LORE FORETOLD.

for once, she is not in any hurry.

her head snaps up at the loss of nick's weight against the bed, the warmth of his presence - but she hears him speak and realizes he's affording the rest of their family the information that she isn't dead, and oliver has arrived. she has no idea how long it's been, how long she's been out - just that nick has kept his promise all along. as if she could ever doubt him. he returns to her side rather swiftly and helen tilts her head, allowing him to guide her.

it's difficult at first, blocking out all the other noise that seems somehow sharper, more clear with senses that seem to be somewhat enhanced than previously were. whether a permanent or temporary adjustment she isn't sure. helen can picky up the steady thrumming of nick's own heartbeat, loud and steady and sure. just beneath it though, she can just pick up on what he refers to. the almost hummingbird speed at which their son's heartrate beats. an assurance that he is indeed thriving, content, and well at home in his parents' embrace. her heart lurches up into her throat as nick explains it. a gift. it's more than she could ever ask. a constant assurance that her family is safe and sound. a bond beyond the norm.

"you saved our lives." helen murmurs as she leans against nick, head resting against his shoulder. enshrouded in the noise that is his heartbeat and oliver's. there's a certain sense of awe to her voice, as if she might still wake up from these moments and realize it's a dream - or death induced nightmare.

these were all things nick had spent the last few months planning ahead for.  he’s been training the tactal team as well as the networks security team while she had been organizing missions. new weapons and gadgets have been put together between himself, henry and ramon. he’s worked with ashley in grounding both of their abilities which is why he had trusted her to teleport helen to the infirmary. nick has gone as far as teaching the medical staff ways to care for the sekhem when they are injured in the field. behind the scenes nick wanted to make sure that everyone was protected in a way they needed and he made sure to put gil on one hell of a short leash. he didn’t trust he wouldn’t try to let it slip that helen was alive or olivers existence. 

of course, he wasn’t prepared for oliver to make his apperance so early but as she mentions he saved their lives, he knows he had made the right choice. 

hukter, he believed, had some sort of insight to what was to come and what would be. it was the only way he was able to explain any of it. “and i would do all of it again if i had to.” and he meant all of it; the fight he gave for thrity-four, bleeding out on the ice staring face to face with the alpha who would give his position to him. the fight with kex to remain in control, the cloud ⸻ he’d do it over and over again if it led him to this moment right here. 

it had been hours since he ordered nicole to leave and threatened her job and affiliation with the network ⸻ he’d apologize later. there wasn’t any regret in his being for turning the sekhem against those in the sanctuary until he deemed it was safe. telling etok to stand down, the others would as well.  his arm came around her, holding her close to him as she leaned against his shoulder ⸻ he could have lost all of this had he been any ordinary human. for once he found himself grateful for what hukter had done. 

everything else doesn't seem nearly as important as she feels him move, mesmerized by tiny fingers that splay and curl and those pouty lips. he's still small for his size, but utterly perfect and helen can scarcely believe this little one has made her a mother once more. it doesn't matter that she's died and been brought back. the world could absolutely explode around her and helen isn't sure she'd notice, determined to memorize every little feature of their son - the son she didn't know she'd get to meet.

she doesn't tear her gaze away until nick speaks of not giving choices, the decision he'd made for the sake of all of them. he'd never had a choice in his abnormality, not the way helen had in her original experiments. it isn't new to her; many abnormals exist because they are forced to, not because they chose that life. she shifts - or does her best to - so nick might be closer to her, their baby, who rests so contented in her arms that it feels almost like a dream (though perhaps that's just the medication or the remnants of her husband's meddling with her genetics).

silently she reaches for nick, his hand, anchoring their fingers together with the hand not supporting oliver. in her gaze is everything the opposite of what she assumes that nick will assume - understanding, empathy, and not a trace of regret or ire. helen is not perfect; she is selfish enough to want to know their son. to remain in the land of the living to continue her work. to fully have the eternity promised to her by nick. she isn't angry. she isn't upset not to have a choice. because he's right - she'd have done the same in his position.

"don't apologize. this - it's the best gift i've ever gotten. time. with you. our family. our work." she murmurs, finding her voice after another moment. warmth pools in her chest but it's different than before. not a fever, but an emotion that feels like it might very well leak out of every orifice. "i'm not upset or angry or . . . anything else beyond . . . grateful." her gaze moves back to oliver and she's able to bend her head enough to press a kiss to that soft downy fringe, pale and blonde as they are. the burn to her eyes returns, unshed tears gathering in the corners as it hits her - as ready as she had been to give everything so their son might live, she is acutely aware she would have otherwise been robbed of this moment.

the universe has granted her reprieve once more against death, and helen would be a fool not to embrace it, no matter how it had come to her.

it's true she feels weird, strange even, and underlying unknown coursing through her. sekhem dna now bleeding into her source blood, forever binding her to their race. it's an overwhelming thought - nick is right in that it will take her time to adjust. until then, she is content to focus on him, on their son. she offers her husband a smile then, the first since the whole ordeal had started.

he and etok had spent hours discussing the ritual and what it would mean and the risks. there wasn’t much more they could lose when it came to the alternative outcome. it was either going to work or it was going to completely destroy her dna. nick’s theory had been one he spent his own time researching without her knowing what he was up to. it had worked on nihi and etok when their healing factor was removed by the red cloud. the sekhem dna he carried was altered by his own ancient abnormal dna, making it so it wasn’t pure and therefore wouldn’t clash with the source blood. 

his fingers lace with hers, his gaze moving towards their son in her arms. he had almost lost all of this ⸻ her and their son. hukter had said to him back on the ice those years ago ‘you are the beginning of the new sekhem. i am the ending of the old sekhem. the choices you make will determine the outcome of these words. i have chosen you, my child, because you walk a world between realms… it is time to make them into one.’  slowly nick was starting to understand what he meant. though his guiding spirit is still with him, the choices made here were all his own. 

nick can’t help be smile, the hand not holding her uses a finger to brush the soft skin against oliver’s cheek.  “our best invention yet.” he replies leaning forward to press his lips to her forehead. standing from his place beside her, he moves to the head of the bed to elevate it so she can lean against it. nick knows she must still be exhausted as well as their son. he takes a moment to find his shirt since oliver, although early, was doing a fine job with his healing factor taking the lead. reaching into his pocket, he retrieved the ear piece remembering he told ashley to wait for his call. 

“ash…” he calls over the radio. “i think it’s time you come down and meet your baby brother., tell etok he can stand down.” setting the ear piece back down, he returns his attention to her. “i want to show you something.” moving back to the bed, he sits down beside her. “listen to what i say and do as i do.” a smile is offered, he leans over oliver carefully pressing his forehead to hers, his eyes take on their hot white hue. “focus on him, block out every other sound you can hear.”  with one hand he places hers under his on their son. 

she doesn't feel the knife at her palm. doesn't hear the quiet noise from her newborn son that she will never meet. even nick's voice, as near as it is, doesn't register in the darkness that shrouds her - the blood loss and sedation keep her under, her body fading rather swiftly. it's not something her abnormality can save her from. not on it's own.

time blurs. sensations slowly return, but she can't make sense of them. pain, yes. an uncomfortable heaviness across her torso. a feeling she can't explain that feels as if her body itself is stitching itself back together. is she still in surgery? it feels like she's trying to break the surface of a deep and dark body of water, struggling to breathe - in her mind, at least. what's left of it. surely this is not death, this in between space that leaves her trying to break that invisible surface tension? she wants to claw her way out, find some other existence -

her body lurches upward with a sudden and sharp gasp, dragging in a lungful of air as she startles into consciousness by force, as if something has dragged her from the depths. her body immediately protests but the pain is not as bad as she expects. the strange warmth that envelopes her feels not unlike before but . . . different - she can barely process it as she opens her eyes and blinks against the lights of the infirmary, still trying to grab another great lungful of air like a drowning man. she doesn't feel, nor notice, the hue of her gaze shift as she takes in her surroundings - the infirmary. a sharp instinct pulls her gaze to her bedside - is she dead? is she having an out of body experience?

no - of course not - her mind tries to supply logic. coupled with the sharp awareness of her surroundings, helen zeros in on nick at her bedside, her mind instinctively reaching out for his as she grounds herself back into reality, back into the realm of the living. her heart lurches up into her throat when she realizes he's holding a child - their son. alive. content. her eyes burn before she can stop them.

oliver. talking aloud feels like too much energy, fatigue crushing into her like a brick wall in a way that's almost foreign. and still she reaches for him - for nick, the baby, the both of them - but her gaze catches sight of the new injury at her palm. it's not fulled healed, but certainly enough for her to know it isn't a new injury. not in the usual sense. her gaze snaps back to nick with a dawning understanding.

he didn’t give her a choice, just as hukter didn’t give him one. this was different however ⸻ his situation was not life or death for himself, it was to save the future of the sekhem and for their alpha to pick who he wanted to take his place and that just so happened to be nick. a man who has never truly been human. a man who was now anything but that he was hybrid and in turn he has given her the sekhem dna to initiate the healing process so she can still carry on her work with the network, and meet their son. 

standing watch, he noticed the color returning to her features before she shot upright. he remembers the very same thing happening to him on more than one occasion. once in this very infirmary when the cabal had used their red cloud against him. not moving, he didn’t want to disturb the infant asleep against his chest. noting the lilac hue to her gaze, it was a confirmation that the ritual had worked.  

nick gives a nod in reply to the name of their son, and when she reaches out, he carefully stands moving closer to the bed. oliver has been waiting to meet you. comes the reply, his gaze following her own. the still healing wound on her hand. sitting on the edge of the bed, he carefully hands their son to her, offering her a small but sad smile. there needed to be an explanation, he needed to come clean about what he had done. while fate had a plan in mind ⸻ nick decided to not let fate take the wheel. not this time. 

“no… you shouldn’t have.” his voice is quiet, soft to not wake the infant, whose hair was a blonde fuzz across his little head. “it’s…. a lot to process. I didn’t give you the option to say yes or no. I hated hukter for doing the very same but he allowed me to save you ⸻ to save both of you. oliver… he needs both of us. i couldn’t let you sacrifice everything and not take part in it. the network needs you, our son needs you, and i need you.” 

nick was sure she wasn’t going to like the things he had done when taking control but the safety of oliver and helen were his top priority and always will be. the floor was quiet, he wasn’t sure what nicole had told the others but he had told ashley to disregard everything she’s told. “I made a promise to you. but i also made a promise to our daughter and our son. i wouldn’t let anything happen to either of you.” sighing softly, his gaze settled on oliver. “he’s a bit of an over achiever already. he’s healing himself, and he’s stable as ever. it will take some time for your body to understand the changes…” 

"alright." she answers her earpiece quietly but she doesn't get a response. doesn't even know if he's heard her. keeping her grandfather occupied will be a feat, but she's handled worse. a little lie will go a long way.

"nick's gonna let us know when we can go down. mom's in surgery." she addresses the others in the room, voice steady. assured. definitely not lying. "she's gonna be fine."

nicole, however, is not convinced. she's done this procedure before of course, though there is something unsettling about performing it on her boss - who's already lost far too much blood and far too quickly and she isn't sure they can replace it quickly enough - nor if there even is any on hand storage of the source blood to fix it . . . magnus would have made sure she knew about it if so, for situations like this. and the way her other boss hovers and makes demands sets her teeth on edge - but she can't argue. he's in charge too, especially since the head of the entire network currently lies on an operating table. and she's not about to lose her job, or her head, for disobeying him.

"as soon as the baby's out and cleared - you need him against you. skin to skin." nicole says instead of any arguments otherwise. "since dr. magnus isn't able to at the moment. he's early but should be alright - the contact will help him thrive. just. hold him close. the nurses will leave anything you need. after . . . there isn't anything i can do." she has to pretend it isn't her boss lying under the scalpel, focusing on the task at hand with the same assuredness as the rest of her surgeries.

she has to work quickly - and does, because there is little else to be done. as in distress as the child is and as quickly as helen is bleeding out. the sharp smell of rust enters her nostrils but nicole does not waver, moving with sharp and practiced accuracy until she is able to put her hands on the tiny infant who's decided to make his entrance too early, passing him along first to one nurse, who doesn't hesitate to quickly tend to the baby before offering him out to his father.

taking his son in his arms, nick holds the tiny frame close to him. he’d do as he was told once the others have left the room. the hot white hue is intense as he watches nicole work. once in his arms, their son is quiet, as if he senses the bond already between them. as if he was fully at ease with being in nick’s arms. this is not ordinary birth one would experience in the human world of things. they were both abnormal, he was a hybrid and their son followed in that endeavour. when he was handed their son, the infant was tense until it was nick he was holding him ⸻ he could feel him relax in his arms even further. 

watching with a  steady gaze until they leave the room. in the hallway, etok steps forward. piercing blue and glowing gaze settles on the group, his lips raise in a snarl as he moves behind them to guide them towards the lift. “join the others. do not return to this floor. lethal force has been authorized. inform the others to remain away until he clears the emergency protocol.” his voice echoes off the walls as it always had, once they are in the lift, his gaze looks towards the door they had come from before placing his large from in front of the lift doors. should they open, he will be the first thing they encounter. 

in the room, nick takes a moment to gaze down at their son, he was already sound asleep in his arms. “hello, oliver.” he whispers. a smile growing over his lips as they press to the infants forehead. lifting his gaze towards helen, the white hot hue that has remained for the last hour fades, his dark gaze saddened by the sight in front of him. “had i known…” he says, and for a moment he places his son in the small bassinet so he can get to work and do what he needs to in order to save his wife and the mother of his child. making sure oliver was covered and warm for the time being, he approaches the side of the bed, he studies her pale features before bending to press his lips to her forehead. “you were so ready to sacrifice everything ⸻ always have been.” 

a hand reaches for the monitor attached to her, turning it off. “i made a promise to you and to ashley. i know you didn’t believe it. i wouldn’t let anything happen to either of you. Oliver needs both of us, honey. i only hope you forgive me for not giving you the choice to say yes or no.” reaching down into his boot, he pulls his combat knife from its hiding place.  oliver makes a small noise, gathering his attention but only briefly. “hang on love bug, i’ll be there soon.” attention returning to helen, he reaches for one of her hands taking the blade to her palm and slicing it open. his gaze lifts to her but she is still under heavy sedation  ⸻ she’s not supposed to wake up. nick had other plans. 

holding his own hand out in front of him, he does the same as he did with her hand. replacing the knife in his boot. the palm that bleeds is squeezed for more of his blood to come out before he places his wound over hers, holding her hand tightly. “i never break my promises to you, and i won’t start now.” after a few moments, he pulls his hand away ⸻ it heals quickly. holding her hand in his, the gaze he holds on it is intent until he can see small fibers begin to form within the wound he had created. unable to contain his relief, he signs heavily head falling to the hand he held. “rest… we will be here when you wake up.” 

"i don't like those numbers at all." helen remarks, briefly glancing at the device now monitoring her heart and blood pressure, as well as that of her son's. the combination of numbers is nearing dangerous and so far there is little reasoning as to why.

ashley nods once at nick at the touch to her shoulder. she trusts him. trusts the teams to take care of her mom. but that doesn't mean she still isn't worried. at least meeting her grandfather will serve as a distraction; she is of little use here. "keep me updated." is her only request to nick before she teleports away.

focused on the preliminary reports she's taken from one of the staff, helen looks at her own information as detached as possible. that bias is there again - how can she make calls when she's in this state. the pain is starting to cloud her mind, searing across every inch of her torso. ashley's arrival had been a piece of cake comparatively.

one of the nurses tells her to breathe and helen very nearly wants to snap her head right off her shoulders in a flare of irritation that immediately spikes her numbers back up into the dangerous level. the words on the report she holds are starting to blur together, the world starting to spin again even as nick's voice comes across her mind like a gentle balm. she cannot muster the energy to respond at that moment, too focused on trying to keep her calm in the sea of panic that keeps welling in the back of her throat.

"hemmoraging." helen manages between gritted teeth. the pain isn't stopping and is, in fact, only getting worse. dizzyingly so. "my hemoglobin . . . is too low. i'm losing blood internally. . . ." another hitch of her breath and for the first time, her vision starts to waver at the edges. her voice is stuttered as she drags in air - she feels as though she's suffocating. it feels too swift, everything progressing far too quickly that she can barely wrap her mind around what's happening. "placental abruption - he has - to come out. now."

nick. even her internal voice sounds worried, gaze finding his across the room despite the activity. and then and sudden calmness envelopes her - either her own doing, or whatever they've just introduced to her iv. a brief moment of sharp clarity. the rest of the room sounds vaguely underwater, nicole giving orders to the rest of the team as helen fights with every inch she has in her to stay conscious.

i'm dying.

it's not a sudden realization, but a painful admission. it's a complication she'd anticipated, but had been on her list of worst case - the universe is unkind to put this upon them. she thinks of ashley and henry and ramon, of kate and will, her father - of nick, who's gaze she still holds with what energy she can maintain. instinctively she reaches for him, distantly aware the machine she's attached to is giving a warning; her blood pressure is dropping swiftly even despite the sudden rush of warmth that washes over her ---

she cannot hold out the battle against her own body, it's distress and that of the baby's. nick. his name is like an echo as her mind fight her body's weaknesses, desperate to cling to consciousness but everything is rushing into darkness quickly. there are a million things she wants to say, should say, but her mouth refuses to cooperate and she is vaguely aware of nicole yelling something to the rest of the team as the same darkness rushes up to meet her.

when he is aware that whatever they had given her takes it’s affect he moves from her side finding nicole. “you get my son out, and close her up. you and i both know there is nothing you can do. when you are done i want everyone out of this room and to be left with my wife and son. I will not hear anything else about it. she deserves peace and quiet.” and nick had his own plans in mind. accepting the scrubs, the ear piece is once again retrieved from his pocket. what the hell was he going to tell ashley?

stepping into the hall, a hand runs down his features, his senses are still attached to the two people on the other side of the door that mean the world to him. gregory would be there by now and with ashley. ramon and kate would be in the lab and will would be arriving again with gregory in tow. swallowing a heavy lump in his throat, he clears it. 

“Ash. keep your grandfather off the infirmary ward for the time being…i ⸻ it’s not looking good but i made a promise to you and i plan to keep that promise. i need you to trust me. you are going to have to disregard whatever nicole tells you. it’s going to sound terrifying but ⸻ just trust me. i will let you know when it’s safe to come back down here.” removing the ear peice he doesn’t wait for a reply. instead he makes his way down the hall and out into the corridor where etok is. he kneels in front of him and their foreheads touch. 

‘you understand what needs to be done, nicholas? we have spoke on this many times. all will be well if you do as you were taught. you have done it before with the others ⸻ this is no different.’ nick nods slowly, looking down towards the ground between them before the elder sekhem nudges him with his head. ‘you are strong, child. hukter has spoken to you briefly of what you must do to save them both. i cannot help with this, it is your role and yours alone.” 

standing nick places his hand between his ears. “no one is allowed on this floor. not even those we know. when the staff leaves that room, they are not to return. no one.” etok gives a brief bow of his head as does nihi when nick gives a glance in her direction.

she fixes him with a soft, sympathetic look, thumb brushing his cheek as she lifts her mug to her lips again. london feels so far away; she'd much prefer languishing in bed the remainder of the day. perhaps tomorrow, and when the weather finally turns again. enjoy the peace while they can because history will start to ramp up and with it, their efforts at rebuilding.

they'll need to figure out the best place to ride out world war i because her original presence in both world wars was heavy enough to bring question if she were spotted again. it's incredibly tricky, weaving themselves through the small openings in history that will allow them to move undetected. she has a small list of people she will inevitably need to be involved with - and in some instances, will need to play the part of the other her to get what she needs.

for now, it's simply a matter of establishing themselves and their lives. they have a long haul ahead.

"you already know what i'm going to say - they're not your failures, darling. you couldn't have known. perhaps sometime in the next few centuries you might try and forgive yourself." and she doesn't miss the way he calls ashley theirs, because in essence she is. or will be. nick is far more the father to ashley than john ever had been.

a crooked smile worms it's way back onto her features as she lowers her teacup into her lap, fingers drumming thoughtfully against the porcelain.

t was the first time he was truly faced with the future and how long it would be until they get back to the point where they jump through the portal. 

centuries will pass before he is face to face with his other self, and even then he must avoid it and her other self once they make it to the period of time where they both exist simultaneously.  however, he will cross that bridge when the time comes to do so. he doesn’t have the sekhem here with him, he is the lone sekhem in this time period. he’s going to have to be aware of his own abilities and the changes that come with it. “I know, i just ⸻ had i known what i was or had the potential to be there would be a lot more abnormals alive out there… or when it comes time to be. they knew, i didn’t. they had some sort of hope that i’d help them and instead i was their end.” 

he sighs, but he knows she is right. the general will always be on the top of his list of people he will end once they establish the underground facility. there are events in history he will experience for himself, which is different than reading about in school or history books. something else he will have to be aware of as they move in and out of history for the next few centuries. 

laughing softly he shook his head. “that is one of the things you haven’t told me yet. I would suggest writing a book but that would bring too many questions for you.” a smile soon spreads across his lips. “molly brown… adding to the long list of historical people you have met and interacted with. but you know… if we were both on that ship…” he trails off but smiles. “however, cold doesn’t bother me as much as the normal human male so i mean there is a chance there.” 

she trusts her medical team, her staff, the rest of the employees at the sanctuary - but it is difficult to be so out of her element.

trying to keep herself calm is a whole other endeavor as nick enacts plans that she's only vaguely aware he's made (he'd never given full specifics, but now she understands the breadth of them all; he's been preparing for a while, it seems). she focuses on the pain, the unsteadiness in her heart beat, the way the rest of her feels and reacts - silently taking inventory as she sorts through her vast medical knowledge as if the problem might jump out at her. a solvable problem, preferably. unfortunately, she draws only complex and methodically complications that only threaten to worry her further - why can't anything ever be normal for them?

she stands when he does, mostly because sitting is doing her no good. her grip on his arm doesn't relent, a heavy anchor - helen will never admit to worry or fear, but it's still written in the recesses of her expression. the pain is getting worse again, nearly taking all the breath she has in her lungs to give. bloody hell.

"nick," she says quietly, flinching. before all hell breaks loose, before she is rendered unable to do so - "listen to me." the hand not on his arm rests against his shoulder, steadying them both as the world spins. her skin feels hot, feverish, and already she wants to crawl right out of it. "---if it becomes a choice between the baby or me -" and she doesn't have time to finish the thought because the familiar noise of ashley's teleportation is there.

you choose our son. she finishes the thought in her mind. as much as she wants to believe nick's promise to her that they'll all be just fine, she is also a realist and a medical doctor in her own right who has been through this before, both as patient and doctor. abnormal or not, the risks are always there.

"right, showtime." ashley is quick to come up on her mother's side, offering her support and steadiness. one glance across both helen and nick tell her that things are not quite going to plan, but she doesn't ask - simply nods once at her orders and zorts away with her mother in the next instant.

she's gotten better, mastering her abilities, the targets in her mind - and they land right within the room that has already been set up for her mother. it offers privacy and anything they could need at hand. infirmary staff close in almost immediately as she lowers helen to the edge of the bed to sit, helping to peel away her jacket and the like with some sense of decorum. she's not the best in this sort of situation, but it's her mom and ashley is hesitant to let go of her, even when she knows she's in good hands.

retrieving the earpiece he makes his way into the hallway. “Ramon.” he says into the ear piece and waits for him to acknowledge it. “the sekhem are taking their posts and the tunnels have been shut down. nothing in or out of the city until i say so. if rana has an issues with it tell her to take it up with me. we cannot risk anyone finding out this is going on or that helen is alive…” for how long he wasn’t sure but he wasn’t going to allow that to be spoken or said. 

“general, all systems are running on protocol two one two twenty-five. tunnels are closed on kate’s report, praxis is on alert. will reports he has nearly reached gregory. your sekhem are in place. etok and nihi are stationed on the infirmary floor. nothing is getting in or out. we are entirely locked down.” ramon reports from his place in nick’s lab, he’s taken over security from the networks security team and is running it alongside kate down in his lab. 

“kate has already been alerted. if anything lethal force is authorized.” taking the lift this time knowing helen is in the hands of the infirmary staff, he leans against the wall as it makes its way down further into the facility. “if anything happens ramon, you know what to do and how.” earning an acknowledgment he pulls the ear piece from his ear, shoving it in his pocket. when the lift opens he is met with etok and nihi ready to pounce but the white hot hue of his gaze brings them to a bow instead. “etok…” the elder rises. “good job.” 

a nods is given as nick pushes the door open, his gaze hadn’t returned to normal with the sekhem half of him taking control allowing him to remain calm. he knew why but he was keeping the knowledge to himself. “ash.” he greets here, placing a hand on her shoulder. “i’d lie and say everything is going to be fine, but you’d hate me if i did. it’s not fine. they’re both in distress. the differences…” he sighs for a moment. “i need another favor. your grandfather is in route, i need you to meet him at the entrance and tell him exactly what i told you. etok and nihi have the infirmary floor covered and i will be in there with her, I promise you, i will not let anything happen to either of them. we aren’t losing anyone else, ever again.” 

"a meeting you're going to have to lead." she remarks. "because it's going to have to be all under your name, regardless of my involvement. they won't be interested if the inventor is a woman." a taxing annoyance for the period to be sure. just as annoying as being strung up in corsets and petticoats again like some prized horse at the bloody fair. she has not missed these parts of the eras. "and i worry that even the name 'helen' would invite questions from the nikola and james of this era, who tend to suspect i was doing more than i ever let on. i don't want to complicate things for the other me."

in another world, she and nick are in her office in the sanctuary, discussing mission details or the like. that's what this reminds her of and while she misses the faces that are there, she knows this next one hundred and thirteen years will be pivotal for their work ahead. though selfishly there has been a thought in her own mind for when it grows closer to their own time - saving ashley. she's been given this second chance to save her daughter and helen is already set on taking it - her father and praxis as well, from the destruction set forth by adam. it will be taxing, trying to find the split second loopholes in the timeline - but they have many years ahead to figure it out.

had this been in their proper time, he’d be glad to support every venture she comes up with ⸻ he always has, and always will. it was all apart of the changes here, things and situations he was used to were far different. he stuck out with his utah accent and americanized mannerisms, but he always dismissed the questions with a simple answer or two before redirecting attention elsewhere. 

“i know, it’s how there are here, but it doesn't mean i agree with it.”  of course he doesn’t but he is doing his best to fit in. he prefers the life they were building in the quiet of the countryside. he’d never been a fan of the city ⸻ section thirty-four and his work with them had pulled him to D.C. and away from the quiet life he grew up in. here, in their quiet little cottage, he chopped wood, went for walks, cared for the horse and few chickens they had that provided the eggs he planned to make for dinner. it was all a small reminiscence of his childhood. maybe during their long trip through time, he’d take a side trip to utah and visit the old family farm, something he hadn’t done since leaving for the air force. 

allowinging himself to lean on their bed, he uses an arm over her legs to hold himself up, offering her a small smile. he was happy to not return to london for a while  ⸻ they had plenty of plans and things to go over in the mean time. with cold weather approaching, he had more wood to chop and preparations for their animals to keep them warm as well. he had limitations to work with as well without the modern comforts he was used to working with. it really forced him to call on his experiences from childhood to make things work. 

“whatever we need, we will get. once that meeting is over and we sell the patent for that stuff. with the changes made to the  Godfrey's cordial  it’s a guaranteed deal since it won’t be fatal to ingest. we are the only ones who understand the dangers of the medicine to infants in this time. small changes and nothing to alter the course of things too much. there is… some of the events we can’t alter without changes the course of history is going to be difficult. stopping adam was far more important than anything else. the amount of people we are saving… if i could stop my future self from hurting the abnormals i captured for thirty-four, i would. but… i know i can’t do that.” 

"something's wrong. i can't tell what it is." her voice is calm, steady, despite her worry, despite the pain that continues to creep up around her. she tries not to dig her fingers in too deeply to nick's arm. her eyes open to meet his gaze, that white-hot hue burning brightly in his eyes. it's a brief balm, but it doesn't quell whatever it is that's happening.

"are they in distress?" she asks of their child, because she needs the answer and worries what it might be. the perks in having another half who can sense certain things, who has kept close monitor on their little one ever since their existence was known. helen is very much attempting to remain collected, trying not to let panic work it's way into her thoughts.

something just feels off and she can't figure out what - at least not without scans and tests. this isn't just some false labor pains - she's familiar with those. this feels all too real, but different and helen is almost frustrated that she has no insight. she's been careful, she's been watchful, obedient with rest where needed and keeping up with scans. abnormalities and ages between them brought a plethora of complications, not to mention all the outside factors - she's blindsided by this, however, it coming out of nowhere at a terrible time. the only way it could be worse is if the cabal or section 34 were bearing down on them.

she bites the inside of her cheek as the next wash of pain practically steals the breath from her lungs, leaving her trying to swallow great gulps of air. and if her nails dig in a little harder to her husband, she'll apologize later.

the gifts hukter bestowed on him were a gift and a curse. the passing months have allowed him to gain full control of sekhem half of him and the others. their protectiveness over helen tells him they have nothing to worry about. her question lingers between them, he stays silent ⸻ listening, hoping for either beat to settle in a normal rhythm. “yes.” the answer he doesn’t want to give but has to. “you both are right now. i know it’s hard but i need you to remain calm.” the sekhem voice that comes with allowing that half of him to take over is forced away, his voice is the one she knows ⸻ something he learned to control over the passing months. 

though her nails are digging into his arm and will most likely draw blood, he doesn’t react. nick watches and studies her, every expression. every silent movement or hitch in her breath, he can hear it. his radio was left in the intake area, he glances around spotting her ear piece on her desk.  reluctantly he has to move away from her to retrieve it. with purpose, nick is remaining calm to not add further stress to the situation. grabbing the ear piece he puts it in his ear before turning to her, giving her his arm once more.

“ashley. ramon.” he speaks into the ear piece waiting for the response. when they come through he gives his orders. “ash, i need you to teleport yourself to your mothers study, i need an instant teleport to the infirmary.. ramon, i want the facility locked down. emergency protocol two one two twenty-five.” nick has long since been prepared for the arrival of their child. when he realized the risks involved with the differences in their abnormalties and his mutated dna. he had put emergency protocols into place. getting confirmation from ashley and ramon, he switches gears. 

“kate, will. i need you to get yourselves to the infirmary and tell them to prepare for emergency protocol two one two twenty-five, will. then i need you to go to praxis and retrieve gregory. kate, ramon has already started on protocol preparations. i need you to go to my lab, and activate the security measures for the tunnels and lock them down. make sure the system is on active standby to scan anyone who breaks through the lock down.  ⸻ if the system identifies a threat you are authorized to you lethal force, no chances or risks, use lethal force. you all have your orders, and have been preparing for this.” 

setting the ear piece on the table beside the sofa, he offers her a small smile. “no matter what happens, the two of you are going to be alright.” he wasn’t entirely too sure of that, but he was going to make sure he remained calm. etok. he calls out to the elder sekhem and waits for a reply. i need you and nihi outside of the infirmary, have the others stationed at their posts in the corridors and outside the lifts and stairwells. something is wrong with helen and the baby. it does not sound good. go now, we have little time. 

attention returned to her, he stands slowly, he can feel the warmth on his where her nails dug in but says, nothing ⸻ it will heal. reamining calm was a challenge with what he was hearing but he does it for her. “help is coming, nothing and no one is going to get to either of you.” gently he takes his hand to her hair moving it from her face. “i promise im not going to let anything happen to either of you.”

helen magnus & nick boyd | plotted starter | @lorestold

getting the abnormal had been the easy part. abnormals. several rescued from a smuggling ring - run by section 34. it had become clear that they were trying to move their captures from facility to facility, but thankfully nick's inside contacts have proven in valuable in rescuing the poor creatures in their various states of captivity and torture. it infuriates her each time she sees it and it truly never gets any easier - but she is at least grateful they have rescued almost all of the abnormals alive, albeit some in terrible states.

they were getting smarter though, 34, about pursuing her team through the city - and while they are being chased, they can't afford immediately heading back to the routes that would take them back underground, can't risk the government entities finding out. in the same vein however, helen has been unable to risk showing her face - and given her condition, she hasn't been able to assist in the field other than helping coordinate from her office - her own medical advice and nick ensure otherwise. no risks to her, no risks to their child, who has recently taken to trying to kick her spine straight out of alignment - though it seems particularly more aggressive that day.

helen doesn't give it much thought - mostly because it isn't something worrying when she's trying to coordinate three missions at a time, rescuing the captive abnormals while 34 gave chase. thankfully the teams have been able to shake them, with the last one confirming their breakaway over her earpiece. at least she can be assured mission success - and the feeling is still utter relief once she has indications that the teams have passed into the praxis tunnels and are returning with their new patients.

she stands to stretch, give her back a rest from her desk chair and to try and ease the tension that seems perpetual when one is growing a tiny human. abnormal. but something feels . . . strange. it feels like ice water has been dumped straight into her veins and she's acutely aware it generally means her blood pressure is doing a nosedive - it's not entirely unusual given her condition, but the feeling doesn't pass like it normally does. she grabs the edge of her desk as dizziness sweeps over her and that pain in her spine she'd chalked up to her little stowaway - it feels different. not unwholly familiar, but it's not an ache she should be having just yet. there are at least five weeks left (not that she's been counting).

her breath hitches, and helen finds herself rooted to the spot, letting it wash over her like a tidal wave. and it does pass after several long moments, but she is still somewhat thrown - and concerned. once she's sure the ground isn't going to rush up to meet her, she peels her earpiece out of her ear and sets it on her desk, taking a few tentative steps. she's fine - for a moment, and then a searing, white-hot pain tears across her that nearly makes her pass out on the spot.

instinctively her mind reaches out, forcing herself and her internal voice to remain calm.

nick.

she takes a steadying inhale, again trying to let the ache pass. it does, and helen catches her stolen breath. the pain is familiar in a way she doesn't want it to be, but something in her, almost instinctive, feels off.

we have a problem.

granted, he knew helen hated being cooped up in the sanctuary. however, the cabal and section thirty-four were still under the impression that she had went down with the ship so to say ⸻ there was no trace of survivors with the explosion of the sanctuary in old city and nick was perfectly fine letting them believe so. he has shown his face, if only to keep the attention on him. being in control of the sekhem and a complete one of a kind hybrid meant he had a top doillar amount on his head at all times. however, he was completely underestimated in his abilties. 

with their target in containment, they had been pinned down by thirty-four for a better part of the time it took to escape the facility ⸻ he’d been given coordinates by his contacts and double agents within the ranks of thirty-four and the cabal. the current set of missions had been crictical. the cabal were moving the captured abnormals around, trying to hide them. however, his trained contacts were able to infiltrate deep into the ranks of the cabal and thirty0four with safety protocols in place to keep contact between him and them encrpytid.

nick’s team had been persued through the city, luckily the containment held up between himself and the two sekhem with ramon covering the rare. it had taken him nearly twenty minutes to lose the agents that were tailing them with the help of one of his inside agents who lead his team down a wrong alleyway with purpose after faking a pursuit to ensure his cover wasn’t blown. after giving ramon a nod to let him know they were safe, he and the team made their way back towards the tunnels that would lead them back towards the underground facility. coming to a junction the met up with ashley and kate’s team before returning to the entrance that would take them towards the patient holding cells. 

in conversation with the others they begin the process of intake on their new residents. he signs his over per protocol to the medical team dismissing the pair of sekhem. the voice hits him, drawing his attention from the conversation at hand. he focuses, listening. it takes him only a moment to block out the sounds around him allowing his sense to tune into her. 

i’m coming, don’t move. 

while she sounded calm, the sound of the beats and those beanth hers did not. without a word, he turns from the others mid conversation, taking off in a quick paced run down the hall towards the corridor. instead of waiting for the lift, he by passes that reaching the door for the stairs. ramon had called after him but nick ignored it as he disappeared into the stairwell.  

one. two. over the railing and down another flight of stairs. he repeats the process until he reaches the resident floors where he office is, nearly colliding with will along the way but he pushes past him as he questions his hurry. the closer he got the more he picked up on her and he wasn’t liking what he was sensing. speed increasing he rounds the corner nearly falling as he takes it. reaching her office door he throws it open before he’s wrapping his arms around her and giving her the support she needs.

it had been a difficult adjustment, even for helen, who had already relived these eras. in a short time she's had to come up with contingencies she never thought - to keep out of sight and mind of her current self while also starting to manipulate history in her favor (without disrupting everything in their future) so that the sanctuary could be operated off the grid in the future she had travelled back from.

networking would be essential, building relationships under her guise - but currently it was without limited means. there wasn't much to do but plan ahead at the current moment, as the inventions she needed access to wouldn't arrive for many more years. she'd spent this time building a new persona for herself so not to be confused with her counterpart, who was still heavily based in london.

she needed money, connections, and time. fate had brought her one of those things - another eternity to build her legacy differently where it could not be tainted by current players against them (namely the governments, addison, gil, among others).

there was a guilt in having nick with her; she'd intended to confront adam on her own and beyond that . . . well, she hadn't considered the options. nick had of course jumped into the time slip with her and after adam had been defeated as a threat, they'd removed themselves (though explaining all of that to james had been . . . interesting, to say the least). at least helen was adjusted enough to live without her modern amenities - she fears nick would be surprised and desperately missing their present day lives.

yet the life they'd carved out for themselves in the countryside was a wholesome and welcome shift. the honeymoon they'd never gotten - and while they worked on altering the timeline in their favor, it wasn't nearly so stressful. getting the right pieces to fall into place was simply a matter of a nudge here or there.

she wakes with a few bleary blinks, nick's soft touch and voice pulling her from the depths of sleep. she brushes hair from her face - which is now back to it's natural blonde, given that there are no commercially available dyes to keep it brunette as she prefers. yawning, she sits up against the pillows and takes the steaming mug of tea her husband offers. it's still early, she can see, and foggy beyond measure. typical english fare. she takes a sip of tea before she responds (thankfully nick has mastered making it).

"hm - i'm not fussed. whatever you'd like. something easy? we've got a long day ahead."

they had spent a decent amount of time talking about the what ifs and the whys.  nick has tried to convince her to not feel guilty, but he can see it from time to time when she doesn’t notice he is watching her. in reality, he has grown accustomed to chopping wood, though there were things like electricity, their little cottage was new to it. he enjoyed chopping wood for the wood stove and their fireplace. it reminded him of doing the same in utah as a kid. 

they had already begun their networking ⸻ nick not being from here was able to move in and out of the main cities without issue, helen however had to be mindful of her current self. using her married name helped with that. a time or two they have already claimed she must be related to herself in some way to appear the same. the name was merely a coincidence. it wasn’t so farfetched either. nick was lucky he was simply identified as someone not from england and visiting or transferring to live with his wife  ⸻something he happily accepted. 

there were times however, he wondered how his future self was doing and what they’d gotten into before jumping into that rift. what mattered most was that adam was dealt with and they wouldn’t have to worry about much opposition. though he was sure james was skeptical of who and what he was. it wasn’t easy to explain that he has always been abnormal, it was simply the attack that activated and altered his dna. 

watching her, he smiled softly. the blonde hair was a change, but he wasn’t going to complain. “hmm eggs it is. easy and filling.” taking a drink of his coffee, it was the one thing he missed ⸻ real coffee. this was not enough for him but it would work and it warmed him in the cold air of the morning that had seeped into the cottage. “a very… very long day. we need to head into london for that meeting with the investor interested in the pitch that was provided to him. he seemed really interested in your newly developed cough supressant.” if he buys the patent, then they have some funds coming in. his wealth was no use to her or them in this time, but they would manage.