Chapter One – The Approach

Rosalee was sifting through the books they had on hexenbiests, trying to find some way, some spell, some potion – some solution, to get the old Juliette back. The woman she had visited in jail was someone she no longer recognised, and she was afraid. Scared that, the woman who had been her friend, might be gone for good.

She was distracted from her introspection by the sound of the bell above her shop door and looked up.

"Hey, Nick." She greeted absentmindedly.

"Hey, Rosalee." He returned, his voice tense and upset.

Just then, Rosalee recognised the woman who entered the shop behind her friend.

"Oh, my God." She cried, her mouth falling open with surprise.

"That won't be the last." Nick said wryly.

"I thought you never wanted – oh, my God!" Rosalee began, and then Adalind Schade opened the expensive looking coat she was wearing, exposing her very large, pregnant belly. Rosalee jumped to her feet.

"Again?" She demanded.

"Nice to see you too, Rosalee." Adalind said sardonically.

"Who's the sperm donor this time?" Rosalee retorted. However, it wasn't the other woman who answered her.

"It happened when she was Juliette." Nick told Rosalee, his voice flat.

Rosalee was so overwhelmed, she threw her hands up, and then sat back down. "I think I... I-I-I might explode. Does Juliette know?"

"Yes," said Nick.

Rosalee turned to face Adalind, and said smugly, "well, you have a surprise coming."

"She's a Hexenbiest, I know. Look, I am well aware of your help in kidnapping Diana, so nobody's perfect." Adalind replied, sounding just as smug.

Nick cut in before a fight could start. "Adalind knows how to help Juliette, then we have to help her do it. Or at least I have to help do it. Or you may just never want to see me again—"

"Nick—" Rosalee protested softly, but was interrupted by the hexenbiest in the room.

"That's my mother's book. Do you have the hat?" Adalind asked, sounding excited.

"Yes." Rosalee answered automatically.

"Then all we need's my mother." Said Adalind, as if this was as easy as pie.

"I thought your mother was dead." Rosalee queried, confused by what the witch was saying.

"Well, she couldn't help if she was alive." Adalind told her, as if it should be obvious. Rosalee was starting to get a headache. Nick brought her attention back to the problem at hand.

"Can you do this?" He asked earnestly.

"If there is even the slightest chance it will help Juliette, yes. Because I have nothing." Rosalee replied, her frustration evident in her tone and her expression.

They were interrupted by the sound of Nick's cell phone ringing.

"Hank." He said, when he answered it.

"I know this is probably not a great time. Captain told me why Adalind was here. You all right?" His partner, at the other end of the line, sounded concerned.

"Pretty far from that." Nick answered honestly.

"Yeah, well, another body was found off the same highway, half a mile south of where we found our first vic." Hank told him ruefully, clearly not wanting to add to Nick's burdens, but unable to do anything about it.

"I can meet you there." Nick told him, and hung up. He went to leave, but was stopped by the sound of Adalind's voice.

"Nick, wait! There's something I think you should know." She said, her tone urgent.

"What?" He demanded flatly, wanting to get away from this woman who always managed to cause him grief.

"Earlier today, Kenneth guessed that the baby is yours. He said he was going to tell Juliette. He's trying to get her to betray you." Adalind said hurriedly. She was very nervous about speaking up, as these two were very unlikely to believe her, but she knew she had to do something. Kenneth was planning to kill Kelly, which meant Diana was also in danger.

Plus, Kelly had saved her life, Adalind felt like she owed it to her to do everything in her power to save Kelly's.

"What? Who the hell is Kenneth?" Nick demanded. Rosalee was just staring at her, incredulously.

"He's a Royal, he was sent here when the king sent Victor back to Vienna. He's trying to lay a trap for your mother. He is convinced you have some way to contact her, and that Juliette can access it. That's why he threatened to tell Juliette about the baby, he thinks it's the leverage he needs." Adalind said insistently, and her audience could hear the sincerity and urgency in her voice. She was obviously worried, and also very obviously she believed what she was saying to be true.

"What did he say exactly?" Nick demanded, coming closer and looming over Adalind.

She felt threatened, but soldiered on. Her brow wrinkled as she concentrated on trying to get the words verbatim. "He said, 'It's surprising how quickly betrayal becomes a viable option, given the right circumstances,' and then, he said, um, 'But the real question is, what will Juliette do when she finds out that you and Nick are having a love child?'"

Nick cursed under his breath. If that was what this Kenneth person said, then his intentions were clear. And Juliette had turned up suddenly at the precinct, already knowing about his child, when he, himself, had only just found out, minutes before.

"It makes sense," he said slowly, "when she came to the precinct earlier, she knew about the baby. And someone had to have bailed her out…" his voice trailed off as he mulled it over.

"She came to the precinct?" Rosalee asked, alarmed at what this could mean.

"Yeah, she wanted to kill me." Adalind put in helpfully. "Not that I blame her", Adalind said softly. She didn't know about Nick's super hearing, and so she probably assumed neither he nor Rosalee had heard her. But he had, and it stirred an uncomfortable emotion in him. Sympathy, for Adalind Schade.

He decided he had to get a message off to his mother as soon as he could, and, he would also need to check on the trailer. Juliette knew where it was and how to get in. If she was pissed at him, and her display earlier showed him that she was, then who knows what she might do? Especially if she started feeling vengeful.

He had to remove or negate any advantage her knowledge of him could give this new Royal. His mother and his family's trailer were two obvious targets.

He didn't say any of this out loud, not wanting to share two of his closely guarded secrets with the witchy thorn in his side just yet.

"Right, yeah, thanks for telling me," he said gruffly.

Adalind looked surprised, she didn't expect to be thanked. Before she could say anything, Nick went on.

"I have to get to this crime scene," he said, "you stay here with Rosalee." And with that, he resumed his journey out of the Spice Shop.

Adalind knew she had done the right thing, but it didn't stop her from feeling scared. She was sort of safe, for now. She knew for certain that Nick would never hurt an innocent child, and so while she was carrying his baby, he would not hurt her.

But what about after?