The Friends You Make Here… by BymagaJones 13/13 - Epilogue
Chapter 12
EPILOGUE
EIGHT YEARS LATER
“Sorry I’m late,” Nick said, wrapping his arms around Monroe and nuzzling his neck.
Monroe turned his head and pulled Nick in a deep kiss.
Finally, stepping back, Nick grinned at his partner. “What was that?”
“What?” Monroe smiled as he turned back to his green pepper.
“That wasn’t your normal hello kiss.”
“Is that a complaint?”
“Absolutely not,” Nick said. “In fact, you can do that anytime you want.” He stole a slice of pepper, dodging Monroe’s block. “I’m going to shower and change, and I’ll be back to help you.”
“You’re not allowed to help for your own party!” Monroe called as Nick walked up the stairs.
Nick shucked his clothes and kicked them over toward the door, turning on the water and stepping in the shower. The hot water felt wonderful as it massaged the chill from his skin. He loved Portland, but he was still getting used to all the rainfall again. He soaped up, careful around the healing bruises around his left side. The ribs were still a little sore, but they were much better than they’d been a few days ago after he, Hank, and Monroe had taken on a particularly cantankerous Dämonfeuer.
It had been a busy week. Quite a few of his friends had made the ceremony promoting Nick to detective on Monday morning - Juliette was held up with an emergency surgery on a dog who’d been hit by car, and Rosalee had taken her students on a trip to the museum. Wu was scheduled to work, but he’d managed a drive by on his way to a crime scene, flashing his lights as he drove past the small crowd standing outside of City Hall. Tuesday had been his first full day as a detective, filled with paperwork and getting familiar with his new position. He already knew all of the other detectives, but it was different now that he was no longer a uniformed officer. They’d made it clear that as the junior detective, he needed to be prepared for the grunt work, so that hadn’t been a surprise either. He liked Detective Halloran and knew the older man would train him well. Besides, he also had Hank, who was too new of a detective himself to be able to partner up with Nick, but at least they were working together in the same precinct.
He’d gotten a call on Wednesday afternoon about some suspicious fires around town that had Wesen written all over them, and he and Hank had met Monroe at the trailer to gear up after work. They’d ended up subduing the Dämonfeuer with only a few minor injuries - Nick’s bruised ribs, Hank’s black eye, Monroe’s bruised shoulder. Thursday Nick got his first case as a detective, but thankfully he and Halloran had managed to put it to bed after an exhausting day that didn’t end until three in the morning. He’d dragged himself back in to work after four hours sleep so he could dot the i’s and cross the t’s and finish before the celebration Monroe had set up in his honor for Friday night.
He toweled himself off, scooping up his clothes and walked into the bedroom, smiling at the freshly pressed jeans and button down shirt Monroe had lain across their bed. Monroe knew him well, he thought, looking down at the jeans and shirt he’d planned on putting back on. He tossed them toward the hamper in the corner and started getting ready.
G R I M M G R I M M G R I M M G R I M M G R I M M
Monroe finished putting the final touches on dessert and looked around at the food covering the table Nick had surprised him with the past Christmas. Nick and Hap had kept the pieces of the table his parents had had made for him all of those years ago until Nick had been able to afford to have it repaired by someone who knew what she was doing. Nick had called Monroe’s parents - he’d had to go to extreme lengths to get the number, since Monroe had promised them that he wouldn’t give Nick any way to find them - and had somehow brokered a stalemate, so they’d been at the house when Nick had given Monroe the table. It had been the best Christmas ever.
Bringing his mind back to the present, he checked to make sure that he had all of Nick’s favorite foods represented. He tensed for a moment, then relaxed when he recognized Hap’s scent.
“Hey!” Hap yelled as he walked through the door. He stuck his head into the kitchen. “Am I the first one here?”
“Yep,” Monroe said. He grabbed a small pile of plates and held them out. “Take these out to the living room.”
“I’m a guest now; aren’t you supposed to be serving me?” Hap complained as he took the plates.
“Guests knock,” Monroe said, putting some forks on top of the plates. “Besides, you’ve only been gone a week. This time.”
“It’s not my fault Danica kicked me out,” Hap said petulantly.
Monroe remained silent but pulled a beer out of the refrigerator, waving it at Hap. “Put those on the table in the living room, and come back for this.”
Hap’s eyes lit up, and he disappeared.
Monroe felt a little bad for Hap, but his friend tended to bring it on himself. Since he’d broken up with Lenore a few months after the two of them had graduated, Hap had been choosing the same kinds of women, ones who wanted someone to make them a home so they could take it away. Hap still hadn’t clued into that yet. Nick and Rosalee were all for sitting him down for tough love; Hank wanted to let Wu take care of it. Monroe wasn’t sure. He’d known Hap the longest, but he also knew that underneath all of his goofiness, Hap wanted someone who loved him and whose idea of a good evening out involved beers at the local bar. Just because Monroe had lucked out with finding Nick in college didn’t mean he was an expert on relationships.
Rosalee arrived a few minutes later, taking a glass of juice over ice, blaming the baby she was carrying. She came over so much that she was more family than guest as well, so Monroe didn’t feel like he was neglecting his duty as a host by not moving them out into the living room. Besides, the freshly squeezed organic orange juice he always kept in stock for her was easier to refill while they were still so close to the refrigerator.
Nick joined them during Hap’s second beer, looking especially good in the clothes Monroe had lain out for him. Normally, Monroe left Nick to clothe himself, but he knew that Nick would’ve just put back on what he’d been wearing earlier. As the man of the hour, he needed to look a little better. So Monroe helped.
“Looking sharp, Detective,” Rosalee said.
Nick gave Monroe a sidelong glance, and Monroe returned it with an I-knew-you’d-look-good-in-that look of his own as he handed Nick a beer.
“Thanks,” Nick said. “Monroe picked it out.”
Rosalee laughed. “Of course he did.”
The doorbell rang, announcing the first of the guests arrive. Juliette and her fiancé Renard made a brief appearance before they had to leave for some business event of Renard’s - no one still knew what he did for a living, but no one was going to ask him about it either, not even Wu. Wu came in after his shift, complaining that a uniform cop’s job was never done. Hank arrived right after him, using the same complaint for a detective’s job. Hank gave Rosalee a kiss, accepting the beer she held for him.
Monroe liked to see Hank and Rosalee together, their easy affection making him happy. After a breakup that’d lasted about six months, they’d realized they were happier together rather than apart. And then Hank had learned about Wesen during a particularly bloody and emotionally stressful case when he and Nick were still in uniform. He’d refused to let Rosalee go after he learned about her, saying that she looked soft and fuzzy when she woged. They’d been married a little over a year, and Rosalee confessed to Monroe and Nick that Hank had nicknamed the unborn child Super Baby after Baby Natasha on “Sesame Street”. Monroe had found it mildly insulting on Rosalee’s behalf, especially after he’d seen a picture of the character, but she’d seemed to find it endearing, explaining that it came from a place of love.
Nick had hip checked him, wordlessly reminding him of how Nick loved teasing Monroe with big bad wolf jokes. Monroe tended to glare at Nick those times, but it really didn’t bother him. He just rolled his eyes and remained silent.
As the hour grew later, a quite a few police officers arrived, some with their spouses and significant others, as well as a couple of friends from college who lived in the area and a few of the neighbors.
Monroe had planned for a large group of people - especially Wu and Hap - and spent quite a bit of the evening refilling the serving dishes when he wasn’t making the rounds with beer, wine, water, and fruit juice. He’d finished pouring a white wine when he felt an important absence. He left the half-empty bottle on the counter in the kitchen and headed out into the backyard, finding the person he missed leaning against the railing.
He leaned against it himself, staring out into the backyard, enjoying the quiet surrounding them while listening to the hum of the conversations and occasional laughter inside the house.
“Thanks,” Nick said, finally breaking the silence.
Monroe shrugged. “All I had to do was tell Wu and Hap about it, and the news just traveled naturally.” He chuckled. “Just like in college.”
Nick chuckled too, then sobered. “That’s not what I meant.” He tilted his head. “Well, thank you for the party, but I meant thank you for everything.”
Monroe frowned. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Thank you for waiting for me to finish school, thank you for moving to Portland for me, for supporting me when I thought I could be a Grimm and a cop even when Aunt Marie said it was impossible.” He shrugged a shoulder and turned to face Monroe, everything he was feeling welling up in his eyes. “Thanks for loving me.”
Just when he thought he couldn’t love his boyfriend any more, Nick would surprise him. Monroe gave him a helpless smile. “I didn’t have a choice.”
Nick reached up, grabbing Monroe’s neck to pull him down for a kiss. By the time they came up for air, Monroe’d almost forgotten what they were talking about. He pulled Nick into a loose hug, resting his chin on top of Nick’s head. After a few seconds, he said, “You’re missing her.”
Nick sighed. “It would’ve been nice to have her there, at the ceremony.”
“Even though she didn’t think you could handle being a Grimm and cop?”
“Yeah. I probably would’ve won her over; I always could.”
Monroe chuckled. “You managed to get her in a room with me without her shooting me, so I’m going to have to agree with you.” He felt Nick’s body shake as he laughed into Monroe.
Yeah, thought Monroe, this right here, the feel of Nick’s arms wrapped around him, Nick’s breath warm against his skin. This was what forever felt like.
The End
A/N: The final installment. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Comments and constructive criticism are welcome, no matter when you read this. I hope, if you have time, that you drop me a line and let me know what you think.
Story master page
EPILOGUE
EIGHT YEARS LATER
“Sorry I’m late,” Nick said, wrapping his arms around Monroe and nuzzling his neck.
Monroe turned his head and pulled Nick in a deep kiss.
Finally, stepping back, Nick grinned at his partner. “What was that?”
“What?” Monroe smiled as he turned back to his green pepper.
“That wasn’t your normal hello kiss.”
“Is that a complaint?”
“Absolutely not,” Nick said. “In fact, you can do that anytime you want.” He stole a slice of pepper, dodging Monroe’s block. “I’m going to shower and change, and I’ll be back to help you.”
“You’re not allowed to help for your own party!” Monroe called as Nick walked up the stairs.
Nick shucked his clothes and kicked them over toward the door, turning on the water and stepping in the shower. The hot water felt wonderful as it massaged the chill from his skin. He loved Portland, but he was still getting used to all the rainfall again. He soaped up, careful around the healing bruises around his left side. The ribs were still a little sore, but they were much better than they’d been a few days ago after he, Hank, and Monroe had taken on a particularly cantankerous Dämonfeuer.
It had been a busy week. Quite a few of his friends had made the ceremony promoting Nick to detective on Monday morning - Juliette was held up with an emergency surgery on a dog who’d been hit by car, and Rosalee had taken her students on a trip to the museum. Wu was scheduled to work, but he’d managed a drive by on his way to a crime scene, flashing his lights as he drove past the small crowd standing outside of City Hall. Tuesday had been his first full day as a detective, filled with paperwork and getting familiar with his new position. He already knew all of the other detectives, but it was different now that he was no longer a uniformed officer. They’d made it clear that as the junior detective, he needed to be prepared for the grunt work, so that hadn’t been a surprise either. He liked Detective Halloran and knew the older man would train him well. Besides, he also had Hank, who was too new of a detective himself to be able to partner up with Nick, but at least they were working together in the same precinct.
He’d gotten a call on Wednesday afternoon about some suspicious fires around town that had Wesen written all over them, and he and Hank had met Monroe at the trailer to gear up after work. They’d ended up subduing the Dämonfeuer with only a few minor injuries - Nick’s bruised ribs, Hank’s black eye, Monroe’s bruised shoulder. Thursday Nick got his first case as a detective, but thankfully he and Halloran had managed to put it to bed after an exhausting day that didn’t end until three in the morning. He’d dragged himself back in to work after four hours sleep so he could dot the i’s and cross the t’s and finish before the celebration Monroe had set up in his honor for Friday night.
He toweled himself off, scooping up his clothes and walked into the bedroom, smiling at the freshly pressed jeans and button down shirt Monroe had lain across their bed. Monroe knew him well, he thought, looking down at the jeans and shirt he’d planned on putting back on. He tossed them toward the hamper in the corner and started getting ready.
G R I M M G R I M M G R I M M G R I M M G R I M M
Monroe finished putting the final touches on dessert and looked around at the food covering the table Nick had surprised him with the past Christmas. Nick and Hap had kept the pieces of the table his parents had had made for him all of those years ago until Nick had been able to afford to have it repaired by someone who knew what she was doing. Nick had called Monroe’s parents - he’d had to go to extreme lengths to get the number, since Monroe had promised them that he wouldn’t give Nick any way to find them - and had somehow brokered a stalemate, so they’d been at the house when Nick had given Monroe the table. It had been the best Christmas ever.
Bringing his mind back to the present, he checked to make sure that he had all of Nick’s favorite foods represented. He tensed for a moment, then relaxed when he recognized Hap’s scent.
“Hey!” Hap yelled as he walked through the door. He stuck his head into the kitchen. “Am I the first one here?”
“Yep,” Monroe said. He grabbed a small pile of plates and held them out. “Take these out to the living room.”
“I’m a guest now; aren’t you supposed to be serving me?” Hap complained as he took the plates.
“Guests knock,” Monroe said, putting some forks on top of the plates. “Besides, you’ve only been gone a week. This time.”
“It’s not my fault Danica kicked me out,” Hap said petulantly.
Monroe remained silent but pulled a beer out of the refrigerator, waving it at Hap. “Put those on the table in the living room, and come back for this.”
Hap’s eyes lit up, and he disappeared.
Monroe felt a little bad for Hap, but his friend tended to bring it on himself. Since he’d broken up with Lenore a few months after the two of them had graduated, Hap had been choosing the same kinds of women, ones who wanted someone to make them a home so they could take it away. Hap still hadn’t clued into that yet. Nick and Rosalee were all for sitting him down for tough love; Hank wanted to let Wu take care of it. Monroe wasn’t sure. He’d known Hap the longest, but he also knew that underneath all of his goofiness, Hap wanted someone who loved him and whose idea of a good evening out involved beers at the local bar. Just because Monroe had lucked out with finding Nick in college didn’t mean he was an expert on relationships.
Rosalee arrived a few minutes later, taking a glass of juice over ice, blaming the baby she was carrying. She came over so much that she was more family than guest as well, so Monroe didn’t feel like he was neglecting his duty as a host by not moving them out into the living room. Besides, the freshly squeezed organic orange juice he always kept in stock for her was easier to refill while they were still so close to the refrigerator.
Nick joined them during Hap’s second beer, looking especially good in the clothes Monroe had lain out for him. Normally, Monroe left Nick to clothe himself, but he knew that Nick would’ve just put back on what he’d been wearing earlier. As the man of the hour, he needed to look a little better. So Monroe helped.
“Looking sharp, Detective,” Rosalee said.
Nick gave Monroe a sidelong glance, and Monroe returned it with an I-knew-you’d-look-good-in-that look of his own as he handed Nick a beer.
“Thanks,” Nick said. “Monroe picked it out.”
Rosalee laughed. “Of course he did.”
The doorbell rang, announcing the first of the guests arrive. Juliette and her fiancé Renard made a brief appearance before they had to leave for some business event of Renard’s - no one still knew what he did for a living, but no one was going to ask him about it either, not even Wu. Wu came in after his shift, complaining that a uniform cop’s job was never done. Hank arrived right after him, using the same complaint for a detective’s job. Hank gave Rosalee a kiss, accepting the beer she held for him.
Monroe liked to see Hank and Rosalee together, their easy affection making him happy. After a breakup that’d lasted about six months, they’d realized they were happier together rather than apart. And then Hank had learned about Wesen during a particularly bloody and emotionally stressful case when he and Nick were still in uniform. He’d refused to let Rosalee go after he learned about her, saying that she looked soft and fuzzy when she woged. They’d been married a little over a year, and Rosalee confessed to Monroe and Nick that Hank had nicknamed the unborn child Super Baby after Baby Natasha on “Sesame Street”. Monroe had found it mildly insulting on Rosalee’s behalf, especially after he’d seen a picture of the character, but she’d seemed to find it endearing, explaining that it came from a place of love.
Nick had hip checked him, wordlessly reminding him of how Nick loved teasing Monroe with big bad wolf jokes. Monroe tended to glare at Nick those times, but it really didn’t bother him. He just rolled his eyes and remained silent.
As the hour grew later, a quite a few police officers arrived, some with their spouses and significant others, as well as a couple of friends from college who lived in the area and a few of the neighbors.
Monroe had planned for a large group of people - especially Wu and Hap - and spent quite a bit of the evening refilling the serving dishes when he wasn’t making the rounds with beer, wine, water, and fruit juice. He’d finished pouring a white wine when he felt an important absence. He left the half-empty bottle on the counter in the kitchen and headed out into the backyard, finding the person he missed leaning against the railing.
He leaned against it himself, staring out into the backyard, enjoying the quiet surrounding them while listening to the hum of the conversations and occasional laughter inside the house.
“Thanks,” Nick said, finally breaking the silence.
Monroe shrugged. “All I had to do was tell Wu and Hap about it, and the news just traveled naturally.” He chuckled. “Just like in college.”
Nick chuckled too, then sobered. “That’s not what I meant.” He tilted his head. “Well, thank you for the party, but I meant thank you for everything.”
Monroe frowned. “I don’t know what you mean.”
“Thank you for waiting for me to finish school, thank you for moving to Portland for me, for supporting me when I thought I could be a Grimm and a cop even when Aunt Marie said it was impossible.” He shrugged a shoulder and turned to face Monroe, everything he was feeling welling up in his eyes. “Thanks for loving me.”
Just when he thought he couldn’t love his boyfriend any more, Nick would surprise him. Monroe gave him a helpless smile. “I didn’t have a choice.”
Nick reached up, grabbing Monroe’s neck to pull him down for a kiss. By the time they came up for air, Monroe’d almost forgotten what they were talking about. He pulled Nick into a loose hug, resting his chin on top of Nick’s head. After a few seconds, he said, “You’re missing her.”
Nick sighed. “It would’ve been nice to have her there, at the ceremony.”
“Even though she didn’t think you could handle being a Grimm and cop?”
“Yeah. I probably would’ve won her over; I always could.”
Monroe chuckled. “You managed to get her in a room with me without her shooting me, so I’m going to have to agree with you.” He felt Nick’s body shake as he laughed into Monroe.
Yeah, thought Monroe, this right here, the feel of Nick’s arms wrapped around him, Nick’s breath warm against his skin. This was what forever felt like.
The End
A/N: The final installment. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Comments and constructive criticism are welcome, no matter when you read this. I hope, if you have time, that you drop me a line and let me know what you think.
Story master page