Disclaimer: This isn't mine, some of the featured wesen are my own creation, though.

Chapter 1: Into the woods

Nick takes up the case folder and makes his way over to Renard's office. The door is open so Nick knocks twice on the frame before entering. His Captain – sitting behind his desk in his usual attire of slacks, dress shirt, tie and suit jacket – glances up from whatever report he has been reading.

"Nick." He puts his current reading material off to the side.

"Captain."

The younger man takes a step closer, throws a significant side glance to the open door and closes it after receiving Renard's silent okay.

"Any new leads on your case, Detective?"

"Jup. I was finally able to trace where the victim, Elysa Stephens, was killed. It took me a while but now I have matched the pictures from her camera to an actual location. It's far out in Forest Park, way behind Germantown Road, actually."

"Good. Your main suspect was someone named Veering, right? Anything new on him?"

Nick nods before launching into his report.

"Arthur Veering and Elysa Stephens have met before. Veering was a guide on a tour Stephens took a few months ago yet he said that neither did he know the vic nor did he ever lead any tours to that part of the forest. That cannot be true, though."

By now Nick is leaning against the office wall, his posture relaxed, that folder forgotten in his hand as he knows all the facts by heart, anyway. It is something that Sean values greatly about his Grimm Detective. Nick has an eye for details, a good memory and a well developed sense of empathy to aid him in solving crimes.

No matter how difficult a turn their working relationship has taken after the whole Juliette/ key incident Nick is still one of his best Detectives and Sean isn't going to forget or disparage that. On the contrary, being the patient, level headed man he is, he will wait calmly until Nick is able to somewhat trust him again.

He has meant, what he had said before, together they could write history.

Without showing any of his inner thoughts the Captain refocuses his attention back on Nick when he continues:

"According to the travel agency, Veering has stepped in as a last minute substitute as tour guide. He isn't on any of the official records because those were already finished when he volunteered to do the tour but one of the agency clerks remembered it."

"And is there any other link between him and the vic?"

"I have a feeling that there is but as of now I cannot yet lay my finger on what it may be. I have found out something else about Veering, though. He is a wesen called Hexenbann."

Nick observes his Captain closely, waiting for a reaction to this piece of information. Apart from the smallest widening of his eyes he cannot detect any sign that this means anything to him, there's just contemplative silence in face of his announcement. He leans back in his chair now as if to distance himself from everything that's been said so that he may glean more insight into it all.

Long fingers slowly trace his lips before he obviously comes to some conclusion of his own. Renard rises, walks around his desk and fixes Nick with an intense gaze while leaning back against the desk top.

"You said the vic's name was Elysa Stephens?"

Green eyes narrow in thought for a moment.

"That name does ring a memory. I'm not ultimately sure but the woman might have been a Hexenbiest. I will talk to some of my contacts to see if I am right."

"It would make sense; a bit much of a coincidence, a Hexenbiest and a Hexenbann without any link at all? Could definitely be a lead."

Nick replies thoughtfully, already going through all options this new revelation might have brought up.

"I couldn't find out much about what a Hexenbann does or what makes it dangerous. I only found some foot note written below a picture I recognized saying that there's a long standing enmity between them and Hexenbiests."

Again Nick waits for Renard to come forth with some information of his own but the Royal remains frustratingly silent, playing it close to his chest as he often does.

Damn the man!

The Grimm knows, though, that as long as Renard wants to keep his knowledge to himself – and only God knows why he does this time – he won't get anything out of him.

"Surveillance told me that Veering drove off from home early in the morning today. Sadly they've lost him sometime after NW Cornell Road enters Washington Park but I think I know where he's heeded. Looks like he's taking one of the many track roads that go up North. He knows the area too well for Surveillance to find him but I put 'em up to watch any roads leaving Forest and Washington Park. I want to have a look at the place where our vic was killed sometime today, see if I my hunch is correct."

Renard gives his okay with a slight incline of his head. Nick has to admit, if only to himself, it makes him look decidedly regal – and not in a weird or laughable way either. Damn the man for being able to pull that off.

"With Hank on holiday, who do you want to take with you?"

This catches Nick off guard. He hasn't even thought about it, simply assuming he would go alone.

"Well, seeing, as you said, that Hank isn't here and I cannot take Wu because this will be something wesen related almost certainly... oh and Monroe's gone off to some clock maker's convention, returning only around 9pm tonight..." He trails off, having run out of options of who to ask.

Renard frowns.

"I don't think you should go alone. Considering that you do not know what you are up against and how far out the place is this strikes me as too risky... even for a Grimm."

Sean pins him with a stern stare, daring him to argue. Tense silence hangs between them.

"Maybe... maybe I should help you with this one... If you are okay with it?"

Renard regards him with a raised eyebrow, waiting patiently for his answer. Nick hesitates. He knows that his boss doesn't have to ask for his permission per se and in some way he appreciates the effort. For a moment longer he remains silent, contemplating what to do.

"Sure, why not."

Nick gives a wry smile which Sean mirrors with the smallest quirk of lips. He is by no means stupid. Of course, he recognizes the Grimm's answer for the olive branch that it is.

They agree to meet late in the afternoon. Nick will pick up Renard at home so that the Captain can change into clothes more practical for on outdoor trip and Nick can take another look at his books before they drive out.

GRIMM GRIMM GRIMM

The first half an hour of the drive passes in silence. Nick hasn't said anything antagonistic but Sean has cultivated a keen sense for undercurrents of smallest emotions early on in his life and just now this sense is warning him that something has happened. He waits. Sometimes you just have to wait someone out. He is a master in this art and not about to be disappointed.

"You could have told me, you know?"

"Told you what exactly?"

"Don't act ignorant. I mean the tiny unimportant fact, that poison of a Hexenbann is practically deadly on sight to Hexen- and Zauberbiests! And don't tell me, you did not know about Hexenbanns already. They are practically your arch enemies!"

"Don't presume to know my enemies, Detective. Their poison isn't harmful to you, so I haven't put you in danger by not informing you. The rest is a purely personal matter." Nick glances at his boss in profound irritation. He doesn't even deny it! And he looks as aloof as always, expression once again inscrutable.

"You are, sir, for all intents and purposes, my partner right now, so it might have been nice to know that this can kill you!"

"A gun shot to the head can kill me, too, nonetheless that is a normal aspect of police work." Renard deadpans with a glare. Nick nearly growls in frustration. At least there's some emotion now.

"Did you think that revealing something like this to your local Grimm would be to your disadvantage? Well, surprise, I found out, anyway! What are you going to do now? Chug a zaubertrank down my throat to take the knowledge away?!"

The Captain looks at him as if he has lost his marbles.

"You are exaggerating now. Not telling you was not part of some scheme I cooked up, it was..." He trails off, obviously frustrated.

"A matter of pride?" Nick supplies succinctly. Renard narrows his eyes nearly imperceptibly before any and all emotion vanishes from his face. Well, there's definitely been some anger there.

At first Nick is surprised that for once Renard has given away his thoughts but then finds, it is not Renard suddenly more open but Nick better able to read the man. The revelation comes as a bit of a shock. After all, rumours have it that even the most screwed of politicians despair in face of Captain Renard's dispassionate facade.

He seems to know his boss much better than he thought.

It still stings a bit to have been left in the dark for no other reason than a Royal's pride but to be honest, he would have been kind of disappointed if the man, whose name literally meant fox, would have been completely open to him.

Nick sighs. Time to swallow his own pride (and prejudice, haha, pun intended) and make this work.

"Look. It's not a matter of thinking you weak now that I know what a Hexenbann can do to you or other such bullshit. It is, simply put, a matter of liability."

Renard shows emotion now! A black glare burns into him as if he has mortally insulted the man.

"Oh come on, don't you go there now! It's not a liability that you cannot woge – hell, a few weeks ago I didn't even know you could do that and still I thought someone would have to be dead stupid to cross you – I don't need you to do that! What I need from you however, Captain, is the full picture so I know I can rely on you no matter what we face!"

Nick pauses.

"Do I make any sense?"

Renard finds himself reluctantly amused despite this more than uncomfortable topic of conversation. For all their differences, Nick is still Nick – one moment hot headed and hardened by his experiences, then unsure of himself and so innocent that it's bordering on adorable.

"As unexpected as it may be, you do make sense... in a convoluted kind of way." Renard's superior smirk makes Nick's eyebrow twitch but he swallows his own pride – again.

"Well, let's come clean then. What information were you able to glean from those books of yours?"

Nick is a bit exasperated that they are back to Captain and Detective as if nothing has happened but some habits die hard and so he rattles off his findings:

"The wesen group called Hexenbanns have sworn to kill Hexen- and Zauberbiests on principle. Thankfully they are quite rare – and Hexenbiests are rather hard to kill – or we would have a whole lot more dead... citizens in Portland."

For benefit of their continued work relationship Nick omits the part about not minding a few more dead Hexenbiests and Renard pretends not to have seen the Grimm's glare, which speaks of personal experience, when he's talked about Hexenbiests avoiding death rather skilfully.

Normally Renard doesn't have such inhibitions but as he knows that Nick resorts to killing wesen only as a last resort, he lets it slide. No matter how much Nick despises his female counterparts, he would never kill one just because she is a Hexenbiest. Although hard to admit sometimes, Sean knows Nick is a better man than that.

"Their poison is only deadly to Hexen- and Zauberbiests when they are in woge, thus, as long as you do not woge it cannot kill you... with its poison at least. Anything I forgot? I couldn't find anything about how they recognize those they want to kill, or if it is pure chance with which they come across their victims."

"They do possess the ability both to recognize us on sight and to make us woge against our will... although my control is better than most so that remains to be seen."

A glint of steel in Renard's watchful gaze accompanies the statement.

Nick is worried nonetheless, though the fact that he is at all, surprises him. Of course there's always a certain degree of comradely concern for your colleagues but this is stronger, the feeling more alike to fierce protectiveness. Nick clams down on that emotion immediately. He needs to keep a cool head, needs to be professional about this.

GRIMM GRIMM GRIMM

They move silently through the dark forest. Despite usually not working as partners they function well together, communicating through small gestures, no more than shadowy phantoms in the night. They've left the car about a mile from here, slowly approaching their final destination as shown on Nick's cell phone.

Renard's arm shoots out to the side, hand flat, fingers splayed wide. Nick reacts instinctively, stops at his Captain's silent command. There's a camp site of some kind not far ahead.

In the middle of it, kneeling on the ground is Arthur Veering, his silhouette distinctive even in the dead of night. He seems to be searching for something, if his frantic movements are any indication. The fact that he is here, in the exact location where Elysa Stephens has been supposedly killed, is a heavy indicator of his guilt.

Nick brings up his service gun and, looking to Renard for confirmation, moves forward to get a good vantage point while his boss does the same. They move away from each other so that they close in on their suspect at a slight angle.

Sean issues a standard police warning, voice carrying clearly, ordering Veering to stop what he's doing, move his hands up to his head and turn around.

The man turns around slowly raising his gaze up from the ground. The moment his eyes meet Renard's it is as if two powerful, aggressive auras clash. Recognition lights the Hexenbann's slitted eyes with an unholy glow.

Involuntarily Nick takes a step back as the pure intensity of their natural enmity hits him like a physical force. Veering hisses, not moving yet in face of their guns, but murderous intent building in those glowing blue eyes.

TBC

GRIMM GRIMM GRIMM

So far so good. Our favourite duo will have their hands full in the coming chapters...