Kari looked upon the two strangers in front of her with both fear and curiosity. The two strangers looked at her with incredulous believe, as if they had never seen a teenaged girl before in their life. Kari looked up at Nikola a bit worriedly, his focus directed not at her for the first time whenever they had "company" over. The brunette woman was the first one to speak.

"Really Nikola, you expect us to believe you have a daughter." Helen said skeptically.

"Yes dear boy. That doesn't seem like your style." John said smirking.

"Well excuse me Mr. and Mrs. Skeptic." Nikola replied.

Kari couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at them. Hello? She was right here! What more proof could they need! Nikola turned to Kari, who was waiting for introductions or at least an explanation. To her disappointment, she received the exact opposite of what she expected.

"Kari, why don't you head to your room? I'll be with you in a minute." Nikola said gently. Sometimes Kari just doesn't understand her foster father. One minute he treats Kari like she can manage things on her own and then the next he forgets that she's fourteen and treats her likes she's five. Either way she wasn't going down without a fight.

"But Nik-

"No arguing, go. Now." Nikola said a bit more sternly.

Well that was a good enough fight for her. Sighing, Kari went inside her room, leaving Nikola and the strangers to talk. After shutting the door behind her, Kari sat on her bed and waited…and waited…and waited. Ah forget this! Kari scrambled to her feet and pushed her ear against the door.

"Alright Nikola, out with it. Who is she and what is she really doing here?" Helen asked, still furious with him.

"Helen, I know it's hard to believe but she really is my daughter." Nikola stated back in reply.

"Oh really? Then perhaps you wouldn't mind doing a DNA test then?"

"Hm, no sorry that won't work. See, she's not my flesh and blood."

"Then she can't possibly be your daughter." John said.

"There is such thing as adoption Johnny-boy. Well all don't always have to make children the old fashion way."

Kari, who heard this remark, nearly vomited. Since when did Nikola get this sick of a head?

John chuckled, clearly amused. "You? Adopt? Really Nikola, is that the best lie you can come up with?"

Kari wanted to burst down the door and scream at the top of her lungs that it wasn't a lie. Why couldn't they see that Nikola didn't do anything wrong? Why were they even here anyway? How do they know Nikola? They couldn't be cabal because they haven't tried to kidnap her yet. That always happened with cabal…every time.

"Believe what you want, but I'm telling you the truth." Nikola said.

"Do you have any proof? Like paperwork perhaps?" Helen asked, still very skeptical of this whole thing.

Nikola was silent, unknowing what to do. It wasn't his call to tell Helen Kari's back story, and even if it was, he didn't want Druitt to know. Nikola ran over all the possibilities in his head. If he doesn't give Helen the information she wants, she'll just leave him and Kari in the Sanctuary until one of them talks, if he does tell them, the possibilities would be unknown, and if he manages to escape….well there's no possible way for escape. Nikola sighed; all the outcomes did not look good. Little did he know that Kari was scrambling through a box of papers in her room at this point, searching for her mother's letter. She knew that the letter would bring up millions of new questions from this woman, who apparently is called Helen, but Kari figured it was worth it. Finally finding the right one, Kari scrambled to her feet and nearly crashed into the door, her legs moving faster than her own mind could process. Before Helen or John could make another remark, Kari opened the door and covered the space between trio and her.

"Kari, I thought I said for you to wait in your room." Nikola said.

"You want proof? Here." Kari said, ignoring Nikola and handing the folded paper to Helen, seeing as she didn't look like the kind of person that would rip it up on sight. Helen took the paper, looked at from Kari, to Nikola, back to Kari again, and raised an eyebrow. Unfolding the paper, Helen read, reread, and reread again the letter. It just wasn't possible, this didn't make any sense! And who was this Gwen character? A friend, close friend? Did she have any relations with Nikola? He obviously spent a lot of time with this woman before… Helen looked up at Kari, whose eyes were not looking at her but the letter itself. Of course she would, it's a letter from her mother, and probably the last connection she had to her. Helen folded up the letter and handed it back to Kari, who had put on a curious look. Does this mean she and her dark, scary friend would go now?

Kari didn't know what it was, but something about John made her uneasy, perhaps it was the fact that he kept on staring at her intently, a murderous look in his eyes. No, that wasn't it, it was something more. Something was making this man more violent than he should be, though Kari couldn't put her finger on it. And this woman, Helen, who was she? It's doubtful that Nikola ever told Kari about her…unless. Wait…it couldn't be, could it? Was she the one who is in charge of the Sanctuary network? Nikola never mentioned any names but Kari often asked about the Sanctuary, requesting that Nikola told her everything he knew about it, its history, how he was involved in it, how they do their job, anything. Shaking her head, Kari turned her attention back to Helen. Nikola could answer her questions later, like he always did.

"Well?" Kari asked.

"We're not finished here Nikola." Helen said but this time with an easier tone.

John and Nikola both looked at Helen incredulously. That was it? It took one letter to make her leave?

"I still have a lot of questions for the two of you, so this means both of you would have to come with me to the Sanctuary."

Helen could have been imagining things but she could have sworn she saw the teenager's eyes bright up a bit, had Nikola mentioned the Sanctuary before? It wasn't likely, yet it was possible. Helen wondered how much this girl actually knew about Nikola, his background history, even about abnormals in general! And was she really Nikola's daughter or was this letter a fake? How did Nikola keep her a secret for so long? Surely Helen would have noticed by now.

"I want you too at the Sanctuary by tomorrow morning. If you try to run or hide, we WILL find you. Understand?" Helen asked.

"Why would I hide from someone as divine and glorious as you?" Nikola said cheekily.

Helen rolled her eyes just before John teleported her away, back to the Sanctuary Nikola supposed. Nikola looked back at his daughter, who had a dazed look in her eyes.

"Nikola, are we….moving?" Kari asked.

"I presume we are, Kari, I presume we are."

A/N: Sorry this chapter's so short. I promise to make a longer one next time. Till next time.

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