Two days Declan had been waiting on her hand and foot, and for two days her teeth were itching with the constant doting. She'd released herself from the infirmary, was completely one hundred percent recovered from her self-imposed ordeal with the ozone beetle and they were just cleaning up the final tangles of the whole "spy" situation that had happened. Declan was postponing going back to the UK in hopes that he could reconcile everything that he had messed up on. She may have thought he was ready to be head of house and possibly head of network, but he felt that in no way and no uncertain circumstances would he ever be prepared for that. The reactions he had gotten from her staff in response to every decision that he had made only served to confirm that fact.
She was lying in bed, lounging in a way that she never did but so desired to after talking for hours on the phone with the UN, the FBI and CIA and a whole slew of other agencies world-wide that needed to be informed of the situation. Why had she ever thought or agreed to work with governmental agencies in the first place? They were far too demanding and confining in her work. Declan had disappeared for a few minutes saying that he was getting her something she was sure to enjoy and Helen could not be happier to have the minutes to herself, alone, in a comfortable bed, in nothing other than her thin silk robe. They had made very sweet love, but something had seemed off. There was something that he was not telling her and he was treating her differently than he had the last few times they had done this. She fiddled with the ends of the throw that was resting over her hip. Her other arm was curled under her head and she was staring aimlessly. She had to do something about it.
When he returned she was still on her side and watched as he brought in a tray with an unassuming curvy glass pitcher seated on it filled three quarters of the way with a dark red liquid and two cups. He set it down by her feet and then poured some into the short stout glasses. He handed one to her and she rested it against the mattress, her palm covering the top and her eyes looking anywhere but his face.
"You alright, love?" He stated simply before pulling himself up to lean against the headboard next to her.
She hummed her answer, "Are you?"
He took a sip of the strong drink and let the flavor roll around his mouth before swallowing. "Of course."
She sighed heavily and took her own drink, lifting it and drawing the liquid between her lips. She groaned when the pomegranate flavor clung to her taste buds and started to float down her throat. "This is amazing, where'd you learn to make it?"
The look on his face was utterly sheepish and ripe with embarrassment. "The states actually, and that's all you'll get out of me you hear?"
She nodded and smirked before taking another long drink. She handed him the glass while pulling herself up to sit against him. Leaning her head on his shoulder, her back against his chest she kissed his neck softly before taking the drink back. They sat there quietly as the minutes ticked by. He had leaned forward twice to refill his glass and once for hers. The alcohol giving him the respite he had sought after so many sleepless nights.
She was leaning against him once again, her head tilted down and her eyes slowly drifting shut. He caught her head nodding down and jerking back up in an attempt to avoid slumber. Declan tilted her chin up until their eyes met. "Would you like me to leave, so you can rest? You've had a long few days…"
"Declan…" her tone was exacerbated and exhausted. She was beyond tired of this. "Stop."
He removed his hand from her face and began to slide out of the bed. "I'm sorry."
"Declan," she grabbed his hand and tugged him back onto the bed. "This needs to stop, whatever it is that you're thinking needs to stop right now. I can't handle the doting any more. I'm putting my foot down." Blue eyes looked over her form and she leaned towards him, fingers firmly gripped over his wrist. He settled back down and let out a huff of air, turning his face away from her. If she wanted him to stay, he would stay. Anything for her. "What's going on, Declan? Spill; out with it." The command she gave was soft and even natured.
She waited patiently for him to speak, keeping her grasp on his wrist and her eyes locked on his face. She wouldn't let him get away with this one. "I'm sorry."
"What on earth for?"
Again, silence took over them. Declan was horrible at lying and he was even worse at lying to her. He wanted to look away, but the pools of concerned blue were dragging him under the surface until he was drowning. Instead, he leaned forward, cupped her face and brought their lips together. She gave in, feeling the light stubble from the day rasp against her smooth cheeks. Declan deepened the kiss, pressing his tongue gently between her lips until he felt the warm recesses surround him.
They lost themselves in the moment. The kiss dragging on and making time seem endless. They stayed in that position, her hand high on his chest and his fingers running up and down her spine and side in a gentle rhythm. Finally, Helen pulled away from him, resting her forehead against the crook of his neck and letting her fingers play with the shirt on his chest. "Are you going to tell me now?"
He pressed a gentle kiss into her hair before drawing in a deep breath. "I think James might have been wrong."
"Rarely was James wrong. The man had a certain ability to see things the way others could not." She knew now part of where this was coming from. She kept her head where it was and spoke in soft tones, "You are exactly as he expected." Declan snorted and she tapped his collar bone lightly so he would pay attention again. "He and I discussed you, before the position was offered. Did you know that?"
"I believe he might have mentioned it."
"He was worried because the last protégé he had died rather suddenly in… an accident. It was a terrible time; the man had only been working under James for a week. He was an empath you see, I'm sure James never spoke of him." Declan shook his head in agreement. "He was worried that you would not be able to handle everything that would be thrown at you. Subsequently, James also knew his time would be ending soon. He didn't want to live much longer; he was tired of losing everyone. It wasn't the first time he and I had discussed this."
She took a deep breath and continued, "Concerning you, he requested my opinion on your file. You had plenty of training, physically you would easily be able to handle certain parts of the position; it was mentally where it was concerned." She paused and looked him in the eye then. "You are one of the strongest men I know, Declan. You work hard and when you're done you work even harder. You never take the easy way out and you always do as you are told. But you are not an all-encompassing leader. You can easily lead a house, even if you weren't ready when it was thrust into your hands, but you cannot lead this network. You and I both know this. James had hopes that you would learn. Always looking on the bright side, he did."
He looked down to his hand that was in his lap. "I can't do it again, Magnus."
It was her turn to cup his cheek. "You won't have to, alright?" He nodded and turned his face to press lips against the center of her palm. "I'll change everything in the system in the morning. I promise." Their fingers entwined and Declan was still lost in thought. "Was there something else you wanted to discuss?"
"I should have been there for you. I should have seen what was happening and not blamed you. I should have known that you would never do something like that."
"You weren't supposed to know, Declan. No one was."
"Still, rather than fighting with Will and making decisions, I should have been in that room with you. It should have been me who was there when you started seizing." His voice was rising and he was becoming agitated. He was making jerking movements with his hands, his heart rate was increasing and his breathing became shallow. "I should have been there when you had the surgery damn it. I should have been the one to perform it, not some half-ass cut job from a kid with one year of medical school under his belt." He was pacing back and forth through the room at this point. Magnus was sitting up, her legs curled to the side and resting on her left arm observing him. "You could have died! And here you are, sitting there all cocky like death has nothing to do with it. You act like it's nothing. Well I got news for you, Magnus. Death is not nothing."
She stood up then. Tightening the tie around her middle she walked right up to him, leaning up on her toes until their noses were almost touching. "Do not think that I take death lightly, Declan. I have faced far more of it that you ever have."
"Far more in others yes, but your own mortality? I beg to differ. Helen…" He trailed off, studying the look on her face. Her features were set, hard as steel. This was not how he had thought the conversation would go.
The words she spoke next were quiet, forceful and strained. "How dare you make such an accusation? You have no idea what I've been through. No idea what I've seen or come against." She moved swiftly over to her closet. She pulled out a quick change of clothes and immediately began dressing. Her slacks and blouse were quickly donned and she threw a glare over her shoulder. "I don't want you in here when I return. Is that understood?" He opened his mouth, but she left before he could speak.
Her stomach was churning in violent, angry circles. She made her way to her office to try and work some, so she could calm down. She managed to sit at her row of monitors and arrange for Declan's departure late the next morning. He really needed to get back to his own Sanctuary and take care of the situations that arose there. She sent him a quick email with the details and stood making her way to her other desk. Magnus must have been sitting there for twenty minutes and finished, or even started, absolutely nothing. It was a good thing the man she was spurning hadn't come through the door to apologize she might have thrown him out of the building right then. Her mind was still spinning with the accusations he had charged in her direction.
Solitude, that's what she needed and she wasn't going to find it in her study. The north tower: she would head up there. Grabbing the throw from the small chest on the end of the couch she threw it over her shoulders and moved to the door. She looked down at her toes for a moment and when she looked up Will was almost knocking into with his momentum. "Will," her voice was breathless with slight surprise and question. "What are you doing here?"
"I thought I'd come see if you were still awake." He glanced at his watch. "I couldn't sleep: insomnia." He shrugged and raked his eyes over her face and body. "Are you alright?" He could see the tension in her shoulders and face, the way her cheeks were taut and her jaw tightened.
"Fine," again her words were on a breath, "just tired is all."
There was a moment of awkwardness, where both looked at the other and away at the same time. Studiously taking in their forms, the way their bodies were being held, wondering what was next to come.
"Would you—"
"I was—"
They both spoke at the same time. Magnus smiled and continued first, "I was on my way to the north tower, care to join me?" If there was anything Will Zimmerman had learned about Helen Magnus it was that when she invited him on these types of excursions he absolutely needed to go. She rarely went to the north tower and when she did it was because something was deeply disturbing her.
"I'd love to." His voice rang through, and not a moment had passed before his decision was made.
"Good," there was another pause in the stilted conversation before she took up his arm and started down the hall. They arrived in silence and upon great consideration from her; Magnus did not take up residence on the wall. Rather she stood behind it, knowing Will's fear of heights and how the action would most likely set him further on edge than he already was. However, she rested her head against his shoulder and breathed in his scent deeply. It was not something she would have ordinarily done, but tonight everything seemed different.
They watched the boats chug into the harbor and dock for some time; the moon's light was glistening off the water and the sounds of the city echoed around them. It was a comfortable silence, and Will held her arm tightly. She felt him shiver finally in the coolness of the night. Helen turned to face him, pressing her lips gently against his cheek. "Thank you, William; for coming up here with me, it was most helpful."
Will turned to face her, their noses close. He drew in a tediously long breath, their eyes connecting before he leaned in pressed his mouth ever so gently and softly against hers. Helen puckered her lips and drew air in deep to her lungs before parting them so her tongue could dash out against his mouth. His lips parted to permit her entrance and both sighed at the feeling. His free hand brushed against her cheek and pushed her hair behind her ear before it skittered down to the tips of the locks where he rubbed the strands between his forefinger and thumb. It was so soft. He tugged gently and her hand that was twisted around his arm moved to run down his chest. Will's body shifted to fully face her then, his head tilted to the side changing the angle of their embrace and deepening it.
Warmth spread through her when their bodies stirred close together. His attentions were fully on her. His hand rested high on her waist and his thumb stroked just under her breast against the silky material of her blouse. His lip was pulled between her teeth just as her hands slid up his back; he felt so good against her, so strong and present in the moment. Will smiled against her and pecked her lips gingerly before delving back in for a slow and sizzling kiss that left her mind reeling.
He took a step forward forcing her to retreat back. It was only a few more of those tiny steps before her back rested against the stone of the wall. The thin throw she'd grabbed early fell to the ground when her hands were raised to encircle his neck. She arched her back against the wall and slid her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. His teeth scraped against her lower lip and she hummed in response.
When his thumb glided against the skin just above her slacks she moved away from him slightly whispering his name before pressing her lips quickly to his. "We really shouldn't be doing this."
"You're right." But instead of stepping back like he tried to tell his mind to do, his lips found her jaw line and placed feather soft caresses along the way to just behind her ear. She tilted her head and swallowed hard as he nibbled on the bottom of her lobe. "I was so scared that I was going to lose you." It was whispered quietly, the breath washing over her flesh. He made his way down her neck and paid special attention to her pulse point when he noticed that she had whimpered after his first pass. Her hands were still clutching his hair tightly and her breathing was becoming quite erratic. His tongue was like magic against her skin and the shockwaves of tingles were vibrating through her.
She dragged his lips back to hers and ravished him; her tongue and teeth worked against his mouth and her hands stayed planted firmly against his face until she slowly, ever so slowly brought the kiss to its end. They were both breathing heavily and their eyes locked. "We can't do this, Will. You have to know that."
"I do. It was rather unexpected and most certainly unplanned."
"We can't work together if this continues."
"I know." He leaned in and rubbed his lips across hers, not seeking entrance or take anything a step further. She returned the favor in silence, bringing her hands down his arms locking their fingers together.
She smiled broadly, "Thank you, William." She kissed his cheek, lingering before stepping around him and moving to the door. After he heard the door close, Will leaned down and picked up the blanket. Folding it gently he returned it to her office before heading off to bed.