Hey everyone. I just received the first season of Sanctuary and watched it all in one day. I was going back to watch some of the episodes when I came to the "couch" scene with Magnus and Will. I couldn't help myself from writing a little oneshot about it, from Helen's perspective. Enjoy


Fire crackled quietly, providing warmth and background noise as Helen Magnus read. The "Nubbins," as Ashley had named them, were quite an interesting species. The ancient legends of Abnormals always enthralled Helen. She sat close to the warm flames, idly chewing on her index finger. Helen was so engrossed in the book before her she did not notice the soft thump of footsteps. She was only pulled away when she heard a soft laugh from behind her. She turned and looked up to see her visitor, her finger still in her mouth. Seeing Will, a smile broke out on her face as he asked,

"You have something against sleep don't you?" Helen knew Will could only sympathize with her lack of sleep, though hers was voluntary, whereas Will's chronic insomnia was not. 'Nothing a bit of physical exertion before bed couldn't fix,' Helen thought, surprising herself. Quickly changing her thought process, she dropped her head down to large text in her lap.

"Just doing some reading." She responded, as Will moved to join her on the couch. Helen, desperate to keep her mind on work, began to explain her recent findings. As Will sat down, though, she began to unknowingly play with her dark hair.

"There's a recurring legend amongst Ecuadorial rainforest cultures about Nubbins."

"Nubbins? I thought, uh Ashley made that name up." As he finished his sentence, Helen noticed Will's eyes move up and down. She couldn't be sure if he was looking from her to the book, or if he was looking entirely at her. Either way, Helen's body temperature rose at the gaze.

"She did. They are most often called Emeratus. Apparently the species is highly prized as harbingers of fertility and a bountiful harvest." Will's eyes where now squarely on her own. His gaze never faltered from her blue eyes, as if he was clinging to every word she spoke. Helen continued,

"In some societies they were a common wedding gift. To promote connubial bliss" She finished. Will laughed softly again, finally taking his gaze of Helen.

"Before the age of self-help books." He joked. She smiled at the comment. His humor often gave Helen a break from the seriousness she had about work, a gift she deeply appreciated. His eyes had returned to hers. The heat from his brilliant blues was far greater than that of the flames behind her.

"When they vanish it's considered a portent of discord." Suddenly, Will leaned forward, draping his arm over the top of the couch. Helen's mouth hung slightly open, as she took a deep inhale. As Will moved, Helen's heart quickened. The sharp intake of air was intended to soothe her rapid heartbeat, but as she breathed, she took in the intoxicating aroma of Will's cologne which only proved to accelerate it.

Her mind had tossed the idea of focusing on work. Helen was unable to see anything but those eyes staring deeply into her own. Will did look much better without glasses, much more handsome. In a desperate attempt to stop Will's never-ending gaze, Helen instead watched his mouth as he spoke. She did not hear his words though, her fixation was on those soft lips. A thought flashed across Helen's mind. Will leaning in further, moving closer, until finally those lips were on her own.

Helen had to physically toss her head to stop the thought from continuing. She realized Will had stopped talking.

"Sorry?" She asked, flicking up her eyebrows. Will turned away for a moment to recollect himself.

"Uh… The autopsy?"

"Oh." Helen finally realized she had been playing with her hair like an infatuated school girl. She dropped her hand immediately. She went on to explain her findings of the autopsy, but she couldn't bring herself to look back at Will.

"There was a significant anomaly to the frontal lobe." She tossed her head again, forcing herself to at least look at Will while she spoke, so long as she avoided those eyes. "I'll need to do more tests to determine if it's a tumor or…" Her eyes betrayed her, finding their way back to Will's, "…something else."

"So it's possible he's an Abnormal?" Helen barely heard him speak, her mind began to drift again. Her brain offered an automatic response,

"Too early to tell really." Silence befell the two. Will opened his mouth as if to respond, but Helen's mind saw an opportunity to take her protégé by surprise. It took all 157 years of her experience to restrain herself from kissing him. She unconsciously licked her bottom lip. This small action, apparently had its unintentional effect on Will. He suddenly became flustered as he tried to speak.

"I'm…ahh…" He hesitated for a long moment. "I'm gonna go to bed."

Helen's mind was still overpowered by the desire to take Will back to her own bed, so she had very little restraint when she dropped her voice to a slightly huskier tone and said,

"Sweet dreams." She smiled softly. Will nodded, looking away from Helen. He was obviously having his own difficulties looking into her eyes. He gestured towards the fireplace.

"Don't forget to put out the fire." He looked back with a smile. It was too much for Helen, she had lost all control of rational thought.

"I never do." She replied, her eyes locked onto his. He awkwardly muttered something, and then slowly stood up. As he walked passed, Helen got one last whiff of cologne. She held the breath in for a short time, savoring it. The door clicked shut behind her, and she finally let it out.

She looked back down the heavy book still in her lap. The drawing of the Nubbin stared back up at her, a mischievous smile played out on its adorable face. Logic was slowly returning to Helen's brain. 'Wedding gifts? Connubial bliss?' Her eyes narrowed at the sketched creature as she put two and two together,

"Bloody Nubbins."


Hope you liked it, please review -amante.