Summary: It's the Holidays and John and Helen are alone in her new Sanctuary

Disclaimer; I own nothing of Sanctuary and or John and Helen. Not a single thing.

Rating: M

Paring; Helen/John

HOLIDAYS AND FAMILY:

Helen lay on her back with bear fur tickling her skin. She could hardly move as her body was fully sated from pleasures bestowed on her by John. He was still above her, still joined to her, and his lips were kissing her pulse point, the strands of his black hair tickled her torso. Helen was making the effort to keep breathing. Her body kept flinching with little micro explosions left over from her fierce orgasm at the hands of her eternal love John. "You… have… been… missed…" Helen sighed. Opening her eyes, Helen saw the lights of the Christmas tree playing against the ornaments in a fight with the fire light.

John levered himself up on his palms to look down on Helen's face. She had a flush painting her cheeks, pleasure warming her blue gaze, and her lips parted to draw vital breath. He hardly had the strength to breathe, to think, to keep his torso off of her, and move to the side. John concentrated on staying over her, staying buried inside of her. "I… am… happy… to be… home…" He was just as breathless as she was. John had been freed of his eternal torment earlier in the year choosing to stay with Helen and her Sanctuary to heal, to put his past behind him, and to reclaim the woman he loved. It was now the Holidays and he was once again brought into her inner circle, brought back to her bed; sort of. John started to chuckle.

Helen could hardly keep her eyes open, but the sound of John's dark chuckle caught her attention. "What's so funny?" She wondered; her voice and breathing steadier. Her hands dipped down to his waist, slipping over his warmed flesh to dig her nails into the perfect flesh of his backside. Helen could feel a renewed ardeur burning inside of her. She could see that John read the need in her eyes. Her strong lover reared back bringing Helen up and against him. They sat together neither of them wanting to move. "Tell me why you were laughing." She kissed the scar on his cheek.

John moaned with Helen tightening around him, "You and I… here… together." He kissed the underside of her chin. "It wasn't so very long ago that I was a murderous animal intent on blood and carnage. Now, here I am once more with you, in your arms, feeling like the man I used to be. I've…" John growled, "Come…" Helen flexed her inner muscles bringing another moan from him. "Full circle," Teasingly John rotated his hips. This time Helen moaned tightening her arms over his shoulders. John put his hands to her hips getting her to move over him. He would never have his fill of her body for as long as he walked this Earth.

"It was a Christmas much like this one when you and I pledged our hearts to one another even before we were engaged." Helen leaned back until her shoulders were touching the bear skin again. Her torso was stretched out before him. "We made love all through the night by fire light." She smiled wryly at him wanting him on top of her again. He slowly came back to down to her; his skin slowly touching her.

John drew the tip of his tongue up from her navel, over her abdomen, and up through the valley of her breasts. He was getting hard all over again as he tasted her sweet silky skin, felt the beat of her pulse tease the tip of his tongue. "You are my life." He moaned putting his hands on either side of her hips. Then he thrust foreword gently at first. Helen bought her hands to his chest, down to his waist, and then back to once again dig her nails into the sensitive skin of his ass spurring him to go faster.

Helen moaned louder and louder with each thrust from John. She flexed her hips, meeting him, "Yes John! Yes!" Helen brought her hands to his shoulders, pulling her upper body up so she could kiss the space above his heart. Against her lips she could feel the thunderous beat in time with John's rapid thrusts between her legs. "Oh god! Yes!" Helen shouted climaxing quickly. She felt alive; her heart had never swelled with so much happiness. "I love you." The words tumbled from her lips in a whisper.

John plunged inside of Helen one final time feeling his second release of the night surge through his body; his mind went blank. All he could see was the pleasure filled face of his Helen and hear her say she loved him. Slowly he lowered his body to hers. "For all eternity," John replied in a gasp. He hadn't much breath for anything else. Gently he moved from her, falling to her side. John draped his arm across her quivering lower abdomen. All that mattered to him was that he was free and he had Helen. With great effort he rolled his gaze up and towards thee fir tree that adorned the great room in Helen's new Sanctuary. This was the Holiday Season; a time to be with family. His was gone, just as hers now rested in the ground. Even their child was not of this world. John's heart seized in his chest at the thought of his daughter.

Helen sensed the shift in John. The air was no longer alight with sizzling passion, but of sorrow and regret. She turned to her side looking at the tree as well. For a moment she lamented having sent everyone away so she could be with John alone. Kate was with Gariss. Will and Abby were with Henry and Erica up on some mountain. Even her man servant was away somewhere in Hollow Earth. They were alone. Seeing the tree made her remember their first Christmas as lovers. It had been full of passion, base desires satisfied to completion, but more than that Helen and John had a bond, and that bond had created a child. Ashley had been her gift that she had to hide from the world and from John. "Tell me what has you so sad all of a sudden." Helen rested her hand on his back rubbing small comforting circles over his shoulder.

"Thoughts of our daughter," John answered pillowing his cheek on his folded arms. "I'm thinking about how I could have done more to save her had I been stronger." He refused to meet Helen's eyes. Being bonded to the creature had afforded him great power, but at what cost? He had lost his sanity and Helen. "I should have done more." That guilt would haunt him through this long life, but the balm to his wounded father's heart was the love he shared with Helen once more. "But that is in the past and we can't change it." He sighed turn to Helen. She now had the look of sorrow in her eyes. "Oh my love, I didn't mean…"

Helen put her hand over his lips, "No, it's fine. I am partly to blame," She confessed. "I let her go into that place when I knew I would not see her again." Tears filled her eyes as he looked at John. "Hiding her from you was something I didn't want to do, but I had to." Helen could see her words slice through him but find a footing in his heart. "I love you so much."

"As I love you," John leaned over her, kissing her lightly, "For all eternity," He said again. There would never be another woman for him, none could compare to Helen. She was his light in the dark. She was the woman who could soothe his ravaged soul and mend his fractured heart. Now, he could do the same for her as she mourned their child all over.

MORNING:

John came awake in the bed he shared with Helen to find that he was alone. Lying on her pillow was a note that bore the words, "Come Find Me." He chuckled and took the challenge. Leaving the bed, John pulled on a pair of his dress slacks, slipped on his charcoal button up with only three buttons buttoned, and his long black hair pulled half back and away from his face. Then he left their room to search out Helen, which wasn't much of a search as she was standing down the hall in one of the doorways. He went to her but was stunned by what he saw. "Helen?"

Helen had been standing in the doorway of her daughter's room for the last hour watching her child sleep soundly. She had always intended to reveal Ashley's presence to everyone when the time was right, but first John had to see her. That choice was made for her last night when John was overcome with such sorrow as the memory of their child. "I had a second life remember. I was able to save her John." She turned to him resting her hand over his heart. "This is my family and I would not see it divided." Helen stated.

John pulled her close and kissed her passionately, happily. "You…" He shook his head. John was a loss for words. Then he moved from her side to go to Ashley. Gently he sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out to her so he could caress her cheek, "Ashley?" John called to his daughter. Her eyes fluttered open focusing on him. There was no trace of hate or suspicion in her blue gaze. John could see relief, happiness, and a child's love for her father. "Ashley?"

Ashley had woken to the face of her father as her mother had described to her many times during her long rehabilitation from what the Cabal had done to her. Then, as she had been hidden away in Hollow Earth, Ashley had watched her mother and her father as they worked to dissolve the darkness in his soul. Many times she had wanted to reveal herself, to lift the shadow of past days when he had done nothing but evil. "Dad…" She sat up throwing her arms over his shoulder hugging him close. Ashley had longed to have her father hold her like he was now.

John in turn wrapped his arms around Ashley holding her so close. "Oh, Ashley," John choked back tears. He rested his cheek against the side of her head feeling her alive in his arms. Then Helen joined them, sitting behind John putting her arms around both he and Ashley. He angled his head to see her. Lightly John kissed her sweet lips. "I love you both." He whispered thanking the universe for the chance to once again have the family that was denied him so long ago.