Title: Time
Author: Rhadeya
Rating: T (for now!)
Disclaimer: I don't own it, if I did I'd be working on it LOL!
Summary: A new abnormal at the London Sanctuary causes havoc...
Authors Notes: There is no slash here, not even a hint of it!

Declan McCrae stood on a small, flat section of roof near the top of the London Sanctuary, staring out at the night and trying to calm himself down. The area where he was standing was similar to the one near the top of the Old City Sanctuary, and had been added when they rebuilt after the super-abnormals attacked. It was a place he went to when life as Head of House became a little too much for him to handle; and this night was one such time. Given the losses they had sustained during the attack, nearly two years ago, he had been given permission to try and put a new team together but most of those he had given a trial to had failed miserably. One such failure had just left the building, aware of the consequences of talking about what he had seen, and the man's arrogant attitude had driven Declan to the roof so that he wouldn't act on his overwhelming impulse to strangle him.

"Declan." The word was spoken softly, almost a whisper on the wind. He jumped to his feet, looking around wildly to see who had spoken.

"I think I'm going mad," he murmured to himself, shaking his head. He knew he was alone on the rooftop, and yet he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched, perhaps by the person who had called his name.

"Declan, Dec-lan." The voice chanted quietly. Declan growled his frustration, wondering if his hearing voices was a symptom of needing a break from running such a complex place. He shivered as he felt a warm breath against his neck and spun around, seeing nothing behind him.

"Who are you?" he snapped at the sleeping city. "What are you? Where are you?" The last question was almost a plea, a desperate attempt to reassure himself that he wasn't losing his mind.

"Near, and yet so very far away," the voice replied. Declan could only just make out the words but immediately identified the speaker as female, young and frightened. Turning around in a slow circle, he stopped when he saw a shadow on a nearby roof that looked slightly odd. He waited, hoping that whoever was speaking to him would make themselves known, show them self so that he could offer sanctuary.

"You can come out, I'm not going to hurt you," he told her, speaking directly to the shadow he could see did not belong where it was. He spoke quietly, knowing that if she could make him hear her, she would not need him to shout to hear his words.

"Help me, Declan, please. They're coming for me and I can't hide forever," she pleaded, her words filled with pain and fear. As he watched, she stepped from the darkness; little more than a shadow herself, he reasoned she must be projecting in order to communicate. Her short dark hair was spiked and ruffled and her pale skin was dirty. Her eyes conveyed what her words could not; terror and anger, sadness and longing.

"How do I find you?" Where are you?" he demanded, knowing this woman was an abnormal he had to help, to save from being used by those who wanted to control her and her gifts.

"Look to the south, where the land is wild and untamed. Where the fog can chase away the world in the blink of an eye and the earth can swallow you whole," she told him, stretching her semi-transparent arm towards him in a gesture of longing as her voice became fainter.

"I'll find you, I promise," he called out as he watched her fade away into the night. Digging his phone out of his pocket, he hit the speed dial for the Old City Sanctuary, ready to tell Helen what had just happened and request a temporary cover for a few days while he went to find the terrified abnormal who needed his help.

Just a short first chapter to set the scene :)