Hello! Did you miss me? Probably not xD Sorry, I was busy and then sick, and now finally I've managed to ensemble this one. So, hopefully, you still like this by the end of this chapter. Right?

Enjoy!

M.

PS: I don't know where all that love part came.

Chapter XXIII

March 25th, 2004

SGC.

"Okay, Doctor Magnus you are free to go. Although I would advise to let me put some bandages on your wrist and ankle for support." Helen smiled and jumped on her feet, not even wincing when her 'injured' foot reached the floor as Janet expected she would. "I'll take the weight out of that ankle If I was you. Of course, if I were you, I would also give me a cast and some recovery therapy, but," Janet trailed.

"There's no need, Doctor Frasier. What I'm in desperate need of is some form of sustenance, and I seem to remember you offered to accompany me to the mess hall if I was a good enough patient." Helen finished as Janet got rid of her gloves and walked to wash the powder out of her hand. "Which I believe I was."

"That I did. Let me check on your daughter first."

"Lead the way then," Helen nodded.

They walked to the bed in which Ashley was sleeping. Her breath was even, and she looked odd to Helen's mind, and she had seen her daughter in countless weird situations before. Now, one leg had a white cast from mid-thigh and down low finishing barely below the tip of her toes which, to Magnus's amusement, were painted in a bright shade of pink. 'Ashley is going to be extremely embarrassed when she figures out that everyone has seen her favorite shade of fluorescent pink,' Helen thought to herself.

A knee immobilizer covered Ashley's other leg, and the same image repeated on both arms, which told the older Magnus that during the length of the fight, Ashley had only fixed them partially. It made sense for her since the longer the fight larger was the wear.

Her daughter also had an IV, and a heart rate monitor that for her was a bit too much, but Helen decided to give the petite Doctor space to do what she knew was the best, even if most of it didn't apply to them. And speaking of said Doctor, as soon as she moved closer to Ashley's bed both Nikola and Henry took a step forward and risked a glance towards Helen, who gave them a little nod to let them know she was okay with it. And only then, they took a step back, allowing her to check the young girl's condition.

The nod didn't go by unnoticed by Janet. The way Nikola's step back took him a tad too close to the older Magnus and the small no-conversation they had by glancing at each other's eyes also didn't go unnoticed by her. And left Janet wondering what the hell was going on between those two since the only duo she knew could do such thing was Jack and Sam, and there was a unique history between them.

"Are you quite ready?" Helen asked once she saw Janet place Ashley's chart back in place. And the petite woman nodded, gesturing Magnus to walk. "I'll take you found everything to be in good conditions for my daughter Ashley?"

Janet found a little weird that Helen had specified the name of her daughter since she only had ever introduced them to one and hadn't mentioned anything about another child of her. But Doctor Frasier figured it could happen; it wasn't as far-fetched that another mini Magnus could be running around the Sanctuary and they hadn't learned about it. As far as Janet knew, the strange woman had her cards close to her chest and liked to play them one by one.

"As you might have figured out she is stable, I'm blaming her current condition to the pain of the broken bones and sustained injuries which became too much for her to keep going," Helen smirked.

"You are almost correct, Doctor Frasier," she accepted readily.

"Are you saying you agree with me on the fact that she fainted out of pain?"

"No," Helen huffed, "she fainted out of tiredness. The pain she was suffering wasn't enough to make her faint. Or I would have fainted two or three rounds earlier than her."

"What?" Janet added in shock.

"I will explain later, that way, I only have to explain it once." Janet didn't like the idea of waiting for an explanation, but she figured it was better to keep in the good graces of Helen. At least, if she was going to try and go ahead with her plan.

They strolled to the commissary and Janet tried hard not to gape with the amount of food that had found its way to the Doctor's tray and frowned when Helen leaned forward to grab the last blue jelly of the group. 'I just see a coincidence; they only look alike,' Janet thought to herself, shaking her head as they walked to a table. Helen started to eat, quickly and methodically as if eating on determined order would make a difference.

"It makes a difference," Helen added after noticing Janet staring at the way she was eating, "the combination of the contents of the food is assimilated faster once they get to my stomach in a certain order. Rest assured, I might suffer from wanting to have control over things, but I don't have OCD."

"What?" Janet feigned innocence.

"Or I haven't been diagnosed with it," Helen grinned before taking another bite. "You were staring with fascination at the way I keep picking food in a specific order, Doctor Frasier. " Helen shrugged, Janet sat straighter. "It's quite alright; you are not the first one who does. It drives William crazy; it doesn't make sense in his logic because it isn't size or color based but on the results of the digestion. " She smiled before going for another round in the same way. Janet kept her eyes on the fork until she felt Helen's amused eyes on her and shook herself out of it.

"For what I understand you and Doctor Zimmerman are an item?" Janet asked, making Helen raise her eyebrow in surprise. Magnus wondered what her relationship with Will had to do with the situations they had been through since Janet's arrival to the Sanctuary.

"Yes." Magnus acknowledged with a smile not giving away any more information about anything, waiting for Janet to continue. She figured if the Doctor had a point to ask about it, it would come out sooner rather than later.

"What about Mr. Tesla?" Helen tried to keep her face expressionless, and she had a quite decent amount of years of mastering that art. She wondered if Nikola had awoken passions inside the little Doctor. God's knew she considered him attractive, and if their relationship were not as timeless as it was, then they would have fallen for it a long time ago.

"What about him?" She asked, veiling all her thoughts in innocence.

"Well, I find your relationship with him rather intriguing if I must say so," Janet added, taking a sip of the tea she had bought.

"I believe there's nothing utterly fascinating about a long-standing friendship, Nikola and I are old friends," Helen stated.

"They share a daughter," Sam added from behind Helen, making Helen shrug.

"Is that right?" Janet asked with widened eyes.

"That's correct, yes," Helen accepted.

"Ashley?"

"No, Ashley's my daughter. Not Nikola's."

"And she isn't Doctor Zimmerman's daughter either?" Helen raised an eyebrow amused by the turn of the conversation and still intrigued by it. It was quite a while since the last time she had a girl chat.

"No."

"And yet your partner is Doctor Zimmerman?" Janet inquired again, trying to reach a point that could create enough distraction but failing every time.

"Yes."

"And Tesla is okay with you having a relationship with Doctor Zimmerman?"

"Oh, he is more than okay, he pushed them together," Helen turned around to observe Sam curiously. She wasn't sure if she was annoyed or not with her letting out her private life out so carefreely.

On the one hand, the fact that Sam had told out loud, she and Nikola, had a daughter was an advance of sorts on Helen's eyes. If the truth about her origins were to come out, that would be explicit anyway. Now, the part about Nikola being the one pushing her to Will had nothing to do with anything else she could think about and was still rather private. "Oh, shit! I'm sorry, Helen. That was too much," Sam blushed, covering her mouth with her hands. "I'm truly sorry. It's just both Nikola, and Will told me the same. And both affirmed you and Nikola are best friends since forever, which makes sense."

Janet smiled to herself when she noticed Helen's full attention was on Sam. She took the chance to change their cups for a quick instant, and emptied the sedatives she had calculated would work on Helen on the tea she was having before. And then, with a swift movement, she replaced the drinks again.

"I mean, you must be best friends to decide to share a daughter, even if it was artificial insemination and all. It's a bond that won't break just because you are angry at each other or something," Helen placed a hand on Sam's knee to calm her down. "I'm babbling, aren't I?"

"Yes," both Doctors smiled.

"Did I hear it correctly? Artificial insemination?" Janet intervened again to avoid looking guilty.

"Yes."

"Are you going to answer all my questions like that?" Helen grinned.

"Yes. Unless you ask something that I can't answer in such a simple manner," Helen suggested with a knowing smile.

"There's something I don't get," Sam frowned, turning towards Janet. "Why were you asking about them, Janet?" she asked. Helen nodded in appreciation since she too wanted to know the reason behind the whole conversation.

"Oh well, to tell you both the truth," Janet thought quickly. "I saw Nikola, and you held one of those "eyes only" conversations that supposedly happen only with soulmates." Helen raised her eyebrow. "You know, the ones like you and Jack are used to share?" Sam blushed. "But I guess I just never got to that level of friendship with another male." She finished mischievously.

"It fascinating to find someone who still believes in the notion of a soul mate. Especially one in the sciences," Helen said after a while. "I find it quite impossible, or at least, quite painful. I can't fully grasp why, if there are billions of options on this planet alone, you would have just one to who you supposedly belong. And even if billions of creatures sounds like enough to search for, how could you be sure there was one for you in this planet when there are so many others available?"

"So you don't believe in soul mates, and finding your one true love?" Sam asked, intrigued by what Helen's answer could be. In turn, Helen huffed.

"I did, once," she waved dismissively.

"You did?"

"A long time ago."

"What happened?" Sam asked, leaning forward.

"He turned out to be a psycho killer, and not quite the man I believed he was. The only good thing that came out of that relationship was Ashley."

"Whoa. I'm not judging, I kinda have my own experience with psycho boyfriends," Sam rolled her eyes. "So, that's what made you not believe in a soul mate?"

"No, it wasn't. I thought I had found the one several times after him, but I'm yet to discover how you can surely define a person as 'the one' without limiting them and their personalities."

"Wow."

"How can you not believe in soul mates?"

"I didn't say I didn't believe in soul mates. Is the fact that we are limited to one of those per life is what I don't trust. From my experience, you can and will encounter several of what people define as soul mates in different stages of your life. There's no Disney happily ever after, just a bunch of days in which one can try and be happy with whatever cards you have. And sometimes, they are awful even if he is your soul mate as it was with Ashley's father, I can't be dishonest and say that I didn't love him or that I don't love him still. Now, this is a long conversation, and I'm quite willing to skip it altogether. Also, I'm ready to go back and explain what you have witnessed." Helen finished the conversation by standing out and taking her now empty tray to the disposal area.

Conference Room

Magnus POV

Doctor Frasier, Samantha, and I walked silently to the meeting room a while ago. I was thankful they didn't ask more questions about my take on soul mates and love. I can't begin to explain how depressing it would be for me to be limited to just one perfect partner out there. Just considering my original lifespan (and my luck) he for sure is dead. Anyhow, I digress.

We walked by, and Samantha detoured to enter the office of her General, who came out looking a bit more, hmm. What word to use? Colder, perhaps? And yes, I understand it's not often you see a mother beating the hell out of her daughter in public no matter how much she claims to be a Doctor and know better.

"Don't worry, General. It's not what looked like, and there's a valid reason behind my actions," I added sadly. "I don't like to do that, either." I stop there; it doesn't hear all that better. Probably sound exactly like every other abuser out there. However, I'm not. I must find a way to explain all this to them without sounding all that terrible.

"SG-1 to Conference Room, bring guests," A voice calls over their communication system, and I see Samantha jogging upstairs.

"General, we just need to wait now." She comments and takes what I believe is her seat. We don't wait long for William and Doctor Jackson to arrive; they seem more acquainted. Probably Will has convinced Doctor Jackson that he is harmless, or the less dangerous of us all at least. But even if they look a bit more comfortable with each other, an airman is joining them, for precaution I guess.

"Helen," William winks at me, and I nod at him. Then, I hear something I wasn't planning on listening.

"Oh, look Commander Gruff looking guy! If she wakes up and one of us is not there, then havoc will happen!" comes in Nikola's voice.

"Yeah! Havoc! All the havoc a twelve-year-old can create in one military facility."

"No, Ashley is twenty-five." Nikola's voice explained condescendingly, "And it doesn't matter how military this facility is, it will be pandemonium if she wakes up in a bad mood," and I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose, since this time he is correct.

"Helen, be a dear and explain to the gruff boy that I need to return to Ashley, or at least Henry needs to do so if they won't allow me," He nearly pouts, but he controls himself by standing in a defensive stance.

Colonel O'Neill looks at me then at Doctor Frasier, as if daring me to contradict the orders to present themselves here. Which, I will do.

"I need one of them with Ashley when she wakes up," I affirm, and the Colonel squints at me.

"I will place guards at her door," the Colonel adds, and I nod agreeing with his position. What else can I do?

"Very well then, pick the one you like the most between those two and get them to my daughter's room and you got a deal." I smile politely.

"You can go," he points to Henry. "Airman, take him to the room we picked them from and mount guard out there."

"Yes, sir."

"Please Henry, keep her calm and help her get out of whatever she wants to get rid of," I whisper to Henry, so quiet that I know the only other one who could've understood what I told him was Nikola. I sigh, "I apologize for the interruption, I wasn't expecting it to occur already. However, the situation got out of hand earlier when Doctor Frasier attempted to draw her blood for analysis."

"Ha! Are you going to blame Janet now?"

"I'm sorry if it looked like I was, I'm not. I'm not placing any responsibility on anyone of this facility. How could you be responsible, if you ignore what you are dealing with when concerned to any of us; and by us, yes, I mean abnormals."

"Are you going to explain why you beat the hell out of your kid? Or are you going to keep attempting to sell us the whole abnormals and humans can live in peace speech?" Colonel O'Neill asks with an eyebrow raised.

"I'm not attempting to sell you any speech, Colonel. And yes, I'm going to explain it. But for it to make sense you need to know a little more about Ashley," I take a deep breath. "A couple of years ago, her abnormality wasn't exactly dangerous. She was fastest and stronger than your average human, but she was a regular girl." I smile, sadly.

"For an almost twenty-five-years-old who looks eighteen, and happened to get a Ph.D. at eighteen," Doctor Jackson adds with a smile, and when I'm about to answer him, I feel something off. Although I can't quite place it, it does makes me blink several times.

"It's part of my knowledge that you weren't further ahead in the educational department, Doctor Jackson. Ashley is far from being something never seen, at least academically speaking. But yes, it is hardly rare for an abnormal of our kind to have higher IQs than usual. Of course, among other differences." I blink again trying to focus, but everything is becoming more and more blurry.

"Our kind?"

"Well, yes. As you know, I am abnormal, so it was Ashley's father." The world is moving a little faster than I like, but I keep myself straight.

"Oh, the whole Addams Family," I guess for the sarcastic tone that it was Colonel O'Neill.

"Oh! I wish," I say, really at least Morticia does have a loving husband who doesn't go on a killing spree, steal her daughter and then reappear to save her from their old friend machinations. I close my eyes, hoping the world would stop moving, but I continue nonetheless, "Her more complex abnormal traits were dormant."

"Were dormant? As in not anymore?"

"Yes." I try to keep my eyes open, but they are not working, and I can't seem to find the reason why. "Ashley, giving and taking a few facts, was a very ordinary girl. Until," I feel a wave of nausea and inhale deeply.

"A couple of years ago," Will starts, and he's probably blaming this to sensitivity on the subject. "Our biggest enemy at that time had managed to create and release a virus to affect abnormals; in a Nazi-like movement, they tried to start a battle for the world domination by cleaning the planet of their abnormals." He sighed, "Helen, Nikola, and others were trying to find a cure to the virus; Henry and Ashley went to a facility with the hopes of getting information about the Cabal's plans or the structure of the virus. Sadly, the divide and conquer can work in both ways. "

"We lost them for a while," Helen said. "There was radio silence, and we didn't even notice until it was too late since we were under our concerns with creating the cure."

"You didn't notice your daughter went missing?" Jack asked in disbelief.

"I did. Alas, when we could do anything about it, it was already too late."

"It's not uncommon for Ashley or any other team to go uncommunicated for a wide period; often, communication is not our priority."

"Especially if you are in an embarrassing situation." Nikola pointed. "Only the courageous call over when stuck badly." I chuckle, and I know he is grinning. My mind provides me with a ton of images of Nikola trapped in the strangest situations.

"Okay, let's pretend losing someone is a common occurrence," Colonel O'Neill concedes while I try desperately to gain control over my body which is slipping through and I'm yet to figure out why.

"Henry confessed later they got captured. He and Ashley were separated. The Cabal kept him strapped to a table and tortured him, and the worst part for him was that he didn't know if Ashley had encountered the same fate."

"They found one missing ingredient which could help us fix the whole mess the Cabal had created," Nikola started. "It was something scarce and which someone had secured to extremes even before that virus. Only the combined action of five distinct abnormalities could bring this thing to be released," I swear to myself, why on Earth I'm such an idiot to prefer talking standing? I should find a seat.

"Let me guess. You managed to get it?"

"Why, of course! Then, we figured out Ashley was already tampered with since she disappeared with the ingredient." Well, finding a seat and getting to it are different things altogether.

"She went missing for months; nobody knew anything about her whereabouts or possible hiding places of the Cabal. It was very frustrating," I finished biting my lip, so the whimper I want to let out doesn't escape.

"Ok, what happened with Ashley?" Doctor Frasier asks.

"One day, out of the blue, Ashley made an appearance. There was a small issue though; she wasn't herself. She wasn't the cute little girl I've come to known but a fully advanced abnormal. One whose first mission was attacking us to see if we could take her down," Nikola sighs. "We were in no position of attacking Helen's daughter to kill her, even if she was willing to kill all of us." I feel his eyes on me, but I'm just taking care of breathing in and out slowly. "Then, to make things worse, the Cabal created copies of her."

"Like clones?" someone asks. I think it was General Hammond. Good grief! Will the world stop spinning around?

"Yes and no," Will provides.

"We found five missing persons whose DNA was the perfect blank copy, no abnormalities whatsoever which to your probable utter horror is rare. Most people have at least one or two mutations that avoid their DNA to be untainted. And therefore, the copy couldn't happen just with anyone."

"You mean we are all abnormals?"

"No," Nikola snorted, "I mean we all have mutated genes which are entirely different things. Anyhow, using Ashley's tampered DNA, they created a team of super abnormals under their control. Their objective was to destroy the Sanctuary Network using Ashley's knowledge of security and structures."

"Yet you are still around," The Colonel trails.

"Yes, we are. The Cabal isn't," I manage to say.

"It was not as easy as it sounds. The Cabal was very close to finish what they had started. They brought down four of our biggest houses, and then, they reached the Old City Sanctuary, our previous home." Will says. I inhale deeply again.

"If Ashley hadn't come to her senses in the last second, I wouldn't be here today. Probably none of us would."

"And what the hell all of this has to do with you beating her up?!"

"Since she returned to us, we are trying to get her back to normal, whatever that can be now. She has made a tremendous advance in controlling her body. However, she is still under treatment, and she still needs to fight and do certain things to remain controlled". I say between breaths. "We fight her to tire her, and when she exhausts her blood lust, she faints to heal herself, and it also allows her to gain more control. Today she showed a significant advance." I complete. Remembering she hadn't pulled her nails out and her eyes at most had only flickered tones.

"A significant advance? How come that is considered an advance?"

"Because we can show you what she used to be," I say, pushing my laptop towards Will, I hear him fumble with it, and then I hear the collective gasp. Then he pushes play, and I listen to the fights, I open my eyes enough to see what's going on around us, but my eyes drift towards the screen in where Ashley has red eyes, long nails and she is appearing and reappearing out of nowhere. I feel Will's eyes on me, he knows.

"Magnus?" Will calls me, and I'm ready to start to summarize my status: Nausea, numbness, drowsiness.

"What the hell is that?" at least three of them ask. I'm having trouble breathing, inability to focus, tingly sensations on all extremities.

"Well, she is now a whole species by herself. She possesses characteristics of three species, at least. However, she is in control, and she is not dangerous at all, when properly contained," Tiredness, inability to keep the eyes open, heavy lids. And then, it hits me; I look straight to Doctor Frasier, or to where I think she is "Why?"

I hear a bag falling to the floor, and I feel Will by my side before I can say anything else.

"Doctor Magnus are you alright?" General Hammond asks

"Doctor Frasier, why have you drugged me?" I ask, and I feel Will hands moving to support me, "thanks," I let out quietly. And we start to move to the nearest empty chair slowly. And that, of course, it's Will's, and it is on the other side of the table. Just my luck.

"What?!" Nikola shouts

"Nikola! Behave!" I add before collapsing in the chair finally. He growls loud enough for me to hear. "I'm waiting, Doctor. And I need to know what you've used?"

"I, you wouldn't let me look at you. It is for your safety," Doctor Frasier lets out scared. I guess that whatever she gave me, this wasn't supposed to be the result.

"Wait? You didn't notice before?" Nikola asks I can distinguish some worries in his tone.

"No, I mean, I felt odd and couldn't place it, I still can't point to it completely. It's the symptoms what provided such conclusion. Therefore, I believe that whatever the Doctor gave me was in the food I was taking, and that's the reason why I can't trace it. Bloody hell! I hate sedatives." I say as loud as I can, and I know it's barely a whisper by now.

"So do I," William chuckles, "is the floor moving already? Or it's just because I'm too close?" He jokes, making me laugh; only he can come up with jokes at this point.

"Oh, the floor is moving since I started to talk; I just got my ego boosted, making myself believe that it was due to my fascinating chat," I joke back.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Both Will and Nikola scream to her at once. Will kneels beside the chair, and I hear him searching for something in his backpack. Ah, it was his bag what hit the floor before.

"I wanted to get a better look at her injuries, and she wouldn't let me." The doctor says, and she sounds terrified at the moment.

"You don't go around drugging people, do you?" Nikola snaps, "She told you she was alright!"

"Yes, she told me. But her ankle was still sprained and so was her shoulders and wrists! I just wanted to sedate her to have a proper look at her injuries."

"Well! You could have killed her, you know?" Nikola screams to her, his voice sounding a little vampiresque. Will handles me a cereal bar and winks at me.

"Go ahead," he says and like I would reject one at this point. It doesn't take me one minute to finish that, he smiles and handles me another one.

"I don't … I didn't…" Janet says sounding a bit desperate

"Nikola, stop it. She's already scared as it is. I figured it on time, and now that we know, all that I need is to sleep or eat. I am already eating; I'll scan myself to see if I fix everything when whatever you gave me wears off. Doctor Frasier, next time, please do ask. Nikola is right; you could've killed me if I didn't figure it on time." I say. The only thing I don't like about this situation is that I look weak in front of this whole table.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," Doctor Frasier pleads.

"You weren't supposed to know," I say chewing the third bar already and feeling slightly better. At least the focus is somewhat back. "It's strange; sedatives will only make me dizzy. You'll need to put us in three or four times the strongest thing you have." I smile at her; I know she was only trying to do her job and that I was, after all, an impossible patient.

"Great, so you go on Sam's list then, at least you are not the only one with strange dosages of sedatives Major," I know that I paled a little; hopefully no one would add two and two with that

"Will you let me look at you now?" Janet asks, and I see she was trying to care for my well-being. In a very messed up way, but she was at least attempting it.

"You can have a look if that makes you feel better, Doctor. However, whatever injuries you'll see now, they won't be the same you'll see tomorrow, or even in a couple of hours," I sigh. "Please, all of you need to understand that we are here with no means of doing something wrong. We want to help, and we have enough power and technology to do it. We are here to share information with you. We are bringing you some insight into a world inside your world that you knew nothing about and we are doing it willingly. Why are you still trying to get to the point where you don't trust us, and we don't confide in you?"

"Because you are hiding too much," O'Neill stats, well he has a point.

"Like what?" Will shouts, "You don't even give us time to tell you anything."

"Ok! Let's start with what kind of creature are you, Doctor Magnus?" I look at O'Neill. Something tells me that he knows more than he is letting out.

"Are you scared of me being different, or are you afraid of what I might be because I look like her?" I said pointing to Sam

"Neither, I just want to know what kind of creature you are." Another wave of nausea comes to me.

"Just how much sedative did you put?"

"The same amount I used for Teal'c back in your lab?"

"Ok," I sigh. "I have less than half an hour to be working properly again. I sedatives."

"Only half an hour?" Janet asks not quite believing it.

"Less than that," I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Or perhaps more, I won't know for sure until I get to that point. I'll need to sleep to reduce the time. Well, time and the probability of having to call a cleaning team to this room," I finish raising my hand to my mouth as another wave of nausea hits me.

"Water?" Will asks, and I nod. And sip on it slowly. General Hammond looks at me then at his watch.

"Well, I believe we could all use some distraction. Let's reconvene here at 0800 and then, Doctor Magnus; I won't take more excuses for you not to explain what exactly is that you are."

"There's nothing to worry about in there, General." I smile

"Yes… Is just another, extremely long and complicated history." Nikola grins smugly.

"It's not that long, Nikola," I tell him. "But I will be thrilled if you help me get to my room. And no, I'm not implying that." I grin, knowing where his mind would go. It always goes straight to the gutter.

"You are not fun, Helen. Not fun." He sighs, and I yelp when he lifts me from the chair onto his arms.

"I can walk, Nikola." I roll my eyes at him.

"Yes, I know, dear. But you asked me to help. Therefore, you get to be carried by me. So suck it up, Princess."

"Nikola!" I warn, but there's no use.

"Can anyone point me to her room?" Samantha and a guard walk in front of him. On our back, Doctor Frasier with Will stroll a couple of steps behind. And I sigh, I hate this show of weakness.

"I should have let you hang in that cave," I mutter, and he grins.

"Oh, you love having me around."

"Yes, having you embarrassing me is the part I don't like."

"Then next time, ask it to the protégé, and you can limp your way to the room," he wriggles his eyebrows.

"Oh, hush!" I said, making myself comfortable in his arms.

"You know? You two are ridiculously adorable." Samantha says, and we laugh

"That's what I will call wishful thinking." Nikola grins, "and you, Dear should be sleeping. Otherwise, why would I be carrying you?"

"Because you tend to take my requests to the extreme?" Helen points.

"Oh well, there's that too. But let's not place the blame solely on me. You have your way of seeking things that I can take to extremes," Nikola grins mischievously, wriggling his eyebrows.

"Nikola. Just stop. Your wriggling is making me nauseous. "

"My wriggling? Really? And you were the one in Normandy while I got stuck in Portsmouth with the Nazi spawn," He rolls his eyes.

"Nikola," I warn. And we are thankfully out of the elevator at last.

"Right. Right. Kept the past in the past." He sighs dramatically.

"What did he say now?" Will amused voice comes from behind.

"He remembered that during one of my trips to France, he got stuck in London. Are we finally here?" I ask as we stop, and I feel my eyes crossing at their own will.

"A recent one? Or an old one?"

"One related to Carentan, but the one that caused the issue in there, not the one you lived through."

"Why is that you manage to make everything sound so intricately complex?" Doctor Frasier asks. We manage to exchange a glance before we all answer with a simple: "Because it is."

"Very well, ljubavnica… sleep." He whispers to me; as he lowers me on the bed. And I shiver, it's been a while since he has called me that. "I will check on Ashley and wolf boy. I'm pretty sure William will be capable of watching over your sleep."

"Thanks, Nikola," I add drowsily.

"Now, who of you will escort me to the infirmary? Or shall I go by myself? Since Helen will be off and William will be glued to her side, and I have nothing more to do than…."

"Oh! Please! Someone take him there! Doctor Jackson, it's better if you supervise him if I'm not able to do so myself."

"You heard the lady, and you know she's the one who cares." Nikola grins, and I growl.

"Why did I brought you?"

"Because of my charm, and tremendous intellect," even with my eyes closed, I know he has this mischievous smile on his face.

"Ah, that's right, because you manage to blow things out when unsupervised. Go! Let me sleep."

"You know, someone who doesn't know us might believe I do it on purpose. But no, I'll do it for science and you, dearest. And yet! I'm demoted once again to nothing more than a pawn."

"Oh, hush! Go."

"Ah," Nikola sighed. "If the lady wishes, then I must. Come, Doctor Jackson, lead me to take care of her daughter while she's convalescing with her chosen one by her side," I open one eye enough to see Nikola dragging Doctor Jackson out of the room, still leaving a small crew behind.

"Is he always like that?" Doctor Frasier asks from the corner she has claimed as hers.

"Yes," we all answer. I see the Doctor squinting at Samantha since she too replied in the same manner.

"I," Sam shrugged. "Tesla was around a lot when Henry explained things to me."

"Poor thing." I comment, "Doctor Frasier, any test you might want to do, will need to be held until I come back to my full senses. Or when the room stops moving, whatever happens first."

"I will let your guards know when she wakes up," William offers

"Come, Janet; there's nothing more to do here." She sounds a little bit harsher than she usually does with who she confessed was her best friend. Hopefully, I will have a chance to find out the reason behind that. But right now, I need to collapse.

"Helen?" Will asks softly.

"William, If you are pretending not to lay on the bed with me, think better. Standard issued beds aren't as comfortable as they may appear."

"You need to rest, Helen."

"I know, now join me on this dumb bed. Doctor's orders." I grin, and I feel the mattress dipping a little, and I find the most comfortable position I can before I'm finally ready to rest. And when I allow blackness to consume me, I know everything will eventually stop spinning around.