Going downstairs it's easy to imagine the noise coming from the kitchen was a sign Jordan was home. Dad and Logan were talking about the fight they got into and Mum was putting the last of the dishes into the dishwasher, humming one of the most ridiculously annoying tunes in the world. The nursery rhyme, Bye Baby Bunting, was one of her favorites and since I was a baby she used to sing it to my brother and I at bedtime.

Now it was just annoying.

"Morning Princess." Dad smiles and it's like everyone has taken a dose of happy pills that I wasn't privy to. Just what did Mum put in their coffee this morning?

Dads face is practically healed and my own injury wasn't as bad as I thought. There is barely a bruise there now. The time for 'Daddy' is over and even though the light atmosphere is hard to resist, I shoot him and Logan a look before going to get my own coffee.

"She never was a morning person." I hear Mum whisper to Logan as she sits back down at the table.

"I've noticed."  He agrees, getting up to stand beside me. "Can you just pretend you don't hate me for like, five minutes?"

"I don't hate you Logey," I pinch his cheek and he slaps my hand away. "I just don't really like you for the majority of the time you're around." I shrug; glancing over to my parents they have both disappeared. Way to be subtle.

"Oh? Cause you didn't seem to have that dislike last night." He leans back against the counter with too much confidence. He thinks he has won this round.

Maybe he has. Why did I let him sleep beside me?

"I said majority, not all the time."

"Well I think you still owe me breakfast and what was that final little bonus you threw in, something about lingerie?"

"No, I held up my part of the deal. Not my fault you weren't in your room when I walked in." This time I pat his cheek and he doesn't push me away. Picking up my cup I head outside to sit on the swing chair on the verandah. It's a beautiful morning and looking over towards the side gate, it's weird to imagine that barely a hundred meters away three werewolves had died yesterday.

Still a beautiful morning.

"Ellie, Harry just called. They're going to be here in twenty. Do you think you can try and remember your manners while he is here?" Dad stands in the doorway and I ignore Logan as he tries to hide his laughing by coughing as he sits beside me on the swing.

Loser.

"Sure Daddy, I'll just go get dressed ready for my day in the kitchen baking while you men do all..."

"And that's what I'm talking about." He stares at me unimpressed and I pretend I don't know what he meant.

"What ever do you mean Father?" I mock, enforcing a thick British accent.

"Elise." He warns, sighing rather dramatically before walking out to the shed and Mum comes out to take a seat opposite us.

"What was that about?" Logan asks.

"Grimms do two things well. One, write about what other people did and claim it as their own."

"What's two?"

"I forget. Maybe that is all they're good for?" 

"I've never had anything to do with them before, but if that's what you think of them no wonder your Dad told you to behave," Logan muses, sipping his coffee as Mum joins us.

"You didn't hear it from me, but definitely all talk, not much action." I leave them talking and rush up stairs to get ready. For the first time in a long time I put a bit of effort in to doing my hair, rather than leaving it up in a ponytail I let it stay loose and slightly wavy. The bare minimum of makeup is applied and despite the threat of more surprise attacks, my outfit isn't exactly practical for combat. 

Not the physical kind at least.

If Logan was expecting me to be a princess, he was about to meet the fucking queen.

I soon hear the car out front and know they've arrived. I don't hurry though, taking my time is selecting my accessories as if was about to go out to a Vogue shoot rather than meeting our guests. The unspoken competition between has been going on since we were thirteen and I beat her in gymnastics. At the Academy, you could have called us friends – like Hannah and Kayla, but less friendly.

"Elise!" Mum calls, and reapply my lip-gloss I am pretty happy with what I've managed to come up with in such a short time span. I'm still checking my ass out in my new jeans when Logan knocks on the door.

"Hey Bunny, you're Mum wants you down stairs."

"Stop calling me that. Tell her I'll just be a sec." Or another half hour.

"She was pretty insistent, what are you even doing?" He comes in and pauses in the doorway, "She.."

I turn to look over at him as he stands there holding onto the door handle.

"She what?" I go back to the mirror and run my hands through my hair before going to find shoes.

 "Ah.. You look, nice?" He manages to stutter. 

Pulling out a shoebox, I haven't even worn this pair yet and wonder if the high heels would be too much. "Flats or these?"

"What?" Logan shakes his head and tries to focus on the black pumps in my hand. "You wear those?"

I slip them on, and walk around in a circle getting a feel for them.

"What's she wearing?" I whisper, trying to listen to the conversation downstairs.

"Who?"

"Penny!"

"Who is Penny?" Logan whispers back to me, looking even more confused.

"Harrys daughter, red headed bitch with eyes like an owl."

"Eyes like, what the hell are you on about? Your Mum sent me to get you before they came in."

Of course she did. Dam it.

"Are you done here or?" He asks, glancing towards the door nervously he tries to avoid my gaze.

"I guess this will have to do." I sigh, quickly putting on a spritz of perfume before following him out.

"Have to do? You look, um, really nice."

I have no idea what is going on with him and move on down the stairs. The second she sees me, Mum rolls her eyes and Penny turns at seeing her distracted.

"Ellie! It's been so long!" She squeals, running over it's all for show. 

"It is so good to see you Pen!" Instantly my voice goes up a few notches and I can feel my IQ falling.

"Ah Miss Bunting, you look even more lovelier than the last time I saw you!" Harry greets, doing the same fake air kiss that I'd just to suffer through with Penny.

"You're too kind Mr Grimm." My cheeks are aching from the smile on my face and my good behavior has Logan looking like he just saw a ghost.

"Harry this is Logan, the Tracker I was telling you about." Dad introduces Logan who still seems to be missing his ability to speak and blinks a few times in order to acknowledge the fact he was being spoken to. "Logan this is Harry Grimm and his daughter Penny."

Penny looks between us, smirking and Harry shakes his hand. "How about we leave the girls to catch up and go discuss these shifters?"

Of course, we're just girls.

I bite my tongue as Mum glares at me in warning and the second the trio are gone, Penny and I face each other. Somehow in all that, Mum has disappeared now too.

"Who is the Tracker?" She looks down the hall in the direction of Dads office, and her bright blue eyes seem even brighter with the interest that's all over her face. "He is all kinds of good stuff. The things I could do..."

"Go for it Pen, he is a Tracker so dealing with your dogs isn't anything new to him." 

"Still letting your mouth fight your battles?"

"Still letting Daddy do yours? Oh wait, Grimm's don't fight." I laugh sarcastically and she arches a perfectly manicured eyebrow at me.

"From all I've heard, neither do you. Glass houses El?" Her blue eyes drop down my shoes, "Cute shoes."

"I'm surprised you think so since you seem to prefer things from last season." It's stupid, but it works as she looks at her own feet self-consciously. Good thing about having her Daddy is Penny doesn't get criticized for going against her calling. The fact he was given a daughter not a son apparently pissed him off in the early days and while she still went through the motion of school and training – he doesn't expect her to use it.

Maybe being a Grimm girl wasn't all-bad.

"These are not..." Looking up, she smiles instantly. "Logan! I don't think we've been properly introduced."

By that she means she hasn't slept with him yet.

 "Yeah hi Penny, ah B.. Ellie can I talk to you for a second?" Logan jumps as Penny takes hold his arm.

"I'm sure anything you have to say to her, you can say in front of me. We've known each other forever." Penny is practically drooling on his arm as she gazes up at him adoringly.

Instead, I decide to have some fun with this.

"Yeah she's right Logey, Penny and I go way back. We even used to do gymnastics together!"

Me being nice is scaring Logan, more than the red head on his arm.

"Oh Ellie, no need to bring that up." Penny glared in warning. 

"You're right it was so long ago now." I laugh and hate myself for the sound I manage to produce; yet Penny joins in. "I have to admit though Penny, you're looking great. Even if you have gained a few kilos here and there."

After saying it so sweetly, it hasn't sunk in what I said yet and Logans head goes between us like he is watching a tennis match.

"Gained? Are you blind?" She snaps, finally letting Logan go she runs her hands over her extremely flat stomach subconsciously.

My silence says more than words.

"Ah well, back to what I was saying. Your Dad just logged into the network and Reece and Yanti are missing."

I stop smirking at Penny, turning serious.

"I know, I already logged on today."

"Why?" He quickly asks.

"Why what?" I play dumb, moving into the kitchen the duo follows.

"Why are you logging in so early? Did you have another lead?" He presses.

"Just about the fang collecting blood sucker. I just wanted to read the case files to see if I could find anything." I turn on the coffee machine as Penny takes a seat at the bench, trying to look interested when she clearly wasn't.

"Did you speak to Reece about that?"

Did I?

Instead all I remember was the way he had been so rough yet gentle and the way his hands.....

"Ellie?" Logan snapped, snapping his fingers in front of my face. I feel my cheeks instantly heating up and focus on the cups.

"Maybe?"

"Who is Reece?" Penny asks, idly tapping her perfectly manicured fingernails against the counter.

"Slayer." We both answer at the same time and as Logan looks me in the eye I don't need to see my reflection to know I'm as red as Penny's hair. He frowns, trying to work it out and I focus on making everyone coffee instead of other things.

"Think about it, if you did maybe they were looking for something and got too close? We should speak to Mindy – she can tell us what they were doing." Logan already has his phone out.

"What, do you have her on speed dial?" I joke, trying to get a glimpse of his screen. Why would he have her number anyway?

"Ah, what is going on?" Penny interrupts and I put her coffee in front of her in a bid to shut her up.  It doesn't work. "Who is Reece Ellie, you blush like a virgin every time we say his name!"

"I did notice that too Penny." Logan leans against the counter beside her and both eyes look at me. "We're all friends, anything you want to share with the group? Maybe something that happened while you were at the Academy?"

"Oh shut up," I snap before smirking and taking a couple of steps closer to him. "Maybe it's because I have tits and he needed to get laid?"

"Well..." He pauses, and those grey eyes dart from side to side as he tries to read my face. "How?"

"You read mine, I read yours."

"Penny, has Elise told you about how she was trying to get into college? She got rejected though, shame that." And then he walked out.

Bastard.

"College? What on earth is he on about? Who cares, tell me about Reece!" Girl talk – don't think so.

"Nothing to worry your pretty little face about." I walk out and listening in, Logan's with the men talking about Selene and I go up to my room. Annoyingly Penny follows.

"You know, I hear things too. Travelling with Dad has its perks." She takes a seat in the chair in the corner of the room and getting out my laptop I try not to act interested.

"Like what?"

"Well, in Asia they found this native tribe of dark fae trying to open one of the portals to the other side. In China, another group was trying to summon some of those extinct demons, same thing down in Australia too. They're all set on bringing things back that have been extinct. Kind of like how fashion keeps repeating itself in a five-year cycle. You know?"

Instantly I thought of Alfie and the dragons Jordan had killed back at the caves.

"Why aren't they looking into it? There is nothing about that in any of these case files. Considering how Jordan went missing, it matches what's going on!"

If the dark fae were gathering in clans like this, and bring things over – why aren't we being told?

"Dad things its to keep it quiet. The Treaty people are monitoring it at the moment." She looks at her nails idly, back to being uninterested.

Searching through all the different case logs, there was a mention about China. If I wasn't looking for it I never would have noticed.

"Ok, now spill on Reece and the Tracker."

"Huh?"

"Please, if you're not fucking him you're going to be soon from that session in the kitchen. Dam, maybe I need to start getting involved in this shit. Can you bring up Reece's notice for a perve?" Penny comes to sit beside me and I let her take the laptop. She whistles appreciatively and I only cringe, not wanting to discuss any of that with her.

Two hours later, I'm ready to walk out again just to get away from Penny and Logan. Sitting outside, our Dads are catching up on the latest in weaponry. This is generally the last step before parting ways, so I try and behave for my Dads sake.

Even if Penny has her legs over Logan's lap and he is eating up the attention.

Not that I care what or who he does.

I focus on my laptop instead of their stupid whispers and chatter. I mean, if either of them could make it any more obvious they'd be hitting third base out here right now.

Yuck.

Looking up, I've had enough. Her hands have managed to become entwined within his hair and slamming down the lid I go inside to change. Penny's giggle follows me all the way up the stairs and I resist the urge to slam my bedroom door shut too.

"Ellie?" Mum comes in a second later, and taking off my heels I get out my boots, checking the throwing knives hidden within the lining of the top. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, fine. I just have something to do."

"I don't want you going out alone right now." She crosses her arms, and I wonder if there is more to this than caring parent.

"I'll be fine. You can even come with me?"

"Wait for the Grimms to leave, your Father will be interested."

"No. And you know what? So far I've been doing great on my own, well besides yesterday but I would have managed. I already got one of them before you came." Getting up, I grab a small bag and make sure it's got bullets a pistol in it.

"Elise!"

"Mum, enough. I'm going to a bar, it's neutral and Darius owns it so I know there will be no trouble."

"Elise." Her tone is lower now, more deadly and I'm tempted to jump out the window to escape.

"If you care so much, you would've let me walk away a long time ago." Shaking her head, she lets me go and leave out the front door. Walking to the garage, I freeze as Logan is sitting on my bike. "What the fuck?"

"Where we going?"

"We? No where." I turn and spying his car, decide on a change of transportation. Going inside I head straight to his room and pulling out his bag, he is behind me.

"Looking for these?" Holding up his keys, I only glare.

"Logan?" Penny appears, slipping a hand over his shoulder as she cuddles up to him. "Oh, what are you doing El?"

"Going for a drink. Care to join?" I smile sweetly before shoving past them and snatch the keys in the process. Thankfully Penny holds him up enough for me to get out and get on my bike.

Penny must be loosing her game as Logan manages to run out and stop me.

"I'm coming with you."

"What ever Princess." I mock, "but I don't need your help."

"Go, I'll just follow you. Tracker remember?"

"Good luck then Logey." I pat his cheek and rev the engine. My first tip that he wasn't joking should have been the fact he stepped aside and let me go. By the time I got my first drink, he walked in the door.

How the hell does he keep doing that?

"What can I get ya?" Doug the bartender greeted Logan, unbothered by the few Hunters and now Tracker in amongst his mostly demon clients.

"Beer, thanks." He takes a seat beside me and we just sit there in an awkward silence until his drink arrives "That is nice."

I keep silent, watching the ice cubes in my glass float amongst the bubbles.

"So do you come here often?" Logan pipes up, turning to face me.

"No."

"Why are you here?"

"To drink." I hold up my glass and clink it against his.

"You make it really hard to like you sometimes."

"The feeling is mutual."

He sighs, getting up and takes a seat in one of the booths towards the back. That's how we stay until nightfall and the first group of vampires come in. Behind them is what I've been waiting for and keenly follow the dark fae with my eyes. I know they can sense being watched, and they don't like it. The leader of the group is quick to take what had been Logans seat beside me and once she orders her own drink, doesn't mess around.

"You looking for trouble Hunter?"

"Depends, you can do this the easy way and tell me what I want to know or the hard way and we'll take it outside." I hiccup and she laughs, tossing her black hair over her shoulder she watches as I wave to Doug for another.

"I haven't you seen you in these parts before."

"Well, I try to check out the decent bars in the city before going to where blood suckers like to hang out." I smile sweetly at the vampire who just arrived at the bar and he only rolls his eyes before walking further down to get service.

"And what do you want with us?"

I was expecting her to be a little more pissed off, maybe threatened yet she just sits there asking her questions like some people would ask you about the weather.

"Rumor has it, some of your kind have been opening the wrong kind of doors and letting out the big and nasty. Your clan wouldn't be involved in any activities like that would they?" We both sip our drinks and the chocolate color of her eyes slowly fades to red.

Now she is getting guarded. "Who are you Hunter, how do you know about that?"

"I think it's my turn to ask the questions or do we need to go outside?" I finally look directly at her, making sure she doesn't mistake my words. Another Hunter comes up to the bar then, and looking between us; I can sense her assessing our situation.

"You two together?" The fae asks, glaring at the new girl.

"No, I work alone." Taking my drink, I glance towards Logan who is now staring at us.

God I hate him.

"Come with me." She gets up and I follow, surprised she is taking me over to her clan. The group of six all look at me curiously and as the leader stares at me, I get stuck holding her gaze.

'No one was to know of those events. How did you find out?'

Her voice echoes in my mind. If she is doing this telepathically, she mustn't trust we're safe to talk freely. Or my question spooked her into silence and for the first time in my life, I'm glad to have seen Penny.

'Rumors. Do you know Jordan Bunting?' I ask, wondering if she could be behind the group he was chasing.

'I know the name. Why?'

'I'm looking for him. He went missing when going after a clan not far from here. Any idea?' It could be to bold to ask, but my gut tells me I don't have to worry and I go with it.

'If you suspect us, you are misled. For all the dark arts we practice, we keep neutral. We don't want any trouble and live by the Treaty Elise.'

'How do you know my name?' I was positive I never gave it to her.

'I'm in your mind; your defense is weak in stopping me getting in. We have also come here looking for some of our kind, maybe the ones you seek. It's a disgraceful act to, how can I put it? Sell out to humans. It brings trouble to all of us.'

Now I can feel her presence in my head, I focus on pushing her out.

"How about the next round is on me?" I ask the group, yet all I can think about is the last part of what she said. Could they be doing this because of humans getting involved in our world? It wouldn't be the first time, but it really complicates things.

"You're not too bad for a Hunter, some of them are jerks!" One of the younger girls in the gathering offers after we have another couple of rounds. I don't know who decided on what all the different kind of demons and beings were going to look like. Being surrounded by the dark haired, pale skinned, ruby-eyed beauties, they didn't really stretch their imaginations by making them all look the same. At least with humans we had variety in our skin, eye and hair colors.

"They are, I know. I don't like them much either." I agree, and some laugh. Seeing Logan approaching, I roll my eyes. "Trackers are the worst though."

"Trackers?" She asks confused and as he stops between two of them on the opposite side of the table to me, she understands what I'm talking about.

"Elise, haven't you had enough to drink?"

"Ah no, you're still annoying." I know I have, but the leader brings over another round of shots and I'm expected to join in. I've always had a good night when fae are around; the nights they were in at Darius's bar were some of the best nights of my life.

"Should I be prepared for a repeat of last time you got drunk in a bar?"

"You mean the night when I was going to kill you or where I shot the shifter?" Finally looking at him, I realize we were making a scene.

"Sounds like you know how to party!" The one beside me joins in, Ursula I think her name was.

"You no idea." I clink my shot glass with hers and cringe as I realize its tequila now.

I'm done.

Looking back at their leader, she realizes I'm trying to get her attention – reopening the mind link. 'Distract him so I can get out of here!'

She nods and looks up at him. "Tracker, what's your name?"

"Logan." He is stuck with her and I say a quick goodbye. Rushing out the door, I know I shouldn't drive and going to where I left my motorcycle beside a couple of others, it's gone.

"What the..."

"Nice try." Spinning around Logan runs out the door and comes over. "Your Mum came with me and took it back incase this happened."

"This? I'm not even drunk!"

"Yeah, you are. Come on, let's get you home."

I stay in my spot, furious and refusing to follow him. The longer I stand there, the more those last couple of shots kick in and as he pulls the car up in front of me, I don't want to admit he is right.

I'm drunk.

He barely says anything the whole way home, and as we pull up on the drive we stay in the car for a few minutes.

"I think you have a drinking problem."

"I think you're an asshole." I get, slamming the door and head up the path to the front door.

"Ellie wait, just stop." He calls out and I just made it to the first step of the porch when he is grabbing my arm and pulling me around to face him.

We're too close.

My hand awkwardly comes to rest flat on his chest and looking up at him, I can't deny that I find him attractive.

"Let me go." I manage to whisper and it feels like I'm trying to swallow an orange. My throat constricts as butterflies appear in my stomach.

We're way too close.

God he smells good.

"Just calm down for a second." His grip doesn't loosen on my arm and I can't find it in me to push him away.

I've always liked his eyes.

"How do you keep finding me?"

"I'm a Tracker." He half smiles and I try to resist swooning against him.

"Bullshit."

His face lowers slightly, sending my heart into a spasm and I'm certain he'd be able to hear how loudly it's pounding in my chest. My breathing hitches, he's too close.

This can't happen.

Focus!

"Hey Logan, I used to do two things that would guarantee to piss my parents off."

"What was that?" He asks, void of sarcasm or bitterness, which doesn't help me right now.

"Go out and get really really drunk."

Logan nods, "I guess that. and the second?"

"Go out, get really really really drunk and bring home a boy too."

His brow creases as he tries to understand what I just said and right on cue, Dad flicks on the porch light and opens the door. Sure Mum is planning our wedding and Dad has bonded with him, but all of that aside – I'm still their little girl and no boy I've bought home has ever got inside. I don't sleep around and I don't know what I'd do if he was ever ok about it. Slamming the door in their face would probably be a likely solution.

Good thing things haven't changed.

Like I told Logan, it was an easy way to piss them off and he dropped my arm and took a step back in an instant. My Dad seemed to grow in size and muscle, glaring at Logan – it was a scary sight to be confronted with.

"Night Daddy!" I kiss his cheek as I pass, smirking the whole way up to my room. That is until I'm laying in bed all alone and find myself wishing I wasn't.