Chapter 4

"Thank You" She repeated the words aloud hoping the answer might suddenly come to her.

Helen turned the small card over in her hand again and again, her fingers sliding across the edges of the bright red paper. Had the person at least signed the note with an initial or some sort of symbol, she might have had a clue as to their identity. Henry managed to pull up the records from the company the delivery man worked for, but the purchase was made with cash and was therefore untraceable. Whoever this person was, they were apparently determined to remain anonymous.

The unexpected gift now rested atop a small pedestal table in front of the corner bookcase in Helen's office. She admired the way the bold color brought new life to the dark corner, the way it so starkly contrasted with the rich walnut and dark cherry leather of the neighboring armchairs. She carefully brushed the tip of her index finger along one of the fresh, silky petals. The lily had always been one of Helen's favorite flowers, simple and elegant yet capable of so much diversity. Nowadays the shops could paint the flowers any color you might imagine, but to Helen all that cosmetic fakery seemed lackluster compared to the astonishing beauty nature created all on its own. She closed her eyes as she inclined her head toward the bouquet, slowly breathing in its fresh scent.

As she walked back toward her desk, still fiddling with the note card, Helen wondered if there was any particular reason behind the choice of flower. Lilies traditionally symbolized beauty, elegance and sweetness. Tiger lilies could suggest any number of variations on that theme. Maybe her mysterious correspondent was making some sort of comment on her personality. It was also possible that the flowers were not meant to symbolize anything other than the sender's wish to express his or her gratitude. Perhaps, she was just over-thinking the whole situation.

The possibilities continued to swim around in her head as Helen sat at her desk, the sweet smell of the speckled flowers still filling her senses. It wasn't uncommon to receive thank you notes from grateful patients and the like, but that certainly did not help narrow down the options. In the past two months alone, she had delivered a baby in the middle of a traffic jam; filled in for a colleague who was supposed to speak at a Human Genetics Research conference in Chicago; saved countless young abnormals from enslavement, for lack of a better word, by a major crime ring; stopped a deadly pathogen from spreading amongst a local population of Abarimonsi; and of course there was that whole collapsing the expanding, invisible time dilation field around Carentan, thus saving the planet from being torn apart thing. She wasn't holding her breath for a thank you on that last one. Of course, there was also Nikola's revamping, but she quickly dismissed that idea. Flowers were far too cliché for the likes of Nikola Tesla and his massive ego. Her mind briefly flashed to Druitt. 'No, these are definitely not from John' she thought to herself. John favored the classics, such as roses, because they sent a very clear message. It wasn't his style to be so cryptic and he certainly wasn't shy when he wanted to say something. Besides, she couldn't think of a single reason why he'd be thanking her for anything.

At five o' clock sharp, a smiling Will came strolling into Magnus's office with a large bundle of files in his arms. He placed the tall stack of finished paperwork on the edge of Helen's desk and took a step back to gauge her reaction. Her eyes grew wide as she surveyed the rare sight before her.

"Could you not look so shocked?" Will said with just a hint of hurt in his voice. "I am your hero, after all."

Magnus looked up at Will who was now puffing out his chest triumphantly. She gave him a smirk and rolled her eyes.

"It is truly fascinating the lengths men will go to have their egos stroked."

Will's chest suddenly deflated and he stuck out his bottom lip very nearly achieving his goal of emulating a hurt puppy dog. The corners of Helen's mouth began to twitch as she tried to hold back a smile. Magnus couldn't stop herself from thinking about how ridiculously cute he was sometimes and shook her head in resignation.

"But…if it gets you to turn in your reports on time, I guess I'll have to call you my hero more often."

Will raised his eyebrows at her disbelievingly. "That's real kind of you Magnus, but I won't hold my breath."

"Well that's a relief. It would be a shame to lose you to something as easily preventable as oxygen deprivation." She countered with a devilish grin.

All he could do was smile and concede gracefully; knowing he'd lost yet another sparring match with Magnus. Will was about to take his leave when he noticed that her attention had turned to the crystal vase holding her mysterious gift. Helen's brow furrowed as she studied the flowers.

"So…did you ever figure out who sent them?"

Will watched her movements closely and noticed her uncomfortable stance. He could tell she was trying to relax under his glare. Her body was in a state of alert and she was fidgeting with a small, red note card unconsciously.

"I'm afraid not. He or she was apparently intent on remaining nameless."

She noticed then that she was still playing with the card and set it down immediately. Helen smiled weakly and let out a short breath of resignation. On the one hand she felt it was silly to be so disquieted by a simple bouquet of flowers, but there was this nagging thought at the back of her mind that told her it was something more. The fact that Will was staring at her didn't help ease her discomfort. She knew he could probably see right through her, but not a word fell from his lips to indicate he knew.

Helen cleared her throat and stood to reach for a file folder from the sizeable stack before her.

"Well…I should probably get started on these. Thank you, Will."

"Yeah. No problem." He seemed to take the hint and gave her one last look before turning to leave.

The big guy turned to the stove when he heard the kettle start to whistle. Making tea for Helen was a ritual he performed nearly every night and with an expert hand, he might add. It was his not so subtle way of checking up on her before he retired in the evenings. He usually ended up telling her to get some rest then she'd reply that she was fine and would rest when she needed to. Helen knew he worried about her and always rewarded her dear friend with a thankful smile before they parted ways for the night. It was their little ritual and Helen cherished it more than he'd ever know.

It was already midnight as Big Guy made his way down the hall to the library where she was still hard at work, completely immersed in her latest research. It had been a particularly long day and thankfully Henry and Will were taking care of the late night feedings. After he checked up on Magnus, he planned to head straight to his quarters and pass out for the night. When he rounded the next corner to enter the vast library, he saw she was now slumped over the table and her head snapping back and forth as she tried to stay awake. He walked over to her seemingly unnoticed and placed the tea cup next to her hand. Without missing a beat Helen reached out for the cup, not the least bit surprised by the presence of her manservant.

"Thank you, old friend." She muttered as she clutched her tea cup and reverently breathed in its aroma.

"You're exhausted. You should rest."

"I know." She said, surprising him.

This was usually the point in the conversation where the denial would begin. Just as he was about to open his mouth to speak, she cut him off.

"I promise." She assured him. "As soon as I finish my tea, it's off to bed I go." She met his eyes and smiled.

He grunted in disbelief. It was uncharacteristic of her to be so cooperative when it came to her own well being. He knew she was probably just telling him what he wanted to hear.

"Scout's honor." She said giving him a mock salute.

"Uh huh." He grumbled as he headed for the exit.

Feeling a little worse for wear himself, the big guy had no more energy to argue with her and decided it was best to let it be.

Magnus smiled sleepily and closed the large, leather-bound book she had been reading and set it off to the side. At least she wouldn't spill tea all over the book if she fell asleep at the table. She rarely ever got more than four hours of restful sleep a night but she was used to it. Lately, however, she seemed to be on sensory overload and her batteries were running down fast. Even though she had an amazing team at her disposal and a network of very capable people all around the globe to share her burdens with, her job just seemed to get more and more complicated with each passing day and it was taking its toll. She needed a vacation badly but she most definitely did not have the time to take one, not with all these new uncertainties looming overhead. Helen was determined to protect her life's work as well as her family and if that meant getting a few extra hours of sleep a night, she supposed she was willing to make that sacrifice…but she didn't have to be happy about it.

When Helen opened the door to her bedroom all she could think about was crawling underneath her covers and slipping into peaceful oblivion. The room was black except for the soft glow of moonlight shining outside the window. Without even bothering to turn on a lamp, she slipped out of her heels and started to undress in the dark. Helen felt so tired that she was practically a shell running on autopilot. She didn't notice another presence in the room as she started to undo the zipper of her charcoal gray dress.

Across the room, eyes drank in the sight of creamy white skin slowly emerging from its cocoon of darkness inch by inch; each curve smooth and exquisite. The woman then retreated further into the darkness as she sought out a large chest of drawers. Dark locks shimmered in the soft moonlight as she flipped them over the pale blue fabric of her nightgown. Even as tired as she was, her movements looked inexplicably graceful as she strode toward the bed. Helen pulled back the covers of her bed, closing her eyes as she slipped beneath the silky material and let her tired body sink into the depths of the soft mattress. She sighed in absolute contentment as she breathed in the fresh scent of the cool pillow case cradling her cheek. The eyes watched silently as she drifted into slumber.

i Just a small disclaimer: I did not make up the creature called the Abarimon. I do not remember the name of the site where I found its description, sorry. The site defines an Abarimon as a mythological humanoid creature with backwards feet, if memory serves.