The Wesen Game

Chapter 1: The Night

Adalind sat quietly at the kitchen table, pushing around yet another piece of pie that Bud offered her. Being pregnant meant that hunger pangs came on suddenly and disappeared just as so. The chicken pot pie which looked so heavenly just minutes ago was not quite as appetizing now. Next to her, Bud was pouring himself another cup of coffee, giving up on any idea of sleep. It had been a long night and neither of them were able to wind down. Nick and the gang had left about two hours before, and their recounting of the gruesome events at the royals' mansion was unnerving to say the least. Especially for Bud. Adalind was pleased that Kenneth met his maker—that bastard deserved it—but her mind kept wandering to her daughter and what it all meant now that she was in royal hands.

A knock on the door sent Bud into full Eisbieber mode. He darted quickly across the room to pick up his bat and and tiptoed toward the door, all the while motioning for Adalind to get back to the bedroom.

"Bud! It's Rosalee. Open the door!"

Heaving a sigh of relief, Bud looked out peephole just the same to make sure it was in fact her. Rosalee rushed in as soon as the door was cracked open. "It's over. She's dead."

"Who is dead?" asked Adalind, pushing her chair back and pulling herself up unsteadily. Bud scurried over to help her. By the way he looked, Adalind thought he might just have a heart attack.

Rosalee sat down on the couch and cradled her head in her hands. Adalind went over and sat down next to her. Rosalee was in her pajamas and slippers, her hair still tousled from sleep and now wet from the drizzling rain outside. She looked so tired and small to Adalind.

"Juliette," Rosalee finally replied.

"How? What? Where is Diana?" Adalind fired away, while Bud, unable to contain his mix of emotions, woged and quickly unwoged at the news. Distraught and relieved, he dropped his bat and sank down to the floor.

Rosalee stood up and gestured for Adalind to follow. "I've come to take you to our house. Nick, Trubel and a few other people are there. I'll explain on the way."

On the car ride over, Rosalee filled Adalind up on what she knew about the last two hours. She told Adalind how the soft rap on the door sent Monroe leaping out of bed. How they opened the door to see Trubel standing next to a catatonic Nick, and half a dozen men and women dressed head to toe in black.

Trubel stepped in and said matter-of-factly, "Juliette's gone. I had to kill her at Nick's house." Monroe and Rosalee had not known how to respond. Both shot a glance at Nick, who remained expressionless as he and the rest of the people filed into the house. One of the women introduced herself as Agent Chavez from the FBI. She had asked Rosalee to pick up Adalind, while Monroe was sent to pick up Sean Renard.

When they arrived at Rosalee's house, Adalind felt nervous at the prospect of facing Nick. What would she say to him? Honestly, she was happy that Juliette was gone. She had been living in constant fear the past few days and she felt like she could finally relax for a second. But without her powers, she could not really let her guard down. She still needed Nick. To protect and provide for her son before and after he arrives. What was Nick even feeling at this moment, she wondered. She knew how much Nick had loved Juliette. But also how much Juliette had betrayed him. Nevertheless, Adalind had played a huge hand in all the events that had transpired over the past few months. She really did not mean for things to turn out the way they did and decimate Nick's personal world. But would he believe her? Should she be apologetic? Sad? Would her empathy feel contrived and be counterproductive? Should she just lay low and let him grieve alone for a while?

Adalind was surprised when she walked into the house. It was so unexpectedly… crowded. There were at least ten people there, most of whom Adalind did not know, standing in groups of twos and threes, speaking in hushed tones. When the door closed behind Rosalee, the din of murmur came to an abrupt stop.

Adalind took a quick glance around the room. Monroe was already back with Renard, who was sitting rather uncomfortably on the couch, his long legs cramped against the coffee table. Hank was also there, standing by the dining table, a cup of coffee in his hands. Next to him, a woman in a mahogany leather jacket turned around and said, "Adalind Schade."

Adalind took a seat next to Sean, and replied, "Um, yes, and who are you?"

"I'm Agent Chavez of the FBI. But here, I guess I should talk to you in my capacity as a member of the Resistance."

"What's happening?" Adalind asked, searching the faces of those around her. She spotted Nick curled up on the floor by the window, staring off into space.

"Adalind, the Resistance has your daughter."

Adalind could almost feel her heart leap out of her throat. "You have Diana? Where is she? How?"

"We don't have her," Chavez replied.

"I don't understand. You just said that the Resistance had her and that YOU are the resistance. Where is she?"

"It's Meisner," said Sean, turning around to face Adalind. "The resistance intercepted the royal's calls for an airlift to the seaport. They…uh.. neutralized… the royal's helicopter crew and Meisner was dispatched to pick up my father and Diana."

"So he has her. Are they coming here now?"

"That's where things have gone a bit…wrong. Meisner was supposed to bring both of them to a safe house by the air space. But they never came."

"Does that mean he turned on the Resistance? Does he work for the royals?"

"Not exactly." Chavez said. "He killed the King."

"The King is dead?" Adalind cried out in disbelief.

"Appears he was shoved out of the helicopter," said Renard quiety, staring down at his hands. "It got called in at another precinct just an hour ago."

"And the FBI is taking over. The US government is now engaging private talks with the Royal family. For the sake of politics, humans and wesens, I'm guessing they will have him "die" under different circumstances back in his country."

It was a lot for Adalind to take in. What would Meisner want with her child? Where would he be taking her? In a way, it was a comfort to know the person who had Diana. At least there was a lead. But the anguish of losing her yet again slowly took over her shaking body.

"Killing the King was never part of the plan," said Renard. "We do not really know who Meisner is working with. It is likely that he has allied with the Freiheit faction in Germany, where the Resistance movement is geared towards the complete eradication of the royal families. The Freiheits have been alienating themselves from the rest of the resistance world for a while, claiming that we were not aggressive enough. "

Adalind let out a little gasp. Rosalee asked, as if she read Adalind's mind, "But Diana is royal. What would they do with her?"

"If they had wanted to kill Diana, they would have done so already. They must have other plans for her." Trubel chimed in. "I don't know much about this kid, but if Nick's mom was willing to die for her, we have to get her back."

The familiar feeling of hopelessness surged once again in Adalind's chest, zapping all the energy out of her. She felt dizzy all of a sudden. She rested her head on the back of the couch and vaguely heard Chavez and Sean discuss plans to track down Meisner, while Trubel and Hank whispered something about Juliette. That was the last thing she remembered before she drifted off to sleep or to unconsciousness, she really did not know which.