Thank you all reading and reviewing, it is for you that I am powering through the sequel! Hopefully I'll finish it soonish and then these updates can become a bit quicker :) Also, thanks for Emmy1512 for beta-ing even though I know she actually hates this fic a lot :P

Much love to you all and please review to make my horribly early shift tomorrow morning more bearable!

xx

The next morning Will couldn't sleep. It was 4 in the morning and the sun was just starting to peek through the windows of his room. With a sigh, he rolled out of bed only to fall straight back down.

Come to me.

The voice was in his head and sounded an awful lot like Rosie.

Not like that. The voice was sarcastic now. I mean, follow my voice. See if you can find me. Although I suppose 'Come to me' is a little more mystical.

Yeah, it was definitely Rosie, he decided, getting up slowly. After grabbing some clothes, Will left his room, not sure where he was heading.

Just relax. I don't think you'll be able to do it but just humour me, O.K?

He took a breath and tried to relax but hearing Rosie giggle mentally at his efforts was a bit distracting.

Sorry.

Will stopped suddenly, remembering how she'd left last night. He tried to pose the question in his mind, not sure he was doing it right.

He's not here.

He could feel her exasperation at his fears and he chuckled out loud before wondering why he was following her instructions.

Because you trust me. And you are curious.

She was giggling at him again. Suddenly Will realised he could indeed follow her 'voice.' Tentatively, he made his way towards the elevator. He could almost feel Rosie's excitement at so he figured he was on the right track. He couldn't help but think this was weird, as natural as it felt.

Aw, I like you too. She was teasing him. But you are a natural at this. Most people tend to freak out if I start chatting with them before they've had a chance to get dressed.

Will stopped dead. He hadn't thought about that.

Don't worry, it doesn't work like that. I couldn't see anything.

He let out a breath just as the doors to the elevator opened. The ride up to the top of the building (he'd pressed the button without thinking about it) was slower than he expected. As the doors opened again, he was blinded by a startling amount of light. He very rarely came up this high, in fact, when he thought about it, very few people did. Ashley's room was up here and the thought of that was enough to keep pretty much anyone away. For some reason, this part of the Sanctuary had always been far less lavish in its decoration than the rest. The floor boards were bare and the walls slightly faded but it all seemed free of dust. Maybe someone did still come up here.

On instinct, Will walked out of the elevator and turned left, walking past the giant window and the still shut door to Ashley's old room. Rosie was being oddly quite in his head so he took that as good sign. Slowly, he pushed open the door at the end of the corridor and was again blinded by the extravagant amount of light flooding the room. Once his eyes got used to the light, Will managed to notice the state of the room. There were scraps of fabric strewn all over the room as well as several broken pieces of what he originally assumed were the bedside tables but as he glanced towards the mussed up bed, both the bedside tables seemed to be intact. Just flicking his eyes over the bed, Will noticed the great gashes in the mattress and quilt and was a little startled.

"Don't worry about it, I'll pay for the clean up."

Her voice floated over towards him and Will was shocked he hadn't seen her before. She was perched on the arm of a chair next to the window that made up the wall of the loft like room, her wings curled around her body protectively as the first rays of sun shone through the window.

"I didn't think you'd find me," Rosie said as she looked over her shoulder at him. Slowly, she slid off the chair and turned to face him. Will let out a stuttered cough as he took in her rather dishevelled outfit. She was wearing a rose coloured negligee that ended half way down her alabaster thighs. Her hair fell in waves around her face and with her wings stretching behind her, Will took back his earlier assessment that she looked plain.

Rosie smirked at him and Will smiled sheepishly.

"It's alright, we can't all control our thoughts," she joked as she rolled her shoulders. Her eyes flicked shut as her wings slowly began to recede.

"Does it hurt?" Will asked curiously as she opened her eyes again.

"Like you would not believe," she said simply with a smile. "Come on, let's get breakfast."

Will let himself be led from the room, still half asleep. He couldn't quite remember how he'd gotten there

"I'm very impressed," Rosie said conversationally. "It took Helen a while to figure out how to follow me. Though I have to think it might be because you weren't awake enough to fight it."

Will said nothing, still trying to catch up to what she was thinking.

"Why me?" he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"Why you what?"

"Don't you already know that?" Rosie chuckled at him.

"I try not to pry. Sometimes it just happens," she answered with a shrug as they stepped into the elevator.

"I meant why did you wake me up?" he clarified, feeling a little more awake than before.

"I didn't wake you up. You were already conscious when I found your mind," she replied, shooting him a look he couldn't quite make sense of.

"O.K then, why did you 'talk' to me?" he asked. Rosie seemed to blush as she glanced at him.

"I, uh, wanted to talk about last night. To say sorry again," she answered but Will could tell she was holding something back.

"And?"

"And I've got questions about Helen," she said with a frustrated sigh.

"Can't you just ask her yourself? Or just use your little jedi mind trick to get the information you want?"

"Come on Will," Rosie said, rolling her eyes. "This is Helen we're talking about. Never in a million years would she give me a straight answer if I was to ask her how she was. That and there's the matter of privacy. The gifts I have may be naturally occurring but that doesn't give me the right to take from people their memories. Sometimes I can prod at the surface but anything more than that… Well, that's where it all get's emotional. It's just not right," she finished, rubbing at her arm nervously. She was staring straight ahead now, not really focused on anything and Will had the sneaking suspicion she wasn't talking to him anymore.

The rest of ride was in silence and it wasn't until the doors opened again Will decided to ask where they were heading.

"The kitchen," Rosie sang over her shoulder as she skipped out. It took Will a few moments to figure out what she was talking about. He let out a sigh as he started to follow. He was never going to get used to this.

"Don't put money on it." He groaned at her sunny tone.

"How can you be so…" he asked.

"Chipper?" she asked innocently, coming to a stop to wait for him.

"Yeah, that." She chuckled at him.

"I'd say I slept well but we both know that's not true."

Momentarily Will forgot about the no sleeping thing and stopped to gawk.

Rosie paused, crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. Then, coming to his senses, Will shut his mouth and shook his head.

"Sorry, I don't know what I was thinking," he apologized as he walked towards her.

"I do," she said cheekily and he groaned. "Oh come on, you set me up for that one. How could I resist?" she asked playfully.

"You know it was bad, right?"

"Oh, terrible," she agreed with a smile. "But that doesn't mean it didn't need to be said."

Will said nothing and they kept walking towards the kitchen he rarely frequented. The local Chinese delivery boy was an old patient so most of their meals came heavily discounted and in plastic. Magnus didn't approve but hey, no one was gonna turn away cheap take out.

"So, how has she been?" Rosie said suddenly, coming to a stop in front of the nearby the window.

Running a hand through his hair, Will let out a sigh.

"She's Magnus. She's doing as Magnus does."

"But since Ashley…" Rosie trailed off and Will was a little surprised to hear the hitch in her voice.

"I think she's a peace with it. Well, as at peace as she can be. I think it's harder for her some days than others," he said quietly and Rosie nodded, her concentration evident on her face.

Will opened his mouth to speak again but Rosie held up her hand.

"There's an easier way, if you don't mind," she said softly, cocking her head to the side. Taking a steadying breath, Will braced himself.

"Don't worry, you probably won't feel a thing," she assured him.

"Probably?"

"I make no guarantees," she joked. There was a brief pause and she smiled softly at him. "That wasn't so hard now was it?"

"You mean that's it?" Will asked, shocked. After his experience last night, he'd been dubious but if it got him out of discussing Magnus then he sure as hell wasn't going to say no. He could tell that the two women had a past and that Rosie genuinely cared about her but that didn't stop it being difficult to talk about.

"Told you so," she replied with a grin.

"I can see why you feel guilty about it. I mean, if you hadn't told me, I probably wouldn't have realised."

"My, my Dr. Zimmerman, are you trying to psychoanalyse me?" she said seriously but the corner of her mouth twitched ever so slightly so Will smiled back.

There was a beat and then Rosie let out a huff.

"You underestimate Nikola," she said, looking Will in the eye. Will, for his part, blushed furiously. He knew questioning an essentially telepathic abnormal's preference of bedfellow was maybe not the smartest move considering her marked propensity for violence.

You do know you sound just like Helen, right? Rosie asked.

"She kinda rubs off on you after a while," he admitted with a sheepish grin, pleased she'd dropped the subject of Nikola.

Not likely.

Will groaned.

"Why does it upset you so much?" Rosie asked, sensing his discomfort at her ability. "Are you jealous?" she tacked on the end with an impish grin.

"What?" Will spluttered. Rosie rocked back on her heels and chuckled before crossing her arms, clearly expecting an answer.

"He's Tesla," Will complained, well aware he sounded like a small child complaining about having to sit next to the smelly kid on the bus. Rosie raised an eyebrow and pursed her lips and Will was stuck by just how very much he didn't want to have this conversation. Then, with a stroke of genius he smiled at her and closed his eyes, thinking back over every single time Tesla managed to endanger their lives and each of his unthinkably selfish moments. Feeling confident he'd sidestepped the conversation, Will opened his eyes. Rosie's eyes were dark and he could sense things had taken a turn for the worse.

"He is not nearly as arrogant as he pretends," Rosie said fiercely. "You must remember that for his entire life, Nikola has been the underdog, belittled and looked down upon by nearly everybody from whom he sought approval," her voice was softening and Will got the feeling she was pleading with him to see things her way.

"He is a good man Will, a brilliant man who cares more deeply than you could even dream. Deep down he is a very good man, one of the best. It may not seem like it but he always has the best of intentions. Nikola is fiercely loyal Will and most of the time his actions stem from that loyalty." Yeah, he decided, taking in her big brown eyes, she wanted him to believe her. There was a pause as he took in the emotion she was radiating. She smiled softly at him before opening her mouth to continue.

"You mustn't be so harsh on him," she chastised lightly. "Perhaps if you treat more like a man and less like an annoyance you might be surprised."

There was a pause before Will let out a sigh.

"You're in love with him." It was a statement, not a question but Will was surprised none the less when she didn't shy away from the question.

Yes.

"Does he know?"

It doesn't matter.

"Of course it matters," Will said softly, stepping towards her. He could see the hurt in her eyes, a deep hurt caused by a century of love that had gone, from what he could see, unreciprocated.

"He loves me. It's just…." Different.

"But does he know?" Will pressed, concerned by the blank expression she was wearing. Despite hardly knowing the woman, Will couldn't help but feel for her. She was clearly devoted to a man who didn't seem to realise it.

"He knows I care for him a great deal," she clarified with a slight twinkle in her eye. "But it hardly matters."

"But it does," he repeated stubbornly.

"Really, why?" she asked, almost mocking him.

"Because you love him," Will said, exasperated.

"What I wouldn't give to be young enough to believe that," she said, her voice tinged with sadness. "Living forever may sound like a dream Will, but trust me, it's not something I'd wish on anyone," she said dryly.

"Now who sounds like Magnus," he grumbled.

"Please," Rosie sniffed. "She sounds like me. I am infinitely older than Helen. I'd like to think I taught her everything she knows about being a twisted and bitter immortal."

"Does he love you back?" he asked, the question hanging in the air. He asked it before it had even fully formed in his mind. He regretted it instantly but the serene smile that appeared on Rosie's face only fuelled his curiosity.

"Love is tricky Will. It comes in so many different shapes and sizes. I love Nikola and he loves me but they are two very different types of love," she said softly, the words sounding like ones she had said on many previous occasions. "Not that you'd understand that." Her remark was flippant but he bristled at it none the less.

"Oh, not like that," she said, beating him to the punch. "I just mean that you are still very young. I have no doubt that you have been in love but, until you have been in love with more than one person, neither of whom can ever love you back, and know that you will outlive them because their immortality is fallible, you won't understand," she said with a soft smile but Will could see the pain in her eyes.

"Not to sound callous, but I hope I never do," he murmured.

"My sentiments exactly," she said with a grin.

Will chuckled before letting out a yawn.

"You should go and get some more sleep," Rosie said, her brow creasing in worry.

"Tell me something first," Will said, puzzled. He paused, assuming she'd take the information she needed but let out a sigh as she cocked her head, waiting for him to voice the question.

"What's the point of telepathy if you can't avoid uncomfortable questions," he joked.

"Will," she said, rolling her eyes. He sighed.

"If you're so passionately in love with him, why did you kiss me?"

She smiled broadly at that one.

"Love comes in many forms William and I get the feeling you and I have a very interesting future ahead of us even if I hate you a little bit right now."

He raised his eyebrows and ran a hand through his hair but said nothing.

"Go. Sleep," she said, waving a hand towards him dismissively before turning to the window. A little shocked at her abrupt goodbye, Will turned away. There was a soft ruffling noise and Will turned back around in time to see her wings burst forth again. He let out a splutter and Rosie turned her head to give him a smile.

"You need sleep, I need sunlight," she said by way of explanation.

"You mean…"

"Think of it as something of a recharge," she advised, turning back to the weak sunlight and closing her eyes. Will opened his mouth to ask one of a thousand questions but Rosie let out a soft hum. "Go sleep Will, you're exhausted. I'll still be here when you wake up."

"I don't think I'll be able to get back to sleep after all this," Will said, gesturing at her scantily clad, winged form.

"If you go to bed, I can help with that," Rosie said, a tinge of regret colouring her tone. Will raised an eye brow sceptically, wondering why she'd feel guilty when she didn't actually wake him up but let out a sigh and shook his head, pushing away the thought for a more conscious point in his day.

"Bye," he called out, his disbelief evident as he walked away.

"Just you wait," Rosie called after him, chuckling at his reluctance.

Will made it back to his room quickly, trying desperately to not think about the way in which Rosie's words could be misconstrued.

Will, she chastised. He chuckled aloud at her mental scolding and continued to his room.

As he slipped into bed, he briefly wondered if Rosie was lying about not being able to see him as he changed but, as he…. Was heard the right word?

Yes.

As he heard her mental sigh, he figured he was again being,

A little self obsessed. Honestly Will, your naked body doesn't hold that much attraction for me.

Well, those probably wouldn't be the first words he'd use to describe it but he felt a tinge of relief that, while completely invasive, her abilities weren't that uncontrollable.

Sorry about that.

He could hear her wince at his thoughts as he settled under the covers. As he predicted, as tired as he was, he was way too keyed up to sleep.

Close your eyes. Her instruction was soothing and Will could have sworn her felt her hands gently caressing his cheek. Rest Will, it's all fine.

A strange lethargy started to fall over his body, lulling him into a comfortable state of semi consciousness but he fought against it.

Just relax. Her instruction was just as soothing as before but for some reason, Will could sense her annoyance at his inability to trust her words. Unfortunately, he didn't get a chance to dissect that thought any further because at that very moment, his eyes fell shut and Will drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep.