He woke in a hospitol-style bed. The lights were dim. He blinked and saw Ashley sitting next to him. A dream perhaps? No, if this was a dream, Ashley would be much older and teasing him. He frowned. Why was he thinking that? He was too old for her. And both Helen and John would murder him and hide the body; after doing some very horrible things to him.
"Will! You're awake!" Ashley jumped and flung her arms around his neck.
"Ungh!" Will groaned. The pain burned across his chest. He struggled for a moment to remember what happened. Ashley had attacked him; not his Ashley, the Cabal's Ashley. Also, Helen had feinted shortly after. "Ashley, what about your Mom?"
"She's talking with Daddy," murmured Ashley. She crawled into the bed with Will and burried her face into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry I hurt you, Will."
He wrapped his arms around her. "I've had worse." He kissed her softly on the forehead. She wasn't his Ashley, but she was able to bring back his Helen.
---
"Helen, it could have been worse."
"I know, John!" snapped Helen. She had been listening to his lecturing since she woke up two hours ago. She knew that Ashley could have killed her, and she would have allowed it. She wouldn't be able to blame Ashley either. Not for the mistakes that she had made.
"Helen, I don't want to lose you." John began pacing the private room. He stopped briefly to look at her. "Perhaps you were wrong about Ashley."
"Surely you don't believe that!" Her heart quenched at his words.
"Don't I?" roared John. "Look at what she's done to you! To your collegue, Mr. Zimmerman! She could have killed you both!"
"I am fully aware of that fact, John!" She winced.
"I just don't want to see you get hurt." His voice grew quiet.
"And you would know all about that, now wouldn't you?" snapped Helen angrilly. She narrowed her eyes at him.
The door opened and Tesla stepped in, wearing a lab coat and holding a vialed drug. He grinned at them. "Look at you two, arguing like an old married couple."
"This is hardly the time, Nikola," groaned Helen.
"Actually, this is the perfect time," replied Tesla. "Before the two of you murder one another." He paused. "Oh, and the freaky profiler is awake."
"John, could you check on him?" asked Helen.
He nodded, but glared at Tesla before leaving the room.
"Finally, we are alone," commented Tesla.
"Spare me, Nikola," Helen snapped impatiently.
"What's got you so cranky?"
"Is there an actual reason that you came here? Or is it just so you can pester me?"
"A little bit of both actually," he replied. "Your hairy friend sent me to give you some morphiene."
"I don't need it."
"You need to rest. Those wounds that brat gave you nearly made you bleed to death."
"If you do anything to harm her Nikola, I swear I will hunt you down and kill you slowly," Helen threatened.
"You really do need to spend less time with Jack the Ripper." He injected the needle and watched as Helen slowly drifted off.
---
John stopped in the doorway. He stared at the way his daughter was snuggled against Will, and the way he had his arm wrapped around her. He glared at Will with the intention to kill. But he couldn't allow for Ashley to see him in that light. He thought of how Helen would react. The reprucussions sent shivers down his spine just thinking about them.
He cleared his throat. Both Ashley and Will turned to look at him. Will frowned. Ashley yawned, blinked, and dozed off.
"Mr. Druitt." Will tried his hardest not to sound like he was in any pain.
"Mr. Zimmerman," replied John. He stepped closer. "This is hardly appropriate for a girl as young as Ashley."
Will blinked. He looked down at Ashley. "No! I swear, I have nothing like that in mind!" he said in haste. He cringed and shifted so lightly so as to not wake Ashley.
"That's not what it looks like to me," replied John menacingly.
"Hey Druitt, she's seven!" He winced in pain.
"That has never stopped pedifiles before," growled John. He began pacing back and forth like a predator searching for an opening to his prey.
"And she curled up next to me," scoffed Will.
John frowned. He glared at the younger man. If Ashley were ten years older, he would chase Will away. Well, more than just chase the lad away from his daughter. He sat in a chair close to the bed and studied the way his daughter was so innocently snuggled against a man more than twice her age. In the time he grew up in such a thing would not be tollerated.
"What was your relationship with my daughter like before the Cabal did this to her?" he inquired.
Will blinked. He was completely taken off guard. He thought about what John was asking him for a few long moments. He swallowed the lump in his throat before answering, "We were close friends. She saved my ass more times than I can count. Not a day has gone by since the Cabal tried tearing the Sanctuary network down that I don't think about ripping them apart myself." He met John's gaze.
"Be careful to not give into those impulses young William," advised John. "If you start now, there is no going back from that."
"I will keep that in mind." He was silent for a long moment, deep in thought. He was worried about Helen. "How is Magnus?"
"She was awake when I left," informed John. "Nikola is with her now."
The door flew open. Kate stood in the doorway, holding a boquet of carnations. She halted when she saw John. Her eyes then fell on Will and Ashley. She frowned at the sight. "Am I interupting anything?" She sounded concerned.
"Not at all, Ms. Freelander. William and I were just finishing our little conference." John stood and exited the room. Before he left, he sent a death glare to Will.
"What was that all about?" asked Kate, staring after John before shutting the door.
"Nothing," answered Will. He stared at Kate, and then the flowers that she had brought for him; at least he assumed that they were for him. "You didn't have to bring those."
"You gave everyone quite a fright," replied Kate stiffly. She put the flowers in the vase on the nightstand next to Will. "Are you sure that its safe to be alone with the kid?"
"She's sleeping, Kate." Will exhaled slowly. It hurt to breathe. He slowly pulled his shirt up to have a look at the bandages that covered his stitched up wounds. He would most definately be kept in bed for a while.
"You were close to her before, weren't you?"
Will grinned at some of his fond memories of Ashley before the Cabal changed her. "Yea. We were close."
Kate frowned. "Well-is there anything that I can get for you?"
"A book would do wonders," chuckled Will. He winced after a moment. He had to keep himself from laughing too much. Great.
"No food?" She sounded confused. "You have been out for the last forty-eight hours."
Will blinked. "Its been that long?" Now that he thought about it, he did feel hungry. "Grapes?"
Kate nodded. She hurried out of the room. That left Will alone with his thoughts.
John would be watching his interactions with Ashley very closely; with or without Helen's permission. He had to make sure that John didn't even have the suspicion that he had feelings toward Ashley. But just what were those feelings? They weren't sexual in the least. But then what else could it be? The only way that he could describe it was that he had the big brother instinct toward her. He would always be there for her. He would listen to all her problems. He would always protect her from any danger. He silently pulled her tighter to him.
"I will always be there for you, Ashley," he promised aloud.
She shifted slightly, as if she had heard him. Her lips twitched into a slight smile before converting back to the content expression of a sleeping child. She gripped his shirt into her small hands, and tugged lightly at the matterial.
A/N: Aw, wasn't that just sweet? The next chapter will hopefully be up soon. I am at work on it already. And sorry about the wait. I have a trip to London to plan.
