Grace awoke the next morning to find herself in a simultaneously unfamiliar and familiar room.

As she cracked her back (from what she realized was the uncomfortableness of sleeping on a couch all night) Grace realized she was in one of the conference rooms.

Then she saw a little note placed next to her in familiar handwriting:

Sweet dreams <3
—Gretta

Grace checked her watch and noted the time to be 8:30 am and decided it would be best to stretch her legs and get some fresh air.

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Once outside, Grace sat down on one of the benches and watched the clouds move in the sky before the sound of a car pulling up into the parking lot caught her attention.

It was an expensive looking black four-wheel vehicle with UK license plates. More importantly Grace recognized it as Elliot's car from that late night they were all in the parking lot together.

Even more importantly: she saw both Gretta and Elliot get out of the car. There was a rock song playing as they got out before Elliot shut off the engine and locked the doors.

He was wearing his usual attire while Gretta wore a Set It Off band t-shirt, black ripped jeans, black Reverse shoes and a blue jean jacket. She was also carrying a tray of cups in her hand and handed one of them to Elliot.

Grace hazarded a guess that it was either tea or coffee as they walked over towards her, talking amongst themselves and seeming to be unaware of Grace on the bench.

Finally, Gretta looked over as they were a few feet away and waved.

"Oh, hey mom!"

"Hey kiddo." Grace replies, attempting to keep a neutral tone and not seem surprised as seeing the two together.

"I brought you some tea—orange pekoe. Your favorite!" Gretta explains with a smile as she grabs one of the teas and hands it to her mother.

"Thank you." Grace says, grabbing it and watches as Gretta grabs the other tea from the tray—an earl grey—for herself and then chucks the cardboard  in the trash.

"So...how you'd sleep last night?"

"Considering I slept on a couch all night...not great. Why didn't you wake me?" Gretta shrugged.

"I didn't want to--you looked tired."

"Hm...maybe. How'd you get home?"

"Elliot drove me."

"Really?" Grace asks surprised, to which Elliot shrugs and brushes it off.

"It wasn't that big of a deal."

"Well...at least someone is taking care of her because clearly I'm slacking at my job." Grace says dryly as she takes a sip from her tea.

"Come on mom," Gretta rolls her eyes, "I'm almost 18. I can handle myself. Besides--you overwork yourself too much."

Before Grace can protest, Gretta gets up from the bench. She nudges Elliot's arm as she walks past him and gestures for him to follow.

"You coming inside, mom?"

"No, not yet. I want to enjoy my tea for a few minutes."

"Okay!"

Grace watches the two teens go inside the building and tries not to think about how odd it was on how close they were getting, finishing the last of her tea.

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"Well done, Grace, you've caught Brother Klaus and locked him away for good!"

"Just doing my job, Chief." Grace replies modestly with a small smile on her face at the praise.

"We already knew he was the one who pushed Johan Schnee to kill Hans Vogel back in Germany." Chief Ripley continues.

"And I bet he also blackmailed Enid Grimshaw into killing Prince Albert back in London! It seems Klaus was acting as an assassin for the Promethians...with him behind bars, they'll have more difficulty carrying out their plans." Carmen adds.

"Um...what is that dinging?" Grace asks aloud, confused as there is a faint ringing noise coming from Carmen's direction.

"Oh that dang phone! Sorry, Grace." She says as she brings her phone out of her back pocket and answering. "Carmen Martinez speaking."

Her eyes widen in surprise as Chief Ripley and Grace look at her in confusion. Carmen puts the phone on speaker and a familiar voice is on the other line.

"Detectives, it's Jaqueline Proust. I'm calling from Spain. News is out that you caught Brother Klaus!"

"How in the heck do you know about that all the way in Spain?! Also how did you even get my number?"

"Let's call it writer's intuition?" Jaqueline replies cryptically, only answering one of Carmen's questions.

"Yeah, right. Cut to the chase, Jaqueline!"

"...alright. Do you remember how interested I was in that Promethian manuscript? Well, I realized the only way I would learn more about the Promethians was to be become one of them."

"Wait...you became a Promethian?" Grace asked alarmed.

"Not a real one!" Jaqueline reassures, "that's why I called you, Detective Grace. I think I can help you bring them down!"

"And we're supposed to just trust you?!" Carmen looks incredulous.

"Of course not. But something big is going to happen in Spain soon. I don't know what, exactly, but Klaus does. Make Klaus talk, Detectives...and call me back when he does!" Jaqueline hangs up and Carmen looks annoyed.

"Where does Jaqueline get off giving us orders?! And how could we ever trust her if she's a Promethian?" She rants.

"Maybe she is...but she does have a point: getting information from Klaus couldn't hurt." Grace points out.

"Now, Martinez...Grace's right: it can't hurt to get as much information about the Promethians from Brother Klaus as we can! Off with you both!"

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In a jail cell, Klaus Weissman sneers at Grace.

"Will you never leave me in peace, Detective Grace? I have nothing to say to you!"

"That's too bad because you're stuck with me."

"Not acceptable, Klaus!" Carmen snarls. "We need to know everything the Prome--"

"You do not understand. It ended where it started, in fire and blood. You cannot stop us!" Klaus roars.

"Don't start acting like a lunatic again, Klaus, we know you're faking it!" Carmen argues back at him.

He goes quiet for a moment and then pulls something out his back pocket...which Grace realizes is a fire cannister.

"Remember tonight...for it is the beginning of always!"

"Klaus put down that flask!" Grace shouts.

"Wait, what are you doing?! Where did you get that?! Put it down!" Carmen demands.

"I have made my peace with all the Gods!" Klaus declares, a match in his hand as he looks at the two detective with maniacal glee. "From a little spark may burst a FLAME...ARGHHHH!"

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After Grace rushed to the bathroom to throw up, she found Carmen in one of the conference rooms looking as shocked as she was by what just happened.

"He...he set himself on fire. Grace, I've seen some pretty sick stuff in the field, but this...and the smell." Grace takes in a breath as she leans against a chair.

"Yeah...you going to be okay, Carm?" She asks as she notices Carmen looking ill.

"Sorry, I'm good. But he didn't tell us anything, and now he's a pile of ashes. I thought we'd gotten one over the Promethians, but we're just facing another dead end!"

"Don't be so sure about that." Both turn to see Marina at the door with a smug smirk on her face. "I looked at your interrogation footage, Grace, and Klaus told you more than you realize. He knew he was going to kill himself. Which means his stress levels were through the roof...and that's when people let down their guard and make mistakes. When he said that 'it ended where it started, in fire and blood', his thoughts were clearly focused on the Piazza di Spagna! Something must still be there! And just before he said he had made his peace with all the Gods, his right was fidgeting as if he were reciting the rosary!"

"Are you sure he wasn't lighting that match?"

"Yeah, I agree with Carmen. That's a lot to read into from just that clip, Marina."

"I'm sure, Grace, I'd love to go have a look around the Vatican with you. Clearly, Klaus' mind was on religion."

"Going in the field, Marina? Alright. Then Grace and I can have a look at the piazza! What do you want to start with, Grace?"

"Alright, fine. Carmen and I can look at the piazza and then you and me, Mariana, can look around the church."

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"So, Grace, did you find anything? A Venetian carnival mask? What's it doing in Rome?"

"I don't know and there's some sort of...green...slime on it."

"Hm...think you can get a sample of it?"

"You got it. I'll be meet you back at headquarters once Marina and I are finished at the Vatican."

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"This place is really beautiful, Grace. No wonder it can hold so much power over people." Marina then notices Grace isn't paying attention, instead she is intently focused on a golden chest. "Has something caught your eye? You think whatever Klaus left behind might be in this chest? Then by all means, have a look inside!"

"Here you go!" Grace says, handing Marina a notebook.

"I'm sorry, Grace, but the scribbles you uncovered in that notebook are beyond my field of expertise! Gretta or Elliot may be able to help us make sense of it!"

"Fingers crossed!" Grace murmurs, shutting the notebook.

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Grace and Carmen meet back up to look at the sample back at the Bureau's lab.

"So what was that green goop from the carnival mask?" Carmen asks.

"Green algae." Grace explains as she pops her head up from the microscope. "Specifically from the Venice canal."

"Really?" Carmen says as she picks up the lab report. "Wait...Grace?"

"What is it?" Grace asks coming over to look at the report over Carmen's shoulder.

"The microscope report says the slime also contained traces of TNT!"

"Wait what?! There are explosives in the canal??"

"I think so--but we don't have time to second guess. We need to go back to Venice right away!"

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"Did you find any trace of explosives, Grace? That TNT didn't end up on that mask by divine intervention!"

"Not yet, but I did find--ugh!--this!" Grace explains, dragging something towards Carmen.

"Is that a buoy? Wait, why does it have a digital lock? Aren't those just supposed to act as milestones for waterways?"

"Yeah...and the lock shouldn't be there. Ergo, that's why it caught my eye."

"I agree, Grace, this buoy's suspicious. Think you can unlock it?"

"Yeah, just give me a second. Oh, and help me hold it up." Grace says, leaning against the bridge and holding the bottom piece on her legs.

It doesn't take her long.

"Alright, you got the buoy unlocked...but we still don't know what it's supposed to DO, or if it's linked to the traces of explosives you found on that mask."

"Well...if we can't figure it out...then the kids might."

"You're right, the best thing to do is send that buoy to Elliot and Gretta. Here's hoping they'll have something good for us."

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Gretta stared at the buoy for a few minutes, fiddling with it and seeing how it worked. Of course, Elliot had to make an unprovoked comment.

"That buoy should be easy to crack considering it's already open. Even for someone as unskilled as you."

Gretta rolls her eyes at Elliot's comment before replying, "Tease me all you want! We both know it's only for show—OH MY GOD!"

Her sudden outburst caused Elliot to be alarmed and rush over.

"There's TNT in here!" She says, pointing down to a pile of it. Elliot leans forward to look at it with a scrutinized look.

"I...think we'll be okay. But just in case..." Elliot starts to take out the TNT carefully before moving away from the table, Gretta holding onto his wrist.

They wait for a moment.

"Nothing happened." Gretta says, puzzled.

"Which is good. Most likely it was a prototype." Gretta looks relieved.

Elliot observes her for a moment.

"That bomb in Greece really scared you?"

"Yeah. Especially with mom involved. I could've ended badly and—"

She pauses suddenly, looking down at her hand still wrapped around Elliot's wrist. She quickly lets it go and turns away.

"Uh...yeah. It was scary."

Elliot lets out a cough, trying to salvage the situation.

"I'm just...going to look at those scribbles." He says before going back to the desk, Gretta staying near the wall.

"Hey Gretta? Come look at this." Elliot asks a few seconds later.

She looks at the scribbles and then gives him a look that seems to say what?

"What do those scribbles look like to you?" He asks, tapping a pencil onto the sheet of paper. Gretta's eyebrows furrow as she studies the paper intently.

"It looks floor plans if I'm being honest." Gretta says, looking over at Elliot.

"That's exactly what I was thinking." Elliot explains before handing her a pad of paper. "Could you try sketching these for me?"

"I can try...though I'm not good at drawing."

"Doesn't matter if they're bad. I just want you to show me what you see."

Gretta looks skeptical about the whole thing but indulges him.

In a minute, she's done. Two rudimentary drawings of what looks like a cylinder and a rectangle on their faces appear on the page.

"I couldn't figure out the third one out. They're too muddled together for me to tell." Gretta explains.

"Thank you." Gretta looks surprised but quickly recovers.

"...no problem."

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"I have a bone to pick with you!" Gretta says as Grace and Carmen enter the tech room.

"What is it this time?" Grace asks, slightly apprehensive. Elliot walks over with the buoy and sits in on the table with a thunk, wide open so they could see the TNT inside.

"Grace, next time you send us a buoy full of TNT, please let me know in advance? Gretta and I weren't prepared for that!"

"I'm sorry, kids, I didn't know!"

"Wait, the buoy Grace found in Venice canal is a bomb?!"

"Good news is, it didn't explode! Trust us--we checked!" Gretta explains.

"It's more like a prototype," Elliot chimes in, "which is why it didn't explode when you unlocked it. Someone was testing the waters, so to speak. Still, if they had blown it up...it could have caused a lot of damage."

"And if it exploded here well..." Gretta shrugs and makes slice gesture with her thumb against her neck.

"I don't need the mental image, Gretta. Could we move on to...lighter topics please?"

"Uh...sure. We have notebook if you want to look at that?" Gretta suggests.

"Please." Grace begs, gesturing for the notebook to be handed over.

"I really wish you'd bring me something challenging once in a while, Grace...that notebook you sent to me was child's play." Elliot says in condescending tone.

"Less bragging, more helping, Elliot!" Marina pipes up from the back.

"Alright. Those scribbles you uncovered? They're not scribbles at all, they're floor plans, stacked on top of the other. I had Gretta sketch out some of the designs. Then I managed to separate the drawings until I ended up with three distinct floor plans of monuments: the Eiffel Tower, the Tower of Pisa and the Sagrada Familia."

"So someone is studying famous European monuments but what was that notebook doing in the Vatican?" Marina wonders as she comes forward to look at the drawings, squeezing between Carmen and Grace.

"You should ask Salieri. His fingerprints were all over the notebook."

"You should have started with that! Grace, we should go talk to Salieri!" Marina says, dragging Grace out the door.

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"Cardinal Salieri, we were wondering why your fingerprints were all over this notebook Detective Grace found in the Vatican."

"Oh you found that! It's just an old notebook, it doesn't even have any pages left!" The cardinal dismisses.

"That my be so, but we know it was filled of blueprints of famous European monuments. Do you have a passion for architecture, Cardinal?" Marina asks.

"...I may as well tell you: this notebook belonged to Brother Klaus. He left it to me when I took his final confession, before he was sent to jail. I don't think there was anything to it, really. He just mentioned he had visited all the monuments in Europe that he could before coming back to Italy."

"And did he mention the Promethians in regards to these monuments floor plans? You can trust us, we won't tell." Marina inquires, turning on the charm which seemed to work.

"Not a word. I assumed that the notebook was some kind of, what do the kids say, 'bucket list'? Things to do before you die?"

"I'm afraid it's much more serious than that, Cardinal."

"I'm sorry that I could not be of more help, but it's my turn to keep watch over the Pope's bedside." The cardinal left quickly and Marina turned back to Grace with a frustrated shrug.

"Well that was a waste of time."

"At least we tried." Grace says. She pulls out her phone as it chirps with a text alert.

"What's up?"

"Could you drop me off in Venice before you go back to headquarters? Carmen thinks we should interrogate Alonzo Conte given his mob connections about the explosives."

"Ok, sure. No problem."

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"You found a bomb in the canals?! Oh no, the mafia found me! It's all over!" Alonzo frets, clearly distressed.

"Settle down, Mr. Conte!" Carmen instructs. "It was just a prototype and I don't think it had anything to do with you. We need to know if any special event was planned in Venice soon."

"I know that we couldn't use this section of the canals because of some rally for that European referendum."

"So we found a bomb prototype floating near a European referendum rally site."

"This doesn't sound like a good sign." Grace comments.

"I agree, Grace, that can't be a coincidence! We already know the Promethians are trying to sway the referendum results by scaring the public silly! Were they planning on detonating a bomb in the canal right before the referendum?"

"I know this is not so nice but I am so relieved that it's not the mob! Tell you what I'm gonna do, Detective Grace, I'll take you to lunch to say Grazie Mille!"

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Carmen and Grace got back to headquarters an hour later to find Marina stewing in a conference room.

"Grace, we should put our findings together. We've figured out that Klaus scouted various monuments in Europe, which must have some link with the Promethians' plans to sway the referendum. Martinez, what did you find at the Piazza di Spagna?"

"A mask. It led us to Venice, where we found the bomb prototype. Someone was planning on testing it during a political rally about the referendum. We're all thinking the same thing, right, Grace?"

"I think so." Grace nods in agreement.

"We already knew the Promethians were counting on fear to sway the results from the referendum. Scaring people would make it easier for the United States of Europe to be voted into existence, since people seek unity in times of chaos."

"And what better way to create chaos than planting bombs in various monuments around Europe. Grace, we need to stop this! The referendum is in two weeks, the Promethians will attack any day now!"

"Yeah. I think we should contact Jaqueline again. See if she can give us any info."

"I agree. Promethian or not, she's the only contact we have, so I guess we have to trust her!" Carmen determines, already pulling out her phone and dialing Jaqueline Proust's number.

"Buenos dias, Detectives! I heard your discussion with Brother Klaus became rather...heated."

"Yes, but we still figured out what your Promethian pals have got planned out. All evidence points towards them bombing famous European monuments right before the day of the referendum!" Carmen explains to the author through the speaker phone. "If you really want to help us out, tell us how to stop them!"

"Oh no! So that's what this is all about! Then I know what's hidden in Spain, the reason all the Promethians are regrouping there. That's where the detonator is!"

"I'm sorry, there's a detonator?!" Grace asks in alarm.

"You mean they intend to blow up the bombs from Spain? Wouldn't they need teams in every country?"

"Not with today's technology. I'm telling you Detectives, the detonator is in Spain, with the Promethian leader...and I know exactly where it's hidden!"

"We don't have time to play games, Jaqueline. Tell us now!" Carmen snaps.

"I can't, not on the phone! The Promethians are already on to me...I can't risk it! Detectives, come to Spain! I'll wire you money to help with your journey! I've got to go, someone's coming!"

"She hung up! Grace, we need to talk to the Chief about this!"

"I'll come with you." Marina added and the three woman rushed down the hallway to Chief Ripley's office.

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"And that's all of it, Chief. What should we do? Can we really trust Jaqueline Proust when she admitted to being a Promethian?" Carmen asks Chief Ripley after she, Grace and Marina explained everything they had just learned.

Chief Ripley goes quiet as she hears what they are saying and then shakes her head, standing up from her desk.

"We don't have a choice. If the Promethians intend to blow up monuments all around Europe, we need to try everything we can to stop them! Grace, you're going to Spain on the "red-eye' tonight! Locate Jaqueline, and make sure she leads you to the detonator! Europe's safety rests in your hands!"

Author's Notes

Was going to upload these chapters way earlier but I had to go to a wedding a few weeks ago for a family member (had a fun time).

Also I was busy with school stuff before Winter Break, blah, blah, excuses, excuses. OH! More importantly, my birthday was on the 22nd so that was something I couldn't skip, I turned 19 :)

As an apology for lack of updates these last two months, here's a hilarious criminal case incorrect quote I found on tumblr three weeks ago:

[Photo ID: A tumblr criminal case incorrect quote text post with characters Marina and Elliot.
Marina: Elliot, can we talk? One ten to another?
Elliot: I'm an eleven, but continue. End ID]

Ah, Elliot. Never stop being you XD

Anyway, we're getting close to ending the cases in Europe. I didn't make this connection until I was reading Elliot's wiki page (look, I look at it sometimes while I think of ideas, it's not my fault the fics on him are so sparse) and noticed that all the regions have six cases each.

So I thought that was cool (could've made that connection by playing but whatever—).

I'll be playing through Spain now and I'll hopefully be able to upload something else during my break!

BatgirlGeek❤️