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Sean is sitting by the window a cold coffee sitting by his hand and typing on his phone.

[Louise, harried and tense, walks up to the café door and opens it. Spotting Renard immediately, she strides over to him. Plopping herself opposite him, she flops a stack of folders upon the side of the table and laughs dryly.]

"You owe me, Captain," she snorted good-humouredly. "I think I've finally found a connection here."

Then, looking up at him, she smoothed her ruffled hair and smiled.

"What've you been up to?"

He looks up and smiles warmly. "That's the best news I've had all day," he says, "sit and order what you want dinner is on me like I said."

He glances over the flies. "What did you find?"

"Oh, bless. Thank you. I could just murder their smoked salmon salad right now. God, I don't think I've eaten anything all day but coffee," she laughed.

[Turning open one of the files, she took out a stapled report and set it in front of him.]

"Here. Again in 1982, during the height of the Falklands crisis, bodies began disappearing from the Hanfield morgue, all of them having had the same green substance on them. Police at the time blamed it on terrorism from Falklands sympathisers, as they disappeared before tests could be run on the substance. But then, look:"

[She sets a new file in front of him, with photographs taken from CCTV cameras.]

"This man, Simon Frost, was one of the bodies taken. Here he is, having resurfaced months later in Stockholm. No trace of green on him, and ALIVE."

[Sean studies the files thoughtfully after he orders Louise's food.]

So this has been going on for years but no one has noticed.

"It appears so. Now what?"

[She flips the file shut and leans forward.]

[Sean leans forward still thinking.]

I need to think the right move can help our cause the wrong one could start a war.

"A WAR....?" she asked, her breath caught in her throat.

He nods seriously. "A war...the families have been united for centuries over a need to find something but it seems like someone got ahead of the game."

"'Families'? 'Centuries?'" she queried, a bit gobsmacked.

[Repositioning herself in the café booth, she put a hand to her forehead.]

"Captain, you're doing my head in. Explain."

Sean leaned back and thought for a second or two then started explaining as best he could. "Wesen are broken up not just into different breeds but different clans and families as well. There are feuds, blood wars and so on between some of them. At the top of the food chain are the Royals. Seven families ruling different sections of the world."

"Good Lord, this is far bigger than I thought," she replied. "So what can we do? I mean, it's not like we can just apprehend this voodoo doctor. What if it sets off some sort of feud and then London is smack in the middle of all if it?"

"I have an ace in the hole," Sean says, "something I know my brother wants and the reason he took Nick. If tell him were it is in exchange I might be able to convince him to call off whatever he's planning."

"And what exactly IS this 'ace in the hole'? It'd best be pretty good, because that brother of yours sounds like a right maniac."

"A key actually a key with a map engraved onto it," he says in all seriousness, "paired with seven other keys just like it they lead to a treasure the families have been looking for since the Knights Templar hid it from us."

"Wait----YOU'RE in one of these...families?"

[Her mouth open in surprise, she sat back in her seat, trying to compose herself.]

"Well, you're definitely full of surprises today, Captain."

"Sort of," Sean says, "I'm considered the black sheep of the family because my mother wasn't Royal or married to my father...ever."

"You truly ARE full of surprises this evening," she reiterated. Then, she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Wait. Are you saying YOU'RE wesen, also?"

This was almost too ridiculous for her to bear.

He nodded. "I am...my father was Royal and my mother was a Hexinbeast....a servant of of Royals, that side of the family has some skill with potions and other types of magic, but they aren't considered on the same level as those they serve."

"So, this fight is a far more personal one than you've let on," she replied. "It's not just about your colleague getting kidnapped."

"Nick is...well he is something else...what we call a Grimm..a relative of the famous brothers...his family has one of the keys."

"But he isn't a Royal, nor is he Hexenbiest----I thought only those families could be in possession of one of the keys. Oh, truly, Renard, you really weave a complicated web. I can barely keep everything straight."

[Louise put her head down on the table. She was a COP; not a beast hunter. She'd have to learn new tricks pretty damned fast if she was going to keep up with him.]

"Someone stole it and gave it to him," Sean says softly, "look Louise if you want to back away from this I won't blame you."

[She looked up at him and smiled wanly, running an errant hand through her hair. But she DID want to keep going; although policing had been good work, it was a bit tinged with ennui at times. What Renard was offering was an incredible opportunity to delve outside the norm. And, truthfully, she'd always been intrigued by the cases Lestrade kept from her. Captain Renard was intriguing all by himself---half human, half creature(???). She still had to wrap her brain around that.]

"No, no---I can handle it," she began. "It's--it's just a lot of information coming at me in a very short amount of time, that's all. I'm but a mere mortal," she said, laughing softly.

"I understand Nick went through the same thing a year ago. He was completely unaware of what the rest of his family did for a living."

"It must have been quite the shock to the system; I'm surprised he didn't pass out," she replied lightly.

"At any rate, I'm with you on this case. Quite frankly, the ones I've been assisting on lately have been a bit stale. Where and when will this take me?"

"You might want to make sure you take some time off and have your passport ready because we will be heading to Austria."

"I'm in luck; only just renewed my passport and European visa last year," she told him. "I take it Vienna is where your family is based, yes?"

[Then she thought a bit; how on earth could she get this by Lestrade?]

"What sort of ruse could I use to throw DCI Lestrade off this?"

"I'd say serial but he'd want to be in on that, Rash of robbery's maybe?"

"But I'd still have to report back to him. I've some personal time coming up, actually--holiday time that I've banked up; not like I have much of a life to warrant going on holiday, however," she said with a snort.

"I'll book in and just use that. Should two weeks suffice?"

"I can't see needing you any longer than that, but I would suggest you be ready for anything."

"Believe me, I can use a break," she laughed dryly before becoming serious once more. "What exactly will be my objective in assisting you?"

"Just keep your eyes and ears open...humans can go places wesen might not be able to."

She cocked her head to one side. ".....Places like....where?" she asked him.

"We might be able to sneak you into my brother's house with the help of someone I have on the inside. Erik won't notice you."

"Sounds fair to me," she answered. "When do we leave? How soon do I need to have my bag packed?"

"Could you be ready to go tonight or tomorrow morning," he asks, "I don't want to wait on this."

"Yes, tonight, absolutely," she replied. "I can meet you in two hours. Just text me the details of the flight when you book in, and I will meet you at the airport."

Gathering her things, she got up, putting her hand on his arm.

"Don't worry; we've got this in the bag."

Walking to the door, she turned, flashing him a demure smile.

"Thanks so much for dinner, Captain."

[A beat.]

"...Really glad I never got in that taxi."

And with that, she was out the door, coat swishing behind her.

He smiles at her. "Dinner would have been nice if you had eaten anything," he says to her back as he reaches for his phone to book the flight.

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Ugh--so sorry! It got batshit crazy at the shelter all of a sudden.

It's okay!

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Hey---meant to ask you, how are you feeling? Any better?

Much better thanks! How are you?

I'm good! Glad you are feeling better, hun. :)

Thanks!

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I just realized--they never actually ate! XDD

Re: I just realized--they never actually ate! XDD