So, while the first 2 episodes of Season 2 have been awesome, they've kind of blown a bunch of things in this fic out of the water, canon-wise. For example, the sisters being in their teens when they became Grimms, or how their grandfather was a Grimm. Little things, so I'm not going to change things in previous chapters, but it does make this sort of AU. Still, I'm proud of this chapter, and I hope you all enjoy it.

Also, I've decided that Farley is not dead. Until I see a body, he's alive. If Kelly could still be alive after an entire season of the show saying she's dead, so can Farley!

Disclaimer: Well, I don't own Grimm, or any of the really hot guys that star in it, so yeah. That sucks.

Birds of a Feather

The ride to the restaurant was fairly uneventful. Marie sat in silence, occasionally glancing at her date, not sure whether to initiate small talk or not. Kolt, for his part, remained just as quiet, though he did snicker a bit when he caught her looking at him.

Probably still laughing over Kelly's stupid comment, she thought irritably. She did give him points for not bringing it up again, though.

They were promptly escorted to their table, and Marie found herself grateful that Kelly had insisted she dress up. While not overly crowded, there were enough people in fancy clothes that she knew she would have looked out of place without her sister's help. Not that she'd ever tell her that, of course.

And Kolt was acting surprisingly civil. He'd held open the door, pulled out her chair, and even hung up her coat. It was a little old fashioned, but it was at least the polite kind of old-fashioned.

The restaurant itself was definitely high-end. The soft lighting cast a golden glow over the red curtains and cream colored walls, while candles illuminated the small tables. Ribbons lined the top of the bar, so she had to assume the drink selection was pretty good. All in all, it was a beautiful place, and it was rather surprising that anyone would take her here for a first date.

Hold it, Marie, she thought, brow slightly furrowing. What's this "first date" crap? This is the only date I'm ever having with this arrogant, annoying—

"Something the matter?" Kolt asked, noticing her irritable expression.

"Nothing," she lied. "Just a little worried about Kelly hunting on her own tonight."

He chuckled, opening his menu. "She'll be fine. If she's anything like you, I'm sure she can handle her own."

The menus were a bit of a shock. She knew it was a ritzy place, but some of the entrees she'd never even heard of. What exactly was bronzini? She was tempted to ask, but she didn't need either Kolt or the waiter thinking her more ignorant than they probably already did. Instead she decided to play it safe and ordered the chicken parmesan and some white wine. Kolt ordered the steak, medium-rare, and a dark beer.

They sat in silence for a moment just studying each other. It dawned on her that this was the first time she'd taken the chance to study him up close. In the car she'd done everything in her power to look straight ahead, just keeping his profile in her peripheral vision in case he tried something. Now she was actually taking the time to notice his eyes were a pale gray, and that he had what looked like a small dimple on his left cheek. Kolt seemed to be watching her just as closely, and she suddenly felt a bit self-conscious. Was her eyeliner smudged? Was her hair all right? She grabbed her purse and began digging through it in hopes of finding her seldom-used compact mirror. It was amazing how he was actually making her care about her appearance without even trying.

There it was, just under the knife. Just as she was taking it out, his voice startled her into almost dropping it.

"You don't need that you know."

"Need what?" Did he see the knife? Damn, there goes the element of surprise!

"The mirror. You look fine, so stop fidgeting. You never struck me as the type to check their reflection ever ten minutes, anyway," he said, his trademark smirk once again in place.

"I suppose you would know," she mumbled, letting the compact fall back into the depths of her purse. She tried not to notice that his smirk fell a bit, or that her stomach shifted unpleasantly at the sight.

The silence returned until their food arrived. Marie took a bite and had to admit it was pretty good, though her stomach was still twisting a bit from the awkwardness of the past few minutes.

"So, what kind of music are you into?" he asked, cutting into his steak.

She cut into the chicken a little harder than she meant to. "Don't you know that already? I mean, you're the one who's been stalking me." She didn't know why she was so irritable, except maybe that she was feeling incredibly out of place at an unfamiliar restaurant with a man, no, Steinadler, that knew far more about her than she knew about him and yet still had the gall to ask her about something as normal as music as if this were a perfectly normal first date…ok, so maybe she did know.

"You are never gonna let that go, are you?" At her deadpan stare, he sighed. "Look, I'm sorry I didn't just waltz up to you and introduce myself, but how was I supposed to know you wouldn't decapitate me at hello?"

"I told you—"

"You only go after the bad ones. Sure, I know that now, but I'm sure you can't blame me for being cautious."

She hated how she couldn't fault him on that, so she changed tactics. "How did you even find out about me, anyway?"

He gave a nonchalant shrug. "A buddy of mine told me a Grimm had been killed last year, and apparently her daughters had taken over the "family business," you might say. Figured it was worth a look."

"Why? Plenty of wesen don't even believe in us. How'd you know it wasn't some urban legend?"

"My uncle was killed by a Grimm. Damn right I believe in them."

Marie was suddenly back on her guard. "So this is some sort of elaborate plot for revenge?"

"What? No! Why would I…" He sighed and pinched his brow. This was obviously not how he'd wanted the conversation to go. "Look, I know it's hard for you to believe, but I really don't mean you any harm. Like you said, a lot of wesen don't believe in you. To find you I actually had to find someone who knew you existed. I ended up meeting an Eisbiber that told me about how you saved his life when some Skalengeck thugs tried to mug him. After that, I figured you couldn't be that bad."

She relaxed her guard and actually smiled. Mickey the Eisbiber was a good guy, and she was glad she'd helped him out. Sure, he'd been terrified at first, begging her not to cut off his head and whatnot, but once he realized she was actually more concerned with his well-being than his painful demise, he became one of her biggest supporters. "So, exactly how long did it take for you to reach that conclusion?"

Kolt shrugged again. "Oh, I figured it out by the second day or so."

"And yet you continued to stalk me."

He groaned and seemed to give up the illusion of being cool and collected. "Ok, fine! So maybe once I saw you and heard about what a great girl you are I couldn't get you out of my head. Maybe I started seeing you as a person instead of a Grimm and wanted to get to know you as such. Is that so wrong?" He took a swig of his beer, hoping to buy himself a few seconds to regroup. When he finished swallowing, Marie was still staring at him intently.

"So, of course, you couldn't just come up to me, introduce yourself, explain why you're here, and ask me out to coffee."

He blinked, as if the thought had never occurred to him. "Well, sure, I guess. If you want to be boring about it."

She stared at him for another few seconds before her face broke out in laughter. Realizing the ridiculousness of the whole situation, he couldn't help but join her.

Delicately wiping her eye, she treated him to a genuine smile. "Oh, I haven't laughed that hard in ages. And to answer your original question, I like classical music, the Beatles, and the Rolling Stones."

He blinked again but returned the grin. "Nice. Gotta love the Stones."

She took another bite of her food, chewing thoughtfully. Swallowing, she said, "You know, I'm kind of at a disadvantage here. You really do know more about me than I do about you, so I think it's only fair that I ask the questions for a while."

He made a great show of mulling it over. "Hmmm, it goes against my better judgment to give away too much personal information." He observed her intently, as if searching for some important sign hidden in the nuances of her face. Finally, he nodded to himself. "Yep, you're cute enough to risk it. But for every two questions you ask, I get to ask one. Deal?" He held out his hand.

She firmly shook it. "Deal."

"Fire away, toots."

She studied him for a moment. "Where are you from?"

"Connecticut originally, but I'm an army brat, so I've been around."

"What do you do?"

He gave a secretive smile. "I'm in the military, but my exact profession is classified. Sorry. So what's your favorite movie?"

"Hmmm, it's hard to pick just one. Probably Monty Python and the Holy Grail, or maybe The Great Gatsby. What's yours?"

"Definitely the original Connery Bond films, but my all-time favorite is The Maltese Falcon."

He was rewarded with an annoyed look. "Was that some lame joke?"

He chuckled. "Not at all. I enjoy a good mystery. It's one of the reasons you caught my eye. My turn."

"No it's not!"

He leaned back in his chair, lazy smirk still on his face. "Sure it is. You asked if I was joking, and I answered no. Ergo, my turn." He took another sip of his beer. "What do you like to do when you're not hunting or working?"

"Catching up on my homework." Maybe not entirely true, but she was feeling like being a bit contrary after his smug "you asked if I was kidding so it's my turn" response.

Kolt's eyebrow quirked up. "I said like to do, as in hobbies. Fun stuff."

"I'm surprised you don't know already."

"I can't watch you every minute of every day, Beautiful. As nice as that'd be, I do have other things to do."

She rolled her eyes a bit and sipped her wine. "Fine. I like to take walks and read. And yourself?"

"Listening to music, reading, and playing ball with my buddies."

She took a moment to ponder her next question. Aside from the interrogation about the stalking, they'd actually been mostly sticking to the typical first date questions. And despite it pissing her off earlier, she was starting to enjoy it. Still, this was an opportunity to ask a question she'd been rather curious about. She just hoped she didn't sound too silly asking it.

"Why do you call me "Beautiful" all the time?" At his look, she quickly attempted to clarify. "I mean, why do you keep calling me that instead of my name? I know you know it, but—"

The soft smile on his face made her heart stutter. "I call you "Beautiful" because you are probably the most stunning woman I have ever had the pleasure to meet." He stood up and offered his hand. "May I have this dance?"

Maybe it was the wine, or the music, or maybe it was that fact that he was giving her a genuine smile instead of a smirk, but she found herself taking his hand. "Yes."

They made their way to the small dance floor as a classic waltz filled the air. He gently placed a large hand on her waist and took the other, slowly moving to the music. He wasn't the world's best dancer, Marie was certain, but he earned points in her book for not stepping on her toes and keeping his hands in completely innocent places. Even if she was enjoying herself, she'd deck him if he thought he could use this opportunity to cop a feel.

She took a moment to study him a bit more. They were close, but not uncomfortably so, and she found herself noticing things she'd overlooked. His eyes, which she'd thought were just grey, actually had a bit of green in them. There also seemed to be a small scar at the edge of his jaw, probably caused by a knife. His hands were warm, too, the heat seeping through her dress and into her skin, but not uncomfortably so. Most boys she'd danced with in the past had sweaty palms that made her wonder how they didn't stain everything they touched.

His lips quirked a bit more at her scrutiny. "It's still your turn, you know."

She struggled to come up with something. "Um, what's your favorite food?"

"Hamburgers. Definitely burgers and fries."

"Then why'd you bring me here?"

If she wasn't so close she probably wouldn't have noticed the faint blush that touched his neck. "Quite frankly I just wanted to impress you. The food's good and it's worth seeing you in that dress, but I'd take burgers and a movie over this any day." He gave her a small twirl before reining her back into his arms. "So now you know my terrible secret."

She smirked. "You know, Kolt, for a guy who's been borderline stalking me, you really don't know me that well either. Burgers would have been great."

He rolled his eyes. "Figures. You can spend a week studying a woman, learning her habits and watching her every move, but when you actually go up and talk to her you realize you don't know a damn thing." His suddenly turned serious. "Which leads me to my next question; do you like being a Grimm?"

Marie almost froze mid-step, but Kolt's steady hand coaxed her to keep moving. "That's not a fair question."

"All's fair in love and war." It worried her that he didn't sound like he was joking.

She bit her lip. Did she like being a Grimm? What kind of question was that? Did she like the long nights of patrol and fights that left her bruised and sore the next day? Did she like how, after a particularly nasty fight with a Hexenbiest, her professor had pulled her aside and asked if someone was abusing her? Hell no! But that wasn't the point. It was something she had to do, her and Kelly both. She had to track down the bad ones, had to keep the innocent, human and wesen alike, safe.

Marie looked Kolt dead in the eye. "It doesn't matter if I like it or not. That's like asking if you like being a Steinadler. It's what I am, and I can't change it."

"But do you enjoy hunting and killing wesen?"

"No. That's why I only do it when necessary."

He relaxed and the laughter returned to his eyes. "Good to know." He pulled her in a little closer, slowly enough that she knew she could stop him if she wanted to. Instead she let him reel her in, letting their chests just barely touch. His fingertips traced tiny circles against her spine, making her shiver slightly despite the heat of his hand. Her skin tingled with every touch. "A Grimm that kills just because someone's a wesen isn't the kind of person I'd like to treat to dinner."

Her own smile returned; she'd passed the test. She let her own fingers gently stroke his shoulder. "Well, I'm glad I'm not that sort of person, then."

It was amazing just how many different kinds of smirks one man could have, because as he leaned closer there was no way Marie could possibly describe it as anything but triumphant.

"Why Marie, are you implying that you're starting to like me?" he murmured.

When did I become so comfortable with him? she faintly wondered, but didn't bother to answer. There had more important matters at hand. Her own grin was decidedly saucy as she stood on her toes, lips almost meeting his before pulling away at the last second. "I think you've asked too many questions out of turn. Therefore, I don't have to answer."

Kolt almost looked like he was pouting. "Damn." Scratch that, he was definitely pouting.

She laughed as he followed her back to the table. Taking a sip of wine she grinned cheekily at his exaggerated glower. "Oh suck it up, Kolt. All's fair in love and war, as they say."

"Crafty minx. Knew I shouldn't have let my guard down," he grumbled, but he did seem begrudgedly amused at her tactic.

"So, back to my questions. Do you have any siblings?"

"Two brothers. I'm the middle child."

"Are they anything like you? Because if so my condolences go out to your parents."

"I'm offended! My brothers and I were perfect angels. Why, my mother was heartbroken when we left the nest."

Marie almost choked on the now-cold pasta. "Oh, that was just awful! You can't even tell me that wasn't intentional."

His grin had returned. "Hey, my grandfather always told me nothing keeps the mood light like a good bad joke."

"Nothing kills the mood like one, either."

He quirked an eyebrow up. "Oh, was there a mood?"

"I don't know, was there?"

"Well, you at least seem less intent on killing me."

"Maybe I just don't want to get blood on my nice dress."

"Now that would be a travesty. After all, it goes so well with the flower I gave you."

She unconsciously touched the little blue blossom. "How'd you know the meanings of flowers, anyway?"

The faint blush was there again. "I may have called my mom for advice."

In most cases Marie would have laughed at such a statement coming from a man like Kolt, but it was replaced by surprise. "Your mother approves of this?"

"Well, I didn't tell her I was taking out a Grimm."

She snorted. "Oh, that's going to be a fun conversation."

"Right, because Kelly was so supportive of you going out with a Steinadler," he shot back.

"Actually, she was too busy teasing me about actually going on a date to be freaked out." She looked at him curiously. "Why, did she say something to you?"

He looked nonchalant, but Marie could detect a faint trace of uneasiness. "Oh, nothing important. How's your meal?"

Marie decided not to call him out on his blatant topic switch. "It's fine; a bit cold, though."

"Mine too. You want dessert, or should we call it a night?"

"Why don't we call it a night? It's getting pretty late, and I didn't even recognize anything on the dessert menu."

He gave a wry smile. "Me neither. Next time I call in a favor, remind me to avoid the ritzy stuff."

XXX

The drive back was fairly relaxing, the two of them mostly making small-talk in between moments of comfortable silence. When they made it to the Kessler house, Kolt insisted on walking her to the door.

"Thank you for dinner, Kolt," she said when they got to the door. "It was surprisingly nice."

He smiled. "You flatter me, Beautiful. Glad it wasn't horrible. And I'd like to thank you for not stabbing me with that knife in your purse."

Her eyebrows shot up. "How did you—"

"Saw it when you were getting your mirror. Don't worry, I'm not offended or anything; hell, I'd think you were crazy for not bringing one."

She giggled. "Good to know you appreciate a well-armed woman."

"Best kind of woman out there." He leaned against the door. "So, I take it you don't hate me anymore?"

Marie sighed. "Farley Kolt, I won't lie to you; you're cocky, irritating, smug, and more sarcastic than anyone should have the right to be. You stalked me and my sister and then had the gall to trick me into going out to dinner with you." At his dejected look, she smiled and wrapped her arms around his neck. His own arms instinctively enveloped her waist. "But despite all that, I had a good time with you tonight, and against all logic my gut is telling me to trust you. So no; I can say with all honesty that I did not, and still don't, hate you."

With that, she kissed him. It was, once again, like nothing she'd ever experienced with her past boyfriends. For once she wasn't the one doing all the work while her partner just stood there, apparently too dumbfounded to respond. Kolt was anything but. She may have initiated it, but he obviously wasn't the sort to just passively stand by. Their lips and tongues tangled in a dance for dominance as he pressed her against him, enjoying the feeling of her soft curves molding against his muscles. Marie felt heat pool into her belly, and she pulled away for the sake of air. Then they were right back at it, her fingers combing through his hair as Kolt's slid up her spine, giving her the same tingles she'd felt on the dance floor.

Realizing that they needed to separate before things went too far, Marie broke the kiss and took a step back. Kolt seemed surprised for a moment, but then smiled in understanding. Marie wasn't that kind of girl, and he respected her more for it.

She took a moment to catch her breath. "I should get inside. Kelly's probably home by now, and just waiting to badger me for all the juicy details," she giggled, rolling her eyes.

He returned the smile. "Yeah, you're right. I'm glad you had a good time."

They stared at each other awkwardly for a moment, neither quite sure what to say.

Oh you know exactly what to say, so just say it already! Marie's mind exclaimed. For once, she didn't try to silence it. Instead, she asked, "How long are you in town?"

"I'm around for another week, but then I have to get back to work." At her small frown, he quickly added, "But my work brings me to New York more than you'd think! You're not gonna get rid of me that easily."

She smiled brightly. "Good. You free Tuesday night?"

He glanced at her curiously. "Probably. You got something in mind?"

"Burgers, a movie, maybe a walk through the park if it's nice out. My treat this time."

"So a Grimm is asking a Steinadler out now?"

She crossed her arms and gave him a challenging look. "You got a problem with that?"

His grin widened. "Not at all, Beautiful."

"Good. Then meet me at the library at 6 pm sharp. Wear something comfortable."

He saluted her. "Mission accepted!"

He lips morphed into a soft, sweet smile. "Goodnight, Farley."

He blinked as they both realized that was the first time she'd used his first name since she met him. He found himself mimicking her smile. He liked the way his name sounded when she said it. "Goodnight, Marie." He leaned down and gave her one last peck before heading to his car, a very subtle spring in his step.

She stepped inside and watched him get in his car before closing the door and locking it. In the living room was Kelly, sprawled out on the couch, asleep despite the ice pack balancing on her knee. Her shoes were in the middle of the floor, and her weapons and nearly-full water bottle had been carefully placed on the coffee table. Next to them were the Stargazers, tenderly placed in a simple glass vase. Marie rolled her eyes, noticing that Kelly had naturally forgotten to add water.

What am I ever going to do with you? she thought, quietly padding over and picking up the vase.

She wasn't quiet enough, however, as Kelly opened one bleary eye. "So, how did it go? Didn't do anything naughty, I hope," she giggled sleepily.

Marie smiled indulgently. "Of course not, Kelly. But I did have a good time. He's not as bad as I'd thought."

"Glad you realized that your little sister's always right."

She chuckled and shook her head, pouring the contents of the bottle into the vase. She'd give them fresh water in the morning. "Well, with that in mind, I plan to take your other piece of advice."

Kelly woke up just enough to look confused. "What advice?"

Marie gently took the Bachelor's Button out of her hair, delicately twirling it between her fingers. "Next date, I'm totally jumping his bones!"

With the sound of her sister's shout of horror, Marie dashed up the stairs, laughing the whole way.

The End

So, that's the conclusion to "Bird Watcher!" Sorry it's taken me so long to update, but I had a pretty hard time with this chapter. I didn't want the date to go too perfectly, but I also didn't want anything too disastrous to happen, lest I dig myself into a mood-killing hole that I couldn't get out of. So, I settled for banter that would keep Farley looking cool, but also show his faults, while also putting Marie on more equal footing. I was worried I was making her too passive, so I wanted to show a bit of her stronger personality that would lead her to become the badass Grimm we know she became. She just needed to feel like she had some form of control, plus she needed to trust Fraley better. But damn that was a tall freaking order! Plus, reviews for this story have been rather scarce, so I didn't even have those to motivate me. I don't blame anyone, and I definitely appreciate those who did review. But it's still a nice feeling to see comments saying you've done a good job, or helpful comments pointing out where you might do better, or even suggestions or guesses about the next chapter.

However, I do have this to say; while I am marking this as complete for now, I am considering writing an epilogue. Currently, I am considering it being about Farley proposing to Marie, but I am open to suggestions. However, you must earn this epilogue by reviewing! If I feel enough people like the story and want to see more, I'll add an epilogue. But I'm not going to bother writing it if I feel no one wants to see it. It doesn't have to be a long review. I love long, detailed reviews, but I totally appreciate someone taking the time out of their busy schedules to even write "Cool story. Epilogue, please?" Even if you don't want an epilogue, you can review and say "It's fine as it is, no need for an epilogue." Maybe I'm being egotistical in asking for reviews in exchange for one last chapter, but I just want to know that people actually like this story.

Regardless, thank you for reading, and I hope this season of Grimm is even more awesome than the last one! I love you all!