Summary:
Captain Renard thinks back on his relationship with Stiles' father and how they met.
And Stiles tries to process everything new.
Chapter Text
A few weeks ago, before Stiles arrived in Portland
Captain Renard's POV:
"Sean?" A voice filters through the phone.
"Yes?" I ask, looking at the unknown number calling me, it was a voice I recognized but I don't seem to know why.
"Hey. Ah, I hope you remember me; it's been such a long time since I've seen you or Elizabeth and many years since I was involved in that world. But it's John. John Stilinski." The man says.
.....John....that John Stilinski was calling? Woah, no wonder the voice was similar. This was truly the last person I expected to receive a phone call from.
"Uh wow, hello, sir. I gotta say I thought you were...well...dead. You disappeared from the world. And no one has ever been able to contact you in years." I say, too shocked to really think of what to say.
My mother was the one who told me that he probably died or was murdered by the Royals.
"Yeah...I did disappear...like I was dead...I found..a...safe place. Anyway, I called you to ask a favor." John said, sounding hesitant.
What could this man possibly need help with? John Stilinski was a name known by many in the Resistance and in the Wesen community. He was a legend, every job or mission he was sent on he completed with low to no casualties. He saved me and my mom from the Royals on multiple occasions. But he disappeared 25 years ago after getting married, or that was the rumor. Honestly, I thought that was a cover-up; I thought he died. But what did he mean by "safe place"?
"What do you need me to do?" I asked.
I don't want to agree right away, but I owe this man my life on more than one occasion, even if I couldn't help I would try my hardest to do something. I wonder if it was a Resistance-related problem or something else.
"Well, you're a Captain at the Portland Police department right?" John asks, though he obviously knows.
"Yes, I am. What do you need? Are you being chased by the cops?" I asked curiously.
"No, no. It's not a serious favor. Well, it's important to me, but I'm not in any danger." John says seeing that I misinterpreted him.
"Oh, well, what do you need me to do then?" I ask.
I was very curious why he would come to me with a favor like this.
"Well in the years I've been gone, I had a kid. My son, he's....a sarcastic little shit sometimes but he's clever and a troublemaker. He's been getting mixed up in some serious things. He's been lying to me, and no matter how much I ask he doesn't tell me. Now, if he was getting just speeding tickets or even doing petty drugs, I'd just solve it myself, but the fact that he finds dead bodies left and right and somehow ends up at crime scenes a lot.....well that's where I draw the line. I was thinking if he wasn't keen on telling me anything, I should just ship him out to another town and keep him away from this mess till I figured everything out, but I wanted an excuse that would keep him gone for a few months till I solved what was really going on. Now he's grown up in a police station practically. He knows how to do paperwork, and he's smart and a good detective. I mean he's still a high schooler but hell he's solved some of my more troublesome cases even if I tried to keep him away. I was wondering if you can take him over the summer....just for two months...and have him be an intern or ride-along or anything you want. But just keep him preoccupied while I fix things here and settle some stuff. Can you do that?" John asks.
Well, that's definitely not what I was expecting. I was expecting a life-threatening favor....not taking care of his teenage son.
"I can do that. I can have him plenty preoccupied in this precinct." I said thinking of all the solved unexplained cases that needed filling.
"Oh great. Thank you. My son is a troublemaker so sorry ahead of time. But let's not involve him in anything too serious, I'm sending him away to get away from all the murder in this town." John said, clarifying again that his son was trouble.
"I can deal with a troublesome kid; I have plenty of detectives and sergeants to keep him plenty busy. But one thing, what is your son's name?" I asked, as he never mentioned it.
"Ah he goes by Stiles, his real name is a mouthful, from his mother's side, so just call him Stiles. Anyway, I got to go grab my son from school his car got totaled about a month ago, and he was getting it repaired, but some psychopath killed the mechanic, so he doesn't have a car. I'll send him by in a few weeks; I'm just waiting for school to finish up." John said, moving around on the other end of the phone.
"Okay, I'll prepare some things for him to do in the meantime, it was nice to hear from you John," I said actually happy to hear from this man.
"Yeah, good to know you grew up good. Thanks again Sean; I appreciate it a lot. Tell your mother, hello, and I hope she's well. I'll speak to you another time, hopefully." John says weirdly, hanging up.
Well, that was something I didn't expect to happen today....or ever, actually.
I guess I will wait for the arrival of John's son, Stiles.
I went through the database after the phone call. I mean, who wouldn't after a phone call like that? I never thought to look up John Stilinski; I mean, by the time I became a cop, he was already a memory of the past. And with the kind of work he did, I didn't fathom he even had a record.
But apparently, he too is in law enforcement, a sheriff of Beacon County. And wow, he was not kidding about the murders....wow.....arson incident killing an entire family, then a spree of what was thought to be revenge killings, and oh, there's the mechanic who died...oh god, his son was a witness to the murder...and him finding multiple bodies. Okay, I can see John's reasoning a bit. His son seems a bit too close. I see Stiles Stilinski's name in a number of these reports as either a witness or someone who called in the discovered the victim. Though I don't know how much I can keep him out of the weird here in Portland as we have our own circle of crazy, but maybe a change of scenery is all the kid needs.
But I owe John Stilinski my life 5 times over, whether it was running from the Royals or killing the Verrat agents after me and my mother; I owe him this, and at least it's an easy task. I hope so at least. Also, you can tell a lot about a parent through a kid, so I like to see what kind of kid he raised. Even though just imagining he has a kid is weird for me.
Back to the present…
Stiles POV:
The detective dropped me off at the hotel; the car ride was utterly awkward because we didn't talk at all. Other than the location and a few random comments about this and that. Otherwise, the ride was silent. I mean I made no effort either, the detective, Nick, was nice but my mind was swirling with everything that was going on. Like what a Grimm was? And the fact that we were both Grimm's didn't fucking help. Especially if Grimm's were another word for hunters. Because fuck that. I mean being a hunter was cool in an ideal world, but the hunters I've experienced were anything but cool. I mean Allison was nice, but every other member of her family was a complete psychopath. And they are all hunters. I'm sure they're good hunters, but I still think they are crazy if they just kill someone because they are a little different. I mean I know there are bad shapeshifters too, but I feel bad for the Derek and Peter's of the world. Well...Peter's story is just sad. But he also killed people, so Peter getting killed was justified, but since he's back, I can't feel as much remorse as before. But I only think hunters are cool to stop the Kanima's and human sacrificing psychopaths.
I wonder what everyone is doing about that? No one believes me about human sacrifices. But patterns of murders that are in sets of 3's. It's like a textbook ritual of human sacrifice. Well if there was a text book on this shit. I was curious about how everyone was dealing with that. I checked the time, seeing that it wasn't too late, and called Scott's number. It rang out fully till it went to voicemail. I felt annoyed, but I left a voicemail since it was a new phone.
"Hey, Scotty! It's Stiles. Maybe you sleeping or crying over Allison again. But I just was curious about an update on what's happening in Beacon Hills. As you probably know I'm not home. My dad shipped me off to do some police internship thing, I don't know it was kinda weird. Anyway, I miss all of you guys and can't wait for the summer to be over. Also, make sure the human sacrifice thing is checked out even if you don't believe me on that okay? Don't be sad about Allison all summer. Be safe without me there okay? I'll be back in two months. Bye!! Also, call me back wolf boy." I said leaving a voicemail.
I even chanced a call to Allison. Who surprisingly picked up. Even though I was expecting a voicemail.
"Stiles?" Allison's voice filtered through the phone speaker.
"Oh hey, Allison. Uhh, I was wondering if you could do me a favor?" I ask.
"I'm not talking to Scott." She said adamantly.
"No not that. Hahaha." I said laughing.
That was a Scott problem. I mean I am his bro, but this is his Romeo and Juliet problem.
"Oh, what's up then?" She asks.
"Can you ask your dad a question but like not tell him I'm the one who asked," I asked since what I wanted to know, I didn't want to be traced back to me.
"Hmmm, sure, I can ask. I don't know if I can get the answer you want though. What's the question?" Allison asks interested.
"Well, it's okay if you can't get an answer. I have another way to get the answer, but I wanted to know from a hunter's point of view. So if you can just ask, what is a Grimm, that'd be great." I tell her.
"A Grimm? Like the fairy tales?" Allison asks.
"Uh, I don't think so. I heard it's something similar to a hunter. That's why I wanted to know what your dad thought. But if you can keep my name out of that conversation, I'd appreciate it." I asked.
"Sure! I can ask; I'm curious now too." Allison says.
"Thanks, that'd be great. Anyway, you can call or text when you find out I'm gonna be busy with a summer job so I probably won't see you till after summer is over." I say over the phone.
"Okay, sure. I'll try to bring it up with my dad soon. Bye Stiles." Allison says hanging up.
I smiled thinking that that was a smart idea. I then texted my dad a quick good night text. I would've called, but I was still sulking over not being shipped off without my opinion. Even if this sounded interesting now, I felt upset that I wasn't consulted or told about this at all. My dad texted me good night several minutes later, and I plugged my phone in and finally set up to go to sleep.
Even though I planned to go straight to sleep, I couldn't help but think about the events of today. Seeing the were-lizard again and hearing him call me a Grimm. I still didn't end up having time to research that. But also the fact that detective Nick is one too.
And I wonder why he was so scared. I mean, I know why hunters are dangerous and scary from my unfortunate experience with Gerard and the other psycho Argents.
I wonder what he meant by my eyes being weird, can I change my eye color, like Scott and Derek? That'd be cool.
But, I still haven't figured out what that guy is. Like, is he really a were-lizard or a Kanima reject? And are there more monsters that my Grimm status allows me to see, or is it just with these were-lizards?
And how should I even approach Nick about this? Or should I in the first place? Maybe I shouldn't say anything at all.
But then that guy said that Grimm's were hunters of his kind, does that mean that there are more were-people like him? I mean, I already know about the supernatural; I've dealt with werewolves and Kanima's and hunters. So there must be a lot more out there. I mean, besides being slightly scary, this is cool.
I mean, back home, is more like a battlefield where death feels imminent at all times, but here it feels like I've dived into a new fountain of cool stuff and information to explore, and I could go around unnoticed more here, it's nice.
I need to get more information. Whether that means I need to scower Google or interrogate that were-lizard on my own time or wait for Allison's information, it doesn't matter, I just need to know. I need to quell my curiosity before I do something stupid.
But well, considering that were-lizard is locked up in holding at the moment even against my insisting, I may have to do some dumb things tomorrow.
I look at the digital alarm clock on the nightstand.
The blinking red numbers read...2:00 am....fuck.
(*)
The next day…
Stiles POV:
I woke up at seven am. My eyes hurt and I feel drowsy. I got about four hours of sleep since my dad texted me back just as I was falling asleep and I forgot to turn off the notifications on my new phone. I had a little chat with him telling him about Portland and the police department, leaving out the attempted mugging and the Grimm stuff, of course. I got dressed in another outfit similar to yesterday but this time my shirt was red and out on a black hoodie as it was cold when I opened the window. I guess being by the sea in the summer makes it colder. Also, Portland's summer temperatures differ a bit from California's. I had to hurry up with breakfast as I was going to run late if I didn't hurry. I planned to walk to the station, it was far but better to walk than to waste money on getting a taxi or riding the bus, and unfortunately, the train wasn't very near the airport where my hotel was.
I had to be at the precinct by nine am so I had like ten minutes left after getting ready and eating breakfast. I may or may not have run for the last three minutes to make it there on time. By the time I got there the place was already bustling. Very unlike the Beacon Hills Sheriff's department at any hour...really the number of cops that left was depressing. Anyway, I was immediately put to work. While it was filing paperwork and filling out and editing police reports, it was fun and easy work. It's so easy because I've looked over my father's shoulder for years doing this.
But I wish I could just get my hands on a case, like a real murder case. I mean, of course, I don't want anyone to be murdered, but I want the thrill of figuring it all out. I also miss researching information about the next big bad that rolls through Beacon Hills. I don't exactly miss the anxiety that comes with that, but I definitely miss the actual research and trying to figure stuff out. It fuels my brain, and it's the coolest thing when something gets solved. That's why I really wanna solve a case even if I could just look at old cases or something, maybe unsolved ones.
Honestly, anything to relieve the boredom that is paperwork, while it was fun the monogamy of doing it for three hours straight was killing me. But at least Wu seems impressed with my skill at filling out paperwork and doing it very quickly. He's a really nice guy, even though I've only met him for a day I feel like we could be good friends, we have similar sarcastic natures and we clash well. I'm glad he's basically in charge of me, I feel like I can get away with doing more stupid things than if I had detective Nick or Hank watching over me.
I like Nick and Hank, but I can't let my guard down around Nick. If he's a Grimm which is a hunter then he's dangerous and I can't trust him easily. So I like being under the sergeant instead. Also thinking back on when the were-lizard shifted he looked surprised to see me and Nick. I was thinking last night if maybe Grimms are rare or something. Because Derek never looks so shocked to see a hunter. I mean he looks murderous but can you blame the guy.
And I also was thinking that what if my hypothesis is right, that Grimm's are rare then what are the odds that there are two of us in the same place, at the same time. And if Nick is a Grimm can he sense me or something? Do I have to be more careful around him or am I okay as long as there are no were-creatures around? And I also have to think about Hank, I mean the were-lizard guy shifted right in front of him and Hank looked clueless. Hank didn't react in the slightest. Does that mean only Grimm's can see them? And I'll probably have to control my face when I see them shift, because if someone notices that I noticed something will they find out I'm a Grimm?
I had a lot of questions but zero answers to any of them.
I for once seemed to have some luck today though. While I was nose-deep in paperwork Wu told me that Mr. Were-lizard wasn't going to jail and since I pressed no charges he was going to be released today. Though Wu tried to convince me to press charges about five more times, I turned him down, I had more important things to do to this that guy than see him go to jail where it was harder to reach him. Also, he'd probably hold a grudge if I sent him to jail and I bet he'd be unwilling to talk to me then too.
Mid-afternoon they finally released him. Nick and Hank were on a case with Wu, so another cop was letting him free. This was the perfect opportunity. I mean walking with him outside was too risky with the Captian in his office but while he was on the phone I stood up and ran up to the were-lizard dude, which I now learned is called Daniel, I walked next to him for a moment. He looked spooked.
"What?" He asked.
He was trying to move away from me but I just stuck closer to whisper to him.
"Take this!" I exclaimed quietly.
"What is this? A paper?" He said reluctantly taking the paper.
"My number. Call me later. I want to talk about all this uh....Grimm stuff." I said as we neared the hallway.
"Ah listen, kid, I'm not the person...I mean why not talk to the other Grimm?" He asked stumbling on his sentences.
"I can't trust him, I mean you said Grimm's are hunters right? I don't trust hunters," I said honestly.
Daniel gave me a confused look.
"You trust the guy who mugged you more than a cop? You have weird morals." Daniel said confused.
"Well, Grimm or not, I trust a monster more than a hunter any day. I mean unless you're a psychopath...but you seem pretty okay...mugging aside. I have really good instincts too so I trust them. Any you ran away before mugging me, so your my attempted mugger, which is better than a hunter." I say.
I mean I trust Scott and Derek over hunters any day. And as long as he's sane and civil-ish I trust him more. That, or I just really hate hunters. I mean I got beaten the crap out of by an old hunter and his goonies. So yeah a big bad any day over a hunter.
"Just call me later. And if you don't I'll hack the police database and find you one way or another." I say as an afterthought.
"Okay okay. I'll call you later." Daniel said walking away from me at a fast pace.
Soon he leaves my sight. Well, that was eventful. But I can finally start learning about this new thing. It's so interesting. I couldn't wait till the phone call later. I got hyped up by that event that all the paperwork after went by like a breeze.