It was a morning like any other. Everyone was in Magnus' office for the briefing tasks being set for the upcoming inspection by Dr. Lee. After the last inspection, Helen was eager to make a good impression on the Doctor, and although she realized that she wasn't likely to receive any heat from the UN, reputation mattered to Helen Magnus. Noting that everything was set, Helen released them to their tasks and settled at her computer to do some paperwork. Kate lingered as the others left, content to watch Helen whilst she gathered her thoughts.
The morning sun slithered its way through the window behind Helen, lighting her dark hair and Kate smiled, making her way over to her boss.
"What can I do for you Kate?" Helen asked without looking up from her computer, watching out of the corner of her eye as the woman sat on her desk. Kate stared at Helen, thinking and gaining more courage, her heart beating wildly.
"I was wondering if maybe you wanted to catch dinner with me sometime." The young woman said in a nervous hurry, not quite feeling like the hardened woman she was known to be. Helen smiled and finally looked away from the computer, and instead focused her attention to the young woman. Helen breathed in sharply, the light from the morning sun making Kate seem to glow.
"Kate-"
She cut Helen off. "I mean, I know you're probably busy and whatever with Dr Lee coming and running the Sanctuary, but I was just thinking that maybe, you know, since we-"
"Kate!" She looked up from her hands to find Helen smiling at her. "I would be delighted to. Should I make a reservation at Alfredo's?"
Kate's eyes lit up at both the prospect of going to Alfredo's and actually going with Helen. The latter was more exciting that the former. Kate looked at Helen, a smile spreading across her face and lighting up the room. "Yeah, I'd love that, just let me know when and I'll find something to wear." She had only ever heard about the amazing food Alfredo's made and so desperately wanted to try it; her only issue was finding something to wear that was nice enough. Helen smiled and nodded.
"It's settled then, and don't worry about a dress, I have one that I think you will find suitable." Helen smirked before kissing Kate gently on the cheek."Tonight after the feeding, meet me at my room and you can get changed there."Kate blushed softly causing Helen to laugh. "Love, it isn't as if I haven't seen you naked during your physicals. And if you are that embarrassed, you can use the bathroom."
The younger woman nodded, pushing herself off the desk and with a grin towards Helen, she all but skipped from the office, Helen's eyes following her longingly.
Helen watched the door for awhile thinking of what tonight could bring; she hadn't had a lover or been in a relationship for some time. She turned back to her computer and tried to remind herself that nerves were normal on a first date, no matter what your age was. She smiled and picked up her phone to make the reservation for eight in the back room of Alfredo's.
Dr. Lillian Lee knocked at the door of the Sanctuary; absently checking that is was locked. She had come to trust Magnus, but she didn't particularly want to get possessed by that 'thing' again, and risk having to explain to her bosses what happened without landing herself in trouble. Helen opened the door seconds later, greeting the woman with a smile."Dr Lee, how nice to see you again," She said politely, gesturing her inside. Lillian smiled, brushing past Helen into the lobby. It looked different from her previous visit, probably due to the lack of furniture that had lay strewn across the floor when she had first seen it, and the Victorian feel of the room took her breath away.
Helen put on her best business smile and closed the door behind her. "Dr. Magnus, I see your Sanctuary is still intact, no emergencies lately?" Dr. Lee stated. She wasn't sure about Helen Magnus; all she knew was that the woman was weird. Helen smirked and gestured with her hand towards the direction they would be heading first.
"Yes, my house is still intact, and no, no emergencies lately, would you like the paperwork first or the tour to check the facility?" Helen didn't mind Dr. Lee, though she couldn't fathom how she could understand anything about the Sanctuary, no matter how many PH.D's she had.
"If it isn't too much trouble, I'd quite like to go over the paper work first. Perhaps give your team time to clean up any messes before I see them, hmm?" She said and Helen bit back a retort, deciding not to correct the woman.
"Of course not, please follow me." Helen began her way up the steps, Dr Lee on her heels, silence falling between the women save for their footsteps echoing off the walls.
As the women entered Helen's office, Dr. Lee smiled; she couldn't hear anything going on in the massive house. The last time she had been here the abnormals had been riled up from the Pinnepex. Helen motioned for Dr. Lee to sit on the couch in front of the coffee table. Helen sat beside her and looked at the pile of paperwork that they had to go through, both letting out a deep breath as they dove in.
Two hours and several teas later, the two women sat back on the couch, admiring their work. Of the pile Helen had first presented to her colleague, one file remained to be read, however Helen had promised Henry that he could go over it with Dr Lee. She was fully capable of explaining it to the woman, though the werewolf had practically begged her for the opportunity to show Dr. Lee the new weapon he was working on before letting her read the file.
Helen smiled as Henry walked in behind Dr. Lee. Gesturing for him to have a seat Helen stood and excused herself to double check that everything was in its proper place. When she returned ten minutes later, the two were obviously finished talking about the work and had moved to discussing weapons. She cleared her throat to signal her return.
"Shall we?" Helen said, smiling.
"I can take her for the tour, if you'd like," Henry stated, standing, his blue eyes shining as he glanced at his boss. He dug his hands into the pocket of his blue jeans as he watched her.
"Henry..."
"I have nothing to do right now, so it is no hassle and-"
"Henry, I can immediately think of some things you should be doing for me. Take for instance, those abnormals you promised you would pick up from the docks," Helen reminded him, and he groaned, spinning on his heels towards the door.
Helen was satisfied that her 'son' was now out of her hair so she could take care of the tour herself. She looked at Dr. Lee and smiled motioning for her to follow.
"You know Dr. Magnus; I'm quite flattered that he thinks me cute." Dr. Lee stated moving to walk beside Helen. Helen smiled and looked at Lillian.
"I must warn you, Dr Lee, Henry can be a lot to handle at times. When he was a child, he was a trouble maker." Helen also wondered if she should have mentioned Erica, but decided it wasn't her place to say.
"I am a capable woman, Dr Magnus." Lillian assured her and Helen raised an eyebrow at that but said nothing.
The two women kept walking towards the lift in silence, both women reflecting on the other's actions towards the last comments made. Helen wondered if Lillian really liked Henry, or if she was playing coy. Helen let her mind drift to Kate, deciding she didn't want to think about Henry's life out of work, purely for the 'mother' role she played. She felt butterflies start in her stomach as she thought of Kate and the date they had planned for that evening at Alfredo's. Helen could already taste the delicious pasta on her tongue and smell the strong aroma of Italy inside the restaurant; it had been an ambition of hers to take Kate to Alfredo's since the night they spent together a week ago. Helen's feelings for the younger woman were gradual, starting not long after Kate returned from the sewers with Henry when they had been attempting to catch the steno and she had walked into Helen's office looking like she did. Her hair was mused from the wrestle with the abnormal and her clothes and face were smeared with dirt and god-knows-what-else but the unkempt look had fired up something inside of Magnus that she had forgotten about. Helen Magnus had been attracted to, and gods forbid, withwomen before Kate, but it had been a while since she had and it was all slow to come back to her.
Helen Magnus had been raised in an era where same-sex relationships were frowned upon. However, she found that over the years, being with just men was beginning to get rather boring and the possibility of pregnancy was a taxing one for her to monitor, her life was rarely on a set schedule. Helen had studied and broadened her horizons and found that women as lovers were just as good, if not better than men, depending on what she needed. Having a female lover also made other 'results' of a sex life non-existent. She couldn't hide the smile that came up when she thought of the dress she already had in mind for her young lover. Helen was still smirking as the lift doors opened to admit them to the floor with the less dangerous abnormals.
It took less than two hours to show Lillian around the enclosures, pointing out important facts about each creature or species and it amazed Lillian to see how well Helen interacted and had the patience for the abnormals. She expressed her thoughts to the older woman who smiled politely. "When you are well over 200 years old, you develop a certain patience to creatures, human or otherwise, that helps to understand even the most vicious or, and I hate to use this word, annoying."
Lillian had found a new respect for the older woman at those words, she couldn't think of living as long as she had. "Dr. Magnus, I can't imagine being alive as long as you have, how do you do it, if I may ask?" Lillian said as she watched Helen receive a hug from a little boy with wings. Lillian was in awe, she may not understand abnormals or necessarily like them, but watching Helen interact with them opened up a piece of her heart. Seeing the renowned doctor bending down to hug the child and ruffle his hair was heartwarming. Lillian almost wanted to do the same, almost, but abnormals scared her, they weren't human, she was.
"I have people to care for, my work isn't done. I have lost a lot of people, given five lifetimes to this, almost six, to keep people like that child safe. I find it hard to explain to most normal people, this is something you don't begin to truly understand until you spend time interacting with them, helping them, as I have." Helen said, sensing a bit of wonder coming off of the young woman after sending the young boy off to his studies with his parents.
"At one stage," she said, waving to Sally as they made their way past the various enclosures, "you stop thinking of them as abnormals, as not-humans and then they are just misunderstood, helpless creatures that need your help. If you can see past the differences, you will usually see similarities to yourself and only then can you do this job properly," Helen explained. It sounded much like the speech she had given Will when she was convincing him to join her but every bit of it was true. Lillian looked thoughtful, then nodded, seemingly understanding and Helen smiled.
They walked in silence for a bit, just thinking to themselves. Lillian had found a new respect for the older woman; Helen had given her a lot to think about. Helen was off in la-la land and didn't notice the Nubbin enclosure coming up. The nubbins were a favourite abnormal of Helens to show off to her guests, and also to warn them of the creatures that had caused so much chaos when they had first arrived. It was something Helen found very important to tell her guests, and yet with her mind so far away with Kate in anticipation of their date that night, she didn't even think to mention them.
Lillian was surprised to see these cute little fuzzy abnormals that turned invisible when she got to close to the glass. Helen had finished the tour and had gone for a little conference call between her and the other heads leaving Lillian to herself. Lillian felt the need to hold one of the cute little furry 'invisi-rodents' even if she didn't know what they were.
Little did she know what was to come...
C-A/N Let us know what you think! Reviews will be rewarded with double hugs :D
