Author's Note: This idea came about while watching Knight & Day. I think it's sort of an odd blend of fluff, humor, and angst; but perhaps that's best decided for yourself! Based around this quote: "I think I wanna have sex. I think we'd have great sex."

Disclaimer: Sadly, they do not belong to me. If they did and it were up to me, Helen would be kept busy in a very different way.

Title: You Should Hydrate

Author: SentientMist

Rating: Not sure. Maybe T for a curse word or two, mentions of sex, and some not-quite nudity.

Pairing: Helen/Will

You Should Hydrate

Magnus had given them all quite the scare. Two days previous, she had gone missing, sending everyone into a panic. Will, Henry, Kate, and the Big Guy had spent the nearly forty-eight hours chasing down leads until they had finally found her in the hands of some particularly brilliant conspiracy theorists who believed the Sanctuary to be some sort of alien holding. They had been trying to get information; but from what he had gathered, they hadn't learned much. Will still couldn't figure out how they had managed to grab her. He knew she wouldn't have gone without a fight. Whatever the case, though, Magnus had been fairly quiet and withdrawn since they had found her, more so than usual, and Will was growing worried as he sat watching her from the hallway. She hadn't made mention of what had happened during her time in the warehouse, but she looked beat down and heartbreakingly vulnerable. It was in such contrast to the mask she usually used to cover her emotions that it drew out Will's protective streak.

Currently, Helen Magnus sat on a bed in her own infirmary, legs swinging gently, and seemingly unconcerned by the events that had landed her there. Will began walking toward her slowly, a concerned frown flitting across his features as he took in his boss' unusual behavior.

As he approached the bed, Will tentatively reached out a hand to give her knee a gentle squeeze. The gesture effectively stilled her movement and brought her eyes up to focus on his. "Magnus…" he started softly.

She continued to hold his gaze but didn't respond.

Taking a steadying breath, Will tried again. "Are you done here?" He kept his voice low and soothing, trying to provide as much comfort as Magnus would allow.

She gave a slight nod but still didn't speak.

Offering Magnus a gentle smile, Will extended the hand not still resting on her knee and tenderly brushed back a lock of hair from the side of her face. "It's late. Why don't we get you to bed, huh?"

Magnus smiled brightly at the suggestion. "As long as you're planning on taking me."

Will's brow furrowed slightly in confusion, startled by the force behind the response after so much silence. "You're sure they're done? No more tests or anything?"

Helen smiled again, her voice taking on a breathless quality that reminded him eerily of the time they'd spent stranded on the Nautilus. "It's okay. Everything's okay."

Without giving him a chance to respond, she picked up the hand that had been lying on her knee, trailing a fingernail across his fingers one by one. "You have lovely hands. They're soft hands, capable hands." She released his hand as she moved from the bed, feet dropping to the floor. "Would you escort me to my chambers, Will?"

Though his mind was still struggling to understand what was happening, Will responded easily, instinctively, "Yeah, of course. Come on. Let's get you to bed." After a moment's deliberation, he slipped his arm around Magnus' waist massaging her hip lightly.

Before the pair had even made it out of the infirmary, Helen had curled into Will's side, head resting on his shoulder as she leaned against him.

Despite feeling something was most definitely off about her behavior, Will gave into the display of vulnerability and protectively tightened his hold on her.

Most of the journey to her rooms was carried out in silence, but several paces from her door, Magnus began giggling uncontrollably. By now, Will was thoroughly confused and more than a little concerned about Magnus' mental state as well as her physical well-being. He gently eased her away from his body, turning her somewhat to face him. She couldn't help herself; the look of sheer puzzlement clouding his face only prompted her to laugh harder. Nonetheless, Will kept a protective hand against her hip until she pulled away, propping herself up against the wall.

Her fit of hysterics finally gave way leaving Magnus breathless, the strange smile still firmly in place. If it were anyone else, Will would almost call it flirtatious. She leaned against the wall for long moments, staring at him; and he allowed her the time she obviously needed to collect herself. She worried her lower lip before blurting, "I think I wanna have sex. I think we'd have great sex."

While Will was stunned by the words that had just left her lips, Magnus didn't seem the least bit concerned. She continued to rest against the wall, obviously waiting for a response; but Will couldn't bring himself to speak, still frozen in place by her statement. A wave of clarity suddenly hit him with enough force to propel him forward. He closed the short distance between them, taking hold of her shoulders and bending his head slightly, forcing eye contact. For the first time, he noticed her pupils were dilated. "Did they give you something?"

Magnus giggled again, nodding, "Mhm."

"You should hydrate." Will muttered almost to himself which only caused Magnus to dissolve back into giggles.

"Magnus."

"Yes, Will?" She was now trailing a finger teasingly up his chest. Stunned, Will watched as she slid her finger into the gap between buttons, scratching lightly at the skin she found there.

Grabbing the wandering finger, Will attempted to gain her attention again. "Magnus, listen to me. This isn't like you. You're not yourself."

Reclaiming her hand, she began to slowly unbutton his shirt. Her hands never ceasing their movement, Magnus leaned up so that when she spoke her lips brushed against his ear, the space between them becoming nearly nonexistent. "On the contrary, Will. I'm feeling more like myself than I've felt in a long while." She pulled back, smiling at him as she slid the shirt off his shoulders and let if fall to the floor. Magnus' index finger went back to tracing the contours of Will's, now bare, chest, her eyes following its path as she spoke again. "We both want this, Will. What's stopping you?" Her finger stilled but remained on his chest as she locked eyes with him pleadingly.

Raw desire shot through him at the naked honesty visible in her eyes, and the smile she was giving him was making it damn hard to argue with her logic. After a beat, Will placed a grounding hand on her shoulder and used the other to remove the hand from his chest and lace their fingers together. "Magnus…Helen…I care about you too much to let you do this."

Magnus tilted her head, smiling playfully. "You do want this! You called me Helen! You've never done that before."

"Because I need you to focus, Helen."

"Please, Will, I can take care of myself. I hardly need you to protect me." She tried to take her hand back, but Will held it firmly.

"At the moment, I think that's debatable," he murmured gently.

She did pull away from him then, shrugging his hand off her shoulder angrily. "I thought, you at least, would be happy to see me again!"

"I am, Helen. I just think…"

Shaking her head she cut him off. "You don't act like it. Not really."

The slight hurt in her expression gave Will pause. Unbelievable, Helen Magnus was standing not a foot away from him, and she was pouting.

He was probably going to pay for this later, but he needed to get her into bed so she could sleep off whatever it was they had given her. Closing the gap between them, he cupped her cheek kissing her slowly and deeply. As they separated, she smiled in satisfaction, victory dancing in her eyes. Will took advantage of her distraction, turning her and guiding her the remaining distance to her room.

Magnus quickly recovered from her surprise and was once again biting her lip and admiring him openly by the time they made it into her room.

"Umm...You should probably change into something more comfortable," Will offered averting his eyes nervously.

"Yes, you're probably right," she said absently. Then she was unbuttoning her blouse.

"Magnus, you need to stop this."

The material fell from her shoulders, landing on the floor. "What if don't want to stop, Will?" Her hands moved to the button of her slacks, and they were soon pooled on the floor, joining her blouse and leaving her clad in only her panties and bra.

"Magnus, this isn't what you want."

Again, she flashed him a playful smile. "I think I'm far more qualified to make that determination than you are, Will."

Before he registered the movement, she was pressed against him, hands roaming over his naked chest before working their way up to toy with the hair behind his ears. Her eyes locked with his for only a moment before she caught his lips in a bruising kiss.

Will responded automatically, deepening the kiss, hands finding purchase on her waist and holding her firmly in place. Reality came rushing back as Magnus reached for the clasp of her bra. Breaking the kiss, Will grabbed her wrists, effectively pinning her hands behind her back.

"Will!"

Pulling her closer, he rested his forehead against hers. "Magnus, believe me, I'm tempted." He gave her a gentle smile. "But I'm not convinced you wouldn't regret this in the morning, and I won't do that to you. I can't." Helen shifted her gaze to the floor, refusing to look at him. Releasing her hands, Will allowed her to move away, putting some distance between them.

"Will you be okay?" he asked softly.

Tears stinging behind her eyes, she turned away from him. "I'll be fine, Will. You should go." The words sounded harsher than she had intended, and Will picked up on the emotion immediately.

He was reluctant to leave before making certain she was, in fact, going to be okay. "I'm not going to do that." Eyeing a silk robe hanging near the door, he yanked it from the hook, crossing to where she stood. Her back was still turned, so he lightly rested a comforting hand between her shoulder blades.

Helen flinched, shrinking away from his touch. "I asked you to leave, Will." Her voice had lost its edge, and she sounded defeated.

"I know. Just…just let me…" Let me take care of you.

Magnus gave a barely perceptible nod, understanding and silently answering his unspoken request.

When he was convinced she wasn't going to push him away again, Will moved forward and handed her the robe. She tied it tightly, curling her arms around her midsection protectively. Still, she made no attempt to move toward the bed. She looked exhausted. She looked rejected.

"Thank you, Will. I'll see you in the morning."

Will couldn't ignore the vulnerability in the dismissal. Helen may be his boss, but she was also his friend. Will tugged her back against him, hooking an arm securely around her waist, covering her arms with his own, and resting his chin on her shoulder. Magnus stiffened at first but soon relaxed into the contact, melting against him. Certain now that she wasn't going anywhere, Will tilted his head and whispered against her neck. "Let's get you into bed, okay?"

She closed her eyes and nodded against him.

Without loosening his hold on her, he moved them across the room to the bed. Will turned down the comforter. "Lie down," he commanded gently as he ghosted a hand soothingly up her side.

Helen did as he asked, sliding under the covers. He smiled easily, pulling the comforter up and tucking it around her. She looked up at him, and he was reminded more of a frightened child than his strong, capable mentor. In that moment, he wanted to destroy the people responsible for making her this way.

"Goodnight, Magnus." He ran a hand through her hair before turning to leave. But before he'd taken two steps, slender fingers grasped his wrist in a vise-like grip.

"Will, wait."

He turned back to her, keeping his voice gentle, "What is it Magnus?"

"Stay. Please?" Her voice was pleading, and he found he couldn't deny her.

"Okay." Her grip eased, and he rounded the bed, stretching out on his side beside her. "Better?"

Magnus nodded, rolling to her side and guiding his hand to rest on her stomach. Will scooted closer, tangling his free hand in her hair; and she leaned back against him, closing her eyes.

"Maybe tomorrow we can test that theory of yours."

Her eyes shot open, and she tipped her head back, seeking his eyes.

"I told you I was tempted," he murmured low in her ear. He pulled her even closer, and she smiled as she closed her eyes again.

Will sighed, shaking his head. "You really should've hydrated," he mumbled as he closed his own eyes and buried his face against her neck. They slowly drifted off, tangled up in each other's warmth.

A/N: So, not quite what I had in mind when I started; but at the end of the day, I wasn't too disappointed with the result! ;)