Will walked into Magnus' office. She was sitting at her desk with a stack of books in front of her. She looked up as he walked in. "Will, I have a favor to ask of you. I have a friend who is coming in on the train today. Would you please pick her up for me?" She asked as she looked back in the book that was open on her desk.
"Sure, anyone special? A new abnormal? Maybe someone famous?" He smirked.
"Her name is Emily. She's coming to stay at the Sanctuary for a while." Helen Magnus closed the book she was looking at. She stood up, walked to the fireplace and embraced the warmth from it.
"Emily," he sighed, "ok, what time does her train come in?" Will asked as he walked around the couch to sit down.
"In less than an hour, so you may as well head out to get her. I know it's short notice, but you were supposed to be here a while ago."
"All right, I'm on my way. How will I know her?"
"Don't worry about that, she'll find you."
Will left the office and headed to get Emily from the train station.
* * * * * * *
Will walked into the station looking around. He stood in the middle of the large room surrounded by people. How they go about their daily life without knowing all that he knows. He remembers being one of those, oblivious of what lurks in the corners. That was a simpler life, but no way near as fulfilling.
"Excuse me, Will?" Asked a voice from behind him.
"Yes, are you Emily?" Will asked as he turned around.
She nodded. Emily was in her mid 30s. Not a bit what he expected. Her hair was shoulder length and light brown, almost a blonde. Her eyes were sad and deep brown. She looked as if she were hiding behind them. They were almost cold. "Can we go now, please? I'm not good in crowds." She said quietly.
"Of course, do you need to get any bags?"
"No, I have everything."
The drive back to the Sanctuary entailed little talking in the car. Will would ask Emily a question and get one or two word answers, until they reached the gates of the Sanctuary.
"Is that it?" Emily asked. Her eyes gazed up at the structure before her. "It's more beautiful than I imagined. Look at the architecture! Whoa." She stared at the Sanctuary as they drove around to the doorway.
* * * * * * *
Will showed Emily the way into the sanctuary. "Magnus should be in her office." He said as they started to walk down the hall. "We'll head that way."
Helen turned the corner of the hall. "I thought I saw you come in." Helen started. "Emily, I'm so glad you made it here safely."
"Helen, it's so good to see you." Emily walked to Helen and gave her a light hug. "Thank you so much for letting me come stay here. I really appreciate it."
"Of course," Helen shooed Will away, "Thank you Will, we're going back to my office. We have plenty of catching up to do."
Helen and Emily walked into the office. The fire was still burning and the smell of it embraced Emily. She walked toward the fireplace and warmed her hands. Her eyes stared at the fire.
"Care for some tea? Earl Grey?" Helen offered. Emily nodded. She turned around and sat down in the oversized chair. Helen sat opposite her on the couch. "Now, how long will you be staying with us?"
"As long as you will allow me to stay." Emily looked at her tea. "I just needed to get away."
"You can stay for as long as you want. I became quite concerned when your emails stopped. That just isn't like you. Would you like to talk about that?"
Emily shook her head slightly. "I'd rather not." She perked up, "You said you have a large library here. May I look through it and catch up on some reading while I'm here?"
"Of course, you can go in there anytime you want to. I'll be glad to show you it when we're done with our tea." Helen knew that Emily was hiding something. She was concerned about her demeanor. Emily was not as vibrant as she used to be. She looked as if she had aged more than the 10 years since they'd met. There was a deep emptiness in her face. Almost as if all emotions had left her.
Once they were done with their tea, Helen showed Emily around. She showed her where they library was located, then headed toward the kitchen. Once in the kitchen, they met up with Henry. "Emily, I'd like you to meet Henry." Helen said.
Henry put the sandwich down that he was eating, wiped his mouth with his arm. "Hi" he mumbled through his mouthful of sandwich.
Emily just nodded, acknowledging him. She gave a small smile toward him as Helen showed her around the kitchen.
"Emily will be staying with us for a while," Helen said. "Please be kind to her, Henry. No antics."
Henry shrugged his shoulders.
"I have a room for you already," Helen added. "The Big Guy took your things there while I was showing you around." They headed out of the kitchen area back to the quarters. "I have to leave tomorrow to go to Berlin for a conference. I'm sorry I can't be here while you get settled in. I know you'll be fine though, Will and a few others will be around still. I think it would be good if you stopped in to talk with Will while I'm away. He can help you. He's quite capable of understanding more than it seems." They walked toward the last door in the hallway. "This is your room. If you need anything just ask. I will let Will know that you'll be stopping in to see him tomorrow. Let's say? 10am?"
Emily shrugged.
"Good, it's settled then. You get some rest. I will be back in three days."
"Thanks Helen. I really appreciate the help. Really." Emily walked into the room. Her backpack and bag were already placed neatly in the bedroom. The room was warm and relaxing. She walked to the bed and sat down. Staring at the cityscape out the window.
* * * * * * * * *
There was a knock on the door of his office. Will looked up from his desk. It was Magnus. She came in and stood in front of him. "While I'm gone at the conference, I need you to keep an eye on Emily. Something has changed in her. It concerns me greatly. It's been showing in our correspondence for some time now. She stopped emailing me several months ago, which is completely unlike her. I need you to make sure she is alright. Do you understand me?" Helen said as she leaned over the desk.
"Yea," Will scrunched his eyebrows. "I understand." He knew she was serious. The look of concern on her face was undeniable.
"I told her to be in your office at 10am tomorrow morning. If she is late, find her. My plane leaves at 8, so I won't be here. I am depending on you to take care of things while I'm away."
"Of course, Magnus. You know I will." Will knew that she could trust him. It wasn't like he had never been in charge of the sanctuary before. It was always a challenge when she was away, but it always worked out. Why would this time be any different? What was Magnus so concerned about. "You have safe trip." He said as she turned and walked out of the office.
* * * * * * * *
The glow of light shown from under the library door. It was the middle of the night, why would anyone be up at this hour, especially in the library? Henry walked into the library expecting to see the light had been left on accidentally. Instead, he saw Emily sitting quietly reading a book. She was sitting in a large leather chair. Her eyes were drooping with exhaustion, but she was not ready to turn in for the night.
"I thought I was the only one up at this crazy hour." Henry said, startling her. "Reading anything interesting?" He asked.
She shrugged. "I thought I would start at one end of the library and work my way across." She said as she glanced up from the book. It really had been an interesting book. It was about the vampire race. She knew of Helen's friend Nicola, but had not had the chance to meet him.
"Mind if I sit with you for a while?" He sat in the chair next to her. "What are you reading about?"
"Vampires, it's very interesting."
"Just what you want to read before going to bed, huh? Think you'll have nightmares from it?" He joked.
"This? Nightmares, no." she said as she looked back down she whispered, "Seen worse."
"So you're a friend of the doc?"
"Yea"
"Not one for sleeping?"
"No."
Henry was at a loss to continue the conversation. "Ok, well, I just saw the light on and wanted to make sure it was off if no one was in here. Would you turn it off when you leave?"
"Sure"
Henry got up and walked back to his room.
* * * * ** * * *
Will sat in his office. It was already after 10. Where was she? He got up and decided that he would go look for her. Emily was supposed to be in his office at 10am. He wondered if she had gotten lost in the sanctuary. He could understand that. There are so many twists and turns that it can confuse anyone. When he got to her room he knocked on her door. No answer. He knocked again a little louder. Still no answer. He quietly opened the door, unsure if she was asleep or not. The bed was still made, her bags had been disheveled. She clearly was here, but not in her room.
Will walked around, looking for her. He found Henry in his tech lab. "Have you seen Emily?" Will asked as he stood inside the doorframe.
"Saw her at about 3 in the library. She was reading. Not very talkative is she?" Henry said looking up from his computer.
"No, she's not. Thanks." Will left the lab and headed to the library. He walked into the library; usually it wasn't as quiet as it was right now. He could see her sitting with her back to the door. She must have fallen asleep while reading.
"Emily?" he said quietly as not to scare her out of her sleep. She stirred in the seat. "Emily, wake up." He sat in the chair across from her. He touched her hand gently.
Emily woke with a start. She almost jumped out of the seat. There was a look of complete fear in her eyes. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to scare you." Will said.
She breathed in deeply and let it go slowly. The color came back to her face. "It's ok" she said as she closed up the book that had almost fallen off her lap. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to fall asleep in here. What time is it?"
"Almost 11."
"I'm so sorry; I was supposed to meet you in your office at 10, wasn't I?" Her face flush with embarrassment, she looked down at the floor. "Let me just return this book to it's place."
"How much sleep did you get?" Will asked noticing that she seemed off balance when she stood up.
"I dunno." She walked to the shelf where she had gotten the book only a few hours before and slid it back into its designated space. She knew she would be back to read it later. "Ok, I'm ready, sorry."
"No need to apologize. I know it's difficult to sleep in a new place." They headed out of the library. Will was glad that he followed Helen's instructions. Somehow she knew that Emily would be late. He now wondered why.
They walked into this office. The light from the window was dim. It was a dreary day outside. It looked like it would be raining all day. Will offered her a seat in the nook of his office. There was an oversized loveseat with a small table next to it tucked into the nook. Next to it was another oversized chair.
"So, I guess Helen told you that I was supposed to be here at 10 huh?" She started.
"Yes, she seems deeply concerned about you."
"I'm fine." She stated.
"Well, would you care for anything to drink??
"No thanks, I'm fine." She sighed. "You the sanctuary shrink?"
Will smiled with that statement. He's thought about that before, but never wanted to say it that way. "I guess you can call me that."
"Great" she said looking back at the floor.
"So," Will started. "Tell me how you met Dr Magnus."
Emily looked at the window. It had been a long time since she'd thought about that day. "Well, Helen was in the area and we met. I think she planned it." She stated.
Will raised his eyebrows. That was a short answer. "Ok, so, what do you do? Are you working?"
"Yea, I work with the local police in their missing persons department."
"That must be stressful?"
"Yea." She paused. "Ok, just ask me what you want to know." She seemed to be getting angry.
"All right, why did you want to come here?"
"I needed to get away." She could feel the anxiety building in her. She started to itch everywhere. Why did this always happen. She never could understand. "I have a gift." She stated. "I can find people. People who are missing. I see what they see. I can't do it anymore. I needed to get out."
"That's an amazing gift. So you can actually see what someone is seeing?"
"Yes, it was really great at first. Then it became stronger. I can feel what people are feeling now. Sometimes even know what they're thinking."
"You've been able to find people this way?"
"Yes, by their surroundings, smells, memories, all sorts of things." Emily was finally opening up or so Will though.
They continued talking for a short while. As they talked Will could see that Emily was becoming more and more uncomfortable. She was scratching her arms, staring at her shoes, and slightly shaking. When he realized that she was shaking he decided that their time was up. "Emily, I appreciate you being so open with me. I think that you have done a wonderful job helping others."
She glanced up at his face, it took a moment, but she allowed her eyes to meet his. He looked at her with such concern. As quick as their eyes met, she looked away. She stood up from the loveseat to leave the room.
"You know, we can talk anytime. It doesn't have to be in here or at a designated time." Will said. He knew this was going to take some time to really find out what was going on inside her head. "You know, if you are having problems sleeping, I can give you something to help…"
"No," she interrupted him. "I can't." She was breathing deeply now. Almost hyperventilating. "Please don't make me." She was scared, almost terrified.
"It's ok," Will noticed her fear. "I'm not going to force it on you. I'm just concerned because you had such a difficult time last night."
"Don't worry about it." She walked out of the office.
Will wondered why she didn't accept his offer. He knew that she'd only gotten a couple hours of sleep. He turned, walked back to his desk and started to fill out some papers in her file.
* * * * * * * * *
The phone rang waking Will out of his sleep. "Hello?" he said sleepily. He glanced at the clock on the dresser. It read 1:23am. "Hello?" He repeated.
"I'm sorry for calling at such a late hour there. I'm looking for Dr Zimmerman." Said the voice on the other end.
"Yes, that's me" he said sitting up in his bed. The night seemed to go by quickly. "how can I help you?"
"This is Olauf VonAuschburg. I was expecting Dr Magnus to arrive by now. Was there any troubles in her travels?"
"Not that I'm aware of Olauf, she should have been there by now." With the question put in front of him, he was now wide awake. What happened to Magnus? He knew too many of her stories to know that anything could have happened.
"Well, if you hear from her, please ask her to call me. I will let the counsel know that she will be late." Olauf said.
"Yes, I will do that." There was a click on the other end. He quickly got himself together. Racing toward Kate and Henry's rooms. He woke each of them up. "Magnus never made it to the conference." He told them. "We need to find out what's going on, where she is." He stopped. His mind raced to Emily. He knew she could find her from what she told him earlier that day. Was it too much for her?
Henry, Kate and Will started calling. They checked with all their contacts. She was no where to be found. What about the Big Guy? Did he make it there with her? I'm sure they're fine. The Big Guy wouldn't let anything happen to her. Not after that thing with the ozone beetle. Will thought.
* * * * * * * * * *
It had been several hours since Olauf had called. So far all they knew was that Magnus and the Big Guy had landed in Berlin. So they made it that far. After that their trail stops. Will sat at his desk. His hands holding his head. It throbbed from lack of sleep and stress. He stared at the computer monitor in front of him. He wondered where they could be when there was a knock on the door. He looked up at the door. It was Emily.
"Do you have a moment?" she said.
He gathered his thoughts. "Of course, how can I help you?" He asked even though he wanted to ask her for help. He knew that would be their last resort.
"I wanted to apologize for my outburst yesterday. I shouldn't have gotten upset when you offered to help me with my lack of sleep." She started. She was still looking lower than his face. She saw that Will seemed to be upset about something. "It looks like I came at a bad time. I'm sorry. I'll let you get back to what you're working on."
"Magnus is missing." Will blurted out. "She was supposed to arrive in Berlin last night. She got on the plane and it landed, but after that we don't know what happened."
Emily's face became pale. She shook her head. "No, there's no way." She turned around and quickly walked out the door and down the hall. She reached for the elevator button but her arm was stopped by Will's hand. He grabbed her arm.
"Look, I know this is hard for you. I know there is so much more that we need to talk about. But Magnus is missing, so is the Big Guy. I need your help." He spoke quickly, "Please help me find them." He pleaded.
"I can't" She said and pressed the button. She stared at the elevator.
"Why? Why can't you do this? Why won't you help Helen? Did she even question your wanting to come here out of the blue like you did? No, she didn't. She set everything up for you and made sure you got here safely. Why can't you help her?" He was getting upset.
"You don't understand." She said. The elevator door opened. She stepped in, Will followed her.
"Then make me understand. Tell me why you won't do this." He demanded.
She pressed the inside button waiting for the door to close. She began to itch again. She could feel her heart beating inside her chest. The elevator seemed to be moving slowly. She wanted to return to her room and hide in there, away from Will and everyone else.
Will turned and pressed the stop button on the elevator. "I want to know, and I want to know now! Why won't you help her?"
She began to scratch her arms again. They itched more than ever. Even with her scratching them, they itched even more. Her chest was becoming tight, it was difficult to breathe.
Will noticed her behavior right away. This was an anxiety attack. He'd seen it yesterday during their talk, but nothing like it was becoming. He took a breath in and talked calmly to her. "Please Emily, tell me why." He said gently.
Emily looked up with pleading eyes. Her face became flush and warm. She'd felt this before. She knew what was coming. She leaned against the wall of the elevator. The wave of blackness came over her. She collapsed.
Will saw it happening, as if in slow motion. He tried to make sure she fell as gently as possible. Had he pressed her too hard? He stood up and pressed the button again on the elevator, allowing it to continue to the floor it was designated to go to. He crouched down by Emily. Her color was returning to normal, but she wasn't waking up. It felt like hours until the doors opened, even though it had only been a minute or two. When the doors opened, Henry was standing outside them.
Henry saw Emily on the floor. "She ok?" He asked.
"We were talking," Will said quickly, "and she just collapsed. I think it was a panic attack. Let's get her to the infirmary and make sure she's ok."
* * * * * * * *
"Still no luck?" Will asked as Kate came in shaking her head. He had been in the infirmary with Emily for about an hour now.
"No, think Druid got a hold of her?" Kate asked.
"I don't think so, but you never know."
"What's up with sleeping beauty?"
"She collapsed in the elevator. She should have woken up by now." Will said looking over at her. He had an IV in already, as he noticed that she was severely dehydrated. "Keep looking. She's out there."
Emily stirred on the bed. She could hear the voices in the room, but was unsure whose they were. She could see a bright light coming from another room.
Kate left the room. Will stood by Emily. "Hey," he said gently. "How are you feeling?" He asked.
Emily turned her head away from him. She did not answer. She opened her eyes and looked away from her new found friend. She felt exhausted, as if she had run a marathon.
"I'm sorry I pressed you. I shouldn't have. My emotions got the best of me." Will apologized.
"It's ok, you're worried about Helen. I am too." She still kept her glance low. She slowly sat up in the bed. "What happened?"
"You had a panic attack." The answer didn't seem to surprise her. "You'll be fine. You're dehydrated too, that's why I gave you an IV. When did you eat last?"
She shrugged. She honestly had no idea. The last couple of days were a blur in time. "Well, Henry's making you something to eat." He continued. "Can you please help me find Magnus?"
Emily took a deep breath, "yes" she said quietly. She closed her eyes and took another breath. She sat quietly for a moment or two on the bed. Her breathing became deep and slow.
Henry walked in with a sandwich for Emily. "Dinner is served" he said as he realized that the room was quiet. "What's going on?" he asked Will.
Will motioned for Henry to be quiet. They stood there waiting. Emily was still sitting with her eyes closed. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and looked up.
"She's fine. She's with Olauf."
Will picked up his cell phone and called Magnus. "Magnus?" He said as she answered her phone.
"Will, hello. I'm sorry I didn't call you earlier. We were delayed in customs. I apologize for any worry it has caused you." She said smiling at the other end. The room she was in was full of amazing antiques. "We will be staying an extra day so I will see you the day after tomorrow."
Will put his phone down, "She's right, Magnus is fine." Emily was still sitting quietly on the bed, eyes closed. She opened her eyes. Anger filled her face. She pulled the IV out, got up off the bed and stormed out of the room.
"What? She didn't want a sandwich?" Henry joked.
Emily was full of anger. She walked faster than she had before. Her arms were itchy again. She began to scratch them. This time she couldn't control the itch. She found a window seat to sit by. Will and Henry weren't too far behind her.
"Emily?" Will called to her. "What's wrong?"
"It was a set up. She knew I would give in. She just knew. I don't want to use this anymore. I can't stand it. I hate seeing what other people can see. I hate feeling what they can feel." She was in tears now. "I've seen things that people should never see." She continued to scratch her arms. She was sobbing uncontrollably. Will noticed that her scratching became digging. Her arms were bleeding now.
"Stop," he said gently stopping her hands.
"I'll get some bandages" Henry said as he went back to the infirmary.
"You'll be ok." He said gently. Her gaze was focused on the floor. He sat next to her on the window seat. He gently put his arm around her, allowing her to lay her head in the nook of his shoulder. She cried for what seemed to her like an eternity.
* * * * * * * * * *
The sun was shining outside the bedroom window. Emily turned away from the light. The sunlight hurt her eyes. She was unsure about how long she had been asleep. It was not a normal sleep; she didn't seem to have any dreams. She could hear someone moving around. She slowly opened her eyes. Sunk in the chair next to her bed was Will, sound asleep. How long had he been there? How long had she slept?
Will stirred slowly waking up. "Hey," he said as he saw she was awake. "How are you feeling?"
"Alright." She answered. "What happened?"
"Henry came back with a sedative beside bandages."
Emily looked at her arm. It was real, it did happen. She couldn't believe that she dug her finger nails into her arm. "I'm sorry; I don't know what I was thinking. I feel like I've been such a burden to you since I got here."
"I don't mind, what are friends for?"
Emily slowly sat up in her bed. The room was quiet and the sunlight peeked through the curtains. "How long did I sleep?"
"I kept you out for a while. You were exhausted. Magnus will be home shortly."
"How long did I sleep?"
"About 14 hours."
"Thanks." Emily looked at the blankets avoiding eye contact with Will. "Did she really do this on purpose?"
"No, she didn't." Will stood up. "I bet you're hungry. Are you up to going into the kitchen with me for something to eat?"
"Sure, can you let me change first?" Emily said as she realized she was still wearing the clothing she arrived in a few days earlier.
* * * * * * * * *
Will was seated in his office, behind his desk when Magnus walked in.
"Will, have you seen Emily?" She said realizing that Emily was sitting in the oversized loveseat in his office reading a book. "Emily, I'm so glad you're alright. I must apologize, I never meant for you to use your gift. I know that must have been very difficult for you. Please understand that it was not planned. Things really didn't go well for us when we got to Berlin." Magnus sat in the chair next to her. She reached out her hand and gently laid it on Emily's
"I know. It wasn't your fault. I guess the stress of things just got to me. I'm sorry." Emily said looking up at her friend. "I should have known. You are too caring of a person to torment anyone like that."
"I'm glad you understand. Would you like to join me for some tea in my office? I would love to tell you of the things I saw while in Berlin." Helen said standing up.
"Sounds good." Emily turned to Will. "Can I leave the book in here for now? I'll come back in a little while for it." This was the first time that she made complete eye contact with him while talking to him.
Will nodded. "Sure." He smiled knowing that progress had been made.