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-G-
“Nick! Nick, no! No! Nick!” Her voice swirls, around and around, high pitched and desperate, a plea and a cry. Darkness gathers, in the sky in front, above and around, flashes of lightning burst and the storm clouds descend. It’s the end, fear leaves a bitter taste in her mouth and panic takes her breath as the gathering gloom takes it all from her and the blackness swallows her whole.
Waking with a start, Trubel sits bolt upright and raises a knife in one smooth motion, her eyes darting around for a target, a reason behind her sense of dread.
She’s in Monroe and Rosalee’s living room, their sofa her bed for the night and no one else is around. It’s her heavy breath that she can hear, fast and frantic. She’s alone in the room and nothing is present that is any kind of threat. She droops back into the cushions, knife coming to rest on her blanket covered legs, and takes a deep breath. There’s no danger here, no unknown, and she really should still be asleep.
Her dream, or nightmare, seems hazy now, the details fading quickly, but emotion sits heavy on her chest and it’s like she can’t take a full, deep breath. She knows she was somewhere and Nick was there, and she was saying something to him. What, exactly, she can’t recall now and that fact unsettles her. It was important, she’s sure, and it meant something, though the images from when she was asleep are all gone from her mind now.
But she can’t shake it, this feeling. It lingers still, in the back of her mind, that something isn’t finished. That she’s needed and has to be on guard. It’s what brought her back to Portland, a sensation that just wouldn’t leave her alone; the feeling that something terrible was going to happen.
Except it hadn’t, but things still hadn’t seemed right. Trying to find the others to sort out what was going on hadn’t helped. She’d found a darkened Spice Shop, that looked like someone had left in a hurry, an empty loft that looked the same, and then made a mad dash to Monroe and Rosalee’s house only to find that everything was ok. Everyone was there and gathered round with only Nick acting somewhat emotional. His hug had been demonstrative and tight, with the other’s eyeing him as they talked about what was really going on. No one seemed all that sure. And then Diana was talking in riddles, that somehow Nick understood and everyone else just, kind of, accepted. It had been so strange, and she’d felt so strongly that there was danger.
It was like she’d sprinted to the top of the peak, only to discover there was never any incline, it was the climax that had disappeared, the feeling of something almost but not and that left such a sense of unsettledness hovering over her.
Really, from looking around at everyone gathered in Monroe and Rosalee’s living room, they all had that look on their faces; as if they were recovering from something similar. That some big, bad that they’d all been expecting to happen, well, it hadn’t happened.
But clearly something had. Nick was acting like she’d never seen him before, and she’d seen him in plenty of crisis moments. His emotions seemed heightened and he was wired, as if he couldn’t come down from a high that was unbelievable to him. His talk with Diana cemented it in her mind and Trubel wanted to ask more, not quite accepting of his down-played answers. That he was happy to see them all, that something had happened to affect his outlook, that she believed. That he didn’t know how to tell them? She wasn’t as sure on that. Maybe he really didn’t but she suspected it was that he didn’t want to and from his reactions, something big had happened to Nick that she felt he would be better telling them about, rather than keeping it all bottled up inside.
With a sigh, Trubel swings her legs free from the blanket, down onto the floor, and slips the knife away; accepting she’s not going back to sleep. Aware of the other occupants of the house she quietly moves to the downstairs bath then makes her way into the kitchen to make coffee, a cup for her now and then the rest ready for when anyone else joins her.
She’d expected to maybe stay with Nick but he’d still been a little wired and not willing to stray further than an arms-length away from Adalind or the kids, so the blonde had packed him, and Diana and Kelly, up and taken them back to the loft, leaving Monroe to offer her and Eve a place to crash for the night. Hank and Wu had lingered after Nick, Adalind and the children had left, all of them still feeling off-kilter from how Nick had been acting and even Renard had offered a comment as he’d left, sharing a similar opinion. Rosalee had then explained what they’d been experiencing and researching, in the last few days and weeks, with Eve expanding on what had happened in the mirror world she and Nick had visited.
Taking a sip, Trubel moves to the kitchen doorway and stares at the empty frame of the mirror that had been pushed back to the far corner of the living room. It looked like such a nonentity yet, if the stories her friends had told were true, then it had held a significant role in a serious situation. A gateway to another realm. Blood magic and ancient evil, with prophecies and power without known cause or limits. Zerstorer. She’d never heard the name before and from how everyone was acting, Trubel didn’t think she wanted to hear it again.
It sounded like there had been a close call but as Nick hadn’t offered any further explanation, and they were all of the same opinion that he was hiding something from them, they were left to just talk in circles and, well, guess. Eventually the late hour had caught up with Rosalee and Monroe had bundled her into bed, with Eve following them up the stairs to the spare bedroom, where she had been staying, and Trubel had set up the couch to be comfortable for her night.
There were just too many questions and unknowns, and it all seemingly depended on Nick and when-slash-if he would tell them what actually happened. She had her gut feeling, that hadn’t completely gone away, and that felt like this was a big deal and it was something that Nick would be affected by so should probably be shared with those around him.
She’s just topping up her second coffee cup and thinking about making some breakfast when Eve appears in the doorway. They greet each other quietly and Trubel pours her a cup that she receives with a nod and small upwards quirk of the lips.
“Did you sleep?” Eve asks after she’s taken a sip and Trubel nods.
“Well enough,” she replies. “You?”
“Some,” Eve admits. “I’ve gotten used to not sleeping, what with all the research I’ve been doing and then going to the other place.”
“What was it like?” Trubel asks, curious about more details of this place that seems so important, and Eve looks away; eyes focused on something in the distance as she sips her drink.
“Strange, with similarities to here and yet, major differences too.” She says haltingly, then explains the landscape but also the Wesen they encountered there. How they stayed Woged, even in death, along with the humans and their limited interactions with them. How it had all been rather primitive and how the Blutbaden that Nick had had to kill, to save themselves and the other humans there, had then been cooked and eaten by the humans, or Kehresite.
“You were there together? Seeing all this?” Trubel checks, when something Eve said triggers a sense of something being left out. From what they talked about the night before, with the brief titbits Nick had shared, something doesn’t add up.
“We were,” she replies, but slowly and then shakes her head. “But I don’t think that’s quite right. When we came back through, the way Nick reacted … he saw something I didn’t.” She meets Trubel’s eyes and hers are serious and intense. “Something happened,” Eve states quietly and Trubel nods in agreement. “And we need to find out what it was.”
“Why?” As much as Trubel feels the same way, there’s an intensity to Eve’s words that she doesn’t quite understand.
“The way Nick was acting last night? That wasn’t normal and if there’s something else going on, we need to know so we can prepare and be ready, for whatever it is.” Eve meets her eyes, looking solemn, and Trubel tilts her head as she studies her.
Her face is so familiar to her and yet, there’s other parts that are not. That she’s known this woman for years is both true and not true. She knew Juliette, very well in fact, and had grown to love the older woman in a way that most would view as family. Similar to Nick but not quite the same. That she’d been involved in her taking and the start of her transformation into Eve was something that Trubel would always carry with her, invoking a mix of emotions about her own actions; though she could never feel as completely guilty as she suspected she should – Juliette, as power crazed as she was in that moment, had been killing Nick when Trubel had stepped in.
Still, her actions hadn’t been as clear as Nick had seen them to be that day and she still remembered how quickly Adalind had put it together, when she’d been with them at the loft. That was another guilt she’d carried, trying to comfort the blonde over her daughter when she’d known that the young girl in question wasn’t with the royals at all. She’d done many things, since becoming involved with Hadrian’s Wall, that she was both proud of, as well as ashamed.
Looking at Eve now, those dual-sided emotions rose up again and she wondered, not for the first time, if it really had been the right thing to do. Juliette had been out of control, yes, and she would never feel bad for saving Nick, not after everything he had done for her. But seeing the woman who had also taken her in, be built back into that machine like being, who was so focused on the mission and that was all … Trubel wasn’t sure how to sum it all up. Whether it had been worth it or not. Especially now, when she’d moved on, for better or worse, and now that life wasn’t as structured as it once was, for either of them. Hadrian’s Wall still had a use for her but Eve seemed to have slipped through the cracks made from Black Claw’s attacks, especially without Chavez and Meisner to champion on their cause and her involvement.
“What if it’s nothing? What if there isn’t anything to prepare for?” She asks lowly and sees Eve still.
“There’ll always be something to prepare for,” she replies back, voice stilted but sure. “I may not be who I once was, or who I was then made to be, but I can be my own version of them both, of my own chosen being. I can still be useful. I am what I am and I intend to use my abilities to do what I can. Black Claw may be gone but it’s not the only organisation of its kind, it’s not the only threat that we have or will need to face. We spent days researching this and I don’t believe it’s over, just like that. There’s more to this and Nick needs to tell us, so if something else is coming we can be ready for it.”
“So … is that Juliette or Eve talking?” Trubel asks, staring at the woman in front of her keenly. She flashes back to sitting in the sewers, underneath Nick’s loft and seeing Juliette’s eyes shine out of Eve’s face. Talking quietly and realising that something had shifted. Then watched in the days that sped by how Eve’s persona slipped over the body while the presence of Juliette lingered, like never before.
“Neither, or maybe both,” she replies then gives a rather uncharacteristic, for both of the women she’s been known as, shrug. “What happened, happened. I can’t change it. I don’t want to. Juliette will always be a part of me, as will her actions, but I’m not her. Nor am I fully Eve anymore. I can think outside the box that I was reshaped into. I don’t know what that means, other than going forward in a way that feels right, that honours them both and that makes me feel … like the version of myself I am to be.”
“I guess I can understand that,” Trubel says softly, thinking of her time growing up and then how being in Portland, meeting all these people, had reshaped her before she had left to find out a way to be who she wanted, and needed, to be. “You don’t have to do it alone.”
“I know but I think that’s where I need to start,” Eve murmurs and they share an understanding look. “Portland will always be a place of homecoming, even if it is also a place of ruin. The opportunity to make it all anew is here, as well as to find comfort in the familiar. I think while other’s plant their roots, I can look at the other pastures, and make sure those that grow can do so safely.”
“You really think there’s another fight here somewhere?” She asks and Eve nods. She knows the answer, really, before the other woman says it; especially after growing up the way she had. Not all Wesen were bad, Nick and everyone had taught her that lesson, quickly and correctly, but there were still a lot of bad people out there and many Wesen who would use their unique talents against those less able than themselves.
“There’ll always be another fight,” Eve states quietly and Trubel can’t argue with that.
“Is that what you want to keep doing? Keep fighting?”
“I want to know every part of me, including the part that has the ability and power to be in those fights,” Eve replies.
“And end them,” Trubel adds with a look, having seen the power the other woman has commanded.
“Potentially,” she replies. “I want to re-learn who I am, where I can acknowledge the past without letting it identify me. Who I was, who I am and who I want to be, all alongside with what I can do. If that means finding out and taking the fight to those out there that need that, then that’s what I’ll do. And it starts here, with answers only Nick can give us.”
“You really don’t remember anything happening, in the other place?” She checks, again, and Eve nods.
“Not anything that would drive Nick to act the way he was,” she states and Trubel knows that they’re both aware of how unusual his actions were the night before.
“I guess we ask him, then,” she says but can’t help the slight reluctance to her tone. She believes something happened, and is reassured in that by Eve’s senses too, but, as much as she thinks Nick should be talking to them about something that affected him in such a way, she also doesn’t want to push him. He’s stood by her for so much, really, she can do no less for him.
A whisper floats through her mind then, of a request, a plea. Nick’s voice, backed up by Adalind, with both holding panicked desperation. An urgent, low appeal with a crying imploration. Something important. Then there’s a footstep on the stairs and the phantom murmur is gone.
“Morning,” Monroe mumbles as he walks in and Eve steps to the coffee machine to make a fresh pot as he joins them.
“How’s Rosalee?” Turbel asks, noting that the Fuchsbau hasn’t come down with him.
“Still asleep,” he replies. “I think all of the excitement from the last day or so really wiped her out, or maybe the relief of nothing happening did. Either way, I’m not waking her until I absolutely have to. She’s been so tired lately.”
“Well, she is growing three beings,” Eve states, tone all matter of fact, and Trubel gapes.
“Three?” She asks in surprise. “You’re having triplets? How? I mean-when did you find that out?”
“Officially? At our last appointment,” Monroe mutters. “Unofficially? When Diana told us we’d be having ‘more than one’.” He shakes his head and Trubel just stares.
“Oh, wow.”
“Yeah, that was a fun conversation,” he breathes out then moves forward as the machine beeps with his much-anticipated brew. “Still, unexpected statements aside, she is a good kid, if still a little freaky. I’m glad that she didn’t become the shaphat, or whatever it was.” At Trubel’s raised eyebrow he launches into a quick re-telling of the story they were told by Renard’s friend and how Diana had been potentially part of this prophecy that would have had her as the devil’s child bride.
“No wonder you were all freaked out,” she mutters, thinking of how Nick had been and how Adalind and Renard had circled protectively around the young girl.
“Yeah, it’s been a lot … I think I’ll ring Nick, just to check in and see how they all are,” Monroe says and takes his coffee with him as he moves into the living room.
She can hear the start of the conversation, as well as how quickly Monroe begins to ramble and talk, saying the same thing in different ways and giving Nick information he probably already knows, as well as that he doesn’t necessarily need.
“Yeah,” Monroe expels a loud breath and Trubel can’t help but step closer so she can hear more. “Ok, man that would be great.” Monroe looks up then and gives her a nod as he continues to talk. “Really reassuring too as Rosalee and I, we were worried and after yesterday … I mean, are you sure it’d be, ok?”
“Sure, sure, I’ll uh ask them too. We’ll see you in an hour or so,” Monroe states before moving his phone away from his ear as the call obviously ends. Eve moves to stand at her shoulder and they both look to Monroe as he walks towards them.
“Nick invited us all to the loft,” he says, with a slightly puckered brow. “Says they’re just finishing breakfast but that we’d be welcome after that.”
“Good,” Eve declares. “Maybe he’ll be in a better frame of mind and will tell us what happened.”
“Maybe we get there first and see how Nick is, before we start demanding information, or anything,” Trubel feels compelled to add in, meeting Eve’s eyes and knowing they’re both thinking of their earlier conversation.
“I agree with all of that,” Monroe states with a nod. “I’ll go see how Rosalee is. Nick said to give them about an hour then we can go to the loft.” He turns away then, muttering about maybe picking up something to take with them and disappearing up the stairs to check on his wife.
“We have an hour then,” Eve utters lowly. “Before we may get some answers.”
-G-
They’re just exiting the car, after parking in the loft’s garage, when the gate stops descending and then reverses upward to allow another car to enter. Hank parks just behind Monroe’s car and he and Wu greet them as they join them by the elevator entrance.
“Everyone ok?” Hank checks in and they all give their responses as they wait for the lift to come to their level.
“So, are we going to ask Nick what was up again or just wait for him to say something?” Wu asks after a quiet moment as the elevator finally arrives and they all step on.
“We ask,” Eve states determinedly just as Rosalee declares they should wait on their friend. The two women share a look and Trubel sighs as she knows they’re both about to repeat their words of the conversation they had had in the car on the way here. She doesn’t think either side has the stronger argument and she can’t say which she thinks would be better to do, as she can see merit in both actions.
Nick had seemed positive and in a much better frame of mind when she’d checked with him that this visit was ok, but as that communication had only been through messages, she’s not taking it as the complete truth just yet.
“We wait,” Monroe asserts, looking around at them all, and she nods in support as Hank agrees just as the elevator jolts and the door is lifted up to reveal Nick.
“Hey,” he greets with a smile. “Come on in.” Trubel tries to study his face as they all follow him into the main living area of the loft, where Diana is sat at the table and Adalind is stood in the kitchen, with Kelly on her hip. Nick looks rested and, almost, lighter somehow than how he did the previous day.
“Hi everyone,” Adalind calls and Rosalee takes the bag of items, that her husband had insisted they bring, off of Monroe and walks over to greet her and Kelly. The young boy gives a squeal in welcome and the two women start chatting about Rosalee’s night, accompanied as it is now with her latest pregnancy symptoms, as she plays with Kelly’s feet, making him laugh.
Trubel stays put near Nick as everyone arranges themselves in the room, Monroe also staying close as Hank and Wu take seats at the table and greet Diana. The sound of chatter fills the loft but there’s also this awareness of something else; the elephant in the room. It’s there in the way everyone is talking softly, glancing at each other and meeting each other’s eyes before looking away.
They’re all talking normally but Trubel can see that the pressure of wanting to ask, wanting to know, is building in them all and she can tell, even with as inscrutable as she is trying to be, that Eve is close to just out-right demanding answers.
The only person who doesn’t seem aware of this is Nick, as he talks to them all and engages in conversation almost easily. She does notice that he regularly scans the loft, checking everyone’s positions and all the exits. He seems particularly attentive to where Adalind and the children are and she notices him shift so he can observe them all, without being too obvious about it. It brings to mind, again, that this is behaviour that isn’t normal for Nick and that it is possibly a reaction to something that happened to him.
Her gut clenches again and that feeling swoops in, that something was amiss. She stares at Nick as he asks Hank a question, just studying his face again and trying to see if there’s a difference there, if there’s something there that would explain any of this.
“What?” Nick asks as he catches her gaze again and it’s as if everyone in the loft hears the question and stills in anticipation for her answer. She opens her mouth but hesitates to say, wanting and also not wanting to upset the balance of this time right here; even if it all feels, slightly and somewhat, off.
“We want to know what’s going on,” Eve answers for her, voice hard, and Trubel shoots her a glare as the others shift in the now uneasy atmosphere.
“What’s going on?” Nick repeats and looks around. Eve steps forward and tilts her head.
“That’s what you have to say?” She asks before frowning. “I think it’s time we’re all honest,” Eve states and that has Nick furrowing his brow in displeasure.
“Ah, I think what Eve means to say is, ah,” Monroe jumps in quickly, looking between the brunette and Nick. “We all noticed that you were acting, well, a little odd and we wanted to check, again, that you’re ok and that anything that happened isn’t going to, ah possibly, happen again.” His words settle in the space and Trubel senses as everyone shifts their attention to Nick, who’s gone still. They’re all waiting for his response, but it’s not Nick’s words that break the silence.
“It won’t,” Diana chirps, from where she’s sat at the table.
“Sorry, what?” Wu asks, as he’s currently closest to the young girl.
“What happened won’t happen again,” she states as everyone looks at her. “He’s gone, Nick made sure of that and we don’t have to be scared.” She looks up and smiles, then gives Nick a little nod. He moves over to her and crouches down by her side. He must be aware of everyone’s eyes on him but he only looks at the blonde girl.
“We don’t have to talk about this, if it makes you uncomfortable,” he murmurs, though with how quiet everyone else is they all hear his words.
“It’s ok, Nick,” she smiles at him and Trubel doesn’t think she’s ever seen the young girl look at him like that. With respect and affection, almost like … like she’s looking at a father-figure. “I’m not afraid anymore and you don’t have to be either,” she shifts to lean in closer to Nick. “But if you don’t want to talk, I can make it stop.” Her eyes glimmer purple and Trubel could swear that the temperature in the loft drops a couple of degrees.
“Ah, honey,” Adalind calls as she steps forward but Nick gives a soft laugh.
“Thank you for the offer,” he states warmly. “But sometimes it’s good to talk about things, even when you don’t want to.”
“Ok,” Diana agrees with a shrug and her eyes return to their normal blue and she turns back to her drawing. Trubel shares a look with Eve and she’s sure they’re both thinking of what that young girl, who looks so young and innocent, is truly capable of. There’s also the thought of when they were with HW, and the methods Eve used when she didn’t want someone to talk. It’s unnerving to think of that young blonde doing something similar, as she’s surely able to.
“Kids, eh,” Monroe huffs as Nick stands up again. He nods and gives Adalind a grin, where she still lingers in the in between space of the loft’s zoned areas. Kelly giggles on her hip and waves at his father.
“So, are you going to talk about what happened?” Trubel asks hesitantly as the others look around.
“Sure,” Nick confirms and meets her eyes but his gaze flickers away quickly.
“First, where are our manners? Does anyone want a drink? Or something to eat?” Adalind interrupts and Trubel is sure no one misses the look Nick shoots her. He might say he’s going to talk but she’s not sure he’s ready to. “Monroe, you brought these lovely things, what do we need to do with them?” She points to the bag that Rosalee had put on the kitchen bar counter.
“I know I could eat,” Trubel announces, gaining a warm look from Adalind, and Nick bumps softly into her shoulder as he moves past to go to join her in the kitchen.
“Is there ever a time you couldn’t, or wouldn’t, eat?” He asks with a grin and she follows him to launch a defence of her eating habits, even as most of the others in the room agree with Nick’s assessment.
They gather in the kitchen as Nick and Adalind move around, Rosalee happily taking over holding Kelly as they play host; everyone talking food. Eve stands quietly on the fringe, seeming to pay attention to everything that’s going on. Monroe explains the items he brought, as Rosalee admits it’s heavily influenced by her pregnancy cravings and she and Adalind begin to talk pregnancy symptoms as the blonde pulls out cookies and other options for everyone else.
There’s soon a small feast spread along the counter and Trubel happily takes a little of everything, her plate only outdone by Rosalee’s. Drinks are made and passed around, as the concentration levels in the room vary; from those focused-on food and sustenance to the others who are still intent on their primary goal for coming to the loft.
A cup gets knocked off and smashes, the sound loud even amongst the voices of low conversation that flows and she doesn’t miss how Nick flinches at the sound. She sees Hank and Wu share a glance and knows they noticed it too. The two police officers seem to communicate a conversation between themselves before Hank shifts to be closer to Nick, as he tidies the mess up. They both pick up pieces and Adalind hands Nick a cloth to sop up the spilled drink.
“You ok, partner?” Hank asks and once again, all the attention of everyone present is focused onto Nick. She feels the ever-present tension rise, of questions not answered and hesitation of telling the truth. They all have queries in their eyes and it’s all aimed at Nick, who takes the weight of their stares gracefully, if not quite reacting how some of them would like. She knows Eve is trying to just stare him out, as if the power of her gaze and influence of thoughts is enough to just get him to confess. But Trubel knows Nick better than that, and knows he won’t be that easily swayed. Though he does seem to be taking their concern genuinely, which is good because they all care for him, so much, and their concerns is coming from that place.
“I don’t know how to tell you,” Nick admits quietly. “Everything that happened, it happened to me. It was real. But none of you remember it. And that makes this … harder to compute.” He goes to rinse out the cloth as Adalind takes the broken pieces from Hank. They all converge in the kitchen once more, with Nick washing his hands before turning to face them once more.
“We’ll believe you, man,” Monroe states supportively. “None of us have seen you like that, so, we’re not just going to dismiss what you say.”
“I know that,” Nick replies and makes the deliberate move to glance around, taking the time to look everyone in the eye. “You all have been there for me, in so many different ways. I would not be the man I am today, without any of you. And that’s what makes this hard to talk about, because I felt, I lived, what it would be like to lose that, lose all of you. I know now that it wasn’t real, but it felt it to me. And I feared that this, being with you all, was what wasn’t, that this was the lie. All of you in front of me was just a dream, after the nightmare I lived.” Adalind steps forward then and rubs a hand down his arm. Nick meets her eyes and they smile at each other, before he links their fingers together.
Trubel studies their faces and knows that they’ve talked about more of this than what Nick has mentioned so far. He’s turned to Adalind for that support and so, has let her know about what happened and how it went for him. Again, she debates internally with herself whether they truly need to push him for more information or whether they leave it, and trust Nick to tell them when he’s ready.
“You had that experience but then had to go with your gut,” she states, her voice a little thick, and Nick nods at her. “Trust your feelings.” She gulps but decides to press ahead. “And I trust you. I don’t need to know anything you don’t want to say, so if that’s it, then I’m ok with that.” She feels all eyes on her but doesn’t drop her eyes from Nick. She remembers waking this morning, that feeling of dread lingering and the echoes of something other that had followed her throughout the day. If that was even a hint of what Nick had been through, then she doesn’t want to make him relive that again.
“And while I think we can all appreciate that,” Eve states. “There are still questions that need to be answered.”
“But maybe they don’t have to be answered today?” Rosalee suggests, looking between them all. The way her eyebrows are arching, it’s as if she’s impressing on all of them that this is an acceptable compromise. Her gaze stays longest on Eve.
“I mean, I’d be happy to have some more cookies, in the meantime,” Wu speaks up and Diana immediately agrees with him. Adalind cautions against too much sugar but neither want to hear that message, and Trubel can appreciate that, so Wu teams up with the younger girl to persuade Adalind and help them both get what they want.
Everyone else breaks up, as others focus on different things. Rosalee’s cravings also seem to have kicked in again, so Monroe makes her another plate as Hank takes drinks orders and they all move about the loft. Eve still lingers but seems to have accepted that this morning isn’t going to go as she thought it would, or should.
Trubel is happy to take a step back, she’s already been back and forth on how she thought this whole situation should go, and so settles on the bed she once slept in, set back from the kitchen and giving her a good vantage of the entire loft, with all the people in it.
Nick joins her and they sit in silence for a few moments before she shifts slightly, so she can watch him as he observes everyone else. His eyes dart from person to person, checking in on the children and studying the adults. He holds more tension than when they arrived, that’s obvious to her, but he’s also not at the level of emotional complexity of the previous day. There might be several reasons behind that, but she can think, no, is sure of, of one major one.
“You love her,” Trubel comments quietly, watching as Nick watches Adalind.
“Yeah,” he admits softly.
“Even … After everything you went through?” She can’t help but ask.
“That’s just it though,” Nick says. “We’ve been through so much; we’ve seen each other at our best and our worst. We’ve done our worst to each other. After that, having Kelly to focus on and re-build after everything that happened, part of me kind of wondered how I didn’t see it before. How actually, a Hexenbiest is kind of the perfect partner for a Grimm, or maybe it’s just Adalind and how, with what she’s been through, she’s actually pretty perfect for me.” Trubel considers that, thinking of her introduction to the Hexenbiest and the nightmare sequence of events that followed. Although, she seemed to have missed the biggest impact from that time and only got to witness Nick right at the end of that period, when him and everyone around him were grappling with far too many events.
Of course, she’d come back with a purpose, one that had been hidden from everyone around her; some reasoning even kept from her. It made reflecting on that time slightly less clear, as there had been so much going on, in so many different ways.
It brought to mind, especially for her, that quiet, unsettled dinner at Buds. Where everyone was clearly thinking of all their problems, shared and individual, and yet, no one really talked about it. The fight that followed and then the rest of that night, when some of her lies started and when Nick had been forced to focus on a new version of the life he knew.
“I thought she was good for you,” she discloses, glancing over at Adalind before fixing her eyes on the room in general, memories of her time here, in this loft turned fome, with them flashing through her mind. “Seeing the two of you being co-parents, seeing her fall for you and be what you needed. I wasn’t sure but then knowing you had that, seeing you build a home again, I think that was what you needed. And I’m glad you fell for her too; I think you’re right about the two of you suiting each other.” She pauses as a thought flickers through her mind and she considers whether to say it out loud, then pushes ahead with it anyway: it’s not often Nick talks so openly about his feelings and relationships. “Do you think … could you … could you have worked it out with Juliette? If you’d had more time, in the beginning when she became a Hexenbiest?” He’s quiet for a long time then, eyes flitting from person to person around the room and she’s just about to apologise when he answers her.
“I don’t know … maybe.” He shakes his head. “Juliette and I, when we met and fell in love, we were a cop and a vet, as normal as you could get, really. Then I became a Grimm and my life changed and she got swept up in everything that came with that, and we dealt with it. Not brilliantly, but we did and we stayed together. Then suddenly I wasn’t a Grimm anymore and it brought a lot of the things we hadn’t really acknowledged or resolved to the forefront, and we still didn’t deal with them. I was a different person, yet was still trying to be who I had been before, when those differences had made a big impact on everyone and everything around me; including myself.” Nick sighs and his eyes dart to where Eve stands before turning back to Trubel. “By that point we were both focused on different things and we weren’t communicating well with each other. We still had the love but I think we lost trust and respect for each other. And then, with everything that happened next, we lost even a semblance of any of that. Now, looking back, I can see our problems started long before Juliette became a Hexenbiest, and that really was the cherry on top of a whole sundae of issues.” She huffs a laugh at that and Nick shoots her a small smile.
“With everything I’ve learnt recently, all my experiences, I know now to appreciate where I’ve ended up. It might not have been a perfect road but I can’t deny how happy I am with where I’ve ended up.” His eyes leave hers then and settle on Adalind before he sighs again, in a much more contented way. “Or with who I’m with. I have a family again; one I know is right for me.”
“It shows,” she states and he nods.
“You’re included in that too,” he says softly and Trubel feels her throat unexpectedly clog up. “You will always have a place here, with me, and be part of my family. Especially, now I know it’s official.”
“What?” She jolts at that and Nick grins.
“We’re cousins,” Nick states and Trubel just stares at him. “You’re my third cousin, on my mother’s side.”
“Wait-what-how?” she stutters as she gapes at him. “That’s not a thing, is it? We’re, like, blood-related? For real? How do you know?” Nick’s face shutters a little and he looks away briefly before returning his eyes to meet hers.
“I just … I have it on very good authority, that we’re related in that way. Though we can look deeper into it, if that’s what you want.” She stares then and there’s something in his eyes, a certainty that has made this news to her an absolute fact to him.
“If you say we’re family, we’re family,” Trubel says confidently and shares a conspiratorial smile with Nick. “Guess that means I’ve always got a place to crash, huh?”
“You’ll always be welcome in our home,” Nick states fervently and she can’t help the smile, soft and a bit gushy, that she gives him.
“Thanks,” she murmurs, her voice low, “that’s, uh, really good to know.” Her eyes dart away from his, not wanting more emotion to leak out and settle once more, on Eve. “Would that offer be extended to anyone else?” She sees Nick tilt his head at her in query before his gaze follows hers.
“That … I’m not sure,” he sighs and looks away. “Having her here was … this loft, our fome, we came here to keep my son and Adalind safe; one of those dangers was Juliette. Having her here felt wrong but I couldn’t exactly turn her away. Both Adalind and I are very aware of our parts and actions, both separately and together, that affected Juliette. And Eve, no matter what she says, remembers and holds on to those memories. I wouldn’t turn her away but I’m not entirely sure I’d, uh, completely welcome her in, if that makes sense.” He doesn’t look happy with his own answer but Trubel nods.
“I get it,” she says simply and Nick looks gratefully up at her. “With the, uh, danger gone will you stay here?”
“I don’t know,” he admits. “There’s something about this place; it has become home. But I want Kelly to have everything I can give him, Diana too, as they grow up and part of me thinks that includes a back yard and space to actually have your own room. I’ll talk with Adalind and see what we both want.” Trubel thinks that’s a telling statement, even with such simple words. From the time she’s known him, Nick has made many decisions; a lot of them on his own. Talk of discussing these issues with his partner, that gives her an insight into where his head is at perhaps more clearly than some of his actions. After all, she hadn’t been around for the majority of his relationship with Juliette but she’d lived with them for awhile and seen him do that, make those kinds of calls without shared input; her placement there a prime example, as it had been Nick’s decision that Juliette had to accept and adapt to.
Nick shifts away when Kelly becomes suddenly fussy and Trubel stays in her seat, content for a moment to sit back and watch. People forgot, or maybe didn’t realise, just how much you could gleam from just observing others. She’d learnt that skill early on in her life and it was something she never overlooked.
Eve stands and talks with Rosalee quietly, as the Fuchsbau sits on one of the bar stools and leans back onto her husband as he talks, somewhat animatedly, with Hank behind her. Wu is still with Diana, trying to teach her something and the little girl is focused as he shifts and folds paper on the table in front of them. They stop every few minutes for bites of cookies and share conspiring grins as Diana floats another two to the table where they’re sat, unnoticed by those around the kitchen island.
Nick walks past to the bathroom as Adalind darts up the few steps to their bedroom before following him, a fresh pack of diapers in her hands. She pushes the door shut but it doesn’t completely close and Trubel realises, if she leans back slightly, she can still see them inside. For some reason, her eyes hold and she watches as they stand together, intent on their son and quickly change and settle him. Nick leans down to blow a raspberry and she can see Kelly’s little legs kicking out in enjoyment. Adalind steps away briefly as Nick finishes dressing the young boy before moving to pick Kelly up and hug him close. Trubel can see Nick’s hand rest on her shoulder before sliding up to cup her face and tilt it up, as he leans in to kiss her. It’s short but intense and they both pull back to look at each other, as if holding the moment. Nick murmurs something, too low for Trubel to hear, but she sees Adalind flush and dip her head in response, which gets Nick grinning. Then the blonde suddenly pops up on her toes and kisses him, quick, lips pulling on his lower lip and then swings around with Kelly as Nick’s arms come up, as if to hold her in place and extend the embrace.
She meets Trubel’s eyes as she comes hurrying out of the bathroom and seems to flush again, even as Nick catches up with them.
“Everything alright?” Trubel asks slowly, a smirk edging her lips upwards and a laugh huffing out as they both stare at her.
“Yes, great,” Adalind replies with a too bright smile, though it becomes more natural as her eyes flit to Nick. “Just reminding Nick of what he needs to do, later.”
“What we need to do, later,” he repeats and there’s a flash of something between them, heat and promise, before Adalind turns back to Trubel and Monroe calls out Nick’s name.
“I just wanted to say,” the blonde starts as she adjusts Kelly in her arms, “thank you, for not pushing last night. I know you wanted to stay close to Nick.”
“It’s alright,” Trubel shrugs. “I can understand you wanting to keep him close and make sure he was ok.”
“As I can with you,” Adalind replies and gives her a soft smile. “So, thank you.”
“I think it was what was best for Nick, he seems a lot … better today,” she replies and the woman besides her nods. Trubel takes the moment to get her earlier suspicions confirmed, and gain the knowledge that even if Nick isn’t talking outright, he is at least talking to someone. “Did he say much to you last night?”
“No but, what he did say was enough,” Adalind says and Trubel sees a dark look flicker over her face before she relaxes her shoulders and smiles again. “Nick will share more when, and if, he feels it’s right.”
“You trust him that much?”
“I do,” she states quietly and sincerely. Trubel looks over at the man in question, thinking about everything they’ve been through and all that Nick has done, and nods. She may have already said it, but she’s happy and confident to state her feelings again.
“Me too,” she says quietly and they share a look of understanding. Kelly gives a little gurgle and then twists in Adalind’s arms before almost toppling out of them, his movements almost like he’s waving in Nick’s direction.
“Da-da,” he vocalises. “Dada!”
“Is he?” Trubel asks and Adalind grins widely as Nick’s head swings in his son’s direction as the young boy continues to call out to him.
“Yeah,” Adalind confirms and shifts so Kelly can see Nick more clearly. He kicks his legs out and grins as he repeats his word, getting the whole loft’s attention.
“Dada!”
“Dude!” Monroe exclaims in happy surprise and Nick grins as he walks back to Trubel, Adalind and Kelly to scoop his son up and give him a big squeeze. Kelly giggles and enjoys the attention as Nick almost parades him around everyone in the loft, showing and telling how his son now calls him dad. Adalind joins him and Trubel sits back again, looking around the gathered people in the loft and thinking that they all are very lucky to be here, and to have each other.
It's not something she wants to miss out on again, this feeling and sense of family and belonging. The confidence that she has a place, even if she’s not always physically here, settles over her and Trubel lets it sink deep. She has family, in Nick and the nuclear unit he’s built with Adalind and the children, as well as with Monroe and Rosalee, and even Eve, Hank and Wu. They all have each other and, even if there’s an unknown fight coming at them, well, they’ll have each other to help them get through it.
She’d always wanted, even if it had been buried deep, that knowledge of having a place where she fit. She’d chased it with her job with Hadrian’s Wall, and that was a part of who she was and what she did, but really this was where it gave her that sense of completeness. Nick, Monroe and Rosalee, Eve, Adalind and the children, Hank and Wu; they all made a family and one that she was happy to call her own. They were her people and she’d be there for them, in whatever capacity was needed.
-G-
AN – So, hope you liked it! This was the final one-shot in this little mini series that I had pop into my head but as I’ve been writing and have done three points of view (Nick, Adalind and now Trubel) I really like the idea of getting one from every main character. Rosalee, in particular, is calling to me. I have nothing written yet but I’m not quite saying this little linked series is finished, as I originally was going to. I guess, just watch this space and I’ll see what inspiration comes my way. Either way, thank you for reading!