Chapter 29
London, England 1888—
Thick fog rolled in along the harbor port from The Thames swallowing Helen Magnus with its vapory mist.
She was walking quickly. So quickly she nearly tripped on the bottom of her dark blue dress and black long cloak. There was a full moon illuminating the dark cloudless night pouring bright silvery light down around her. The mist glowed like a dim candle and was brightened by her burning oil lantern she was carrying. She held the lantern at shoulders height while walking between the tall wooden crates stacked in columns alongside a tall warehouse at London's main water front port.
An unnerving contented smile painted her face with joy. She was happy. So bloody happy. Her sentiment was a new emotion she had never experienced before.
But there was danger.
Danger that she felt was always hiding in dark corners. A danger that could teleport anywhere she'd try to hide.
For innocent woman had been dying on the streets—and John had suddenly changed.
It was instantaneously; with threats directed at her—her life. She believed that the teleporting had taken its toll in the last two years and had driven John mad.
But tonight she tried not to think of that.
Tonight she buried its worry with her immense happiness.
As Helen made her way through the misty London port she pulled the hooded cloak over her head to cover more of her blonde hair she had pulled back into a bun. She tugged at its black colored rim to keep the harbor's cold wind from stinging the fair skin of her face. Her eyes constantly blinked away the dew-like mist that wet her eyelids.
She continued to walk swiftly looking deep into the moonlit vapor searching for the dock man she was enquiring to locate.
She kept her left arm wrapped close to her chest pulling her cloak to shun the wind away from her body. She had known something wonderful for the past month, a little over a month to be in fact and now she was sure.
Without a doubt.
She was pregnant.
She hadn't told a soul yet. It was her secret.
And soon her plan would unravel to keep innocent her little unborn angel until a day she felt it safe to finally bring her into the world…
Henry's scruffy face crisscrossed with scratched abrasions along the brow of his nose and arched in a moon-like curve around his right temple. Ashley stared at his soft skin and short sprouting facial hair growing along his jawline and around his mouth. His hair she noticed was shorter. She liked it. Made him look older. And he did look older. Just a little. His face was still thin but had a sharper angled jaw and his muscle tone was more than before.
"Been working out on me I see," she huffed quietly looking at him from her view resting her head on her forearms. Her chair was close to the bed and she slumped close beside him alongside the edge of the mattress. It was strange she thought, to have a memory of him, of how he was, and then look at him knowing time had changed and he had aged a few more years.
"You know," Ashley sighed as she tilted to rest her head sideways on her forearms like a pillow, "I expected nothing less. I knew you would keep up with the boxing and cardio and whatever else you do to keep in mission shape. God knows I worked your butt off in our training sessions."
Ashley released her left hand and pulled his blanket up over his chest from his waistband. "There you go; it's kinda chilly in here."
She returned her head to her forearms and closed her eyes as she thought. "I guess it sucked not having me around…" she sighed again. "For me it's been just a couple of days in Praxis and for you, like 3 years."
She opened her eyes again with a fleeting curious smile.
"I bet you've created some kickass inventions too. I remember that Nubbin vacuum cleaner you made. Seriously dude, it looked like a cross between Lost in Space's robot and some Jules Verne ginormous coffee machine. But hey, it worked didn't it. Much better than my approach. Heck, I had a pole with a circle loop at the end. Doesn't quite work when what you're chasing is a round furry ball." She laughed quietly to herself.
Henry grumbled something in his sleep and moved his head to face her though his eyes were closed.
She watched his face relax from his inner sleeping thoughts and slowly leaned up to kiss his cheek. Then she reclined back to slump into her chair.
She laughed quietly to herself as an old memory surfaced, "Oh man, do you remember when we first met Squid. Mom told us to meet some guy on Dead Bridge with some intel we needed on an Abnormal and she failed to tell us he was an Abnormal himself. You nearly crashed us on my motorcycle when we got back to the front gate we were laughing so hard. What was it," she thought, "what did I say he looked like…"
Henry opened his blue eyes slowly, blinked a few times, and then sighed through a raspy mumble. Ashley glanced up at him still grinning in thought.
Henry cleared his throat, "you said; he looked like Hulk Hogan part worm." Then his thin lips lined in a grin. Widely.
Man giggles and laughter erupted between them.
Just like old times.
Three years had passed but it was like they just picked up from where they left.
"Hi," he whispered in his sleepy tongue after he finally caught his breath. He could see she'd been crying. Her eyes were bloodshot and a still a bit watery.
"Hey'a Henry," she smiled warmly.
"Hug," he motioned as he tilted his head forward.
"Don't move your arms too much," she said quietly, "doctor's orders." Ashley carefully kissed his forehead with a lean and kept her face against his for a few moments.
"I've missed you Ash," he rasped quietly in her ear.
"I know." She planted a soft kiss to cheek before she leaned back.
"What a day," he admitted as his eyes searched her tired expression.
It had been three years of living without his best friend. And now she was inches from his face.
"I couldn't have said it better myself," she said as she climbed up to sit next to him. He moved his bandaged legs to the side so she would have more room as she folded her legs indian-style and settled next to his knees.
"You okay," he asked low as he lifted his hand to place over hers. But what he really wanted to do was pick her up into a hug and spin her around the room.
Ashley saw the deep concern in his face and the soft look in his eyes. "Yeah, it's just tough you know. You guys haven't seen me in so long. I can't even begin to imagine how that was for everyone. And for me, it's just been a few hours and a few days in Praxis."
"We understand," he squeezed her hand. "Magnus told us everything that's happened to you. And we'll help you adjust. We all will." He nodded and flashed a smile. "It's going to be okay."
"I know."
Henry watched as she looked down letting her thoughts disappear into her mind.
"Hey, don't let them win."
Ashley shot her eyes to face him again. "I won't."
"Damn straight you won't," his voice deepened so his words were taken more seriously and to the heart. He was making sure she was listening.
He took a quick breath keeping his tone as calm as he could without losing his control on his emotions. "Your mom did something unbelievable; something so amazing that we all still can't wrap our heads around it. And every day you live your life is defying what the Cabal tried to take away from us—away from you. Got it?"
His words fired something inside her.
Sparking to life a small part of her inner spirit.
"Copy that Gumby." She whispered through a frail smile.
"Now," he patted her hand to comfort his change of subject realizing she must have had a similar conversation with Helen, "where's your mom?"
Ashley noticed a piece of white tape that had curled up on his shoulder edging up from a gauze pad; she pressed the corner gently back to his bare skin. "She said she was going to bring up some lunch. I told her I would watch you. That was like twenty minutes ago."
"Good, I'm starved." He smiled.
She studied his face more intensely then smiled back. "You look good."
"You too." Henry noticed that she was a bit pale, more obvious with the lack of a long good night's rest. But otherwise it was comforting to at last see blue eyes again. Blue eyes without the distractions of an Abnormal hunt.
"Well I could use another shower. Got attacked by aquarium water," she joked.
Henry snorted a laugh, "Could use a shower myself. Guess Magnus wants me to stay in here for a little while."
"Yep, you know the drill."
A sound of footsteps sounded as Helen walked through the open infirmary door with a tray of sandwiches and fruit.
"I thought I heard voices." Helen was smiling to find her daughter sitting with Henry. She had always loved him as a son and was happy Ashley had someone close in age she could grow up with—who she could relate with in a world of beings that go bump in the night.
The picture of them sitting there would be etched in her mind forever.
Like every one after.
"How about some lunch?"
"Mmm," came the unified answer.
Helen walked over to the side of Henry's bed and sat the silver tray of food in front of Ashley. "Turkey clubs," she said as she gave a gentle rub to Ashley's back before she sat down in the empty chair.
"Henry how are you feeling," Helen asked as she reached for a sandwich.
"Honestly not too bad; just a little groggy."
"That's the pain meds. You'll feel it tomorrow though."
"Mmm hm," he hummed as he chewed a large morsel of his turkey club sandwich.
"So," Ashley said with a mouth full of food, "when is the crew getting back?"
"Probably sometime late tonight. It's around 5 o'clock there time. I have an acquaintance that lives in England that owns a restaurant. The boys plan on eating there tonight."
Ashley nodded.
The boys only felt it the right thing to do to have Helen have some time with Ashley without them around. She had told them they need not feel discounted but John told her of his plans and so the decision was unanimous to go trot off overseas to carry out Ashley's little surprise.
"Is Declan still working in England?"
"Yes. In fact he was the one who helped oust Terrence Wexford. We had a bit of a scuff last year involving Big Bertha."
"Oh," Ashley griped in annoyance. "That man was sooo annoying. I never liked that lizard face from the moment I first met him."
"Yeah, Ash, you missed a moment that could've gone down in Sanctuary history."
"Do explain," she begged.
"Long story short, we lost control of Big Bertha," he mumbled as he licked his lips, "big mess off the coast of Mumbai. Trust got flip flopped in the Sanctuary Network and he was voted in as Head. Man, when I was giving him my two sense about his recklessness aboard the vessel, he spat at me." Henry flashed a surprised expression.
"Spat at you?"
"Seriously Ash, it was like a scene straight out of Jurassic park."
Ashley laughed out loud, "Dude I would have paid big money to see that."
"I would have too," Helen winked to Henry.
"But Declan helped get Magnus reinstated."
"Big Bertha? Terrence drama? What else did I miss," she innocently chimed knowing she had three years to catch up on.
"Ah, we have a new Salamander. It's gigantic. 400 lbs. Black with red tiger stripes!"
Ashley's blue eyes widened. "No way."
"Yes way. We gotta check her out later. You'll love it. I even gave her a name..."
"I'm afraid to ask," smiled Ashley as she took another bite of her club.
Henry paused for suspense. Then he whispered for added dramatic effect, "…tiny."
Ashley huffed silently and rolled her eyes in hysteria.
As Helen listened to their sibling banter she also found herself in her own memories. Memories that seemed to have always been just a blink of the eye from the days of yesterday…
Flashback
Helen heard the running footfalls on the hardwood. She knew it was Ashley by the quick timing of the footsteps as Henry's were heavier and paced differently.
Blonde hair whirled into her study as she panted to a stop; her eyes looking around the whole of the room. Helen looked up to see her four year old daughter wearing an old World War I helmet; both of her hands intertwined with the kitchen broom.
She was wearing a big oversized camouflage shirt and pink Nike tennis shoes.
Helen stopped writing in the file that was on her desk and looked up with curious eyes. She huffed a laugh. "Ashley? What on earth are you doing love?"
The grayish green metal helmet slunk and shifted down over her eyes. Ashley lifted her chin up so it would slip back over her head so she could see. "Me and Henry are playing war. See my big gun." She held the broom like a soldier on guard with it across her shoulder.
Henry was always teaching Ashley gun protocols. Perhaps James was teaching him this for she couldn't figure out where he'd learned all that he did.
"And what did I tell you about running in the house young lady?"
The helmet slid back over her eyes.
"Umph," Ashley groaned in annoyance.
Ashley raised her chin again so the helmet would fall back away from her eyes. And from over half her face.
Helen had to admit. Ashley looked adorable in the helmet with her blonde pig tail braids. The helmet was most obviously much larger than her small head as the buckled chin strap hung low and loose around her neck.
Before Ashley could answer her attention was disrupted by a blur of Biggie passing by the open door—and atop his head an extravagant colored Indian feathered headdress while riding a gigantic large wheeled 1900's bicycle.
In the house.
He was supposed to be re-cataloging her early 20th century items with help from Henry and Ashley.
Not ride them.
"Dear god. I'm running a circus."
"But me and Henry are chasing Uncle Biggie?" She proudly stated. Ashley then grunted again as the war wear sunk back down over her blue eyes.
"And do you know what Biggie's Indian name is," came the high pitched echoing voice from underneath the metal helmet.
Helen raised the medical file to hide her laughter. She couldn't be mad? No she couldn't. She had always deemed herself dignified with British character, but she realized at times everyone needed to let their hair down so to speak; and why not at home.
She hid her face only allowing her blue eyes to peer over the vanilla folder. She was giggling so hard she couldn't even answer.
Ashley tapped the handle end of the kitchen broom to tap twice on the wood floor to announce his grand name. "He is Chief Bigfoot of Oxford."
Helen dropped the file folder and let her head fall into her hands as she buried her hysteria to the tabletop.
Another set of footsteps ran past the open doorway as Henry in his big cowboy hat pursued the escaped Indian. "Bang bang bang…"
"Missed me," came the laughing roar from the escaped prisoner as he rounded the corner on his 'train'.
When beast and machine disappeared around the corner two squawks of a honk sounded from his handlebar horn.
"Ash," Henry called out, "Come on, the prisoner has escaped!"
How could Helen reprimand her own children from running in their home when a crazed yeti was pedaling for his life?
When Helen finally regained her wits she lifted her head to find her daughter standing at the edge of her table.
On her tippy toes.
Staring through her big blue eyes.
"I love you mommy."
Helen got up from her chair, straightened out her black sleeveless dress and walked around the bureau watching as Ashley put her broom into the red leather chair.
Ashley reached up her little arms and ran to meet Helen before she had even made it around the corner of the table. Helen picked her up as she began her laughing fit again as she gently pushed the helmet back from over Ashley's hidden eyes.
"Let's say you and I make a plan to capture this Chief Oxford hmm?"
Ashley leaned her little head back to look at Helen so the helmet would stay clear of her vision.
"You want to play with us."
"Yes ma'am, now let's go capture the Indian shall we," she laughed as she kissed her cheek.
Ashley just opened her mouth in surprise.
Then she wrinkled her nose as she thought. "How?"
Loud rumbling laughter erupted again from somewhere down the hallway.
"Leave that to me love. Now go join Henry, I'll be there shortly." Helen continued as she lowered Ashley back down.
Ashley grabbed her broom gun and ran out of the study with her chin up, and helmet slinking back. Small footsteps echoed down the hallway as she went to join Sheriff Foss.
Helen walked over to grab her white scarf from behind her chair then walked over to her tall wooden book shelve. She reached up for a pair of flight goggles that had been placed next to a picture of her and Amelia Earhart.
"You are trapped ha ha ha!" Henry had his little plastic six shooter pointed at the massive, very tall Indian Chief.
The Big Guy had parked his train in front of a large open window. The afternoon sun shined in lighting most of the hallway around them.
With hands up in the air, and his headdress of colored feathers shifting with his every movement; Biggie made his last stand.
"Surrender, surrender," ordered Ashley with a point of her broom.
"Yes you must," came the British voice.
Ashley turned around and squealed when she saw Helen with her scarf around her neck and pilot goggles strapped around her eyes.
Good lord, Helen thought, if James could only see me now.
"Your majesty," bowed Biggie.
Helen bit her lip so she wouldn't laugh out loud at that one.
"Gentlemen, and lady," she said giving a wink to Ashley as she fashionably tossed back a corner of her scarf. "I propose a truce."
"What's a truce?" Henry asked fiddling with his golden star Sheriff badge on his black and white striped shirt.
"It is when both sides surrender peacefully."
Ashley's helmet fell back down over her eyes.
"And if we comply we shall be rewarded with a grand feast at Alfredo's."
"Alfredo's," came the trio of answers.
"Yippy!" Henry jumped up in place and holstered his gun.
"I agree to your terms Queen of England," scruffed Biggie.
"Me too," came the voice underneath the helmet.
"Then it is settled. Now let's prepare to return things to an orderly state and get ready for dinner shall we?"
And with that the Queen and her little soldier, the Sheriff and the Indian made haste in cleaning up for supper.
…Helen continued walking quickly through the midnight fog nearer to a tall shipping vessel that was docked at the harbor.
"Miss Magnus?" A young voice called from behind a crate.
"Yes, I am Helen Magnus," she greeted.
"Good evening Miss. I was waiting here just as you requested."
A young man, early twenties, wearing a grey wool hat and large black full length wool coat stood leaning against a wooden crate holding a piece of noted paper and a small lantern.
Helen raised her light to see him clearer twisting the fog into swirls around her face.
"My boat master said you would be here and that I be advised to give you the contents you requisitioned."
"Yes, thank you," she said taking the note from the man. She read the invoice making sure her purchases were correct as loud echoes swept over London from Big Ben's clock tower.
He walked behind the crate he was resting on and pulled out a package about the size of a produce crate.
"Do you need any assistance with the package my lady?"
"Yes, that would be quite appreciated. Please follow me."
The man followed Helen through a maze of wooden crates and various shipping containers until they arrived at a horse drawn carriage at the open iron gates of the port.
"Please place the package inside my cabin," instructed Helen.
"Yes ma'am."
After he had done so she gave him a smile and a little money for his assistance then stepped up into her carriage and departed the port dock.
Helen watched as the street poles twinkled with gold light shining onto the bricked steps of the homes and businesses lining the road. The fog continued to roll into the city blanketing its watery mist in the cold night air. The horse shoes tapped loudly in soft trot with the low voice of the carriage master droning his commands to the two black horses.
Helen leaned her head back to the cabin's wall as she pulled the hoody free from around her head.
A bump of the carriage swung the hanging lantern to clank against the wooded wall to her right. Helen watched as the light waves swung with the movement of the lantern.
She sat quietly and tugged at her blue dress to flatten out the wrinkles along her knees. She gently pressed the fabric with her thumbs and watched it wrinkle back in place each time she rolled her fingers along the folded lines. A few dark wet tiny imprints blotted a miniscule portion of her dress from her tears. She pressed her hand to her stomach gently and spoke softly to her unborn child—soothing assurances that one day she would be out of harm's way when she finally believed John was gone for good.
Yes she was scared but she had always wanted children and now she was pregnant with a child that she would do everything in her power to protect.
Helen deemed it was the safest thing to do. And she had found a way through means of the changes brought on by the miraculous effects of the Source Blood. A discovery she still held secret from James.
Only time would reveal the day in which she would choose to bring her child into the world—a time that she would wield by her control with every swing of its pendulum.
