Elena Ardent's Guide to Being A Grimm - Nick Burkhardt

1.4 | Partner

"Hang on. There's another Grimm in Portland?" Monroe questioned, dazed by the new information his friend had just unloaded on him. He set the spoon he had just used to stir a cup of tea in the sink and turned around to face Nick, who stood leaning against the fridge in Monroe's kitchen.

"Yeah. According to Renard and the two Wesen she killed today. Does the name Elena Ardent mean anything to you?" Nick wondered, accepting the mug of coffee Monroe passed to him.

"Ardent... Ardent..." Monroe thought. "No, doesn't ring a bell, but then again, neither did Burkhardt. So you know nothing about this girl?"

"I know she's a cop who just moved here from Maine."

"Any reason why?"
"Not that I know of."

"Geez, another cop Grimm in Portland. What are the odds?" Monroe wondered as he sat against the edge of the kitchen counter, taking a sip from the cup of tea in his hand. "And she fought two Wesen today alone, within a couple hours?"

"Yeah. Blutbaden." Nick said gingerly. Monroe himself was a Blutbad, though he was reformed. He denied his animalistic nature and avoided violence at all cost.

Monroe took a deep breath. "Woah." me said, more to himself than to Nick. "But they were, like, full on Blutbad, right? Bloodthirsty and raging and all that stuff?"

"Yeah. One attacked her while she was on a run, and the other broke into her house and attacked her there. The second Blutbad was the first victim's father who wanted revenge." Nick recounted to Monroe, repeating the information he knew from Elena.

"And she killed them both?"

Nick hesitated. "Actually, I killed the second one." He admitted carefully.

"Wait, you were there?"

"Only for the tail end of the second fight." Nick answered. "She fought him off with a knife. She ended up driving it into the Blutbad's arm. Through and through."

"Woah, she sounds pretty badass." Monroe commented, taking another swig of tea. The green cup matched his collared shirt, which he wore under a patterned sweater.

"Apparently she's been training to be a Grimm since she was a kid. Her dad was a Grimm."

"And where's daddy dearest now?"

"I don't know. I asked, but Elena doesn't know either. Sounds like they had a pretty major fallout."

"You know you have to keep an eye on her, right? If some of our old Wesen pals find out she's a Grimm, Elena might end up being the one with a knife driven through her. And another Grimm isn't a bad thing to have around with all the Wesen that you've been after." Monroe reminded Nick, recounting the same thoughts Nick had already concocted on his own.

Nick glanced at one of the many clocks hanging on the walls of Monroe's quaint house. Monroe worked building and repairing old antique clocks, and his work was displayed all around the house.

"Speaking of people being around, I have to get to the precinct. They're having a going away party for Hank." Nick told Monroe, setting down his coffee mug in the sink and grabbing his coat, which was hung on the arm of a coat tree next to the kitchen door. He slid it on, thanking Monroe for the coffee as he headed to the door and out of the house.

###

"Detective Hank Griffin has been with us for a long time. We're sad to see him go, but we wish him the best of luck in Florida." Captain Renard said. Each of the officers in the precinct had their attention of the Captain as he made a speech for Hank. He stood next to Hank behind a cake with some cheesy going away quote written on it in frosting. "We also wish him luck in his new marriage. Third time's a charm, right?" Renard teased, raising some chuckles from Hank and the rest of the crowd. "Let's all raise a glass to Detective Griffin."

All of the police officers raised the plastic cups of sparkling cider than had been given in toast of Hank. His partner, Nick, smiled at him encouragingly as he held up his own glass.

"Thanks, Captain." Hank replied as his boss clapped him on the shoulder. "And thanks to everyone here, especially my partner, Detective Nick Burkhardt. It's been a good few years." Hank announced. "Now I'm off to going work in Miami. Have fun in the sleet!" He joked and the officers snickered as they returned to their socializing. One of the cops used a plastic knife to slice the cake, beginning to distribute slices to the officers.

"Burkhardt, can I speak with you in my office?" Renard requested once Hank was distracted saying goodbye to a pair of uniformed officers.

"Yeah, of course." Nick replied, following after the Captain towards his office. Once Nick had stepped into the office, Renard glanced outside of the hall before closing the office door. "What is it?" Nick wondered, suspicious about the secretive manner under which the Captain was conducting the conversation. 

"With Hank leaving, I've been looking into replacements. Renard informed Nick, unbuttoning his suit jacket so he could slide into his black leather office chair, rolling forward so his knees were tucked under the desk. "There are some qualified candidates, but only one with the same... skill set as you." Renard explained as he folded his hands together on the surface of the desk. "Elena Ardent."

"Wait, Elena?" Nick summarized quietly, sitting in one of the chairs on the other side of Renard's desk.

"She's a detective. I looked into her. Made some calls. She was a detective in New York City for three years, and then after that, she was made sheriff in a town in Maine."

"She's also a Grimm." Nick reminded him, though Renard didn't need the reminder.

"Which is why I'm making her your partner." The Captain reasoned. "Ardent was right when she explained that Wesen are popping up left and right in Portland. You've done good work here doubling as a Grimm and a detective. Hopefully Ardent will reflect the same results." He justified as he handed Nick a thin file. It had Elena's name printed on it in bold letters. It must have been the information Renard had managed to gather so far. "I'm making the call in the morning. I figured you had the right to know."

Nick took in a sharp breath. "Thank you, Captain."