Summary: Chase saved her sister, saved herself and reunited her family, but now she has to save that family from someone whom she thought to be long dead. Now she has a choice, come clean or run.

Rating: M

HEALING A BROKEN SOUL:

Chase ran back to the beach, back to the bungalow, it seemed her time in paradise was coming to a close. How had Jax found her? She was careful, never leaving a trail, never leaving anything for anyone to use to track her. Her father had made sure of that. There were two options before Chase, she could run, or she could tell her family about the threat that they now faced and tell them that the Cabal had managed to use her as a weapon. But how would she tell them? She couldn't flee, couldn't become a coward. She had worked so hard to have her family back as a human, as a whole person and not some sort of damaged abnormal. Now, for Jax to come back, it plunged her back into the darkness. Memories of dead and the dying flooded her brain. Chase hadn't even told her father because she was so ashamed that she was so weak and allowed the Cabal to control her. It had taken her too long to overcome the mind control drugs on her own, but when she had, she had taken her chance and fought to escape. Then like an answered prayer her father came and took her to a safe haven.

Every step she took, took her closer and closer to the beach, and every step had her heat beat calming, slowing, and returning to normal. She had out matched Jax in brains, if he thought he could take her life apart he would be in for one hell of a fight. Her time as an unwilling Cabal assassin had taught her to be devious and out think your opponent. Jax was now that opponent. Chase hoped there was a way to get around explaining too much of her history with Jax.

"Hey, where'd you go?"

Chase turned to her sister Ashley and smiled pushing her current train of thought away, "Oh, no where. I was checking the swells on the South shore and they are sweet. So, I thought I would change, grab my board, and get some surf time in."

"Cool, have fun." Ashley made her way back into the house in front of Chase.

"Did you want to go with me?" Chase asked, even though Ashley didn't surf.

"No, I think I will stay and read for a little bit. Mom and… dad are still out there in the surf." Ashley waved towards the porch doors and to the ocean beyond.

"All right, enjoy your book." Chase said as she headed in the house.

Ashley walked out on the porch and could barely make out the figures of her mom and dad as the water carried them further down the shore. It amazed her how much love her mother had for a man who had tried to kill her. But love was fickle like that and it knew what it wanted. So did her mother and her mother, Helen Magnus, wanted a second chance at happiness with John Druitt. For the interim it seemed they would get that. Ashley also reaped the benefits of having both her parents; she had a family, a whole family.

"Later Ash." Chase waved as she hurried out the door.

"Be careful."

"Come on, this is me."

"Yeah I know, be careful." Ashley laughed at her sisters quickly retreating back. Going to the edge of the porch Ashley sat on the second to bottom step and buried her feet in the sand. Another light breeze kicked up and made the edge of her orange sarong dance just above her ankles. Looking out at the water she saw her parents making their way up the beach towards her. She could sense the happiness coming off of them. As they got closer she could see her dad take her moms hand and pull her into his side.

John and Helen had let the morning hours get away from them. They had walked the length of the private beach. But it was John who had taken it a step farther; he had pulled Helen in to the water. He loved seeing her wet, her hair straightened and her clothes flat against her body. For any man to see such a site surely meant he was in Heaven, and that was where John was at the moment, in Heaven and Helen was his angel. He had told her that once and it was still true. She was an angel.

"Do you know how good you are?" John whispered close to Helens ear.

"And here last night, you were saying I was so deliciously wicked." Helen laughed and wrapped her arms around John.

"Yes, you are that, but I meant for me. You are so good for me Helen." John confessed, he had been doing that a lot lately. Telling her things that came to his mind, things that he intended to keep to himself about her, but they came spilling out of his mouth when she smiled at him.

"And you, John Druitt, taste like sin, pure unrefined sin," Helen arched her eyebrows and gave him a wicked smile.

"We are going to have to leave here eventually," John stated as he leaned his forehead to hers. He knew that it was a bucket of ice cold water that he was pouring over them, but it had to be said.

"I know, but for now, let's enjoy the time we have," Helen replied and pulled back to look out over the water, "I think Ashley and Chase are getting restless here. They may be ready to leave." Helen signed and pulled Johns arms around her. She needed to feel him, just to be held by him while they were on the island.

SANCTUARY:

Will Zimmerman walked the quiet halls of the Sanctuary and wondered, not for the first time, when Magnus and the others would be back. Things were too quiet, too ordinary for him. Sure there was the day to day running of the Sanctuary, the residents that needed tending, but things seemed livelier when Magnus was around. There were abnormals that needed capturing, mysteries to unravel, and Will was plain bored. And he knew that he wasn't the only one. Henry had been walking around in a daze since Chase had been gone with her family. Will had deduced that the two were involved when he had first met her, and now it was only reinforced with the werewolf's moping about.

Will entered the lab and saw Henry hunched over something on his work bench. It had to be one of his new gizmos for capturing abnormals, now only if they would actually work, that would be something. He sighed and watched as Henry turned look at him, "Hey Will."

"Hey Henry, things going ok?"

"Yup, just making some modifications to this stunner." Henry answered and turned back to his work.

"I hope Magnus will be back soon." Will said.

"Yeah, she's never been gone this long before."

"And you're missing Chase?" Will asked and smiled when Henry dropped the screw driver he was using.

Henry closed his eyes, thought of Chase, and breathed in slowly. She had been through some pretty rough times since leaving at 15, and then some even more rough times since coming home. Henry had wanted to help her, but she wouldn't let him, it hurt Henry but when he was trying to come to terms with being a werewolf, he hadn't exactly let anyone help him though it either.

"Do you think she is…?"

"She's fine. Chase bounces back rather quickly no matter what happens to her. She is a Magnus after all." Henry muttered the last part and that was signal to Will to leave him alone and let him finish working.

Will had been wondering whether or not Magnus ever took vacations, now he had his answer. And he had would have expected her and Ashley and Chase to at least go somewhere and put to rest what happened between them, and deal with the fact that Ashley had killed Dana. What Will hadn't expected was for Druitt to go with them, but again he could see why he would go. He, after all, was Ashley and Chase's father. Will hadn't gotten a strange vibe from them the day after their daughters had woken out of the drug induced coma. Something between them had changed and he suspected that they had become lovers again, which was only logical Will concluded. He shook his head and headed for his office to take care of some of the paper work that had piled up.

BAJA:

1 HOUR LATER

Chase ran back up to the porch to see her parents and sister actually sitting down to the breakfast that had been there for two hours. She wedged her board in the sand and then vaulted the low railing. Chase sat down next to Ashley and grabbed the exotic juice and sighed. Paradise was beautiful, relaxing, but she wanted to go home. More than anything she wanted to see Henry again. She missed him, she missed lying on her balcony, and she missed all the residents that caused trouble on a daily basis. Although being here afforded her and her family time to get closer, to truly be a family.

"What do you two have planned for today?" John looked at Ashley and then to Chase as he poured himself another cup of tea.

"I figured I would hang out here and read some more, or maybe travel into the village," Ashley answered just before reaching for another bowl of fruit as she shot her sister a look. Chase was still in a wetsuit and chowing down on a generous helping of fruit and drinking a large class of juice.

"And you, Chase, what do you have planned today?" Helen asked.

"Umm, surfing, surfing, and more surfing, intersperse that with lying on the beach and enjoying the sun and that will be my whole day," Chase looked out over the water, sighed, and then looked back at her mother. As long as her family was having fun in paradise then Chase was content to stay, but she was hoping to go home soon and get back to the regular, ghoul hunting, missions, and diverting major disasters.

"What about you mom, any more plans other than walking the length of the beach for the millionth time?" Ashley asked and sank her teeth into an apple.

Helen looked at Ashley and then to Chase. There in their eyes she could tell they were ready to go home, even John was getting restless in this tropical setting, just as she was. Never in her 158 years had she taken a vacation that lasted two weeks. She was surprised she had lasted this long, but John had also had a hand in keeping her on this island. He had been right about one thing; they had so much time to make up. Most nights they had sat on the beach and talked. It reminded her of their old days in London , at Oxford . But time was coming for them to return to the Sanctuary and abnormals were out there that needed protecting, "How about this be our last day here?"

"Really?" Ashley and Chase asked at the same time causing Helen to smile. She knew her girls all too well. They had been growing restless, just as their father had been.

"Yes, we've had time to relax, recuperate, and time to heal as a family. It's time to go home."

SANCTUARY:

THREE HOURS LATER

John appeared with Helen in her office. Ashley and Chase were probably still on the island gathering what they needed. He still Helen's hand when she made a move towards her desk, she stopped and then turned to him, a smile lighting her face. This was more than he could have asked for, a second chance with Helen, his daughters, a second chance at the life his madness had robbed from him. John raised her hand to his lips and laid the barest of kisses to her knuckles. The scents of the island still clung to her, to him, and his scent lingered on her, binding her close to him. He needed to constant reminder that she was with him. John took every spare moment to caress her cheek, take her hand, or steal a kiss. It was a reminder that this was not some dream land he had strayed into, but it was reality.

"John, is something wrong?" Helen cupped his cheek, drawing his gaze.

John pulled back, shook his head, and focused his gaze on her, "No, nothing, just checking." He smiled and released her hand taking a step back. John turned to leave, but thought better of it. Instead he settled himself on the couch and looked out the window at New City with the sun glinting off the buildings, shining as bright as diamonds.

"Checking what?" Helen asked, a frown emerging between her eyebrows. He had been happy, restless, but happy on the island. They had been in their own little world, granted but they had been happy. For the first time in years Helen regretted coming back. Seeing sadness in John's eyes made her heart ache. She was being consumed by his love again; it felt good, warm, and safe, but always tinged with a time limit. Helen couldn't help but feel that way, but se just couldn't shake the thought that time was running out for them.

John turned his head to face her without raising his body from the couch, "I was checking to make sure this was not some elaborate dream caused by my mind." He sighed and leaned his head back to look up at the ceiling.

Helen just watched John, his words sinking into her brain. She could see the edges of worry around his eyes, in the very set of his body. Sometimes he could be deceptively lazy, acting as if nothing fazed him, but she knew better because Chase had the same quality. Helen took a step closer, and then another. She reached out her hand and ran her fingers lightly down the side of his face, tracing the scar she had left on him so many years ago. Her thoughts had been running long the lines as his. Often enough she wondered if they were nothing but a dream, as if they were going to wake up and be right back on opposite sides. His madness was like a blade lingering over their heads. True, Nikola's electro shock therapy had worked, but how long could it last? Helen stepped in front of him and whispered, "If this is a dream, then it is one that I do not want to wake up from."

John looked at her then, gave her a sad smile and replied, "Neither do I."

Chase left most of her stuff behind in Baja, there wasn't much, but she left it anyway. Ashley was going to linger another hour or so and make sure things were locked down just incase some islanders came across the house. Their parents had already gone back to the Sanctuary and Chase was on her way there now. Her first thought was to go to her room, change into jeans, tanks, and boots, but Henry came across her mind and that was where she went next. Chase appeared in his lab to see Henry hunched over one of his various gadgets and he was muttering a string of curses that would make a priest blush. It made her smile and brought back memories from her child hood when Henry was tinkering, he was always fixing a thing. That was just how he was. Henry cursed again as a spark erupted from his gadget and he jumped back. He kicked his work bench, finally turning around to see her standing there. All anger fled his eyes to be replaced by joy. Henry moved to her quickly, picked her up, and kissed her hard. Chase wrapped her arms around him and sank into his kiss. It was all Henry combined with just a hint of his inner wolf. In his kiss she could taste pine trees, rain, and she could taste the air of the forest. Chase was truly home now.

Henry pulled back, set Chase down, and caught his breath. She was home, she was back, and he could smell the scents of the island on her. She smelled of the sea, the tropical flowers, and he could taste the fruit she had eaten. Looking her over, Henry took in what she was wearing. Chase was in a black bikini top covered with a mist thin tank top, and a blood red sarong rode low on her hips giving a peak at her tattoo. Henry reached out and moved the edge of the fabric down low enough so he could see a separated yin yang of fire and water with the Chinese symbol for what he surmised was Tiger between them, "When did you get a tattoo?"

"Two years ago. James thought it was funny," Chase answered and moved the fabric back into place, "And no I know you haven't seen it before now because either the waist band of my jeans covers it or my utility belt does." Chase smiled at him, moving around his body to see the latest gadget he was working on.

Ashley had stayed behind at the beach house checking and rechecking the security. The house was Spartan, but there were a few valuables around. One of a kind paintings that had been a gift to her from various friends. But in reality Ashley wanted a few more minutes alone to absorb things. She would be going home, back to work, and back to face the nightmares of what she had done. Ashley had killed Dana, she had done the one thing her father said she would never be capable of doing. But Ashley had done it to protect Chase, to keep her sister from going to that dark place from she might not return. That thought truly scared Ashley. The same darkness that burned in her father, burned in her baby sister, it burned in Ashley as well but she had been lucky to inherit more of her mother's traits than her fathers.

Everything locked down, Ashley thought of home, her own room and a change of clothes. When she opened her eyes she stood in her room. Home, she was home. Like before feelings rushed into and tears sprang into her eyes. The time away from her mother during those six months were a blur, but they played out in her nightmares, so vivid, every detail crystal clear. The one that replayed over and over was when Ashley slashed her mothers left shoulder open. She had wanted to tell her mother of the nightmares, but seeing her and her father together and happy had kept Ashley at bay. For as long as Ashley could remember there had been a cloud of sadness surrounding her mother, but now that her father was back that cloud was gone.

She went to her closet and pulled out jeans, a t-shirt so she could get changed. Island life was over; it was now time to get back to business. There were ghouls that needed capture or termination. With her jeans on and her t-shirt slipping over her head Ashley felt more like herself. She left her room and headed out with no clear destination of where she would go. Maybe she would tour the lower levels and check on the Residents.

*****

Jax had watched Ashley Magnus from the various windows she had passed while making sure the house was secure. It was not the house that interested him, but her; Ashley dew his gaze. She would be the first chink in taking Chase apart. Anger boiled through him at the thought of the girl who left him for dead, left him and his sister for dead. His sister had left him too, claiming his anger was unjustified. Andromeda had a soft spot for Chase, the poor little tiger girl who had yet to realize her potential for brutality. Now, Jax was alone, left with nothing but his anger and his hate. Chase was the reason for it all and she would pay soon. But first he had to get to her beloved sister Ashley. His mind strayed, lost sight of Ashley. He tried to reacquire her, but he sensed no movement in the house. There was no way she had gotten out with out him knowing. So, where had she gone?

********

HELEN'S OFFICE:

LATER THAT NIGHT

Since coming back from Baja, Helen had been gloriously busy. Paper work had piled up, reports of abnormal attacks, requests for transfer of residents from various Sanctuaries, so much work and she finally made a dent in it. Looking to the clock she read the time as 2:00am. Most of her house was asleep, with the exceptions of John, Chase, and Ashley. Helen could take a short break, come back in a few hours to tackle the rest of her work. For her break she wanted to sit with John and went to find him in the library, but he wasn't there. She checked the garden, a sitting room he had come to favor, but he was no where to be found. Then it occurred to Helen, she had yet to check her own bedroom. After that night in the desert, John had slowly been moving his clothes into her room, even though he they were still in a duffle. She had cleared out closet space for him but he had yet to make good on it. He was probably waiting for her to come to her senses and kick him out of her room, her bed, and her heart.

But it was not in her bed where she found John. Helen heard light music and saw the flickering lights of candles coming from her bathroom. And there was John, lounging in steaming water, a glass of red wine in his hand, enjoying a bath. He looked so relaxed, and more than a little desirable sitting in the water, steam rising around his long, lean naked form. The breath caught in her chest and she gripped her hand on the door jam. Most men took showers; the art of lounging in a bath was lost on them, but not on John Druitt. He could lie there all night and she wouldn't get tired of watching him. More memories surfaced, all staring John.

"Helen, do you have a voyeuristic compulsion when it comes to me?" John asked drawing Helen's gaze.

"When you lay like that I do." Helen smiled before she turned to leave. He was relaxing and she had disturbed him.

"Join me, please?"

Helen turned back to him and felt the heat rise against her will, "I've got work to do."

"If you truly wanted to work, then you would not be here staring at me," John chuckled and he could see Helen's resolve weakening. He noted that he could make her crumble more easily these days than when they had been together back in Victorian London.

Helen moved closer to the tub and started to unbutton he blouse. She didn't need to answer him, he was right, and that was all there was to it. But there was no rule that said she couldn't raise his blood pressure in the process. Helen already knew she was going to join him when she saw him. Every button slipped free of the hole and soon her shirt was sliding down her arms to reveal the black camisole. Her slacks were next, again slowly drawing the button free and then the zipper down. The slacks pulled at her feet and she stepped out of them while watching John map her body with ravenous hunger. Helen pulled the camisole over her head leaving her torso bare. She was reaching for her when john shot out a hand, gripped her hip, and pulled her closer to the tub where he laid the barest of kisses to her abdomen. Backing away Helen slipped out of her underwear before she slipped into the steaming water with him. Helen sank low; wet her hair as she molded her side to John's. He had always been the perfect fit for her body. She tangled her right leg with his, wrapped her arms around his waist, and pillowed her head on his chest as her mind took her back to the last time she and John had shared the same bath.

How did he manage to convince her to go away with him for the weekend? Helen had asked that question many times in the hours she and John had been away from London . He brought her to this country Inn, a need to be alone with her. She delighted in the fact they got to be alone together, but the country was a little far to go for the alone time John desired. But now that she was there with him, Helen saw the appeal and relaxed. His body next to her, the quiet of the cottage; it was all very restful and relaxing.

The water was warm and John's body was warmer still. It served to relax Helen even more. Using his powers of persuasion John and Helen were now sharing a bath. She had never thought that it would feel so good, but with John everything was new to her because she was experiencing it with him. John lay close to her, the water cocooning them, as his arms wrapped around her; his fingers tracing odd patterns on her bare back. Helen sighed, closed her eyes, and rubbed her cheek against his wet chest. If they lingered in the water too much longer, she would fall asleep. John always had the power to lull her mind, calm her body. She wasn't sure why this one man had this power. When she dwelled on it too much the thought had a tendency to frighten her. Her body stiffened slightly, her heart jumped, and her mind raced. The power of love was a potent thing, and it had the ability to terrify. Her love for him did terrify her because of its shear power.

"What has you so troubled, my love?" John whispered and kissed the top of her head.

"Nothing, I was just thinking." Helen confessed and snuggled closer to John.

"That will get you into trouble," John chuckled and tightened his arms a little more, then jumped when Helen jabbed a finger into his side.

"I'll show you trouble," Helen muttered, smiled and relaxed again into John's arms…

Helen shook her head lightly and chuckled. Those truly had been happy times, just Helen and John living and loving together. It made being times like this bittersweet. She didn't want it to end, but in the back of her mind she knew nothing lasted forever. Some time her and John would come to an end and it would be painful, "Helen, stop worrying," John derailed her train of thought by tightening his hold on her and placing light kisses to her temple.

"I can't. Thoughts careen in my mind and I can't help but think them through," Helen sighed and pulled more of John around her. Since coming back from the Island a sense of foreboding had settled over her house, and Helen was starting to get annoyed with it. Her life was complete, she had her daughters, she had John, and she had her work, what more could be out there to threaten them?

John knew Helen, knew how her mind worked. If she needed to think then he would say no more, he would only hold her and offer her the comfort of his body. There was no way to stop her from thinking; John learned that lesson a long time ago. All he could do was hold her and let her think dark thoughts. If she chose to share then she would and John would try to soothe her more. But John could sense the train of her thoughts; they were the same as his. He could feel a threat growing, rising to challenge them. John reached his hand down under the water, smoothing over hip so he could drape her leg higher over his waist. Right now he wanted to feel as much of her as he could. Just as Helen was troubled, so to, was John. That threat was growing closer and closer be he feared it would not strike at him or Helen, but at one of their daughters.