A/N: This is set in season 1 after Requiem but before Revelations. Translation: after the submarine ep. but before Ashley *cough,dies,cough*. High five to Selective SciFi Junkie for inspiration. Dedicated to the Druitt Diehards.

Deep Trouble

Henry ran as though his life depended on it. His bare feet slapped against the flagstone floor and he grimaced at the feeling as he wished he had his shoes on. His heart hammered in his chest and he could feel the blood thundering through his head. His breathing was deep and ragged with the effort he was putting into running. He couldn't lose this one. He could hear footfalls speeding along behind him. This was going to be close. He couldn't allow himself to be caught up.

Henry skidded as he ran out of the corridor and into the main entrance hall of the Sanctuary, the change in direction making him lose valuable seconds. His pursuer exited the corridor barely a second after him and thoughtlessly ploughed into his side without any semblance of control, knocking him flying across the room to rest with his face against the wall.

He scrambled to his feet and took off through the front door after his opponent, who had overtaken him with the advantage of the precious seconds he had spent crashing into the wall. They raced down the driveway to the main perimeter gate but Henry couldn't find the extra burst he needed to win and ended his run, stopping himself by slamming into the wall next to the gate.

"Winner winner, chicken dinner!" crowed Ashley as she pulled open the front gate and grinned at the startled delivery man waiting patiently next to the buzzer.

"Ooooeurgh," came Henry's muffled and winded response.

"Where's the chinese takeaway?" she asked, peering around the man in front of her who was suspiciously empty handed.

"I have a delivery for a Doctor Magnus," said the courier.

"Is it chinese?" she asked hopefully.

"I don't think so."

"Is it from China?"

"I, uh, I don't know. It came from the depot." He stepped back and indicated a packing crate the size of a large refrigerator.

"Ooh a box," said Henry, now standing next to Ashley his loss forgotten as he stared enthralled with the mysterious box. "I wonder what's in it. Don't you want to know? Man that is freakin' huge."

"Not really. I want my takeaway. How long does it take?" she grumbled. "Are they out killing the dogs they put in the food!"

"Hey!"

"Sorry. I meant cats."

"Where is the Doc, anyway?" asked Henry, as Ashley signed for the delivery.

"Sweet talking the cops after that, how did she put it? 'Completely unnecessary, utter fiasco', we found ourselves in last night."

"Ahhh, that," he said knowingly.

"Yes, that."

"Cheers dude," Henry said to the delivery man as he left them to it. "Ash, don't you want to know what's in the box?" he asked as they dragged the box in through the front gate and on to Sanctuary property.

"Nope. It'll no doubt be something old, dusty and boring. Or worse, educational."

"Maybe it's your birthday present," he said, nudging her. "Maybe she got you the... you know what."

Ashley paused, her head tilted slightly to the side as she considered this thought. Henry smirked, he had her.

"I guess... it might have come open in transit," she mused.

"Sure, and we had to check it wasn't damaged, right?"

"Right."

"Well, take it inside then."

"It's too big. The Big guy should get it."

"He drove Mom to the cop shop."

"As buff as I am Ash," Henry started to say but was rudely interrupted as Ashley snorted with laughter earning herself a glare. He continued with a sniff. "I cant lift that. We should open it and then we can carry the actual, uh… birthday present. And get the box later."

They stared at the box tingling with anticipation. The last time they had felt like this it had been Christmas, last Christmas in fact. Ashley passed Henry a hunting knife she just happened to have stashed in her boot.

"Why do you have a knife? Isn't that dangerous, especially when you're running?"

"You never know when you might need one, Henry, you never know."

Henry reached forward and touched the crate, looking for somewhere to prise the box open.

A sudden change in air pressure behind them and a muffled thunderclap made them both jump in surprise. The knife in Henry's hand was thrown up in the air and came down and landed behind them. They whirled around to face the intruder, Henry jumped behind Ashley with his back against the crate.

"What's in the box?" asked Druitt, twirling the knife through his fingers like the consummate professional he was.

"Nuh-nuh-nuh nothing, we weren't doing anything, it came open by itself," protested Henry.

"See, you never know when you might need a knife," Ashley hissed at Henry over her shoulder. She turned back to Druitt and shrugged, "Dunno. Did you really have to do that? I could have stabbed you."

Druitt gave her a look which said he didn't think that would ever be a worry of his.

"It would be folly to teleport onto the premises with the EM shield up, so I came to the front entrance. It is the conventional way of entering a building, is it not?"

Ashley was torn between wanting to keep a suspicious eye on Druitt and the gnawing need to know what was in the damn box. She looked from one to the other, the box won in the end and she accepted his presence for the time being. They all eyed the delivery. It was a curiously big box and no one had been expecting anything.

"Maybe Mom's discovered internet shopping and gone crazy."

"She doesn't have a credit card, remember? Cos yours got 'stolen' and someone bought a rocket launcher with it and then 'somehow' you found the Doc's and tried to buy a jet pack with it and she went nuts and cancelled everyone's cards and we have to go through that stupid application process to buy anything. Do you know how hard that makes my job? I cant even buy batteries without having to submit a form."

"Man up Henry. Use cash."

"Ahem," they turned to face Druitt who had been listening to the tirade with puzzlement. He handed Ashley back her knife.

"Good blade. Although you should use a single sided blade, it's better if you need to sharpen it frequently."

"Which I don't," said Ashley, sounding a little creeped out as she thought about where he had picked up that little tip from. "What are you doing here?" she asked him warily. "Mom's not here."

"I know. That's why I'm here."

Henry's grip tightened on Ashley's shoulder which she tried to shrug off without Druitt seeing. The Sanctuary team, Ashley especially, found themselves unsure of themselves when it came to Druitt. On one hand he had helped them out of a few predicaments, was polite, and general feeling was that he meant them no harm. On the other hand he was Jack the Ripper, which unsurprisingly raised a few trust issues.

"What do you want?"

"If I told you, I'd have to kill you," he said, with a cool, unblinking stare.

Henry yelped and ran back into the Sanctuary. Ashley stayed where she was and called after Henry's fast retreating form.

"Henry, he's joking! Henry! Aww man. What did you have to do that for? He'll be back with a gun and he'll call Mom and that'll make her even more angry."

"Where is your mother?"

"At the police station. There was a little incident last night which she had to... smooth over. We're not allowed to leave the Sanctuary until she gets back and probably not even then," she admitted with a sigh.

"I see. You've been grounded."

"We're not grounded," said Ashley indignantly. "We're erring on the side of caution. It's best not to argue with her when she's in that kind of mood."

"Indeed."

"So, why are you here?"

"I borrowed something. I am simply returning it."

"Does Mom know you borrowed it?"

Druitt ignored the query. "What is in the box?"

Seeing that she wasn't going to get an answer from him she turned back to the box and prised the lid open. It was full to the brim with the polystyrene packing things which may seem cool to start with but soon turn nightmarish when they escape the box and go everywhere. Just like Nubbins. Ashley jumped up and hooked her arms over the side of the box and rummaged through the white foam. She leaned deeper and deeper into the box trying to find the mystery item.

"Is it the jet pack?" An unexpected voice startled her and she overbalanced and tumbled head first into the box. She peered back out over the edge and glared at Henry who was in somewhat false safety, standing at the opposite side of the box to Druitt.

"No, chicken. It's not the jet pack. I had to cancel that order," she muttered, still bitter over the whole incident.

Henry dared a glance at Druitt who was watching him with unconcealed amusement.

"I've found it!" Ashley held a glass jar up over her head triumphantly.

"What is it?"

She shook it vigorously, which if Magnus had been there to see would have made her wince with alarm.

"It's some kind of clear liquid."

"Are you kidding me? A jar of water! I don't think I've ever been more disappointed. That huge, massive box and all that's in it is some water. Is this some kind of a joke!" said Henry in mild outrage. He leaned over and whispered his confession in Ashley's ear. "I couldn't leave you alone with him. I don't think he should be here when Magnus isn't."

"I can handle him," she whispered back as they examined the jar.

Henry doubted that but wisely didn't say so aloud. "Ash, I really think you should get him to go. The Doc will freak."

"She wont freak. She never freaks."

"She wont be happy."

He was right, again. Ashley turned to Druitt.

"You've got ten minutes to return whatever it is that you stole and then you have to leave. You know you're not supposed to be here."

Druitt inclined his head in acknowledgement.

"Henry, take this to the lab.," ordered Ashley, doing a passable impersonation of her mother. "I'll stay with Druitt 'til he leaves."

"Are you sure?" asked Henry.

"Sure, I'm sure. What's the worst that could happen?"