Rosalee was parking her car behind Monroe's just as another car backed out of his driveway. She exited her car and started walking toward the house when she saw Monroe on the front law, struggling to get up.

My god…what the hell just happened? she wondered.

Before getting any closer, Rosalee pulled her phone out of her pocket and speed-dialed Nick.

"Hey…Yeah, I'm fine. Listen, I'm over at Monroe's, and something's wrong. You need to get here pronto." She lowered her voice. "Monroe's been hurt."

Rosalee ended the call and ran over to Monroe, who still had not made it off the ground. She knelt beside him and placed her hands gently on his shoulders to keep him from moving. Monroe ended up laying on his belly, with his head resting on Rosalee's lap.

She began running her fingers through his hair but stopped when she noticed that his shirt had come up slightly in the back, revealing several dark bruises.

The Fuchsbau gasped at the sight. "Monroe, what happened?"

Monroe struggled to respond. "I don't know…Juliette came over…we were attacked."

"Juliette came without Nick?"

"We had a fight…My parents are here, and…Nick got mad…he left."

Rosalee didn't understand. Nick never got mad. She asked what had made him angry.

"He's a better friend than I am. He's a hell of a lot better at explaining why we're friends."

That has to be the pain talking, Rosalee thought.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a branch laying on the ground and remembered Monroe's bruises. "Did you see who attacked you?"

xXxXx

Monroe struggled to recall the details. "No…the scent was really strange…like some weird combination of scents…One was really overpowering, almost masking the other one."

Suddenly Monroe was hit by the realization that he'd subconsciously recognized the stronger scent. "Nick…it was Nick I smelled."

Rosalee scoffed. "Monroe, come one. It can't be."

"You don't understand. I know what Nick smells like. I know his scent like the back of my hand. I could recognize it anywhere."

"But why would Nick come after you? He's your friend."

"That's what I can't figure out…I don't know."

xXxXx

Nick nearly sped over to Monroe's, concerned for his friend. Any doubts he'd had regarding their friendship were gone; all he cared about was making sure the Blutbad was okay.

He didn't have any of the details, but one thing the Grimm knew for certain was that whoever or whatever had hurt Monroe…they were going to get it.

Nick pulled up behind Rosalee's car, and saw his friends in the yard. As he exited his jeep, he saw out of the corner of his eye a bystander watching from across the street.

xXxXx

Jack had changed shirts in the woods, certain that his deception had done the trick. He remained by his car, trying to decide the best way to reenter the house without being seen, when he saw the Grimm pull up, exit his vehicle, and start walking in his direction.

The Blutbad tried to run, but the Grimm was clearly well-trained. Before Jack was able to get very far, Nick had tackled him to the ground.

xXxXx

"I know you had something to do with this!" Nick cried.

"With what?" the Blutbad spat.

Nick pointed across the street. "Your son's laying in his yard - hurt - and you were just standing there like you were waiting for a bus. Do you really expect me to believe you don't know what happened to him? I don't think so. Now let's go."

Taking hold of one of Jack's arms, Nick pulled Monroe's father to his feet and dragged him across the street.

xXxXx

"You said there were two scents," Rosalee said. "What was Nick's smell masking?"

Monroe closed his eyes to focus more on the secondary scent. Nick's had been so overbearing that Monroe was having trouble trying to distinguish it from the other. As he tried to recreate the scent in his mind, it seemed to be familiar to him, but Monroe just couldn't figure out what it was.

He slowly propped himself up on his elbows, and as he took a deep breath, he caught a whiff of Nick's scent. Monroe looked in the Grimm's direction and saw Nick hauling his father across the street. It was then that Monroe realized what the secondary scent had been.

The Blutbad once again struggled to stand, and with Rosalee's help, this time he made it to his feet.

xXxXx

Maude had watched through the window as Jack attacked their son, but for whatever reason, she'd been wary of going out to the front lawn to make sure he was all right. But when she saw that the Grimm had returned and was now pulling Jack into the yard by the arm, Maude exited the house to join the small crowd of people outside.

xXxXx

"No, no, no, no!" Monroe cried. "Dad, you did this to me! What the hell were you thinking, using our weak spot against me?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jack responded. "Only a Grimm would do that."

Monroe shook his head negatively. "Not the Grimm I know. I don't know how you did it, but somehow you managed to use Nick's scent to throw me off…how dare you!"

"Why the hell are you defending a Grimm?"

Monroe briefly hesitated before answering his father's question. "I'm not defending a Grimm. I'm defending Nick, my friend. And I'll tell you why: He's stuck his neck out for me more than once, and the least I can do is keep him out of hot water, where you're concerned. He's not going to turn on me…he's not going to come after me…and I'm not afraid of him. And just so we're clear, Dad, you're not allowed to touch him. He's part of my territory, and I will protect him. Anywhere Nick is, he's off limits to you."

"Eddie, you're not serious," Monroe heard his mother say from behind him.

xXxXx

One look at his son told Jack that Monroe was indeed serious, and that angered him.

Instead of letting Monroe answer, the older Blutbad told his wife, "I don't think he'll be changing his mind about this, Maude. We're going home, son; don't expect us to come back here."

With, Jack shook his arm free of Nick's grip and walked across the street to the car.

xXxXx

Maude slowly followed her husband to their car, then returned a few moments later, carrying Nick's shirt. She handed it to him.

"This belongs to you. Jack used it to mask his scent. Eddie, maybe it would be better if you didn't come home for Thanksgiving."

She watched as his head drooped, then bobbed up and down in agreement.

"Mom, please tell me you understand,"

"I can't do that, Eddie, because I don't. You've made your choice, and it's not one your father and I can abide by." She kissed her son on the cheek. "I love you, son."

xXxXx

Monroe cleared his throat. "Yeah…I love you too, Mom."

He watched her walk across the street and leave with his father. When he could no longer see their car, Monroe turned toward his house.

"I need an ice pack for my back. I'm going inside."

With that, the Blutbad slowly walked away from his friends.

xXxXx

Nick and Rosalee watched Monroe head inside, then looked at each other.

"I don't think he should be alone right now," Rosalee said. "I don't know about you, but I'm staying here."

Nick smiled sadly. "You know I'm coming with you. I'm not leaving him alone right now."

They quietly entered the house and found Monroe laying facedown on the couch, with an ice pack covering his lower back.

Rosalee sat on the floor in front of the couch. "Monroe, I'm sorry about what happened out there. Is there anything we can do?"

"No, there's nothing anybody can do. Like Mom said, I made my choice. It can't be undone now."

Nick knelt on the floor beside Rosalee and gently placed his hand on Monroe's shoulder. "Hey…I'm sorry I walked out on you."

The Blutbad turned his head to look at Nick. "I'm sorry I let you down." He paused. "You were right. About the figurines, I mean. Protecting each other…that's a freaking good idea, dude. You know I've always had your back, right?"

Nick nodded. "Me too; I never stopped. Still friends?"

Monroe smiled. "Definitely…the best."

And there sat a Grimm, a Fuchsbau, and a Blutbad, natural enemies but still finding friendship in each other, not realizing that someone else still needed convincing that no one would get hurt.

xXxXx

Juliette sat on the couch in her own living room, surrounded by photo albums but not looking through any of them. Instead, she was replaying the last conversation she'd had with Nick…after being scratched by Adalind's cat.

She remembered standing with Nick in his aunt's trailer, where he'd tried to explain what a Grimm was. After what she'd seen tonight at Monroe's, Juliette was pretty sure she understood.

Nick, you're a monster hunter. And Monroe is one of those things you tried to tell me about.