Props for this one go to alwayssmilingsam who said she wanted to see Helen and Ashley have 'the talk' only, as someone who never had 'the talk', I wasn't sure how to write it and thus, made it my own way :P

xx


"Ashley?"

"Mmm?" the teen replied, shovelling down cereal as she flicked through some magazine without even looking up.

"I think we ought to have a talk," Helen started, feeling a blush rise in her cheeks. Oh God in heaven, why was this so hard? She wasn't exactly sexually naive by any means, she'd had more than her share of lovers in her lifetime but this... this was different.

"What is it, Mom?"

Helen swallowed and carefully seated herself at the table. This was something she knew would have to come at some point but when her daughter was 16? It seemed wrong. Especially considering Helen hadn't been romantically involved with anyone until she was over 30. Yes, different times and all that but surely 16 wasn't average, was it?

"I'd like to talk to you about... Eric."

Ashley's eyes widened and she swallowed her breakfast before sitting back. The look she gave her mother was one of a deer in the headlights, bright blue eyes startlingly open. She even shook her long fringe back, a true sign she was paying attention.

Her 'secret' boyfriend had, until the other day brought Helen a great deal of amusement. Ashley knew full well that all communications on the Sanctuary computers were monitored and Helen hadn't even needed Henry to find out exactly why her daughter was suddenly staying back after school just that little bit later for the last few weeks. Their online chats were flirty and sweet and Helen had thought it all rather adorable.

Until Henry had come to her one long weekend when home from university. He'd been shy all his life but this event had brought forth something even more puzzling. He could barely speak, his cheeks flushed with sheer embarrassment and it had taken several long minutes before he could even utter a single word.

"Ashley."

"What about her?"

"She... She's... dating someone."

"I know."

He'd breathed a sigh of relief at that but then stiffened at the confusion still on her face.

Several more long minutes later, he'd stuttered the words Helen had never thought to have to hear from her adopted son. They'd sat in stony silence for what had felt like an eternity.

"I'm sorry, Doc," he'd half whispered. "I just..."

"You did the right thing Henry," she assured him with a pat on the back.

And so now here she sat, four days later with a purpose in mind but fear in her heart. How could she talk to her daughter about boys? She could have the anatomical talk, go into the physicality of intimacy with her doctor face on but that wasn't what her daughter needed. She knew the mechanics, of that Helen was sure.

It was a talk that she knew she'd have to have eventually. Even when she grew up it was customary for mothers to talk to their daughters about intimacy and 'bedroom activities' as the maid who had given the speech to Helen had phrased it. This shouldn't be the cause of so much apprehension.

"I understand you... ahem, borrowed some supplies from Henry..."

The girl's face flushed with embarrassment.

"... and while I must commend you for choosing to be safe-"

"Stopstopstopstopstop!" Ashley nearly shrieked, covering her hands with her ears.

"- I also feel that I should perhaps broach the idea of-"

"No really! Stop! Please!" She tried to stand and bolt to the door but Helen was quicker, grabbing her wrist. This was a speech she had actually written out and she was damn well going to finish it.

"-being emotionally mature enough to handle this."

Silence fell and Helen grit her teeth.

"I trust you Ashley and I trust that you know what you're doing but... but he may not understand what he is truly doing. This is... a big... step and... Iwantyoutoknowthatifyouwantt otalkIammorethanwillingtolis ten."

She loosened her grip on Ashley's wrist, testing the waters.

"I know it's probably embarrassing to even think about discussing such things with me but I... Well, I've been there and I understand that sometimes, we all need a chance to unload."

Ashley slowly sat back down, eyes dropping to her now soggy bowl of cereal.

Helen's heart was pounding but she forced herself to sit back in her chair and relax slightly.

"I've always thought," she put in softly when Ashley made no move to talk, "that if you cannot discuss sex, you are not ready to be having it."

Ashley's cheeks flushed again and she nodded dumbly.

"Are you saying that you think I shouldn't?" the girl asked carefully, now pushing around the cereal in the bowl.

"No..." Helen replied just as carefully. Ashley looked up and Helen sighed.

"You're my daughter and I don't ever want to even think about the fact that somebody is... with my baby girl but, while I'd prefer that you became a nun, I understand what it is to want this... this... this experience."

"How old were you?"

The question made Helen's head spin for a moment and she coughed lightly.

"You mean, when I first..."

"Yeah..."

Helen almost smiled at the memory. They had been very drunk and in reality it wasn't really sex considering his pants never came off but if they hadn't been interrupted she knew where it would have gone. At the time she'd thought so, anyway...

And, in truth, it sounded a lot better than the reality which was shortly before her 32nd birthday.

"29."

"What?!" Ashley asked, sounding scandalised. "I mean, that's so... so..."

"Old?"

"Well, yeah," the girl admitted with a shrug of her shoulders. "How did you wait that long?"

"It was expected that a woman save herself for her betrothed," Helen said, fighting a smirk. He most certainly hadn't been her betrothed at any point.

"You so didn't," Ashley said with a snort. "You were so a bad girl."

"Something like that," Helen allowed wryly. "However I do not expect for you to wait until you reach the seasoned age of 29 before..." And there went the fledgling confidence.

Ashley fell back into the uncomfortable silence easily, eyes once again trained on her food.

"My point is Ashley that... if you need to talk, at any point, you mustn't be afraid to come to me. No matter what, I trust you and I am here for you."

At that Ashley finally looked up and smiled.

"I know. Why do you think I asked if you wanted to go see a movie tomorrow afternoon?"