Gravity takes a nosedive for a second and Monroe is momentarily disoriented as he's flipped onto his back and dragged out of the cage by his ankle. He's flipped again, one arm wrenched sharply behind his back, a heavy knee pressing painfully into his lower back, and there's a distinctly metal feeling of the baseball bat pressing itself into the back of his head. One of the Nachtkrapp is pinning him to the floor of the trailer, one of them is standing in front of the door of the cage, and the one with the baseball bat is ready to use his head for target practice at a signal from the ringleader in front of them. In short, he's well and truly screwed...
"Mind telling me why you're trying to steal my number one attraction?" The ringleader asks, crouching down in front of him so he's more or less eye level with Monroe. The blutbad still has to crane his neck to the side to see him and the pressure on his back increases marginally. The pain is staggering, like a knife stabbing into his spine, and it causes his breath to hitch awkwardly. All the fury, all the rage he'd possessed before coming in here, all the terrible things he wanted to do to the men in this trailer...and now he was essentially paralyzed on the floor. Things couldn't really get much worse at the moment.
"I'm going to ask you again," the ringleader drawls and his pointed features shift a bit in a mask of barely controlled irritation. "Why are you trying to steal my Grimm?"
Monroe winces before he speaks. "Ngh...I'm an activist...a member of WETOG...you know, Wesen for the Ethical Treatment Of Grimms? I was sent to set him free..."
The ringleader smirks that same wicked smile and shakes his head, straightening and brushing past him over to the cage. The Nachtkrapp standing in front of the cage steps to the side and allows him to enter the cage alone with Nick. The detective is still too delirious to comprehend what's going on and he's curled on his side, mumbling incoherently. Monroe feels his stomach drop a bit at the position he's in. "I don't believe you," he says simply, tapping his fingers along the metal bars of the cage. "You called him by name which means you know him personally. So I'm going to ask you one more time," he fixes Monroe with a dark look that says he's getting tired of waiting for an answer. "Why are you here?"
Monroe shakes his head to the best of his ability, which is pretty jerky and awkward from his position on the trailer floor. Revealing that he knew Nick personally could have disastrous consequences for both of them; well, more disastrous than they already were. He needed to stall for just a bit longer so he could figure out how to get them out of this situation. He just needed an opening, anything that could give him the advantage..."I don't know what you're talking about...I've never met this guy before in my life..."
The ringleader's eyes narrow and he sneers. "Liar." He lashes out at Nick with a vicious kick, catching the younger man in his wounded side. Nick gasps harshly, a strangled cry cutting from his throat, and curls in on himself, covering his side protectively. Monroe can smell blood, fresh and hot, and there's a darkening red stain that suddenly appears on the white bandages between Nick's fingers. Monroe growls deep and low in his chest, eyes flashing crimson and teeth gleaming in the dim light of the trailer.
The ringleader smirks again and circles around Nick like a hungry shark. "So you do know him? What a surprise..." He passes by Nick's right ankle, the one he'd been avoiding putting weight on earlier in the show, and brings his foot down sharply. Nick cries out again, drawing his leg up to his chest and trying to alleviate some of the pain. He's sweating now, trembling all over, and his breathing is ragged and harsh. He can't take much more of this, not in the condition he's already in, and Monroe knows it. "You know, I grow weary of your silence..." The ringleader mutters, dropping down to one knee beside Nick and reaching for his arm.
"Okay, okay!" Monroe snarls, struggling against the Nachtkrapp pinning him to the floor. The pressure increases on his back and the baseball bat presses more firmly into the side of his head. It hurts but he doesn't care, he just wants that man to get out of the cage with Nick. "We went to high school together...never really talked much but I recognized him..." He hopes like hell the lie will be enough to convince him.
The ringleader glares at him but moves away from the cage, stepping out and nodding for the other Nachtkrapp to take his place back in front of the cage. "You're a horrible liar," he mutters, walking past the other two Nachtkrapp and sitting down on a wooden crate next to the wall of the trailer. He pulls a long, thin cigar out of his coat pocket and clutches it between his teeth, striking a match deftly and lighting it. The momentary glow from the match gives him almost a demonic appearance. "And whatever your relationship to this Grimm is doesn't matter to me. I own him now and he's part of my show; he's brought in more money in one weekend than I've seen in six months. He's my big ticket item and if I keep up with crowds like the one we had tonight, I can retire in the Bahamas in two years." He smirks and leans forward, blowing a stream of smoke into Monroe's face. "That Grimm is my meal ticket, my rightful property, and whatever friendships or relationships he had before matter very little to me."
"He's not property..." Monroe grinds out, a flare of rage and indignation washing through him. He wants so badly to tear that smirk off the other man's face that he can almost taste it. "He's not yours to own..."
"Oh, isn't he?" The man smirks again and takes another drag on his cigar. "You should be thanking me for keeping him locked up in here. You know what he is, right? You know what he does to our kind. He's a killer, a murderer...locking him up was the best thing that could have ever happened to him. You know the best thing to do with a dangerous animal? Lock it up and throw away the key." He smirks and inclines his head toward the opening of the trailer. "You heard that crowd earlier, they were practically worshipping me for keeping this monster locked away."
"He's not a monster!" Monroe snarls and thrashes violently against the Nachtkrapp pinning him to the ground. There's a sharp crack against the back of his head and he momentarily sees stars, the world exploding in a flash of white. It takes him a second to regain his senses and realize he's been hit with the baseball bat. That Nachtkrapp would be the first to go...
"The term "monster" is a matter of opinion," the ringleader continues even though his voice sounds hazy and far away. "Ask any Wesen on the street what they think about Grimms and they'll all tell you the same thing: they should all be locked away like rabid dogs. I'm doing the world a favor by keeping this one here. Granted, he's caused us quite a bit of grief since he arrived." He sneers and looks over toward Nick's cage. The younger man is motionless once more in the bottom of the cage, silent save for the ragged draw of breath that occasionally fills the air. "He nearly escaped his first night here so we had to take some... precautions to prevent that from happening again." Monroe's gaze flickers to Nick's swollen and bruised right ankle and realizes with a start that its broken. They had purposefully broken Nick's ankle so he wouldn't be able to run away. He growls again, his vision going red in fury.
"Although according to his little stunt tonight I don't think he's quite learned his lesson yet..." the ringleader says with a sneer, glaring at the unconscious Grimm in the cage. "We'll just have to work a bit harder with him so he understands where his place is in this show. Hopefully he'll be a bit more cooperative in the next town." Monroe doesn't miss the look he gives to the Nachtkrapp and he knows its nothing good. "Until then, I'm afraid I've wasted far too much time with you." He stands, glaring at Monroe before nodding to the Nachtkrapp in the trailer. "Keep the Grimm locked up until he can be dealt with and take care of this one." He smirks wickedly at Monroe and shakes his head. "You really should have known better than to come in here alone trying to save the day...that only works in the movies."
Monroe winces but feels a sense of relief at the loud rumble of a truck in the distance. Its his turn to smirk and he looks up, locking eyes with the ringleader. "Who said anything about me coming alone?"
There's a tremendous crash and the trailer suddenly rocks to the side, tipping the ringleader and the Nachtkrapp off balance and giving Monroe the opening he needs. He's on his feet instantly, grabbing a fistful of the ringleader shirt and slamming him up against the side of the trailer. His facial features shift and he's snarling at the other man, crimson eyes locked on him with predatory fury. The ringleader's eyes widen and he momentarily forgets how to speak, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. The Nachtkrapp are attempting to regain their balance and one is already trying to rush at Monroe but there's a blur of movement and he's thrown backward. Monroe doesn't even have to look behind him to know that Holly and Barry are suddenly in the trailer, cornering the Nachtkrapp like wolves. He ignores them and turns his attention back to ringleader.
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't rip your throat out right here," he growls furiously, shaking the man viciously like a rag doll and causing his head to bounce off the trailer wall loudly. The ringleader seems momentarily at a loss for words and he doesn't respond. "Answer me!" Monroe snarls, bringing his face closer to him and baring his teeth.
"I-I was just doing what was right..." He stammers and he smells like fear; its like wet trash on a hot day. "I was trying to protect our kind..."
"Liar!" Monroe barks, slamming him against the wall again with enough force to dent it. The ringleader is momentarily dazed but he's shaking his head weakly.
"Please...you have to believe me...I was only trying to do what's right..." He gasps, imploring Monroe to believe him. "He's a killer...a monster...he's a Grimm...!"
Monroe snarls again and his grip on the man's shirt tightens to the point of shredding cloth. "He's my Grimm! And if you ever come near him again I'll make sure you stay alive long enough to watch me tear out your heart." The ringleader is trembling in his grip, eyes wide with fear, and its everything Monroe can do not to rip his throat out right then.
"Monroe!" Roddy is suddenly at his side, tugging against his arm fruitlessly; it's like pulling against an iron bar. "Monroe, come on! We need to get Nick and get out of here! Come on, man!"
Monroe regains some control over his senses and slams the ringleader into the wall one last time before releasing him. The man crumbles to the floor in a heap and stays there, dazed and terrified. Monroe turns back toward the cage and sees that Barry and Holly have taken care of the Nachtkrapp; "taken care of" in pissed off teenage Wesen terms means they're in a bloody pile of tangled and broken limbs on the floor of the trailer. None of them are moving and Monroe doesn't particularly care, all he cares about is Nick.
The younger man is still at the bottom of the cage, motionless and silent. He's pale, paler than he'd been when Monroe first arrived in the trailer, and his breathing is raspy and weak. He runs into the cage and scoops him up, mindful of the injuries, and cradles him close. "Come on Nick, time to go home..." The Grimm doesn't respond but then Monroe hadn't really expected him too, his head simply lolls to one side against Monroe's shoulder and he hangs in his arms limply like a broken rag doll.
Barry's eyes narrow at the sight of the beaten Grimm and Holly looks like she's ready to cry but neither of them say anything as they follow him out. Roddy already has the backdoor to the truck open and he climbs inside as Monroe approaches the truck, reaching out and carefully pulling Nick into the backseat. Holly climbs in after him, cradling Nick's head in her lap, and Monroe and Barry take the front seat. Monroe casts one more murderous look at the trailer as Barry shifts the truck into drive and pulls away from the sideshow and the circus all together.
_
________________
They're barely out of the parking lot before the questions and the talking starts and it sounds like the hum of static in Monroe's ears.
"What the hell was that?"
"They were keeping Nick in a cage like a dog!"
"They hurt Nick!"
"Jesus man, he's really bleeding back here..."
Monroe shakes his head to clear his vision and his thoughts before he answers; that blow to the head must have been a bit harder than he originally thought. "They were using him to bring in money...just like you said..." He chances a glance into the backseat at Roddy but the Reinigen isn't looking at him, he's focused on Nick. He has one hand pressed over the wound in Nick's side and the other pressed over his heart, watching him breathe with fearful eyes. Holly has huge, crocodile tears hovering in her eyes and she's stroking Nick's hair absently, her long finger shaking each time she runs them through his hair. Nick is completely unconscious, dark hair falling over his eyes and one arm dangling limply over the edge of the seat. The bloody bandage on his side is dark with fresh blood and tiny rivets of red at trickling down his side; if the smell bothers anyone in the car no one shows it.
"You should have killed him," Barry growls, drawing Monroe's attention back to the front. "That bastard...you should have ripped his throat out when you had the chance..."
Monroe sighs and shakes his head. "It wouldn't have solved anything...he won't come for Nick again..."
"How can you be sure?" Barry asks, glaring daggers out the darkened windshield like the road had somehow personally offended him. "You don't know he won't come back. Threats only last for so long before the fear wears off. We took his biggest attraction, the source of his income, and you think he won't try to come back and take him again?"
"He won't, Barry," Monroe insists because he has to believe he was right about not killing him outright. He has to believe that he took the higher road.
"But he could! You can't be sure! You can't be sure he'll never come back for Nick unless he's dead!"
"Well, I'm not a killer!"
"You say that now but he had no problem trying to off you before we got there so how does that make things any different?"
"Because I'm not like him!"
"Hey guys..." Roddy says from somewhere in the back seat but neither of them are paying attention to him.
"You should have killed him when you had the chance to make sure something like this never happens again!"
"Violence isn't always the answer, Barry! Killing someone shouldn't be the go-to plan every time something bad happens!"
"Guys..." Roddy says again and once again it goes unheeded.
"Did you see what they did to him? How they were treating him? You think he would have thought twice about saving Nick if it ever came down to it? He would have killed him if it didn't make him so much money! He would have killed him and left his body in a gutter and you just let him walk away!"
"Guys!" Roddy snaps and there's an urgency in his voice that doesn't go unnoticed this time. Both Monroe and Barry stop their shouting match and look in the backseat, eyes landing on the terrified Reinigen. "Something's wrong...he's...I don't know if he's still breathing..."
"What!" Monroe chokes, a hollow crash in the pit of his stomach making his voice come out as little more than a croak. He's bounding over the seat before he realizes it and is only vaguely aware of Barry pulling off to the side of the road.
Roddy still has his hand pressed over Nick's heart and his other hand is squeezing the detective's limp hand in his own. Holly is trembling, her long hair falling across her face, and she's shaking Nick gently like she's trying to wake him up. The Grimm is lifeless in her lap, head lolled to the side and dark eyes closed from view; he honestly looks like a corpse. Monroe is at his side in an instant, kneeling on the floorboards and pressing his fingers to the younger man's throat. Nick's pulse is weak and thready, getting weaker by the second, and he's not breathing. Monroe curses viciously.
"Oh God..." he mutters and for a terrifying second he freezes. Nick is literally dying right in front of him and he doesn't know what to do. He thinks of every fairy tale, every bedtime story he's ever heard that might help in this situation but comes up blank every time. There's absolutely nothing in Grimm's book of fairy tales that says what to do when your sort of best friend is in the middle of respiratory arrest in the backseat of a Hummer after being kidnapped by carnies. He curses again because damn it all, he did not come all this way to find Nick to have him freakin' die in the backseat!
"Monroe, do something!" Roddy begs and there's tears in his eyes that refuse to fall. Holly is saying Nick's name over and over again in a sort of broken voice that makes his stomach clench and Barry looks like he's one step away from losing his composure like the rest of them. Monroe looks back at Nick, taking in his pale face and the bluish tint his lips are beginning to take on, and knows he needs to do something fast. He'd taken a First Aid class back in college but that had been years ago and he never actually thought he would use it. He knew how to wrap a Band-Aid and that was about it. Still, he couldn't let Nick die and he had to try something so he dug up all the old lectures over First Aid he'd taken and searched for something that might be of use.
He reaches out, tilting Nick's head up a bit and sitting up on his knees so he's positioned above him. He just barely remembered the basics of mouth-to-mouth and really the only reason he remembered it at all was because the instructor for that day had been incredibly hot. He shakes his head, he can't think about that right now, and goes back to the task at hand. Nick's skin feels cool and clammy against his fingers as he pinches his nose shut and he suppresses a shiver that works its way up his spine. He leans forward, feeling entirely too self-conscious for his own good when he realizes all the kids are watching him, but he knows there's no other way around it. Sorry dude, you're probably going to have wicked beard rash from this but...
He closes his mouth over Nick's, fighting to ignore the coolness of the younger man's lips against his own, and breathes into him. From the corner of his eye he can see Nick's chest rise just a bit beneath Roddy's hand. The Reinigen looks only slightly relieved and nods to him to continue. "It's working!"
Monroe nods briefly and breathes for him again, trying to recall other little tidbits of information from his first aid training as he goes. Nick needs a hospital, there's no denying that, but they need to keep him alive long enough to get to a hospital too. He breathes again, silently encouraging Nick to just freakin' breathe already and help them out a little. Come on Nick...come back to us...
There's a sputtering cough and Nick's body jerks in Holly's lap, his eyes squeezing shut in pain. Roddy lets out a relieved laugh and Holly is smiling through her tears but their relief is short lived when Nick goes still again. Monroe reaches out, grinding his knuckles into Nick's sternum and rubbing them back and forth roughly. "No, no, none of that...come on..." Nick gasps and groans, curling on one side and managing to regain what little consciousness he has left. His breathing is harsh and ragged but at least he is breathing and for now that's all that matters.
Monroe sighs, letting out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding, and runs a hand through his hair. "Idiot Grimm..." He mumbles affectionately, reaching out to cup Nick's face. The younger man's skin is still clammy and cool against his own but he's breathing and alive and Monroe honestly can't complain right now. Holly and Roddy are hovered all around him, touching his face, hair, neck, chest, anything they can to convince themselves he's still alive. They both look terrified and Monroe can't really blame them, he's not too calm and confident at the moment right now either. Still, he needs to keep it together for a little while longer, just until they can find a hospital.
"You two keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't take a turn for the worst again," Monroe says and Holly and Roddy nod quickly, turning their attention back to the now barely conscious Grimm. Seeing that Nick is in good hands for the time being, Monroe climbs back over the seat and settles back into the passenger side. Barry is looking at him with wide, panicked eyes, waiting for instructions. Monroe just looks at him grimly; he can taste Nick's blood in his mouth. "Find us a hospital. Fast."