Author's note: Just read the spoilers in the latest CH interview. I am so not a happy camper! : [ Well, this chapter isn't a big Druitt one but the next one is.

Tempest in a Teapot

Chapter 10: What Does Watson Know?

Helen Magnus woke up in a strange place. Sitting up in the bed, she glanced around and took in the setting. The room was functional, somewhat masculine in taste, and definitely Victorian with its heavy, dark furniture. The recent events flooded her head and she leaned back against the headboard and sighed.

The good news was that she was still alive, Worth was dead, and she had gotten to spend some time with her beloved best friend, James Watson. She smiled at the thought of James. She really did miss him. His death had been quite a blow to her and to be able spend more time with him, despite the crazy circumstances, was most welcome.

The bad news was she was stuck in 1899 London, a time period which she would much rather forget. And she was stuck here with John of all people. What on earth was he doing here? The last time she saw him he was being electrified by the coils in Hollow Earth in order to keep the time portal open long enough for her to follow after Adam Worth. He must have somehow gotten through the portal before it completely sealed. Why hadn't she seen his arrival? And how had he found them and gotten the girl to the warehouse? His whereabouts for those four days were yet to be explained.

The only way to resolve all these questions was to talk to him. Not something she was particularly looking forward to given the argument they had back in Hollow Earth before going back in time. She had been angry at his admission that he had not killed Adam in exchange for the possibility of going back in time and changing their history. She knew he was wounded by her proclamation that "when this is over, I don't want to see you again."

Perhaps that was why he followed her. To gain her forgiveness. Well, he wasn't going to get it, she angrily thought as she crossed her arms over her chest. The sudden movement caused a sharp pain in her shoulder and she remembered that Watson had to repair it. She was looking over at her stitches when there came a knock on the door and it opened to reveal James carrying a large tray of food.

"Ah, you're awake," he greeted her as he walked over to place the tray on the bedside table. "You have been asleep for such a while that I was prepared to wake you myself just to make sure you were still alive."

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked, looking out the window to see that the sun was starting to set outside. Surely she had not slept that long. "A few hours?"

He patted her hand. "Try about 20," he informed her and laughed at her startled "What?" "Obviously you needed the rest. Now, how about something to eat?" he asked as he motioned to the tray of food.

"Food sounds fabulous," she answered, her mouth positively drooling at the prospect of a good meal. A loud rumble from her stomach punctuated how hungry she was. James laughed as she clamped her hands onto her stomach to silence it and she laughed with him. "I must be starving."

He placed the tray across her lap and, with a flourish, whipped off the cover off the main plate to reveal a hearty English breakfast. Bacon, poached eggs, grilled tomato slices, sausages, and a potato and cabbage mix filled the plate. Buttered bread rested on another smaller plate and a tea pot and tea cup with saucer completed the offerings.

"Bubble and Squeak. I haven't had this in years!" she exclaimed and grabbed the fork to scoop up some of the potato and cabbage mix into her mouth. She swallowed and gave him a wide, happy smile, confirming that she liked what she was consuming.

"The future must be rather bleak dietary-wise for such a response to simple Bubble and Squeak. John reacted the same way," James mused as he sat down carefully on the bed.

At the mention of his name, Helen raised an eyebrow. "Where is John?" she asked.

Shrugging his shoulders, Watson replied, "He said he had some errands to run. He wanted to get some clothing to blend in."

"And you believe that?" she asked incredulously. This was John they were talking about.

"It's not as if we wear the same size, Helen. He cannot go about in his current state. He would end up in prison as quickly as you did when you arrived."

She swallowed another mouthful and nodded. "True. But the very idea of John running around 1899 London sends chills up my spine. There's no telling what he will do." She speared a tomato and roughly cut it up. "He cannot go about mingling with the populous and disrupting the timeline."

"You went about London and disrupted the timeline, even if for only a little bit," he pointed out.

The fork paused on its way to her mouth and she lowered it. "I did not have any choice. I had to stop Adam. It's not as if I was doing any of it for fun!" she defended herself. "I can assure you, I most definitely was not having fun."

"No need to get upset, dear. I was merely pointing out that he needed to go out to get a few supplies."

Helen narrowed her eyes at him. "Why are you defending him?" she demanded. "It is not as if you two are friends anymore. I'm surprised you aren't trying to shoot him or apprehend him or something."

James just stared at her intently.

"What?" she asked, looking down so that she would not have to meet his sharp gaze. She forked up some egg and bacon and quickly stuffed it in her mouth. She continued to avoid his penetrating eyes.

James raised his chin in challenge. "I am hardly defending John Druitt. I have no illusions about what he is or is not." He raised one eyebrow back at her. "Shooting John has always been your thing. And we both know he's next to impossible to catch if he does not want to be caught."

Leaning forward, he reached for the teapot and refilled her cup. "At the moment, he has not done anything requiring his apprehension to my knowledge. Is there something you want to tell me about?"

"Oh, he's done plenty," she grumbled and forked another mouthful up. Let me count the ways she thought to herself.

"Are you speaking of the recent slayings here?" he asked her sharply.

She met his eyes and shook her head. "Oh, God no. Nothing like that!"

He nodded. "Good, because I have a lead on that and it does not point to Druitt." He took her reaction to confirm his recent theory that the killer was someone else entirely.

Helping himself to one of her pieces of buttered toast, James shrewdly guessed, "Ah, then you must be referring to the fact that he aided Worth in the hopes of changing your tortured, romantic history into one of happily ever after."

Helen's head flew up to meet his eyes. "He told you about that?" she asked in surprise. John had only admitted the truth to her as a last result. That he would freely speak of it to James of all people was astonishing.

"Indeed, we had a most interesting chat last night over dinner," he nonchalantly answered and took a large bite out of the toast. He was finding her reaction to this little tidbit most fascinating.

She placed her fork and knife down hard onto the tray and stared at him. "Dear Lord. What did he tell you? You are not supposed to know about the future!"

James held up a hand. "Calm yourself, my dear. He only told me a few things which he felt would not change my timeline."

She pursued her lips unhappily at that, unsure of what to say in case she accidently revealed something that John had not.

James waited until she took a bite of her toast before adding smugly, "The rest I simply deduced."

The toast caught in her throat and she began choking. He grinned at her and handed her the linen napkin. She gave him an angry glare and, once she had stopped coughing, croaked out, "You did that on purpose!"

"Guilty as charged," he admitted, with not the least bit of regret in his tone.

She took a large sip of her tea, daintily wiped at her mouth and, with a still scratchy voice, ordered him to "Forget everything he told you. Whatever it was, just let it go. Pretend you never heard any of it."

Pinching his fingers together, he made a motion of pulling an imaginary thought from his brain and throwing it away. "Right. All forgotten." James smirked back at her.

"I am serious, James!" she wailed and dropped her hands down loudly onto the bed in despair.

James continued to smile as he watched her nostrils flare and her jaw set. She was going to kill John the next time she saw him. "I know you are."

She saw his amusement at the situation and sighed. "What am I going to do with you?"

He got up and straightened his vest and cravat. "What you have always done. Accept what is and adore me." That elicited a hearty laugh from her. "An informant has a lead for me and I must go now," he said as he prepared to leave.

"On the killings?" she guessed.

He nodded and tapped a finger affectionately on her nose. "Behave yourself while I am gone. I have told the servants that I have a distinguished guest staying here who must remain a secret. They are not to disturb you and will leave refreshments and other necessities outside your room."

"They must think it odd," she said and poured herself some more tea.

He shrugged. "They have worked for me for years. They are used to the unusual." He waited until she started to lift the cup up. "I imagine they probably suspect you are my secret mistress," he said mischievously and chortled as she spilled tea onto the tray.

"James!" she cried out and gave him an angry glare as she tried to sop up the liquid with her napkin.

He just laughed again and started towards the door. "I have ordered a hot bath be drawn up for you. The bathroom is across the hall, as you know." He turned around to look at her, his hand on the door knob. "You will want a good bath after a night of illicit lovemaking," he cracked and yanked the door open. He just managed to get on the other side of the door and close it as she threw a spoon at him.

The spoon made a loud clanging noise as it hit the door and bounced onto the floor. "Cheeky bastard," she yelled aloud. Watson's loud chortling could be heard outside the hall as he moved away from the door.