After finally finishing with all of the treatments, Ashley and Ethan headed upstairs to get some sleep. He didn't protest when she pulled him behind her into her bedroom; after the day that they'd had, it was important to be with people they cared about, to reassure themselves that they were still there. Both were too exhausted to even pull back the blankets on her bed; they fell asleep on top of the covers with their clothes on.

Ashley had hoped that she'd be able to sleep until at least noon, but she woke up only a couple hours after sunrise and was feeling surprisingly alert. She turned on her side and spent several minutes just watching Ethan sleep. Their relationship was definitely uncharted territory for her, but she liked that. There were several unknowns about the coming weeks and months, but she wasn't worried about it. Things would work out somehow if it was what they wanted. With him, she felt safe and normal in ways that she hadn't experienced since before the Cabal.

While growing up, Ashley had wondered if she would spend her life alone, just her and her mother. It had never seemed like an option to not be a part of the mysterious world she'd been born into, but finding someone else to share it had seemed like an impossible goal. She knew what her mother had gone through for the century before her birth: a handful of lovers that either couldn't deal or ended up dead. Ashley had assumed she would share the same fate, especially after gaining her mother's longevity. Now… the future was uncertain, but hopefully it wouldn't be lonely.

Ashley carefully got up and changed into casual track pants and a t-shirt. She pulled on a jacket before leaving her bedroom and heading toward the staircase that led to the roof. From there, she had a view of both Old and New Cities as they came to life for the day. She'd spent almost her entire life living there, and her experiences had prepared her for a lot. It definitely wouldn't be easy to leave, but she knew it was the right choice.


As Helen opened her eyes, she wasn't initially sure where she was. Light streamed in from windows behind her, and there was a familiar beeping noise… She suddenly recognized her surroundings as being the Sanctuary's infirmary. A figure was sitting in the chair beside her bed and she weakly reached for his hand.

"John," she whispered.

The feeling of her fingers twining through his roused him from sleep. He quickly sat up. "Helen? Are you all right?"

She wasn't quite certain of the answer to that yet. "What happened?"

"You were very ill. You nearly died. Almost everyone in the house was infected by parasites."

"How?"

"I'll let your staff fill you in on that once you're feeling better."

"Is everyone all right? Were you and the children sick?"

"Ashley and I were fine. James… he's going to be. You should get some more rest. There will be plenty of time to talk later."

Helen frowned slightly. She would have expected her husband to be far more affectionate, if she truly had been as ill as he said. He was the true romantic between the two of them. But he hadn't kissed her and could barely bring his eyes to meet hers. "What's wrong?"

"Hmm?"

"Why are you acting this way?"

John sighed. "How much do you remember from before you lost consciousness?"

She thought about it for a moment. "I'm not sure… I think I saw Ashley, and you. We were talking… what did I say?"

"That's not important – "

"John. What did I say?"

"We were discussing our family… our history."

More bits and pieces started to come back. She could recall yelling, even if the specific words eluded her. "I'm sorry if I said anything hurtful. I don't remember it, but I didn't mean it."

He smiled wistfully. "Oh, I think you did."

"John…"

"There are certain things we've never talked about. Couldn't talk about. Under normal circumstances, I don't think you ever would have said what you did, but you still thought it. Felt it. I know that you are still angry with me, and I can't blame you for that."

"No, John – " He held a finger to his lips, motioning for her to be quiet.

"Please. It's all right to admit it. But there's nothing I can do now to change what I did then. I know that, and you know that. So if we're honestly going to have a future with our family, then… well, the past doesn't have to be forgotten, but it does have to be let go." John leaned over and kissed her forehead. "Come to me when you can do that," he told her before walking out of the room.


By the time Ashley came back downstairs, Ethan was awake and they were both hungry. They headed down to the kitchen and pulled together some fruit and cereal for breakfast.

"You are a six-year-old in a grown woman's body," he teased as she watched her pour a sugary, chocolaty cereal into her bowl.

Ashley burst out laughing. "What!"

"There's no nutritional value in that whatsoever!"

She held up her banana. "That's what this is for," she countered with a smile. He laughed.

"You guys could wake the dead in here," Henry commented as he walked into the kitchen. It instantly got noticeably quieter; Ashley was intently focused on her breakfast and didn't say a word to him. Henry took a deep breath and turned to Ethan. "Hey, um, I just wanted to thank you. For everything you did here."

The doctor shook his head. "No worries, mate."

Henry glanced over at Ashley. "You know you've got a pretty amazing girl, right?"

Ethan smiled at her. "Oh, I know."

"You'd better take care of her. She's like my sister. And she knows she can always tell me anything…though she doesn't have to." Ashley's gaze met his, and they shared a little smile.

"I'll keep that in mind," she told him.

"I'm going to do everything I can to keep her happy," Ethan promised the other man.

"Good. So, did you finish off the box, or is there more cereal?" Henry asked Ashley. Her smile grew as she handed him the box. He poured himself a bowl and added milk before heading back out of the room. "See you guys later," he called over his shoulder.

Ashley caught his arm before he could go. "Thank you," she whispered.

Henry shrugged. "No problem."

When he left the kitchen, he found that the Big Guy was waiting for him out in the hallway. "Did you fix things with Ashley?" he asked.

Henry nodded. "Yeah, I think we're good now."

"Good." And before the Sasquatch continued on his way, he gave the HAP a loving smack upside the head.

"Ow!"


TBC...

A/N: Thanks to everyone for their feedback!