A/N: Written for TVNETWORK2_LAS prompt Blurred lines. Beta-read by Tania.
Helen Magnus thought of herself as a patient person. When someone lived as long as she had, it was kind of a must. So when Will all of a sudden started moping around the Sanctuary moodily, she let him, figuring if something was troubling him, he would come to her. But days went by and the matter didn't seem to solve itself. Even the patience of Helen Magnus had its limit. When Will failed to come to dinner, she decided it was enough, and went to look for her wayward protege.
"I didn't peg the roof as your favorite hiding place," she spoke as she walked up to him, leaning against the wall, watching the city below. Will turned, startled from his thoughts.
"Oh, hey. Were you looking for me?"
"I was wondering what could be a good reason to skip dinner - again. Penny for your thoughts?"
Will quirked his lips, throwing her a sheepish look.
"Might want to raise the price a little. They're quite heavy."
"I noticed. Any way I can help with that?"
Will shook his head, then shrugged, unsure. Silence fell between them for several minutes and Magnus was just about to speak, to try and get an explanation some other way, when Will finally spoke up.
"I was just wondering how everything changed. I'm not sure where the lines are anymore."
"What lines, Will?"
Will grit his teeth, then let out a sigh.
"Between right and wrong. Every day, we do stuff that goes against the law. Hacking into computers, taking people... No, abnormals... Off the street just before the cops pounce on them. Every day, there are decisions that just... Seem too much for one person. You get what I mean?" He asked wide eyed, and Helen put a hand on his shoulder.
"Someone has to make those decisions, Will, you know that."
Will nodded, running a hand over his hair.
"Yeah, I know. It's just... Stuff that has happened lately, it made me think. If I'm doing the right thing. If one day I won't overstep that line and do something... Something I shouldn't."
Helen frowned, thinking abut the last few days. There must've been something that sent Will on this spiral of doubt.
"Oh Will," she sighed when the answer came to her. Squeezing his shoulder, she gave a small nod. "What happened? When you and Henry were trying to catch Amy?"
Amy was a fifteen year old girl, a pyrokinetic that caused several fires. While the first few were accidental, once she figured out what she could do, Amy got her mind set on revenge against all the wrong that was done to her in life. Which ended with her step-father burning alive. The Sanctuary team was hot on her heals after that, and they managed to corner her in an alley, where she made Henry's jacket catch fire. While Henry was busy trying to get the thing down and douse the flames crawling up his arm, Will took off after Amy.
Magnus wasn't sure what happened during the chase. She managed to cut Amy off in one of the side streets with the car. The teenager bumped into the hood and was momentarily stunned... Long enough for Magnus to sedate her. Helen remembered that Will was right behind the girl, breathing hard. When Magnus raised her eyebrows in question, he just shook his head and turned, walking away to check up on Henry.
"Will?" Magnus prompted.
"When she turned Henry on fire... I hesitated. I didn't know whether to check on him or chase after Amy. But Henry shouted at me to go, so I went. Amy was fast, but I was gaining on her, until we ended up in the street behind the theater. It was a dead end and there was no way out. I had her trapped, literally. All I needed to do was take aim and shoot."
"What happened?"
"A cop happened," Will gave an unhappy chuckle. "He saw me, pointing a gun at Amy. He wanted me to drop it. I lowered the stunner, tried to explain, but he didn't listen and I could just see the light in Amy's eyes... You know, how her eyes flare up just before something starts to burn? And I wasn't even sure who would be the victim, me or the cop... but I was the one holding the stunner and I knew the cop couldn't tell the difference between it and a real gun. I knew he would shoot the moment something happened, so... I shot first. I stunned the cop and Amy escaped."
"You didn't have any other choice, Will." Magnus tried to convince him, but Will shook his head.
"It's not that easy, Magnus. I shot a cop and I let the killer run. What the hell's wrong with me?"
"Nothing, Will. You did what you had to do. I know it's hard and sometimes, the things we do seem to be on the wrong side of the line. But you must know by now, after all you have seen, that the world isn't black and white. In our work, the lines get blurred more often than not. It's not easy, but it's the way it is. You can either go with it and try to do your best, or leave. And I don't want you to leave," she said, her voice strong but kind. Will looked into her eyes for a long moment, before his lips finally cracked up in a smile.
"Thanks. I just... Needed to think this through. You know psychiatrists, always analyzing."
"That's one of the reasons I picked you, Will," Helen smiled and patted his arm. There were things Will had to figure out by himself, but there was time.
The End