Disclaimer: All recognizable characters are property of their lawful owners. This story is written for entertainment purposes only and no profit is made. I only own Gina and what little plot this story has. No copyright infringement is intended.

Chapter 4 Leaving

It was Sunday morning, early Sunday morning to be precise, and Will was heading to the kitchen to grab some breakfast. He was just about to come down the stairs when he noticed the entrance hall wasn't empty. Gina and Helen were standing in the doorway, preparing to say their goodbyes. Right now they were just standing there, having one of those silent conversations with their eyes again. If Will wasn't sure before, he was now: these two weren't just old friends fooling around, there was something much deeper between them. No matter how they flirted with their words, the looks always said something more.

Will felt like an intruder so he turned around and decided to go back to his room for a moment.

"I will miss you," Helen's soft voice reached his ears and suddenly he couldn't bring himself to leave but turned around instead, pressing his back against the wall, trying to melt into the shadows to stay unnoticed.

"And I'll miss you," Gina answered and their hushed voices sounded painfully loud in the empty hall.

"You could have stayed until the evening."

"I have a train to catch, Helen."

"We need to work on that phobia of yours. Flying is perfectly safe."

"Says a woman who has crashed two helicopters in a year."

"Fair argument. But that only proves that flying with me isn't safe."

"Alright. We'll work on that." Gina smiled. "You find the time and I'll find the courage."

"It's a deal."

Will noticed the intense eye contact and the little smiles on their lips and knew they had both just promised something equally difficult, bordering impossible. And they were both very much aware of that fact.

"I have to go, Helen," Gina whispered.

Wish you didn't. Will wasn't sure if Helen said it out loud but he heard the words none the less, loud and clear.

"There's still an abnormal living in my attic," Gina said, obviously trying to lighten up the mood.

"It's a rat, Gina," Helen said with laughter in her voice.

"You never know for sure. Maybe you should come check it out. It might be something dangerous."

"Yeah, maybe I should. When I find the time."

No ifs there, Will noticed.

"Time is something we both have plenty of, Helen. I'm not going anywhere."

Helen nodded and leaned to place a gentle kiss on Gina's cheek. "Have a safe trip," she said softly.

"I will. Take care."

One last smile and then she was gone.

Or so they thought, until Helen tried close the door and Gina put her feet in between to stop it. She yanked the door open, planted one kiss on Helen's lips, flashed a wicked grin and then turned around and walked away. Helen chuckled to herself and shook her head when she closed the door.

When she finally turned around, she looked straight into Will's eyes and he knew he had been noticed the moment he walked into the room. He nodded to acknowledge her observation. She made a small movement with her head that Will assumed to mean "follow me" and then headed for the kitchen, walking slow enough for him to catch her before she even reached the corridor.

"Think you could help her?" Helen asked when Will fell in step beside her.

He decided it was useless to play dumb and act like he had no idea what she was talking about. "I've treated a few patients with a fear of flying. The results were good. Not excellent but significant."

"It's a fourteen-hour train trip. One-way."

"Wow."

"Tell me about it."

"So... How often does she take this trip?"

"More often than I take the one-hour flight."

"Am I sensing guilt?"

"Yes, you are. But we both knew what we were getting at when we started."

Will didn't really need to know what that was. He wasn't even sure if Helen and Gina had a word for their relationship. He noticed Helen rubbed her wrists as they walked.

"Handcuffs too tight?" he asked casually.

"No, I just-" Helen went silent, obviously realizing maybe she shouldn't answer that question.

"Yes?" he asked innocently.

"Squirmed too much," she said firmly. Will chuckled.

"I apologize for all the possible traumas we might have inflicted on you last night, Will."

"Nah, it's alright. I'll live. For a moment, though, she looked like she was going to demonstrate what she wanted to do with the whipped cream. That would have been awkward."

Suddenly Helen stopped walking. Will turned to look at her and noticed a weird look on her face. Embarrassed, perhaps? It was such a rare look on her that he couldn't be sure.

"Magnus?"

"I need to ask Henry to delete a few security cam recordings."

"She jumped you in the hallway?"

Helen cleared her throat and started walking again. "Yes," she mumbled.

"With the whipped cream?"

"I don't want to discuss this, Will."

"Well... It looks like Gina got her tape after all."

Helen tossed him a murderous glance but he only chuckled in return.

"She makes you happy," Will stated after few silent seconds. "Despite all the embarrassment."

"More than that, Will," she sighed. "She makes me feel normal."

"But it's complicated," he finished her sentence.

"Everything about my life is complicated, Will. Especially relationships."

"You gave her your blood." It was a statement, not a question.

"It was the only option."

Will knew there was a whole story behind that but he didn't need to know the details. Especially since he knew it couldn't be a pretty story. No need to rip those wounds open again.

"How did she earn the right to boss you around?" Will asked when they reached the kitchen.

"I've never been more than Helen to her, Will." She walked to the tea pot. "Not doctor Magnus, not a boss or a colleague, not an idol. Just Helen."

Will nodded. "An equal."

"Yes. She respects me, as I respect her, but she's not afraid of me." She filled two cups with the steaming tea, ignoring the loaded coffee maker in the corner even though she certainly knew Will prefered to start his morning with bit more caffeine. He didn't feel offended.

"Are you afraid of her?" Will asked, voice laced with humor.

"No, but sometimes I think I should be." She gave the other cup to Will and they made their way to the table. "She deleted the president's phone number from my speed dial to makes space for her own." Helen snorted, obviously still shocked about the said incident.

"Seriously?"

"Oh yes."

"And you let her?"

"You see, that's the funny part. I did."

"You're whipped," Will snorted.

"Occasionally, yes." Helen chuckled. "But I can give as good as I get." That little smile on her lips was bordering flirty and it ghostly reminded Will of Gina.

"She's rubbing off on you," Will commented and Helen's smile only widened, now completed with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, snap out of it, Magnus," he sighed. "You're scaring me."

Helen chuckled and reached for newspaper that was neatly folded in the middle of the table. "Sports or news?"

~The End~

A/N: That's it. Let me know what you think. We might hear more of this Gina girl in the future if you're interested and if I come up with anything worth writing.