Tegan Chronicles Sanctuary Style:

Step Through the Looking Glass 12

When Helen returned after checking Tegan's lab work Tegan was staring at the food Bigfoot had made for her. The turkey sandwich looked so good, with the lettuce piled high and a big slice of juicy red tomato, it made Helen's stomach growl. He had even cored and sliced an apple to go with it. There was a cold can of coke, an empty glass and a glass of ice water on the tray. Tegan didn't even blink as she stared at the untouched food.

"Your potassium level is still low, lower then I expect it to be after last night's infusion. So, I'm going give you another bolus." She took down the bag from that night and hung the new one in its place. She turned her heels clicking on the floor. "You really need to eat."

Tegan lifted her arm and pushed the tray away.

If I had time, I'd sit right here and eat half that sandwich. Maybe it would prove to her the food isn't laced with anything. Helen lifted half the sandwich from the plate and sat down next to the bed. "Nikola can just wait."

Tegan watched Helen take a large bite of the sandwich. She knew the tactic; it had worked with Cassie but not with her. At the thought of Cassie it felt as if someone had just reached inside her with two hands and squeezed her stomach and her heart simultaneously. She closed her eyes and let a tear slide down her cheek.

Helen saw the tear escape and trek down the side of her face. She wasn't sure how she knew, but she did; this wasn't a woman who cried. She laid the rest of the sandwich down on the tray beside the plate and stood up. "Tegan?"

She could hear the concern deep in Helen's throat but she couldn't respond. If she did the dam would break.

"Tegan." She lightly put her hand on Tegan's shoulder and watched her biomechanical hand ball into a fist. Helen sighed, squeezed her shoulder and then let her hand drop. "My old friend is going to stay with you while I go take care of some things."


"Nikola." Helen cleared her throat as she walked into her office where he was tending the fire. "What are you doing here?"

"Can't I drop in to visit an old friend?" He straightened up and picked up his wine glass from the mantle.

"With you Nikola, it's never just a visit. You're up to something, what is it?"

"Nothing." He sauntered over to the couch and sat patting the cushion next to him beckoning her to sit. "I just wanted to see what my dear friend Helen Magnus was up to and I walk in to see you being attack by that creature."

Helen looked at him with skepticism burning deep in her blue eyes. "She is not a creature."

"She is a thing of beauty, is she not?" He flicked his tongue across his teeth and grinned like the Cheshire cat.

Helen tipped her head in agreement. With her fair skin and light freckles that Helen had only just noticed when she had seen the tear, she was beautiful. There was no denying that.

"Absolutely gorgeous except for the glowy eyes and that whole bionic woman thing she's got going on." He pointed to his left arm and did a full body shudder.

Helen cleared her throat.

"So tell me about the mirror."

"Who told you?"

"Ah, you forget. I'm a vampire, I have supersonic hearing."

"I could never forget you are a vampire Nikola." She smiled lightly. He was after all one of the original five. The same experiment that had significantly slowed her aging to almost a standstill had turned him into a living vampire. And maybe it was because of that bond that she found herself telling him all about the mirror.