When Nick Burkhardt starts seeing creatures he cannot explain, he learns that he comes from a long line of people known as grimms, tasked with keeping the balance between humans and those creatures, known as wesen. He forms an unlikely friendship with a wesen called Monroe, and meets more and more wesen on his job as homicide detective alongside his best friend Hank Griffin.
Comments from the author
I wrote a single Grimm story in 2019, just before I turned 22 years old. I focused the story on Adalind, my favourite character, with the potential for further stories, though they never developed.
- MarthaJonesFan
- MarthaJonesFan
Characters
Adalind
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Nick
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Hank
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Eve
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Monroe
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Rosalee
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Sean
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Sergeant
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Adalind's Story
Called in by Nick to help out on a case, Adalind finds herself torn between her head and her heart when she meets a young zauberbiest, unaware of his identity. Can she help him realise who he is before it's too late?
"Maternal"
Jolting awake. Not for the first time that night, either. Adalind was growing increasingly fed up. The weather outside was horrific, thunder and lightning constantly sounding, and it wasn’t far away either. She was only just starting to slip into a regular sleeping routine again, too. Not that she ever really had one in the first place. Adalind had been shunted around here, there and everywhere for most of her life.
However, Kelly was growing up now. He was sleeping at more regular times, and wasn’t waking up crying in the middle of the night. Diana was capable of looking after herself too, meaning Adalind was free to have the night to rest herself. All she had to do was enjoy Nick’s company, lying directly next to her. She used his body for warmth. The duvet covers could only provide so much, and the loft wasn’t the cosiest place in the world. On the bright side, it was safe. Safer than any other place. Not just for her, but for Diana and Kelly. For their entire family unit. Nothing was going to break them apart.
Adalind looked at her phone screen, the backlight almost blinding her after sleeping for the past couple of hours. The time said 02:38. Plenty of time before Kelly usually woke up. It wasn’t as if she had anything more interesting to do, anyway. Her job had fallen through; they only wanted her for her hexenbiest powers. Perhaps it was time to look for a new job.
That wasn’t a task for now though. Adalind put her phone back down on the bedside table and wrapped herself back into the duvet, turning to Nick. Although life wasn’t quite perfect, she had all she needed to be happy for the first time ever.
However, Kelly was growing up now. He was sleeping at more regular times, and wasn’t waking up crying in the middle of the night. Diana was capable of looking after herself too, meaning Adalind was free to have the night to rest herself. All she had to do was enjoy Nick’s company, lying directly next to her. She used his body for warmth. The duvet covers could only provide so much, and the loft wasn’t the cosiest place in the world. On the bright side, it was safe. Safer than any other place. Not just for her, but for Diana and Kelly. For their entire family unit. Nothing was going to break them apart.
Adalind looked at her phone screen, the backlight almost blinding her after sleeping for the past couple of hours. The time said 02:38. Plenty of time before Kelly usually woke up. It wasn’t as if she had anything more interesting to do, anyway. Her job had fallen through; they only wanted her for her hexenbiest powers. Perhaps it was time to look for a new job.
That wasn’t a task for now though. Adalind put her phone back down on the bedside table and wrapped herself back into the duvet, turning to Nick. Although life wasn’t quite perfect, she had all she needed to be happy for the first time ever.
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“Mommy,” Adalind heard, stirring again. It was unmistakably the sound of Diana’s cute little voice. Kelly wasn’t old enough to speak just yet, and even then, Adalind doubted he would have such a high-pitched voice.
Slowly opening her eyes, Adalind saw her beautiful daughter standing directly in front of her. Her silky blonde hair, most definitely inherited from the Schade family, looked incredibly neat considering she had just been sleeping. She was still in her nightie, which made her look like a princess. A princess that she kind-of was, thanks to her father’s disowned heritage.
“What’s the matter, sweetie?” Adalind carefully chose her words, her brain still waking up.
“Where is Nick?” Diana queried, “He left half an hour ago, but he didn’t say goodbye. Is everything okay?”
Adalind hadn’t even noticed that Nick was no longer by her side. She wasn’t a heavy sleeper by any means, but her body knew she needed every second of sleep she could get.
“He must have been called in to work, honey. Don’t worry,” Adalind reassured, “Is that all that’s bothering you?”
“I’m fine. Kelly is hungry though,” Diana notified, before bouncing back off to the living area of the loft. Diana’s powers scared even Adalind at times. Nobody knew exactly what she was capable of. The daughter of a hexenbiest and a zauberbiest, with royal blood. However, she was very helpful in identifying why Kelly was upset.
Adalind swivelled herself out of bed and went to pick Kelly up from his cot. He had grown so much. Her handsome little boy. She picked him up, holding him with her left arm, although that was becoming a more and more strenuous task as he grew bigger. Her free hand grabbed her phone to send a text to Nick: “Morning x”. She didn’t want to check up on him, he was perfectly capable, but hopefully he’d be able to confirm he’s at work, for the benefit of both her and Diana’s minds.
Patrolling up and down the crime scene, Nick was taking note of everything he could see. As a homicide detective, he couldn’t miss a single detail. It was the difference between solving a case, or letting a murderer walk free. His beady eye was more valuable than any other officer’s, too. He was a grimm. He could see wesen – sub-species of humans that weren’t visible to the average eye. Most crimes, and certainly most homicides, seemed to link back to the wesen community.
“We have a Caucasian male, probably late thirties, throat has been slashed by what looks like claw marks,” Wu detailed.
“Have we got an ID?” Nick questioned. They were inside a pretty normal-looking house, it wasn’t especially big, but the décor was modern, complete with laminate flooring and posh rugs over the top. Family photos adorned the fireplace – the man, looking far happier than he now was, with a wife and son.
“Driving licence says his name was Kenton Martinez. His wife Kathy found him here first thing this morning,” Wu continued.
“Any sign of a break-in?” Hank queried. He and Nick could ask these questions in their sleep. It ran like clockwork thanks to the efficiency of their team dynamic. Unfortunately, the incriminating wesen almost ruined that. It was difficult to solve a crime when you certainly couldn’t prove a wesen in court.
“Interestingly, no,” Wu replied, “Which suggests this was an inside job, or someone was a little clumsy and left the door unlocked.”
“You think this is wesen?” Hank wondered. He directed the question straight at Nick, seeming like he needed confirmation rather than a genuine query.
“I’ve never seen human teeth sharp enough to slit a throat like that,” Nick observed, looking at Mr. Martinez’s body. The wound was way too messy to have been created by a weapon. It had to be by something claw-like, but it was hard to tell amongst all of the blood. The coroner would be able to help.
“We better speak to the wife,” Hank decided.
“Right this way. She’s a little shaken,” Wu warned, leading the way.
“I would be too if I had ripped my husband’s throat out,” Hank remarked.
“Giving up on women for good?” Nick jested. Most conversations between him and Hank were full of banter, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. It made his job so much more enjoyable.
“I can’t say I’ve not been tempted,” Hank chuckled back.
Nick pulled up a chair and sat opposite the wife, while Hank did the same. No matter what suspicions were whirring around inside his mind, he had to be gentle. If their theory turned out to be untrue, they would have just accused a grieving woman. Not something Nick wanted to explain to the Captain.
“Mrs. Martinez, I’m Detective Griffin, and this is Detective Burkhardt,” Hank began, like clockwork, “I am so sorry for your loss, but we need to ask you some questions.”
“I don’t know anything,” Mrs. Martinez was crying. She looked of a similar age to her husband, although Nick was too busy anticipating a woge to be guessing her age, “He was downstairs, I was upstairs, he was getting a glass of water before bed like he always does.”
“Did you leave the door unlocked?” Nick questioned.
“No, I remember locking it, I do it every night,” Mrs. Martinez replied.
“Was there anyone else staying here last night?” Hank queried.
“No, just us. Our son, Tanner, lives here too but he was at a friend’s last night,” Mrs. Martinez explained, “He’ll be back soon. I’ll have to tell him.” Her face began to shift. It was a sight Nick was very familiar with, too. She was a hexenbiest.
“You’re a grimm,” she identified, woging back.
“I’m not going to hurt you, I’m a detective,” Nick noted.
“I promise, I left the hexenbiest life behind a long time ago,” Mrs. Martinez admitted, “I’m just a mother.”
“Alright, we’ll be in touch,” Hank concluded the chat. Nick knew it was an eye-opener, and he had a phone call to make for his next move.
Pacing back and forth, Adalind was getting wound up. She was doing her very best to sort out timings for that weekend with Renard, but as ever, he was a difficult man to negotiate with. It was almost like he didn’t want to see his daughter, which Adalind knew wasn’t true, but she’d hoped he would at least attempt to show willing.
“Can’t you bring her over on Saturday evening? I really cannot miss this meeting,” Renard reasoned.
“Some things are more important, Sean,” Adalind insisted.
“Like what, Adalind? A play-date with your fancy grimm boyfriend? Because from where I’m standing, the world has bigger priorities,” Renard continued. He wasn’t going to give in.
“Whatever. I’ll get Rosalee to babysit while I apply for some jobs and get looking for a full-time babysitter. You’re not the only one with priorities, Sean,” Adalind ended the call, furious. She wouldn’t trade Diana in for the world, but she wished she had a different father. Specifically, Nick.
Just as Adalind was about to dial Rosalee’s number, an incoming call popped up on her phone. It was Nick.
“Hey, how’s it going?” she answered casually.
“Hey, alright thanks. Sorry I left so suddenly this morning. Seemed like you’d had a bad night and I didn’t want to wake you,” Nick explained. How sweet of him.
“It’s alright. What’s up?” Adalind wondered. He never called her in the middle of the day unless he needed something.
“I need your help,” Nick replied. There it was, “We’ve got a forty-year-old man dead, his throat slashed, and a hexenbiest wife.”
“You think she did it?” Adalind was trying to piece it together in her head.
“We don’t know, but she and their son are the only people with a key and there was no break in,” Nick replied, “We’re on our way to talk to the son, he’s at a friend’s.”
“Want me to meet you there?” Adalind offered.
“If you could, that’d be helpful. If the son’s a zauberbiest, you’re way more equipped to talk to him than me,” Nick admitted.
“Alright, I’ll drop the kids with Rosalee,” Adalind decided. Two birds with one stone. Now she could ask about Saturday in person.
Carrying a heavy box of shipments through the spice shop, Monroe was insisting on doing all the heavy lifting. Rosalee was six months pregnant with the triplets, and boy, was her baby bump showing. The doctors had told her to take it easy, but she was still doing her shifts at Spice & Tea. Monroe couldn’t help but feel protective over her. He knew Rosalee would do the same back to him, not that he ever anticipated being pregnant with triplets.
“That’s the last one,” Rosalee notified, sitting behind the counter.
“Alrighty,” Monroe said as he put the box on the floor next to her, “You stay there while I put these away.”
“Take a break, I can handle that,” Rosalee insisted. She wasn’t very good at taking it easy.
“No, you won’t, the doctor said you need to rest,” Monroe reminded, and not for the first time either, “When the babies are here, we can take it in turns to babysit and do shifts. I’ll have my rest then.”
“I suppose I’ll have to get comfortable here then, so I can direct you,” Rosalee smiled devilishly. He loved that look on her face.
“I suppose that’s code for “Monroe sweetie, could you make me another cup of tea please, and oh, don’t forget the cookies”, right?” Monroe laughed.
“Well, seeing as you’re offering,” Rosalee chuckled.
As Monroe went to pick up the box of cookies from the back room, he heard the bell above the door sound. A customer, he assumed. Rosalee could cope with them, although Monroe wanted to keep an ear out anyway. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d had a rowdy customer.
“Hey Rosalee, I hope you don’t mind me dropping by,” the familiar tones of Adalind’s voice filled Monroe’s ears. He clicked the kettle on and went to join them.
“Of course not, you’re always welcome,” Rosalee kindly replied. Sometimes, she was too kind for her own good.
“It’s just, Nick needs me for help with a case. I was wondering if you would mind having the kids?” Adalind requested, “Just for a couple of hours, I promise.”
“Of course we can,” Rosalee replied instantly, “You know I love spending time with them.” Monroe sighed. He’d never have said no, but the last thing Rosalee needed was to look after someone else’s kids when there were three babies of their own inside her.
“And I wanted to ask about Saturday afternoon too. You’ll be pleased to hear I’m looking into a babysitter, but Nick and I need to do that without distraction,” Adalind explained.
“Adalind, you’re welcome to drop them here any time. It’s not like I’ve got anything better to do,” Rosalee smiled kindly, “Besides, it’s good practice.”
“I owe you one,” Adalind smiled back, “See you later.” The door slammed shut, leaving Diana and Kelly with them
“So, what do you want to play?” Diana looked straight at Monroe, her innocent eyes staring right into his. He was feeling uninspired. He looked to Rosalee for help, but she was busy watching Kelly sleep in his baby carrier.
“Err, how about hide and seek?” Monroe offered. It was his best option, and besides, it gave him more time to be creative for the remaining hours.
Approaching the house where Tanner had been spending the night, Nick was hoping his helpers would be here sooner rather than later. Hank was by his side, and they both watched as a taxi pulled up. It was Eve. As always, her hair was tied back neatly into a ponytail, her make-up was flawless, and she dressed in dark clothing with no expression adorning her face.
No matter how hard he tried, Nick struggled to shake the feeling that she was Juliette. Though he was very happy with Adalind, the circumstances around Juliette still made him emotional. He tried not to think about it though, especially when Eve was around. She had little time for emotions like that.
“What’s the deal?” Eve questioned immediately, skipping the small talk.
“Potential zauberbiest, dad murdered while he stayed here at his friend’s house,” Nick explained.
“We need you and Adalind to speak to him. If he is a zauberbiest, we can’t risk him seeing Nick. The mom almost went batshit.”
“Adalind’s coming too?” Eve noted.
“Is that a problem?” Nick queried. He knew Eve and Adalind had had their differences, but assumed they were past it.
“Of course not,” Eve simply replied.
“We’ll keep our distance from you both,” Nick added, just as he noticed Adalind approaching. The house wasn’t far from the loft so she must have walked.
“Sorry I’m late,” Adalind flustered as she joined them.
“Not at all. Let’s head in,” Nick smiled. Somehow, she still looked perfect after the exercise. Not a hair out of place. He knocked on the door and was greeted by a lad in his mid-to-late teens.
“Tanner Martinez?” Hank queried.
“He’s in here, what’s this?” the lad wondered, looking worriedly at Hank’s police badge.
“I’m Detective Burkhardt, this is Detective Griffin,” Nick introduced, “Can we come inside please?”
“Sure,” he opened the door wider, allowing all of them into the living room.
Adalind looked around as she entered the house. It wasn’t very tidy, and she noticed a thin layer of dust on top of the cabinet adjacent to the front door. There wasn’t any sort of family vibe there. No photos, and no sense of comfort. What an awful place to have to live in.
“You are…?” Hank asked him.
“Arlen Zagaeski. I live here,” Arlen answered, “I’ll go get Tanner.” He scuttled off upstairs as she caught Nick taking in his surroundings.
“Someone needs to hire a cleaner,” Hank remarked, coughing. Just a few seconds later, Arlen came back downstairs, with another lad of a similar age behind him. He had long, wavy brown hair halfway down his chest, looking neater than anything in Arlen’s house seemed to.
“Tanner, this is, err…,” Arlen tried to introduce them, obviously forgetting their names.
“Detective Griffin,” Hank replied, “This is Detective Burkhardt, and our associates Adalind and Eve. They’re here to talk to you, Tanner.”
“I’ve not done anything,” Tanner immediately defended himself.
“We know. Come and take a seat,” Nick suggested.
Tanner led the way into the living area and took a seat on the sofa. Adalind sat opposite, with Eve next to her. She glanced behind – Nick and Hank were keeping a safe distance, understandably so. Adalind assumed she was doing the talking. It wasn’t as if Eve had much of a sensitive side to her.
“Tanner, we’re here to inform you about your dad,” Adalind spoke softly.
“Is he okay?” Tanner immediately seemed flustered. His face switched from confusion to utter panic very quickly.
“I’m sorry Tanner, but he was murdered,” Adalind continued. Tanner’s facial expression dropped. He stared blankly ahead until his face shifted. He woged. Sure enough, Adalind saw the deformed face of a zauberbiest. Looking in the reflection of the glass cabinet next to her, Adalind saw Nick sensibly averting his gaze. His eyes told the full story to any wesen.
“Tanner, we need you to tell us anything you know,” Adalind continued, hoping he would still be able to help.
“Where is my mom?” the zauberbiest Tanner angrily questioned.
Adalind looked at Eve. She was a quicker thinker, she had been trained in that. She had to get a response out of him. Adalind watched Eve woge, her beautiful features shifting into the distorted hexenbiest form Adalind had tried to leave behind.
“You can see her when you calm down,” Eve firmly replied. Tanner woged back quickly and shamefully, his usual human face coming into view again.
“What just happened?” Tanner seemed worried. He had no idea who he was. Perhaps Nick didn’t need to worry after all. That didn’t stop Adalind’s concern, though. She knew an uninitiated hexenbiest or zauberbiest could be even more dangerous than one who knew their own strength.
“Maybe this is a conversation for later,” Eve decided, speaking surprisingly sensitively, “Right now, you need to go be with your mom.” She sounded just like Juliette. There was no denying Eve had softened, although Adalind knew she was to blame for Eve’s existence in the first place. That said, without Juliette becoming Eve, there would be no Kelly. Every cloud.
“Here’s my card,” Nick handed a little business card that he always kept in his pocket over to Tanner, “If anything comes to mind, please don’t hesitate to call me.”
“We’re sorry about your dad,” Hank added sincerely. Adalind felt awful for him. His world had been turned upside down, and it was going to happen again when he found out exactly who he was.
Back down at the precinct, it took Hank no time at all to load up background checks on everybody involved. They still had no idea about who Mr. Martinez was, and were yet to establish a motive for anyone to murder him. If one of Tanner or Mrs. Martinez had been responsible, they needed better evidence than “being wesen”, too.
“Found anything out?” Hank asked as he saw Wu approaching.
“Background checks on the entire Martinez family,” Wu replied. That saved Hank some time. He closed the window on his computer, “And despite my valiant efforts, nothing of note came up.”
“Nothing? No priors on any of them?” Hank was amazed.
“Seemed like upstanding citizens. Either that or they’re good at covering their tracks,” Wu considered.
“They seemed like a pretty tight family,” Nick noted, “Good people. Wu, could you run a check on Arlen Zagaeski? Tanner’s best friend, could have had access to his key.”
“Anything else? Shall I peel you a grape each?” Wu remarked in jest.
“Four coffees, thanks,” Hank laughed.
“You think Arlen could have done it?” Adalind sounded surprised.
“I think we need to be open to every possibility,” Nick replied diplomatically.
“I still think it was the wife,” Hank theorised, “No matter what she says, she has the capabilities for those injuries.”
“You saw her, she was in bits,” Nick seemed to disagree. Either way, they couldn’t afford to rule anything out yet.
“Tanner was unaware of himself. A zauberbiest who doesn’t know his own strength could be deadly,” Eve noted.
“We need a motive to bring him in, though,” Nick reminded, “Why would Tanner want to hurt his dad?”
“Maybe we could find that out,” Adalind suggested, “I mean, Rosalee’s got the kids for a bit longer. Might as well make ourselves useful.”
“It can’t hurt,” Hank considered, “And it can’t backfire on us as you’re not cops.” It sounded selfish, but it was the truth, and Hank loved his job too much to put it on the line.
Fed up of lounging around at home, Adalind wanted to make herself useful. Diana and Kelly were safe in the care of Rosalee and Monroe, and she was barely halfway through the rough couple-of-hours timeframe she’d given them. She wanted to speak to Tanner in a less professional capacity. She knew the burden of what he was, and unlike Eve, she sympathised. That said, she didn’t want to shake Eve off. She was stronger and her powers were exceptionally fine-tuned. If something went wrong, she definitely needed Eve by her side.
As Adalind led the way out of the precinct, she caught eyes with Renard in his office. He summoned her inside with his hand. So irritatingly self-aggrandising.
“I’ll meet you at the car,” Adalind notified Eve, sighing. Speaking to Renard was the last thing she wanted to do. Reluctantly, she opened the door to his office and slipped inside.
“What are you doing here?” Renard enquired.
“Do I need your permission, Sean?” Adalind hit back. She wasn’t in the mood for polite chit-chat after the phone call that morning.
“I just didn’t realise you were joining us,” Renard kept calm. Infuriatingly so.
“Well I won’t be for much longer, I’ve got somewhere to be,” Adalind hit back.
“Adalind, wait, I’m sorry for this morning,” Renard issued a very rare apology.
“It’s a little late now. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a favour to carry out,” Adalind excused herself. Renard had gotten her down enough over the years. She was civil for Diana’s sake but didn’t want to interact with him for any other reason. Adalind headed to the car waiting outside. She had more important matters to focus on.
Eve was quite impressed at how well she and Adalind worked together. She remembered how much she once resented her. Though Eve never would have given up her hexenbiest powers, Adalind did come between everything she had with Nick. That was a lifetime ago though, as far as Eve was concerned anyway. She was a different person now, and she and Adalind were united in a common goal. Eve didn’t care for grudges, they only got in the way.
Now, Adalind was driving Nick’s car to the Martinez house. Eve had her suspicious about the murder, they all did, but more of a worry for her was Tanner. Why hadn’t he been told what he was? It could have cost his dad his life.
“Do you think we should tell him?” Adalind wondered. Obviously, she had been thinking the same thing.
“We can’t jump in too quickly, he won’t be able to process it,” Eve replied, “But also, he’s dangerous. If he knows who he is, he can learn to control himself.”
“It’s not easy,” Adalind recalled, “I learnt it growing up. He needs to learn way quicker.”
“And he’s got us both. We’ll do a better job than his mother anyway,” Eve noted. Adalind smiled. Through friendships could easily blur her purpose, Eve couldn’t deny that she trusted Adalind.
The car pulled up outside the Martinez household. Eve led the way to the door, pressing the doorbell once and knocking confidently three times. Tanner opened the door. He looked distraught. His face was red and he looked dazed.
“Hi Tanner, do you mind if we have a word?” Eve led the chat.
“Have you found something out? Do you know who killed my dad?” Tanner questioned immediately.
“We’re still looking, I’m sorry,” Adalind admitted.
“We need to ask you a few more questions,” Eve added.
“Alright, you’d better come in,” Tanner opened the door wider and led them into the living room. This could be a lifechanging talk for him, and Eve knew she had to tread carefully, for her own sake as well as his.
Adalind felt nothing but sympathy for Tanner. She knew what she was about to tell him – she owed it to him, even if his mum obviously seemed to be holding it from him. However, she wasn’t a cop. She didn’t have any code of conduct to follow. Her filter was off. All cards were on the table.
“What do you want to know?” Tanner questioned.
“Have you noticed anything different about yourself recently?” Adalind queried.
“Like what?” Tanner wondered. He seemed like he knew but didn’t want to say.
“Blackouts, amnesia,” Eve added, “Blank spots in your mind.”
“How did you know?” Tanner was worried.
“We can help you,” Adalind informed, “But you need to be prepared.” Tanner nodded, almost regretfully. Adalind looked to Eve. This was their chance. Eve raised her hand towards the living room door. Slowly, it inched shut without any of them touching it.
“Shit,” Tanner reacted, lost for words, “What are you?”
“Hexenbiest,” Eve replied.
“We both are. And we’re going to show you,” Adalind explained, “You have to be prepared for this. Remember, we are still us and we’re not going to hurt you.” Tanner nodded once again.
Glancing at Eve, Adalind felt herself woge as she watched her do the same. Her true form was displayed to Tanner. He was staring wide-eyed, obviously confused by what he was seeing. She woged back; the point had been made, he didn’t need to feel uncomfortable any longer.
“Okay,” Tanner tried to gather his thoughts, “Why are you showing me this?”
“Excuse me, who are you?” Mrs. Martinez interrupted, opening the living room door.
“They’re with the cops, mom,” Tanner explained.
“I don’t want you upsetting my son,” Mrs. Martinez warned. It sounded like she had been listening in to their conversation.
“We just have a few questions, Mrs. Martinez,” Adalind reassured.
“I want you out,” Mrs. Martinez threatened, before woging. Adalind felt uncomfortable, especially knowing what somebody had done in that very front room. That said, she had to protect Tanner. Both she and Eve woged, ready to fight back.
No matter how hard he tried, Nick couldn’t find anything substantial on the Martinez family. They kept their heads down, and no motive was particularly obvious. The Zagaeski family had brought up a little more information though. The mum was in prison for fraud, while the dad didn’t seem to be around when they visited the house. Arlen was their only kid, and therefore the only suspect.
“Have I got something for you,” Wu approached again, sounding upbeat. He had been working overtime to dig something out for this case.
“Is it a signed confession?” Hank asked hopefully.
“I’m a cop, not a miracle worker,” Wu scoffed, “CCTV cameras a few metres down the road from the Zagaeski house. I’m sure you can see who that is.” Nick examined the A4 sheet. Undeniably, it was zauberbiest Tanner, not hiding his woged form from anyone.
“When was this?” Hank queried.
“3:38 this morning,” Wu explained, “Walking towards his house. Then you see this.” He handed over another sheet.
“Let me guess. Down his own street a few minutes later,” Nick predicted.
“Ten points to Burkhardt,” Wu reacted.
“It’s still not concrete evidence,” Nick sighed.
“It’s enough to bring him in though,” Hank noted. He was right. The zauberbiest being exposed on CCTV would be difficult to explain, but at least he would be able to justify it to Renard if he had to.
“Eve and Adalind are there,” Nick reminded.
“All the more reason to hurry,” Hank suggested. Nick grabbed his phone and walked briskly out of the precinct. He had to ensure everyone was alright. Adalind’s life depended on it.
Staring eye-to-eye with Mrs. Martinez, Adalind was allowing her protective instinct to take over. Mrs. Martinez’s hexenbiest face was decrepit, more so than hers or Eve’s due to her age.
Before Adalind could save herself, Mrs. Martinez shot a hand out and grabbed Adalind tightly by the throat. She tried to struggle out and fight it off, but the grip was too strong. She felt her brain growing foggier as the oxygen failed to reach her brain.
All of a sudden, the grip weakened as a vase crashed against Mrs. Martinez’s head. Eve had summoned it from across the room. She was on the floor now, shards of the vase sticking out of her head. Adalind positioned herself in front of Tanner, blocking him from harm.
“You don’t know what you’re doing,” Mrs. Martinez warned, “I was trying to protect him.”
“Look how that worked out,” Eve hit back, “He needs to know.” Adalind turned around to check on Tanner, but much to her concern, he had woged. Tanner had lost control again. They were too late to help him now.
“Tanner, think about this,” Adalind tried nonetheless. He snarled, looking straight past her, and leapt forward. He pounced onto Mrs. Martinez, pushing her to the floor and attacking her viciously with the nails on his hands. Before Adalind or Eve could intervene, Tanner had slashed her throat wide open. Her body shook in pain as blood spilled out of the wide cut. The vibrations then stopped suddenly. She was dead.
Tanner stood up and woged back. He looked around the room, noticing the blood stains, and then saw his mum lying dead on the floor. Tears filled his eyes as he realised the truth of what he was capable of.
Suddenly, the front door crashed open. Nick and Hank ran into the living room. Adalind’s heart broke as she continued watching Tanner’s face. He was scared as Hank read him his rights, leading him out of the house. He’d be going to jail for something he had no idea he was doing. She couldn’t allow that.
Watching Tanner through the two-sided mirror in the interview room, Adalind knew she had to find a way to save him. Nick and Hank were informally questioning him; they couldn’t go formal about this yet. The evidence was wesen. There was no way it could go to court and be made public. It would expose wesen to everyone, and Adalind knew that would be awful.
Thankfully, she knew Nick knew it too. She watched him stand up and leave the interrogation room, on his way next door. He had come to speak to Adalind.
“We can’t let him go down for this,” Adalind insisted as soon as Nick walked in.
“We’ve got no choice. His prints will be all over his mom’s body, so the CCTV isn’t even needed as evidence. He can be tied to both murders through association,” Nick explained.
“He will kill again, and again, and again if he goes to jail,” Adalind reminded.
“What can we do? Our hands are tied,” an exasperated Nick responded.
“People think grimms exists to kill wesen, but they’re wrong,” Adalind reasoned, feeling a fire burning inside her, “You exist to protect wesen from everybody else, and vice versa. People like you have a responsibility to people like Tanner.” Nick looked on, as if he were digesting what Adalind had said. Before he could reply, Wu strolled in.
“We have an Arlen Zagaeski here, hoping to see Tanner Martinez,” Wu notified.
“I can supervise,” Adalind offered. A visit from a friend would undoubtedly provide a little boost for Tanner.
“Send him through,” Nick commanded, “Gives me a chance to find a way to save him.”
“Thank you,” Adalind smiled. She knew he’d do the right thing in the end.
“If he woges again,” Nick tried to warn her.
“I know what to do,” Adalind confirmed. She didn’t feel worried, though. She wasn’t going to be giving him cause for concern.
Just a few minutes later, Arlen was sat opposite Tanner in the interrogation room. Adalind stood behind Arlen, watching herself in the reflection of the mirror. Though she was putting on a brave face, she felt much worse inside. Adalind trusted that Nick would do everything he could to help Tanner, but the uncertainty worried her.
“How are you doing?” Arlen questioned, making conversation.
“I’ve been better,” Tanner replied honestly.
“Sorry, stupid question,” Arlen admitted, “Are they going to charge you?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t do it, Arlen, I promise,” Tanner protested.
“I know,” Arlen replied.
“I can’t remember a thing. I…,” Tanner broke down into tears. Arlen put his hand on top of Tanner’s comforting him. It was a cute moment – they obviously had a stronger connection than Adalind had realised.
“Show him, Tanner,” Adalind encouraged. She knew from her previous quarrels with Nick that being upfront was the best option.
“How?” Tanner wondered. He had never woged out of choice before.
“Think of something that makes you emotional, then just let go,” Adalind explained. Tanner looked straight ahead at Arlen. Slowly, his face shifted. Arlen didn’t move an inch.
“Woah, that’s cool,” Arlen seemed amazed. Tanner shifted back, “What are you?”
“Hexenbiest,” Tanner explained.
“Not quite. Hexenbiests are female,” Adalind corrected, “You’re a zauberbiest.”
“Sorry, I know it’s weird,” Tanner apologised to Arlen.
“It’s not weird. I mean, it is, but I don’t mind,” Arlen explained, “Nothing could change how I feel.” Tanner instantly leaned in to kiss Arlen. Arlen’s hands grabbed Tanner’s hair, reciprocating and adoring the moment. Adalind smiled. At least some good had come out of a pretty horrible situation.
Nick came back into the room, holding a sheet of paper, and the boys separated.
“Forensics just came in. No signs of any of your DNA, Tanner. Seems like a zauberbiest has different genetics when woged,” Nick reported with a smile on his face, “You’re off the hook.”
Adalind felt a huge sigh of relief fill her entire body. Tanner looked on the verge of tears, but this time happy tears. His life was going to be drastically different, but at least it wasn’t behind bars.
“Where are you going to stay?” Arlen instantly queried, “I’d let you stay at mine but, well, my dad’s back later and I doubt he’d let me share a room with a boy.” He looked disheartened.
“We might have some room,” Nick suggested, much to Adalind’s surprise. She was thinking the same, but didn’t want to offer in case Nick was against it, “You’re welcome to stay with us.”
“Sure, thank you,” Tanner smiled. Tanner needed their guidance, and now Adalind could focus in giving it to him. Plus, he would be a free babysitter.
Slowly opening her eyes, Adalind saw her beautiful daughter standing directly in front of her. Her silky blonde hair, most definitely inherited from the Schade family, looked incredibly neat considering she had just been sleeping. She was still in her nightie, which made her look like a princess. A princess that she kind-of was, thanks to her father’s disowned heritage.
“What’s the matter, sweetie?” Adalind carefully chose her words, her brain still waking up.
“Where is Nick?” Diana queried, “He left half an hour ago, but he didn’t say goodbye. Is everything okay?”
Adalind hadn’t even noticed that Nick was no longer by her side. She wasn’t a heavy sleeper by any means, but her body knew she needed every second of sleep she could get.
“He must have been called in to work, honey. Don’t worry,” Adalind reassured, “Is that all that’s bothering you?”
“I’m fine. Kelly is hungry though,” Diana notified, before bouncing back off to the living area of the loft. Diana’s powers scared even Adalind at times. Nobody knew exactly what she was capable of. The daughter of a hexenbiest and a zauberbiest, with royal blood. However, she was very helpful in identifying why Kelly was upset.
Adalind swivelled herself out of bed and went to pick Kelly up from his cot. He had grown so much. Her handsome little boy. She picked him up, holding him with her left arm, although that was becoming a more and more strenuous task as he grew bigger. Her free hand grabbed her phone to send a text to Nick: “Morning x”. She didn’t want to check up on him, he was perfectly capable, but hopefully he’d be able to confirm he’s at work, for the benefit of both her and Diana’s minds.
Patrolling up and down the crime scene, Nick was taking note of everything he could see. As a homicide detective, he couldn’t miss a single detail. It was the difference between solving a case, or letting a murderer walk free. His beady eye was more valuable than any other officer’s, too. He was a grimm. He could see wesen – sub-species of humans that weren’t visible to the average eye. Most crimes, and certainly most homicides, seemed to link back to the wesen community.
“We have a Caucasian male, probably late thirties, throat has been slashed by what looks like claw marks,” Wu detailed.
“Have we got an ID?” Nick questioned. They were inside a pretty normal-looking house, it wasn’t especially big, but the décor was modern, complete with laminate flooring and posh rugs over the top. Family photos adorned the fireplace – the man, looking far happier than he now was, with a wife and son.
“Driving licence says his name was Kenton Martinez. His wife Kathy found him here first thing this morning,” Wu continued.
“Any sign of a break-in?” Hank queried. He and Nick could ask these questions in their sleep. It ran like clockwork thanks to the efficiency of their team dynamic. Unfortunately, the incriminating wesen almost ruined that. It was difficult to solve a crime when you certainly couldn’t prove a wesen in court.
“Interestingly, no,” Wu replied, “Which suggests this was an inside job, or someone was a little clumsy and left the door unlocked.”
“You think this is wesen?” Hank wondered. He directed the question straight at Nick, seeming like he needed confirmation rather than a genuine query.
“I’ve never seen human teeth sharp enough to slit a throat like that,” Nick observed, looking at Mr. Martinez’s body. The wound was way too messy to have been created by a weapon. It had to be by something claw-like, but it was hard to tell amongst all of the blood. The coroner would be able to help.
“We better speak to the wife,” Hank decided.
“Right this way. She’s a little shaken,” Wu warned, leading the way.
“I would be too if I had ripped my husband’s throat out,” Hank remarked.
“Giving up on women for good?” Nick jested. Most conversations between him and Hank were full of banter, and he wouldn’t have it any other way. It made his job so much more enjoyable.
“I can’t say I’ve not been tempted,” Hank chuckled back.
Nick pulled up a chair and sat opposite the wife, while Hank did the same. No matter what suspicions were whirring around inside his mind, he had to be gentle. If their theory turned out to be untrue, they would have just accused a grieving woman. Not something Nick wanted to explain to the Captain.
“Mrs. Martinez, I’m Detective Griffin, and this is Detective Burkhardt,” Hank began, like clockwork, “I am so sorry for your loss, but we need to ask you some questions.”
“I don’t know anything,” Mrs. Martinez was crying. She looked of a similar age to her husband, although Nick was too busy anticipating a woge to be guessing her age, “He was downstairs, I was upstairs, he was getting a glass of water before bed like he always does.”
“Did you leave the door unlocked?” Nick questioned.
“No, I remember locking it, I do it every night,” Mrs. Martinez replied.
“Was there anyone else staying here last night?” Hank queried.
“No, just us. Our son, Tanner, lives here too but he was at a friend’s last night,” Mrs. Martinez explained, “He’ll be back soon. I’ll have to tell him.” Her face began to shift. It was a sight Nick was very familiar with, too. She was a hexenbiest.
“You’re a grimm,” she identified, woging back.
“I’m not going to hurt you, I’m a detective,” Nick noted.
“I promise, I left the hexenbiest life behind a long time ago,” Mrs. Martinez admitted, “I’m just a mother.”
“Alright, we’ll be in touch,” Hank concluded the chat. Nick knew it was an eye-opener, and he had a phone call to make for his next move.
Pacing back and forth, Adalind was getting wound up. She was doing her very best to sort out timings for that weekend with Renard, but as ever, he was a difficult man to negotiate with. It was almost like he didn’t want to see his daughter, which Adalind knew wasn’t true, but she’d hoped he would at least attempt to show willing.
“Can’t you bring her over on Saturday evening? I really cannot miss this meeting,” Renard reasoned.
“Some things are more important, Sean,” Adalind insisted.
“Like what, Adalind? A play-date with your fancy grimm boyfriend? Because from where I’m standing, the world has bigger priorities,” Renard continued. He wasn’t going to give in.
“Whatever. I’ll get Rosalee to babysit while I apply for some jobs and get looking for a full-time babysitter. You’re not the only one with priorities, Sean,” Adalind ended the call, furious. She wouldn’t trade Diana in for the world, but she wished she had a different father. Specifically, Nick.
Just as Adalind was about to dial Rosalee’s number, an incoming call popped up on her phone. It was Nick.
“Hey, how’s it going?” she answered casually.
“Hey, alright thanks. Sorry I left so suddenly this morning. Seemed like you’d had a bad night and I didn’t want to wake you,” Nick explained. How sweet of him.
“It’s alright. What’s up?” Adalind wondered. He never called her in the middle of the day unless he needed something.
“I need your help,” Nick replied. There it was, “We’ve got a forty-year-old man dead, his throat slashed, and a hexenbiest wife.”
“You think she did it?” Adalind was trying to piece it together in her head.
“We don’t know, but she and their son are the only people with a key and there was no break in,” Nick replied, “We’re on our way to talk to the son, he’s at a friend’s.”
“Want me to meet you there?” Adalind offered.
“If you could, that’d be helpful. If the son’s a zauberbiest, you’re way more equipped to talk to him than me,” Nick admitted.
“Alright, I’ll drop the kids with Rosalee,” Adalind decided. Two birds with one stone. Now she could ask about Saturday in person.
Carrying a heavy box of shipments through the spice shop, Monroe was insisting on doing all the heavy lifting. Rosalee was six months pregnant with the triplets, and boy, was her baby bump showing. The doctors had told her to take it easy, but she was still doing her shifts at Spice & Tea. Monroe couldn’t help but feel protective over her. He knew Rosalee would do the same back to him, not that he ever anticipated being pregnant with triplets.
“That’s the last one,” Rosalee notified, sitting behind the counter.
“Alrighty,” Monroe said as he put the box on the floor next to her, “You stay there while I put these away.”
“Take a break, I can handle that,” Rosalee insisted. She wasn’t very good at taking it easy.
“No, you won’t, the doctor said you need to rest,” Monroe reminded, and not for the first time either, “When the babies are here, we can take it in turns to babysit and do shifts. I’ll have my rest then.”
“I suppose I’ll have to get comfortable here then, so I can direct you,” Rosalee smiled devilishly. He loved that look on her face.
“I suppose that’s code for “Monroe sweetie, could you make me another cup of tea please, and oh, don’t forget the cookies”, right?” Monroe laughed.
“Well, seeing as you’re offering,” Rosalee chuckled.
As Monroe went to pick up the box of cookies from the back room, he heard the bell above the door sound. A customer, he assumed. Rosalee could cope with them, although Monroe wanted to keep an ear out anyway. It wouldn’t be the first time they’d had a rowdy customer.
“Hey Rosalee, I hope you don’t mind me dropping by,” the familiar tones of Adalind’s voice filled Monroe’s ears. He clicked the kettle on and went to join them.
“Of course not, you’re always welcome,” Rosalee kindly replied. Sometimes, she was too kind for her own good.
“It’s just, Nick needs me for help with a case. I was wondering if you would mind having the kids?” Adalind requested, “Just for a couple of hours, I promise.”
“Of course we can,” Rosalee replied instantly, “You know I love spending time with them.” Monroe sighed. He’d never have said no, but the last thing Rosalee needed was to look after someone else’s kids when there were three babies of their own inside her.
“And I wanted to ask about Saturday afternoon too. You’ll be pleased to hear I’m looking into a babysitter, but Nick and I need to do that without distraction,” Adalind explained.
“Adalind, you’re welcome to drop them here any time. It’s not like I’ve got anything better to do,” Rosalee smiled kindly, “Besides, it’s good practice.”
“I owe you one,” Adalind smiled back, “See you later.” The door slammed shut, leaving Diana and Kelly with them
“So, what do you want to play?” Diana looked straight at Monroe, her innocent eyes staring right into his. He was feeling uninspired. He looked to Rosalee for help, but she was busy watching Kelly sleep in his baby carrier.
“Err, how about hide and seek?” Monroe offered. It was his best option, and besides, it gave him more time to be creative for the remaining hours.
Approaching the house where Tanner had been spending the night, Nick was hoping his helpers would be here sooner rather than later. Hank was by his side, and they both watched as a taxi pulled up. It was Eve. As always, her hair was tied back neatly into a ponytail, her make-up was flawless, and she dressed in dark clothing with no expression adorning her face.
No matter how hard he tried, Nick struggled to shake the feeling that she was Juliette. Though he was very happy with Adalind, the circumstances around Juliette still made him emotional. He tried not to think about it though, especially when Eve was around. She had little time for emotions like that.
“What’s the deal?” Eve questioned immediately, skipping the small talk.
“Potential zauberbiest, dad murdered while he stayed here at his friend’s house,” Nick explained.
“We need you and Adalind to speak to him. If he is a zauberbiest, we can’t risk him seeing Nick. The mom almost went batshit.”
“Adalind’s coming too?” Eve noted.
“Is that a problem?” Nick queried. He knew Eve and Adalind had had their differences, but assumed they were past it.
“Of course not,” Eve simply replied.
“We’ll keep our distance from you both,” Nick added, just as he noticed Adalind approaching. The house wasn’t far from the loft so she must have walked.
“Sorry I’m late,” Adalind flustered as she joined them.
“Not at all. Let’s head in,” Nick smiled. Somehow, she still looked perfect after the exercise. Not a hair out of place. He knocked on the door and was greeted by a lad in his mid-to-late teens.
“Tanner Martinez?” Hank queried.
“He’s in here, what’s this?” the lad wondered, looking worriedly at Hank’s police badge.
“I’m Detective Burkhardt, this is Detective Griffin,” Nick introduced, “Can we come inside please?”
“Sure,” he opened the door wider, allowing all of them into the living room.
Adalind looked around as she entered the house. It wasn’t very tidy, and she noticed a thin layer of dust on top of the cabinet adjacent to the front door. There wasn’t any sort of family vibe there. No photos, and no sense of comfort. What an awful place to have to live in.
“You are…?” Hank asked him.
“Arlen Zagaeski. I live here,” Arlen answered, “I’ll go get Tanner.” He scuttled off upstairs as she caught Nick taking in his surroundings.
“Someone needs to hire a cleaner,” Hank remarked, coughing. Just a few seconds later, Arlen came back downstairs, with another lad of a similar age behind him. He had long, wavy brown hair halfway down his chest, looking neater than anything in Arlen’s house seemed to.
“Tanner, this is, err…,” Arlen tried to introduce them, obviously forgetting their names.
“Detective Griffin,” Hank replied, “This is Detective Burkhardt, and our associates Adalind and Eve. They’re here to talk to you, Tanner.”
“I’ve not done anything,” Tanner immediately defended himself.
“We know. Come and take a seat,” Nick suggested.
Tanner led the way into the living area and took a seat on the sofa. Adalind sat opposite, with Eve next to her. She glanced behind – Nick and Hank were keeping a safe distance, understandably so. Adalind assumed she was doing the talking. It wasn’t as if Eve had much of a sensitive side to her.
“Tanner, we’re here to inform you about your dad,” Adalind spoke softly.
“Is he okay?” Tanner immediately seemed flustered. His face switched from confusion to utter panic very quickly.
“I’m sorry Tanner, but he was murdered,” Adalind continued. Tanner’s facial expression dropped. He stared blankly ahead until his face shifted. He woged. Sure enough, Adalind saw the deformed face of a zauberbiest. Looking in the reflection of the glass cabinet next to her, Adalind saw Nick sensibly averting his gaze. His eyes told the full story to any wesen.
“Tanner, we need you to tell us anything you know,” Adalind continued, hoping he would still be able to help.
“Where is my mom?” the zauberbiest Tanner angrily questioned.
Adalind looked at Eve. She was a quicker thinker, she had been trained in that. She had to get a response out of him. Adalind watched Eve woge, her beautiful features shifting into the distorted hexenbiest form Adalind had tried to leave behind.
“You can see her when you calm down,” Eve firmly replied. Tanner woged back quickly and shamefully, his usual human face coming into view again.
“What just happened?” Tanner seemed worried. He had no idea who he was. Perhaps Nick didn’t need to worry after all. That didn’t stop Adalind’s concern, though. She knew an uninitiated hexenbiest or zauberbiest could be even more dangerous than one who knew their own strength.
“Maybe this is a conversation for later,” Eve decided, speaking surprisingly sensitively, “Right now, you need to go be with your mom.” She sounded just like Juliette. There was no denying Eve had softened, although Adalind knew she was to blame for Eve’s existence in the first place. That said, without Juliette becoming Eve, there would be no Kelly. Every cloud.
“Here’s my card,” Nick handed a little business card that he always kept in his pocket over to Tanner, “If anything comes to mind, please don’t hesitate to call me.”
“We’re sorry about your dad,” Hank added sincerely. Adalind felt awful for him. His world had been turned upside down, and it was going to happen again when he found out exactly who he was.
Back down at the precinct, it took Hank no time at all to load up background checks on everybody involved. They still had no idea about who Mr. Martinez was, and were yet to establish a motive for anyone to murder him. If one of Tanner or Mrs. Martinez had been responsible, they needed better evidence than “being wesen”, too.
“Found anything out?” Hank asked as he saw Wu approaching.
“Background checks on the entire Martinez family,” Wu replied. That saved Hank some time. He closed the window on his computer, “And despite my valiant efforts, nothing of note came up.”
“Nothing? No priors on any of them?” Hank was amazed.
“Seemed like upstanding citizens. Either that or they’re good at covering their tracks,” Wu considered.
“They seemed like a pretty tight family,” Nick noted, “Good people. Wu, could you run a check on Arlen Zagaeski? Tanner’s best friend, could have had access to his key.”
“Anything else? Shall I peel you a grape each?” Wu remarked in jest.
“Four coffees, thanks,” Hank laughed.
“You think Arlen could have done it?” Adalind sounded surprised.
“I think we need to be open to every possibility,” Nick replied diplomatically.
“I still think it was the wife,” Hank theorised, “No matter what she says, she has the capabilities for those injuries.”
“You saw her, she was in bits,” Nick seemed to disagree. Either way, they couldn’t afford to rule anything out yet.
“Tanner was unaware of himself. A zauberbiest who doesn’t know his own strength could be deadly,” Eve noted.
“We need a motive to bring him in, though,” Nick reminded, “Why would Tanner want to hurt his dad?”
“Maybe we could find that out,” Adalind suggested, “I mean, Rosalee’s got the kids for a bit longer. Might as well make ourselves useful.”
“It can’t hurt,” Hank considered, “And it can’t backfire on us as you’re not cops.” It sounded selfish, but it was the truth, and Hank loved his job too much to put it on the line.
Fed up of lounging around at home, Adalind wanted to make herself useful. Diana and Kelly were safe in the care of Rosalee and Monroe, and she was barely halfway through the rough couple-of-hours timeframe she’d given them. She wanted to speak to Tanner in a less professional capacity. She knew the burden of what he was, and unlike Eve, she sympathised. That said, she didn’t want to shake Eve off. She was stronger and her powers were exceptionally fine-tuned. If something went wrong, she definitely needed Eve by her side.
As Adalind led the way out of the precinct, she caught eyes with Renard in his office. He summoned her inside with his hand. So irritatingly self-aggrandising.
“I’ll meet you at the car,” Adalind notified Eve, sighing. Speaking to Renard was the last thing she wanted to do. Reluctantly, she opened the door to his office and slipped inside.
“What are you doing here?” Renard enquired.
“Do I need your permission, Sean?” Adalind hit back. She wasn’t in the mood for polite chit-chat after the phone call that morning.
“I just didn’t realise you were joining us,” Renard kept calm. Infuriatingly so.
“Well I won’t be for much longer, I’ve got somewhere to be,” Adalind hit back.
“Adalind, wait, I’m sorry for this morning,” Renard issued a very rare apology.
“It’s a little late now. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a favour to carry out,” Adalind excused herself. Renard had gotten her down enough over the years. She was civil for Diana’s sake but didn’t want to interact with him for any other reason. Adalind headed to the car waiting outside. She had more important matters to focus on.
Eve was quite impressed at how well she and Adalind worked together. She remembered how much she once resented her. Though Eve never would have given up her hexenbiest powers, Adalind did come between everything she had with Nick. That was a lifetime ago though, as far as Eve was concerned anyway. She was a different person now, and she and Adalind were united in a common goal. Eve didn’t care for grudges, they only got in the way.
Now, Adalind was driving Nick’s car to the Martinez house. Eve had her suspicious about the murder, they all did, but more of a worry for her was Tanner. Why hadn’t he been told what he was? It could have cost his dad his life.
“Do you think we should tell him?” Adalind wondered. Obviously, she had been thinking the same thing.
“We can’t jump in too quickly, he won’t be able to process it,” Eve replied, “But also, he’s dangerous. If he knows who he is, he can learn to control himself.”
“It’s not easy,” Adalind recalled, “I learnt it growing up. He needs to learn way quicker.”
“And he’s got us both. We’ll do a better job than his mother anyway,” Eve noted. Adalind smiled. Through friendships could easily blur her purpose, Eve couldn’t deny that she trusted Adalind.
The car pulled up outside the Martinez household. Eve led the way to the door, pressing the doorbell once and knocking confidently three times. Tanner opened the door. He looked distraught. His face was red and he looked dazed.
“Hi Tanner, do you mind if we have a word?” Eve led the chat.
“Have you found something out? Do you know who killed my dad?” Tanner questioned immediately.
“We’re still looking, I’m sorry,” Adalind admitted.
“We need to ask you a few more questions,” Eve added.
“Alright, you’d better come in,” Tanner opened the door wider and led them into the living room. This could be a lifechanging talk for him, and Eve knew she had to tread carefully, for her own sake as well as his.
Adalind felt nothing but sympathy for Tanner. She knew what she was about to tell him – she owed it to him, even if his mum obviously seemed to be holding it from him. However, she wasn’t a cop. She didn’t have any code of conduct to follow. Her filter was off. All cards were on the table.
“What do you want to know?” Tanner questioned.
“Have you noticed anything different about yourself recently?” Adalind queried.
“Like what?” Tanner wondered. He seemed like he knew but didn’t want to say.
“Blackouts, amnesia,” Eve added, “Blank spots in your mind.”
“How did you know?” Tanner was worried.
“We can help you,” Adalind informed, “But you need to be prepared.” Tanner nodded, almost regretfully. Adalind looked to Eve. This was their chance. Eve raised her hand towards the living room door. Slowly, it inched shut without any of them touching it.
“Shit,” Tanner reacted, lost for words, “What are you?”
“Hexenbiest,” Eve replied.
“We both are. And we’re going to show you,” Adalind explained, “You have to be prepared for this. Remember, we are still us and we’re not going to hurt you.” Tanner nodded once again.
Glancing at Eve, Adalind felt herself woge as she watched her do the same. Her true form was displayed to Tanner. He was staring wide-eyed, obviously confused by what he was seeing. She woged back; the point had been made, he didn’t need to feel uncomfortable any longer.
“Okay,” Tanner tried to gather his thoughts, “Why are you showing me this?”
“Excuse me, who are you?” Mrs. Martinez interrupted, opening the living room door.
“They’re with the cops, mom,” Tanner explained.
“I don’t want you upsetting my son,” Mrs. Martinez warned. It sounded like she had been listening in to their conversation.
“We just have a few questions, Mrs. Martinez,” Adalind reassured.
“I want you out,” Mrs. Martinez threatened, before woging. Adalind felt uncomfortable, especially knowing what somebody had done in that very front room. That said, she had to protect Tanner. Both she and Eve woged, ready to fight back.
No matter how hard he tried, Nick couldn’t find anything substantial on the Martinez family. They kept their heads down, and no motive was particularly obvious. The Zagaeski family had brought up a little more information though. The mum was in prison for fraud, while the dad didn’t seem to be around when they visited the house. Arlen was their only kid, and therefore the only suspect.
“Have I got something for you,” Wu approached again, sounding upbeat. He had been working overtime to dig something out for this case.
“Is it a signed confession?” Hank asked hopefully.
“I’m a cop, not a miracle worker,” Wu scoffed, “CCTV cameras a few metres down the road from the Zagaeski house. I’m sure you can see who that is.” Nick examined the A4 sheet. Undeniably, it was zauberbiest Tanner, not hiding his woged form from anyone.
“When was this?” Hank queried.
“3:38 this morning,” Wu explained, “Walking towards his house. Then you see this.” He handed over another sheet.
“Let me guess. Down his own street a few minutes later,” Nick predicted.
“Ten points to Burkhardt,” Wu reacted.
“It’s still not concrete evidence,” Nick sighed.
“It’s enough to bring him in though,” Hank noted. He was right. The zauberbiest being exposed on CCTV would be difficult to explain, but at least he would be able to justify it to Renard if he had to.
“Eve and Adalind are there,” Nick reminded.
“All the more reason to hurry,” Hank suggested. Nick grabbed his phone and walked briskly out of the precinct. He had to ensure everyone was alright. Adalind’s life depended on it.
Staring eye-to-eye with Mrs. Martinez, Adalind was allowing her protective instinct to take over. Mrs. Martinez’s hexenbiest face was decrepit, more so than hers or Eve’s due to her age.
Before Adalind could save herself, Mrs. Martinez shot a hand out and grabbed Adalind tightly by the throat. She tried to struggle out and fight it off, but the grip was too strong. She felt her brain growing foggier as the oxygen failed to reach her brain.
All of a sudden, the grip weakened as a vase crashed against Mrs. Martinez’s head. Eve had summoned it from across the room. She was on the floor now, shards of the vase sticking out of her head. Adalind positioned herself in front of Tanner, blocking him from harm.
“You don’t know what you’re doing,” Mrs. Martinez warned, “I was trying to protect him.”
“Look how that worked out,” Eve hit back, “He needs to know.” Adalind turned around to check on Tanner, but much to her concern, he had woged. Tanner had lost control again. They were too late to help him now.
“Tanner, think about this,” Adalind tried nonetheless. He snarled, looking straight past her, and leapt forward. He pounced onto Mrs. Martinez, pushing her to the floor and attacking her viciously with the nails on his hands. Before Adalind or Eve could intervene, Tanner had slashed her throat wide open. Her body shook in pain as blood spilled out of the wide cut. The vibrations then stopped suddenly. She was dead.
Tanner stood up and woged back. He looked around the room, noticing the blood stains, and then saw his mum lying dead on the floor. Tears filled his eyes as he realised the truth of what he was capable of.
Suddenly, the front door crashed open. Nick and Hank ran into the living room. Adalind’s heart broke as she continued watching Tanner’s face. He was scared as Hank read him his rights, leading him out of the house. He’d be going to jail for something he had no idea he was doing. She couldn’t allow that.
Watching Tanner through the two-sided mirror in the interview room, Adalind knew she had to find a way to save him. Nick and Hank were informally questioning him; they couldn’t go formal about this yet. The evidence was wesen. There was no way it could go to court and be made public. It would expose wesen to everyone, and Adalind knew that would be awful.
Thankfully, she knew Nick knew it too. She watched him stand up and leave the interrogation room, on his way next door. He had come to speak to Adalind.
“We can’t let him go down for this,” Adalind insisted as soon as Nick walked in.
“We’ve got no choice. His prints will be all over his mom’s body, so the CCTV isn’t even needed as evidence. He can be tied to both murders through association,” Nick explained.
“He will kill again, and again, and again if he goes to jail,” Adalind reminded.
“What can we do? Our hands are tied,” an exasperated Nick responded.
“People think grimms exists to kill wesen, but they’re wrong,” Adalind reasoned, feeling a fire burning inside her, “You exist to protect wesen from everybody else, and vice versa. People like you have a responsibility to people like Tanner.” Nick looked on, as if he were digesting what Adalind had said. Before he could reply, Wu strolled in.
“We have an Arlen Zagaeski here, hoping to see Tanner Martinez,” Wu notified.
“I can supervise,” Adalind offered. A visit from a friend would undoubtedly provide a little boost for Tanner.
“Send him through,” Nick commanded, “Gives me a chance to find a way to save him.”
“Thank you,” Adalind smiled. She knew he’d do the right thing in the end.
“If he woges again,” Nick tried to warn her.
“I know what to do,” Adalind confirmed. She didn’t feel worried, though. She wasn’t going to be giving him cause for concern.
Just a few minutes later, Arlen was sat opposite Tanner in the interrogation room. Adalind stood behind Arlen, watching herself in the reflection of the mirror. Though she was putting on a brave face, she felt much worse inside. Adalind trusted that Nick would do everything he could to help Tanner, but the uncertainty worried her.
“How are you doing?” Arlen questioned, making conversation.
“I’ve been better,” Tanner replied honestly.
“Sorry, stupid question,” Arlen admitted, “Are they going to charge you?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t do it, Arlen, I promise,” Tanner protested.
“I know,” Arlen replied.
“I can’t remember a thing. I…,” Tanner broke down into tears. Arlen put his hand on top of Tanner’s comforting him. It was a cute moment – they obviously had a stronger connection than Adalind had realised.
“Show him, Tanner,” Adalind encouraged. She knew from her previous quarrels with Nick that being upfront was the best option.
“How?” Tanner wondered. He had never woged out of choice before.
“Think of something that makes you emotional, then just let go,” Adalind explained. Tanner looked straight ahead at Arlen. Slowly, his face shifted. Arlen didn’t move an inch.
“Woah, that’s cool,” Arlen seemed amazed. Tanner shifted back, “What are you?”
“Hexenbiest,” Tanner explained.
“Not quite. Hexenbiests are female,” Adalind corrected, “You’re a zauberbiest.”
“Sorry, I know it’s weird,” Tanner apologised to Arlen.
“It’s not weird. I mean, it is, but I don’t mind,” Arlen explained, “Nothing could change how I feel.” Tanner instantly leaned in to kiss Arlen. Arlen’s hands grabbed Tanner’s hair, reciprocating and adoring the moment. Adalind smiled. At least some good had come out of a pretty horrible situation.
Nick came back into the room, holding a sheet of paper, and the boys separated.
“Forensics just came in. No signs of any of your DNA, Tanner. Seems like a zauberbiest has different genetics when woged,” Nick reported with a smile on his face, “You’re off the hook.”
Adalind felt a huge sigh of relief fill her entire body. Tanner looked on the verge of tears, but this time happy tears. His life was going to be drastically different, but at least it wasn’t behind bars.
“Where are you going to stay?” Arlen instantly queried, “I’d let you stay at mine but, well, my dad’s back later and I doubt he’d let me share a room with a boy.” He looked disheartened.
“We might have some room,” Nick suggested, much to Adalind’s surprise. She was thinking the same, but didn’t want to offer in case Nick was against it, “You’re welcome to stay with us.”
“Sure, thank you,” Tanner smiled. Tanner needed their guidance, and now Adalind could focus in giving it to him. Plus, he would be a free babysitter.