CHAPTER 1

Portland, Oregon
Year 2030

"Kids, I'm gonna tell you an incredible story. The story of how I met your Mother."

"Dad, are we being punished for something?" Baffled and worried, and uninterested about it, Kelly asked.

"No," Nick refuted.

"Dad, I thought you're going to train me," says his youngest child, Catherine, whom he'd promised to start training after she awakened her Grimm abilities a week ago. She's 13 years old.

"See this as something for starters. After all, we Grimms are storytellers."

Both of his kids sighed in defeat and adjusted their selves on the couch. "Fine."

"Okay, here it goes. It started twenty two years ago, before I was a Grimm and way before I was Dad, I had this whole different life…"

It was way back in 2008. Near the end of the year. I was 26 and was just in the first year of my career as a Portland Detective. My closest friends was, my partner, your Uncle Hank and your Uncle Wu who was still a Sergeant back then.

My life was good.

Until your Uncle Hank did something to complicate it.

"Elise said Yes!" Hank excitedly announced to the entirety of our department.

Kids, you know a bit of your Uncle Hank's relationship record, right? Been married 7 times before finally finding 'The One'.

Well, back then and over the course from meeting to marrying your Mother, your Uncle Hank had only been married and divorced for four times. However, there had been a time when he almost got married for the 5th time during a period prior to that.

That time is this.

"Congratulations!" I said, wholeheartedly happy for him.

However, your Uncle Wu had just arrived too, a couple of minutes ahead of Hank, holding a piece of paper with an address on it. It was a case of a Hit and Run.

"But we have a case," I said to Hank next, splashing cold water to heat. "You coming with us?"

"No," was his reply. "I actually came here to ask the Captain for a three days off. Elise and I wants to celebrate."

"Alright," I said and turned to Wu. "Looks like you're coming with me."

"Aye aye Detective," he said, rolling his eyes.

. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . .

"My God, Hank is engaged," I said as Wu and I drove to the crime scene.

"Seems like it's bothering you," Wu noticed.

"Wait what? No it doesn't."

"Dude, you've been mumbling about Hank's engagement since we left the precinct. Either it's bothering or the evidences are lying and I doubt that it's the latter."

"Alright alright, yeah," I held my hands up and admitted. "It kinds of bothering me. I mean, Hank might have 4 failed marriages already but he's determined to find his 'the One'. He's into the game and more or less, he's halfway there."

Meanwhile, here I am. In my best years. I'm a fine young man but is single. Something is wrong with how I'm living my life, I concluded at that moment.

Also, a certain fear is lingering in me. Imagining the future where my closest friends, not just Hank but even Wu, are both married, had kids while I developed into that weird, middle-aged bachelor their kids call 'Uncle Nick'.

Such things about the distant future never bothered me before but I guess, seeing one of your friends getting engaged, makes you start thinking about it.

"Are you thinking of getting married too?" Wu asked.

I momentarily contemplate. "Well, maybe eventually. Some fall day. Simple ceremony. We'll write our own vows. Goddamn it! Why am I thinking about it all of the sudden?" The patrol car stopped that same time that I those thoughts sank in. "This is crazy! I'm not even ready to settle down."

"Are you really?" Wu glanced judgingly at me before we got out of the car.

"Well, even if I'm ready, which I'm not, but if I was, it's like, 'Okay, I'm ready. Here I am. Where is she?'"

I concluded, finishing my piece as I go full on Detective to face the case at hand. But then, looking forward, I froze.

Because there she was.

Kids, it was like something from an old movie where the sailor sees the girl across the crowded dance floor, turns to his buddy and says, 'See that girl? I'm gonna marry her someday.'

"Hey Wu, see that girl?"

Wu followed my gaze and replied, "Oh yeah, that's probably our witness."

. . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . .

And, that was the start of it.

The next night, I took her out in a bistro downtown and…it didn't end well.

I'd been single for a long time and even back when I was still in the dating circle, I only had two prior relationships which both ended in a bad note.

And desperate to impress her, the entire date had gone horrendously awkward and I went to work the following day downhearted.

Wu tried to cheer me up, saying that maybe it was just destiny and this one wasn't just meant to be.

But as it turns out, it was meant to be.

Kids, that's the funny thing about destiny. If it's meant to be then it will happen whether we want it or not. I thought I will never see that girl again given how that night concluded but I did and it had become the beginning of the big picture that is unfolding.

Somewhere along the road, we met again and this time, I was able to do things right. We bond, we date, we fell in love and then, we started to face the future together.

Then after two years of being together, with a ring in my hand, I went to my knees and proposed to her, hoping that she will say yes and we can have our happily ever after...

Portland, Oregon
Year 2030

"...and that kids, is the true story of how I met…"

With the belief that it was over, both Kelly and Catherine looked at Nick with joyful, expectant faces. However, it immediately turned into a shock of disappointment when Nick spoke the final three words.

"…your Aunt Eve."

Their jaws dropped.

"Aunt Eve?" Complained Kelly.

"I thought this is the story of how you met Mom?" Complained next by Catherine.

"Will you relax," Nick told them. "We're getting there."

The two groaned and slumped their backs defeatedly again to the couch.

"Like I said, this is going to take a while."