"Gather the troops."
Those had been Rose's instructions as she stormed towards a wing of the new Sanctuary. Will had started after her but Druitt's crushing grip against his shoulder had stopped that rather quickly.
"One hour," the man had specified. His eyes had glinted in warning before he too stormed off but in a completely different direction.
Tesla on the other hand had remained silent, puzzling over the tablet in his hand with Henry by his side.
"What do we do?" Kate asked quietly, taking a step closer to where he was rooted to the spot.
"We gather the troops," he replied faintly. She nodded despite the scepticism in her eyes, turning to walk down towards the central comms room and leaving Will with a shell shocked Abby. She was blinking dumbly at him, head cocked.
She didn't even have to voice the question.
"That was Rose," Will answered, holding up a hand. "She's... she's..."
"Wrong," Tesla spat quickly, interjecting from across the entry way they were yet to move from. "She's got to be wrong."
"You heard her Tesla, have you ever seen her that scared?" Will replied.
"She was rather convinced," Abby put in timidly.
"Do not pretend to even understand what she's going through," Nikola snarled. "God only knows what stresses she's been under."
"Are you saying that Helen's still alive?" Abby asked, stepping towards the irate vampire despite Will's attempt at restraining her.
"I'm saying she can't be dead."
And with that, Nikola turned, tablet under his arm and all but sprinted down another corridor and Will sighed. The man had only been gone from the Sanctuary for a week and a half and Will had been considering it some kind of gift from above. Peace and quiet was in short supply for them at the best of times but with Tesla around it was another kind of hell most days. Between the attempts at blowing the entire network up and the way he liked to provoke Magnus into a blind rage his presence was like a guaranteed headache.
They hadn't been expecting him back for another few days at least, whichever 'secret project' Magnus had sent him on requiring him to go to the surface. Will suspected the mission, whatever it was, may have also been a way for her to get some time away from the man who had quickly become glued to her side. Something had shifted in their relationship recently and while he wasn't sure what, Will had picked up on it straight away. They fought and bickered and complained about one another just as much as before but now there was something... different about it. They worked a little better together (not that they hadn't been nearly seamless before) and there was always a lingering smile on their faces when the other was talking. It was subtle but there and to be honest it kind of frightened Will. The last thing he needed was the promise of a new permanent house guest.
Not that it was at all cramped. The sprawling structure spread out for miles, gleaming buildings set around a system of grassy parks and towering jungles. Some of the foliage was like nothing he'd ever seen before but everything flourished under their artificial sun. The place was like an oasis, almost the entire network in one place with more than enough room for generous expansions. Only the London Sanctuary still functioned on the surface, more a cover than anything else. The story was that, with Magnus gone everything had fallen apart.
In reality the London Sanctuary was simply the intake point for any new abnormals. Everywhere else had, over the past six months been sold off bit by bit and one by one they'd moved below the surface. When he'd arrived, three of the Sanctuaries were already down, each occupying their own wing that had been designed specifically for the requirements of that Sanctuary.
It was a monumental undertaking and a testament to Magnus, a legacy that would stand the test of time.
The thought struck Will cold. If she really was dead then... then this really was her legacy to the world.
He felt himself choking up a little at the thought. Rose couldn't be right, she just couldn't be. It simply wasn't fathomable.
She was supposed to be one of those constants. A thorn in everyone's sides and the woman they all looked up to. She was eternal and unfathomable and... and she just was. Always. She cheated death as a hobby, twisting and turning about until she had it running away with its tail between its legs. She didn't die, she lived. She lived well and with purpose. She couldn't be dead.
"I'm going to go run another search," Henry said gruffly, breaking into Will's line of thought before spinning on his heel and thumping down in the direction Tesla had skulked.
Will let out a breath, trying to stem the panic slowly erupting through his body.
"That was..." Abby said quietly, rocking back on her heels. Will shot her a small smile before trying once more to release the growing tensions in his shoulders. Picking up on his discomfort she came to stand behind him, small hands working the knotted muscles of his shoulders. He sighed and relaxed into the touch as much as he could, once again thankful she'd made the switch to the Sanctuary. He'd been dubious about her joining them to start with but Magnus had curtly informed him that it wasn't his choice, it was Abby's. The two women had spoken at length and come out, arms linked with large smiles on their faces.
While he'd been worried that his decision to rejoin Magnus below ground would mean the end of his relationship, Will had never contemplated that Abby would make the move too. She loved her job with the FBI and despite Addison recruiting her post the explosion, she had never shown an interest in leaving. But, of course, when he mentioned in passing and as a joke that she could always come work with him for even lousier pay, she'd taken him seriously.
He'd cringed as she strode into Magnus' office, resume in hand but after being kicked out by both women, his nerves had begun to build. He'd never really thought about it but having Abby work for the Sanctuary would be both a curse and a blessing. There would be no such thing as separate work and private life and they'd probably end up fighting a fair bit more than they did currently but Will could see no other way for them to work as a couple. It was just too much, he couldn't ask her to go through the stress of dating a dead man and he didn't need the added worry of when he'd get a chance to go up and see her.
Since the change he'd been... well, relatively happy. He was loathe to say as such for fear of jinxing it but things had been going smoothly. Until of course Henry's frantic message had come down the line. Then he'd been sprinting full pelt down to the entrance hall.
Seeing not only Druitt and Tesla so angry and upset but Rosie too had been more of a shock that he wanted to admit. Even after having met the woman on only a few select occasions, he hadn't expected her to react so violently. Her fear was unparalleled in his eyes. Even with that horrid sister there had still been a calm acceptance to her but now there was only terror.
And he couldn't blame her. Helen Magnus didn't do dead.
"Can you go help Kate?" Will asked weakly, putting a hand on Abby's. "Bring all the Heads down to the meeting room in an hour, yeah?"
"Sure," she said softly, pressing a fleeting kiss to his cheek. She turned to go but he grabbed her hand back quickly.
She shot him a puzzled look, squeezing his hand comfortingly.
"Just... just be careful of Druitt and Tesla," he said, scrubbing a hand over his face. "They can be... explosive sometimes."
"I'm always careful," she told him with a wide smile before sauntering down the corridor and Will had to smile. She was so... sunny.
But then that now familiar feeling of dread crept up his spine and he shuddered, turning on his heel and walking... just walking.
It took only a moment for his feet to find a path for him to follow. He would go to the one place he went when things got bad and he needed advice. Her office. It was stupid but he couldn't stop himself from heading down the familiar corridors.
And three and a half minutes later he was standing outside the light double doors, hand on one intricate knob.
After a deep breath he pushed it open, heart clenching oddly as he did so.
The room was completely still, the white gauzy curtains hanging limp beside closed windows. The palatial desk was neat and orderly, a single file lying open as testament to a want to return. Or so it seemed to Will's eyes.
Slowly he stepped inside, closing the door softly behind him as he took a deep, calming breath. Seeing her office empty made it real. This wasn't some prank or hoax, she was gone, maybe even dead.
"It's strange, isn't it?" a soft voice said from one of the tasteful blue couches tucked by the windows. Rose's head appeared over the back, her small face solemn.
"It just doesn't make sense," he agreed quietly, crossing the room to drop into the space by her feet. She curled in on herself more, arms around her knees as she set her head on her knees. Light brown curls tickled her cheeks but she shook them away absently, tucking the shoulder length strands behind an ear.
She smiled bleakly at him and he had the sudden urge to hold her hand or something.
"It doesn't seem real," she whispered, holding out a shaking hand to him. He took it gratefully, sliding closer to her.
"She just..."
"Can't be gone." Rose let out a shuddering breath, eyes closing as she squeezed his fingertips. "I can't hear her anymore. It's so... Just..."
"I know."
She smiled at him again and sighed. They stayed like that for a minute, Will simply trying to calm down enough to go and chair the meeting that had to be held.
Then he had a thought, something to take his mind off of all this.
"Back in Serbia," he blurted, "just before you went all..."
"Buffy the Vampire Slayer?"
"Yeah," he replied with a weak chuckle, "you said something."
"I did."
Will rolled his eyes and she smirked.
"What was it?"
Rose sighed, looking around the room before biting her lip and looking Will in the eye once more.
"Doclis maynta, presu veya."
Will simply looked at her, wracking his brain to try and figure out the words. The words sound vaguely like Latin but even then he knew that wasn't quite it.
"It's a prayer," she admitted softly, unfolding her legs. "In the language of my people. It translates to something along the lines of 'for death, we smile'."
"Oh."
She smiled kindly at him, shifting closer so that their legs almost touched.
"When you are immortal Will, death can be both welcome and terrifying. We were always taught to smile in the face of death because then, no matter what, part of you would be at peace."
"I like that," he said softly, smiling down at her. Her brown eyes twinkled in response and she chuckled.
"It is rather soothing," she agreed quietly, her body again shifting until she was closer still to Will. Slowly she raised a hand to his cheek, stroking her fingers across his cheek bone sadly. "Oh Will," she breathed, eyes locked on his.
"Don't tell me, you see my death," he teased half heartedly. She smiled but it didn't reach her eyes.
"You are so different," she continued. "Your eyes. They've grown so old."
"Is that a bad thing?" he asked, voice dropping to a near whisper.
Then she really smiled.
"No."
And with that she closed what little distance remained between them and kissed him full on the lips. Will was so startled that for a moment he couldn't react, simply letting her run her tongue across the seam of his lips. But then he was reacting for some stupid reason, kissing her back as one hand wound into her loose hair. She pressed forward, hands cupping his cheeks still and Will quickly found himself being pushed back against the sofa slightly, Rose almost hovering over him on her knees. Bit by bit the kiss deepened, passion rising between them unwanted and unbidden but there none the less. A thousand reasons as to why this was stupid rushed through his mind but none of it seemed to compute.
Until, of course, a shocked gasp flooded his senses from somewhere in the vicinity of the door. Rose flew backwards, eyes wide and fearful but Will only had eyes for the flash of blonde that was now stalking down the corridor and away from them.
He groaned.
"Sorry," Rose muttered, standing up and rubbing her hands over her thighs awkwardly.
He didn't speak, instead waiting for her to either speak or leave.
She seemed to choose the latter easily, turning on her heel and scampering out the door and giving him the chance to groan once more.
In the words of Helen Magnus, bloody hell.
I had intended to have this up earlier but I keep getting distracted. Sorry!
