Chapter Two: Enter the Grimm

It had been two days since Lexa's encounter with Monroe, and as much as she tried to hide it, she wanted desperately to see him again. She tried to tell herself it was because she had questions: How had he known? When did he realize? Why didn't he care? But in reality, she just wanted a friend.
She and Romulus had started to settle into their new home. The movers had come the day after she met Monroe, and they brought all the boxes in no problem. Lexa had spent that afternoon and most of the morning arranging furniture and unpacking boxes, but she was bored and Rom wasn't exactly having the greatest time ever either. That was when an idea struck her.
"Hey, Rom, do you want to go for a walk?" Lexa asked, standing up from where she had been sitting on the ground, sorting through the nearest box. The husky's ears perked up, and his tail began to wag furiously, creating a rhythm on the old wood floor.
"Good boy," she said, before inwardly adding, Now I have an excuse to wander over to Monroe's house. Realizing how creepy that sounded, Lexa shook her head and went to find Rom's leash. Once finding it, she found herself wandering towards the bathroom. Seeing her reflection in the mirror there, she stopped to assess herself. Hesitating only a moment, she flipped her short brown hair before straightening it only slightly to give it a classically messy look Blutbaden were famous for. Then she stopped.
What the heck am I doing? she asked herself, shaking her head before picking up the leash off the counter where she had dismissed it moments ago and going to find Rom.

She knew that Monroe's house was close before she even got to the corner. The stench of marked territory was everywhere, and it took all of Lexa's strength for her to convince Romulus to keep walking.
I can't blame you, Rom, she thought the closer they got to the house. The smell was literally everywhere. However, in a way, that was the point; it would warn off any unwanted visitors.

She hadn't bothered to put on any wolfsbane this time, so she knew Monroe would smell her coming. In a way it was kinda a test; Did he want to see her again, too?

Lexa lead Rom right up to where Monroe's property line was, slowing a bit to take in the house. It wasn't as old as her's was, but it had a cozy, cottage look to it that she enjoyed. The door was what truly caught her eye though; the stained glass at the top had been designed and crafted to have a wolf in the center. It was beautiful.
She thought she could hear the sound of a cello coming from inside the house, but she couldn't be sure because it stopped abruptly a few moments after she took notice. Within the minute the front door opened, and a rumpled Monroe stepped out onto his own porch.
He clearly hadn't expected visitors today. His hair was a tousled mess and he had barely bothered to get dressed, only wearing jeans and a t-shirt.
He smiled when he saw her, and bashfully blushed, running his fingers through his hair in an attempt to tame the mess it currently was. Lexa had full out stopped at the end of the driveway, and waved to him with one hand, the other holding on to Rom's leash with a death grip as the dog fought to go greet his new friend.
Monroe walked over and kneeled down briefly to pet Romulus before straightening himself and looking at Lexa.
"Hello Lexa, nice to see you." Even just the sound of his voice made Lexa smile, but inwardly she scolded herself.
You're acting like a child, she thought, before realizing she was probably being impolite by not returning the greeting.
"It's nice to see you, too, Monroe. I was just taking Rom for a walk when I..." She didn't quite want to say smell him, because that didn't seem like quite the right thing to say. Thankfully, however, Monroe spared her.
"It's not a hard house to find," he said with a grin, before shyly adding, "Would you like to come inside?" Lexa nodded, but then remembered the dog she was clutching on to.
"What should I do with Rom?" she asked, not sure the other Blutbad wanted the dog in his house. Monroe simply shrugged before saying, "Can you tie him to the porch?"
Lexa didn't exactly like the idea, but she wanted to see Monroe's house and her options were looking rather bleak. She, Monroe, and Romulus walked to the porch where Lexa tied the dog to one of the rails on the stairs, muttering things like "Be a good boy," before the two Wesen entered the house.
Lexa didn't know what she had been expecting, but it wasn't this. Monroe had clocks everywhere: grandfather clocks, ku-ku clocks, watches, etc. And they covered almost every surface in the living room and small desk area. The living room was cluttered, but not in a way that would make one feel uncomfortable. In a way, it reflected the cozy feeling the exterior of the house had. The house seemed small, but Lexa knew it was probably the size of her own. Monroe's was just more lived in.

Monroe lead her into the kitchen, a fairly clock-less room considering and offered her a cup of tea. She accepted it gratefully, though she did ask that he add plenty of sugar, he laughed and nodded. Lexa looked around and saw items that wouldn't be in a normal kitchen: Wesen family heirlooms and artwork for example. But what excited her most was the cello (she had indeed heard playing) that was leaning against the wall in the dining room, across from a chair that had clearly pulled out from the dining set. She turned back to look at Monroe.

"I'm sorry I interrupted your playing," she said.

"Hmm?" Monroe asked, not quite understanding until he turned from her tea cup to look at her. Lexa indicated the cello and Monroe finally grasped what she had said.

"Oh, no, it's fine really. I was just playing for leisure." Lexa nodded, but then, suddenly curious she looked, and bashfully asked, "Would you play for me? You don't have to-"

"Yeah, sure," Monroe said, cutting her off. He blushed at the sudden outburst, but then proceeded over to them table, pulling out a chair for her before sitting in his own. He grabbed the cello from its position of the wall, and then picked his bow up off the table. His hand shook slightly, and he tried to adjust his grasp. He had just put bow to string when his phone started to ring on the kitchen counter.

Lexa jumped slightly, not expecting the noise, but that wasn't the only thing bothering her. Something felt off.

Monroe had already stood, leaning his cello against the wall, and walked over to his phone, but he lifted his nose a little first, before muttering, "Oh God, not now."

"What Nick?" Monroe said, but just then, Lexa realized what had felt off. She could smell a stranger outside the door and hear Romulus growling on the porch. She made her way to the front door just after hearing Monroe say, "You're outside?"

Lexa opened the door to see a man outside, and Rom did not look pleased with him. He was growling like crazy, the hair on his back raised, and his tail tucked under him. Lexa grabbed him.

"Romulus, what in the world do you think you're doing?" Lexa scolded before turning to the stranger. "I'm so sorry, I've never seen him act this way-" That's when Lexa noticed. This was no ordinary man.

"Grimm. You're a grimm," Lexa felt herself woge momentarily as she fled into the house, calling out for Monroe. He was right in the entryway of the kitchen, and before he could say anything, Lexa started pulling him towards the back door.

"Come on, Monroe, we have to go, there's a grimm, and he's-"

"Lexa," Monroe said, completely calm. She hadn't been able to move him from his spot, and as much as she was starting to like him, Monroe was making Lexa slightly exasperated. She turned to the door and saw that the grimm was still trying to get past the porch steps where Romulus sat watching him like he was fresh kill.

"Monroe, a little help here?" the grimm called. That's when Lexa realized.

"You know him? You're friends with a grimm!?" Monroe looked down, and then back at Lexa.

"I know, it's still a little weird for me, too. But I promise, he's nothing like what you've heard. Nick's a good guy; a friend. And I'll explain everything if you could please call off Rom."

Lexa was beginning to realize there was a lot more going on in Portland than she understood. Never once in her life had she ever heard of Wesen and Grimm being friends, much less a Blutbad and Grimm being friends. Still, she sighed and dejectedly called off Romulus, holding onto him while the grimm, Nick, made his way into the house.

Once he was in and Romulus had calmed down, Lexa returned inside. Nick and Monroe stood in the kitchen talking, but they grew silent when she walked in. Nick started to apologize, but Lexa cut him off.

"I want to hear it all. From the beginning."

AN: Thank you so much to everyone who read or review the first chapter. I've very excited about season two of Grimm being on, and this chapter being posted. I hope you'll forgive me for the wait; school's picking up again and spare time will begin to dwindle as the year goes on. But I do intend to stick with the fic till its end, and I promise to post as regularly as possible. Thanks :)