The Sanctuary was silent, other than the faint snores from the men it the home. Helen quickly took off her heels, so as to make as little sound as possible. She pulled one suitcase as Big Guy pulled two more behind her. She was finally back from her two week mission to Egypt where an underground temple was found, stashed inside were just under a hundred books, written in the old language. She knew the moment she saw them that her fiancé would be as giddy as a child when he learned of them... and learned that they were all about the old vampire race. Smiling at the thought, she turned to her old friend "Take those to the library will you?" she asked politely. He grunted his yes and headed off through the winding halls. Sighing she headed towards the north wing where her daughter slept. For as much as she loved Nikola, Ashley was still always the first person she saw whenever returning from a trip. Especially now, Helen still couldn't believe she was going to be a grandmother soon... though she certainly was old enough. Helen chuckled at her thought as she approached her daughters room. It was around one in the morning and she was sure her daughter was in bed, while Henry in his lab working on some new weapon. She opened the door quietly, the light from the hall lamps poured into the room. It lit up the room enough to where she could see the furniture, bathroom doorway, and the bed where Ashley lay facing her. She walked in and sat on the edge of the bed. The moonlight from Ashley's window above the bed flowed around her daughter. Ashley lay on her side, half covered by the sheets but Helen could still see her daughters heavily swollen belly. One hand lightly set on top of it, while the other tucked under her pillow. Helen could easily make out the light blonde hair that draped over Ashley's shoulder and pieces that feel on her pale face. She gently brushed the stands of hair out of her face and bend over to lightly kiss her child's temple. Ashley stirred, murmuring slightly, and her eyes fluttered open revealing drowsy bright blue eyes. Eyes that mimicked Helens.

"Mom. Did you just get back?" Ashley asked in a low sleepy voice as she turned over on her back and heaved herself into a sitting position. She rubbed her belly a little and yawned.

"Yes. I sent Biggie to deliver the books to the library, then to take my case upstairs. Where is Henry? In the lab I suppose" Ashley shook her head.

"No, he went to Toronto to get some supplies from some guy named Jefferson. Guess he was a fri..." she paused, failing to stifle another yawn. "Friend of Silvas... remember him?" Helen nodded, remembering back a few years when one of their plane crashed on the way back from catching an abnormal. The creature was able to turning into any of them. It had managed to slay several of the surviving crew, including one of their best weapons dealer, and close friend. In the end though it had given itself away in the slightest of ways.

"How could I not... he died on my plane. But I'm sure any friend of his is trust worthy." Helen said, but even so she worried... they had been tricked before. Helen turned her attention to her pregnant daughter, she placed her hand on her stomach and smiled as she felt a kick. "So how's baby? Doing well I hope?"

"Other than constantly kicking me in the ribs? We're both fine." Ashley said brightening as they talked of her unborn child. She gave a wide, bright, playful smile at her mother. "I've been a little tired, but what's new? I could really go for some coffee though" Helen chuckled then looked at her daughter with concern. Henry's ex fiancé and baby both died at the birthing, so ever since her daughter got pregnant she'd been doing twice as many check-up and ultrasounds as most pregnant woman. She refused to let anything happen to her daughter... she already lost her once.

"well, I'll do an ultrasound in the morning..."

"No. Mom that's not necessary we are fine!" Ashley said cutting off her mothers sentence.

"Be reasonable!"

"its completely unneeded..."

"Your getting one. And that's that!" Helen said giving her daughter a stern look. She ignored Ashley's eye roll and exasperated sigh. "And on another note, you really mustn't drink any more of that god awful drink" she said wrinkling her nose at the thought of coffee. "Tea's much better for you"

"Whatever! You and your tea! Coffee really isn't that bad" Ashley said defiantly. As if on cue Big Guy walked through the door with a tray of tea and coffee. Ashley took her cup of coffee, thanks Biggie and smirked at her mother.

"Ashley Magnus! You do not need that baby coming out on a caffeine buzz." Helen said. She hated coffee, she was brit to the core and proud of it! Never would she be caught drinking the nasty beverage. She took her tea cup and sipped it delicately. "It'll already come out with shaken baby syndrome" she said in a teasing voice. Remembering when Ashley was newly pregnant and would grasp her stomach lightly then shake it.

"Oh take a chill pill mom! The baby will be fine." Ashley said rolling her eyes "I'm just ready for it to come out already!" she said poking her tummy lightly. She was heavily pregnant, and was completely exhausted of the swelling, cravings and she was defiantly tired of being hot all the time. Her home had one of the best air conditioning units in the world and it still couldn't freeze her out.

"Well you only have a few more weeks until your due date. And if you pass it, I'm inducing you a few days later"

"Thank god! The little shit is being stubborn!" Ashley had hoped she'd pop about a week early but she was beginning to doubt it.

"You haven't dropped yet?" Ashley shook her head, glared down at her tummy, and continued to poke it. "Ashley stop poking the baby. No wonder it doesn't want to come out!" Helen said, smiling.

"well what it doesn't realize is that if it comes out the poking might stop" Helen laughed, tucking a piece of Ashley's hair behind her ear. "and if I keep going on like this Biggie will be out of a job"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because since you left I've been on a cleaning rampage. Henry officially got annoyed with me trying to clean that stupid lab of his... and the bleach hasn't been doing well on my stomach." Ashley said. Helen nodded in understanding. She herself had the same symptoms at the end of her pregnancy, especially whenever she felt alone. But everything got better just before Ashley was born when she rescued a five year old werewolf boy; Henry. At first she was skeptical of letting him near her newborn daughter but eventually got used to the fact that Henry wouldn't hurt her.

"It'll go away soon, probably as soon as Henry gets back. Once everyone is home it'll stop." she said. Helen decided to poke fun at her daughter as she always did. "Plus... I'm sure once he comes home, you two will be a little too busy to do any cleaning"

"Oh god. Mooom! This is so not a topic for us! My sex life is not your business" She said loudly, lightly shoving her mothers arm.

"Well I don't know, it was made my business that night a few year back." Helen said giggling.

"Gah! No, you just decided not to knock! That was so not my doing." Ignoring her daughters comment Helen continued to tease

"It also became my business when my tech expert got my child knocked up." Ashley rolled her eyes, remembering back to the late night that she told her mom and Henry both about being pregnant.