They made it back to the cabin to find Jack and Will had dragged out the mattresses from the bedrooms and shoved them in front of the fire while also shoving the couch back against the kitchen island. Helen let out a sigh, much preferring to sleep in the bedroom alone with Will than in a room with others even if it was going to be freezing.

Shuffling out of her borrowed winter clothes, Helen ditched her soaked socks next to the still burning fire for them to dry and made her way barefoot to the bedroom. Her heart sunk when she saw the mattress missing and most of the rest of the room displaced.

Will followed her inside, wrapping his arms around her middle and resting his chin on her shoulder. "I told him you weren't going to like it."

"It's fine," she muttered. "Necessary."

Pressing a kiss to her neck, Will sighed. "Did you find the Harsuth?"

"Yes. Sam helped me take care of it. She has a most interesting weapon. Henry would love it."

"You'll have to pocket one then."

"Pretty sure they'd notice. I have other means of retrieving one."

Will chuckled and released her. Helen sat on the boxspring and worried her hands together. "I want her blood."

"Because you look alike?"

"Aren't you the least bit curious as to why?"

"Sure. Go back to the blonde hair and she's literally you."

"In looks, perhaps. Samantha, however, is her own person through and through with her own struggles."

Will wrinkled his nose. "What struggles?"

"Aren't you the psychologist?"

Scoffing, Will ran a hand through his hair. "You're right in that I haven't spent as much time learning about them as I could have. I've been…distracted, perhaps."

"Hmm…and a good distraction it has been."

Will froze. Helen kept her gaze locked on his face as she watched him process. Usually he was able to figure out her meaning, but she also knew when it came to love, Will was not as good at deciphering. Eventually he gave up and sat next to her on the edge of the boxspring. He pressed a hand to her thigh, squeezed, and then removed it. Helen, not wanting to lose the connection they were so tenuously building, reached over and took his hand back in hers, lacing their fingers.

"Penny for your thoughts," she commented, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Why now? Of all times, Helen, why now?"

Helen drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. "There's a lot of reasoning that goes into it, William. The least of which has to do with my feelings for you. But I must say, a hundred and thirteen years of reliving one's life offers a lot of perspective."

Will remained quiet, and Helen's gaze turned toward the still open door to their makeshift bedroom. She leaned up and kissed him briefly on the cheek as sadness swept through her chest. They would have to talk about it all at some point, but for now, she wanted to answer her questions about Sam and get home.

"We'll talk after we return to the Sanctuary. I promise."

"No. Now."

Helen pulled back and turned her head to the side as she stared him down. He did deserve to know, but she wasn't sure she was ready to delve into it all.

"John. You said something about John before."

Licking her lips, Helen stiffened. She shifted her gaze once more to the door, knowing that at any minute Sam or Jack could come in or stand on the other side of the wall, listening. "Not now, Will. Please."

"Magnus." He squeezed her hand tight, and she knew he was going to keep her there as long as possible to talk even if they both knew she was free to leave at will.

"I love him."

"I know."

Helen nodded. "You understand that."

"I do," Will answered and bushed his thumb over her cheek. "You will never stop loving him."

She nodded again, not daring to look him in the eye. She'd only had this conversation with one other person in her life, and James had not felt similarly to Will. He had maintained she could walk away from John at any point in her life but refused to do so. Helen licked her lips and swallowed.

"He will hurt you."

"I know," Will whispered. "Pretty sure I'll give him hell if he tries or that you will."

Raising her eyes to the ceiling, Helen blinked back sudden tears. This conversation was far different than the one she'd had with James. Will, although similar to her long time friend of over a century, was still a different person. Helen drew in a deep breath, hearing Sam and Jack muttering to each other in the other room. They would need to go out there soon enough, and an exit was the best strategy to ending this conversation.

She kissed him one more time on the cheek, squeezed his hand, and stood up. Walking to the door, Helen didn't look back as her bare feet padded on the floor as she joined the others.

#

Jack had the grill going outside as he made them dinner. Sam sat on one of the mattresses with a blanket over her legs and a book in her hand. Helen sat next to her, and Sam gave her a wan smile as her cheeks flushed. "I was pretty sure the two of you were together."

Helen mimicked the smile as she slid down onto the mattress. "It was bound to happen. I have loved him for a long time."

"Does he know that?"

Helen snorted. "Doubtful. What are you reading?"

"Physics." Sam closed the book and showed Helen the title of the book, the one she had given to Will to read for the night. "I have trouble turning my brain off."

"I also struggle with that." Helen took the book, flipped through the first few pages, and then handed it back. "I've read this one."

"How? It just came out like a month ago."

"Advanced copy."

Sam nodded, heat burning her cheeks again. "You said you went to school with Nikola Tesla."

"Ah, yes, he is…brilliant to say the least."

"Is?"

Helen chuckled, and the sound tightened Sam's chest. She glanced out the window to see Jack still standing at the grill, smoke billowing around as the lid opened. When she turned back to Helen, she was staring at the fire, a sad look on her face.

"I imagine if you're a 157 years old that you've seen a lot and met a lot of people."

Helen's lips thinned, and her gaze shifted over to Sam's with a sad smile gracing her face. "I'm 273 years old."

"Oh…"

Nodding, Helen turned back to the fire. "And yes, I have seen a lot of people die in this years. Nikola, however, is not one of them. He is still very much alive."

"You're kidding."

"I am not."

"And I thought I'd seen a lot of weird things. Wait…if you went to school with him, then weren't you already over a hundred at that point?"

Helen shook her head. "That's a long story. But no, Nikola and I went to Oxford together. I audited classes since women weren't allowed at that time. That's also where I met James Watson, Nigel Griffen, and John Druitt."

Sam noticed her voice wavered on the last name. She licked her lips and took a breath. The front door opened, and Jack came in side, blowing onto his fingers to warm them from the cold. Sam didn't dare take her gaze away from Helen's.

"Why does John Druitt sound so familiar?" Sam asked. "I know James Watson."

"He was suspected of being Jack the Ripper," Jack's voice echoed from the door. "Why are you talking about him?"

Helen had visibly stiffened. Sam reached out and wrapped her fingers around Helen's wrist, not tearing her gaze from her. Jack kept his jacket on as he came over and leaned on the edge of the couch. Helen moved her gaze to look up at him.

"Seriously, though, what brought him about?"

"How did you know he was under suspicions?" Helen asked.

"I like history." Jack shrugged.

"John Druitt was Jack the Ripper."

"You're kidding! How do you know that? Where's the proof?"

"Jack," Sam warned.

Helen shook her head at Sam and shifted her gaze, but it was Will who answered. "He was her fiancé."

"What?" Jack's eyes narrowed.

Helen turned to look back at the fire, and Sam stared at Will, who had just emerged from the hallway. Sam wisely remained silent while Jack tried to pry more information from Will, who refused to give it up. Sam stayed next to Helen, letting her have the silence she needed.

Jack ended up back outside to check on their dinner, and Will plopped down on the couch with a cup of hot coffee between his fingers. Sam glanced at him wondering if Helen was well on her way to 300 if he also had some special ability she didn't know about. It certainly wouldn't be the weirdest thing she had seen.

With Jack out of the room, Helen turned to Sam and got her attention. "If you would like me to take a look at the problem we discussed earlier today, I can easily do so. I'll just need a blood sample."

"You don't have clearance."

"She does," Will muttered. "She honestly probably has more clearance than you."

Helen smiled, her eyes crinkled at the corners. "If you're referring to the program happening at Cheyenne Mountain, then Will is right. I do have the clearance. I was also one of the private funders for some of the research you were doing there, Colonel Samantha Carter."

Sam's heart rapped hard, not sure what she should say or what she should believe. "How—how did you know?"

Helen's gaze softened. "It took me a bit to remember. It's been a long time, but as soon as you mentioned the Zat Gun, it all came back. I haven't looked at the research in a century. We've had other pressing matters on our hands."

Letting out a breath, Sam shook her head. "I'm not sure I understand."

"You will in due time. It's all right."

Jack came back in them with a platter full of burgers and steaks. Helen moved to help him in the kitchen, effectively ending the conversation she and Sam were having. Sam turned to Will, a curious look on her face. He shook his head at her.

"Don't ask me. She didn't tell me about that one."

"I thought you were her protege," Sam challenged.

"Yeah. I am. Doesn't mean she tells me everything. In fact, I think it means she tells me less."

"What do you mean?"

He shrugged. Sam narrowed her eyes, trying to pry more information out of him, but when Will said nothing, she gave up and turned back to the almost forgotten book in her lap. It was going to be a long night for sure.