Sanctuary - Brandy and Tears Part 7
Ashley looked slightly uncomfortable " I know I wasn't supposed to go out on my own" she said defensively. "But it was only to meet Lance." Lance was one of their snitches. " Anyway " she quickly rushed on, "You must have had Henry and the Big Guy on my case before got to the end of the drive. Cos as soon as I got to that warehouse they were already their and the Big Guy man handled me and my bike into the back of the van." her annoyance from earlier retuning.
"I ranted all the way home but neither Henry or the Big Guy would say a word. They just brought me back home in silence." Ashley continued glaring at her Mom "So when we got back I threatened Henry and made him check the warehouse for heat signatures to prove it was empty and that there was no danger." Ashley couldn't keep the disbelief out of her voice as she carried on. "But it showed the place crawling with people. Which it hadn't been when I'd left home an hour earlier." Ashley looked at her Mom questioningly. "How did you know Mom?"
"Yes Helen how did you know?" John asked softly. "No sooner had I come round and found I was free of that thing. You were demanding I teleport us here urgently. You looked like you'd seen a ghost Helen."
Helen slowly breathed in and out and turned to look at both John and Ashley.
John's question brought a flush of shame to her cheeks.
"I'm sorry John I being a terrible physician how are you feeling?" Helen asked not quite keeping the concern out of her voice.
"I'm fine Helen" he replied.
"Are you sure John?" the Doctor in Helen taking over. "I know the antidote worked but then we did stop your heart." she said worriedly.
"What?" Ashley asked shocked looking concernedly at John. "Bloody hell!" she said impressed he was up and about. And then "Shouldn't you be resting?"
John felt his heart swell at his daughters concern for his health. He turned to her mother giving her a stern look. "Honestly I'm fine thank you ladies and although I confess to being somewhat weary I too intend to hear the end of your mother's tale. I too would like some answers."
Helen closed her eyes at John's sharp tone to give herself a second before she continued. John had every right to be angry. She kept his daughter from him for over a hundred years!
Helen opened her eyes her defences firmly in place. She still wasn't quite ready to tell Ashley who her father was so answered Ashley's first question.
She looked Ashley straight in the eye prepared for yelling that was about to follow. "I had been monitoring where you were. I knew you chaff at being grounded and with me away I knew you take the opportunity to slip out." She gave Ashley a pointed look at this. Ashley had the grace to look sheepish. Her Mom could always make her feel guilty with just a look. "I'd been checking periodically and you were still safe." Helen paused talking a calming breath. "And after we re-started John's heart and got him stable I checked again." Helen's closed her eyes at the paralyzing terror that had gone through her. She was the other side of the world. She had finally freed the love of her life (and father of her child) from his demon and tonight Ashley chose rebel and put her life in danger. "The minute I saw you were in the drive I knew you were heading out so I immediately called Henry and the Big Guy." Helen sucked in more air. Remembering each tortuous second that had passed until she heard Ashley was ok. "Henry called to say they had you back safe but I was desperate to see for sure with my own eyes. I didn't want to leave until I knew John had come around ok." Helen looked at John begging him with her eyes to understand it was not the only reason as she said. "I also knew he was the fastest way I could get back to you."
"Yes but how the hell did you know where I was?" Ashley asked confused?
Helen drew in breath as she turned back to look into her daughters eyes as she confessed. "I knew where you where because once you'd had your first birthday I injected a tracking serum into your blood." Helen admitted in a rush. "It's a special formula I created and only I know how to track as only I know of it's existence. I've known your every movement your whole life. It's important I know where you are at all times" Helen finished defiantly waiting for the fireworks.
"What?" Ashley yelled. "You have got to be kidding me." she said shaking her head in hurt anger. She thought her mother trusted her. That they were a team. "All these years I thought you trusted me." The pain she felt making her snap. "You don't trust me - you never did. You just have me on an invisible leash." Tears of anger and frustration starting in her eyes. She felt so betrayed.
"Ashley please let me explain." Helen pleaded hurt by daughters resentment even though she expected it.
"Please do? I'd really like to hear your reason for this." her bitterness and anger clear in her voice.
"Ashley please." Helen begged "Your forgetting the letter."
"Letter?" Ashley struggled to focus through the agony of hurt she was feeling. It suddenly clicked what her mother meant as she remembered their earlier conversation. "You mean the one the future Helen left you?" Ashley inquired bitterly wondering what the hell that had to do with what her mother had done to her.
"Yes Ashley." Helen said closing her eyes as she started to tremble. A fact lost on nether John or Ashley who glanced at each other then back to Helen.
"Well what did it say Mom" Ashley asked reigning in her anger.
Helen drew in a deep breath and opened her eyes. She looked lovingly at her daughter. "In it she had wrote that I was going to have a daughter" Helen whispered with tears in her eyes again. Continuing quickly before Ashley delved into the how and why of that statement. "A beautiful baby girl." now smiling at the wonder of the memory of holding her darling baby girl for the first time. " A wonderful darling baby girl I would one day name Ashley. It said that every second I spent longing for you would be worth the wait to hold you safely in my arms. It said my Ashley would bring me some measure of peace at last." Helen reached out and ran a finger down Ashley's cheek. "She wasn't wrong." Helen drew in another deep breath and picked up Ashley's hand holding it tightly in both of hers. "You are the greatest and most important thing in my life and I could not be more proud of the women you have become. I love you more than anything Ashley."
Ashley was angry and wanted to stay that way but seeing her mother bearing her soul to her lessened that anger. " Everything I've ever done is to protect you Ashley." Ashley's anger flared again though at words and she saw John tense at them too.
Helen squeezed her daughters hand wanting her to understand she continued "But the letter also said that one day they would come take you away from me." Helen gasped out. The horror at almost losing Ashley choking her.
"Who Mom? Who would take me a way?" Ashley asked.
Helen drew in a deep breath "An underground organization that wants to bring about the end of all abnormals on earth." Helen rushed on the words tumbling out of her. "It said that they would steal you away and that I wouldn't be able to find you. That they'd do unspeakable things to you and that when I did find you wouldn't be you any more." Helen gasped fighting the horrific nightmares she had, had ever since she read that letter over century ago. "It said I lost you Ashley that you…." Helen broke down no longer able to hold back the tears.
Ashley gasped in horror as realised what her Mom meant. She pulled her hand from her mothers grasp and flung her arms around her hugging her tightly. Her anger abating in realisation that her mother had lived in fear all life with knowledge one day someone would kidnap and kill her daughter. "It's ok Mom I'm here." Ashley said finally understanding what a lucky escape she'd had. And how lucky she was her mother knew her well enough to know she would not keep to her curfew. "You stopped them Mom. They didn't get me." She rubbed her arms up and down her mothers back in comfort. "Don't worry I'm here and I'm not going anywhere. We are safe together now." Ashley hated to see her mother in such turmoil and wanted to ease her pain.
"You can put transmitters in my clothes if helps you to know I'm safe." She pulled back to give her Mom a watery smile "I'll even wear a little bell." Ashley joked trying to cheer her Mom up and lighten the horror of this last revelation.
It had the effect she wanted Helen burst out laughing stroking her daughters hair.
"How did I ever cope without you?" Helen asked her daughter. Trying to bring the conversation round to the one she been dreading for over a hundred years.
"You've never had to cope without me Mom and now you won't have too." she smiled back at her mother hoping to ease her fears with confidence she wasn't quite feeling.
Helen felt John tense beside her. He hadn't said word since she mentioned the contents off the letter but she had seen the horror in his eyes. His realisation he was finally free to know his daughter and that she nearly been taken from them. That she was in danger. She could see the pain in his eyes and the pulse throbbing at his throat. Helen pulled in a deep breath, It was time for father and daughter to finally meet.
"Your wrong Ashley. I have been without you." Helen whispered not trying to hide the pain and loneliness that went with the confession.
Ashley sat back confused. She looked her Mom in the eyes "What do you mean Mom?"
Helen reached out again to take Ashley's hand. Returning her look Helen finally confessed her greatest secret.
"I mean that when you were conceived Ashley it was a sin in the eyes are society to be a single mother."
Ashley looked at her Mom and froze. She understood. She knew her mother had been born into a different world. A world where women were second class citizens their only aim in life to snag a rich wealthy husband. Ashley shuddered at the thought. Her mother had been born over a hundred years ago and she had just gone through an emotional ringer to carefully explain to Ashley exactly who her lover was back then. Her Mom had told her about her father of course. She told her how Helen had loved him. She told her that wherever her father was now (Ashley took this to mean he was wherever people went to when they died and passed on) he adored her. When she thought about it she supposed her Mom had never actually lied to her in actual words.
Ashley closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath trying to sort out the hundreds of emotions going through her mind. She finally understood what her Mom had been trying to tell her all evening.
Ashley finally opened her eyes to see her Mom pleading with her with her eyes. Silently begging her to understand.
Ashley drew in another deep breath and turned her head to meet the eyes of the man she now knew was her father. She could see fear and hope in his eyes. Ashley smiled at her father. "Bloody hell its been a rough few days for you." she said suddenly grinning at him. "You eventually get rid of the psycho that had set up camp in your body for the last 100+ years and then gain a daughter. You don't get a minutes peace do you?" Tears silently falling down her cheeks.
John couldn't hide his shock. This amazing child had just found out Jack the Ripper was her father and she was worried about him.
"Ashley.." John choked on his daughters name.
Ashley sighed "I'm guessing this as much as shock to you as it is to me." she husked out. She turned back to look at her mother - the un asked question in her eyes.
Helen had managed to control her tears - she was done crying. "How could I tell him.?" she asked looking at Ashley. "Don't you think I wanted too?" the pain and loneliness evident in her voice. "Do you know how long I've had to wait to have you both here?" she dragged in a deep claming breath. Determined to shed no more tears. "I know this is all lot for you both to take in but freezing the embryo I carried back then was my only way to ensure Ashley's safety. And you can't believe the relief I feel finally being able to tell you both the truth." Helen said passionately finally free of the lies.
John looked at Helen. Trying to imagine how hard this must have been on her. Knowing he was the cause of her been parted from their daughter.
"I wished things could have been different" he ventured wondering where the hell they went from here and weather she would ever trust him again.
"You're here now." whispered Helen. Trying to keep the longing from her voice. She loved this man with her whole being but going to take time to mend all that had been broken between them.
John could see the emotions warring in Helen's eyes. He knew she still cared, still felt responsible for him but hardly dared to hope her feelings still ran deeper then that. "Yes I'm here now." he said softly. "And only time will tell where the now will led us." he murmured showing her with his eyes the desire and love he had always felt for her. He smiled seductively as saw the pulse in Helen's throat jump. The only out ward sign she gave his words had effected her. John looked at Helen and hope sprung into his heart like it had when they first meet at Oxford. Could it still be that she still loved him. That she would give him a second chance. John laughed his heart suddenly light - this time it would be different and if it was necessary he would spend the rest of eternity proving his devotion to her.
Then John drew in a deep breath and turned to smile tentatively at his daughter. "If you would allow, it would be with pride and pleasure that I got know you?" he said. His own mask in place hiding the deep fear that she would reject him.
Ashley felt tears sting her eyes. She chose her words carefully. "I'd like that" she forced out past the lump in her throat. " And it would be pretty cool to have you around." she grinned at him.
John returned his daughters grin careful not to scare her with the overwhelming emotion he already felt for his child.
"That's if it's ok with you Mom?" Ashley asked dragging her gaze back to her mother. Carefully watching for her reaction.
Helen had watched father and daughter grin at each other. A bond already starting to grow between them. She made sure her mask was firmly in place so as not too show exactly how much she wanted John in their lives.
"I think I could get use to you being around" she said to John. Not quite managing to hide the excitement she was feeling.
"Well then" said Ashley "I think this calls for another brandy." She suggested reaching out refill their glasses once more. She smiled at both her parents as she handed them both glasses.
John smiled and thanked his daughter having not felt this peaceful and hopeful in over a hundred years.
Helen smiled at them both. Herself, John and Ashley together at last. For the first time in over hundred years Helen felt herself start to really relax and look forward to the future.