I swear when I first started writing this it was gonna be a fun little piece, just a few chapters long but it seems to be spiralling out of my control :S

Anyway, sorry about the delay and thank you to those who reviewed :)

Enjoy

xx

It took them a while to negotiate with the doctors. They were reluctant to let her travel but once Nikola started bellowing at them in their native language, the argument was over. In no time a helicopter was organized and they made it to the Sao Paulo by the early morning. Henry, Kate and Will were all exhausted, drifting in and out of consciousness as they finally arrived at the Sanctuary. Henry had phoned ahead so everything was ready, including a private jet. Kitted out with more medical supplies than the hospital they had been at, they all jumped in the plane, eager to get home.

The entire time Nikola had not left Helen's side. He felt guilty for not being able to pull the creature off her and it was consuming him but unlike Will, Nikola used it to fuel himself, powering on to save her. By the time they were on the plane, Nikola could tell that she was close to waking up. She had begun to mouth things and her cheeks were pinking up ever so slightly.

Very early into the trip, everyone else had fallen asleep so Nikola was the only one there to hear her whisper. She didn't say anything, just a soft noise from between her cracked lips. Suddenly alert, Nikola leant forwards so he could hear what she was trying to say. She made the noise again, this time a bit louder.

"It's O.K," Nikola soothed, using the hand that wasn't holding hers to brush gently across her cheek. She twitched at the contact, as if she wanted to lean into his hand. She moaned softly and Nikola shushed her. "Just rest," he murmured in her ear, "It's O.K, you can just rest." She let out a soft sigh at the words and was silent. Nikola panicked for a moment until he realised that her breathing seemed less laboured. With a sigh of relief he moved closer towards her and settled down for the rest of the trip.

As the plane touched down, the sun was rising again and Nikola smiled softly at the beautiful sky. With a start Kate woke up, her hands reaching blindly for the gun she had discarded before falling asleep.

"We're just landing," Nikola chided and Kate had the good sense to look embarrassed. Slowly, stretching out all her muscles she stood up and came to stand with Nikola.

"How is she?" she asked quietly, noting how much less pale her boss looked.

"She almost woke up once or twice during the flight but I think she might be coming around for good now," he said, not looking away from Helen. Kate yawned to cover her sigh of relief and turned to wake up Will and Henry.

By the time they were disembarking, Helen was on the cusp of consciousness, letting out the occasional sigh. They were almost back to the Sanctuary when she opened her eyes for the first time, blinking lazily at Nikola who couldn't keep a bright smile from his face. She tried to talk but Nikola shushed her, "Rest," he insisted softly. Her eyes focused on his for a second before she smiled softly and shut her eyes.

They got her to the infirmary before she woke up and the Big Guy (the only one with enough medical training) took blood samples, grunting that he needed to see what had bit her.

"It's being shipped up as we speak," Henry said, much to everyone's surprise. "What?" he said, defensive, "Once the Doc wakes up she'd gonna want to see it so I asked the guys in Brazil to go and get it for us." Will and Kate looked at Henry with a new found respect, Will opening his mouth to say something but he was cut off.

From her place on the hospital bed, Helen let out a full blown moan. She was definitely coming around now. "Oww," she croaked out, her eyes scrunching in pain.

"Where?" Nikola asked, his voice thick with concern.

"My shoulder," she hissed through gritted teeth. Her hands were fisting in the sheets and, to Nikola's eye, it looked as if she was trying very hard not to thrash around. He felt sheer terror rip through his body and he turned to face the others.

"Pain killers. Now," he ordered before turning back to her. Her eyes were still closed and her lips tightly pressed together.

"No," she hissed again, "No pain killers, I'll be fine." Nikola could have laughed at her if he wasn't so worried. Typical Helen, refusing any kind of help!

"Yes," he replied, insistent. Careful to avoid her wound, Nikola reached out and grabbed her upper arms. "Just breath, Helen. You're going to be fine. You just need to breath."

He could tell she was trying to listen to him but the pain was too much. Nikola was about to spin around and demand they hurry up when the Big Guy came sprinting back in, needle in hand. Quickly he injected it into her IV, pushing Nikola out of the way as he did so. For a few moments everyone watched tensely as Helen fought the pain.

Eventually, her hands started to relax, her body sinking back into the bed. Soon enough she was asleep again, her face peaceful.

"What did you give her?" Nikola asked, worried but slightly awed by the power of whatever sedative they'd used.

"Magnus's own concoction. It's brutal," Henry answered, his voice shaking. The earlier drive he'd found had disappeared the moment she'd woken up in pain. Nikola said nothing and turned back to Helen. She looked comfortable now, the only telling sign that something had been wrong was the thick bandages on her right shoulder. Well, that and the fact she was asleep, Nikola allowed as he pulled up a chair next to her.

"You can all go," he said dismissively with a flick of his wrist. He heard one of them start to argue but then the Big Guy dragged them all from the room. Maybe he's not half bad, Nikola thought as he settled down to watch her.

It was several more hours before Helen awoke, this time far more comfortably than the last.

"Where… where…" she tried, her voice soft. Nikola sat forward with a jolt.

"We're back at your Sanctuary," he offered quietly, moving to stand above her, leaning down so she could see his face. "You were attacked Helen, do you remember?"

Helen lay there for a minute, trying to piece together foggy memories. She skipped over those she couldn't place, searching for the last solid memory she could find. "We were attacked," she said uncertainly. "By the creature in the Amazon. It…" she winced," bit me."

Relief flooded Nikola's face as she smiled softly at her. He opened his mouth to say something but she cut him off.

"You're filthy," she exclaimed with a weak chuckle as she made to sit up in bed. Bad idea, she decided with a groan as she fell back into the pillows. It seemed her body had taken a beating.

"I'm sorry that I thought your life more important than a fresh suit," he answered tartly and Helen let out a soft laugh. "But if you insist," he said, standing up and making to walk away.

"No, Nikola," she called, struggling again to sit up. Nikola turned back to her with a smile.

"I should go tell the others. As much as I am tempted by the thought of you and me alone with you in nothing but that flimsy hospital gown…" he said with a suggestive grin. Helen rolled her eyes and let out a soft groan before wincing. She'd tried to move her arm, which, it turned out was throbbing magnificently.

Concern flittered across Nikola's face and he moved back to her side. "No," she waved him off, using her free hand, "Go get the others. I need to know what happened." She saw debate internally but levelled him with a steely glare.

"You are allowed to feel pain," he said, rolling his eyes as he walked away.

Helen chuckled at him and decided not to do that again, it made her ribs contract painfully. She sat silently for a few minutes trying to put everything in the right order. After they were attacked she remembered cold hands holding her shoulder tightly, someone whispering to her as she was… carried through the jungle and then there were several snippets of conversations she had overheard. Doctors speaking in a language she knew but couldn't understand at the time, someone yelling, then more gentle whispers. Helen let out a sigh at her hazy memories and then another hit her. Pain. Lots and lots of pain. Nikola spoke to her, asking her about what was wrong… then there was something about pain killers.

Helen let out another sigh just before her team came skidding into the infirmary. Henry and Kate grinned madly when they saw her awake and came rushing forward, both babbling about how very relieved they were. Helen smiled at them both before letting her eyes flick over to where Will was standing, looking somewhat sheepish. Henry and Kate broke of abruptly and followed her gaze. They shared a meaningful look before they both stepped back and left the room, dragging a protesting Nikola with them.

"I'm sorry Magnus," Will rushed, stepping forward. All at once, Helen felt again like she was a parent, soothing a guilty conscience. It made her think of Ashley again, the way she used to put on those big puppy dog eyes whenever she knew she'd done something really, really bad. But this was Will, she rushed to correct herself, and while she certainly held a great deal of affection for him, she shouldn't allow herself to be guilted into acceptance through wide eyes and a trembling chin.

"It wasn't your fault," she said evenly, trying to sit up just a tad more without moving her arm. Easier said than done, she decided as she leant back down.

"But it was!" Will cut in, "And if had just been quieter or… I dunno, something, you wouldn't have almost died and-," he said, his eyes a big as bloody saucers.

"It was not your fault," she cut in, soothing him against her will. "That creature was probably tracking us for hours before hand, it had nothing to do with your complaining."

"However," she started with a piercing gaze, "If you ever act like that whilst on a mission again I will feed you to the damned thing," she threatened, a hint of menace lacing her otherwise cool tone. She'd never do it, of course but by the look on Will's face, he certainly thought she could.

"I'm sorry," he said again, attempting a smile. Helen said nothing, merely smiling back at him serenely. Will was just about to say something else when the Nikola re-entered the room, Kate, Henry and the Big Guy trailing after him. Helen felt herself starting to blush, this kind of attention was something she generally avoided. She was about to ask them all to relax when, simultaneously, they're jaws dropped.

"What's wrong?" Helen asked, immediately concerned. They were all still staring at her but… but not looking at her, more… more… more through her.