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Chapter or Story 
Chapter or Story
Part 24
Ashe, New York
"Any questions, either about the locks or anything else?" Helen demanded at the end of the briefing.
"Who's going where?" Major Charles queried.
Helen glanced at the man who sat beside her. "Sam and I are taking the office of my brother."
"Why do you get the tough job?" Miss Parker asked, arching an eyebrow.
"Because I chose it." Helen grinned. "That's the benefit of having arranged this whole operation myself."
"Okay, so who else is pairing up?" Ethan put in.
"My suggestion was Miss Parker and her brother and Charles and Steve,” Helen responded. “Is that a problem for anyone?"
"I... I'd rather not take his office," the younger Pretender stammered anxiously.
"No, Steve, I wasn't intending for you to. I thought you and Charles could take Mr. Parker's office. It's been locked since early this afternoon and there's nobody in it, so that ought to make it quite easy."
"And that leaves Ethan and I to take Raines' office," Miss Parker finished.
"Exactly. You can keep in contact with Broots and he can tell you the best places to look."
Helen grinned at the man on the computer screen, who laughed.
"As long as I'm not there, I don't care."
"How's Debbie?"
"Fine. Your two?"
"The same and in bed. They don't know what's planned." Helen looked at Ethan. "Are you happy with that?"
"It's fine." He looked up sharply. "Is it also empty?"
"Yes." Leaning forward, she opened a cardboard box and took out two metal cases, handing one each to Major Charles and Miss Parker. "These contain all the possible drugs. The numbers are all clear - and luminescent - so you'll know which ones to use, in what order. If one doesn't work, try the next. Each will take between ten and thirty seconds to begin working, and there's a list of information about what each one does. You can read that in the car."
"And we're protected against all of them?"
"Yes. They're all related by their chemical compound and that's why one vaccine was enough. At most, all you'll feel is a slight headache, but otherwise you'll have to watch the responses of the unprotected people to know if they've worked."
"And how will we get back to the meeting point?"
"I'll be marking the walls of the vents with luminescent spots as we go, and you can follow them back. As I said during the call, if anyone's missing when we gather afterwards, I'll go back in to find them. If, at any point, you lose radio contact, stop moving and someone will come to find you."
"You've really planned for this, haven't you?" Miss Parker looked at the woman with a degree of admiration.
"This is the sort of security net I would have loved to have for myself on all of the other occasions that I've been inside the Centre. Besides, none of you know any of the vent system where we'll be. The only people who know it other than me are Angelo and Jarod, and no," she looked up at him sharply, "it doesn't make up for all of the other risks."
"Hey, I haven't protested to you for the last half hour!"
"You haven't been in the same room with me in the last half hour," she answered, laughing.
"What happens," Ethan interrupted softly at this point, "if we can't get one of their holes open?"
"Wait outside the room - the vent, of course, not the hallway - and, when I come past with Sam on the way out, I'll have a try myself. It's possible they've locked some of the cupboards if they aren't being used."
"Or locked them to protect the contents."
"Exactly. But we can always break into them if we have to - and I do mean that in a literal sense. Nobody has a reason to be coming into the offices."
"Except your brother's."
"True." She grinned at Sam again. "That's why I'm taking a bodyguard." She took a last glance at the blueprints before rolling each one up and giving them to each pair. "Oh, I ought to add that Raines' office was 'cleaned' yesterday so his remains are gone, as are all traces of Ammon. Still, it may be an idea not to remove your gloves, just in case. That goes for everybody. We don't want to leave fingerprints."
"What took them so long?" Major Charles asked curiously.
"The same thought that stopped Mr. Parker from ordering Lyle's body removed until several days after his death - putting off opposition."
"That sort of thing should put off anyone," Miss Parker commented in disgust. "At least it should be completely gone by the time we get there."
"Oh, it is. Of course, I can't smell the offices, but they certainly look clean."
"How long will we spend in there?" Ethan queried.
"We'll have an hour from the time we're standing outside the vents until we meet at the cars. It'll take about ten or so minutes to get through the system to the offices, so that will leave about forty minutes to hunt and another ten to get back out. We'll wait another fifteen minutes for stragglers, before I go back in to hunt for them." She eyed each person firmly. "That vent system is incredibly complicated. If you think you've become lost, stop at once. If it's safe - by which I mean that if you think nobody can hear you through walls or doors - then radio for help and I'll come to find you. If not, wait in silence until I do."
"So, counting travel time, we should be back here in Ashe at about five."
"Exactly. I'd suggest that, for the trip home, unless you're being chased by large black sedans, you stop and change drivers at least once."
"What, we can't do that while we're being chased? What a disappointment."
Helen glanced from Major Charles, as he spoke laughingly, to Jarod. "You know, I think you were wrong in your earlier statement. It sounds to me as if your father can be just as sarcastic as you. And I know your brother and second cousin can be."
The Centre
Blue Cove, Delaware
Her eyes averted from the body that Sam dragged away from beside the air vent cover, Helen gave the object a shove, relieved when it moved. Dropping into the shaft, she stood away to one side, waiting until five other people climbed down into the darkness beside her.
"Stay close and quiet."
Turning, she led the way along the passages, marking the walls with luminescent stickers as she went, down several ladders, until an opening to one side caused her to halt.
"This is Raines' office."
Pulling the metal file out of her sleeve, she unlocked the cover, pushing it inwards. Immediately Miss Parker and Ethan stepped forward.
"When you're done, pull it closed. I'll lock it again as I pass."
A short distance away, she arrived at a second cover and opened it for Steve and Major Charles. As they began to search, she and Sam made their way along the passages to the third office.
"Helen," a voice murmured in her ear.
"What is it, Broots?"
"Your brother's just walked into his office."
She cursed silently. "Is it a short visit?"
"No, he's just sat down to start working."
"Will the door make a sound as you lock it?"
"No."
"Good. Do it. We'll have to use the gas."
Glancing at the sweeper in the half-darkness, Helen could see that he had heard the message as well, through the earphones that all of them wore, and his fist had tightened around the gun in his hand.
"No, Sam." Her voice was a whisper. "We can do this without hurting anyone. We might even be able to use it to our advantage."
"How?" he hissed.
"Trust me," she grinned. "Wait and see."
Arriving at the room, and before opening the cover, she snapped open the vial and blew over the opening. The liquid was quickly converted into a gas and, with her breath sending it through the bars, began to fill the room. When the container was empty, she silently returned it to her pocket, keeping an eye on the man who was seated behind the desk. She also ran an eye over the walls, noting the ones that apparently had hidden spaces behind them.
Suddenly the occupant gave yawned widely, stretching slightly and shaking his head before trying to concentrate again on his work. Smiling, Helen watched the pace of his typing slow as his head sank forwards several times. Before she could glance at Sam, Helen's brother leaned his head on one hand, stretching out the other for the glass on his desk, but the drug was too powerful and as the two people continued to watch, the man suddenly slumped to one side. His head lifted, before falling back on his arm as his breathing became slower and deeper.
"Is he out?"
The man's voice behind her was a murmur and she grinned.
"You tell me."
From her pocket she took out the metal file and opened the cover, climbing into the room and watching as Sam, gun in his hand, followed her. With a wave, she directed him to stand back against the wall and moved to stand in front of his desk, suddenly speaking cheerfully.
"Hey, big brother, nap time's over."
As Sam's eyes widened in shock, the man raised his head, blinking several times to focus on the woman in front of him, before gazing at her through dreamy eyes, a faint smile on his lips. When he spoke, his tone was pleasantly drowsy.
"Hello, Helen."
"I want you to do me a couple of favors."
"Of course." His voice was dull. "Anything at all."
"First, open all the cupboards in the room for me and any other secret places you might have."
The man rose and moved over to the wall, opening one panel after another to reveal a number of folders and piles of paper in each hole. Taking a key from his pocket, he walked over to the desk and opened the drawers. Lastly he pushed aside the big filing cabinet, and then wandered over to where Helen stood.
"What else, ma'am?"
"I want you to tell me something. Why were Michelle and Nicholas allowed to live, when normally you would simply order their deaths?"
"Michelle is our aunt."
"How long have you known that for?"
As she put the question to her brother, Helen watched Sam begin to take out the files and slip them into the large bags he carried. When each cupboard was empty, he closed it with a muffled click. In the meantime, she listened to her brother's response.
"I've known ever since I started working at the Centre. The head of the Triumvirate at the time told me. That was the reason they offered me a job in the first place, to keep an eye on her."
"Do you know why they never gave me one?"
"Because they didn't want pairs working together within the building. That's also why Michelle was forced to leave."
"And how long have you known that I'm your sister?"
"Only since you told me. I had no idea Mom and Dad had any more children after they put me up for adoption."
"Since when has family loyalty meant enough to you that you'd let Michelle or her son live? You didn't extend that generosity to me and I'm an even closer relative of yours than she is."
"I had to maintain a persona."
Helen snorted. "The truth please."
"I'm jealous of you,” he admitted. “You had a much better childhood than I did."
"What do you know about my childhood?" the woman demanded.
"I don't know things for sure but I assumed..."
"Assumptions are dangerous. Never make any again."
"Yes, ma'am," he responded readily.
Helen watched out of the corner of her eye as Sam retrieved a thick bundle of the folders from the space behind the filing cabinet and pushed it back into position. Walking to the desk, he emptied the drawers' contents into the bag, shut and locked them before handing her the key. Helen gave it to the man who stood beside her with his eyes half-open and sleepily fixed on her as he swayed slightly.
"Put it back in your pocket."
Nodding groggily, he did as directed and then looked back at her.
"Is that everything or are you still trying to hide something? You know that it isn't possible for you to do so now, so you may as well tell me."
"I have a daughter."
"Where is she?"
"SL-25."
Helen's eyes widened slightly and her voice became both incredulous and icy as she stared at him. "You're using your own daughter as a subject?" she hissed between clenched teeth.
"I had a brief affair with her mother and she left me."
"So you had her killed, correct?"
"Yes, ma'am."
"How old is your daughter?"
"The same age as David."
"Where in SL-25 is she?"
"SL-2518."
"And is she alone?"
"Yes. The brat cries herself to sleep every night and I got sick of complaints from the people who were caring for her, so I lock her in myself each night. I'm the only person with a key."
The woman's hands clenched into fists and it was only with difficulty that she was able to prevent herself from pulling out her gun and shooting the man.
"You know, of course, that I'll be taking her with me."
"Of course. If you felt it was necessary to get David and that useless clone being cared for by Steven, you’d have to feel the same about your own niece." The man eyed her drowsily in silence for a second. "She looks quite like you. People will think she's your daughter. She looks nothing like either me or her mother."
"And what drugs have you treated her with?"
"There's a file on the wall in the room that will tell you all of that. It's accurate."
"What's her name?"
"Louise Michelle. I called her after Mom and our aunt."
Helen nodded slowly. "Is that everything?"
"When you've read all the information Sam's taken, you'll know everything."
"I can imagine." Helen eyed the man in front of her. "Go back to your chair now."
The man went over to the desk and sat down in the seat, pulling it under the desk before folding his hands. He looked up at her for further directions, his eyelids beginning to droop again as the sedative kicked in more aggressively and his head swayed slightly from side to side. Waiting for a moment, Helen finally spoke again.
"When I give you the direction, you will fall asleep and not wake until nine o'clock in the morning. Is that understood?"
"Of course, Helen," he agreed.
"Good. Sleep."
His head dropped forward onto the desk with a loud crack, one eye landing on the corner of the keyboard, but the head of the Triumvirate never reacted. With a grin, Helen waited for a moment until his breathing deepened before she turned to the sweeper.
"Are you ready to get a third child?"
He nodded. "We can't leave her here."
"I'm glad you agree." The woman put on the backpack that Sam handed to her as the two of them got into the vent. Locking it after them, Helen glanced down at her watch and sharply drew in her breath.
"Broots, can you hear me?"
"I sure can. Do you want me to tell Jarod that you'll be a little longer?"
"Give us another half hour or so. Make it flexible. You can hear every word I say and you'll know if I need more time."
"Sure thing."
Helen turned to Sam. "Are you...?"
"I'm coming with you."
"Okay, fine." She led the way to the ladder going to SL-25, descending them in silence. Once they were outside the relevant room, she stopped and unlocked the cover, turning to whisper in Sam’s ear, “Stay out of sight. One is enough."
"Can do."
His voice was a murmur and he took the backpack, slipping into shadows. Helen waited until her eyes adjusted to the dim light and she could see the child lying in the bed. As with David, the girl was sobbing into her pillow and the woman softly swung open the cover, climbing down into the room.
"Louise?"
The girl rolled over and looked up fearfully. "W… who are you?"
"My name's Helen. I'm your auntie." She went towards the bed. "I'm going to get you out of here, honey, and take you to my home."
"R... really?"
"Yes, sweetheart." Sitting on the bed, the woman could see the similarities of which her brother had spoken. "I've got other children at my house and you'll be able to play with them all day when we get there. Have you ever met David?"
"Uh huh." The girl wiped her eyes with her sleeve. "Once. Angelo took me along in the dark to see him."
"Angelo's at my home, too. I bet you've missed him for a few days, haven't you?"
"Yes." The tears started again. "He used to come every day, but then he didn't."
"That's because he came home with me instead. I'm sure that he's looking forward to seeing you again. Do you want to see him too?"
"Really bad. He was the only person that was nice."
"I'll be nice too, sweetie, and I'll give you lovely toys and dolls to play with. Would you like that?"
As the girl nodded, Helen put out one hand, touching her hair. Louise flinched, but, as the woman didn't react, the child gradually crept closer. With one hand still resting on the girl's hair, Helen put the other around Louise's back, raising her slowly into her arms.
"Is the man going to come, auntie?" the girl asked.
"You mean the one with red hair?"
"Uh huh," she snuffled.
"No, baby, he's not. I'm going to take you into the darkness, like Angelo did, and then out to my car."
"I saw a picture of a car once," the girl confided trustingly, gulping down the last of her sobs and wiping her eyes. "It was in a book."
"Well, tonight you can travel in a car with me and we'll take you home."
"Whose 'we'?"
"All of my friends. You can trust them, Louise."
"Like I can trust you?"
"Exactly, darling." She lifted the girl into her arms, feeling her snuggle up against her neck. "Let's go, shall we?"
"Please, auntie."
After taking the folder off the wall Helen climbed back into the vents, locking the cover after her. Pocketing the metal file, she handed Sam the folder as the two people made their way along the passages, through the darkness. Passing the two offices that the other pairs had searched, Helen locked the covers, and they were almost at the ladder leading to the exit when the woman stopped.
"Broots, is everyone at the cars?"
"Affirmative. Only you two missing."
"Good." She eyed the ladder and then Sam. "Ready to get out of here?"
"Dying to." He paused. "Can you manage?"
"It's fine. You go first. I can't draw anything with this."
Understanding, he nodded and, as he started to climb Helen looked down at the girl whose face was still pressed against her neck. "Are you awake, baby?"
"Uh huh."
"I'm going to carry you up the ladder. I want you to hold on around my neck, but not too tight, okay? Then we'll be outside."
Without a word, the girl wrapped both arms around the woman and Helen started to ascend the ladder. It was as she was almost at the top that she heard a sound below her. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw the faint flicker of light and held more firmly on to the girl in her arms.
"Hang on tight, honey. This will be quick."
As the girl silently nodded and tightened her grasp, Helen virtually ran up the last few steps, using Sam's hand to pull herself out of the vent.
"Bolt it down. Quick."
He shot a startled look at her, but tightened the external lock, making exit through the cover impossible. Sitting on the grass, Helen caught her breath before looking down at her niece.
"Well done, baby. I'm very proud of you for doing exactly what I said."
"Are they coming?"
"Not now, sweetheart. We're all safe now."
The child looked up at Sam as the man bent down beside them. "Who's that?"
An eyebrow raised, the woman looked at the sweeper, who grinned. "My name's Sam, Louise. I'm going to be your uncle soon."
Nodding, the child looked back at Helen. "Can we go home now?"
"That sounds like a very good idea, Louise." She got to her feet, feeling as the girl began to shiver slightly. "I'll wrap you in a lovely, warm blanket when we get to the car so you don't feel cold, okay?"
"I'd like that," the child confessed softly.
Helen gently kissed the girl's cheek as they began to walk towards the dark shadows where the cars were parked.
"I should have known you could never only do what you planned," came a teasing voice as they approached and the doctor laughed softly.
"I always like surprises. Have we got everything and everyone?"
"We have and we've waited long enough. Let's get out of this miserable town."
As they stored the backpacks into the trunk of the car, Helen pulled out a rug and took a second that Jarod handed to her with a grin. Opening the rear door, she sat down and wrapped the girl in them, making sure that she was warmly covered.
"Is that nice, sweetie?"
"Uh huh." The girl's eyes were drowsy now as she looked up. "Can I go to sleep, auntie? I'm so tired."
"Yes, baby. Of course you can sleep. You just close your eyes and relax."
"Will you still be here when I wake up?"
"I'll still be with you, darling, but we won't be here. We'll be at my house."
Nodding sleepily, the girl nestled closer against the woman's shoulder and, with a sigh, closed her eyes. As she fell asleep, Helen looked around. "What are we waiting for? Let's go home."
Outside Blue Cove, Delaware
"That's going to be a nasty black eye your brother's got, Helen."
The woman laughed softly. "You're telling me. Did you record it for the enjoyment of those less fortunate, by whom I mean the six who weren't there or couldn't see it live?"
"Of course." Broots laughed also. "I want the chance to watch it again too. It's very entertaining."
Sam grinned as he drove. "Although I questioned Helen's sanity when she began to talk, it did make things a lot easier."
"Otherwise we would have left Louise to her father's treatments." Helen looked down at the girl who lay, sound asleep, in her aunt's arms, one hand clutching the woman’s left thumb. "And that's a simply unbearable thought."
"Particularly considering some of the things they've been doing to her," remarked Jarod from the front passenger seat. "When you read this, you'll think a black eye won't even come close to what he deserves."
"Using his own daughter for experiments – no matter what they are – means he deserves every bad thing that happens to him." Helen gently swept a long, red curl out of the sleeping girl's eyes. "Will she be a danger - either to herself or any of us?"
"Are you asking whether they tried to program her in some way so she might betray us to her father? No. Most of the experiments were attempts to try making her into a pretender artificially." He lifted another page and inhaled sharply. "This says that, later today, they were planning to try the same experiments on her that they performed on Timmy in 1970, that made him into Angelo."
Helen's eyes filled with tears. "We would have lost her forever." As the man in the seat in front of her nodded soberly, Helen held Louise more tightly. "Broots, can my aunt and Sydney hear this conversation?"
"They can, and they are," the technician responded. "You can even talk to them if you want to."
"Yes, thanks."
"Was he right, Helen? Does she look like you?" Michelle’s voice asked after a second’s pause.
"Very much so," Miss Parker commented as she looked down at the child. "She'd easily be able to be passed off as Helen's daughter and not her niece."
"Auntie, can you set up a spare bed in my room? We can properly arrange things later, but she can sleep in our room for a while."
"I'll sleep on the camp bed and she can sleep with you, if you think that’d be better," the sweeper commented from the driver's seat."
"We'll see when we get there."
"Helen," Sydney put in at this point, "what did Sam mean by the words he used when he introduced himself to Louise?"
She smiled. "It was a deal we made, Sydney, although he was jumping the gun a little."
"Home, safe; close enough," the sweeper shrugged, grinning.
"So you two are engaged now?"
"Hey, I had to fulfill my part of the bargain, didn't I?" She grinned at the expression on the face of the woman beside her. "Yes, I suppose we are."
"Congratulations, sweetie."
"Thank you, Auntie. Are you able to deal with a sweeper as a nephew-in-law, if there is any such relationship?"
"Oh, I think I'll manage," Michelle laughed. "At least, I will as long as he promises not to wear that dark suit of his too often."
"I'll see what I can do, ma'am," Sam responded, smiling.
"I thought I should mention, Helen," the technician put in at this point, "that the noises you heard behind you as you were climbing the ladder weren't sweepers or anybody who'd found out what we'd done. They were only a couple of security techs that had managed to climb up into the vents and were hoping to use the air vent cover as a means of exit. Not wanting to be punished, they didn't tell anyone they were going and, when they found that the cover was locked, they went back to the security room."
"So our thefts are still unknown? Good."
"And your brother's still out."
"You may as well unlock the rooms, just in case somebody wants to go in."
There was a moment of silence. "Done."
"Then you can probably call it a night, if you want to, Broots. Thanks for very fine work indeed."
"You're welcome. It was fun."
"You weren't within capturing distance," Miss Parker muttered darkly.
"But you do have to admit that he did a good job," Helen returned quickly.
"Well, maybe..."
"Don't worry, Helen," the man commented laughingly. "If she'd complimented me, I might have passed out from shock. Oh, I can either close down communication or leave it open - which would you rather?"
"Close it. Sydney and Michelle can try to get some sleep before we get home if they want to."
"So can we," Miss Parker added, suppressing a yawn.
"We'll see you in a few hours, sweetheart."
"Bye, Auntie."
Border of New Jersey and New York
Helen glanced over to where the woman slept on the car seat next to her and her fiancé drowsed in the passenger seat as Jarod drove.
"How was it outside?"
"Quiet," he answered laughingly. "Quiet and boring. But I'd rather it was that way than frantic."
"Did you and Nicholas talk?"
Jarod looked at her in the rearview mirror. "Just out of interest, did you have an ulterior motive for the way things were set up?"
"You didn't answer my question, Jarod."
"Yes, we did. Now answer mine."
"Yes, I did." She laughed softly. "I often do have ulterior motives."
"So it seems."
"And did Sydney and Michelle join in?"
"Occasionally, yes."
"Good." She looked out of the window with a satisfied expression on her face and Jarod laughed.
"It seems as if the main aim of your life is to make my life better."
"It's certainly one of them." She glanced down at her niece. "Making that of all my family, with the possible sole exception of my brother, better is another."
"Why am I so special?"
"You sound like Steve." She smiled. "Don’t be offended, but it's not you really, Jarod. My main aim is to make your mother's life better and if you're happier, so is she."
"Does she really mean that much to you?"
"Yes," the doctor responded softly. "Just before I got sick, Michelle's husband developed the heart problem that killed him a few years ago. That was the reason she didn't visit me when I was in the hospital. They moved to a warmer climate so he could build up his strength and, although we spoke on the phone every two weeks - that was when the tradition started - I never wanted to tell her everything I felt, just in case it caused her to feel torn between me and George. It was only when your mother came along that I was really able to let my feelings out. I felt so neglected and so angry that, despite being 'a good Catholic girl', I did have thoughts of suicide. I'm sure your mother was the reason I didn't do it."
"You were unselfish enough not to tell Michelle and yet selfish enough to think of killing yourself?" Jarod raised an eyebrow. "You wouldn't have gone through with it."
"Don’t try to psychoanalyze me," she smiled, before becoming serious. "You could be right. Maybe I wouldn't have done it. Still, I was very close, and I know it was only your mother that stopped from at least trying. Considering she was the person who not only gave me another chance at life but, despite how very hard her own life was, showed me the positive side of it, don't you think I owe her a substantial debt? Everything I did for you, Kyle, Em and Jon will never make up for what she did for me - not in my mind, anyway."
Jarod looked startled. "Kyle? You knew him?"
"I visited him in prison a number of time, yes. I found out where he was from the files in Raines' office and tracked his movements." She smiled faintly. "I supplied him with a notebook or two as well, when he ran out."
"Did he give you anything?"
"As a matter of fact, he gave me a parcel to give you after he remembered you one night. When I visited him the next day, he talked about you and the time both of you spent together."
"Why didn't you give it to me before?"
"To be honest, because I'd totally forgotten about it. It was almost five years ago, just before Kyle escaped actually, and we've been a little busy since the two of us met, wouldn't you say?" Helen grinned as he laughed. "But I’d have remembered it eventually. I'll give it to you later and you can look through it while we're going through the spoils."
"After we've all slept for a few hours."
"Precisely, although I don't feel too bad."
He eyed her. "You don't look that bad either, particularly considering the way you looked only a few days ago."
"I told you I was alright." She smiled. "I'd volunteer to drive, but..."
"Don't worry. We're nearly there."
Helen laughed. "That's why I added the 'but'."
Ashe, New York
"Auntie?"
"Yes, Louise?"
The woman looked down to find the girl drowsily watching her.
"Are we going to be there soon?"
"Very soon." She stroked the girl's hair gently. "Are you comfortable, honey?"
"Mmm hmm. But the car feels weird. It's moving all the time."
"That's called vibration, baby. The engine makes that happen."
"What does the engine do?"
"It's what makes the car go," Helen smiled. "Have you ever been outside of the Centre, sweetie?"
"No." The girl shook her head sleepily. "But I've seen lots of pictures. Is it like that, or different?"
"Very different, darling, and I'll show it all to you, I promise."
"I think it must be," the girl answered, rousing slightly. "I read once about the way it feels to have somebody hug you, but it's different than they said."
"Is it better?"
"Uh huh." The girl tightened her hold around the woman. "It's really nice."
"I'm glad, Louise." Helen gently kissed the girl's forehead, glancing up as the car pulled into the drive, another following it immediately. "There's a few more people here, honey, but they're all friends, all right?"
Louise nodded, keeping both arms around Helen's neck as the woman undid her seatbelt, getting out of the car. A dark shape appeared beside them and the child looked down in delight.
"Angelo!"
"I told you he was here, baby, remember?" Smiling, Helen looked down. "Let me get her inside, Angelo, and then you can renew old friendships, okay?"
"Cold."
"Exactly. She isn't now but she will be if we stand around."
Walking into the house, she took the child into the living room and sat down in a chair next to the fire. The girl pointed to the leaping flames.
"What's that?"
"It's called fire, honey. We use it to keep warm and sometimes to cook."
"It's pretty."
"Yes, it is." She smiled, unwrapping the blankets from around the girl and feeling her feet and hands. "Do you still feel nice and warm, sweetheart?"
"Yup." The girl looked around, a small smile on her face. "This is much nicer than the room I was in."
"You'll never have to go back to that room again, Louise. This is your home from now on."
"With you?"
"That's right." Helen looked up as Michelle walked in. "This is my auntie, baby, in the same way that I'm yours." She returned the older woman's kiss. "So, you can stop worrying now, I guess."
"What makes you think I didn't stop worrying after we spoke?"
"Because I know you better than that." Helen smiled. "And I also know the way I would have been in the same situation."
"And yet you still went through with it all." Michelle rolled her eyes. "You're as stubborn as your mother was."
"I seem to have heard that line before."
"Gee, I wonder where." The woman smiled. "I do seem to have said it several times during your lifetime."
Helen felt the girl relax against her, starting to nod drowsily. Looking up as the door opened, the doctor watched several bags get carried inside and dumped against the wall.
"We've got a full day coming up, haven't we?"
"Unless they're all duplicates of what's downstairs in your lab," Ethan suggested with a grin.
"Even if they are, it was worth it." Helen looked down to where the girl lay, asleep in her arms. Sam walked over and sat on the arm of the chair.
"Do you want me to...?"
"No, she can sleep in the temporary bed and you can share mine." She smiled. "I don't think you could find another one anyway. We've got to be full up with six additional guests."
"Five."
"You're right. Five guests and one new resident." Helen rose to her feet. "I think it's time for us to get a few hours' sleep before we start going through all of that lot." She nodded towards the bags. "I hope everyone's got a bed or will be able to at least find a sofa to sleep on."
"That's all sorted," Sydney responded. "There are enough beds for all of us, but we did have to reshuffle after a certain call."
"Expect the unexpected," Helen laughed. "Good night to everybody."
Sam put his arm around her shoulder as she walked up the stairs, Louise still in her arms. In the bedroom, the woman put the girl on the bed that was already turned back and pulled the blankets over her, tucking her in firmly and gently kissing the small, thin cheek. Standing, she felt Sam slip his arms around her waist.
"Three children before we were even engaged. What would the convent say?"
"That I'm doing what I was taught to - helping other people." Turning, she kissed him. "Or, if not helping them, at least making them happy, and that's something I do like doing."
"You've certainly succeeded in that." He held her closer. "I'm glad to see that you keep up your end of the deal. Congratulations, sweetheart."
"You, too." About to kiss him again, she suddenly looked down and yawned, hearing him laugh. "Maybe it's time to make myself happy, and bed would make me very happy right now."
Louise opened her eyes and looked around the room, the normal feeling of terror replaced by one of puzzlement that caused a small cleft to appear on her forehead. She sat up, looking around the room, and her eyes arrived at the figure of a woman lying in bed. At the sight, Louise's expression brightened, as she realized that the events of the night had been real, and the girl scrambled out of bed, going over to tentatively tug on the woman's hand.
"Auntie?"
The woman opened her eyes with a smile. "Hi, baby." She lifted the blankets and helped the child up, covering her again. "How's my girl?"
"Good." Louise hugged Helen hard. "How did I get in here?"
"You fell asleep downstairs and I carried you up, darling. Did you sleep well?"
"Uh huh." She scrunched up her nose. "But my tummy's making noises."
"I think you're probably hungry, baby." Helen glanced at the clock. "What did you have for dinner last night?"
"What's dinner?"
"The last meal - food - you have before you go to sleep."
"I never got that. I only get one meal between getting up and going to bed. Every time I woke up, he’d bring it in and watch me eat it."
Helen exchanged quick glances with Sam. "Well, you're going to get three meals every day here: one in the morning, called breakfast, one in the middle of the day that's called lunch and one in the evening called dinner."
"I think I read about them."
She looked up at Helen questioningly and the doctor laughed.
"What is it, baby?"
"Can I see David now?"
"Shall we go in and see if he's awake?"
"Uh huh."
"I think he will be," commented Sam with a yawn. "It's just past eight."
"We haven't heard anything." She glanced down at the two speakers on the table and laughed. "I think a certain psychiatrist was being considerate." Turning them on, she listened to the voices that could be heard coming from one of the rooms before standing up. "I'm going in to see them. If you..."
Glancing over her shoulder, Helen saw that Sam was already asleep again and grinned, reducing the volume before leaving the room.
