Adalind called her daughter's father to discuss plans for Father's day weekend.
"I know Father's day is this Sunday, but that also happens to be Nick's birthday. We want to do something extra special for him."
"I take it you want to keep Diana for Father's Day."
"Actually, I have been informed to tell you, that you are more than welcome to a backyard Father's day/Nick's birthday barbeque at the home of a very kind eisbiber family."
"Eisbieber?"
"Nick is friends with an entire lodge of eisbiber, something about saving them from trolls, and his closest eisbiber is a man named Bud, who's wife thinks it will be a good idea for us all to try to get along with one another, considering how powerful Diana is. Then I was thinking you take her Sunday night. I'll be leaving Kelly with some friends of Nick's, so we can have his birthday night to ourselves."
"A little too much information Adalind." Renard deadpans.
"Sorry." She doesn't sound like it to him, but she continues before he can comment on that fact. "Anyway, they have children and I think it would be good for Diana to meet and hang out with them. Try to broaden her social skills."
Renard understands that it would not be good for his daughter to be isolated, that she needed to interact with more than just the adults her family knew.
Though he hated to admit it, he knew those he considered his colleagues, were not really his friends, and it would be unwise to associate her with them.
He agreed to attend this backyard function, to try to get along with everyone, for Diana's sake.
Diana wakes Nick up with a plate of steaming hot pancakes and singing happy birthday. "Mom, had pancakes for mother's day, so you get pancakes for father's day, which is also your birthday today. I would have put a candle on your pancakes, but we don't have any."
"It's alright, Diana. They are perfect as they are." Nick tells the little girl, giving her a light peck on her head.
Adalind sit up and smiles lovingly at him, then gives him a tender kiss. "Happy birthday and happy father's day." She says softly, cupping his cheek to give him another kiss, so he has one kiss for each of the special days that are for him today.
As Diana crawled up on the bed, she made Kelly float over. Both children were snuggled into the their parents sides, and the family began to eat the breakfast Diana made.
"We're in the bedroom Trubel." Nick called, obviously hearing the young woman arrive.
The tray of pancakes was quickly set to the side by Adalind when she saw the younger grimm start running to the bed. With a flying leap, she tackled Nick, shouting happy birthday, and embracing him in a powerful hug that had them rolling, and had the children laughing.
After eating breakfast, they all got ready and headed to Bud's house. Adalind texted Sean the address, when he arrived, Nick could not stop the smirk from spreading on his face at what he saw his captain wearing.
Sean saw Nick smirking at him and said, a little irritably, "What?"
"I didn't know you even owned a pair of jeans, or a t-shirt, let alone would be seen wearing them."
"Funny Burkhardt. It's not like a suit would have been appropriate for a cookout."
"Hi Monroe, Hi Rosalee." Diana called out seeing the couple coming and putting to a halt the snarky conversation between her fathers.
Nick quickly rushed to his fuchsbau friend, helping her into a chair. Only in her second trimester and she was already quite large, do to carrying triplets. Everyone knew Rosalee felt ugly and miserable, but her husband always looked at her with eyes full of love and devotion, as if she were the most beautiful thing in existence.
"Is there someplace to put this stuff?" Monroe asks, adjusting the wrapped gift and an obviously full casserole dish. "I bought veggie burgers." The wieder blutbad explained. "Thought it would be rude to just expect our host to have meat alternative burgers."
"Put the wrapped gift on that table over there and the veggie burgers on a table by that grill." Mrs. Wurstner said, pointing to the tables in question.
When Wu and Hank arrive, they are quickly told where to place their gifts and then wrangled into helping set up the various backyard games. Luckily, that puts them are too far away for their captain to hear them make some remarks on seeing their leader in something other than a designer suit.
"No using your powers when playing the games, honey." Adalind told Diana. "Because it would be cheating, since no one else can do what you do."
"Ok, mom." The little girl promised, then ran to play with the other children that were there.
Nick took a moment to look around himself at his family. He can't help but think how much his life had changed.
As a teenger, he had always felt a little alone, with it just being him and his aunt. When she died, he thought he had lost all that was left of his family. Of course, he didn't know his mom was still alive until she came back into his life in a truly epic way. But then she was taken from him again, and as painful as losing his mother for the second time was, it had only been one of a lot of bad that happened in a short time.
It had been too much. Nick was certain he had gone to a very dark place for a while. Not caring about anything, letting his anguish fuel his actions.
And then he got a call from Bud, saying Adalind was in labor. When he held his son for the first time, all of the madness that was inside of him stilled.
He had a reason to keep a clear head. He had a reason to be happy. Becoming a father gave him a reason to keep living.
That first night of having Adalind and Kelly home, sleep was impossible. Nick just could not stop staring at the miracle that had been put into his life, or the woman who had given birth to that miracle.
Nick felt he could appreciate his family more, do to almost losing them countless times. That all that pain and suffering had been worth it, if only so that he could really enjoy his life of happiness now.
But he still wished his parents and his aunt could be here, be apart of his life.
"Nick, you seem sad." Diana said, coming up to him, looking concerned.
He smiled at her. "Not sad, just thinking."
"Are you wishing your mom was here, the woman who was my mom for a little while?"
"Do you remember her?" Nick asked, a little surprised.
"Of course. I also still have this." Diana held out his mother's locket. "I wouldn't let anyone take it from me." She said very seriously.
The locket opened up, revealing that his picture was still inside.
"My other mom used to tell me stories about you. I could tell she loved you very much and wished she could be with you. But you know what, I know that our family is always apart of us. So, even though we can't see her, she is still with us, and she loves us."
Nick felt the tears start to come and reached out to pull the little girl in for tight hug. She let Nick hug her until he felt himself composed again. No words were said between them, there didn't need to be.
"Is everything alright." Adalind asked, walking up to the two.
"Everythings' good." Nick assured her, and reached out to gather his son in his arms, hugging and kissing him just as much as he did the little boy's sister.
She nodded, knowing he would tell her if she needed to know.
A cake large enough to feed an army was brought out and everyone started singing him happy birthday.
"Make a wish, Nick." Bud said, when the song was done and it was time to blow out the candles.
Bouncing Kelly on his hip, Nick looked at all of those around him and smiled. There was nothing more he could really think to ask for.
Then he looked at Adalind and her bare left hand. Well, maybe just one more thing.
Nick made his wish and blew out the candles.