nearly everything in his mouth. Teething had been going on for a long while now.

While Kelly kept himself busy, Nick explained to Monroe and Rosalee what the argument he and Adalind had was about and how she had Woged at him in anger.

It was well known that Adalind didn't like displaying her Hexenbiest nature around Nick, though he'd done everything he could to make her feel like she could be herself. But to see her enraged enough to Woge at him was unlike anything he'd seen in their time together. At least, romantically together.

Monroe was holding two of the triplets while Rosalee was feeding the third.

Rosalee felt uncomfortable doing it but she decided it was best to let Nick know how she had witnessed the tail end of Adalind's Woge at the Wesen Council announcement meeting.

Nick asked, "She was jealous of Samantha?"

Rosalee nodded, "She called it a flash of jealousy, yeah."

Nick put a hand to his forehead and closed his eyes, "I'm not sure what I'm going to do. Maybe it's just a bad week? We all have various mood swings from time to time, right? She seemed to have felt awful about having lost her temper."

Monroe lifted his eyebrows and said, "Yeah, but a mood swing for a Hexenbiest?"

Before Nick could respond there was a knock at the door. At first, he assumed it was probably Adalind and said as much as he got out of his seat. When he opened the door however, he saw Alexander standing on the stoop. Alexander is a Pflichttreue type Wesen, when he Woges he takes on a white panther like appearance. In the past, he'd worked as an enforcer for the old Wesen Council.

Nick wasn't surprised to see him as he said, "You got here sooner than I thought you would."

Alexander, speaking in his British accent, confused by Nick having been expecting him said, "You knew I was coming?"

Nick was agitated, not at seeing Alexander, but he truly thought it was going to be Adalind at the door. Adding to his agitation, he was somewhat insulted that Alexander wouldn't have thought Nick would expect him to show up after announcing the formation of Portland based Wesen council. He was a bit brusk in his response, "I figured if you didn't show up in a few weeks then you were dead. Wait here."

He closed the door in Alexander's face and went back into the room where Monroe and Rosalee were seated and informed them of the visitor.

Monroe attempted to keep his voice down, "You were expecting him?"

Nick nodded, "Of course. A Wesen Council in Portland? You think he wouldn't show up?"

None of them had ever warmed to Alexander and were never sure how much they should or shouldn't trust him. His methods often left something to be desired. The first time they'd met him, he was in Portland to kill a child who'd been infected with what was thought of as an incurable illness.

Nick pointed at Kelly on the floor and said, "Watch him. I'm going to speak with Alexander outside."

They both nodded in response. Rosalee didn't bother to hide an expression that she was concerned that Alexander had shown up unannounced.

Nick put on his coat, opened the door, stepped outside and saw that Alexander hadn't moved. He was wearing a suit, which was typical for him, but the suit looked old and rather rumpled up. Like it hadn't seen a dry cleaners in a long while. He also looked like he was trying to grow a beard, but was still in the early days.

Nick said, "Walk with me," as he walked past Alexander.

Alexander was nonplussed. He started to point at the door, about to ask why they couldn't just go inside, but before he could get a word out, Nick was too many strides away. Alexander felt foolish doing it but he trotted a bit to catch up to Nick.

Once Alexander was up to pace Nick began speaking, "I knew when we announced a Wesen Council was forming here, that someone would show up. I assumed it would be you. To be honest, I kinda hoped it would be you. We may not always see eye to eye, but at least I know you. And we have a, well, a rapport, I guess would be the best word for it. You got here faster than I thought you would though."

He stopped when a thought occurred to him. He turned to Alexander and asked, "You're not here for some other reason, are you?"

Alexander also stopped and replied, "No, I-"

Before he could finish the sentence, Nick began walking again saying, "I put someone in charge I trust. I have three other people on the council I also trust. The others I don't know. But I feel we're going to do some good work here."

Alexander is taller than Nick but was still having trouble keeping pace with him as he walked down the street. It was dark out and though Alexander had been in the area before, he still hadn't familiarized himself with the neighborhood. He asked, "Where are we going?"

Nick paused and said, "Let's just say that you caught me on a bad night and I have some pent up energy I need to get out."

Alexander nodded and said, "Well, I'm here to offer my assistance."

Nick shrugged and began walking again. He slowed down a bit to help Alexander keep pace. After a few moments Nick said, "I'm not trying to be rude, but I'm not sure we could use your kind of help."

Alexander didn't take offense, "To the contrary," he said, "I think I'll be able to help in more ways than one. And I hope you'll understand, that much of what I've done in the past has always been because I was doing what I was ordered to do by the existing Council at the time. I think, perhaps, they weren't willing to understand who you are and how you do things. Stuck in the old ways, as it were."

Nick believed that Alexander meant what he was saying, but argued, "It's a Portland Wesen Council."

Alexander was quick to shake his head, "You may think it's a Portland Wesen Council, but word is spreading around the globe that it's here. Wesen everywhere will be looking here for guidance. You may not have wished for it to be that way, but you're essentially famous now. The Portland Wesen Council will quickly just become the Wesen Council whether you want it to or not."

Nick stopped again. He sighed and said, "Well, it's not my decision either way. I wanted a Council here in Portland because, for some reason or another, things tend to happen here. We've had crises that could have gone a lot worse if not for my friends. But as much faith as I have in them, they have lives now. They can't be expected to save all of Wesen kind from an outbreak of a plague or whatever may be next. Hopefully there won't be a next."

Alexander was going to make a counter point, but before he could say anything, Nick's phone rang. He wanted to ignore it, but as a Detective for the Portland PD that isn't really an option. He looked at the screen and saw that it was Samantha calling.

As he answered he held up a finger signaling to Alexander to wait, "Hey, Sam, what's going on?"

Samantha was pacing on her front porch. She was a bundle of nerves, attempting to take deep calming breaths before Nick had answered. When he did, she realized she didn't even know what it was she wanted to say. There was a part of her that deeply needed his help, but also remembered that when she took on the part of Chairperson of the Portland Wesen Council that she wouldn't go to Nick for help. That she would keep all Wesen matters within the Wesen Council. But she was already feeling overwhelmed.

Just hearing Nick's voice did a lot to make her feel better. Through her emotional state, she was able to get out, "Nick, I'm in over my head."

Alexander saw the look of concern on Nick's face as Nick asked, "Why? What's wrong?"

Samantha took a breath and sighed heavily as she said, "I'm getting calls and emails from places all over asking for Wesen help and intervention."

Nick looked at Alexander as though he wanted him to hear the next words when he said, "What do you mean all over?"

"I mean everywhere. I've had calls from Europe, Africa, Asia. Nearly every continent. I didn't want to bother you with this, Nick, but I don't think I can handle all of this. I've got the other members of the Council helping me, don't get me wrong. They're great. But people are expecting us to enforce Wesen law. Like, 'enforce' enforce. You know what I mean?"

Nick nodded and said, "I'm coming over now and I'm bringing someone with me."

Samantha apologized to Nick but he assured her that she had no reason to apologize and that all of this was his idea to begin with and he had no intention of leaving her in the deep end with no help. He walked back to Monroe's and Rosalee's, leaving Alexander outside, Nick explained what was happening and made sure that they were okay with continuing to watch Kelly while Nick dealt with Wesen Council business.

Rosalee was the first one to insist that he get over to Samantha's and help her however he can.

After Nick and Alexander had gotten into Nick's SUV, Alexander began to explain that he'd heard of the new Wesen Council and was surprised that someone had taken up the task but was not surprised to learn that it was the Grimm in Portland who made it happen.

Nick interrupted him, "Where have you been since the previous Council was murdered by Black Claw?"

Alexander looked out the window as he replied, "For a long while I was in hiding. The council had safe houses we'd used over the years for one operation or another and I would stay in one for a while and then move to another for a while and so on. There were a few times Black Claw agents caught up with me, but I was able to defend myself, give or take."

Nick, always the detective, asked, "And what about when Black Claw collapsed?"

Alexander looked over at Nick and said, "I've been kind of aimless if I'm being completely honest. To be fair, for quite a while I was unaware that Black Claw was gone. Once I'd learned of it however, I didn't really know what to do. I traveled a bit. Saw some family. But my calling has always been to serve the Council. So when I heard what you'd done here, I got on the first flight I could. I knew that your heart would be in the right place, but the Wesen Council has been gone now for nearly two years. There's going to be a lot of Wesen needing a lot of help that are just now finding out that help may be available."

Nick took in a deep breath through his nose before he said, "It didn't occur to me that there would be a backlog."

Alexander sensed that Nick was mentally kicking himself at the moment for not having the foresight, but Alexander wouldn't have it, "You had no way of knowing. Only someone on the Council would know what we deal with day to day. Some days, it's nothing. Other days, it's like the ceiling is caving in from the avalanche of chaos that goes on in the world."

Nick risked a glance off the road as he said, "And you think you can help to make the Portland Council capable of handling world problems? Cause I'm more than a little skeptical."

Alexander, whose face had been best described as impassive nearly the entire time that Nick had known him, smiled, "I have one thing I'm sure can help. Maybe it won't solve everything, but I know it can solve a lot."

Nick turned a corner and parked the car and then said, "What's the thing you think can help?"

Alexander replied, "Money."

***

When Juliette, Collette, Nikki and Gail returned to the former home of the Hexenbiest, Henrietta, they were pleasantly surprised to find a small amount of furnishings. A couch and a dining table with six chairs were the first new additions they saw. The Coven members that Juliette had yet to meet were in the kitchen. From what they could smell when they walked in the door, the Hexenbiests were cooking something that would be potentially delicious.

Collette called out to them and asked that they join them in what was a combination living room and dining room. Juliette sat down at the dining table and waited to meet the final members of their Coven. She was growing weary of meeting new people and playing along with the niceties. Once she felt she'd gotten what she wanted she planned on leaving them and finding a new path in life. She used to be a veterinarian and there was no reason she couldn't return to that. She felt no desire to work with HW any longer, and she felt that if HW caught wind of what they were up to, they'd likely send someone after her. Bridges were going to be burned and she didn't much care.

The two women walked from the kitchen. One was wearing an apron over her blouse and jeans. She was taller than all the other women in the group. She also appeared to be the youngest. Juliette guessed about twenty-three or so. She had multiple piercings in her ears, a single stud in her nose and her hair was dyed a kind of turquoise color. Collette introduced her as Manon. When she said, "Hello," Juliette had no doubt the woman was French. Her accent had all the subtlety of a hand grenade. On the surface she seemed friendly enough.

The other woman was wearing shorts and a sleeveless shirt. Juliette waited to hear her speak, but was correct in her assumption that she was Spanish. Roughly the same age as Collette, she had long dark hair and dark eyes. She was holding a glass of wine in her hand and was actively sipping from it when Collette introduced her as Robin. When Robin spoke she smiled very warmly at Juliette, though it was to be assumed that she wasn't on just her first glass of wine, as her words were edged with a little bit of slurring.

Juliette was glad to have the pleasantries and introductions out of the way, finally. She put her hands on the table palm down in front of her and asked, "Can we do this?"

Collette looked at Robin and Manon and said, "Juliette is pretty anxious to see how the Siphon works and I don't blame her one bit."

Robin, in her Spanish accent, said, "Why do you think I've been drinking wine? I'm trying to numb the pain that thing is going to cause."

Collette explained to Juliette that because there are four spindles on the Siphon, only four of them were able to use it the one time they had. Robin was excluded, so she gets her turn this time.

Nikki pulled the plastic baggy from her coat pocket and pointed at the blond hair inside it and said in her British accent, "Well, it looks like you waited for the good one, cause I've heard rumors that Adalind is pretty powerful."

Juliette had been trying to avoid asking this question but her curiosity finally got the better of her and she asked, "Who was the first person you stole power from and why have there been no repercussions?"

Manon waived her hand dismissively as she said, "Oh, she was old. She was in what you Americans call, 'an old folks home.'"

Juliette noticed her use of the past tense and thought to ask about it, but she reminded herself she didn't care. She saw Collette glare at her Manon. Perhaps Collette didn't want that bit of information to be spoken aloud.

Robin downed the last remnants of her wine glass and stepped into the kitchen. She returned a moment later with her glass full again and showed no shame in taking another large gulp from it. She exclaimed, "Let's do this!"

Gail stepped to retrieve the box containing the Siphon, she placed it on the dining table, removed the lid, took out the Siphon and carefully sat it in front of Juliette.

Nikki removed the hair from the baggy and wrapped the strand around the spool in the center of the Siphon, carefully tying it in place.

Juliette asked, "So, now we just, what, stab our hands onto the spindles?"

Collette nodded. She warned, "However painful you think this is going to be, it's worse than that. But, do not pull your hand away." She looked over at Manon and said, "Manon couldn't withstand the pain and this will be her last chance to prove she can do it."

Manon replied defensively, "I thought it wasn't working properly!"

Robin retorted, "So you've said."

Juliette said, "It's me, Manon and Robin. Who's the last one?"

Collette arrogantly replied, "Me, of course."

Juliette nodded her understanding. Collette has designated herself the leader the Coven. Was it earned? That didn't matter. Juliette was only interested in one power struggle and that was to do with Adalind. Anything else was pure luxury.

Robin took another large gulp of her wine, then asked, "Is everyone ready?"

Collette turned the Siphon so that the four women could easily reach her spindle and said, "I recommend that you Woge first. It will hurt a little less."

All four women Woged. They stared at each other for only a moment or two and then placed their hands towards their respective spindles and pushed.

The equal pressure from each side helped prevent the Siphon from sliding around on the table too much, but Juliette felt it move a bit, so she used her free hand to push down on it to prevent it from moving any further. As the tip pierced her palm she closed her eyes and clenched her teeth willing herself to push further. As it pierced the top of her hand she imagined that most likely the worst of it was over. However, the curvature of the spindle, as well as the uneven thickness going down to the base, hurt more than she cared to admit to anyone. She pushed and pushed. She opened her eyes and saw that the other women were struggling, perhaps even more than she was, to get their hands to the bottom. When at last her hand reached the base she let out a deep sigh. The other women followed suit and she heard Robin let out a short squeal that could have also been a whimper.

Juliette asked, "Now what?"

Collette pointed at the blood that had pooled beneath each of their hands at the base of their spindles and said, "Watch."

Juliette stared at the Siphon and after a moment she saw that the blood was somehow being drawn to the center where the spool and the single hair was sitting. As far as she could tell the flat surface of the Siphon had no slope to it, so the blood was obviously being drawn to the center by some sort of magical means.

As their hands continued to leak blood onto the surface it continued to be drawn to the center until blood was touching each spindle as well as the spool without any breaks.

It was then that she noticed how hot it was. Or rather, how hot her hand was. She couldn't stop herself as she said, "Ow!"

The heat, the origin of which she couldn't determine, seemed to be focused entirely on her palm. The free hand she was using to hold down the Siphon felt no heat at all.

She looked at the other women to read their expressions and none of them looked to be enjoying what was happening. Robin had her eyes closed and appeared to be biting her own lip. Through their Woges it was difficult to read their facial expressions with certainty, however, Juliette was confident they were all feeling the heat just as intently as she was.

When it seemed the heat had plateaued and wasn't going to increase any more than it already had, it seemed to instantly double. Once again, she couldn't hold back her words as she shouted, "What the hell!"

She removed her free hand from the Siphon and gripped the edge of the dining table with it.

Juliette glanced around at the others who appeared to be suffering similar torment. She attempted to breath through her mouth in rapid succession like she'd seen pregnant women in labor practice on various TV shows and movies. She noticed Collette yank her head back as though she'd suddenly been hit with a sudden jolt of pain. Juliette didn't have time to wonder about it however as she was suddenly hit with pain that wracked her entire body, radiating from her spine, forcing her to also yank her own head back. Whether the other women had similar situations she didn't know as she couldn't bring herself to look at anyone as she muttered between clenched teeth, "Oh. My. God."

Juliette felt less shame at having voiced her discomfort as she heard Manon begin to belt out a low cry.

Robin's drinking of wine didn't seem to be helping numb her pain much as she began to repeat over and over, "Make it stop! Make it stop!"

Juliette's spine felt like it was on fire. She squeezed the edge of the table with her free hand even harder as it seemed the pain was going to continue to increase and increase until she finally passed out from the agony. In the center of the Siphon, the single hair that was wrapped around the spool disappeared in a flash of light and a puff of smoke. The blood that had trailed back to the spools next did the same. The board was now as clean as though it had just been washed and the pain in their bodies had vanished just as quickly as the hair. Though, the pain in Juliette's pierced palm was likely going to linger for several days.

The four of them were panting heavily as though they'd just sprinted a hundred meter dash. Manon was the first to speak when she said, "That. Was. Terrible."

Robin didn't bother to hold back her emotions as she spoke at a loud volume, "I don't think I've ever felt so much pain in my life!"

Collette, who was the only one at the table who had experienced the full extent of the pain before, was already trying to pry her hand up back off the spindle. She added, "I was hoping it wouldn't hurt as much as last time, but I would submit it was very much the same."

Juliette used her free hand to push down on the Siphon again, allowing all the women the leverage they needed to pull their hands back off. None of them seemed to be bleeding anymore, though the wounds still felt fresh.

Once all their hands were freed, Juliette leaned back in her chair and placed her good hand on her forehead and discovered she had broken out in a clammy sweat. She pulled at the front of her shirt to cool herself off.

The twins, Nikki and Gail had been watching the event from the doorway to the kitchen. Nikki, acting as though nothing had happened, and appeared to be somewhat jealous that she hadn't been able to participate in the power theft, said, "Can we eat now?"

  ***

Nick walked up the stairs onto Samantha's porch. The first time he'd been there it was to tell her that her brother had been murdered. The second time he was nearly murdered himself by the same killer. He had to think back, but he was fairly certain he hadn't returned since. Alexander followed behind him silently.

Nick knocked on the door and waited. A few moments later, Samantha opened the door and stepped out onto the porch just so that she could put her arms around Nick and hug him tightly. She was wearing a sweatshirt a couple sizes too large for her as well as sweatpants, but was barefooted. Nick returned her affection. She'd hugged him the for first time back when he'd had to assure her that, as a Grimm, he wasn't there to hurt her and that, as a detective, he was going to do everything he could to catch her brother's killer. She had initially been terrified of him but now it seemed she felt more comfort with having him around than she could ever put into words. It wasn't romantic affection, but to call it platonic seemed to diminish the way she felt for him.

After Samantha released her embrace, Nick turned and gestured to Alexander and introduced him to her. She did her best to greet him and then invited the two of them inside. Nick allowed the two of them to walk in ahead of him. The last time he'd been there, the front door had been forced open and he couldn't help himself but to make sure that the door had been fixed properly and could close securely, though he didn't mention his concern, he was glad to see that the door had been repaired.

As he stepped into the house he was puzzled to see Trubel sitting on the couch messing around on her laptop. He smiled and said, "Trubel?" Hoping his inflection would get across that he was wondering why she was there.

She set her laptop aside, stood up from the couch and gave Nick her own hug. When she stepped back and sat down on the couch again she said, "I've been spending some time with Sam."

Nick interpreted her words in addition to her tone to suggest that the time was social and not Grimm related, though he wasn't sure how much he should read into the social part. He was, however, glad it appeared that Trubel had made a new friend.

He gestured towards Alexander and introduced him and he introduced Trubel as his daughter. This confused Alexander as Trubel is a full grown adult and based on the research he'd done on the Grimm some years back, he wasn't known to have any children at that time. He chose at the moment to not say anything about the matter.

Now that Nick was seeing Alexander in a well lit room he noticed that it wasn't so much that the suit he was wearing was rumpled so much that it appeared Alexander had lost quite a bit of weight since last Nick saw him. Perhaps all that time in hiding hadn't been kind to him.

Samantha invited them all to sit. Nick sat down next to Trubel and immediately felt awkward because Samantha had chosen to sit down in the same chair she had sat in when he'd been there to question her about her brother's death. Alexander sat down in a nearby chair and said nothing. Nick realized he hadn't said a word since they'd arrived.

Nick, trying to cut through the awkwardness in the air, said, "Alexander used to work for the old Wesen Council and he has come to Portland to... help."

Samantha shook her head, "I appreciate you coming here for that, but I wasn't looking to be in a Wesen Council that serviced, like, the whole world. I really liked Nick's idea of helping out our community here in Portland and making sure residents knew where they could go for help if needed or let them know something dangerous is in the area. I wasn't ready for this."

Alexander nodded and spoke in what he hoped was a reassuring voice as he said, "Our world, the Wesen world, doesn't always rely on the Wesen council. Most Wesen can go their whole lives without ever needing assistance. But it's a big world and there aren't many people or organizations that our kind can turn to when the unexpected occurs. They need a Council. They'll need you." He nodded his head at Nick and said, "Nick tells me that he trusts you and that's why he asked you to take the lead on the Portland Wesen Council and it's my belief that if you are willing to put in the effort, that your vision of what a Council could be may very well be better than the Council we had before. Minus a few growing pains."

Samantha looked at Nick and couldn't hide her smile. She liked hearing that he trusted her. But she returned her gaze at Alexander and said, "Since yesterday, I've been asked to find two Gevatter Tod's for a couple of elderly people in two completely different parts of the world. I found them! But I spent hours on the phone trying to help just two people. I've also been asked to do something about some Wesen somewhere in London who are robbing tourists in full Woge."

Nick reflexively sat forward at hearing about robberies happening in full Woge. That was against Wesen law. Punishable by death and he'd seen the Council enforce it in the past when there were local Wesen using the same methods to rob banks. Since there was no more Wesen council, whoever was doing it likely felt that no one could stop them.

Trubel was the first to respond, "I can run that past HW. See if they want to do anything about it."

Samantha bobbed her head side to side, unsure if she wanted to accept Trubel's offer of assistance. She said, "I don't know. Would it cause any problems asking them for help with it? I'm not familiar with HW or whatever it is they do. I trust you of course. So, whatever you think is best I guess?"

Trubel stood up and said, "I'll step outside and call."

As she walked out, it was then that Nick noticed that though Trubel was wearing a white t-shirt and jeans as was typical for her, like Samantha, she was also not wearing any shoes or socks. He did his best to hide his smile.

Alexander wasn't fully up to speed with what had just been said so he asked, "HW?"

Nick answered, "Hadrian's Wall. That's what they call themselves anyway. They helped to dismantle Black claw."

Alexander raised an eyebrow, "And," he paused because he was afraid he was getting her name wrong, "Trubel... works for them?"

Nick smirked a bit and said, "Yeah, she's one of their best assets."

Alexander nodded his head slowly as he said, "I see."

Samantha looked at Nick and said, "I'm just not prepared to do this as a full time thing. I have bills to pay. I didn't imagine I'd be dedicating this much time to it."

Her expression became apologetic and Nick was prepared for her to say she couldn't be in charge of the Council any longer, but Alexander spoke up, "The head of the Council deserves a salary."

Samantha turned to Alexander and with a bit of surprise replied, "I'm sorry?"

Alexander continued, "The council has an operations budget that obviously takes into account the leader as well as the other members of the Council."

Samantha returned her gaze to Nick and asked, "Did you know about that?"

Nick shook his head and replied, "He told me on the drive over here."

Samantha looked again at Alexander and said, "So, I mean... How would us forming a Portland Wesen Council entitle us to anything the old Wesen Council had? I'm not even sure how they financed themselves."

Alexander leaned forward in his seat, placed his elbows on his knees and said, "Due to my position with the Council, I was able to lock all the Council's accounts. No one has had access and the balance has continued to grow over the last several months. Much of our revenues are collected through investments, interest bearing accounts, but also," he paused, technically the information he was conveying was a secret, but what other choice did he have, "revenue from shadow budget items from various governmental bodies in Europe that have been in place for, I don't even know how long. Decades? Centuries? Either way, there is a budget."

"And," Samantha struggled to find the proper way to ask what she wanted and decided there wasn't a reason to be delicate, "you're just going to relinquish that to us, the Portland Wesen Council and not, like, live on a beach in Maui or something?"

Alexander let out a short laugh through his nose and then regained his composure, "Well, let's just say that I hadn't ruled anything out. I'd rather see it used for it's intended purpose, even if altered somewhat by the parties involved. If the Portland Wesen Council doesn't accept it, then I don't know what I'll do with it."

Samantha sat silent for a moment. She glanced over at Nick and asked, "What do you think?"

Nick shook his head, "This is your decision."

Samantha also shook her head, "No. What I mean is, do you think we'd be making a deal with the devil if we accepted the responsibilities and the money?"

Nick turned his head to look over at Alexander as he spoke his response to Samantha, his face expressionless, "Let's just say that if a devil tried to collect, it wouldn't go well for the devil."

Alexander nodded his understanding and took no offense. He understood that in the past he'd not made the best of impressions with Nick. Poor choices were made both by himself and especially the Wesen Council, who at one time had put a bounty on Nick's head.

Samantha had to make an effort to hide her smile at watching Nick threaten Alexander without making the moment any more tense than it already was.

Alexander was about to say something when Trubel had walked back in the front door and stepped into the living room. She paused as she wasn't sure if she was interrupting but Samantha asked her how the phone call had gone and Trubel replied, "They'd had similar reports and I guess I just volunteered myself to go check it out cause they told me to be on a plane in a couple hours."

Samantha, who wasn't expecting Trubel to be going anywhere anytime soon, and didn't like the sound of it, could only bring herself to say, "Oh."

Trubel said, "I need to grab my boots." She turned and left the room.

Alexander, who wasn't aware that anything was amiss, attempted to carry on from where their conversation had left off but he'd barely got out a syllable before he was interrupted by Samantha asking Nick, "What's she going to do?"

Nick, who knew what she meant, asked anyway, "What do you mean?"

Samantha, mildly frantic, replied, "What is she going to do when she gets to London?"

Nick did his best to respond in a way that wouldn't insult Samantha's intelligence, "She'll try to track down the Wesen who are robbing people in full Woge and make them stop."

Samantha understood that the Wesen world, at times, could be an unkind, unforgiving place. But she still struggled with the idea of allowing Wesen to be hurt if it could be avoided. Another part of her recognized that the Wesen who were breaking Wesen law couldn't be left to continue to put others at risk. She began nervously wringing her hands in front her.

When Trubel returned she had already put her boots on and reached to grab the laptop she'd left sitting on the couch next to Nick. Samantha stood up from her chair and stepped over to Trubel and said softly, "Hey."

Trubel turned around, looking Samantha in the eyes, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "Yeah?"

Samantha took another step closer to Trubel and said, "I know you're going to London and that you're good at what you do and that I'm probably overstepping, but please be careful. And if you can find a way to resolve the matter without..." She couldn't bring herself to say anything about Trubel hurting or even killing the Wesen perpetrators, "...you know... anyone, I'd appreciate it."

Trubel nodded her head but said, "I'll do what I can, but that's all I can promise."

Samantha nodded her head in quick understanding and put her arms around Trubel to hug her as she said, "Come back safe."

Trubel returned the hug. Nick and Alexander were both trying to not make the situation awkward by averting their eyes, but Nick couldn't help notice that as Samantha released her hug, she quickly kissed Trubel on the cheek.

Trubel turned to give Nick a hug before she left but he waived her off and said, "Let me walk you out. These two can keep talking business."

He stood up and as they made their way to the door Trubel grabbed her coat off a hook and slid it on before they stepped outside. Once the door was closed behind them and he was certain they wouldn't be overheard he pointed to the house with his thumb and said, "What's that about?"

Trubel knew what he meant but still asked, "What do you mean?"

Nick smiled and said, "You know what I mean. You and Sam. Don't get me wrong, I was glad to see you and her were, I don't know, hitting it off?"

Trubel, mildly embarrassed replied, "Yeah, she asked me to dinner the night of the Wesen Council announcement." She shook her head as though something was bothering her, "I don't know how you do it."

Nick, not understanding what Trubel meant, asked, "Do what?"

Trubel shrugged and said, "Not to bring up bad memories, but when I met you, it was you and Juliette and now you and Adalind are married and even on just one night out with Sam I was looking over my shoulder constantly. Worried someone would see us and.. you know. How do you not worry about them?"

Nick nodded, "Are you kidding? I was always worried about them." Matter-of-factly, he added, "And now you're going to be worried about Sam."

Trubel's eyed welled up a bit as she replied, "I like her. It's only been a few days and I like her. I've never... you know... liked anyone before. That's hard enough to come to terms with, but to add to it that she's the Chairperson of the Council and any number of Wesen could see us together and decide they think it's wrong and... well... like what happened with Monroe."

Nick put his hands in his coat pockets as he walked a few steps past Trubel and sat down on the steps of the porch. Once he was comfortable he said, "I can't pretend to know how you're feeling right now. I know we each care about Sam in our own ways. I'll always do my best to protect her or Monroe and Rosalee or Bud or the Seidels, and of course, you, Adalind, Kelly and Diana. But, I think our biggest fears are what will happen when we're not around. We can't always be there. It's scary. All I can do is take it a day at a time and try to never forget how lucky we are to have met amazing people who we care about and care about us. Remember, I'm a cop. Even without the added Grimm problems, Juliette always had the concern that something may happen to me in the line of duty. That fear we all share is the price we pay for doing what we do."

Trubel sat down next to him and said, "I've just never felt this way before. Losing Meisner to Black Claw hurt. But that was different somehow."

Nick leaned in towards Trubel and spoke low, "I can only guess, but I think that's normal. You'll feel differently for her because you like her and because, unlike Meisner, she's not a fighter and maybe you instinctively want to protect her. You two are pretty different people, but I don't see that as a bad thing. I think, if you choose to keep seeing her, that you'll bring out new qualities in one another. Maybe."

Nick bumped his shoulder against Trubel's as he added, "I will do my best to look after her while you're not around though. You have my word."

Trubel smiled and said, "You were gonna do that anyway." She wiped at her eye and added, "Thanks."

He stood and held out his hand to help Trubel up from the stoop. She put her arms around him to hug him goodbye and he returned her affection.

He said to her, "I love you. You be safe in London."

He was about to back away from the hug but he felt Trubel squeeze him in her arms a little harder. Without saying a word between them, he understood she wanted it to last a bit longer than normal, so he held her until she was ready to let go.

After a few moments passed, she released her embrace and as she backed away she said, "Adjusting to family life is way harder than I expected it to be."

Nick nodded and replied, "It's a constant back and forth between difficult and easy. But it's all worth it."

She walked down the stairs and along the street to where she had parked her motorcycle. After she'd started it up and he waved at her as she rode by, he turned and walked back into the house to find out what Samantha and Alexander had worked out, if anything.