Nam et Unus

Patricia POV

I stood at the top of the buildings, looking out over the city. This was my favorite thing to do. It was night time and the moon shown bright in the sky. For hours I can stand at the top of this tower and stare out over the city, my city. As royalty it is expected that I watch what was deemed mine at my birth. 300 years cannot change that, even if I didn't want it. I have spent years watching over these people, protecting them. I follow my flesh and blood around, though she thinks me dead. She looks remarkable for someone only three quarters what she is. She doesn't even know.

The night is my comfort zone and as I stand on top of the building I look to the water at the old church, at the North Tower, where she stands. I can see her, her hair dyed and her eyes as unnaturally blue as mine are. She never suspected she was abnormal before she took the blood, but she will be needed for her true people, for them to know that one of the Lost One's has been found. She can't see me but she can feel my stare, as I look at her from a mile away. I am the Vita Mater and she is the Filia Vitam. I will see her again soon; this is what I tell myself as I descend the building to make my way to my home. "Happy birthday, my princeps, may you live well." I say in her direction.

Helen's POV

I stand on the edge of the North Tower in the night, over the city that I have come to call home. I know I'm being watched, it is only a fading feeling, I have felt watched for all of my life, natural and unnatural. It is the feeling of being watched over, not stalked as some would say. This feeling has become a comfort, like a child goes to her mother when she is troubled. I didn't have that. My mother died when I was small. Like William, I learned without the aid of a mother. I did not let that happen to my daughter, I never could. Perhaps I am being watched by the spirit of my mother. I feel at home in the night. It is peaceful and secure. The moonlight shows us things that one does not see in daylight.

The door opens behind me and I know who it is, the little boy I saved, now a man. "Will, join me wont you?" I ask, turning to look at him. He smiles and nods, moving to grip the pole, he is afraid of heights but he stands beside me if I ask. It makes me proud. I love him, I shouldn't, but I do. Henry and Ashley have grown up together, the used to be like siblings, but now they are more, Henry made his move on her and I am glad that they are happy, maybe I will have a grandchild or two, one day. Will is the shy one, he doesn't ask for much, but now the fear is evident in his eyes. I turn to him again, "Would you like to see the garden?" I ask him. He looks at me and nods, almost like an eager boy. I take his hand and lead him to my garden. This is my work of art, known to few in the world. I enjoy the peacefulness of plant life and I've always done well with it.

The garden is not small, by any means. Will has never seen it with the eight foot high hedge maze that I planted the summer after I moved here, or the flower beds with night blooming flowers that seem to glow when I walk past them. In the day light there are roses of nearly every color, each having their own beds. There are various lilies and other exotic plant life. I have fruit trees and bushes, each pruned and shaped and cared for by my own hand. Today was my birthday, I had spent it weeding and trimming and lounging in the maze and the beds. I swam in the pool that is housed in the center of the maze.

"Wow, who takes care of all of this, it's like it came straight out of a fairytale?" Will asks, leaning over to look at the night lilies, glowing silver in the moonlight. I smile and smack his hand when he goes to touch them. "Ouch." He turns to me and I quirk my eyebrow at him.

"No touching my handiwork, I spent all day out here getting caught up and I won't have you ruining the petals." I smile as he computes what I said. He smiles and nods in apology. He grabs my hand and starts running towards the maze, dragging me like we are small children on a playground. "Will, where are you trying to take me?" I laugh as we enter the maze. He looks both ways trying to decide what which path to take. I grab his hand. It is my turn to drag him around.

After awhile I get bored just walking letting him try to find the center without my help. I want to swim, I know the way. "I'll be waiting in the center for you." I tell him and run off before he can truly follow. He yells after me. In three minutes I find my way to the center. I walk over to the pool and slip off a shoe, dipping a toe in. I find the water warm and soothing. The lights showing through the waterfall at the end and in the pool itself, today they are lavender. Unable to wait I strip down to my bra and panties, leaving my shoes and dress in a pile on the ground before running to the end of the pool and diving into the deep end. I surfaced and got out, running to the other end of the clearing and waited for him to show up.

Will's POV

I heard splashing in the distance and decided to follow the sound. In a few minutes I found the center and walked over to the edge of the magnificent pool. I looked at my feet and realized that the pile of clothes was the dress and shoes that Magnus had been wearing, which suggested that she was in the pool or somewhere close. I walked around the pool taking in the architecture and coloring of it. The center of this maze was large and there were more flowers and benches here placed around the center and still looking very much like something out of a fairytale. I heard giggling behind me just before bare arms came around. Her wet body dampened the back of my clothes as I tried to get away from her without dumping us both in the pool. She immediately let go and before I could turn around she was gone again. I laughed out loud. "Magnus, where did you go?" my response was more giggles.

"You don't want to get all of your clothes wet do you?" I could hear the laughter in her voice as she taunted me. She was feeling playful, I can do playful. I smirked and walked over to her clothes picking them up I turned in a slow circle.

"Magnus, I will dump your clothes into the pool if you don't come out." I said to thin air knowing that she would hear me. I waited for a response.

"William, go ahead, you'll only wake up with no clothes in your closet if you do." She was laughing. I never would have thought her one for pranks, but then again, she always was a mystery and she did hate to disappoint. I smiled and lay the clothes back down on the ground as she came out from behind one of the larger rose bushes. My mind about stopped when I saw her.

She was wearing nothing except her underwear and bra. They were black and red lace, her wet hair still dripping from the pool was clinging to her shoulders and breasts making her look like an angel of the night. Her flat stomach and long legs added to the mystery. She smirked.

"I take it you like what you see or you wouldn't be drooling?" she asked. I was too mesmerized to do anything but nod in agreement. She walked towards me and smiled warmly. "I'm going to swim some more, if you would like, you may join me." She was calm as can be, just standing there in less clothing than I've ever seen her in, even while resuscitating her, offering me to join her for a swim. I was in heaven.

"Yes, I'd like to join you, but how are we going to get back to our rooms without being noticed?" I said tugging off my shirt and watching as she pulled off a perfect dive into the pool. I followed after tugging my jeans off as well, with a cannonball. When I came up for air she was at the other end of the pool, just floating on her back. She looked peaceful.

"We'll walk to my rooms, if you want, you can stay there, I have a passage that leads there, nobody would see us if you are worried about that." She said I was swimming towards her when I realized that her eyes were closed. I turned onto my back and floated like she was. I felt her leg brush up against mine and it was smooth and strong and then she was standing her head over mine looking down at me with so many things in her eyes. Fear, hope, sorrow, and something I'd never seen from her before, a look I didn't know. I reached up on impulse, cupping her cheek in one hand and running my thumb along her cheek bone.

"Only if you want it." That was my simple statement. In four years we had been through much and having Ashley back after so long was amazing. Tonight, something was changing between us. Over the years we had been the other's rock, for everything.

Helen's POV

"Only if you want it." That's what he said as he cupped my cheek looked me in the eye. I let him read me, through my eyes. He was the only one who could. I smiled and bent down just barely brushing my lips over his. The chaste kiss felt right. Will stood and pulled me into a hug I gripped him and we held each other for some time. I looked in his eyes and they spoke things. He leaned in with his nose brushing mine and our lips met in our first real kiss.

The passion and love I felt I tried to convey through the kiss. i ran my tongue along his lips begging him to open up and he did. I slipped my tongue in to duel with his, the simple act making my body ache for more. I pulled back and lead him to the stairs and out of the pool. Our swimming was done, I wanted something else, and I was going to have it.

Third Person.

While the two played in the garden, they were not aware of the woman standing on the other side of the wall, placing an envelope labeled FILIA VITAM in a crevice at the tunnel entrance. The figure smiled and walked into the house next door. Helen and Will moved back into the house not knowing that Ashley had exited and retrieved the envelope, placing it on her mother's desk for morning. The plan was set into motion now.