"Helen," Rose murmured, her hand pressing desperately on her wound. "Oh, Helen."

Terror started to rise deep within her.

"Helen," she tried again, bending over the limp body of her friend. She was gasping for breath, eyes wide as if in shock. Helen's eyes locked on Rose's, her brow creasing in confusion.

"Stay with me. Please, God, stay with me," Rose urged as red tears began to streak down her face. She could hear the others as they gathered around Helen's body. Their cries of disbelief barely registered. Not even when Nikola knelt on the other side of her, grasping Helen by the shoulders, did Rose look up.

Instead she was focused on holding tight to Helen's ribs.

The blood was warm against her skin where it seeped through her fingers, running in rivulets down to further stain the white silk of Helen's dress. The colour different was startling, sickening even though Rose was covered in the same, if not partially dried substance.

Distractedly, her mind wandered back to her discussion with Kate on suitable colours for a mission such as this. She'd known it would get bloody from the start.

But this was the wrong kind of blood.

Nikola swatted away her hands with an angry scowl, pushing until his own hands covered Helen's wound.

"Magnetic field," he grunted by way of explanation but he didn't look at Rose as he spoke. His eyes too were fixed to Helen's face. Her breathing was more laboured now, her chest jerking up and down as her hands clawed at the grass rather feebly.

"Call an ambulance," Henry said, his voice breaking. "Someone call a freakin' ambulance. Now!"

Someone started fumbling as they sniffled.

"Don't," Rose croaked. "Don't call..."

That's not how this was going to end and she knew it.

"What do you mean 'don't'?" Kate shrieked. "The doc is dying! Call the freakin' ambulance, Will."

"Don't," Rose snapped again, this time turning to face the others. "Don't call anyone. You hear me?"

Declan, Henry and Kate promptly began shouting at her but she didn't have time for them. Taking a deep breath, Rose sent them to sleep, taking care that they were able to control themselves as they collapsed onto the grass.

The night around them now silent, Rose's heart beat began to slow a little from its dangerously rapid pace.

"What the hell did you do to them?" Will breathed. "C'mon Rose. Be serious here, we have to get her to a doctor. None of us are qualified for this."

"No," she whispered, gently stroking at the bare skin of her friend's shoulder.

"At least let me call in some more of our back up guys," he pleaded. "Rose, she needs treatment, now."

"No," she said again, this time stronger.

Nikola looked over to her, his eyes black and his teeth sharp.

"You will not let her die," he snarled and Rose felt an ancient bead of disgust and terror roll through her. It was a sensation that had disappeared not long after she'd met Nikola yet tonight it bought the taste of metal to the tip of her tongue.

"No," Rose said. "No, she won't die."

Another few stray tears rolled down her cheeks and she brushed them away hastily, catching sight of her bloodied arms. Her skin looked like marble under the moonlight, flecked with drying blood of those she'd slaughtered tonight.

"You have to trust me on this."

It had been so long since she'd really slaughtered anyone, she mused. The vampires didn't count, they were a natural born enemy; their slaughter was right. This was different. She hadn't killed like this in centuries.

Yet the blood on her arms felt right in a strange way.

"John," she snapped as she recovered her sense of purpose, turning back to where the man stood several paces away. He was on his knees, hands and arms covered in blood only most of his was still fresh. The silver blade lay in the grass by his side, red blood turning black as it glinted softly.

"I..." he half breathed.

"Come here," Rose ordered. John's eyes snapped up from Helen to Rose, an utter lack of comprehension colouring his expression.

"I didn't mean..." he tried, sounding like a lost child. His demon, Jack, was apparently hiding, allowing John to really see what he'd done to the only woman he'd ever loved.

Reaching into his mind, Rose yanked him forwards until he crawled on hands and knees towards them.

"Hold her feet," she instructed, voice shaking. John's mouth opened and closed a few times but a wallop on the back from Nikola had his hands closing around Helen's ankles.

Swallowing hard, Rose turned back to Helen. Disgust at herself began to rise in the back of her throat but Rose fought it down. She would do this, it was the only way.

"Uh, Rose," Will started tentatively, dropping to his knees beside her. "Rose, we need to get her to a hospital now."

"No," she whispered turning to him fully and taking his face in her bloodied hands. "No, Will. She won't make it. This... This is it. You have to trust me. Do exactly as I say. Promise?"

"Uh..."

"Promise me, William," she begged softly. "Please."

His eyes went wide but he nodded minutely. Rose waited a moment, watching his mind for any signs of rebellion. Apparently he'd learnt his lesson with Helen and this time was all right with the whole blind faith thing. It made Rose's heart skip a beat. It had been a very long time since someone like Will had trusted her as wholly as he apparently did.

Quickly, she pulled him in, pressing a kiss to his lips before he could process what she was doing before releasing him and turning back to Helen.

She could hear Nikola's discomfort at her lack of information but she pushed it aside, bending down until her face was merely inches from Helen's. Cupping a cheek, Rose bit back another round of tears.

"Forgive me for this," Rose whispered, to the men beside her as much as the woman lying a little too sedately on the grass. "I love you, Helen. Remember that when you get mad. I'm only doing what I have to."

She bit her lip, her body starting to tremble.

"Please. Please just... Just. I'm sorry," she murmured, a smile tiliting the corners of her lips. Helen couldn't hear her but she was happy, floating in a world of dreams as her mind gave her comfort in her final minutes.

Pulling back, Rose wiped her tears away with the back of one hand before taking a deep breath.

Though not a single cell in her body wanted to do it, Rose let her teeth out, snarling slightly.

And then she leant in, her teeth closing over the side of Helen's neck. The sound of ripping flesh made her sick to her stomach but she kept going, burying her teeth to the gums. Her skin was so very hot beneath her mouth yet it was the blood that pouted from the wound that held the real, scalding heat.

Then Helen's body started to jerk, a strangled scream slipping through her lips as Rose continued to drink and drink and drink.

The pain set in quickly, like fire racing through her veins. It burnt out her brain, searing away emotion and memory. All Rose could feel was the poison of Helen's blood as it snaked its way through her system. But, as she'd hoped, it wasn't as toxic as it should have been. Their shared DNA saved her, at least for the time being. And, she thought, now it would bind them forever.

When she could feel the blood working its magic on her insides, Rose pulled back, gulping down air instead. Will was spluttering, Nikola eyeing her with barely concealed disgust but it was John she turned to.

"John," she gasped, voice hoarse. She tried to reach for him but her limbs felt heavy and she simply slumped forwards instead. "John," she tried again.

His eyes slowly met hers, his confusion still somehow beating back his inner beast.

Using all her energy, Rose reached one hand out to him, relief shuddering through her as he took it.

She didn't think on the fact that, for the first time, his touch gave her no ghastly visions.

The future had come to pass.

She grasped his hand firmly before turning back to Nikola, trying her best not to look down at Helen's twitching body.

"Keep her alive," she told the vampire. Nikola's eyes slid from Helen's face to Rose for a brief second.

"If she dies, I'll never forgive you," he swore. Rose nodded and gave him a tight smile.

It was nice to know Helen would have Nikola to look after her.

She opened her mouth to speak once more just as a fresh streak of fire burned through her veins. The change was happening far quicker than she'd intended.

"Rose!" Will cried in alarm, his arm coming to rest around her shoulder as she grunted. It took a moment but, eventually, she pushed the pain as far to the back of her mind as she could.

Will's arm around her helped; the feel of another human being's warmth helping her to focus.

She smiled up at him before turning her attention once more to John.

"Take us to the old Sanctuary," she gasped out, squeezing his hand to hold his attention. "To where the main laboratory was."

He looked at her as if she'd grown a second head.

"Trust me on this," she urged. "I can save them both." He paused, regarding her for a second longer before, with one last disparate look to Helen, he, Rose and Will disappeared with a sharp snap into the red mist.


Meep. Sorry for the delay. I get distracted easy.

xx