Fair Trade (Sequel to "Read Between The Lines")

Chapter 1: Good Tidings

Juliette placed the vase of flowers on the table and stood back to admire her work.

Strong arms clasped around her waist and gentle lips kissed her neck.

"It looks fantastic," Nick murmured in her ear.

Juliette smiled. "This is why spring is my favorite time of year," she said. "Did you see what I brought back from the Saturday market?"

Nick smiled as he pulled an apple from behind his back. "I missed it completely," he joked, taking a big bite.

"Nick!" Juliette frowned at him. "I got those specifically for pie filling!"

"Mmm," he took another bite and savored it. "No wonder they are so ripe."

Juliette chuckled and moved into the kitchen. "Come with me and we'll talk over plans for the day," she giggled. "It's not often a detective gets time off."

"I only have one day, maybe two," Nick answered, following her, "and that's barring any major situations; the Captain did tell me not to be too far from my phone."

"What, like I'd ask you to ditch it?" Juliette snorted. "Honestly, I think everyone is just relieved that you finally got another chance to propose!"

Nick shook his head as he helped his girlfriend—now his fiancée—load the produce into the refrigerator.
"Nah," he remarked, "More like they're relieved for my sake that you finally accepted!"

They finished and leaned against the counter with their arms around each other. Juliette kissed him long.
"I still can't decide if I really know why I ever refused," she whispered, grinning at him.

"Lucky for you, I'm not a man to hold grudges over slighted love."
"Oh, how noble," she went in for another kiss.

A ferocious noise caused the two of them to pull apart involuntarily. Juliette frowned as it continued.

"Is..." she gasped, "is that a lawnmower?"

Nick moved to the window. Larry the Eisbieber was mowing their lawn. He saw Nick watching him and waved. Nick shook his head. He'd forgotten that he had asked Bud to help freshen the house and the yard, since neither he nor Juliette had much time for that sort of thing. It would figure that the dutiful Wesen would pick the day when the newly-engaged couple would be trying to celebrate the occasion (nearly two weeks after it happened) with a rare and well-earned holiday.

Nick saw Juliette wearing the skeptical please-explain expression. "I'm sorry; I asked the neighbors to just kind of help us out with Spring Cleaning, since we're both so busy working most of the time; I had no idea they would—"

"Choose to come on the one day we both have off?" she finished.

Nick pressed his lips and shrugged. "He's taking care of the yard," he reasoned, "at least we don't have to worry about him coming—" The doorbell rang, and Juliette answered it as Nick finished, "—into the house."

On the porch stood Bud and another female Eisbieber. Both had their arms loaded with cleaning supplies and appliances.
"Hello Detective," the timid Wesen stammered. "Such a lovely day, and seeing you with your...almost-wife just makes it so much better. I hope you don't feel like we're intruding; we don't mean to barge in on you. We just finished considering your offer and we all thought, well—it's good luck to clean on a Saturday, so that the sun on Sunday dawns on a fresh house!" He fumbled one of the appliances in his arms, and Nick caught it.

"Come on in," he groaned reluctantly.

Bud nodded to the female, an older woman with grey-streaked chestnut hair. "This is Dottie; she came to help your... Juliette," he sounded out the name with some difficulty, "clean the bedrooms and wash the linens and such." He picked up his toolbox. "Meanwhile, where were those lights you mentioned?"