Chapter 9
Distraction. Exhaustion. They seemed to be the two critical themes of her life as of late. It made it damn well difficult to be a good detective when she couldn't keep her mind focused on the job for more than a few minutes. One thing after another kept coming up and throwing her even more off course than she was before. Her entire life was spinning out of control and it was all thanks to the goddamn DYAD Institute. On the other hand though, she should be thanking them for her life existing at all, shouldn't she?
Beth removed her head from her hands when she heard a slap against her desk. She looked up and saw DeAngelis giving her a slightly concerned look – as concerned as Angela DeAngelis could actually look. "You alright, Beth?"
"Yeah, I'm good Ang. Just didn't sleep well last night," she offered with a shrug.
"Alright. Well there's someone on line 3 asking for you," she offered a polite smile and returned to her desk.
Beth cleared her throat before picking up the phone on her desk. "Detective Childs."
"Hello Beth," a thick accented voice drawled down the line. Beth froze at the sound and gripped the telephone tight in her hand.
"Who is this?"
"Helena," the voice spoke through the line in a near whisper.
Beth gritted her teeth in anger. "Well Helena, I heard you tried to kill me a few nights ago, yeah? Except you got a real surprise when you tracked the wrong person. I don't know what the hell your problem is or why you think killing us is the solution, but you leave my sister out of it."
"She is your sestra?"
"Yeah, she's my sister you piece of shit. And she has nothing to do with any of this. This is gonna be between you and me from now on, understand?" Beth explained tensely, trying to keep aware of her surroundings and not raise her voice too high.
"No. This does not work for me."
"Yeah well that's too bloody bad for you. Last I heard your stomach was filled with rebar so you're not really in a position to fight right now."
"I want to speak with your sestra again. We have a connection."
"That's not gonna happen," Beth shook her head and couldn't seem to stop the motion once she began, the rage beginning to consume her. "You'll talk to me and only me."
"If you do not obey, I will kill you first," Helena threatened easily.
"Oh yeah? 'Cause that worked out so well for you the first time. Try and kill me but I'm still here and you didn't kill my sister either."
"Because we have a connection."
"Right," Beth drawled sarcastically. "A connection. Maybe it's from the bloody metal rod she stabbed you with, huh?"
"No."
"Okay. So then how do you know you and I don't have a connection too?"
"Oh we do, Elizabeth Childs."
"Tell me about that then, Helena," Beth gritted out. She surveyed the office once more, no one was paying her any attention still.
"Margaret Chen," Helena said and Beth was sure she felt the hair on the back of her neck raise.
"Right, yeah she was your friend wasn't she? Helped you track down the Europeans so you could snipe them?"
"Yes," Helena confirmed. "I must kill you all. You are filthy creatures, you do not deserve to live."
Beth laughed mirthlessly. "Maggie feed you all that bullshit? You've got it all wrong, Helena. Tell you what, why don't we meet somewhere and we can talk it all out, yeah? We all want the same things here," she tried to sound gentle and convincing, having no clue if that would be processed by a psychopath serial killer.
"I think no," Helena said and Beth could hear the woman laughing down the line. "I will find you and sestra when time is right."
"No, Helena listen to me-"
"Baaaaaaaah. Goodbye, Detective Childs," Helena said right before the line went dead.
Beth sat still in her chair for several moments after, just keeping the receiver glued to her ear in hopes that somehow she didn't just get hung up on. So this fucking freak knew who she was, where she worked, that Sarah exists, and probably where she lived too.
Sarah was at Felix's for that very reason today as neither of them wanted her alone in the apartment after Helena's attack the other night. Things were getting serious though and it was taking every ounce of self-control she had in her to not run out of the station to get to Sarah and Felix to protect them both. She had a clone who wanted her dead, the same one who happened to have developed some weird crush on her twin sister.
She knew what level of screwed up she was dealing with the second she realized Maggie Chen and Helena were connected. Religious extremism could seriously mess with the head and actually speaking to Helena was only reinforcing that for Beth. Not to mention the knife she used, embedded with the same fish symbol that Chen had branded into her neck. They were devoted to the cause, which meant the only way Beth would be able to deal with Helena was to kill her before she had the chance to do the same to Beth and Sarah.
"You know Sarah, I've never been one for subtlety," Felix mused as he waltzed through his flat and fell onto the couch next to his foster sister.
Sarah scoffed with a smile and turned to him. "S'that right, Fee?"
"Right," he agreed and narrowed his eyes briefly at her. "But I thought I'd try it out tonight and it hasn't worked so here's me not being subtle anymore."
"Okay…" Sarah shrugged in confusion.
"What the hell is with your face being all cut up? Did you seriously get into a fight with someone when you're supposed to be getting your shit together?"
"It's not like that, Felix," Sarah sighed and unconsciously rubbed her cheek. It really wasn't even that cut up anymore, but of course Felix had some serious observations skills when he wanted to and noticed even the most minor details.
He gave her a stern look, letting her know he wasn't believing what she was telling. Before he had a chance to scold her on the attempted lie, the door to his flat swung open and Beth trudged in looking dead tired.
"Oi, oi, Elizabeth," he greeted and watched as she wordlessly walked across the room and flopped into the nearest chair across from her siblings.
"Hey," Beth sighed out, throwing her head back and closing her eyes in hopes of regaining some energy.
"Sarah and I were just discussing the cuts on her face," Felix commented easily and Sarah kicked her foot to the side, hitting him hard in the calf.
"Oi, shut up!"
Beth's head snapped back up and she eyed Sarah carefully. She gathered that her sister had either deflected the question or lied, both of which wouldn't sit well with their brother obviously, hence him not dropping the subject.
"What about it, Fee?" she drawled with a lack of interest.
"I'm just wondering what the hell happened for it to get like that."
Beth raised a brow at Sarah and shrugged, signalling it was her call on what to reveal. At this point, she just really couldn't care.
"Some fucker attacked me when I was walkin' home the other night, alright?" Sarah explained stubbornly.
"Holy shit, Sarah! Why didn't you just tell me?"
"It's complicated, Fee," Beth responded for her sister. At this point she didn't really care if Felix was let in on the drama that was their entire existence, but she knew now wasn't exactly the time to be doing so. They were expected to be at Mrs. S' for dinner in the next half hour.
"What the hell is complicated about it? Have you at least started looking into what asshole did it?" Felix asked incredulously, looking wide eyed at Beth.
"We already know who it was."
"Then is the bastard in jail?" Felix scoffed at his sister's apathy over the conversation.
"No. I've yet to apprehend her."
"Her?" Felix questioned. "What the hell is going on? You know who did it, it was a bloody woman, and you're not doing anything about it?"
"I repeat: it's complicated, Fee," Beth sighed heavily. She ran a hand through her hair tiredly, hoping he would sense her exhaustion and drop the entire subject. "I had a nice chat with her today and I'm working on bringing her in. I just need it to be something more serious than petty assault so I can get the bitch in prison a lot longer than a night or two."
"You talked to her?" Sarah's head snapped in her sister's direction. "How?"
"She called me at work. I'll fill you in when we get home."
"Okay," Felix threw his hands up dramatically. "What is going on with you two? You've both been acting bloody weird for days. Something's going on and I want to know what."
"Felix, it's-"
"Do NOT tell me it's complicated, Beth," he interrupted her angrily. "I have a right to know, especially if both of your safety is at stake."
Beth shook her head angrily. As she was about to formulate a response, Sarah held her hand up to stop her. Her sister shifted in the couch so that she was facing Felix and took his hand gently.
"Don't worry about us, yeah? We've got it under control."
"Oh, that's really comforting," Felix rolled his eyes.
Sarah smiled calmly at her brother despite not feeling at all calm on the inside. "There is something going on with us, alright? But we don't want you worryin' about it so we're gonna keep you out of it for now. And trust me Fee, even if we did tell you I'm not sure you'd believe it all anyway. I've seen it with my own eyes and I still don't bloody believe it."
"Seen what, Sarah," Felix peered at his sister, eyes practically flooded with worry over both her and Beth. A pleading look covered his face.
Sarah spared at glance at Beth and saw the resigned look on her face. She blew out a hesitant breath and cursed inwardly. "Fuck it," she muttered and both her siblings raised their brows at the hushed tone. "The bitch who attacked me, she looked exactly like me."
"What do you mean? Like a twin?"
"Yeah, like a bloody twin, Fee. Had the same face as me and Beth. S'all fucked up and we're trying to get to the bottom of it," she explained, feeling slightly guilty for the lie but knowing like Beth that it wasn't the time or place to be filling in her brother about clones.
"Christ," Felix blew out in shock. "So like, you two are actually triplets then, huh?"
"Looks that way," Beth cringed at the thought of ever being actually related to the fucking Ukrainian psychopath.
"Promise we'll keep you in the loop if anything else happens. Try not to worry about our shit too much, alright?" Sarah patted his hand comfortingly and stood up abruptly. "Now can we get out of here? I'm starvin' and been looking forward to seeing Kira all day."
"Let's go," Beth agreed and followed her sister to the door. Felix remained seated on the couch, looking sadly at his sisters.
Beth and Sarah both glanced at him impatiently, but softened when they noticed the emotion on his face.
"You two are lucky to know a blood relation. I wonder if I'll ever get to know my story."
"Oi!" Beth called out angrily. "Don't do that. You're as good as blood to both of us. Trust me, that fucking bitch will never be more of a relation to us than you are, Fee. The three of us are family – blood or no blood shared. We don't need any more story than that, yeah?"
"She's right, Fee," Sarah echoed. "We're kinda all each other's got, remember? We're each other's story, don't need no one else. Blood's never meant shit to us before, don't let it now."
He forced a smile onto his face and nodded at what they both said, knowing it was the truth. They loved each other to no end, never caring about whether or not they shared blood with each other. Sarah and Beth obviously did, but Felix never felt like he was any less related to them because of it. They had stuck together through thick and thin over the years and he realized it was silly to be getting weepy now all of a sudden. They had each accepted many years ago that all they needed in life was each other and that still remained true. To an extent, any discovery of family or more blood was unwanted by each of them, even more so for Sarah and Beth now that they had the added revelation of bloody clones running around.
"Now, if you've gotten over that nonsense can we please go?" Sarah said impatiently, her feet bobbing up and down in anticipation of seeing her daughter again. "I don't wanna get yelled at for being late, yeah?"
"Christ, yes let's gooooo," Beth exclaimed and ushered her brother and sister out of the loft. Felix locked the door behind him and the three musketeers hopped in the car, each excited at the prospect of a nice, normal family dinner. An anchoring event for them all in light of chaos springing to the surface of their lives.
Beth sat on the couch of her foster mother's home contently. Thankfully they hadn't been late for dinner and successfully managed to avoid Mrs. S' wrath for the evening. She glanced at her watch and noticed it was starting to get late. Kira would be going to bed soon and she didn't want to be out roaming the streets at night with Helena on the loose.
Siobhan seemed to take note of the time as well and cleared her throat. "I think it's bedtime Kira, love," she announced and smiled kindly at the little girl.
She glanced up from her position in Sarah's lap and nodded obediently, hopping to the ground. Kira had been practically glued to Sarah since the second she walked through the door earlier in the evening. It was clear to everyone that the mother and daughter had missed each other immensely. It didn't stop Beth and Felix from incessantly whining to their niece about not getting to spend any time with her through their night though.
The little girl turned to her mother when her feet hit the ground and smiled cutely. "Will you tuck me in, Mummy?"
Sarah smiled down at her daughter and stood from the couch. "Come on, Monkey," she replied as she picked up the young girl. Kira waved goodnight to her remaining family members, laying her head comfortably on Sarah's should as she was carried out of the room.
They made their first stop in the bathroom, Sarah standing guard behind her daughter as she brushed her teeth with expertise. They made their way to Kira's bedroom after that and Sarah helped the little girl change into her pajamas easily. She was struck by the simple task of getting her daughter ready for bed, having missed out on so many bedtimes in the last ten months. She was making sure to cherish every single moment of the menial task.
She watched Kira climb easily into her bed and helped secure the blankets all around her daughter. She smiled down at the sleepy girl once she was satisfied with her handiwork, running a single finger down the bridge of her nose like she had done since Kira's infancy.
Kira's eyes remained open and looking ponderingly up at her mother. "Is everything okay, Mummy?"
Sarah furrowed her brow at the question and knelt down so she was closer to her daughter. "Why do you ask that?"
"You're hurt," she replied softly and brought her hand up to stroke Sarah's cheek where the slight hint of cuts still resided.
Sarah closed her eyes and smiled reassuringly at her daughter. "I'm okay, Monkey. Don't worry about me, yeah?"
"But you and Auntie Beth look worried," she objected innocently.
"Everything's fine, Kira," Sarah responded strongly, trying inflect as much assurance as she could into her voice. "Me, Auntie Beth, and Uncle Felix are all okay so don't worry, okay?"
"Promise?" Kira asked, holding up her pinkie finger to her mother.
Sarah gazed at the outstretched digit for a moment before she locked her little finger around her daughter's even tinier one. She understood the sacredness of a pinkie promise from her own childhood and knew they were not to be trifled with. "I promise."
Kira seemed happy with the end of the conversation so Sarah tucked the blankets around her daughter one last time for good measure before standing again. She ran a loving hand through Kira's curls and dropped a light kiss on her forehead. "Night Monkey, sleep tight."
"Night Mummy," Kira murmured as her eyes fell shut.
Sarah stood watching her perfect daughter for a moment. She closed her eyes briefly and blew out a silent breath. She turned and left her daughter's bedroom, flipping the light off and leaving the door slight ajar. Beth was waiting at the bottom of the stairs for her, jacket already shrugged on and ready to go.
"Hey, you good to go?"
"Uh, I think I'm gonna stay here tonight," Sarah shrugged at the look of disbelief that flashed across her sister's face.
"You want to stay under Siobhan's roof?" Beth half laughed half scoffed, nearly falling over at the thought of Sarah volunteering herself to spend a night with Mrs S.
"Yeah. I wanna be close to Kira."
"I don't think that's a good idea," Beth disagreed lightly, hoping Sarah wouldn't react too harshly.
"Why? After the shit that's gone on this week, I just wanna be near my daughter for a night."
"I know," Beth nodded in understanding. "But the shit that's gone on this week is why you and I need to stick close together. If you stay here tonight then I have to too because I'm not bloody well going back home alone with a killer on the loose. Then S'll start asking questions we don't want to answer. Plus, I still have to fill you in on what happened today."
Sarah ran a frustrated hand through her unruly locks and nodded in understanding. "Yeah, alright, you're right."
She shrugged on her signature leather jacket and followed Beth back to the family room to say goodnight to their foster mother. Felix followed suit and the three siblings left their childhood home for the night. Sarah felt a hint of anxiety at the thought of parting from her daughter but knew like Beth had explained, it was for the best for the night. Being back only a few weeks now though and she couldn't even stand the thought of not seeing Kira for another few days, she didn't know or understand how she possibly could have gone the entire ten months that she did. Maybe this was finally the start of her shaping up to be the mother she was meant to be. It was too bad she had all kinds of other bullshit drama coming at her at the moment that was preventing her from actually appreciating or enjoying the strides she seemed to be making.