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Sometimes Sean thought back to the moment five years before when he'd realized Marie Kessler had dared to set foot in his city, and wondered if there were any other choices he could have made that would not have led to the inevitable destruction of not only his future hopes for his canton, but much of his existing power base into the bargain. It had seemed like such a gift at the time, when he'd decided to seize the opportunity presented by her nephew's awakening. A brand-new, untrained Grimm who already looked to him as an authority figure? History in the making.
But rather than making history, he'd been ground repeatedly under its wheels. As empathetic and clear-sighted as Burkhardt might be as a police officer, he seemed constitutionally incapable of forgiving a slight against himself or his family – at least, until the offender somehow became family themselves. And he'd proven more stubborn, and quicker to adapt to his Grimm abilities, than Sean had anticipated. Sean's early maneuvering had gone repeatedly awry in the face of Burkhardt's capability, until he'd had to force a grand gesture over the Kessler key just to reach a détente, and any time he and Nick had even begun to approach a rapport after that something else had interrupted to sour their interactions once more. And it was remarkable how many of those interruptions could be traced directly back to Sean's attempts to use Adalind as an intermediary in manipulating Burkhardt in those early months.
Everything to do with Juliette; most of his family's attempts to interfere in Portland; the entire existence of Sean's daughter, though of course he didn't regret Diana herself; even the injuries that had led to him temporarily becoming the host of Jack the Ripper and the ensuing fallout. None of it would have happened if Adalind hadn't lost her Hexenbiest powers confronting Burkhardt while in his service, then struck out at everyone she deemed even partially responsible for the incident in the aftermath, in increasingly convoluted ways. And yet she was now accepted into Burkhardt's circle, while Sean was not. It was enough to drive a man to drink, even before Black Claw had shown up on the scene.
One of the few silver linings in all the mess was that he didn't have to watch out for assassins sent by his so-called family anymore. Viktor was King now, and he had far greater concerns at the moment than trying to track down the former King's granddaughter, however potentially powerful she might be.
Unless ... was it possible there was a connection somehow...?
Sean shook his head, staring out the windows of his house at the lights of Portland spread out beneath him, and took another long sip of whiskey. Now that might be the answer to the question that had been bothering him ever since Rachel and Lucien had left that evening. Well, one of them, anyway. He'd been wondering: why now? Why here, and why him? Portland had its charms, but it wasn't even in the top five largest cities on the West Coast, and while it did rank somewhat higher in terms of wesen population, the wesen networks back east were much more deeply rooted. There were reasons he and his mother had settled here when they'd fled Europe, after all. But despite all that, Black Claw had chosen Sean's city to start their public rise. Had chosen him as their literal poster boy.
He was quite certain he wasn't that unique as an individual; if they'd had to set him up as a hero in order to make use of him, they could have done so for any other powerful wesen they chose. Someone easier to manipulate, who already subscribed to their beliefs. They certainly weren't after Sean for his skills as a Zauberbiest, which skewed heavily toward the physical rather than magical end of the scale due to the circumstances of his heritage. He doubted they cared about the other half of his background either, on its own account; the dwindling House of Kronenberg was hardly the only source of wesen-adjacent royalty available.
No. Loathe as he normally was to admit it, there were only two things that a wesen organization chiefly interested in power would care enough about to approach Sean in specific: he had a very powerful Hexenbiest daughter ... and he had a Grimm on his payroll. And the easiest way they could have discovered either piece of information was through someone else – someone with an axe to grind – pointing them in Sean's direction.
Because no one who had any personal knowledge of Sean would ever believe he would bend his neck to someone else offering him the role of "most powerful man in the city" without extraordinary persuasion. After twenty years of living and working here, accumulating favors and secrets and debts in his own right, a power behind the scenes if not yet in front of the cameras, to be offered the title he'd already done so much work for as if a gift from someone else's hand was utterly infuriating. The game he'd thought he'd been playing, exchanging favors of various sorts for another anchor point in his own web of obligation and power, had been nothing more than a shadow play all along.
A snare specifically designed to catch one Sean Renard. And – he mused as he emptied the glass, recalling the bitter note in Meisner's voice after Sean took down the man who put Andrew Dixon in a coma – further alienate him from any allies he might still have on the other side in the process.
Given that, it probably wasn't the Grimm they were after. At least, not as the primary target; there were other, better ways to get a handle on Burkhardt. Starting with his son. Who just so happened to share a mother with Sean's powerful daughter. Sean didn't like the picture that was beginning to form.
He pressed his lips together, then turned sharply away from the window, heading for the desk drawer where he kept a specific burner phone secured with a Notice Me Knot. His mother had insisted on it, to make sure no one could use him to get to her after her last dramatic visit. That precaution had luckily kept her safe from Jack. But would also guarantee now that no one would overhear his next call.
He hadn't been sure if the other man would be back in the country yet, but he could hear English-speaking voices in the background, discussing something in urgent tones just distantly enough that he couldn't make the words out, as the call was picked up.
"Burkhardt," the Grimm said, tersely. "Look, whoever this is...."
"I'll just assume you did find something then," Sean interrupted blandly, and heard Burkhardt's breath hitch as he recognized his voice. "Let's not have the argument over whether or not you're going to tell me, though, and get straight to the point. There've been developments while you were away."
"You ... don't want to know what it is?" Burkhardt replied cautiously, then hissed something that sounded a lot like the Captain under his breath as another spate of voices rose in the background. Probably the Blutbad, or another of the Grimm's not-so-secret team.
The corner of Sean's mouth tugged in a sardonic smile as he replied. "I didn't say that. But unless it's immediately applicable to the Black Claw issue, I think that question can wait for another time."
Just before Nick had left for his lightning trip to Europe, he'd walked into Sean's office at the station and announced that he was going to be off the grid for a couple of days. One more symptom of the tense state of affairs they'd fallen into: the detective maintaining a professional working relationship when it came to the actual job, but refusing to even acknowledge Sean's authority was a factor when it came to wesen – or more personal – matters. Passing on only what information was absolutely necessary regarding the situation at hand.
Sean had, of course, asked if there was anything he needed to know, holding the usual bitterness back behind a terse, professional façade; Nick had replied with a more honest than usual I don't know yet. In the sense that he hadn't yet decided whether Sean did need to know.
But then he'd paused, eyes lingering on Sean's face, and something in his own expression had shifted, harder and yet more open at the same time. As if a decision had been made; a barrier deliberately lowered. He'd quietly shut the door and stepped closer, deliberately meeting Sean's gaze across the desk. "I keep being reminded lately that trust begets trust – and that the reverse is also true. And that there was a conversation, once, about making history together."
Sean's eyebrows had flown up at the reference. There'd been a lot of water under the bridges of Portland since then. "Seems like we already have. Although not quite in the ways I'd hoped."
Burkhardt had winced at his tone. "True, though not the point I'm trying to make. You said – then – that the families had four of seven. And that you didn't want them to have five."
He was being oblique, wisely not naming the actual items in question in a public setting; but the reference had been crystal clear. The key. One part of a seven-part map. And a sudden trip ... off the grid. "I take it you've found one or both of the remaining pair?" he'd guessed.
Burkhardt's mouth had twisted; then he'd smiled, crookedly. "How sure were you that they had four? Or was that just another line?"
Sean had opened his mouth to answer, aggravated as much at himself as Burkhardt at the continued distrust; but then he'd paused, feeling an electric tension rising in the air at the implications presented by the question. "I would have said, very certain; but then again, I was rarely in the castle for obvious reasons, and got most of the Family stories second-hand through Eric. Back in the days when he was amused by the little brother who didn't get to share his tutors, rather than jealous of our father's attention. According to him, he'd seen the two in our own House's possession personally."
"But not the others," Nick had replied, in a strangely satisfied tone. "Josef Nebojsa must've had some pretty interesting stories."
Sean hadn't pushed for clarification; the hint had been clear enough. Somehow, Nick had got his hands on more than his own key, more than the three Sean had thought were still free; most likely all five 'others'. Enough to match the secret location encoded on their engraved sides to a modern map.
"Nick..." he'd said instead, his own mood shifting slightly. The admission was clearly an olive branch, unexpectedly offered: the reminder of the first thing they'd ever agreed on with full knowledge of the other's identity. He could do no less than respond in kind. "Be careful. Viktor is keeping his concerns closer to home these days, but there are other dangers for traveling Grimms. Particularly now."
"Traveling Grimms who don't answer to another master, you mean," Burkhard had replied, an unexpectedly dark tone to his voice. But then his expression had cleared again, and he'd nodded. "Don't worry. I will."
On the other side of that journey, back safe if not – if Sean had to guess – completely void of danger, Burkhardt paused, then gave a rough, tired chuckle. "Still things bigger than both of us, huh."
"As always," Sean replied. "As I said, there have been ... developments, while you were gone."
"The spice shop, then?" Burkhardt asked, hushing down another round of objections in the background. "Or the office?"
Neither his own personal turf nor Sean's, which would normally be adequate; but locations, nevertheless, that Black Claw was demonstrably aware of. "Or perhaps where we had that conversation," Sean countered. "Seems as though there are eyes everywhere else, these days."
"Ah," Nick said, with a sharply indrawn breath. "Those kind of developments."
"Mmm," Sean agreed. Burkhardt had occasionally been oblivious, but never slow. "In the evening, perhaps, after your next shift?"
"I would like to get a chance to see my son before we get back into it," the Grimm agreed, dryly.
And hide whatever he may have retrieved from his ancestors' treasure somewhere safe, no doubt. But, again: more urgent things. "Of course," he said crisply, and hit the key to end the call.
He had lost a lot at Burkhardt's hands, or in his wake, in the last five years. But there had been significant gains, as well. Perhaps this latest gesture would come to nothing more than another line drawn in the sand; and if it did ... well, there were tempting aspects to Black Claw's offer. Accepting it would certainly give him an opportunity to take their local operation down from the inside, should the results prove not to his liking. If someone had pushed them his way, they were probably expecting that outcome: for Sean to either punish Black Claw for their presumption, or himself be removed from the board in the attempt, a win-win scenario from the perspective of the human members of the Seven Houses. But if Nick finally had something more in mind....
Sean never had liked being moved as a pawn on someone else's board. And this was his canton. One way or the other, Black Claw would learn what that meant.
Nick looked a little stressed and travel-worn, but otherwise somehow better – to Sean's critical eye – than he had in quite some time when he made his reappearance at the precinct. Something had relit the fire in the Grimm that had been smoldering at a low ebb after the events of the last year. The treasure, whatever it was, was likely part of it; but Sean didn't think that was the whole story.
They exchanged a sober, acknowledging nod in passing, but little more as he and Griffin were immediately catapulted into yet another mysterious wesen-related case. And Sean had another meeting with Rachel, this time in a restaurant.
There was a superior smugness to the Löwen woman, now that she thought she was on the verge of achieving her goal, that Sean found deeply unattractive – though of course he knew better than to show it. At least, when it would cost more than benefit him to do so. She actually brought a news article as a prop, gave the standard would-be principled villain's greater good speech as if that would actually convince a Zauberbiest raised at his Hexenbiest mother's scheming knee, and then finally dropped the hint he'd been waiting for: To win, we think you'll need to have a family.
You already have a daughter, she even went so far as to add; and Adalind's the mother.
Diana. Who'd been working magic from her crib that many Hexenbiests couldn't touch even after they achieved their adult woge, yet was still young enough to be influenced by her parents. Whose mother was currently insecure in her own abilities, and possessed of an infant brother with his own unique, hybrid heritage. Sean's daughter was supposedly in the care of Meisner's network ... but that network had apparently been fighting Black Claw for quite some time. He'd be very surprised if the wesen supremacists would have approached him if they didn't already have someone inside their opposite numbers' network, ready to dig up her location the moment it was required.
He made noncommittal noises, but made sure Rachel took away the impression that he was leaning her way; then made the expected call to Adalind to reinforce the point for any hidden listeners. Then he went back about his business, making sure to leave room in his schedule to break away the moment Burkhardt was free.
With Diana at stake, Sean's options were more limited than he'd prefer, but there was still room to maneuver. A solution had occurred to him that might allow him to achieve more than one goal at once ... provided Nick was willing to cooperate. He wouldn't even have considered it if not for that brief conversation about the keys; it was a considerable ask. But audacious as it was, it would solve a lot of problems for everyone. Particularly him; but Burkhardt and ultimately Meisner as well. All it required was a little trust.
Fortunately, that could be – under the right circumstances – a negotiable commodity.
Finally, the moment came when Sean's SUV pulled up outside the cottage in the woods where Burkhardt's first wesen case had been resolved, five years earlier. It wasn't the first time they'd returned there, and abandoned and unmonitored as it was, it seemed unlikely to be the last. He made a mental note to consider officially adding it to his assets in the future, then smoothed a hand down his tie and the front of his shirt as the sound of tires on gravel announced the detective's arrival.
Burkhardt was considerably more casually dressed than Sean when he emerged from his beige Toyota. The dark green Henley over well-worn blue jeans highlighted the dark blue of his eyes and emphasized which role he'd chosen to bring to the table that evening. Sean's roles weren't as easy to separate, particularly now ... which was probably a factor in how he'd ended up in this situation to begin with. But even given the chance, what other choice could he possibly have made?
"Nick," he said calmly, choosing his greeting appropriately.
The Grimm stopped a few feet away, giving him a wary, watchful nod. "Sean," he replied, deliberately matching the informality.
The corner of Sean's mouth tugged in a wry, acknowledging smile. "By now, you've no doubt heard about what happened to Andrew Dixon."
"The mayoral candidate you were supporting," Nick nodded, tucking his hands into his pockets as if to demonstrate an equal willingness to talk. "Black Claw took him out of the running. How is he doing?"
"He's alive, but he won't recover in time to continue the campaign," Sean replied, sourly. "And only still around at all because I saw your partner moving through the crowd and thought your contacts must have heard something."
"You looked very heroic on the news segment Hank showed me," Nick replied, dryly. "If you hadn't moved to pull him away just then...."
"Yes, well." Sean shook his head, mouth still pinched in irritation. "As it happens, I watched the same news segment back myself. And noticed something you may not have: just before the shot, Rachel Wood looked up at the balcony where Marwan was waiting."
"She knew he was there?" Nick's eyebrows flew up as he connected the dots. "Dixon's campaign manager is Black Claw? Then your tracking Marwan down afterward...."
"I thought the anonymous tip came from HW. Instead, I ended up thwarting one of Meisner's operations – and making the news cycle again for avenging my friend."
"Do you know why?" Nick's brow furrowed as he immediately began working the problem, wariness dissolving into the intensity of a hunting Grimm. "Other than getting you to clean up one of their loose ends, obviously. They can't possibly expect you to join them." His tone was heavy with disbelief.
"Oh, they can," Sean replied acidly, shaking his head. "They've already approached me, in fact. After all, I am a Zauberbiest."
Nick's expression did something ... awkward, at that. Sean wasn't surprised; after what had happened to Juliette, and his varied interactions with Adalind, he'd undoubtedly heard about the inherent unpredictability and untrustworthiness of 'biests from multiple sources by now. Sometimes Sean leaned into that reputation for his own purposes; but it would have made his life easier if it was one of the prejudices Nick had managed to avoid. He'd seemed to have no trouble befriending a Blutbad, after all.
"But what could they possibly want with a mayor's race in Portland?" Nick said, turning the subject to address the question of why here instead. "They just took out the Wesen Council. There's not much stopping them from doing whatever they want now, except for HW."
"Legitimacy, apparently," Sean said with a shrug. "If they can cut off funding and support for organizations like HW from the other end...."
"Everyone keeps hinting that this is leading up to another world-wide war. Does this mean they want you to be the next...." Nick trailed off, expression appalled.
"Not ... exactly," Sean replied, grimacing at the thought. "I have no doubt they'd allow me some illusion of power, and that I might be able to maneuver within the organization, to some extent. But I would never be the one giving the orders. And even that, I suspect, would only last until Diana was old enough for them not to need her parents to guide her anymore."
Nick sucked in a shocked breath. "I thought Diana was with the Royals."
So either Meisner hadn't told Adalind ... or Adalind hadn't told Nick. Interesting. "So did I. But somehow I don't doubt what Rachel meant when she told me I'll need a family to get elected."
"You're going to take them up on it, then?" Nick replied sharply. His posture was already tensing, shoulders squaring, hands free again at his sides; it had been endlessly fascinating to Sean to watch the Grimm develop and realize how much of the hunters' behavior must be innate rather than taught. A lesson he didn't suppose many other royals – or Zauberbiests – had ever been in a position to learn. And experience had only honed Nick's edge. A pity that edge had so often been turned against Sean.
"That depends," he countered, keeping his own body language open, but not submissive.
"On what?" Nick said, bracing himself as though preparing for the other shoe to drop.
Sean gave an unamused chuckle. "They said I'd need a family. They strongly hinted about my daughter. But they haven't yet directly insisted that I give them a final answer. That gives me a little room to maneuver ... which leads me to the actual purpose of this meeting. I need to ask you some rather intrusive questions, and I'd prefer honest answers."
Nick narrowed his eyes, then nodded, thoughtfully. "Only if I get a question for every one of yours; and if I can refuse to answer, if I have a good enough reason. If you get answers, then so do I."
There were of course questions Sean would prefer Nick never asked; but as they were also questions there was no way Nick could know to ask, he could live with that stipulation. And considering the nature of his questions, agreeing might help defuse the defensive reaction sure to follow. "Very well," he nodded. "Now: I need to know the exact nature of your relationship with Adalind."
The statement hit Nick with a jolt; his jaw tightened as he looked away. "I'd like to say that's none of your business, but if they want to set you back up with her...." He sighed. "Regardless of her relationship with me, I doubt she'd be up for that. I took her in for Kelly's sake, but she's been a better housemate than I could have asked for. And we've talked some about what happened with you, and what happened with me. I haven't encouraged much more than that, because I know she's vulnerable right now with her powers suppressed and I don't want to take advantage of her dependence on me, but it's been hard not to get ... close, in our situation."
Informative, but ... not exactly what Sean had been getting at. He rolled his eyes, reluctantly amused. "I don't need a dissertation on your feelings and the relative morality of the situation; as I said, I'm a Zauberbiest. I need to know if you've been sleeping with her."
"Oh," Nick replied, with a startled snort. "Uh, yeah. Just literally, though. Why does it matter? And before you tell me it just does," he added more firmly. "Consider that my question. I don't see why you'd care, considering that I'm pretty sure at one point you were sleeping with both her and her mother. And I know for a fact you've slept with my ex-girlfriend. Besides which, Adalind's already the mother of my son."
A fair question, and one it wouldn't hurt to answer honestly. "One lesson about 'biests that I doubt you'll find in your Grimm books," Sean replied, dryly. "Sex – for many wesen, but particularly 'biests – is never about romance. Or if it is, that's at best a secondary consideration. More usually, it's to facilitate negotiations, exchanges of power or favors, manipulation, alliance, and most importantly in this case: fulfillment of a contract."
"A contract?" Nick blurted, surprised.
"If your relationship is currently platonic, then everything can easily be explained away as a pair of child-bearing contracts, complicated by my relatives' repeated interference, which will reduce her value to Black Claw as a lever," Sean elaborated, enjoying the way Nick's brow furrowed in puzzlement. Apparently, this particular piece of wesen culture wasn't something his friends at the spice shop had filled him in on yet, leaving it to Sean.
How did he imagine certain of the rarer or more antisocial wesen species reproduced, when most others of their kind that they knew were their own relatives? The nature of wesen breeding usually ensured that the child followed one of its parents, at coin-flip odds, rather than a mixture of both, but Hexenbiests could tip those odds with their magic; that made it a particularly plausible story in this case. The fact that Adalind herself was a lawyer only made it even more so. "Naturally, we'd provided for the care of our children's mother, but she'd found residing with you more comforting than staying with me up until this point, given ... the rest of our recent history.
"Which brings me to my second intrusive question," Sean continued, holding up a hand to cut off the interruption he could see building in Nick's expression. "I know you're attracted to women. But are you also attracted to men?"
Nick balked, visibly taken aback by the question. "That really shouldn't be any of your business. But – yes. Not recently, though. I think the last time I dated a man was before Aunt Marie and I settled here; moving around so much as a teenager, I had a lot of time on my hands while she was ... busy ... in the evenings." He shrugged, tone wry. "It gave me plenty of time to work myself out. But I became a cop not long after our last move, and I met Juliette not long after that, so it didn't seem important to bring up at the office. Where are you going with this?"
"Is that your question?" Sean replied. He doubted Nick would agree to it, but he couldn't resist the jab.
Nick snorted. "Hardly, because you want me to know anyway. I'll save that one for later. Tell me you're not going where I think you're going with this."
No doubt he'd rules-lawyer that one also, for being statement rather than question. Sean shrugged, smirking. "If they want Diana, it's because of her power and uniqueness. In a society run by powerful wesen, she would be a high-value tool in the right hand ... if they could be certain she wouldn't turn on them. Do you really think they'll pass up the chance to get her brother as a bonus? Whether he grows up as a Grimm or a Zauberbiest, or something unique like his sister, he'd be an excellent asset for them as well."
Nick swore under his breath, and Sean nodded as he continued. "The best way to keep both children safe and defuse whatever plan Black Claw has here is for both of us to be defending them from the inside. I'd far rather have you as my ally in this, than work at cross-purposes for the next however many months and be forced to rely on threats and punitive measures to keep you from interfering."
Nick snorted. "Given ... everything," he replied, gesturing widely with one hand, "I'm surprised you didn't just go for that option directly."
It wasn't an apology, but the acknowledgement eased a little more of Sean's lingering bitterness. "If we hadn't had that conversation about the keys before your trip ... but as you reminded me, trust begets trust. And we've had precious little of that these last few years."
Nick gave a sudden, startled laugh, then paced away for a moment, staring out into the shadowy, night-dark forest surrounding the drive where they'd parked. "You know," he said slowly, "with all that's been happening with Adalind, and the inheritance from Josef Nebojsa ... long story ... I've been thinking a lot about how things might have been different if I'd taken my aunt's advice, five years ago. She told me to break up with Juliette, did I ever tell you that? Like she did with Farley Kolt – a Stienadler – who was apparently the love of her life until she inherited responsibility for me. And my father ... my mother told me she'd tried to lead her pursuers away from him, rather than stand with him at her side. But we both know how that turned out. A Grimm in an unequal partnership, it seems, is little better than a Grimm alone, and at worst, is a Grimm with a liability. And now you're asking me ... what are you asking?"
He trailed off, turning back to look at Sean, and something in his expression, cracking around the edges with old pain and disbelief and just a trace of unexpected longing, made the breath catch in Sean's throat. Rapidly, he reworked the rest of the conversation in his mind. He'd been planning for practicality and advantage ... but Nick had always made a habit of wrecking his plans. If that look meant what he thought, not only could it solve the problem immediately at hand, it could also reverse and reframe the entirety of the last five years in one very public swoop. If handled correctly.
"There'll be more steps to it, of course," he said more gently, stepping forward and extending a hand. "There's a Hexenbiest ritual that can enforce trust, called a Trust Me Knot; my mother can perform it. It's not commonly used, because the consequences of breaking it can be lethal, but by the same token, it makes for a very firm assurance. We'll have to word the oath carefully to protect us both, but I want no equivocation on this. And there'll need to be some legal distance inserted in the hierarchy at the station; there's a lieutenant or two who'd be willing to backdate the paperwork. But yes. I assure you. I'm asking what you think I'm asking."
Falling back to their prior state of distrust afterward would be much more difficult than simply using the new status quo as a clean slate to work from. That made this worth attempting all on its own. And if there proved to be something more to it on Nick's side. ... well. Romance, as he'd told Nick, might always be a secondary consideration for him, but that didn't mean it wasn't a consideration. He'd simply never – as Nick himself had apparently discovered – found a romantic partner who could also stand as an equal at his side.
"You want me to be the Mayor's husband," Nick spelled it out, disbelievingly.
"Mayor-candidate's fiancé, at least, and official co-parent," Sean clarified, still holding out his hand, "though I appreciate your apparent faith in my electability. Provided you are free of other obligation and able to make your participation seem credible, hence the questions."
"You really think everyone will buy it?" Nick flailed. He hadn't reached back yet; but Sean, watching the Grimm's gaze drop to his hand, felt another surge of triumph.
"The public will believe what they see. Black Claw will of course be suspicious, but having you as an asset will be tantalizing enough to convince them to go along with it, if we make a good show. Your friends can know the truth; I wouldn't ask you to lie to them. But if you're more worried about our co-workers, and others who've met us but aren't in the know? As an answer to all the little oddities of the last few years, as compared to the actual truth?" Sean replied. "Hmm. You tell me."
Nick hesitated, a hint of red creeping into his cheeks; and it was then that Sean knew he had him.
"Nick Burkhardt, will you marry me?" he said, sealing the conversation with the definitive question.
Nick's jaw worked for a moment; he glanced away, then nodded and met Sean's gaze again. "Provided I can verify the precautions you mentioned – and if HW doesn't have any specific reason why not," he hedged, then set his hand in Sean's at last.
"I don't know what I was expecting this evening; it sure wasn't this. But, god help me. Yes. I will."
"You want me to what?" Sean's mother blurted, when he reached her later that evening on the burner phone.
"Witness my prenuptial agreement with a Trust Me Knot," he repeated blandly, trying not to let his amused smirk become audible in his tone. It was rare that he actually managed to catch the infamous Elizabeth Lascelles off guard with his plotting. "I could think of no one I'd rather perform the ritual."
"You are getting married," she clarified again, tone disbelieving. "To the Grimm. Isn't that a little ... abrupt?"
"Publicly feigning an engagement, with the goal of protecting our children from Black Claw and ultimately discouraging their goals for Portland; but yes," he agreed, still smirking. "To the Grimm."
"Ah," she said, then chuckled, surprise giving way to amusement. "You do realize, you've talked more about him to me than you ever have the mother of your own child? It isn't so much a surprise that it's him, it's the suddenness of it that caught me off guard. He agreed to this? What about the lovely young woman I brewed the Verfluchte Zwillingsschwester for?"
Sean paused, rubbing a hand over his mouth. He'd filled her in, briefly, on the fact that Adalind had conceived from her earlier use of the potion to steal Nick's Grimm abilities; since Elizabeth had been heavily involved in Nick recovering his powers, and she might come in contact with her granddaughter's potentially Grimm little sibling at some future point, he'd thought it prudent. But he hadn't been able to keep her up on every last detail of Portland gossip; they'd both been busy.
"That's ... a complicated subject, but suffice it to say they aren't romantically involved now and haven't been for some time," he decided to summarize. "Adalind's living with him now – that's complicated as well, but he'll probably ask her to confirm the details of the Trust Me Knot, so you can express your opinion about that in person – but they aren't currently romantically involved, either. It took some convincing, but he did agree."
"He trusts Adalind now? After everything?" she replied, still sounding amused. "Clearly, it's time I paid you a visit anyway. Do I want to know what else has happened that you haven't told me about since I left?"
Sean cast his eyes up to the ceiling, pinching the bridge of his nose. "So you'll do it then?"
"Of course I'll do it; if nothing else, I have to see this with my own two eyes. And make sure neither of you are under any sort of influence other than your own hormones. You're normally not quite so blatant about your maneuvering."
Except, of course, with the Kessler key. And his hasty reaction to discovering that Adalind was attempting to steal Nick's powers. And his vehement response to Eric's attempt to steal Nick himself. And ... well. It was a good thing his mother couldn't see his face at the moment; clearly, he should have done something about the lingering distrust between himself and Nick years ago, rather than waiting fruitlessly for the Grimm to realize how far Sean had already gone on his behalf and come crawling to him. The problem, he had finally had to acknowledge, was that Nick didn't crawl; it wasn't in him to do so, any more than it was Sean.
"That's nothing to do with a zaubertrank, and everything to do with Burkhardt," he said, dryly. "Anything less, and I'd already be neck-deep in Black Claw, having to throw him in jail to keep him from interfering, and it still wouldn't occur to him that I might have a motivation beyond the obvious."
"And you want to marry that?" Elizabeth circled the conversation back, tone wry.
"I want the same things I've always wanted," Sean said with a shrug. "A week ago, I wouldn't have suggested this; but a week ago, he wouldn't have had sufficient reason to accept. But standing separately against this new threat with such obvious vulnerabilities between us is much riskier than standing together, and given our mutual history, that requires certain assurances of trust."
"And it doesn't hurt, of course, that he's rather easy on the eyes," she added, slyly.
"Now I know you're trying to provoke me," he countered lightly. "How soon can you be here?"
She sighed and let the teasing tone drop. "I'm not in the middle of anything I can't easily disentangle from – at least, not since I lost the other Grimm's trail. From your mention of children, plural, I'm going to assume the search for my granddaughter is now redundant. So how soon do you need me?"
"As soon as you can arrive. Now that they've made the first approach, Black Claw won't let me sit on the fence for long, and I'd prefer to present my own terms as a fait accompli."
"Within a few days, then. I assume you're still at the same address?"
Meaning she wouldn't call in advance; which could be sticky, if Black Claw approached him again at home before their arrangements were complete. He'd just have to make sure they had no reason to do so. "Of course. And – thank you. There was no one else I could think of to trust with this."
"I'm your mother, Sean; of course you can trust me to have your best interests at heart."
That didn't always mean the same thing among wesen as it did among Kehrseite, particularly with Hexenbiests; a fact he'd unwisely taken advantage of, to his eventual detriment, with the Schade coven. But he did trust his mother, at least in this regard. His survival had always been her first concern, closely followed by his happiness, and only then her ambitions – though of course any action that could further all three would be preferable. And loathe as Sean would be to admit it to the Grimm in question, Elizabeth knew very well that a Burkhardt converted to his side would be a boon to all of the above.
"I'll send a message if anything changes beforehand," was all he said aloud. "Safe travels."
"Of course, dear," she replied in kind. "Don't get yourself killed again before I arrive."
She hung up before Sean could reply, and he tapped the phone thoughtfully against his palm for several seconds. Then he dialed another number, this time to schedule a meeting with Adalind. No doubt Nick had already told her about their conversation, but there were a few more things he really should discuss with her regarding her role in the scheme. And also to clarify her position; there were few things more guaranteed to wreck a carefully engineered plan than an affronted Hexenbiest. Particularly Sean's plans, and this particular Hexenbiest.
Never let it be said that he couldn't learn from past mistakes.
Aside from the outdoor location where he'd met Nick, and whatever off-the-grid location Nick and Adalind were currently living in, the safest location Sean could think to meet was a randomly-chosen public space. In this case, another restaurant: the Bent Brick, a trendy artisan eatery just off the 405 and not too far from the precinct.
He'd wondered whether Adalind would tell Nick about the arranged meeting, and decided what he'd say in either case if their paths crossed that morning, but Detectives Burkhardt and Griffin had been sent out to a scene first thing, postponing that particular confrontation for another time. It left him feeling oddly let down, and more than a little irritated at himself for it.
That didn't help his mood when he arrived at the restaurant; but at least Adalind hadn't stood him up. She seemed wary, of course, but even more eager to see their daughter again than Sean was. Viktor had used that desire to manipulate her into attacking Nick; it would be easy to use it to manipulate her again for his own purposes as well, but hopefully Nick's softer brand of persuasion had already done the job for him. No need to risk their young, incredibly powerful daughter picking up on her mother's resentment unless there was no other choice.
He took a moment to exchange pleasantries first, to establish the tone, and to get his first glimpse of Nick's son; the infant didn't look like much at that age, but appearances were so often misleading when it came to the wesen world. There was no telling what he'd grow up to be. Or what his father would do to protect him. Sean was counting on that, in fact.
"You remember Meisner?" he said, when the conversation turned at last to Diana.
Adalind's brow furrowed. "I've seen him. I know he's here. But what does that have to do with this ridiculous plan you're cooking up with Nick?"
"You mean he hasn't told you?" Sean raised his eyebrows. He'd thought perhaps that she simply hadn't told Nick about Diana's change of guardian, but Meisner was apparently playing just as deep a game as ever despite his current quasi-official occupation.
"Told me what?" She tensed.
"He was in the helicopter that night," Sean explained. "He rescued Diana."
"Meisner has Diana? Wait, is he blackmailing you to go undercover with Black Claw to get her back? I kind of get why you want backup in that case, but does it really have to be Nick?"
"I said he got her, not that he has her," Sean replied, a little surprised by her tone. In the brief moments when he'd considered genuinely taking Black Claw's offer, he'd assumed he'd have to lead her on from the Resistance angle, and then threaten her into compliance when the truth was revealed; but it seemed she'd have done it anyway if approached from the right direction. Apparently, the Grimm's brand of team-building was not only acquisitive, but infectious. "He told me that he handed her over to the Resistance – but Black Claw heavily implied they could get their hands on her at a moment's notice, so I'm not sure how secure her situation is with them."
Fear, stiffened by resolve, tightened Adalind's mouth. "I want her back, Sean. She's been away from us long enough."
"I have no intention of keeping her from you. But do you see why I'm not willing to take any risks with this? I need her safe; and to ensure that, I do need Nick."
"And it has to be this way?" she objected, plaintively. "He'd be willing to help even without the charade; you know he would. If you're going to use a Trust Me Knot anyway...."
A salt cellar rattled on the table next in front of her, and she put out a hand to stop it with a guilty expression.
"Well ... that's interesting," he said slowly. The suppressant was wearing off, then; her Hexenbiest powers were returning, and that would have to be factored into his plans. It didn't seem likely Nick knew about it, though, or he'd probably have suggested she perform the ritual instead of Elizabeth.
"Sean...."
"Oh, not to worry. If you haven't told him yet, then why would I? This way you can work behind the scenes with my mother to counter any measures they take to try to ensure our loyalty. If Nick doesn't know, he'll remain protective of you, and Black Claw will assume you're not a threat."
"Is everything just wheels within wheels with you?" Adalind replied, staring at him. "All that time I thought I had a chance with you ... I was just a means to an end, wasn't I? And now you're going to do the same with Nick. And you want to use me to do it to him. Again."
Easy for her to take that tone, the Hexenbiest daughter of a Hexenbiest, who'd never had reason to doubt her power could get her anything she wanted ... at least until her path had crossed that of a very unusual Grimm. 'Biests weren't like other wesen; they weren't actually one species at all, but a pair of closely-related monogender species that had joined forces some time in the distant past to ensure the continuance of their powers. A Hexenbiest's daughters always inherited their mother's magical abilities; a Zauberbiest's sons were likewise incredibly gifted. But if they did not breed together, their opposite-gendered wesen children inherited the physical strengths but not the spirit of their 'biest parent, forcing them to learn to make up the difference in other ways if they wanted to play on the same field.
"Then you'll have to ensure we word that Trust Me Knot very carefully, won't you?" he replied, crisply.
Adalind swallowed, then finally looked away, shoulders sagging slightly. "I guess I'd just hoped...."
"Look," Sean said, sighing. She did genuinely care for Nick then; time to sweeten the pot. "I'm not going to force Nick to do anything. Once the threat is removed, depending on the situation, we may have to maintain appearances in public, but you'll always be a part of our lives. What exactly that may come to mean behind closed doors...." He shrugged, spreading his hands slightly.
Adalind's mouth tightened, and she clenched her fingers together on the table. "I want to believe that," she said. "But how am I supposed to trust you won't stab me in the back again the minute you have what you want?"
"You're asking me that? You might as well ask how I'm supposed to trust you," he replied, impatiently. "Are you waiting for me to admit I was wrong to agree with your mother, the first time you lost your powers? That I shouldn't have dismissed you as just another pretty girl? Because I would have thought that was already obvious. After everything that's happened, after all the setbacks you've faced ... you're still here."
"I am, aren't I?" she said thoughtfully, perking up a little. Then her expression softened into a wry smile. "And Nick. And you. All right, then; I'll do it."
"You will?" Relief flooded through him. That was the second thing that had gone right in as many days, for only the price of a little persuasion.
"Of course. I don't actually want anything to happen to you; and I definitely don't want anything to happen to Nick, or our children. But I will be checking the wording of the oath, very carefully."
"I don't want anything to happen to you, either. And you know I would expect nothing less."
They parted on that constructive note; and Sean headed back to his office in a much more anticipatory mood than he'd left it, satisfied that things were definitely moving forward at long last.
It was later in the afternoon by the time Nick and his partner made significant progress on their case and returned to the precinct for the next steps. They were apparently dealing with a Lycanthrope, of all things; a Blutbad affected by a genetic disease that had been thought extinct for more than a century.
Nick seemed more unsettled than was warranted by the investigation, staring at Sean intently with a furrowed brow while he and Hank explained what they'd found and what they intended to do next. Not entirely unexpected, but still a trifle concerning given the degree of relationship they'd be expected to perform within the next few days. Rachel had texted him after his meeting with Adalind; she'd be coming by the office within a few hours, and he needed to be absolutely sure of Nick's commitment to the plan before he fed it to her – and through her, Black Claw.
"All right, bring him in," he said as they concluded their report. "But first – Nick, do you have a minute?"
Hank glanced between the pair of them, then raised both hands, palm out. "I'll just let myself out, then. Nick, I'll get started on the paperwork with Wu – let me know when you're ready."
He closed the door behind him; Nick watched him go, then turned a still-pensive expression on Sean. "If this is about ... well, I thought we weren't supposed to talk about it here."
"And we aren't," he agreed. "Not in detail. But I just thought I should let you know, for clarity's sake, that my mother's on her way; and that Adalind is now on board. Also, that paperwork I mentioned...." He retrieved a thin sheaf of paper from a folder, double-checked that Grossante had done as he'd asked, then slid it across the desk toward Nick. Straightening out the chain of command – so to speak – was an unexciting, but necessary step to defuse the inevitable mud-slinging attempts that would occur after the news became public. "It's as agreed, but you'll probably want to familiarize yourself with the particulars before the appropriate steps are taken."
Nick stared at him, then at the form in his hand, expression going curiously blank as he took it in; he reached almost tentatively for the pages, then sat heavily in one of the chairs in front of Sean's desk. He wasn't staring at the text, though; just Sean. "Oh."
Sean lifted his eyebrows. "Are you all right?"
"Yeah, yeah, it's just...." Nick waved the hand holding the papers vaguely through the air. "This is really happening. I mean, I knew, it wasn't like you didn't make your intentions clear, and Adalind did tell me you'd asked her to talk. But it's ... such a change, I guess it's taken a while to sink in."
"Having second thoughts?" he prompted. Also to be expected; though he'd counted on Nick's own sense of duty to keep him from backing out. He also hadn't counted on facing the reaction directly; he'd have thought that would be a conversation the Grimm would save for his friends.
"Did you really expect I wouldn't?" Nick snorted, and gave Sean a wan smile. "If you'd asked me what I thought my future would look like, before my aunt came to town. ... And even after that, I guess I got a little more attached than I'd realized to the status quo. It's one thing to recognize that; another to really put in the work to change it, you know?"
Recalling the chain of thought that had set this whole plan in motion to begin with, Sean flashed him a sudden, sharp grin in return. "You have no idea."
The catch in Burkhardt's breathing was clearly audible; he stared at Sean for a long moment, then gave a startled glance over his shoulder in the direction of his partner's desk. "Ah, I ought to get going; we are time-limited on this case. But – you'll let me know when the, um, appropriate steps need to be taken?"
"Of course," Sean replied, amused and not a little intrigued. For someone who'd been faced with so many upsets in the last few years, Nick really did adjust extremely well once he'd had a chance to get his feet back under him. Yet another thing that made him a frustrating opponent – and very attractive as an ally. In addition, of course, to being very attractive, as his mother had so helpfully reminded him. And apparently, not entirely opposed to Sean on a personal level, either. It cast an interesting light on some of their more ... high-intensity ... past encounters.
"We'll need enough time to go ring-shopping in advance, after all," he added wryly, just to see that look on the Grimm's face again.
Nick cleared his throat, an entertaining mixture of panic and self-consciousness raising the color in his cheeks; then he got to his feet and headed for the door. "Uh, right. Then I'll just...?"
Sean waved him out, then went back to his usual work with a satisfied smile.
Rachel arrived while Nick and Hank were still out retrieving their suspect – an avoidance that was no doubt intentional on her part. She'd brought with her the expected ultimatum, and a news article intended to convince him that doing as Black Claw asked wouldn't even be difficult.
Which was true – because of Sean's own efforts, however misled he might have originally been as to their purpose. Whether that was conservation of effort on their part, to evoke the sunk cost fallacy in their target, or a lack of common sense in their own strategic planning, he couldn't say. Either way, they must value what they could get out of the arrangement highly enough not to take any chances that he wouldn't agree to it, regardless of the risk that he would take offense at their angle of approach.
Diana.
He might not be a full Zauberbiest, but someone on their side should have thought more highly of the threat he represented if mishandled. Sean supposed he could thank Nick for that, too; the last five years probably didn't look like the most brilliant part of his record, to an outside observer. But that had also given him an opportunity now that would have been difficult to achieve any other way.
"We're running out of time," she finally concluded. "You need to commit. You're either in, or you're out."
"I'm aware of that," he replied, smirking as he finally played his counter-move. "But you must understand that I needed to confer with my fiancé first, before making a decision this significant."
Rachel's eyes widened. "You're engaged already? That was quick. But I was under the impression Adalind was still living with the Grimm?"
"I wouldn't say quick; it's been five years in negotiation. The campaign will necessarily impact the timing – the previous plan was to complete the contract after one of us had been promoted – but he agrees that you're right, a pre-existing family will go over better with the public. And of course she's living with him; she's the mother of our children. What does that have to do with anything?"
Surprise turned to shock; the Löwen's jaw dropped open, and she visibly flailed for words. "He's ... you mean ... you can't be talking about the Grimm."
"Naturally," he replied blandly, steepling his fingers on the desk. "His aunt raised him, and she was no fool. She negotiated very properly to stay out of my territory in return for shielding her apparently non-Grimm nephew from our world. Until his gifts awakened late, leaving him untrained and in the crosshairs of the Reapers who'd been pursuing her. She came here herself to renegotiate terms; I had to feign my own attempts to remove her to give her time to complete them, and she pushed for a very hard bargain. But one that overall has been very much to my benefit, I believe."
She swallowed hard, visibly re-evaluating everything she'd thought she knew. "But you ... but we...."
"Were a very pleasant diversion; but one that obviously can't last, now that we're about to finally go public. Nick is a stubborn man, you know. Not having been raised as a Grimm, he fought the contract at first, and even after accepting it he insisted on establishing his independence and reputation in the wesen community before formally joining our names. And of course we both needed heirs. But the last five years have also given him a taste of the traditional lack of support available to unattached Grimms, and the complications that can result when we don't act in concert. I think we're both looking forward to the greater resources that this step will make available."
Sean had almost succeeded in convincing himself with that little speech; from the poleaxed look on Rachel's face, he had no doubt it passed the sniff test with her, too. Hopefully she'd pass it on to her superiors before she thought to start digging for conflicting details. The events surrounding Adalind's and Juliette's misfortunes would likely be the most convoluted to excuse, but it could be done. Laying it all out now would be a mistake, though; a truth he'd learned as much from his mundane occupation as his heritage. Liars often offered too many details in their attempts to explain.
"Well," she managed, pulling herself back together, a sharp glint finally coming back into her eyes as she considered the cachet of presenting the Black Claw leadership with a leashed Grimm in addition to a tame half-Zauberbiest. "I guess that means there's only one thing left to do."
"Diana," Sean replied with a nod.
"Well, arrange your press conference," Rachel countered slyly, "but yes, also Diana."
"It was good talking with you, Ms. Wood," he said more formally, extending a hand.
"You won't regret being on the right side of history," she replied, shaking his hand with a firm grip, then left the office with her chin lifted high and an air of avaricious plotting trailing in her wake.
Sean had expected that to be his last fraught meeting of the day, but as always seemed to be the case on Fridays in Portland, and particularly during full moons, there were surprises yet in store.
Nick and Hank returned with the Doyle scion, to test their theory about his affliction by cooling his heels for a few hours in the cells, and brought Monroe and Rosalee with them. Sean had insisted Nick register the two as police consultants some time ago, to give some kind of official fig leaf to the way he dragged the Blutbad and Fuchsbau into so many of his cases, but this was unusually blatant. It said something about the state of things in his city that none of the other detectives so much as turned a hair.
Sean eyed them through his office windows for a few moments, wondering if he wanted to know what warranted their presence this time, then sighed and got up to close the blinds for a little plausible deniability. Then he opened his laptop and got back to work. He'd barely finished processing a handful of official emails, though, when a knock came at the door and Nick let himself in.
The Grimm was very much in a hunting mood; not hint of blushes or uncertainty about him now. It was a good look on him. "Some complication with the case?" Sean asked him, immediately attentive.
"Not with the case, but ... complication is probably a good word for it," Nick said, closing the door behind him. "Were you aware that Eve has been poking around?"
"Eve?" Sean's eyebrows flew up. "No. Though I suppose I can't say I'm surprised, given recent events." Meisner always played his cards close to the chest, but they'd been something like friends once, and his frustration with Sean had been very clear after the Marwan incident. It only made sense that he'd send his best asset to keep an eye on the situation. "How did you find out?"
A wry, darkly amused smile tugged down the corner of Nick's mouth, and he took his phone out of his pocket, thumbing up a white-noise app and lowering his voice before continuing. "She called Hank and I down to the parking garage a few minutes ago to tell us about it. You know, I have to admit I'd still been wondering whether you might be using all this to sideline me while you joined Black Claw? Because the whole rushed engagement still seemed like kind of a stretch. But I think I get it now."
"Oh?" A bit bemused, but also ... appreciative, both of the passionate spark in Nick's blue eyes and the careful way he was still wording things despite the attempt to ensure privacy, Sean tilted his head and clasped his fingers on the desktop. "Do enlighten me."
The Grimm's smile sharpened further. "Eve showed us a picture of a campaign poster with your face on it ... and a shipping label dated four days before the rally. That's either an elementary-level mistake, or reckless arrogance. I could see you being that arrogant, but that indiscreet? You never once let on, in all the years I knew you before my aunt's visit, that you were anything other than exactly what you appeared to be. And where there's one strategic failure, there's bound to be others. There's no way you'd ever let someone you could plot rings around order you around long-term."
Sean chuckled, undeniably flattered – and determined never to tell Nick just how close the decision had really been. "They are powerful – but power alone is not an obstacle that cannot be overcome. The hardest gem can shatter into the tiniest pieces, if struck from the right angle." One that, it need not be said, Hadrian's Wall – however valiant and noble their cause – was not best suited to reach. An apparently power-hungry half-Zauberbiest and his fiancé, however? That was another story.
"Eve wanted us to spy on you, to figure out if you'd known about it in advance, too. But I guess I didn't seem shocked enough, because she told us about your habit of meeting in restaurants lately, too. Apparently, she overheard my name being spoken, so I should be on my guard."
"I should hope you're always on your guard," Sean replied, dryly. "Do you need me to swear that I've been doing nothing more than setting the groundwork for what we've already discussed?"
Nick lifted an eyebrow. "If we're really doing a Trust Me Knot in a few days, it seems kind of counter-productive for you to lie to me now. Though you did look kind of smug when I came in."
"Oh? Well, Rachel stopped by; I gave her the good news, and the terms of our agreement. We should hear back from her soon, one way or the other."
Nick snorted. "That should be interesting." Then he glanced over his shoulder toward the closed blinds, beyond which were the desks where his friends were waiting, and sighed. "We need to get down there and check on Doyle – if we're right, things are about to get pretty interesting here, too. But keep me posted if anything else changes, and I'll do the same."
"I will," Sean said, then hesitated and stood. While he was in this cooperative mood, there was something else he'd wondered about. "Nick...."
Nick paused in the middle of picking up his phone, giving him a curious look. "Yeah?"
"A lot has changed in the last few weeks. But I have to know. Why did you approach me before your trip with that speech about trust? Why now, after all this time?"
Nick bit his lip, then gave him a direct, firm look. "I just got to thinking about Kelly, and what kind of world he was going to be living in. Which also got me thinking about how he came to be ... and what you tried to do for me that day. It all went wrong, of course; for both of us. But I don't think I really gave you credit for trying, afterward. Or the other times you've tried to help. I've been too caught up in the times you didn't, and the fallout from all of it, and ... inherited prejudices, I guess, about your motivations. And I thought ... why not take you at your word this time? And see what came of it."
"A lot more than you wagered on, no doubt," Sean said, feeling a little more of that old, entrenched bitterness drain away.
"Yeah, well." He shrugged. "What about my life hasn't been, these last few years? While we're asking questions, though ... that one I deferred, before."
The one Sean was supposed to answer honestly; which meant it mattered more than the rest of this conversation. Interesting. "You want to ask it now?" he said, gesturing around at the office.
"Yeah, I think so," Nick replied, smile flashing out again. "You've asked an awful lot about my preferences, and talked about romance not being your first concern. But I'm a Grimm. I've learned about having to put other things first; that doesn't mean it doesn't exist. So ... what about your preferences? If it were up to you, do you think we could actually try to make a go of it?"
Sean took a sharp breath ... and watched Nick's gaze drop southward as he did so, before returning to match his own.
It had been a very rare occasion in his life that he'd been able to have his cake and eat it too, so to speak. It probably wouldn't benefit either of them to mention that he'd felt more the acquisitive sort of lust toward Nick than anything else, back at the beginning. But his emotions had certainly become ... more mixed, as Nick had grown into his new role.
"Honestly?" he said, walking slowly around his desk. "That depends."
"On what?" Nick asked, brow furrowing as he watched – though a lot less agitated than the last time he'd asked that question.
Sean lifted an eyebrow as he finished his slow stalk, coming to a halt rather closer than would usually be considered polite. "Chemistry," he said, very dryly.
Nick's lips parted as he took a sharp breath. "I, uh. Suppose that makes sense," he said huskily, gaze dropping to Sean's mouth again. "Do you...."
He trailed off as Sean moved closer still. This hadn't been his plan when he'd closed the blinds, but he certainly wasn't complaining. He leaned down, seeking the other man's mouth, and gave him a firm, testing kiss.
A moment later, that kiss melted into something a little deeper; Sean felt a hand come up to rest against his chest, bracing rather than pushing, as Nick's mouth opened under his. Sean was a tall man, but Nick was taller than average as well, and fit against him like the interlocking pieces of a puzzle.
Would the fit have been the same, if Nick had broken up with Juliette back when his aunt had asked him to? He didn't think so; in the intervening years, they'd seen the best and worst of each other, squared off as foes and fought side by side, and grown to recognize if not always appreciate the imprint the other left in both Kehrseite and wesen worlds. As reluctant as he was to admit it ... perhaps the last five years had been worth it, despite everything.
"Well," Nick said after a moment, pulling back. "Does that answer the question?"
"I think," Sean replied roughly, "that I need to call my mother and see if she can get here any quicker."
That surprised Nick into a laugh. "I'll take that as a yes," he said, looking pleased with himself. Then a knock sounded on the door, and he sighed. "And a raincheck for later. That's probably Hank; we need to get back down to the isolation cell to check on Doyle."
"Then don't let me stop you," Sean replied, moving back behind his desk. "Other things first."
"Other things first," Nick agreed with a nod, and headed for the door.
Sean watched him go, absently thinking about what came next. A willing Nick would greatly increase the odds of success ... and make the fight to get there a lot more pleasant, too. He didn't fool himself that the Trust Me Knot was no longer necessary, but as well as they were working together already, how much more would it improve when they had no reason left to hesitate?
There was a lot left to accomplish, and a lot arrayed against them, but Sean no longer had any doubt that they'd succeed.
Rachel had been right about that, at least. A family was exactly what he'd needed to win.