"Harriet, this is..." Renard never got to finish his presentation.
" A Grimm?!" She blurted out, clearly surprised as she stared at the young detective in front of her. "You two work together?!" Her expression was priceless.
"Who is she?" The detective asked directly to his superior, not knowing what to think.
" I wish I knew, Buckhart. She is… Different." Renard stated, not knowing exactly what more to say or how to say it. He would not discuss the matter in public either.
"How different?" This time it was Hank who replied. He had just got closer at the mention of different.
"Don't know yet. We should get her to somewhere peaceful so that we can talk to her and find out."
"Why don't we meet at the spice shop?"
"Look around, Burkhart. We have to…" Renard eyed the surrounding mess before letting go of a long-suffering sigh. "Hank, stay here and coordinate the cleanup crew with Wu. Burkhart… Get in the car."
The travel was made in silence, with both cops on the front seats and Harriet on the back seat looking out the windows the entire time. As the car pulled over on a nearly deserted street, Harriet broke the silence.
"What is the "spice shop" ?"
"Oh, right... Don't worry. It's only a place where we meet to talk about Wesen problems. It would be difficult if we discussed some things at the station." Nick spared his Captain the explanations part, as he opened the door of the car for her.
"I can imagine that. Is there someone inside?"
" Only two friends? Both Wesen and both trustworthy." Nick assured her.
Together they entered the seemingly closed store, Nick at the head opening the door, then Harriet and at last the captain who locked the door behind then.
"Better safe than sorry," Renard reassured Harriet when she inspected his action.
She was yet to calm down when the two owners of the place came into the room.
" Fuck!" Harriet screamed as Monroe came in sight, walking back straight to Renard's chest for the second time that night.
"What? What's the problem?" Nick wondered, taken by surprise with her reaction as all the others in the room.
"He's a werewolf!" She cried.
"Excuse me?" Rosalee, who happened to be next to the so said werewolf stuttered.
"Red eyes, spiky fur and terrifying expression?" The woman enumerated as if it was the most evident thing on the face of the earth.
"You can see him?!" The Grimm was the one who asked, but the question seemed to float in the air, as thick as jelly. At least that was what the four faces around her mirrored.
" Yeah? As I can see you, Mr. Grimm. I just… Really dislike the ones like him." Harriet confessed while pointing in Monroe's direction.
Nick and Renard exchanged a glance between them.
"I warned you that she was different."
" I realize that." Nick acknowledged. " I just wonder how different can she be."
Nick moved forward to make the presentations.
"Hi, guys. This is Harriet. Harriet, these are Monroe and Rosalee, his wife. They will not hurt you."
"Hi." Rosalee came over to greet Harriet, leaving Monroe in the background.
" Hi." Harriet replied with an unsure but sincere smile. Then she returned her attention to the two cops that had led her there. "What about you? You never gave me your names."
"I'm Nick Burkhart, a police detective, and Grimm."
"I'm the captain of Portland Police force, Sean Renard."
" Oh, not bad. It seems I did Portland a favor tonight then." She smiled back at him with mild malice.
Renard didn't reply but her answer wasn't lost for him.
"So, what brought you all here at this hour?" Monroe asked them. " We just arrived a few minutes ago."
"Tonight there were some troubles at a Wesen nightclub. Big mess but long story short, the Captain came across Harriet. She looks like she's different."
"How come?"
"She can manipulate fire." Renard joined in the conversation.
There were gasps. He hadn't told that part to Nick yet.
"Manipulate fire?" Rosalee retorted.
" She can identify us easily too it seems." Monroe added.
"Can you please not talk about me as if I wasn't here?" Harriet interrupted. "Yes, I can see you all. I've been able to since I can remember. I would have thought myself mad if my mother hadn't told me about it a little before she died. I look at you all..." She gestured towards each Wesen in the room). " And I can only see your Wesen face, body, whatever. The only way I can actually see your normal human face is in photographs or video."
Each Wesen in the room seemed to shudder at her words, uncomfortable with what it implied. She saw them for their Wesen soul. Which meant that they couldn't hide from her even if they tried. It had to feel uncomfortable for them. It felt uncomfortable for Renard even if he wasn't about to show it.
" Could she be a sort of Grimm?" Nick asked Monroe and Rosalee.
" Perhaps? I don't really know. I've never heard of something like this before." Rosalee answered cluelessly.
" Neither did I. And it's not like you can do what she seems to do." Retorted Monroe mimicking his wife's expression.
" Captain?" Nick turns towards his supervisor, implying the same question.
" I am as astonished as any of you. I had never seen a human with Wesen characteristics without being an actual Wesen or a Grimm." He shrugged, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned on the furniture.
" What do you know about yourself, dear?" Rosalie turned their attention back to the strange woman in the room.
" I was born like this." Harriet shrugged. " Never knew different. If I am a Wesen, I never woged till this day. My magic came a little later in teenage. I managed to keep it in secret even if I had a few incidents. Since I was old enough to get out of the system I became a professional dancer and… Kept wandering." She trailed off.
" So you never stay in one place?"
" Not for long if I can avoid it. I go, work, earn money and move again."
" That must have been lonely." Renard pointed out, sounding completely out of character in the middle of the others. All eyes turn to him for a split-second, then returned to their guest.
" It is sometimes." She accepted. " My mother never really talked much about it, you see, and then she died when I was very young. She looked more or less like she does." Harriet pointed straight to Rosalee.
" A Fuchsbau? What about your father?"
" Can't remember him. My mother never talked about him either. But I always guessed that perhaps what I am is his fault."
"Do you know the names of our species?"
"Some? I caught people talking sometimes at the clubs. Mostly, I identify you with animals or…" She turned to take a look at the Captain. She made the most apologetic of the expressions before going on. " Zombies?"
Almost everyone in the room started to chuckle at the mention of zombies. All except for Rosalee and, of course, Renard. This last one kept evaluating her with an appreciative glare.
"I'm a Zauberbiest." He declared matter of fact, in a very calm tone. There was no point on feeling mad against her if she didn't know much about their world. Her world.
"Zauber… Biest." Harriet tried the word on her mouth. It felt somehow weird to have her say it but at the same time correct. She risked exchanging a look with him. He was pleased enough with her pronunciation, an encouraging smile playing on his lips.
"I'm a Fuchsbau. Monroe is a Blutbad. Nick is a Grimm." Rosalee added.
"Yeah, I've met others like him before." She acknowledged. "Everyone tends to run away from them as fast as they manage. Look, I'm sorry to interrupt but… I barely slept last night, I'm freaking tired and I could use a shower and a change of clothes. This dress wasn't made to walk around outside the club. Could we continue this discussion tomorrow or any other day? I would like to learn more about all of this if you are willing to teach me."
" It would be dangerous for you to show up your face back at the club so soon by yourself. Besides, it will remain closed for at least the next few days. " Nick warned her, getting the overall approval of everyone present. " Where are you staying?"
" Nearby the club?" She admitted in a lame form.
" Hardly the best place either. Would you stay with us? Just until the storm calms down within the city."
She looked around to watch all the new faces surrounding her. She clearly wasn't really sure if it would be a right choice.
" And who should I stay with?"
Nick seemed to weigh the matter too.
" Monroe? Rosalee?" He asked, looking hopeful towards the couple.
They looked at each other and even Sean Renard could say for sure that she would feel like a third wheel at their place.
"Perhaps someone that lives by itself?" She suggested, taking the weight from the couple's shoulders. They certainly look relieved.
" That would be me." Captain Sean Renard stepped closer, offering his help to the damsel in distress. It wasn't a hard offer to do. She had saved him from a very bad time earlier that same night. By his own gentleman code, it was the least he could do.
There was a sudden silence in the room. Were they surprised by his offer?
" I'm the only one in this room that lives alone." He clarified as if it wasn't all that much of a deal. "However, I must warn you that I hardly spend many hours at home."
" Don't worry. I don't tend to feel lonely often." She replied, holding his intense green gaze with challenge in her eyes. " Could you just take me to gather my stuff in my rented room?"
" I think that will not be a problem." He assured with a curt nod, moving towards the door of the spice shop and opening it to her.
While I do know that this story is more of a draft than a fully formed story, I do hope that you like it anyway. I just felt like sharing this while I was really into it. I have a full draft to which I try to add new pieces every day and that is how I'm taking this story. One day at the time, in between the other stories that I have going on.
Season 5 is still two weeks away in Portugal and I'm really excited for it.
Any reviews will be very welcomed, but followings and favorites are nice too.