Four days later and Magnus woke suddenly sitting up in her bed and looking around the room. There was no one there, no one taking vials of blood from her body, or injecting things into her. She'd been dreaming. Remembering, actually. Drawing in a deep breath she rested against her pillows and tried to calm her heart that was speeding. She was tapping out a rhythm on her stomach while staring at the ceiling. If she couldn't fall asleep by the end of the pattern she would get up and go work on a project.
She'd finished the pattern not once, but twice. For some reason, she couldn't help but not want to get out of the warm covers. It was still dark outside, glancing at her clock she noted it was just past three in the morning. Maybe there was something for another hour of sleep. She was turning on her side facing away from the window when she heard the quiet whispering. "Helen… who is like God?"
The woman sat bolt straight up in her bed and looked around the room. There was no one there. Not a soul nearby; she couldn't feel a presence. She was gripping the edge of the duvet and decided to finally get out of bed. She wasn't going to sleep anymore after that. Pushing the covers down to her shins she heard the scream from down the hall. She was up and out of bed and moving down the corridor before the scream even finished.
Standing at the door to Emma's bedroom Will was right behind her as was everyone else. She issued them all the look and they left except for her young protégé. He wasn't going to leave, this was his job. Nodding to him she pushed open the door to find Emma struggling with the blankets on her bed and shoving them down to her feet. She was covered in a tank and shorts and Helen could smell the sweat and fear coming off her body. Will stayed by the door as Magnus slowly took a step inside. "Emma." She said the name firmly, but it was as if the woman heard nothing. She stated it again while she carefully and slowly made her way to the side of the bed. She didn't want to frighten the girl any more than was necessary.
Helen sat on the edge of the bed and pulled the rest of the blankets off Emma's feet. The young woman shot up and into Helen's arms and clung to the brunette's body like a lifeline. Her face was buried in Helen's soft locks and she was trying to calm her breathing. Helen's fingers were running up and down Emma's back in a calming and soothing motion. Will took a step inside after watching the two for nearly twenty minutes and Emma tensed pulling back, fear in her eyes as she stared at him. He stopped suddenly and held up his hands in surrender. Helen's hand settled on Emma's thigh and she only had eyes for the young woman. "It's alright. It's just Will."
Emma curled back into Helen and rested her face in the dark locks. "Make him go away." Her voice was so tiny, so small and afraid that Helen could do nothing to resist it.
"You'll have to speak with him soon." Emma nodded in understanding and waited for Helen to make him go away. The brunette looked over at her protégé and nodded slightly. He motioned to the door and silently told her that he would be waiting for a report on whatever was going to happen. They would need to talk separately before he tackled whatever it was that Emma was going through. Helen carded fingers through the young woman's hair, their cheeks pressing together so that Helen could smell Emma's sweet shampoo.
She waited an hour before the woman considerably calmed. She had to know, had to figure out exactly what was going on. "Talk to me, Emma." Her voice was soft and pleading. "Tell me what happened."
"Nothing happened."
Drawing in a slow breath Helen continued to slide her fingers through the long hair and cradle the body into hers. "I do not believe for one second that you were held by Mihovil and nothing happened." At the sound of his name the woman in her arms folded further in on herself.
"Who is like God?" The young woman whispered it so quietly Helen didn't hear anything beyond the mumble and murmur of her voice.
"What did you say?"
"Mihovil." Emma winced at the name. "Mihovil is like God."
"No." Helen took hold of Emma's cheeks and drew the young woman's face up to hers. They locked eyes and Helen spoke again. "No, he is not like God."
Emma started to push at Magnus until she was free from the woman's grip. She needed to get out and away. She needed to go for a run. "I um… I… I'm going for a run."
"Emma, please wait." The young woman was already standing and pulling on her socks and shoes. "Emma stop." Helen stood and tried to make her cease, but once she set her hand on Emma's arm the woman recoiled and Magnus stopped. "Talk to me."
The blonde turned and stared at the woman, her eyes raking over her body as she stood before her. "I'm sorry." She shook her head and made her way for the door and out of the Sanctuary confines. She was running again, but this time she didn't take a detour. When her feet pounded on the pavement she knew exactly where she was going, exactly what she needed. She didn't even wait. As soon as she met the man with the Mariner's baseball cap she took the small pouch from him and walked to the end of the alley and to the park.
He followed her closely and they sat heavily under the tree and she looked at the small pouch. She hadn't wanted to end up down this path but it was so damn helpful. It allowed her to concentrate, to feel better, to not be afraid. She needed it. Taking the spoon from the man she started to dissolve the small piece. He would let her go first; she had paid for it after all.
Rolling the tiny piece of cotton she set it into the heroin and let it soak up the liquid. The needle she had brought herself, she always did. She even brought one for him. She pulled her shoe off and cleaned the space in between her big toe and her second toe of any sock lint that was present. Drawing in a deep breath she set the sharp needle against her skin and stuck it into the vein. Depressing the top she pulled it out and set a finger on the small wound until it stopped bleeding and healed. It was an advantage to being part vampire, almost instantaneous healing of small insignificant injuries.
Her head rested against the trunk of the tree and the man next to her had his share. The warmth began in her toes, as it always did and worked up her body until it reached her chest and she couldn't help herself from sliding her head over to look at the man sitting next to her. Twenty more minutes she sat there grinning before she stood and started her run back to the Sanctuary. Helen would no doubt be in a tizzy if she was gone much longer.
Sure enough, as soon as she entered the great doors the woman was waiting for her. "Have a good run?"
"Yeah, much better now thanks." Emma wiped her sweaty palms on her tank and starting to calm her breathing from the jog. "Adrenaline and endorphins, best prescription ever."
"Hmmm, yes." Helen was dressed in a skirt and heels, her hands neatly folded in front of her body and her eyes suspiciously looking over Emma's. "Are you going to talk to me now?"
"There's nothing to talk about." She started toward the kitchen to grab a bottle of water and heard as Helen trailed after her. "Nothing happened there and nothing happened tonight except a bad dream. Those are allowed in this house yes?"
"Emma… I want to believe you, but I honestly can't. And I can't help you if you won't let me."
"You can't help me anyway." She took a long sip of her water and wiped the sweat from her brow. "I'm going to shower."
"I want you to talk with Will."
"There's nothing to talk about." She spoke as she left the room, again with Helen following close behind. She finally stopped at the elevator and smiled at the woman standing close by. "Honestly Helen, I'm fine." Her eyes crinkled at the corners and her smiled was genuine. "I just had a nightmare; we all have them in this house. It's not a big deal. I'm fine."
Helen quirked an eyebrow in her direction. "Fine? Emma…" She really hated to take this tact but it was all she could do to get her point across. "Mihovil?" The face across from her hardened and her eyebrows furrowed together.
"It's nothing. It's what his name means; look it up. Google it." She stepped into the elevator and glared at the brunette as the doors shut. Helen let out a breath and took the stairs to Will's office. He was waiting for her as he'd silently promised. She sat across from him and held her breath tightly in her chest.
It took her time to actually speak and she still wasn't sure what her decision was going to be until she actually spoke. "Alright."
"Are you done waiting?"
"Not yet." Her eyes glanced at him before smiling. "She's growing suspicious and… there's something else, but I'm not quite sure what it is yet. I don't want to push her too hard before she's ready."
Will nodded and shuffled a few of the papers on his desk. "When will you make her come see me?"
"When she's ready." He let out a snort and she ignored him. "It's time for our yearly audit at the school. I was going to send her, but I think Alexei might like to visit with you. It was mentioned to me last I spoke with them that he would very much like to see you again, as would Lily." He nodded in understanding of what she was doing. She wasn't comfortable forcing Emma to participate in a therapy session but she could force them together in a very confined space or, in other words, a plane. "I think I'll let you take the private jet, I'll have no need of it while you're gone." Even better, then Emma could rant and rave all she wanted and would really have nowhere to run or hide from him.
"When would you like us to leave?"
"In a week. I need to give them fair warning that you're coming."
There was a silence that passed between them and she was just getting ready to leave when he spoke up. "Magnus…" She stopped and waited for him to continue. "How is everything with you?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean you were held captive, experimented on and come back into the folds like nothing has happened."
"Ah." She paused and was once again looking at her clasped fingers trying to find the words to express exactly what was going on. "Nothing else happened beside that, if that's where your concern lies. I'm dealing with it well; rest assured this is not something that I haven't been through before."
"Doesn't mean it's the same."
"True, but it also doesn't mean that I'm left with no devices." He nodded and she had effectively ended the conversation.