effectivelyprocrastinating

[effectivelyprocrastinating]

The Lies We Live Chapter 10

A/N I am so sorry. I thought I'd posted this a while ago. Here is the last chapter of the story. I hope you enjoy it.

The next day, Josephine stood at Nick’s doorstep, her heart pounding as she wrung her hands together, a sign of her growing anxiety. It had taken all her willpower to drive over here, and she wasn’t sure he would answer the door. Monroe had called and told her he had talked to Nick, but he wouldn’t give her more information. Hesitantly, she knocked. Then took a step back. She started to count the seconds. If she got to 100, she told herself she would leave and let Nick live his life in peace. 

When the door creaked open, she was at 78. Nick wouldn’t look her in the eye finding the floor more interesting the the broken women in front of him. The pain that he had caused.  As she took him in, a wave of unease washed over her. Nick’s hair was a wild tangle, strands sticking up in chaotic directions. His button-up shirt hung loosely on his frame as if he hadn’t been eating. The top buttons were undone, giving him a disheveled, unkempt appearance that starkly contrasted with the usually put-together man she knew. They stood staring for several seconds, and she wasn’t sure she looked much better than he did. When he finally looked away from his shoes and to her, it was clear he had been sleeping as much as she had, exhaustion in his eyes, deep shadows. 

At that moment, Josephine realized with a sinking feeling that Monroe had been right; Nick looked as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders, and her heart ached to see him like this. She hadn’t realized how much she meant to him. How much her keeping this from him had hurt. Even though she hadn’t used a spell, she had a lot of power over him. His voice creaked as he spoke, breaking her heart all over again. She couldn’t hear the warmth and love in his tone that had been there a little over a week ago. She took a deep breath, reminding herself it was better than she deserved; at least he was talking to her now, “What do you want, Josephine?” 

She knew he wanted to sound angry, but all she heard was the wariness in his voice. It reminded her of a wounded dog. He sounded big and scary,  but in reality, he was just scared. “Can I come in?” She asked, preparing for him to slam the door in her face. 

Her mind flashed back to the night after the fight when she had driven over in a mad dash, tears streaming down her face.   

His movement brought her back to the present. He said nothing but stepped away from the door, allowing her entry. As she stepped through the doorway, it hit her how much she had missed this place, which had become her home away from home—how much she missed him. When she turned to him, he was watching her closely. “What do you want?” he asked again, but his voice softened. 

“I’m sorry.” She couldn’t think of anything else to say. She was sorry not for her powers, they had saved her life more times then she could count, but she couldn’t bear to the man that had become central to her world, fall apart because of her.  He nodded but didn’t say anything. After a few moments of unbearable silence she asked, “You talked to Monroe?” The question came out more uncertain than she meant it to. 

He nodded again, “He called me last night. So you can’t do blood magic?” 

“No, I can’t. That is the drawback of my mutation. Whatever allows blood magic to work in hexenbiest doesn’t in me. Something is different in my blood.” 

He wouldn’t look her in the eye, “So what does that mean for us?”

“What do you want it to mean?”

“I don’t know, when I thought you had used somekind of potion it was easier to be angry at you. To not forgive you because my feelings weren’t real.” He shrugged and finally looked up at her, for a moment and then back down. 

Is that why you left and  wouldn’t talk to me?” She took a step closer but didn’t touch him. It was as if a wall had separated them. “How do you feel now?”

They stood like this for a full minute as he thought about how to express what he wanted to say. He rubbed his hand over his face he spoke so quietly that she could barely hear him. “I’ve been thinking about this a lot.  And honestly, I don’t know if I trust myself anymore. I should have known you didn’t use a love potion on me. I should have known that you were wesen.” He stopped and glancced up at her but couldn’t keep eye contact. He could see plainly what he had been avoiding for the past week, her. Her eyes were hopeful, but guarded. He had never seen her this bad, even in the hospital. She looked so broken so weak, like her heart had been trown out of her chest. He thought it would be easy to hate her, to forget her and move on. Then he would close his eye as see her. Now she stood this close his heart pounding in his chest screamed out for her. All he wanted to do was hold her and never let her go again. He knew the only thing between them now was his pride. 

She stood quietly, waiting for him to finish. “I should have known a lot of things. But I can’t exatly stay mad at you for keeping the same kind of secrete I was. I should have told you I was a Grimm. Can you forgive me?” 

“Nick,” She started but stoped when he finally looked at her and didn’t look away. It seemed as though he was drinking her in like this would be the last time. “There is nothing to be forgiven for. I have always known what you are and I still chose you. I miss you. I have never lied to you, and I have never used my powers to manipulate you. What we had... what we have is real, all of it. I swear. I will never use my powers against you. I don’t even know if I could. I’m not sure how my powers would interact with yours.” She shrugged helplessly.  

He looked slightly surprised, “You haven’t.” She shook her head and he counited, “I’ve missed you too. I never stop loving you.”

She chuckled, “Do you think you can love a wesen?”

He laughed as he took her hand, kissing her knuckles, “Only if you can love a Grimm. No more secrets, okay?” He took her hand and led her to the couch. 

“No more secrets.” 

They both sat, kept some space between them as they spoke. “It makes me feel a little silly now, the excuses I made when I had to deal with Grimm business. Are you okay with that, Grimm business I mean?”

She laughed,  “What else would you have done? If I had been a Kehrseite, I would have thought you were crazy. You do what needs to be done. It’s your job.”

“At least I don’t have to hide it from you anymore. God, I’ve missed your laugh. That will be a relief. Juliette thought I was crazy. She left Portland and never returned.” 

“That’s why she left you?” He took a few seconds then nodded. She squeezedhis hand. “I’m not going anywhere if you want me here.” She touched his face, “but,” she stopped then counited knowing she had to tell him, but the concerned look on her face gave her another pause. “I have one more secret that you aren’t going to like.”

He pulled away from her, worry clear in his eyes. “What is it? You are okay right?” 

She shook her head as he took her in again, I’m fine, but it’s my family. You remember I told you Sean is the only one that I have left.” He nodded again and she felt his heartrate spike, through their connected hands. Without thinking she felt her magic respond and flow into him, slowing his heartrate. She knew the moment her eyes changed color, because even though he didn’t pull away he jumped a little.  She smiled, at least that answered one question. 

A shaky smile graced his lips, “That’s what it feels like when you use your powers on someone?”

She nodded, watching his reaction, “Is that okay?”

He shrugged, “It just feels like you. I just feel your present.” He smiled at her. 

She smiled before she counited, she knew if she didn’t tell him now she never would. He would distract her with his smile and his charm and she would convince herself it was unimportant. “My family, they are very… powerful. And they want me for my… abilities. That’s who came to my house that night and the night we met.” She gave him the courtesy of looking him in the eye as she spoke. She had never talked about her family with anyone, it was harder then she thought to say the words out loud. 

“I thought Sean was your brother?”

“He is. He is the only one I trust.” When he looked even more confused she counited, but she took it as a good sign he was still holding her hands. 

She took a few seconds to find the right words. “I am a bastard; that’s what caused my mutation. My family wants to use me as a weapon. What I told you on our first date was true. My mother is somewhat of a nomad, but that isn’t by choice; she is running from my father and his family. My father doesn’t love me. He made it clear that he only cared about what I could do.” When my mother took me and ran, Sean came with us.” Nick sat silently long enough to make her uncomfortable, but he didn’t let her go. “Say something, please.” 

“Is staying in Portland dangerous for you?” he asked, looking her in the eye. When she looked away, he said, “It was her turn to stay quiet.” He continued, “You said no more secrets.”  

“No more secrets,” She confirmed. “It’s not the safest, but I told Sean I was done running. I won’t run. I won’t leave you.”

He nodded, taking a minute for the information to sink in. “I don’t want you putting yourself in danger because of me.” 

She slid a little closer to him, their shoulders touching along with their hands.“It’s not because of you; our lives will never be safe whether or not we are together. I don't want you to stay out of obligation. And you deserve the whole story before you make a decision. They sat side by side for a few minutes before either found words that fit. “No matter what you decide, I’ll stay in Portland. She braced herself for him to pull away. For their relationship to be truly over, she wouldn’t blame him. She had been taking care of herself for so long that she wasn’t sure anyone else would want to. 

When she finally worked up the courage to look at him,, he was already looking at her, , her breath caught in her throat. She didn’t think anyone had ever looked at her like that before. There was pure love in his eyes, no reservations. “ You knew I was a Grimm this whole time?”

She shook her head. “Yes, I knew when you shook my hand in the hospital.”

“And you still agreed to go out with me?”  

The question caught her off guard. She looked into his eyes and saw nothing but fear and vulnerability, she said, pausing to break eye contact. She could not look at him as she spoke the words she knew she had to say. “It was just supposed to be a fun night out. I wasn’t looking for anything serious, but… you… you did something I didn’t expect. You made me feel seen and cared for, not because of what I could do, but because you wanted to get to know me.” She stopped, taking a deep breath. Then she continued, “My family won’t stop coming for me. It could be dangerous. It will be dangerous for you, more dangerous because you're a Grimm. Now that you know everything, I understand if you want to walk away.”

She felt him let out a slow breath and watched as his shoulders dropped and his whole body relaxed. “I’m a Grimm. I can take care of myself. As you said, our lives will never be safe. I would prefer if I know I’m watching your back.”

“Really?” She couldn’t quite believe that he would choose to stay after he knew everything. “You still want me?” She wasn’t used to this. But the way he was looking at her, she didn’t want him to stop.

Really, I’m not going anywhere. It wasn’t a potion. It was real it was us. I don’t want to lose us. I don’t think I can.” She knew her pulse was jumping but she couldn’t control her own racing heart. 

“You love me?” She didn’t know why she was asking. He had said it a million times; he had even said it tonight, but she needed to hear it.

As if knowing she needed the reassurance, he pulled her into him. “I love all of you. And for the record,” he laughed, “Your pink eyes are mesmerizing. 

She rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, now slow and steady, just like him. “I never meant to fall in love with you, you know?” She teased, “But I’m glad I did.”

“I know, Vicky told me as much that Sunday. You never thought you would find Mr. Right. I just didn’t realize it was because I was a Grimm.” He chuckled, chest rumbling. 

She relaxed into him, feeling safe for the first time since that night, “I never thought my Mr. Right would be a Grimm.” She pulled away, looking him in the eyes. “How are we going to make this work, a Grimm and a Wesen? Your ancestors killed my ancestors. They would all come back to haunt us. Not to mention, people may not like it. Call us both blood traitors. ”

“The same way we have been. The difference now is we both know the truth.” He emphasized the word both and looked at her with a knowing expression she couldn't help but blush with embarrassment. “I know that my life would feel hollow without you. We are stronger together. ”

She shuggled closer to him, “I can’t lose you, Nick.”

Trust me, you won’t. I can take care of myself, and I promise that as long as I’m alive, I’ll keep you safe. You are not alone." He gripped her tighter, fearing she might vanish if he let go. 

She smiled as she finally relaxed in his arms, knowing that it wouldn’t be easy, but they had each other; she sat enjoying his embrace for a few minutes before she spoke again.“My knight in shining armor.  When he didn’t respond, she moved just enough to see his face, and he was asleep, still holding on to her. She lay her head back on his chest while grabbing her phone and texting Rosalee. We made up. She threw down her phone and fell asleep in his arms. 

[effectivelyprocrastinating]

Chapter 9

The Lies We Live Masterlist

After they all left, Nick paced back in front for several minutes before he spoke.  “What are you?” The adrenaline coursed through both of them, heightening his senses. If not, he may not noticed that she stopped breathing when she looked into his eyes.  Her amber eyes filled with pain, regret, and sadness, but he was too angry at her at the moment to care. 

Josephine settled on the couch. Still refusing to leave her side, Monroe sat in the chair beside the sofa as Nick paced in front of her. She knew they both had questions, and she would answer them. 

Without warning, Nick’s hand slammed down on the table in front of her, and a sudden noise made her jump. She instinctively closed her eyes, bracing herself for what Nick was about to do. After a few seconds, she opened them again. “You know, I’m a weasel,” she began, her voice low and tinged with unsteady confidence, “but there isn’t a name for what I am. I am the first of my kind. I may be the last.”

Nick’s expression morphed from disbelief to confusion, his brow deeply furrowed. “You didn’t woge,” he replied, the disbelief hanging on his words like a question mark. “You’ve never woged, ever. ” The layers of pain and confusion mixed in his voice created an almost palpable tension between them. “No one has that much control.” 

“I am a genetic mutant,” she asserted. “I am wesn, but I don’t woge. I do this, but I can control it.  Her eyes ignited with a vivid pink light as she spoke, an enchanting but unsettling sight that momentarily distracted him. Nick took an instinctive step back, shock and bewilderment etched across his face. “The closest thing you know to what I am is a hexenbiest, but my abilities aren’t quite the same.” 

She stopped speaking as he began shaking his head. “Did you know?”

“Know what?” she asked as Monroe returned with the first aid kit. She took it with a smile as he sat down in a chair and joined the conversation. 

“Did you know I was a Grimm?” 

She nodded. “Yes, I knew in the hospital when you shook my hand. And I’ve  always known that you’re.” She turned to Monroe. " You are a blutbad; Rosalee is a fuchsuba. As part of my mutation, I can tell what wesns are even if they don’t woge. As long as they touch me, I can tell.” 

“So you have known the whole time what we all are?” Monroe asked. His voice was kind, but he was confused. 

“Yes.” She nodded as she finished wrapping her leg. 

“So you lied to me?!” Nick yelled, but he was fighting to control his tone. 

“No, I didn’t lie to you. I just didn’t tell you. Like you didn’t tell me, you were a Grimm.” 

“I didn’t tell you to keep you safe. Why didn’t you tell me? Were you afraid I would cut off your head?” He spat at her. 

She shook her head sadly, “No, I know you would never hurt me. I was never scared of you. I didn’t want to hurt you.”

“You know what?  That’s exactly what you did. You lied to me, made me love you, but lied to me.” He snapped at her. She sat without saying anything. The look of heartbreak in his eyes almost broke her own heart.“Show me.” He snapped again.

“Are you sure?” she asked. 

“Nick, take it easy.” Monroe stood, trying to calm his friend. 

She took a deep breath as her eyes flashed pink. His car keys floated out of his pocket and into her hand. Then she made them float back to him, and he caught them. 

“Can you cast spells like hexenbiest?

She nodded, “Yes, but…” 

Nick held up his hand, stopped her, and shook his head. “No more.” Without another word, he walked out of her front door. She still didn't move and listened to his car speed out of her driveway. 

Monroe looked to the door and back to her. She turned to him, tears in her eyes, and said, “I’m sorry, Monroe.”

He shrugged, “He will come around. He just needs time.” They sat quietly for a minute before he spoke again. “You knew, but you didn’t say anything. Why?”

She wiped her eyes, “You didn’t tell me. I wanted you both to trust me into that part of your world, not to force myself in.” 

Monroe nodded, standing and heading towards the door. Her voice stopped him, but he didn’t turn around. “Monroe, I… Please keep him safe.” 

Monroe nodded again but said nothing. She broke down, sobbing, once she was sure she was alone. It took her several days before she was ready to be part of society again.  

On Tuesday, once she could think clearly, she texted Sean. Eric tried to kill me. I hope you're happy.

That Thursday afternoon, Rosalee gently knocked on Josephine’s door. She opened the door, revealing a look of surprise on her friend's face. 

Without uttering a word, Rosalee stepped over the threshold and warmly embraced Josephine. They stood like that for several heartbeats, the world outside fading away, until Rosalee finally broke the silence. “Monroe told me.” She led Josephine to the cozy couch, her eyes filled with concern. “Are you okay?”

Josephine nodded slowly, “I will be. That’s not how I wanted Nick to find out, but if he can’t accept me, then I’ll have to come to terms with it. I can’t make him love me.” Her voice wavered, revealing a flicker of vulnerability.

“So you were going to tell him?” Rosalee inquired, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course I was,” Josephine responded, her resolve returning.

Rosalee shrugged, a hint of frustration in her tone. “Most people wouldn’t. You could hide it better than the rest of us, you know. You could have concealed it your entire life if you chose to. Most people would do what you had the chance to.”

Josephine rose from her seat, glancing back over her shoulder. “Would you like some tea?”

“I would love some, thank you.” 

As the kettle hissed and steam curled into the air, Josephine poured the fragrant water over the leaves, her thoughts swirling along with the steam. “It’s part of who I am. I can’t change it, even if I wanted to. If he can’t love all of me, then we won’t work as a couple,” she added, her voice steady but soft.

“True, but there have been many days when I wished I could hide who what I was.," Rosalee admitted, her expression growing serious. "I know a lot of people who feel the same way.”

Josephine sighed and leaned against the kitchen counter, thoughtful. “I came to terms with who I am a long time ago. Nick is a Grimm, and that is part of who he is. I love all of him.”

Rosalee held the warm coffee cup, enjoying the comforting heat. “Yes, but you knew he was a Grimm before your relationship began. You entered with your eyes wide open, so to speak. He’s learning this about you nearly a year later. That’s quite a bit to digest.”

Josephine nodded, her heart heavy. “I know it wasn’t fair to him, but if he had known from the start, he wouldn’t have looked twice at me. My brother was his boss, and now I’m a wesen. I didn’t expect it to go this far. I just wanted him to keep looking at me the way he did in the hospital. ”

“So you didn’t have any faith in him?” Rosalee asked gently.

Josephine shrugged a hint of regret in her eyes. “No, I guess I didn’t. He was a Grimm.”

“And now?” Rosalee pressed, curious.

Josephine sat quietly for nearly a full minute, contemplating her feelings. “I hope he loves me,” she finally said, “but if not, then I’ll move on.” She paused, adding, “Or at least I’ll try. He has set the bar pretty high.” They both shared a light laugh as they settled into a comfortable silence.

“Can I have another cup?” Rosalee asked with a smile. “I really enjoy this brew. What is it?”

“I’m glad; it’s your blend,” Josephine teased as she refilled the cup.

“I thought I recognized it! It tastes a little different, though. Did you do something to it?”

“I added a pinch of cinnamon and some sugar. Do you like it?” Josephine asked as she passed the steaming cup back to Rosalee.

“I do!” Rosalee declared, savoring a long sip, the flavors dancing on her tongue.

“Thank you for checking on me, Rosalee,” Josephine said, sipping her tea.

“We are friends,” Rosalee replied simply, as though that was the only explanation needed.

“How is Nick?” Josephine asked, unable to help herself. 

“I haven’t seen him,” Rosalee replied, her voice softening. “Monroe and I decided that he would handle Nick, and I would come to check on you. I think he’s just... dealing. We wanted to be there for both of you without choosing sides. You are both our friends.”

 Josephine nodded, “Thank you.” 

Rosalee stood, handing the glass back to her and walking towards the door, “I’ll see you soon.” 

 Josephine hugged her again, “Thank you for coming.” 

It took her an entire week to adjust to the silence that had settled between her and Nick. She instinctively reached for her phone, only to be reminded of the painful reality. The absence of his familiar texts and playful banter felt like a stab in her chest—an ache that never faded. As she scrolled through old messages, laughter echoed in her mind, each reminder amplifying the emptiness left by his absence. The weight of unspoken words hung heavily in the air, transforming ordinary moments into reminders of what once was. Rosalee checked on her several times, feeling grateful for the friendly face. Late one night, she heard a knock on her door and assumed it was her friend. “Come on in, Rosalee,” she called out. The door opened, but it wasn’t Rosalee—it was Monroe. “Monroe, what are you doing here?” Her voice was a mix of confusion, concern, and relief. 

“I came to talk to you.”

“Come in, please. What’s wrong?” Monroe stepped through the door and stood uncomfortably in her living room as she stood in her kitchen. 

“How are you doing?” Monroe asked as he sat down.

“Worse than, Nick, I’m sure.” She asked, reaching for a cup. 

Monroe finally sat like a twenty-pound hammer laid on his chest. “ I highly doubt that. He misses you. He is struggling… he’s not doing well at all.” 

“I miss him too, but he won’t talk to me.” 

“Josephine, he isn’t sleeping.  I’ve never seen him this bad. Not even when Juliette left.”

“What do you want me to do, Monroe?” 

“Go talk to him, please.”

“If he would listen to me, I would. After it happened, I went to his house, and he wouldn’t look at me. He slammed the door in my face. He won’t answer my calls and texts, and I can’t fix what broke if he won’t talk to me.”

Monroe rubbed his face as if he would rub away the problem. “He thinks you used blood magic.” 

She was stunned, “What?” 

“He thinks you used blood magic to get him to fall in love with you.”

She laughed, “He thinks I used blood magic?” 

Monroe nodded, “He does.” 

“What do you think?”

Monroe shrugged. “Why do you think I’m here? There is no way you used a love potion.” He thought about it briefly, then continued, “And I’ve seen you two together. No spell can do that.” 

Josephine doubled over in laughter. Monre looked at her, confused. “What’s funny?”

Once she stopped laughing, she looked up at him, wiping her eyes as all the pieces fell into place, “I can’t do blood magic.” 

“What?” Monroe asked, standing and moving towards her as if he hadn’t heard her. What do you mean you can’t do blood magic?” He asked, standing in front of her. 

“That’s the drawback of my mutation.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I tried, but no one was in the mood to listen. I didn't see how it would make a difference. I never thought Nick would even consider that I used blood magic.” She sat in stunned Silence for several minutes. “He thought I used blood magic to make him love me?” 

“The thought crossed his mind, yes. Ever since Juliette  left, he hasn’t trusted his instincts.”  

“He really thought so low of me? I’m not Juliette .” Her voice rose in volume. 

“Josephine, go talk to him, please. Not being with you is eating him alive. 

“Why should I? He thinks our whole relationship is based on a lie.”

“That’s exactly why you should go talk to him. He is wrong, and he needs to know that.” 

“Why would he believe me?” 

Monroe shook his head and said, “I don’t know that he will, but you have to tell him.” 

“He won’t believe me. He won’t even look at me.” Tears sprang up in her eyes. 

Monroe pulled her into a hug. “I’ll tell him if you want me to.”

She stood crying in his arms, “I just want him to trust me, Monroe. I know Julttite broke his heart, but I’m not her. 

“I know, but you have to show him that.” 

“I’ll go see him tomorrow after I get off work,  but can you talk to him first.” 

Monroe let her go, nodding. “Sure thing.” 

[effectivelyprocrastinating]

The Lies We Live Chapter 8

A/N: Sorry about the wait on this one. I wasn't sure I liked it. Hope you all enjoy. Please comment, let me know what you think.

The Lies We Live Masterlist

Nick pulled up in front of the precinct and called Monroe. He picked up on the third ring. 

“Nick, you okay?” The concern in his voice was unmistakable. 

“Yeah, everything's fine. Do you have plans for Sunday? Josephine wanted to invite you to dinner.” 

“No, I don’t think so. What time?” 

“6:30, I think. Oh, her work friends will be there too.”

“Are you inviting Rosalee?”

Nick smirked, “Do you want me to?”

"If you two are organizing a friend get-together, don’t you think she should be included?" He noticed the hesitation in Monroe’s tone. 

“Yeah, you are right. I’ll call her this afternoon. So you’ll be there?”

“I'll be there. You know I love Josephine. She is a total sweetheart.”

Nick rolled his eyes. “I know you prefer her to me. If we ever break up, I might lose you, too.” Nick laughed. 

Monroe chuckled on the other end. The line went quiet for a minute, then Monroe spoke again, changing the course of the conversation. I care about her, and she has become my friend. Are you ever going to tell her you are a Grimm?”

Nick let out a sigh. “I don’t know, Monroe. You remember what happened with Juliet. When I tried to tell her, she left me, telling me I was crazy or that I had drugged her to see things. I haven’t heard from her since. She pretends I don’t exist.” 

His eyes closed as his whole body tensed. He remembered the night he told Juliet he was a Grimm. He thought it would be fine, that she had loved him. He had been wrong then; what if he was wrong now? He didn’t know if he could handle the look of betrayal in her eyes.  For her to call him crazy. He couldn’t do it, not again. 

He had thought about telling her so many times, but as he was about to, he stopped himself. He couldn’t lose her. He knew she wasn’t perfect, he knew she was keeping things from her, but he knew he loved her. He couldn’t lose her. He convinced himself that she would understand that he kept his secrets. 

“I know Nick, but Josephine is not Juliet. And if you don’t tell her, she will never know the real you.”

“Even if she believes me, she may not want me anymore. Even if she is willing to stay with me. She already worries about me being a cop and about not coming home. What will happen when I tell her that I fight weasn?” He had had this conversation with himself a lot over the last few months. It had never turned out well. 

“It’s your choice, Nick, but if you ask me, you need to give her the opportunity to choose you, all of you. She has worked hard opening up to you. Doesn’t she deserve the same from you? ”

“Listen, I have to go, Hank’s calling me. I’ll see you Sunday.” Cutting off the conversation, knowing he was right. 

Monroe sighed, “I’ll see you Sunday, Nick.”

Josephine returned to her desk, noticing Dave still sulking. “How was lunch with your favorite person whom I never met?" She chuckled as her computer restarted. “Dave, do you and Daisy have any plans for Sunday night?” His frown faded as she grinned, and he returned her smile, asking, "Not that I know of, why?" "Nick and I are hosting a get-together; I thought you and Daisy might like to join us!”  She watched as Dave’s face lit up. “But if you don’t want to come, I understand.” She teased. 

“We’d love to come. What time?”

“6:30, my place.”

“Who is going to be there?”

“You, me, Daisy, Nick, I’m inviting Vicky and her husband, and I think Nick is inviting a few of his friends.” 

“Vicky!” Dave yelled across the office.

“What?!” She yelled back. 

“Come here. I need you for something!” He yelled again.

“Will you stop yelling?” Josephine hissed at the two of them when Vicky got close enough to hear her.

“Dave started it.” Vicky shrugged. “What do you need?” Her voice dropped to her normal volume. 

She turned to Dave, who whispered conspiratorially, “Josephine is going to invite you and hubby to a dinner party to finally meet her boyfriend.”

Vicky turned to Joeshpine, “Oh, the cutie detective, I’ve already met him. He is a total sweetheart.  Let me tell you, he is head over heels for our Joeshphine here.” She waved her hand dismissively as Josephine looked down, blushing. 

“You actually met him?” Dave exclaimed, his eyes widening in disbelief. His shock was evident as he leaned forward, gripping the edge of his desk as if trying to steady himself against the weight of the revelation, adding a bit of playacting. 

Vicky chuckled at Dave’s playful teasing, her eyes sparkling with amusement. “Oh, we really did have quite the intriguing conversation late one night, about three months ago,” she recalled, a smile tugging at her lips. “I was just about to leave when I saw him pull up, looking frantic, as if the building was engulfed in flames. Once he explained who he was, I couldn’t help but let him in and escort him to the office.”

With a hint of mischief in her voice, Vicky leaned in, lowering her tone as if sharing a secret. “He was worried because he had a date with someone, but she had completely lost track of time, she wasn’t answering her phone,  and he was convinced something had happened to her.”

Vicky continued, her voice softening.  “Once he realized she was perfectly fine, his demeanor shifted. He became remarkably warm and engaging, charming in a hard-to-overlook way.” She glanced at Josephine with a playful grin. “If only I were twenty years younger, I might give Josephine a run for her money!” With a wink, she added a light-hearted tone to the air.

“Vicky!” She yelled, almost matching the volume she had condemned earlier. 

“I’m just kidding,” she shrugged, “mostly. So what time is this party?”

Josephine chuckled, “I don’t know if I want to invite you anymore. You are trying to steal my man.”

“Oh, I’m a married woman. Thank you very much. Even if I wasn’t and I was 25 years younger, I don’t think he would look twice at me.” She turned back to Dave. “What time?”

“6:30, Sunday, her place,” Dave responded with a smile.

She turned to Josephine and said, “I’ll see you then, but I have to go back to work. Some of us around here actually have jobs to do.” She smiled and walked away from the two of them, grabbing a cup of coffee on her way back to her desk. 

Josephine rolled her eyes and looked back to Dave, who was smiling. “If you don’t behave, I’m calling Daisy.” 

Dave shrugged, “I just want to meet him. The two of you have been dating for almost a year, and no one,” his eyes cut to Vicky, who was now sitting at her desk, “except Vicky, has met him, and that was an accident. You have been more secretive than normal with this one.” 

“Our relationship was never supposed to be long-term. But… once it did." She took a long breath as if coming to terms with something. "Once I fell in love with him, I wanted to keep us in a bubble.” She placed a hand on top of Dave’s. “I’m sorry, I never meant to cut you and Daisy out.”  

Dave smiled sadly at her, with sincerity clear in his eyes, as he pulled his hand away. “It’s your life. You are allowed to live it however you want. We just want to be a part of it.” 

She nodded. “I know you do. I want you to be in my life. I'm sorry that I made you feel otherwise."

Later that week, Josephine's phone rang on Thursday right before lunch. “Hello, Sean.”

“ I’m outside your office.” Sean cut in, without his usual hello.

“Well, hello to you, too. I’ll be there in a minute.” She hung up and looked at Dave. “I’m taking my lunch. I’ll be back in an hour.” She shut down her computer and stood. 

Dave nodded but didn’t look up. “Have fun.” 

She pushed through the heavy wooden doors, the sun filtering through the leaves of the trees outside as Sean waited for her, a small but warm smile on his face and a bag of food in his hand. He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close to his side. “You wanted to talk?” he asked, his voice smooth and familiar, the words flowing easily in Russian.

“Yes, but first, let’s eat,” she replied, her accent lacing her French with a melodic quality as they made their way to a nearby park. They found a sunny spot beneath the canopy of a blossoming tree, its petals dancing gently in the breeze. 

As Sean expertly unpacked the food, the savory aroma of grilled meats wafted through the air. He handed her a perfectly assembled hamburger, glistening with fresh toppings, while he picked up a steaming hot dog for himself. Sean smiled, he always loved French. 

“How are you? How is work?” she continued in French, the words rolling off her tongue as she took a satisfying bite. 

He smirked at her, “Your boyfriend is fine if that is what you are really asking.” He replied in French. 

“That’s not what I was asking,” she snapped in German, her annoyance evident. “If I wanted to ask about Nick, I would have. How are you?” 

Sean rubbed a hand across his face, feeling the weight of her gaze as his composure began to slip. “Eric is trying,” he replied. “He sent… well, it doesn’t matter now. They’re dead.” He inhaled deeply, the gravity of loss pressing down on him. “But it’s nothing we haven’t dealt with before.” He continued in French, the familiar rhythm of the language offering him a semblance of comfort.

She leaned forward, her expression softening slightly. “Do you want me to go to Vienna and take care of this problem? You and I both know I can be discreet.” A playful wink accompanied her comment, but beneath the lightheartedness lay a serious edge. 

“No, no.” Sean shook his head firmly. “That might do more harm than good. At least with Eric, I can reason with him sometimes. He always liked me.  

Well, he has always felt threatened by me.” Her eyes flashed pink with a long-ago memory. 

“They’re still after you, " he replied. You can’t go to Vienna.” He took her hand. “I still think you should leave Portland, disappear for a while, but you refuse to listen to me.” 

She shrugged, a defiant spark in her eyes. “They are always after me. I’m not leaving him or you. Living on the road with no family, no one who cares. That’s no life.” 

Sean held up both hands in defeat. “You didn’t want to meet to talk about Eric. What did you want to talk about?” Sean asked, curiosity piqued. 

She deeply breathed, gathering herself before she spoke, “I want your blessing to tell Nick about what I am.” 

He stood. He would have knocked it over if the chair had not been attached to the table. “What? You want to tell him? Now! Why?”

“I want to be honest with him. I'm tired of him not knowing. I’m tried of living part of my life in the shadows.”

“Has he told you he is a Grimm?” Sean half-screamed in French, the language he always used when he was stressed. 

“No, but I can’t control what he does. I am tired of lying to him. Of keeping this part of my life from him.” She replied back in Russian. 

“No! Don’t tell him!” He could be heard halfway across the park. His breathing was shallow, his chest rising and falling in rapid bursts as he tried to hold onto some shred of control. His mind raced, the words he wanted to say swirling just out of reach. Then, in a single moment, something clicked. He took a deep, slow breath and closed his eyes for a fraction of a second. When they opened again, the panic was gone, replaced by a mask of cold composure. “But you aren’t asking me, are you? You’re telling me. Your mind is made up.” He looked at her as if he did not know her. It stung more than she thought it would. 

“I’m not stupid. If I tell him, he will put it together that you are wesen. I want you to be okay with me telling him. Please, brother, I need you to be okay with this, please.”

“And if I am not?”

“If you're not, I don’t know.” She threw up her hands, standing. “I’ll convince him I am a one-of-a-kind, which is true, that I’m adopted. I don’t know, but I can’t not tell him.” 

“Well, if you can’t not tell him, I guess it's settled then. His tone mocking, “Go ahead and tell him everything, offer his the knife to slit your throat.” 

“Do not mock me! He is not that kind of Grimm, and you know it. I love him! I have always known who he is. He can’t love a lie.” 

“He isn’t a saint; quite the opposite, he is a Grimm. He won’t understand. When he knows he won’t love you.”His curl words hit as he knew they would.

She took a deep breath, and when she spoke, her voice was calm, steady. “Then he never really did. He loved a lie. Take a vacation, brother.” She walked away from him, pain and anger apparent in her movements. “I have to get back to work. Goodbye, Sean,” She whispered in French, walking away from him. “ I’m sorry, but I have to do this.” 

“I may go see Eric.” Sean spat at her back. “See what he has to say.” 

“You do what you have to.” She walked away. “If you do, my blood is on your hands.” 

She clenched her fists. Was she doing the right thing, telling him? She knew she had to, but she didn’t want to lose him. She found that he had found his way into her heart, and she didn’t think she could survive if he tore himself out. She decided then that it would be best after the party. She would tell him after the party. It would be easier to explain the break-up after the party than before. If she were alive after the party. She trusted Nick, she really did. She had fallen asleep in his arms plenty of times. It was one of the only places she truly felt safe. She could never forget that he was a Grimm, and she couldn’t help but wonder how he would react. 

[effectivelyprocrastinating]

The Lies We Live Chapter 7

Word Count: 3319

A/N: This was honestly my favorite chapter to write. Hope you all enjoy

The Lies We Live Masterlist

They continued this way for four months, and Joesphine’s fear and her secrets became more and more like background noise. They seemed less and less important the more time she spent with Nick.  She knew she would have to trust him with at least one of her secrets if she wanted more—the least dangerous one. Early one morning, she worked up the courage to tell him. She had gone for a run trying to decide the best way to tell him and to prepare herself for how he would react. Before she knew it, she was at his door. She knocked. He opened it slowly. 

“Josephine? Is everything okay?” His voice held only a hint of sleep. His hair was ruffled, and he wore long blue and white flannel pajama bottoms with a white T-shirt. In an instant, her mind rebelled imagining waking up to this every morning. She knew it was foolish, like a schoolgirl, but she had let down her walls with him, and now her heart refused to put them back up. She wanted him; it was as simple as that. 

“Yeah, I just had the day off and wanted to see you before you went to work.” 

“Come in, come in. I was making breakfast. Do you want some?” 

“I’d love some, but you may want to wait until I tell you something.” She shrugged, “After you may not want me to stay.” 

“Oh, this must be serious.” His tone was teasing. He closed the door, leading her into the house. He sat her at his kitchen table beside her, taking her hands. “What is it?” She sat quietly, avoiding his gaze for so long that he started worrying. “Sweetheart, what is it? Are you okay?” 

She looked up at him. Her eyes softened, deciding not to beat around the bush. “Your captain is my brother.” She waited for him to blow up, but surprisingly, that never happened; instead, he started to chuckle. She tried to pull away, but he held her hands tighter. “I know,” he said between laughs. 

Confusion and realization back to confusion played out on her face while he was still chuckling, “You’re not mad that I kept it from you?” 

When he pulled himself together, he said, “I knew before our first date.” He shrugged, “ I am a little upset that it took you four months of dating to tell me, yes, but I’m not going to kick you out of my house because of it. ” He stood kissing her temple and turning back toward the coffee maker. “Now, do you want pancakes?” He poured her a cup of coffee and handed it to her.

“What do you mean, you knew? She looked at him, confused, standing up as well, taking the cup from him. 

He smiled at her, turning towards the stove. “When you were attacked, The Captain lost his mind. At first, I assumed the two of you were dating a beautiful woman like you. How could you not be? But once you told me there was no and never had been any romantic feeling between the two of you, siblings were the next logical option. You said you had a brother but refused to tell me who. It just made sense.” He smiled at her over his shoulder. 

“Why didn’t you tell me? ” She placed the cup on the table beside her. 

“I promised you I wouldn’t bring up anything I found out about during the investigation. I figured that you had your reasons for not telling me.”

She shook her head vigorously. "I wanted you to date me because you liked me, not to win my brother's favor. I also didn’t want the fact that he is your boss to scare you off."  

He walked back to her and leaned in, only inches from her face. “I love you; your brother isn’t going to scare me away, and for the record, I didn’t start dating you so my captain would like me.” She waited for him to laugh at his own joke, but when she looked into his eyes, she saw nothing but seriousness. 

She wrapped her arms around his neck. “You love me?” She hadn’t meant to ask the question aloud. 

He hugged her back, taking her weight. “You didn’t know?” 

She buried her face in his neck. “No.” Her tears wet his collar. 

A little confused, he pulled back from her. “ I thought for sure the Captain would have told you; Hank teases me about it relentlessly.” 

“ I made him swear that he would keep his nose out of our relationship.” She stepped away from him, and he let her. There were tears in her eyes. I love you, truly I do. More than I thought I would. And I’m sorry I've been keeping secrets from you. I have a few more, and I know it's not fair, but please be patient with me. I don't want to lose you.”

“You aren’t going to lose me. Take all the time you need.” He pulled away without letting her go. “You're perfect; I love you, all of you.” 

She closed the gap between them again and kissed his lips quickly, which he took as an opportunity to deepen the kiss, pulling her closer using one hand to hold her head and the other on the small of her back. She returned the gesture, running her fingers through his already messy hair while one hand rested on his chest, feeling his heartbeat skyrocket. She pulled away sighlty.  “You are a dream come true,” she whispered, her lips still a hair's breadth away from his. He quickly recaputered her lips with a hunger that wasn’t there before. She matched his intensity, getting lost in the feel of him, never wanting to let him go.  

The coffee cup she had earlier slid off the table, and she knew that her magic had caused it. She waited until her eyes returned to their normal color before opening them. The cup shattering broke them apart.  He laughed as he broke the kiss, both of them out of breath. “I don’t know about that, but if it keeps you kissing me like that, I will do my best to keep up the illusion. That’s not how I imagined telling you I love you for the first time.” 

He turned towards the counter, handing her a towel to clean up the slip. She took it. “I love you,” she said. She glanced at his bare feet. “You are barefoot; let me clean this up, please.” She pecked his lips again.

He grabbed a broom and handed it to her. He checked the open containers on his counter to see if there was glass in them. Once she finished, he turned to the stove. “So, how about breakfast?”

“I’d love some.” She walked to the coffee maker and made two more cups, took a sip of her coffee, and handed him a cup as he flipped pancakes. The smile he gave her made her knees weak.  

“Do you think I could call in sick today and just spend the day with you?” He asked as she wrapped her arms around his waist, mostly so she wouldn’t fall. 

“I don’t see why not. I won’t tell if you won’t.” She spoke into his back. 

After that unforgettable day, a comforting ease settled between them. Josephine finally stopped holding Nick at arm's length and allowed herself to be with him.  Several months later, on a stormy late night, they were sprawled comfortably on Nick’s plush couch, the soft glow of the television casting flickering shadows across the dimly lit room. Suddenly, his phone buzzed, breaking the serene atmosphere. He leaned over to grab it, glancing at the screen. “Burkhardt?” he answered. 

She turned her gaze toward him, curiosity piqued as he ended the call. “Work?” 

“Unfortunately, yes,” he replied, a hint of regret in his voice. “I know you were looking forward to our movie night.”

“It’s alright,” she said, a soft smile on her lips. “It’s your job. Do you want me to head home now, and I can see you tomorrow?” 

He reluctantly untangled himself from her. “No, you should stay and finish the movie. You know where everything is. If I’m not back when you’re ready to leave, just lock the door behind you.”

As he stood, Nick leaned down, brushing his lips against hers with tenderness. She cupped his face in her hands, compelling him to meet her gaze. “Just be careful, okay?” 

“Of course I will,” he reassured her, a spark of intensity in his eyes. “I have to come home to you.” With that, he left, steering his car into the rain-slicked streets, the wipers swishing rhythmically as he drove to the address he had been given.

When he arrived, Hank was already waiting, his expression a mix of concern and jest. “You look like you had your fun cut short,” he remarked. 

“Your timing could have been better,” Nick replied with a sigh. “Joesphine and I were in the middle of a movie night.”

“How is that going?”

“Good, we are good.” 

Hank and Nick looked to Wu. “What do we got?”

At the same time, Josephine was standing in Nick’s kitchen making cookies when her phone rang. She picked it up, on speaker, without looking at it, “Hello.”

“Hey, little sister,” Sean spoke in German. 

“Hey, big bro, it’s late. Is everything okay?” She unintentionally reposed in German 

“Where are you?” 

“Nick’s why?”

“I got a call from Eric tonight. He was asking some very interesting questions about you. Apparently, he has looked for you all over the globe and can’t find you.”

“Well, it’s a good thing I don’t go by my birth name anymore, isn’t it?” She switched to Russian 

“That is a very good thing, but I still think you need to get out of town for a while.” He responded in the same language. 

“No!”

“Josephine,”

She cut him off, saying, "No, I will say it in every language I know if it will help you understand better. You're not just talking about getting out of town for a week or even a month; you're talking about leaving Portland for years! How am I supposed to explain that to Nick? Our relationship would be over, and I'm not ready to give him up." 

“Your relationship may very well be over anyway when he finds out what you are and who your family is." 

“Well, that decision is between him and me, not you. I'm not leaving.” She hung up the phone rather aggressively, getting dough on the screen.  

Nick opened his front door and was immediately greeted by the aroma of baked goods and the sound of the TV. He couldn’t help but smile. If this was the kind of treatment he received while they were dating, he couldn’t imagine how it would feel to be married to her. The unexpected thought stunned him. It had taken him years to entertain the idea of marrying Juliett, and even then, at times, it felt more like an obligation than something he genuinely wanted to do. He and Josephine had only been dating for eight months, and he was already contemplating marrying her. What kind of spell had she cast on him?  

He shook his head to dispel his wandering thoughts. Entering the kitchen, he spotted cookies cooling on the counter. He grabbed one and took a bite. Turning towards the sound of the TV, he found her half-dozing where he had left her. He would have thought she hadn't moved if he hadn’t seen the cookies. He approached and gently tapped her shoulder. "Sweetheart, I love having you here when I get home, but don’t you have work in the morning?"

“I wanted to wait and make sure that you were home safe. Otherwise, I would have stayed up worrying anyway. ” She glanced at the clock, which read 1:30. “Oh, I didn’t realize it was so late. You are probably exhausted.”  

He sat beside her, gently taking her arm and holding her close as he moved to sit beside her. “Seeing you makes every long day worth it. ” He kissed her, drawing her into him. She relaxed into him, and he smiled into the kiss. They stayed like that until he pulled away, needing a full breath of air. 

“Bad case?” She asked gently, her head on his chest. 

He nodded. “Six-year-old kid was killed in a drive-by.” He held her close as he asked,  “Do you want to stay here tonight?” 

She laughed lightly. “I can’t. I have to be at work early in the morning.” She stood, breaking out of his embrace, grabbed her keys, and walked towards the door. “I wouldn’t want to wake you when I have to leave.”

He walked her to her car. “Let me know when you get home.” 

"Absolutely.” She started her car and drove off as Nick ascended his front steps. At a red light, she texted Sean,  We need to talk. Lunch Monday?' When the light turned green, she tossed the phone onto the seat and completed her drive home. Once she got home, she texted Nick, Home, Good night. 

Nick's response: Good night, sleep well. As she read his respons,e she thought about her conversation with Sean. Maybe she should leave town for a while. It would break her heart, but at least Nick would be safe. 

The following day, Josephine woke with a groan. When she picked up her phone to leave, she saw that Sean had responded to her. "I can’t do Monday. What about Thursday?" 

She responded as she locked her door. Yes. Pick me up at my office?

Dave smiled at her as she walked toward their workstation that morning. “Are you ready for the meeting this morning?”

“Sure, it’s our quarterly meeting,” She shrugged, “It’s just Mike.”

“Oh, that’s right, he is Mike to you and Mr. Faren to the rest of us.”

“To me, he has always been Mike, not Mr. Faren.” An older gentleman with a bread peppered with gray and warm brown eyes. “Josphine, how are you?” 

She smiled warmly. “Mike, how are you? How is Pam?”

“I’m good, busy as always. Pam is good; the kids are driving her crazy, but she loves every minute of it. You should come out and see them.” 

“You keep me so busy. How can I find the time.” She teased. “Are you ready for the money meeting?” 

“Of course,” he said, holding his hand toward his office. She walked in and closed the door. The meeting took almost an hour. 

As she walked back to her desk, Dave looked unusually nervous. “Everything okay?”

She looked at him as if he were crazy, “I don’t know why you all act like he is the big bad wolf. He is a teddy bear.” 

“I don’t know how you handle him like a puppy. He is the scariest man I have ever met.” 

She laughed, “If you say so.” She turned to her computer and started the day's work. Around lunchtime, her phone rang, and she picked up. “Hey.” 

Nick’s voice rang on the other end, “Do you want to meet me for lunch?”

“I would love to. Met at the diner?”

“See you in ten minutes. You want me to pick you up?”

Sure, just call me when you get here.”

“Will do.” 

As the call ended, she smiled. Dave looked at her with a small smile and said, “So when do I get to meet him?”

She looked up at him, confused. “What?”

“When do I get to meet him? You said that if you ever met Mr. Right, I would get to meet him.”

 “Who said anything about Mr.Right? Nick is just picking me up to go to lunch.”

Dave shook his head and said, “I’ve never seen you as happy as you are him.   I want to meet the man responsible. It’s been almost a year. You have been very portivitce of this one.” 

 “Not today. Maybe I will bring him to a company party. The last man I let you and Daisy meet ended up in an outdoor pool in January.”

Dave's hand shot to his heart. “A company party? I’m hurt. Do I not get to meet him first? Are you embarrassed by me? It’s not my fault that he thought he could fly. ”

With a gentle touch on his shoulder, she reassured him as she moved toward the door, “Take it easy, diva. We’ll organize something with him and Daisy soon. I’m sure he would love to meet you.”

As she walked out the door, Nick pulled up. As she got in, he stole a kiss. “Hey.” He said as he pulled away from her. 

“Hey, " she replied with a smile. They rode in comfortable silence to the diner. When they walked in, they were met by their usual waitress. 

“Hello, lovebirds,” She greeted them. “The usual?” She asked. 

“No, I think I will try something different today. Can I get a cheeseburger and a chocolate milkshake?” Josephine asked as they sat down. 

“Sure can, Josephine.” She turned to Nick, “What about you? Are you changing it up today, too?”

“Nick smiled, “No, it's just the usual for me.”

The girl smiled and walked away. Their food was soon placed on the table shortly after. 

He snatched a fry off her plate. “Hey!” She called and then threw one at him. He caught it and popped it into his mouth. She smiled at him. “My work friends want to meet you.” 

“Okay, when?”

“I’m not sure, but I think they want it to be soon.”

Nick shrugged, “ I’ll meet your friends whenever you want. Which ones?

“Dave and his wife, Daisy, maybe Vicky and her husband. Honestly, it probably should have happened before now.” She picked up the bill and handed her card to the waitress, who winked back at her. “So, how are you and my brother getting along?”

“Is Vicky the one that let me into the building that time?” She nodded as Nick continued, “The captain is fine. He hasn’t tried to kill me this week, so it’s been a good week.” 

“It’s just a way of looking out for me. Now that he knows you’re aware and that I’m around the precinct more often, he can’t pretend we aren’t related anymore!" 

Nick chuckled, “You see him as the overprotective big brother, but he’s my boss. it’s a little different for me. Then he sees your picture on my desk, and it starts all over.”She chuckled.  They both stood as the waitress handed her back her card.

“I think he is still trying to figure out how to balance being my big brother and your boss.”

Nick opened her car door and let her inside. “Maybe, but I don’t think that's all. We have been dating for almost a year.” 

She stepped into the car, “True, but now, we are definitely serious. He can’t dismiss our relationship as a flig anymore.” 

Nick drove her back to work as she played with his non-driving hand. He had noticed that she did this when she was nervous. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked, not taking his eyes off the road as he pulled into her workplace.

She released his hand and opened the door. He was surprised at how much he missed the warmth of her hand. “Nothing. I’ll talk to Dave, Daisy, and Vicky and let you know when. Sound good?”

“Do you want me to invite Monroe and Rosealee? That way, nobody feels like they’re under a microscope?” 

“I think that’s a good idea. I’ve missed them.  Sunday night, at my place, 6:30?” 

“Yes, ma’am,” Nick smiled at her, and as he always did, he waited for her to close her office door before he drove away.

[effectivelyprocrastinating]

The Lies We Live- Chapter 6

Word Count: 2717

The Lies We Live Masterlist

That evening, Josephine experimented with four different outfits.  It was a cute and comfortable combination: stylish jeans, a red cropped shirt, and black ankle boots. As she finished her makeup, the doorbell rang. Unexpectedly, butterflies erupted in her stomach. She forced herself to walk toward the door calmly. Nick was waiting with a dozen roses. He wore a light blue button-up shirt, the leather jacket from the day they first met, jeans, and combat boots.

He handed her the roses, “For you.” 

She smiled, breathing in the roses, she smelled just a hint of his cologne. “Please come in. I’ll put these in some water.” 

He followed her  into her kitchen. She grabbed a blue vase and filled it with water. Nick stood in the door smiling at her, “I should have known the roses couldn't compare to you. You are beautiful.”

She blushed, making her cheeks a rosy pink. “Thank you.”

“Are you ready to go?” He asked as she sat the vase on the counter. It was clear that he was nervous, but so was she. 

“Are you going to tell me where we are going?”

He shook his head,  his hair in his eyes falling in his eyes. He pushed it back with his hands. “Not yet. It’s a surprise.”

They walked out her door and locked it behind her. He waited by the passenger side door and opened it for her. He closed it and got on the driver's side. 

“Thank you.” She buckled her seatbelt.

“You’re welcome,” he responded as he buckled his own seatbelt. He pulled out of her driveway and started driving when he noticed her leg bouncing. Instead of commenting, he asked, “So, what is your favorite childhood memory?”

She turned as much as the seat would allow. “What?” 

“What is your favorite childhood memory?” He asked again, “Mine is when my Aunt Marie took me to this paintball course, and we spent the whole day shooting targets and dogging paintballs.” He laughed. 

She was smiling. He was surprised how much he liked her smile. “How old were you?”

“I was eight, maybe nine.” They drove briefly before he spoke again, “So?” 

She briefly thought about it, a smile liting the corner of her lips. Mom and my brother and I went camping. It was a little lake in the middle of nowhere. We spent every night staring at the stars. It was the most peaceful time of my life.” She relaxed in the seat remembering that week foundly. 

He watched her, “That sounds like a piece of heaven.” 

She nodded, “It was, truly.” 

They approached a small Italian restaurant. The sign read Abby’s Pizza. Nick shut the car off and turned to her, “If you don’t like Italian, we can go somewhere else.” 

She unbuckled herself. “This is fine. Italian isn’t my favorite cuisine, but I told you to pick the place. I have a policy of always trying a restaurant once before I say I don't like it, no matter the cuisine. I don't think I've ever been here.”

She went to open her door, but Nick stopped her. “Wait.” He jumped out of the car, opened her side door, took her hand, and helped her out.

“You really are a gentleman, aren’t you?” She asked as he held open the door of the restaurant for her. 

He shrugged. “Most people I know probably wouldn't define me as one, but since it was our first date, I wanted to make sure I made a good impression.” He smiled a half smile as he sat down, “Am I making a good impression?”

She smiled back, “I would say so.”

The waiter approached the table and took their orders. When he disappeared, Nick asked, “So what do you do?”

She looked at him, a little confused. “You went to my office, and you did a deep dive into my life. You know what I do.” 

Nick laughed uncomfortably and did his best to avoid eye contact with her, “Yes,  but it is kinda strange that this is our first date, and I know so much about you, as Detective Burkhardt.” He placed air quotes around his own name and continued,  “And you know very little about me.”

She shrugged, “A little, and I’ll admit it makes me a little nervous, but how do you want to solve that problem? It was your job to know a lot about me.”

He looked up at her, finally meeting her gaze. "Do you think we could pretend we met somewhere else, maybe in a coffee shop—and I asked for your number? I promise I won't mention anything I discovered about you during the investigation. I am curious, though; I couldn’t find your brother during the investigation. Why is that? Do you have different names?"

She nodded. “We do. We were born with different names.” 

He nodded thoughtfully. “Are you going to tell me who he is?”

“Not yet.” She held her hand for him to shake. “Hi, Nick. It’s Josephine. It’s nice to meet you.”

He took her hand and shook it. “Hi, Josephine.” He smiled at her over the table and said, “So, Josephine, what do you do?” 

“Technically, I am a CPA, but since the company I work for is so small, I function as a CFO. If it concerns money at the company I work at, I have to see it at least; if not, approve it.” 

How did you start working at a company that small when you’re a CPA? You could’ve gone to any accounting firm in Portland.” 

She shrugged, “I guess I could have,” She shrugged, “but the president was an old friend from college, so when he called me up and said he had an idea for a business and wanted my help, I couldn’t say no. What about you? Why did you choose to go into law enforcement?” 

I had always felt drawn to it, cop shows as a kid. I’m sure it helped reinforce that.” He laughed.  He waited for a beat then continued, “The more honest answer is more complicated. I moved around a lot as a kid, so I never really had a community where I belonged. Then, when I moved here, I saw it as a good way to connect in a community very quickly. I started as a beat cop and have worked my way up to detective.” The proud smile made his whole face light up. 

“Why did you decide to come to Portland?” 

“I came for a job, stayed for an ex. How long have you lived here?” He rushed into the question as if he wanted her to miss that he said he had stayed for an ex. She let it go and answered his question. 

“About a year before that, I bounced from place to place but finally decided I wanted to settle in one place.” 

Why Portland?”

“Well, my brother lives here, and he’s the only real family I have left, so it seemed as good a place as any.” 

“What about your parents?”

“My mom has always been kind of a nomad, that’s part of why we moved around a lot.  I think she is in Europe, maybe Africa now. My dad, on the other hand, I never really knew. He made it clear that he didn’t want anything to do with me as his child.” 

“I’m sorry. My parents passed when I was a kid. I can’t imagine how hard it would be for them to not want me. I was raised by my aunt Marie.” 

“I’m sorry. Where is your Aunt Marie now? Does she live in Portland?

“Unfortunately, she passed away about a year ago now.” 

“I am so sorry.” She placed a hand on her heart. 

Nick shook his head. “This conversation has become way too sad. You said Italian wasn’t your favorite kind of food, so what is?”

“Comfort foods, meatloaf, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes. What about you? Is Italian your favorite, or did you pick it because it is a common date food?”

Their conversation flowed similarly for most of the night. When the waiter arrived with the check, they didn’t realize they had been chatting for over three hours. Before she could protest, Nick grabbed the check and handed the waiter his card. 

“I could pay for my meal.”

He shrugged and said, "You could have, but there is no way I would let you." Nick smirked. 

His smirk lit something in her chest. She knew that if she didn’t want this to continue to a second date she would need to make a common first date mistake. She rolled her shoulders. “So, you said you stayed in Portland for an ex. Is she still in the picture?”

He laughed. “No, no, she moved on a while ago. I think she lives in Pennsylvania now." 

His response surprised her, and it surprised her even more how much she enjoyed his laugh. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

“It’s okay. She is a part of my past, not my future.”

“Fair enough.” 

“I suppose I need to take you home.” They walked out of the restaurant both smiling. They enjoyed a comfortable silence for most of the drive. When they arrived at her place, she turned to him and said, "Thank you. I had a great time." 

“I did, too. Can we do it again soon?” 

“I’d love to. Next Thursday?” 

He thought momentarily, “I’d love to.” She opened her car door and stood. He rolled down the window, saying, “Can I call you tomorrow, or would that be too soon?”

She bent closer to the window and responded, “I would be upset if you didn’t."  She walked away, but he didn’t leave until she had entered her home and closed the door behind her. After a few minutes, her phone buzzed. Do I get to know who your brother is now?”

She responded quickly, Not yet; I have to keep you inserted some way.

His reply made her smile. Oh, I am very interested. 

She glanced at the roses on her table, and she couldn’t help but smile at the way he looked at her. She answered him,  Be patient.

She stood, shaking her head, in her kitchen; she hadn’t expected this date to go as well as it had. And when she tried to give him and out. Give him a reason to not see her again, he hadn’t taken it. She hadn’t wanted him to.  How easy it had been to talk to him. What was she doing? He was a Grimm. If he knew who she was, he wouldn’t hesitate to break it off with her if that was all he did. She shuddered at the thought of him cutting off her head. 

She shook her head, grabbed her phone, and headed upstairs to her bedroom before her phone buzzed again. It surprised her how one text lifted a weight on her chest. “Stop overthinking, " she said out loud. Glancing down at her phone, she smiled. “So you're going to make me work it," his text read. 

She replied without thinking, Sure am, you up for it?

His response made her heart skip a beat. Oh, there's no way you're getting rid of me now. 

You want to bet he’ll leave as soon as he finds out what I am. Her mind immediately responded, unbidden and unwanted. She hadn’t intended to want more with him.  This was only supposed to be a fun night out, nothing that would go anywhere. If she was honest with herself, she wanted to tease her brother a little by going out with Nick, his best detective, and his precious Grimm. 

She had opened up more than she had intended tonight, but he was so easy to talk to. Reading his last text,  she couldn't ignore the flutter in her chest. She hadn't realized how much she wanted someone just to be there, to want her, not because they were related or because she was powerful, not even because they knew Sean but because they wanted to be around her, cared for her. She wanted someone to simply choose her, which was exactly what Nick was offering. He didn’t even know she had anything else to offer, and he still wanted her. It was just her luck that that person would be a Grimm. Maybe it was a foolish dream, but she wanted to live in it for at least a little while. 

She lay down, wondering how he disarmed her defenses so quickly. The walls that kept almost everyone away,  how had he blown right through them?  She wasn’t used to anything in life being easy, and spending time with him was the easiest thing she ever done. She knew logically they were the most unlikely pair possible, and if he found out what she was, he would leave her then and there. What surprised her was that even after only one date, that thought hurt her heart. What was the matter with her? She felt as an image of Nick floated across her mind, and she couldn't help but think maybe he was worth this risk. 

She woke up to an unread message on her phone. It was from Nick. Good morning. I had a really great time last night. 

She responded without thinking, Morning, handsome. I had a great time, too. 

She got up and began getting ready for her day when her phone buzzed again, except it wasn’t Nick, it was Sean. Did you go out with Nick last night?

The question caught her off guard, but she answered honestly, Yeah, why?

Because the man is in here like he hung the moon. What did you do? Did you give him something? 

She almost growled at the impaction. She chose to ignore the message until she pulled into work. I didn’t do anything except have a good time.

That’s when she saw a text from Nick: So You think I’m handsome, well then, I guess that gives me an advantage in the future. The teasing was clear, even if she couldn’t hear him. 

She took a few seconds before responding, still sitting in her car. Why do you think I gave you my number in the first place?

Sean's text snapped her out of her playful banter with Nick. Be careful, little sister. I have devoted too much time to him to let your little escapade screw it up. 

She responded quickly and was reasonably sure Sean could hear the snap in her tone. Calm down, brother. 

Sean's response was instantaneous, almost as if he had already typed out the message before she replied, "Be careful for both your sake and his. Don't forget who he is. He is a tool to be used, not a plaything." 

Sean being so insensitive surprised her. She responded without thinking, I’m not playing games. She knew he was right in his own way. Nick was a grim and if she was smart she wouldn't have anything to do with him. But when she thought back to the way he have looked at her, she couldn’t help the tightness in her chest. She had just locked her phone when Nick's name lit up her screen despite herself opening it. What’s your favorite candy?

She looked at her phone, confused, before she responded, Sourpatch kids, why?

Just wondering. The reply came with a winky face emoji. She smiled as she pushed the heavy wooden door of her office building open. 

Her phone was quiet until the end of the work day when she  got another text from Nick: How was your day? 

Better now.  She responded as she opened her front door. How was yours?

Good, I had thoughts of a pretty girl to keep me company. She was on my mind all day. 

Me, or the fact that you don’t know who my brother is? She teased. 

You, all you, but if you want to tell me who your brother is… 

She laughed despite herself. I think I will make you work a little harder for that. 

Why was this so easy? Why was it so easy to forget that he was a Grimm? He wouldn't hesitate to walk away from her if he knew the truth.  

[effectivelyprocrastinating]

The Lies We Live - Chapter 5

Word Count: 2143

The Lies we Live Masterlist

A/N: Hey everyone, this story is much more of a slow burn then I thought it would be. I promise Nick and Joesphine's frist date is the next chapter and then thier reationship picks up. As always hope you enjoy!

Warning: This chapter was only proof read by me, sorry for all the typos.

Several days later, there was a knock on her door. She walked toward it cautiously, gun in hand. Even though, logically, she knew the Royals wouldn’t knock. She smiled when she saw Sean through the window. “Sean, is everything okay?”

He gave her a half smile, “Hey, little sis, everything is okay. I just wanted to see you.” He held up a bag. “I brought gifts. 

“Ooo, Chinese. Come in.” She smiled, pulling him into a quick hug. When he pulled away from her, she grabbed the bag and sat it on the counter. “Long day?” She asked.

He nodded as he took off his jacket and sat down. He stretched out his long legs and loosened his tie. “So, how have you been?” 

She grabbed plates and started to unbox the food. Her phone buzzed, but she didn’t pick it up. “I’m good. Work has been busy, but I don’t mind. How are you? Have you been busy?” 

“We are always busy.” He rolled up the slevels, allowing himself to relax. “There seems to be a lot of wesen-related crime lately.”

She stopped, glancing at her phone before she spoke, “Do you think it has anything to do with Nick finding out he is a Grimm?”

“Maybe, speaking of Nick, I heard a rumor that he asked you on a date?”

She looked down at the boxes, refusing to look him in the eyes. He couldn’t help but smile. “He did. How did you hear about that?” 

“He works in my precinct; there's not much I don't know. Did you say yes?”

“I did. Why?”

“Be careful, little sister. He is a Grimm. You know what will happen if he finds out what you are.” 

Her eyes sparkled pink as the plates of food settled perfectly on the table. “You told me that he is a good man and a good cop. Besides, we are just having a bit of fun. He has made it clear he doesn’t want a relationship.” The serious look in her eyes made him stop halfway to the table. That’s when he noticed the cup of soy sauce over his head. “Do not scare him off. He’s your detective, but this is my life, understand?”

“I know it’s your life. I’m not trying to control you, but I wouldn’t be a very good brother if I didn’t say anything. ” That’s when the container of sauce settled perfectly on the table. 

“I know you worry about me. You have taken care of me for so long you don’t know how to do anything else.” She smiled softly at him, the years of memories between them. “Nick is a Grimm, but he won’t hurt me. Plus, he knows how to protect himself. Do you realize how rare it is for me even to consider dating someone without fearing the royals coming after me through him? That I will get him killed. That they would use him to control me." She thought about her conversion with Eric. Fear shot up her spine. Having a Grimm on her side if he came for her again wouldn’t be a bad thing.  

He sighed, his shoulders dropping. “You don’t think I do the same calculation? She knew it was hard for him not to be close to anyone, as much as he acted as though it didn’t affect him. “Have you told him we are related?”

“No, but he knows we have some kind of relationship. Do you want me to tell him? 

“Well, our conversation in my office suddenly makes more sense.”

“What do you mean?” 

“He deserves his secrets, just like you do. Go on this date and have fun; just be careful. I have invested too much time in him just to throw it all away if he hurts you.” He paused as they sat at the table, “And I would. I would do anything for you.” 

She touched his arm, over the scar that he was so careful to keep hidden, “I know you would. I’m always careful, Big Brother. I remember what happened last time I wasn’t.” She put a hand to her stomach, a large burn scar cutting across her stomach and reaching to the end of her hip. They knew it was there, even though her shirt covered it. 

He held up his forearm, a scar matching hers on his arm. She swallowed hard. The night flashed in her mind. That fire had taken more than their home that night; it had taken their innocence. “I can’t lose you, Josephine.” That night, she finally understood how far the Royals were willing to go to come after her. The next day was the first time she had ever met her father. 

She smiled sadly at him and said, “You won’t, I promise, but I am not the same girl who ran to your room during a thunderstorm. 

“But I’m the same boy who would let you stay. I am the same brother who swore to Mother that I would always keep you safe.” He leaned back in his chair, tension clear in his shoulders. 

“Please just trust me.” She sounded tired, older. “I will keep myself safe.” 

His shoulders relaxed. “I do trust you.” 

She winked at him, “He’s just a bit of fun. I thought you would be more worried about me messing with your working relationship with him.” He knew she was teasing him, but it still got under his skin, as only her recklness could. “Since you want him on your side. 

“I’m not worried about that, considering he doesn’t know we are related.” He looked at her with the same teasing look.

When Nick woke up with a new message on his phone, his heart jumped, thinking of Josephine. It wasn’t her, it was the Captain. Come in early tomorrow; I want to talk to you, he groaned and rolled back over. He glanced at his clock, 5 a.m. He sighed, pushing himself up from the bed. Well, he might as well start his day.

The Captain wanted to talk about Joesphine. Nick reached the precinct at 7, and the Captain was already there, sipping coffee. Nick walked straight into his office. “You wanted to see me?” he asked as he pushed open the door. 

“Yes, Nick, thank you for coming in so early.”

“Is everything okay?”

The Captain nodded, but Nick saw a shift in his calm composure. “I wanted to talk to you about Joesphine. It is my understanding that the two of you have a date.

Nick sat in the chair across from his captain. “We do.” Nick’s stomach flipped at the mention of her name, the nerves suddenly hitting him full force. “We are. It’s just a date.” He tried to sound casual, but the Captain’s steady gaze made him self-conscious, his words suddenly feeling inadequate.

The Captain sat quietly for several seconds as if he was trying to decide how to continue. “She is important to me.” Nick nodded but didn’t say anything. “Don’t hurt her. She matters to me.” Something shifted in the room. He felt the the theart in everything that he wasn’t saying. 

Once and for all Nick had to know. Nick nodded. “Are you two dating?” 

The Captain chuckled, “No, nothing like that. But she is very important to me. I hate to see her get hurt.” 

Something shifted in the room. He felt the the thert in everything that he wasn’t saying. “She won’t. Is this your way of scaring me off.” 

The Captain leaned back in his chair as if a weight settled on his shoulders. “She and I have been through a lot together. I watched pertly of people come and go in her life. I’ve seen her take every broken pice of her and become something stronger.  I just want to make sure you don’t cause her any pain. I will never bring this up again. She would kill me if she knew we were having this conversation.” 

Nick couldn’t help the chuckle escaped his lips, “Yeah, she is a little scary.” 

The captain looked up, and an understanding passed between them, and he smiled. “Yes, she is.”

“Is that all, sir?” Nick asked as people started to file into the precinct.

“That’s all, Nick.” Nick walked towards his desk but pulled out his phone. He looked at the picture of Joesphine that she had sent him early in the week. It was a close of her face; she was sitting on her couch, smiling at him. He couldn’t help the smile that ghosted his face. He glanced back at the Captain’s office and his phone. He typed out a message and hit send on the message as he sat down. He knew he wanted to see where this would go. 

Josephine’s phone buzzed, breaking the silence in the office early Wednesday morning. “Looking forward to tonight. See you soon.” She smiles at the text. 

Dave noticed and commented, “Who’s that? And what did they say to make you smile like that?” 

“No one. I’m not smiling.”  She made her face go natural. 

“You most definitely are. Who is it? It’s not that tall stiff that’s been taking you to lunch, right? He doesn’t seem like your type.” 

“For your information, I have a date tonight with someone new.” 

He whistled, “Ms. I will never find Mr. Right has a date.” 

She rolled her eyes and turned back to her computer. “It’s a date, not a marriage proposal. 

“Not yet.” He winked at her.

Her phone buzzed again. “Do I get a peek at what you're wearing tonight?”

“No, you are going to be surprised. You didn’t give me any ideas, " she responded, putting her phone down and returning to work. 

“Whoever that is, please let me meet him, please. I want to know who is making you blush like a schoolgirl.” When she was purposefully ignoring him, Dave looked at her, then back to her phone, before returning to his work. 

By Wednesday afternoon, Nick couldn't sit still, fidgeting with the stack of papers on his desk. Hank raised an eyebrow, glancing up from his own work for the fifth time that hour. “What’s going on with you?” he probed, his curiosity evident.

“What do you mean?” Nick replied, trying to play it cool, though his eyes darted around the room.

“You’ve been staring at the same page for ten minutes,” Hank pointed out, tilting his head slightly. 

Nick turned the page with a flourish in a burst of nervous energy. “Yeah, I’m fine,” he insisted, but the uneven pitch of his voice betrayed him. 

Hank studied Nick’s face, his eyebrows knitting together in confusion. “You look like you’ve got your head in the clouds. Seriously, what’s going on?”

A hint of embarrassment crept across Nick’s features. “I may have a date tonight,” he admitted, his voice dropping to a whisper. “I’m a little nervous. I haven’t been on a first date in years, and I’m not sure I remember how to do this.”

A warm smile broke across Hank’s face. “Just be yourself. Who is it? The Captain’s friend?”

“Yes,” Nick replied, his heart racing at the thought, excitement and nerves racing through his veins. 

Hank glanced towards the Captain, who was engrossed in paperwork at his desk. “Does the Captain know?” he inquired, an eyebrow raised in playful suspicion.

“Yeah he knows, I don’t think  he is very happy about it. ” Nick replied, his mind racing with anxious thoughts about the evening ahead.

“Have you figured out what their relationship is yet? Hank asked as Nick’s phone buzzed again. Nick immediately picked up his phone.

“Do you want me cute or comfortable?” 

He responded without thinking, "I thought you were cute in the hospital, so if you can’t find an outfit that accomplishes both, you should feel comfortable." 

He regretted it momentarily, thinking he shouldn’t have mentioned the hospital, but then she responded, “You thought I was cute. Is that why you gave me your first name?”

“Yes,” 

“Bold of you, considering you thought your Captain was my boyfriend.”

“I hoped I was wrong. I would love to continue this conversation, but unfortunately, I do have some work to do. Talk tonight?” 

“Talk tonight.” She sent it with a winking emoji. 

Nick sat his phone down and looked up at Hank, “I’m sorry, you said something.” 

“You like her, like really like her.” Hank looked a little shocked. 

“We’ve spent most of the week talking, and I’m looking forward to tonight.” He tried to mask the emotions evident on his face. 

“So, what is the relationship between her and the Captain?” Hank leaned forward in his chair slightly. 

 Nick shrugged. “I'm not sure; she won't tell me explicitly.  I think they are just old friends.” 

Hank returned to his desk and said, “Good luck, partner. You're going to need it.” 

[effectivelyprocrastinating]

The Lies We Live

Nick Burkhardt x OC fanfic

Summary: Joesphine has one rule, she can only trust Sean. When Nick Burkhadt steps into her life he has her rethinking her rules.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

[effectivelyprocrastinating]

Chapter 4

Word Count: 2675

The Lies We Live Masterlist

A/N: Hi, here is Chapter 4. Hope you all like it. As always, let me know if you see any problems.

Josephine entered her hotel room, feeling exhausted. She groaned when her phone rang. She didn’t know if she had the energy to play policts tonight,  "Sean."  She answered as she sat the cake down on the small table. 

“How are you feeling?” He asked in Russian.  

“Okay, it's been a long day," she replied in English. “Any news?"  

“I spoke with Eric. I convinced him that you came to Portland for my birthday and stayed with one of my friends while you were there. However, you immediately got on a plane after the attack, and I have no idea where you are, " he answered in French.

“And he believed that?"  She replied in German

“I think he wanted to. He understands that your return to the family would jeopardize his position."  He responded in German 

“Good enough for me.” She turned on the shower. “You’re still coming with me tomorrow?"  Her reply was Russin 

“Of course, I’ll meet you there after work."  He switched back to English.

“Good," she said in English, ending the call and tossing the phone onto the bed. 

 Sean met her at her home the next day. As promised, her house was devoid of blood, and the shattered furniture had vanished. Had she not witnessed the event, she might have believed that the attack had never happened and that the Royals didn’t know she was in Portland.

“Are you okay?” he asked as she slowly circled her mostly empty kitchen. He put his overcoat and suit jacket on the only chair left in one piece. 

She turned, snapping at him, “Why does everyone keep asking me that?! Yes, I’m okay. No, I don’t need anything. I’m fine!” Her eyes flashed pink as the few things left flew off the walls. “It’s not like we haven’t been treated by royals before. We’ve been running from them our whole lives!” She stormed towards him, closing the distance between them, her eyes still a vibrant pink. 

He kept his voice calm as he spoke, “Don’t yell at me. I’m just worried about you. I’m not used to this. I've always been able to protect you from them, to keep you safe, but I’m realizing I can’t do that anymore. When you moved back here, I convinced myself I could keep that from them. But that was just a lie I told myself to stay sane. I'm coming to terms with the fact that, as much as I want to protect you, it's now up to you to keep yourself safe. Yet, despite that, you still choose to be in the most dangerous place possible, in the same town as me. Why are you staying?”

She moved away from him toward her bedroom door; a few minutes later, she returned with a cauldron,  ingredients,  and a book. She sat them all down on the table in the kitchen. “You and Mom are the only family I’ve ever had. Mom moves too much for me to stay close to her. The royals want me, not you. The only way to keep myself safe is if I change my name, keep moving, and never speak to you again. I don’t want that. And I hope you wouldn’t want it either.” 

 Her eyes flashed pink, and the book flew open. “But you can help me install my security system.” While consulting the book, she picked some ingredients and threw them in the cauldron. 

“I knew there was the reason you asked me to come.” He woged and scanned the book. “This is a pretty powerful security system.” He looked back at her, and his face was perfect again. 

“I don’t  want anyone to come into my home without my knowledge again.” After a few hours, the potion was complete. She bottled a portion, then ran her hand along the front doorframe, establishing a boundary at the entrance. 

Sean began working on the windows. “I can start these, but you need to set them." 

Her eyes flashed pink, and the seal around that window began to glow pink. “Thanks.” It took a few hours. Once they finished, she asked Sean,  “You want food?” 

His sleeves were rolled to his elbows. He shrugged. “I could eat.” 

She walked into her kitchen and opened the fridge, but most of the food was spoiled. She didn’t think she had been gone that long, so she trashed the spoiled food. She had some eggs and some peppers. It wasn’t much, but it would do. She opened the freezer and grabbed some more mushrooms. 

“So, tell me a little about the detectives working on my case.” She said as she cracked the eggs in the pan. 

“Hank Griffin. And Nick Burkhardt, they’re good people, good cops. The best I have.” 

“Is it possible they know who was really in my house and what they wanted?” 

“I don’t see how they could.” 

“Well, Nick’s the Grimm, so I thought I’d ask.” She began copping peppers and throwing them in the pan, not looking at him. 

How did you…? When did he get close enough to you? I hate when you do that,” he stumbled over his words, his surprise evident.

“When he shook my hand at the hospital, I knew. It was hard to ignore the amount of energy he gave off.  You know how my powers work. I can’t control knowing when people get close to me. It’s like breathing for me. I don’t do it on purpose.” She plated the eggs and continued, “You used to love it when we were kids.”

“Is there any way he could know what you are? You were pretty out of it the night of the attack.”

“I don’t think so. Unless he saw my eyes turn pink, and even then, he would think he imagined it. You know I don’t woge like you do. Have you told him who you are? What you are?"

“No, I want him to trust me. If I told him now, he never would.”

She nodded and set a plate in front of him. “He is going to be very powerful one day.”

He nodded. “I know.” 

Later that night, she sat alone with her thoughts, feeling overwhelmed with everything that had happened. Her phone rang with a number she didn’t know. She picked up. “Hello.” 

“Well, hello, little sister.” Her blood ran cold. She felt like she couldn’t breathe. Eric's voice rang on the other end. 

She immediately stood up and looked around, panicking. “Eric.”

“So I have the right number after all.” She could hear the sumgness in his voice. 

“What do you want?” 

“You know what I want, what I always want: power.”

“I won’t be your pawn in your game.” 

“You have never been the pawn. You are the queen. Don’t you know that, Jo?” 

“Don’t call me that!” she snapped. “I just want to be left alone. And I promise, Eric.” She paused, controlling her emotions. “Come after me again, Eric, and I promise you will regret it. 

Her heart stopped as she heard him laugh on the other end. “I’m not coming after you again, alone at least. I am many things, but stupid is not one of them. You killed my four best without breaking a sweat.” He almost sounded impressed. 

“Stay away from me!” She began pacing in her living room. She couldn’t help the fear that squeezed her heart. The cabinet’s in her kitchen flew open. 

“I’ll make you a deal. I won’t tell the King I found you, yet.”

“Why would you do that?” 

“You are the most powerful in the family,” Eric said matter of factly. “If the King knew where you are…” 

“You lose your potion in the family. I would take your place.” His right-hand man. “You would become a pawn.” She cut him off, the pieces fitting together. She couldn’t help the small smile that she was glad Eric couldn’t see. 

“You don’t want to be here. The family doesn’t want you here. It seems like a win-win if you disappear.” The line clicked, ending the call. She stared at the phone for a few seconds. Was Eric really offering her an out? That’s certainly what it sounded like. She knew that Eric wanted to maintain his position in the family. She also understood that if he could, if he could find a way to control her, he would turn her into a weapon for himself. She checked the locks on her doors one more time before going to her bedroom to sleep, leaving her phone downstairs. 

Hank and Nick sat at their desks early the next day. The office was nearly deserted. “Do you think she had enough strength to stab someone in the eye who was at least three inches taller than her?” Hank asked, turning to Nick that morning. 

Nick shrugged. “Stranger things have happened.” 

“Do you think she may be wesen?” He whispered the word wesen. 

“It’s possible, but she never woged. Not even when she was losing consciousness.” 

“So she’s not wesen. She is a pretty woman who gave you her number. Are  you going to call her?” 

“She gave us her number so we could contact her about the case.” 

“Sure she did, Nick.” He winked, and his tone made it clear he didn’t believe him. 

“I’m not interested in a relationship, Hank. 

“I saw you with her in the hotel room. If you're not interested in her, you need to tell the rest of you.” 

“Weren’t you the one telling me to be careful because she may be in a relationship with the captain? ” 

“Nick, a young, beautiful woman gave you her number. If she looked at me the way she was looking at you, I would take the shot. Besides, you need to get back into the dating scene. Since Juliette left, you’ve become consumed with being a Grimm and a cop. You should try being Nick again. He’s a pretty good guy.”

He couldn’t help but smile. “Maybe I should call her once the investigation is over.”

“Don’t wait too long. A girl like that won’t wait for you.” 

“I need to make sure that she and the Captain aren’t in a relationship.” He stood and walked toward the captain’s office. He turned back to Hank, “I don’t want to dig my own grave.” Hank laughed as Nick walked away. 

The captain had just sat down when Nick knocked on his office door. “Come in.” 

Nick pushed the door open. “Captain, do you have a minute?”

“What is it, Nick?” 

“It’s Josephine Cunningham.” 

Renard looked up from his work. “What about her?” 

“What do you know about her?” 

“She’s an old friend. We see each other from time to time. What do you want to know?”

“Does she have any enemies? Anyone who would want to hurt her?” 

Renard sat there for a few seconds before he responded, “Not that I know of, but we haven’t seen each other in a while.” 

“What about those she trusts? Family, friends, a boyfriend? Anyone close enough to that hurting her would hurt them.” Nick leaned forward in his chair. “She said she had a brother, but we can’t find any record of him.” 

"She likes to keep things to herself, and I don’t pry. Everyone is entitled to their secrets. “I’ve never met her brother, so I can’t help you there. As far as I know, she isn’t dating anyone.  Why are you interested? I thought you and Hank said that the incident at her house was a burglary that went awry." 

“That seems to be the case, but we wanted to make sure we explored all possibilities. You said you wanted her safe.”

“Yes, I did, and I do, but she can take care of herself, trust me.” Both men sat in silence for a full minute before either spoke. "Is there anything else you need?" Sean looked back to  Nick when he didn’t move. 

 Nick asked, “What were you doing with her at the hospital? And how did you know something happened at her house?” 

Sean rubbed his hands together and remarked, "Not that’s it any of your business, but… I couldn’t just leave her in the hospital. As far as me being at her home, I’m aware of how stubborn she can be, and I thought that if anyone could persuade her to go to the hospital, it would be me. " 

“Why, you?” 

“Like I said, she is an old friend. Is there something I need to know?” He snapped. 

Nick stood, hands on hips, sensing he had pushed the captain as far as he was willing to go. “No, just trying to get as much information as possible.” 

“Remember, she was the victim, not the attacker, Nick. Don’t confuse the two.” 

Nick couldn’t mistake the protectiveness in his tone, which confused him. “I won’t, sir.” 

Two weeks later, Josephine’s injuries healed, and she had replaced all her furniture, but her phone remained strangely quiet. She knew she was being foolish, but she wanted a certain number to appear on her screen. She told herself he wasn’t interested; he would have called already. She couldn’t help but feel anticipation every time her phone rang. 

She was making herself a cup of late-night hot chocolate when her phone rang with a number she didn’t recognize. She picked up, “Hello?” 

“Hello, Is this Josephine?” 

She turned down the heat on her stove. “Yes, and who is this?”

“Hey, I’m sorry for calling you so late. This is Nick… Nick Burkhardt. I don’t know if you remember me. I was one of the detectives…” 

She cut him off, “Oh, Nick, yes, I remember you. You were one of the detectives who investigated the break-in at my house.” 

“Yes,” He sounded nervous. “How are you?”

“I’m okay, feeling much better, thank you.”

“That’s good, really good.” He still sounded nervous. 

“What can I help you with, detective?” She asked, confusion clear in her tone. He had spoken to her a few times over the past couple of weeks but always called from his office number. 

“Nothing, nothing at all. Your case was officially closed this morning,” he said, his voice steady. 

“Then why did you call, Detective?” she replied, a playful smile tugging at the corners of her lips despite her attempts to keep her hopes grounded. 

He hesitated, words fumbling as he searched for the right ones. “I called... I called... Well, I just wanted to know if you, um, would be interested in, um… I’m sorry. I’m usually better at this. Let me start over. I was calling to see if you’d like to grab a cup of coffee with me sometime.”

Silence hung between them, thick with anticipation as she waited for his words to sink in. She couldn’t help the excitement she felt, but she said, “I can’t do coffee this week. My schedule is packed during the day,” she replied, trying to keep her tone light. After a moment, she braced for him to withdraw his invitation, but he remained silent. 

“But…” she continued, the hint of excitement threading through her voice, “I can do dinner on Wednesday night. And I promise, I won’t take it personally if you want to call it a night after the appetizers.” She said trying to interject some humor. 

Her reward was his laugh on the other end of the line. “ I can almost guarantee that won’t happen. Wednesday night it is. Where?” 

“You pick the place. Pick me up at 7?”

“I’ll be there.”

 She smiled, “Oh, what should I wear? I don’t want to wear jeans if you want to take me to a restaurant in the Pearl.”

She could almost see him smile through the phone, “I’ll tell you what, you dress however you want, and I’ll pick a place based on what you wear. I can promise I won’t take you anywhere that will need a reservation.” 

“Good to know. I’ll see you then. Good night, Nick.”

“I’ll see you then. Good night, Josephine.” 

[effectivelyprocrastinating]

Chapter 3

A/N: Hey, everyone Here is chapter 3. I am trying to think of a title for this story. If you all have any ideas I would love to hear them.

Word Count: 2802

The Lies We Live Masterlist

The hospital kept Josephine for three days. She suspected that it was Sean’s doing. She didn’t mind that Sean was worried about her, but this room was beginning to feel suffocating. The nurses' fussing was becoming overwhelming. She had to remind herself that they were just doing their job constantly. 

When they finally released her, Sean brought her regular clothes and offered to drive her to a hotel despite attempting to persuade her otherwise. "I still think you should stay with me; you never know if the Royals will make another move." 

Her eyes flashed pink and returned to their amber color a second later. If Sean didn’t know better, he would have thought he had imagined it. “I think I can handle myself if they do come back.” 

“I know you can handle yourself, but I still worry about you.” 

“Sean.” Her shoulders slumped. She didn’t want to have this argument again.  She scanned the room, ensuring they were alone. “I know you worry about me, but I can’t stay with you. People are already wondering who I am to you. Not to mention, we would be sitting ducks for the family.” 

“I don’t care if people know who you are to me. The family found you. I don’t see why it would put either of us in any more danger.” He handed her her jacket. “My two best detectives saw me carry you into an ambulance, and I slept in your hospital room.”

She slipped on her jacket without looking up, careful not to pull at the stitches. “We would kill each other if we lived together even for just a few days. Remember our teenage years?” She looked up and raised an eyebrow at him. 

He laughed, “Yes, I remember. I still have the scar where you pinned me to the wall. I cut myself on the broken mirror you broke. But I want to keep you safe. That’s my job. I swore to Mother I would keep you safe.” 

She walked over to him with a reassuring smile. "I don’t think you or my mother have any say in how I live my life anymore. Besides, there's no safer place than the same city as you, just not the same apartment. She added before he could argue. “No matter how dangerous they might be, I won’t let our family stop me from living my life. I won’t live my life in the shadows." 

“At least let me put an officer on you.” His voice was calm and reasonable, or that’s how he tried to sound, holding her by the shoulders as if she was the same child that he had watched grow up with him. 

She shook out of his hold, “No! I will not let you put one of your officers in danger because they don’t know what is actually going on.” Her eyes flashed pink again. “It will only be a few days. I’ll be okay.” 

Sean stepped closer and hugged her to end the argument. “I can’t lose you," he said. She hugged him back, and he paused to relish her comforting presence. After a moment, he let her go and asked, "So, are you ready to leave?"

“Yes, please.” They drove to the hotel silently, and she let them into the room. When the door closed behind them, she said, “So if anyone asks, I can tell them we are related.” She unzipped her larger bag. 

He looked at her as he sat her other bag down. “I don’t know why anyone would ask, but I no longer see a reason to hide it. Why?” 

“I want to be a part of your life again. I want you to be a part of mine. I want to come to the ceremony when you get promoted. I want you to meet my friends. Not just hidden dinners every once in a while to make sure we are both alive. I’ve missed you.” She hung up one of her shirts. 

He smiled, understanding in his eyes. “Since the Royals know you’re in Portland, and you clearly plan to stay," he said, waiting for her contradiction. She didn't, so he continued, "I don’t see why we have to hide it anymore.” 

She ran up and hugged him, “Thank you.”

 Once she let him go, he walked towards the door. “I still think you should  have stayed with me.” 

She threw one of her shoes at him as he closed the door. Once he reached his car, he called Nick and Hank, “Yes, Captain?” Nick picked up the phone. 

“Any updates on the Cunningham investigation?” 

“ From the list of valuables she gave us, nothing is missing. 

“Do you think she is in any danger?”

“No, but her house was torn apart. The best we can tell is that she walked in while they were looking for something they didn’t find.”

“And do we know who these people are?” His voice came out harsher than he meant.  

“They traveled under the names Norbert Horn, Tamika Mccoy, Israel Vaughan, and Everett Johnson, but we don’t know much about them other than that. Their fingerprints have been burned off, and our system can't find their dental records anywhere. Since we know nothing about them, we cannot say if they have any known associates.” The line was quiet for a few seconds, then Nick spoke again, “Which hotel is she staying in? Maybe she can tell us something.” 

“Jackie’s Inn it’s just outside of town.” Sean chuckled. “I would announce yourselves before you get to her room. She has been a little jumpy since the attack.” 

“Yes, sir,” Nick heard the phone chick on the other end. “Jackie’s Inn.” Nick turned to Hank, who started heading towards Jackie’s Inn. 

Josephine finished unpacking and lay on the bed in the middle of the room. It was more comfortable than she thought it would be, but she was so exhausted that she knew she could've fallen asleep on a bed of nails. She had just started to drift off when a sharp knock woke her. “Who is it?” she asked, turning towards the door. Subconsciously, she reached for the gun on the nightstand. It flew to her hand. 

“It's Detective Giffin and Detective Burkhardt. We have just a few more questions for you. May we come in?” 

Standing, she set the gun down on the table, unlocked the door, opened it, and said, “Please come in.” She stared at Nick for a few seconds. His stunning blue eyes caught her attention first. “You’re Nick, right?” she asked. Then, she allowed the two men to enter. 

“Yes, Nick Burkhardt.” He took her in for several seconds and then asked, “Ms. Cunningham, have you ever heard the names Norbert Horn, Tamika Mccoy, Israel Vaughan, and Everett Johnson? " 

“Please call me Josephine. I don’t think I ever told you to call me Josephine in the hospital.” She shook her head. “No, are they the ones who broke into my house?” 

“Yes, ma’am. It seems they broke the back door window to gain entry. You were right; they appeared to be searching for something, but nothing had been taken. Do you have any idea what they might have been looking for?” She shook her head, and Detective Giffin pressed on, “Is there anyone close that someone else might have a problem with that they would want to take out on you?” 

As they spoke, she took the moment to sit in one of the few chairs in the room. She pondered for a moment before replying, “No, there’s no one. The only family I have left is my brother. Do you think someone was trying to kidnap me? Why?” 

The two detectives exchanged glances. “We don’t know, but you’d be surprised at the lengths some people are willing to go for what they want.” 

She shrugged, and she rubbed her hands on her jeans. Detectives, I don’t know who these people were or what they wanted. I just want to go home.” 

“The clean-up team should be done the day after tomorrow.” Nick supplied, sitting beside her. 

“Good, so I can go home soon.” She reached behind her, stretching too far, and felt a sharp twinge in her injured side. A quick gasp escaped her lips as she instinctively recoiled.

“Are you okay?” Nick seemed to surprise even himself as he instinctively reached out toward her, but he caught himself just in time, hoping she wouldn’t notice. Hank, however, saw the mistake, his eyes darting between them.

“Yes, I’m fine,” she replied, her voice steady but laced with a hint of strain. She grasped the pad and pen she had reached for, her fingers trembling slightly as she jotted down a series of numbers. “This is my new number. If you need anything else, please call me, not Sean.” With a swift, decisive motion, she tore the page from the pad and handed it to Nick.

He took it and stood. Get some rest, Ms.Cunningham. We will call if we need anything else.” 

“Josephine,” she corrected him, standing and walking them to the door. 

“Josephine,” he smiled, turning away. As if remembering something, he stopped in the doorway, halfway in and out of the room. Turning back to her, hand on the door frame, he asked, “Oh, who is your brother? It may be important.” 

She glanced down at the paper in his hand. “He has nothing to do with this, trust me. Call me after this investigation is over, and I may just tell you.” She closed the door and couldn’t help but smile. 

Hank glanced at Nick, who was smirking, at the closed door. “How do you do that?” 

“Maybe it's because I haven’t been married three times.” Hank shoved him as they walked down the hall. Once they reached the car, Nick glanced back up at Josephine's balcony, where she was now standing, but she didn’t see him. He couldn’t help but smile. “I told you they weren’t dating.” 

“That, or maybe they are just a casual hookup. The Captain doesn’t seem like the white picket fence kinda guy.” 

He shrugged but didn’t look away from her. “Maybe.” But he didn’t sound convinced. 

The next day, she returned to work in jeans and a long-sleeve shirt. It was far from the typical business casual she wore in the office, but the outfit hid most of the cuts and healing bruises, and no one seemed to mind. “Josephine!” Dave called, walking towards her. Then, he stopped when he saw the cut across her cheek. 

“You looked awful.” 

“Thanks, Dave.” She plopped herself down at her desk after clocking in. 

“I’m just saying.” He held up his hand defensively. 

“I was attacked by four people in my home and made it out alive. With roughly minimal injuries.  How do you expect me to look?” She snapped at him. 

He touched her shoulder and said, “Hey, I’m just yanking your chain. I’m glad you’re okay. You had us all pretty worried. Some detectives called and told us you were in the hospital. No one knew what had happened. ” 

She gave him a gentle smile and said, “I am okay, but don’t you know you shouldn’t provoke a woman running on just four hours of sleep, especially if that wasn’t in her own bed?"  

“Where have you been staying?” 

She rubbed her temples. “In a hotel room.”

“What?!” He half yelled, his grip tightening in surprise.

“Please don’t yell. My head hurts.” 

“I’m sorry. You could have stayed with me and Daisy. Why didn’t you call me?”

She held up her new phone, “Because my phone broke during the attack. And I wasn’t going to stay with the newlyweds and ruin your honeymoon bliss. I will need a rain check for Thursday, though.” 

“Of course. I’m just glad you're okay.” He took a seat at his desk across from her.

After a few minutes, she said, “You said detectives called?” 

Dave looked up. Yeah, well, more like came by. They were asking all sorts of questions about you, what we did, and your friends and family.” 

What did you tell them?” 

He shrugged. “The truth. You don’t have any enemies. I've never met your family, but you make friends with just about everyone you meet. Our work here isn’t dangerous. You are a CPA, for crying out loud.” 

She nodded and returned to her computer screen. They worked quietly until lunchtime. When the office started buzzing with lunchtime gossip, Vicky ran up to her desk. “Josephine, are you okay?” She hugged her, wrapping her arm tightly around her, reconnecting behind Joeshpine’s back, and Joeshpine winced. 

“Vic…” She breathed, the pain evident in her voice. 

The older woman quickly released her grip, allowing Josephine to take a deep breath. "Oh no, I’m really sorry, Josephine! You had us so worried. I didn’t hurt you, did I?"

Josephine's sarcastic reply came without thinking,  “No, you just pushed a few of my ribs back in place, Vicky.”

“I’...  am… am… I am so so sorry, Josephine.” She stepped back as though being too close may cause the other woman’s pain. 

Josephine stood, taking the older woman’s hand. “It’s okay. Thank you for worrying about me.” 

“These two detectives came and told us you had been attacked.” 

“Yes, but I’m okay.” 

She held her hands tighter, her hand completely covering Joesphine’s. “I am so glad. You are an invaluable member of this team and a valuable friend.” 

“Thanks, Vicky.” She squeezed her hand again before releasing it. For the remainder of the afternoon, things continued in a similar vein. Although she and Dave were stationed in a secluded area of the office, everyone made an effort to visit her that day. She smiled politely at each of them and laughed and hugged each of them, but she was absolutely exhausted by the end of the day. 

“How long until you can go home? Dave told me they put you up in a hotel room.” Vicky’s voice pulled Josephine out of her work late in the evening. Dave had already left, but she had missed so much work that needed to be finished by the end of the week.  

Josephine turned to her, realizing how late it actually was, shutting her computer down, and said, “They said tomorrow, but someone will call me before I go over there. They also suggested that someone come with me for the first time. I think they are worried I will have a bad reaction. ” 

“Do you want me to go with you?” 

The question surprised her, but she shook her head, “No, I already have someone.” 

“Oh,” She raised an eyebrow, “Would it happen to be that cute, blue-eyed detective, would it?” 

Josephine rolled her eyes. “No, it’s not Ni…” She stopped before saying his first name, “Detective Burkhardt.” 

“Detective Burkhardt,” Vicky repeated, “I’m sure he would go with you if you asked him.” She winked at her. “He’s single, by the way.” 

“And how would you know that?” 

“I asked him.” 

“You asked him? You are a married woman, Vicky!” She replied, somewhat shocked. “How did you get away with that, anyway?” 

She started as if it were obvious: “Josephine, I am a middle-aged woman. If I say it nicely, I can get away with almost anything, especially when I bring sweets.” She reached behind her and pushed a dish into Josephine's hands. It took her a second to recognize it as chocolate cake.

“Thank you.” 

“Chocolate makes everything better. I thought you might need that right now.” Josephine didn’t notice she was crying until Vicky wiped her eyes, as if she was a mother comforting a child. Though Josephine shed only a single tear, the worry in Vicky’s voice nearly triggered another wave. She wiped her eyes again as Vicky placed the cake on the desk and said, “Oh, Josephine, my dear. You made it through the worst of it.” 

Josephine took a deep breath and steadied herself. Her voice shook slightly,  “I know, I’m sorry. I’m really okay. It’s just been a long couple of days.” 

She pulled her into a hug, this one much gentler than the one she had rushed earlier in the afternoon. When she pulled away, she smiled at her and said, “If I were you, I would go back to my hotel room, open a bottle of wine, dig into this cake, and maybe call that cute detective.” 

Both women laughed. “The medicines the hospital gave me mean I can’t mix it with alcohol.” 

“Well, maybe just the cake and the detective.” She winked at her and let her go. 

“Thank you, Vicky.” She reached around and grabbed the cake. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Bright and early.” She smiled and stepped away from her and towards the door. 

[effectivelyprocrastinating]

Chapter 2

A/N: This one is a little shorter than the last one. Please comment if you see any problems. Hope you all like it.

Word Count: 1998

The Lies We Live Masterlist

She woke up in the hospital with no idea how she had gotten there. Looking around the room, she saw Sean folded into a small hospital chair against the wall. She wasn’t sure how long she had been asleep. Sean wore the same clothes, but now they were rippled and dirty.

A nurse pushed open the door to her room, approaching Josephine. She jumped involuntarily, readying for another attack, but as the nurse approached, she only felt human, no wesen underneath. She relaxed. Sean, always a light sleeper, woke. “Good to see you awake. You’ve been asleep for over 18 hours, " she called to Josephine, who did her best to sit up but winced as she did so. She must have cracked a rib last night. 

“Where am I?” She crooked. 

The nurse moved forward as she spoke. “St. Joe’s,” she reposed, writing something down on her clipboard. Josephine flinched again when the nurse moved to help her sit up. The nurse stepped back and continued, “You’re safe.”

“Do you remember what happened?” Sean asked as he stood, coming to her other side.

She nodded. “I remember we went out for dinner. When I got home, there were these people there. Four of them, I don’t know what they wanted. You put me in the back of the ambulance after I fell. 

“It’s a good thing he did, little miss. You had four creaked ribs, several cuts and bruises, and a deep gash on your side that needed stitches.  You are lucky the cut on your face didn’t need any, a pretty little thing like you. ” The nurse added and shot a look over to Sean that clearly insinuated something. Josephine inherently rolled her eyes. People always assumed they were a couple because, as far as most knew, they were both only children. 

Sean looked back at her, unmistakably indicating that she should leave. She recognized that expression, and it chilled most people to the bone. However, Josephine held her back, asking, "When can I go home?” 

To her credit, she didn’t immediately run from the room. The nurse cast a nervous glance at Sean as she clutched her clipboard tightly. “Tonight, hopefully, now that you’re awake. I’ll have the doctor come take a look,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. With a hurried step, she dashed out of the room, leaving the door to swing gently behind her.

Once the nurse was gone, Josephine turned her gaze to her brother, a hint of frustration etched on her face. “You shouldn’t have done that,” she chided softly, her brow furrowed.

“She was being disrespectful,” Sean retorted, a flash of defiance in his eyes. She could hear his teeth grinding. 

“Sean, I don’t need you to defend me. I’m fine,” Josephine insisted.

“Who did this to you?” His question hung in the air, laden with an intensity that felt more like a threat than genuine concern.

Josephine's eyes darted towards the closed door as if the answers might be lurking just beyond it. “It was a bauerschwein, a hundjager, a hexenbiest, and an anubis. They worked for the Royals; I saw the tattoo. I overheard them call me a princess,” she revealed, her voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t think they were trying to kill me. They had a few kill shots and didn’t take them.” She attempted to shrug off the memory, but even that tiny movement sent a fresh wave of pain coursing through her. Sean growled in frustration, “They never want you dead, just contained.” 

“They want my power, especially now, with the new Grimm. Are you ever going to tell me who it is?” She raised an eyebrow at him.

Sean shook his head, “Not yet, and don’t use your power to figure it out. I’m not even sure he knows what he is yet.”

She winced as she tried to shift in the bed, reaching for the water bottle on the side table.“Are you okay?” He reached over and handed her the bottle. She looked up at him and took a sip of water. “It’s not like I can control knowing if he gets close to me. You know how my powers work, " she replied sardonically. 

Before he could reply, there was a knock on the closed door. He stepped away from her, straightening his shirt. “Come in.” He called after a few seconds. 

Two men lingered in the doorway, clearly hesitant to enter, but their curiosity was apparent on their faces. She recognized them as belonging to Sean’s precinct, although their names escaped her. Were they the ones at her house that night? She couldn’t be sure. The taller one addressed Sean first, surprise clear on his face. “Captain,” They exchanged glances between the captain and herself. Then, turning to her fully,  “Ms. Cunningham, I’m Detective Griffin.” He pointed to the man next to him, dressed in a leather jacket, with dark hair and blue eyes. “This is Detective Burkhardt.”

“Detectives,” she responded. The two shifted from foot to foot, glancing at their captain. She turned to Sean and said, “Sean, please see if you can locate the doctor to get me released. I’m sure these two capable detectives do not need their boss breathing down their necks while they try to do their job.” 

Sean sighed but walked towards the door, leaving it open as he exited.  Both detectives were a little shocked at how well the captain took being told what to do, even from a lovely young woman. They watched the captain walk out the door and then back to the woman lying in the bed. “I’m sorry. What did you say your names were again?” 

This time, the blue-eyed one spoke, “This is Detective Griffin. He gestured to the other man. “I’m Detective Burkhardt, but you can call me Nick.” He gestured to himself.

She smiled warmly at him, saying, "Hi, Nick. It’s such a pleasure to meet you, even if it’s under these circumstances." She reached out her hand for a handshake, and he stepped fully into the room to meet hers. As their hands connected, she instantly recognized him as the Grimm that Sean had been protecting. 

“You seem to be talking this very well. You killed four people.” Detective Griffin looked at her with suspicion. She noticed that he didn’t offer his first name. 

She turned to him, “They came into my home and tried to kill me. If I hadn’t killed them, I would be dead right now. I wouldn’t apologize for defending myself.” 

“And we wouldn’t expect you to; it's just that most victims are not mentally stable after taking someone's life.” Nick sat himself in the chair closest to her.“Do you have any idea who would want to hurt you?” 

“No, not really. As far as I know, everyone liked me. I don’t have any enemies. At least none that would do this.” She guesterd to herself. 

“We have to rule everything out, ma’am. This could be nothing more than a burglary gone bad.” Detective Griffin took the other chair beside his partner. 

“Burglary? There is nothing in my home worth stealing. Nothing worth four people’s lives.” 

“What time did you return home last night?” Detective Griffin asked.

 “Around 11:30, or maybe a little after midnight, I was out with an old friend. Then, when I got home, I could tell something was wrong. I grabbed my gun and headed for the kitchen. That’s when I saw them. They seemed to be looking for something they couldn’t find. When they noticed me they attacked me.” 

“Who may we ask is this old friend?” 

Sean appeared in the doorway, “That would be me. ” Both detectives looked back at him. Nick immediately stood, jumping away from her like it burned. She hadn’t realized how close he had gotten to her. 

Her eyes softened as she looked at Sean, “This isn’t your fault, Sean. You had no idea something would happen.” 

“I should have made sure you had gotten home safe before I went to bed if I had gotten there earlier…” 

His sentence cut off as she placed her hand on top of his. “There is nothing you could have done. Did the doctor say I can go home?” 

“No, the doctor said at least one more day, maybe two. They want to keep you for observation to make sure everything is healing properly.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but you can’t go back to your house; it’s still considered a crime sense.” Detective Griffin spoke. 

“Besides, I’m not sure you will be safe there right now. Not until we are sure whoever did this is working alone. You can stay with me.” Sean looked back down at her, tightening his grip on her hand. 

“No, no, I’m not. I’ll be okay. If I stay with you, these detectives may have to investigate one of our murders.” She chuckled lightly but regretted it as pain shot through her side.

“Then where will you stay? You can’t go home.” 

“I’ll get a hotel room.” She turned her attention back to Detective Griffin. “How long did you say it would be before I could go home?” 

“At least a week.” He shrugged. 

“I’m not letting you rent a hotel room for a week when I have a perfectly good…” His voice hardened. 

“What couch? You do remember you live in a one-bedroom apartment, right? I am not a child, Sean!” She slammed her hand on the bed, but the movement pulled her stitches. She winced. Sean saw and moved closer to her. Her tone matched his, and she started again, “ I make my own decisions. Thank you very much!" she replied, raising an eyebrow incredulously. 

“Fine. We can discuss this once the doctor has cleared you to go home.” He put  a hand on her shoulder, smiling at her. 

“We can talk, but you aren’t changing my mind.” Her tone softened. She glanced over at the two other men who were observing the interaction with a touch of admiration. “Is there anything else I can do for you?” 

Detective Griffin shook his head, emerging from his daze. “We will call you if we have any more questions.” 

She looked at the two detectives a little helplessly, “My phone broke during the attack.” 

“If you need her, just call me.” Sean turned to his officers, “Understood?”

“Understood, sir.” They walked out, and Sean turned to Josephine and said, “I’ll be right back.” 

“Go do your job. I’ll be fine. You need a shower and a change of clothes.” She looked at the monitor and the IV. “It’s not like I am going anywhere.” 

Sean ran after his two detectives. “No one else knows, understood. We keep this on a need-to-know basis, and no one else needs to know.” 

“Whatever you say, boss,” Nick responded, pulling out his phone. They nodded and exited the hospital silently, leaving Sean in the hallway. Nick was lost in his own thoughts. “Don’t even think about it," Hank warned, glancing at his partner as they pushed through the doors. 

"Think about what?" Nick responded, turning to face him. 

"You never give victims your first name,” he paused and then continued, “except Juliette.” Nick shot him a knowing look. “I wouldn’t be a very good friend if I didn’t warn you. Don’t dig your own grave." 

Nick shrugged, insisting, "I was just being friendly." As they got into the car, he added, “They aren’t dating.” He shrugged, “If that’s what you are worried about?”

 Hank shot him a serious look. "Are you prepared to stake your career on that? The Captain is not someone you want to turn into an enemy. He clearly cares about her, no matter the nature of the relationship." 

Nick shook his head, “I’m not interested in a relationship right now. ” 

“If you say so. Even if you decide she is just a bit of fun, be careful.” Hank started the car and drove away from the hospital.

[effectivelyprocrastinating]

Chapter 1

A/N: Hey, everyone! I’m so sorry for the wait on this chapter. I’m excited to share the first part of my Nick x OC story with you all! Since I’m somewhat new to writing, I’d love to hear your thoughts—if you have any questions or spot any plot holes, please feel free to drop a comment. I really hope you enjoy reading it!

The Lies We Live Masterlist

Word Count: 2,601

“Renard, you left this!” A young woman wearing a knee-length black skirt and a purple top walked into the precinct. She held two coffees in one hand and a brown paper bag in the other.  Her amber eyes scanned the precinct, and she found the tallest man there. She smiled at him. A small glimmer of a smile was in his eyes, but no one saw one on his face. 

“Just leave it in my office, Josephine.” Captain Renard called back to the woman as he continued talking to the three officers around him. She rolled her eyes, walked into his office, set the bag and the coffee on his clear desk, and walked out of the precinct without another word.  

“Who was that?” Nick turned to Hank once the doors closed behind her.  

Hank smiled. “Oh, that’s Josephine. She and the Captain seem to have a relationship of some kind. He doesn’t offer, and I don’t ask. Maybe for the last year or so, she has been showing up now and then to the precinct, but no one knows much about her.”  

Nick looked around the room and then back towards the door. “A room full of Portland's finest, and we can’t find anything out about this woman.” His interest clearly peaked. 

Hank shrugged, “It’s the Captain’s personal life. I’m not sticking my nose where it doesn't belong. And you shouldn’t either.”Nick looked back at the Captain, who was now sitting at his desk, and shrugged before returning to his work.  

Sean smiled as he picked up the coffee cup. Opening the bag, he read the note on top: Happy Birthday, Big Bro; see you tonight. Under the note, his favorite pastry, he picked it up and took a bite. He hummed as he finished and tossed the bag into the trash. His eyes caught on a flash of red in the garbage; the note was burning.  

The young woman, Josephine, walked down the street in five-inch heels as quickly as possible. How could it be 7 a.m., and she was already running late? She pushed through the doors of her office building two minutes before she would have been considered late.  

Her coworker Dave clocked in right before her, “Late night, Josephine?” 

“No, I just had an errand to run before work. Took a little longer than I thought.” Walking towards the shared workstation, they asked, “How was your weekend?” 

“Daisy and I went on a little weekend getaway.” He winked at her.  

“The two of you never left your honeymoon, did you?” She rolled her eyes but smiled at him, pouring herself a cup of coffee. 

 “And we never will, not if I have anything to say about it. So when are you going to find your Mr. Right?” His tone was teasing as he added sugar and two creams to his coffee.  

“ I don’t need to find Mr. Right if he even exists.” 

Dave rolled her eyes and sipped his coffee, adding more sugar and cream. “Whatever you say.” 

“If I do find him, I will invite you and Daisy to meet him, okay?”  

He tipped his cup to her, “That’s all I ask.”  

She laughed and turned to her computer. Around 4:30, Vicky, another coworker, passed her desk. “Josephine, are you coming out with us tonight?”  

Josephine smiled up at the older woman, “Not tonight. I have plans. Next time.” Vicky nodded and kept walking.  

Not long after, Dave stood and stretched, “I’m heading home. I’ll see you tomorrow.”  

She looked up, “See you tomorrow, Dave. Tell Dasiy I said Hi. Are you two coming over on Thursday?”  

“We wouldn’t miss it. Do we need to bring anything?”  

“Nope, now go home to your wife.” She playfully made a dismissive motion with her hands.  

He nodded and left the office. She glanced at the clock. There was no point in going home before her dinner with Sean at 7. She could get some more work done and come in later tomorrow.  

When her phone went off at 6:30, she stood and shut her computer down. It had been a long day, but at least it was ending on a high note. Her heels clicked against the tile floor of Sean’s favorite restaurant.  

Sean stood when he saw her and said, “Josephine, it’s good to see you.” He reached for her and hugged her.  

“Happy birthday," she softly replied, sensing his slow and steady heartbeat. With a smile, he pulled away. “I’ve missed you; it’s been at least two months. I was starting to worry."  

“I’m sorry, but we have to be careful.” He looked down, making himself smaller. “Your hair looks nice.” he took her coat and sat it on the back of her chair.  

She unconsciously touched her hair; the brown curls were looser now that she had been at work all day. “Thank you. I had my hairstyles add layers to define the curls.” She sat and allowed him to push the chair to the table, “Such a gentleman. Your mother taught you well.” She quipped as he sat down across from her.  

“Well, you would know.” He matched her tone.  

The waiter came and took their drink and food order. Once she was gone, Sean and Josephine slipped into French. “If you ever go that long without talking to me again, I will come to your priesnct and cause such a sense everyone will be asking who I am to you. You talk to your hookups more often than you’ve been talking to me.” She rolled her eyes at him.  

“Understood, I am truly sorry.  He responded in German. They spent most of the night slipping between German, French, English, and a little Russian to make sure no one understood their conversation; it was unnecessary in such a busy restaurant, but the habit had been instilled into them both.  The waitress returned at the end of the night with one check. She hesitated when they both reached for it. “I’m not letting you pay tonight.” Josephine took the bill from the waitress, cutting her eyes at Sean. 

“Josephine,” Sean started, but she cut him off.  

“You can get it next time.” She gave the waitress her card, and she disappeared. 

“That bill has to be over 150 dollars.”  

“And you don’t think I can afford it?” She raised both eyebrows at him in a challenge.  

Sean held up his hands, “I didn’t say that.”  

She smiled at him as the waitress returned, “Good, we both know I make more than you anyway.”  

“My mother always taught me never to let a beautiful woman pay for her own meal.” 

“My mother always taught me never to let a man pay for my meal unless it was a date. This most definitely was not a date.” She responded as they stood, and Sean helped her into her coat. They left the restaurant, “I deserve to treat my brother on his birthday.” She added.  

“Keep your voice down!” he said through his teeth, but his voice was not venomous.  

“I know you like to keep a low profile. You don’t want anyone to know anything about you.” 

“For my sake and yours.” He added. 

“But, she continued, “You can’t live your whole life in the shadows. Keeping to yourself, it’s not healthy.” She bumped into him as they walked, causing him to stumble slightly.  

“We both need to watch our backs. And that means the fewer people who are close to us, the less the family can hurt us.”  

“I’ll be careful, I promise.” They had reached his apartment building. “This is you. I better see you soon.” She stood on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his chest. “I love you.” 

He ruffled her hair, which had frizzed in the humidity. “I love you, petite soeur (little sister). Get home safe.” 

When she walked into her home, she immediately knew something was wrong. Her eyes flashed a vibrant pink. In three seconds, her gun was out of her purse and in her hand. She carefully removed her heels and texted Sean 8390—their code for "get here now." She padded around her house without turning on the lights. She had lived here for five years and knew how to navigate her house blindfolded.  

She heard voices coming from the living room and kitchen, “I told you we should have grabbed her before she got to work this morning.”  

“And have the little princess miss her date with the prince. He would have had all of the Portland PD looking for her within a matter of hours.” this voice was feminine.  

She turned the corner as she saw them. They weren’t wogued, but she could see them for what they were: an Anubis, a bauerschwein, a hundjager, and a hexenbiest. She leveled her gun at the bauerschwein, “Am I late for my own party?” They all wogued the moment they saw her.  

The bauerschwein charged at her, and she fired. Her eyes flashed pink, and she made an electric cord tie the hands of the hexenbiest while pinning the Anubis to the wall. She was too late, and the hundjager rushed her, knocking her down. Without thinking, she fired again and rolled him off of her. Her break in concentration, coupled with the assault the hexenbiest waged on her magic, was enough for both the hexenbiest and Anubis to get free and attack her. She fired her gun again, missing and hitting the wall. Firing again, she heard a click; it was empty. She tossed it to the side.  

Her attackers were ruthless, but she knew she had to level the playing field. They held the advantage, attacking her from both sides until the Anubis paused while grabbing her shirt. The fabric tore, but that fraction of a second was enough for her to seize his arm and flip him over her, breaking his arm and dislocating his shoulder in the process.  

He snarled and attacked again. She used the opportunity to give her magic a directive. She touched his chest and stopped his heart once he was close enough to touch again.  

The hexenbiest was the only one left. Items were hurling across the kitchen, most of them blocked by the other’s magic. After several minutes of this, Josephine called the knife she knew was in a drawer to her and used her magic to hurl it into the hexenbiest eye. However, she didn’t have time to block the hexenbiest last blow, and it hit her across the face, cutting her cheek. The hexenbiest fell to the floor dead.  

Josephine stood in her very bloody kitchen, surrounded by four bodies. The altercation couldn’t have lasted more than 30 minutes, but it felt like a lifetime. Her body and her magic were completely drained. Her side felt cold, and she found a significant slash across her side when she touched it.  She grabbed a kitchen towel and pressed it to her side. It was okay, she told herself. She just has to stop the bleeding. 

She searched for her phone to call Sean but found it had been destroyed during the fight. That’s when she heard police sirens. She opened the door to see Sergeant Wu standing in front of her, clearly out of breath, “Are you Ms. Cunningham?” She nodded, “Are you okay?” His eyes stopped on the towel pressed into her side.  

The sake in her voice was only a little forced, “They were here when I got home. I don’t know what they wanted.” She led the Sergeant to her kitchen, where the bodies were. Before they turned the corner, she used her magic and sent a steak knife through the Anubis’s heart. Her legs gave out and she caught herself on the edge of the table.  

Wu stood there for a few seconds before he spoke, “These guys aren’t going anywhere. Let’s get you out to the ambulance so they can take a look at you.” Wu turned back to her and tried to take her arm. Looking at her torn shirt and her bloody face.  

She pulled away from him and said, “No, I’m fine. Please get them out of my house.” 

“I’m calling the detectives right now. Ma’am, please, you need to be looked at by medical professionals. Your adrenaline tells you you are fine, but you aren’t.”  

“Sargent Wu, I’m okay; I’ll sign whatever you need me to saying, that I refused medical assistance.”  

She stepped farther away from him, forcing her feet to steady. “Can I at least get you to go to the ambulance that is already here so they can look you over?” Wu tried to coach her toward the door.  

She shook her head, “I’m fine.” She thought the bleeding had stopped. She stopped holding the towel, but it was stuck to her side.  

“You can’t be in here before the detectives get here. You can wait outside.  I can't force you if you don’t want to see the paramedic while you are out there. Even though I think you should.” She nodded and let Sargent Wu lead her outside.  

It took a few minutes before who she assumed were the detectives drove up. Sean was only behind them by a few seconds.  Sean barreled up the sidewalk, barely putting his car in park. He saw Sergeant Wu first. “Where is she?” Sean looked to the ambulance, but when he didn’t see her, a look of picnic crossed his face. “She isn’t…” Wu pointed to the porch steps, where Josephine sat in her ruined purple shirt, a blanket wrapped around her.  She hadn’t moved since Wu made her come outside but refused to look toward the police cars and ambulance. “Oh my god, Josephine, are you okay? What happened? Are you hurt? Who did this?” Sean ran to her but stopped short of touching her. She knew how bad she looked, but the blood wasn’t hers, most of it anyway. She shivered as the wind blew. She really needed to change.  

“Sean, I’m fine; they were here when I got home.” She repeated the same story she had told Sargent Wu and tried to stand up, which she knew immediately was a mistake. Her knees buckled, and the world spun, but two arms caught her before she made contact with the ground.  

Sean held her close, pain and fear evident in his eyes. She saw his skin ripple and reached up to touch his face. “Sean, calm down. I’ll be okay.” She whispered.  She felt the erratic beat of his heart, and using the last of her strength, she slowed his heartbeat,  eyes flashing pink momentarily.  She smiled weakly when the ripples disappeared. When she moved her hand, she left a bloody handprint behind.  

“You're not fine, and you are going to the hospital.” It wasn’t a question or even a statement—it was a command. He placed her in the back of the ambulance and climbed in with her.  

“Sean put me down; I’m getting blood all over your shirt.” Her words were slurred, and her eyes wouldn’t focus on him.  

A steely look crossed his face. “Don’t argue with me.” He turned his attention to the two paramedics staring at him. “Hospital now,” he growled, causing them both to jump and quickly get to work. He looked back at the two detectives now standing by the ambulance, shock clear on their faces. No one had ever seen the captain lose his composure like this. “Let me know what you find.” They both nodded as the ambulance doors closed and drove away.  

[effectivelyprocrastinating]

Hey everyone! 😊 I'm thinking about diving into a Nick x OC story and I’m excited to start writing! I’m considering making it a chapter story, but I’m a bit torn on how to post it. Would you all prefer shorter chapters that come out more frequently, or longer chapters that might take a bit longer to update? Your feedback would really help me out, and I’d love to hear what you think! Thanks so much! 💖

[effectivelyprocrastinating]

I will always protect you

Imagine Sean was hurt while you and he were on a date.

Sean x Female reader 

Past Nick x Female reader

Word Count: 1240

Sean rolled over, his head pounding. “How long was asleep?” He looked over at the small table to his right, with a book, a bottle of water, and some pain reliever.  He was in his bedroom, in loose-fitting clothes. He couldn’t remember how he got here. “What happened?” He asked to the empty room. 

He tried to stand, knocked over the table, and cursed. Then she ran into the room, and he could breathe a little easier. “No, lay back down,”  She had a cup of coffee in one hand, which she sat down to come to him. “That Löwen almost killed you. You took a nasty fall.” 

Sean smiled at her despite his head pounding. He said, “I’m okay, love really.” 

“No, you are not. You have a concussion. Take these.” She pushed three pills into his palm. Once he placed them in his mouth, she handed him the bottle of water. After he swallowed the pills, he looked at her up and down.  “Are you okay?” She still wore the same red shirt and black pants she had worn on their date earlier in the evening, but now the pants were ripped, and the shirt was covered in dirt.

“Yes, my love. I’m fine, thanks to you.” She placed a hand on his cheek. He closed his eyes, leaning into her touch. “You saved my life.” 

“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t need saving,” he said, his voice tinged with a mix of guilt and determination. 

“That was your brother, not you.” 

“But if you weren’t with me, Eric wouldn’t know you.” 

She smiled softly at him. “I made my choices a long time ago.”

That’s when he saw Nick in the doorway with his own cup of coffee, “Why are you here? Sean growled, but she put a hand on his chest to stop him from moving. 

“Love, please. I called him. I needed his help. You were unconscious, and I didn’t know if Eric followed us,” she said, standing. I’ll let you two talk; I need some sleep and a shower.” She kissed Sean’s forehead. Then, turning to Nick, who had stepped into the room, she said, “Thank you for coming.” 

“Of course.” He nodded at her, his eyes softening. Anything for you. “She turned the corner, and a few minutes later, they both heard the water running. 

Sean looked at Nick, “Did she really call you?” 

Nick shrugged. “I almost didn’t answer, but I knew that it must be important if she was calling me. You almost gave her a heart attack, you know.  You are both lucky to be alive.” Nick glanced back to where she had disappeared. “I'm surprised she was able to drag you to the car and up here without anyone seeing her.” 

“Wait, she dragged me to the car?” 

Nick laughed, “Hard to believe I know, I didn’t see it. But by the time I got here, you were in bed, asleep.  She said she wanted me here in case the Royals came. She knew she couldn’t fight them off herself. She told me the Royals have been after you two for a while.” 

Sean nodded and said, "Since that picture of us at the Christmas party. Despite my lineage, my family has never been keen on mixing bloodlines." 

“You should have told me.” 

Sean laughed, “Sure, so you could convince her to run back to you.” 

“So I could help protect her!” Nick yelled.

“That’s not your job anymore, Nick!” Sean replied with the same force. 

“I know, but if anything happens to her, I don’t think I’ll forgive myself…” He stopped making eye contact with Sean, “Or you.” Sean nodded, “If anything happens to her, and if I’m still alive, you will have my full cooperation when you cut off my head.” Sean reached out his hand, “Help me to the  couch, will you?”  Nick took it and helped him up. He gingerly tested his legs, and they walked into the living room together. Sean sat carefully on the couch, and Nick sat on a chair beside the door. 

It didn’t take too long before she walked back into the room. Her hair was wet but pulled back away from her face. She had changed into one of his shirts, which he had forgotten about, and a pair of gray tights. He couldn’t stop the grin that spread across his face. She made two cups of tea and handed one to him before settling beside him. She began talking with Nick about something, but Sean wasn’t listening. 

He finished the cup quickly and could tell she had added something to help him sleep. He must have really worried her. With that thought, he set down the cup and grabbed hers. After taking her cup, he pulled her to his side. He draped his other arm across her, pulling her closer to him. He wasn't sure if she knew how she affected him. They had only been together a few months, but she was the ultimate medication anyone could offer him; only in her presence could Sean sense his heartbeat slow and his body ease into relaxation. 

Nick took the hint and stood, clearing his throat. “Captain, now that you're awake. I’ll head home. Call if you need anything.” He approached the door but stopped, “Watch your back, Captain, and hers.” Sean nodded. 

Nick walked out the door and down the hall before they spoke again. “Thank you for getting me out of there.” He spoke into her hair. 

“You're welcome, she hummed, “Come on, let's get you to bed. I think we both could use the rest.”

“No,” If he hadn't been so comfortable, he would have pulled away to look at her face.

“No? What do you mean no?”

If I go to bed, you won’t be here when I wake up.” 

Confused, she pulled away from him, “Sean, you wake up at 5 am every morning.” 

“You aren’t going home tonight?” The implication caught him a little off guard. They had both decided to take their relationship slow. She had been very hesitant even to entertain the idea after her relationship with Nick had ended.

“Do you want me to?” She stood and pulled him up with her. 

“No.” He pulled her towards him, and not expecting such a quick response, she stumbled into his chest. 

She smiled sheepishly at him. “Then it’s settled. I’ll sleep on the couch. Just call if you need anything. You don’t want to overdo it after a head injury.” She moved away from his bedroom door, where they now stood. She was teasing him, and he knew it. 

“Oh no, you won’t. My savior does not sleep on any couch.” He pulled her into the bedroom after him. “If you plan on staying over often, I need to consider adding more security.” 

“Why are you afraid I will run away?” 

He stopped momentarily, thinking, “That and I want to make sure you are safe.” He smiled, laid down, and pulled her close to him. 

“Well, there is no need to add any extra security yet, but you may want to look into it."

He couldn't help but smile at the thought of her waking up with him becoming a regular occurrence. It took a few minutes for her breath to even out, and he knew she was asleep. It was only then that he let himself fall asleep, too. 

[effectivelyprocrastinating]

Cooking for Nick after a long day

Nick X Female reader 

Word Count:547

Nick’s kitchen was filled with an amazing smell. As he turned the corner, he understood why. She stood in front of the stove, dancing along to the music that only she could hear. He smiled to himself. No matter how bad his day had been, she was always there to brighten his mood. 

“Hello, beautiful,” he grabbed a cookie off the tray and popped it into his mouth. 

She smiled. “Nick,” she said, looking over at him without losing focus on the dish in front of her. It looked like some type of pasta, but Nick couldn’t be sure. “How was Monroe?” 

“He’s fine, he says hi, by the way. He wanted to know when you are coming over for dinner.” 

She rolled her eyes. “You see each other at least once a week, but I have to plan anything that would be considered social.” She laughed as she moved from the stove with a pot to the sink. “I’ll call him tomorrow. Do I need to coordinate with Hank as well?” 

Nick shrugged, “I’m sure he would love an invite. It isn’t often he has someone cook for him.” He reached around her and planted a kiss on her cheek. “What’s for dinner tonight?”

“It’s something new I wanted to try. It’s pasta, mushrooms, sausage, and garlic. I hope you don’t mind being my guinea pig.”

Nick sat down at the table as she busied herself in the kitchen. “Not at all. Everything you make is delicious.” 

Blush spread across her cheeks. “Thank you. After a few more minutes, she sat down beside him and filled their plates with the mixture. 

He tentatively chewed, and she watched expectly. After a few seconds, he smiled. “It’s good.” 

She looked at him hopefully, “Really,” She took a bite herself and chewed slowly. “It needs something.” She got up, returned with the box of oregano, and sprinkled some on her plate, taking another bite. “Better.” 

She sprinkled a little on Nick’s plate. “Try it.” 

Nick obeyed. Once he swallowed, “I think I like it better without the oregano.” She took the plate from him. “Wait, don’t take it away.” 

She laughed, placed the little he had left on his plate, and put it on her own, then dipped him out without the oregano. “So you do like it?” 

“Yes!” as he practically took the plate from her. She laughed again, and they finished eating in comfortable silence.

Once they finished and started washing dishes, he smiled at her without saying anything. 

“What?” 

“Thank you.”

“You're welcome, but it was just pasta. I’m glad you like it.” 

“No, that’s not what I mean.” 

“For what?”

“For not leaving me even after you found out what I am. Not everyone would have stayed.”

She stopped and looked at him, drying her hand. “Nick Burkhardt, you are the easiest man I’ve ever known to love. You are a strong, caring, compassionate, and kind man. Being a Grimm is part of who you are, and I love all of you.” 

He wrapped his arms around her, “How I get so lucky as to find you.” 

“I could ask you the same question.” She pulled him close and kissed him. It only took him a few seconds to respond to her touch.