FIC: "Mother and Child Reunion," Sanctuary, gen
Title: Mother and Child Reunion
Author: geonncannon
Fandom: Sanctuary
Word Count: 963
Category: Missing scene
Spoilers: Kush, Tempus
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me!
Rating: General audiences
Author's Note: HANKY WARNING.
Summary: After one hundred and eleven years of waiting, Helen visits her daughter.
Ashley sat on the edge of her bed and fastened the last buckle of her boot, humming under her breath as she went through a mental checklist of weapons she would need for the upcoming mission. Certain the bags on her bike would provide whatever was required, she stood up and realized her mother was standing in the open door of her bedroom. She was caught somewhere between a yelp of surprise and a battle cry, automatically backing up a step to put distance between herself and the unexpected arrival.
"Geez, mom! And you say I need a bell around my neck. How long have you been standing there?"
"Not long."
Helen's voice was oddly emotional, and Ashley thought she was on the verge of tears. "Mom? You okay?"
"Oh yes. Fine. Absolutely fine."
"I thought you were heading out with, uh, new guy."
"I did. I mean, I... I was. Will can take care of himself until I join him." She stepped into the room. "I just wanted to see if there was anything you needed."
Ashley frowned. "Are you sure everything's... because you... look weird."
Helen smiled. "Older, perhaps?"
"Nah, you look the same as you did when I was a little girl. Always had those crow's-feet."
She reached out to touch them and Helen swatted her hand away. "Oi. Brat." She kept Ashley's hand in hers and looked down at it, turning it over to examine the palm. "I've missed you, Ashley. You've no idea how much."
"Since... the... morning meeting?"
"Right." She cleared her throat. "Ashley, I just wanted you to know that... I love you very much."
Ashley blinked. "Whoa. Everything okay?"
"Fine." She furrowed her brow and looked away. "I want to ask you something... and I only want you to answer if you can be completely honest. Can you do that for me?"
"Is this about the jacket I borrowed?"
"No." She stroked Ashley's hair. "Did you choose this life? I know that I never forced you to become a member of my team, but perhaps I allowed you to ignore other options."
Ashley chuckled. "Mom, I begged you to go on a field mission. Literally. Do you remember, hands and knees in your office? Pleading? Offering to wash your car for a month?" Helen smiled at the memory. "If you want to fire me, you'll have a fight on your hands. I'm a Magnus. I was born to do this sort of thing."
"I suppose you were. If... if you could just do one more thing for me?"
"I'm supposed to meet Squid..." Ashley could see the urgency in her mother's eyes. "But he can be patient. What do you need?"
Helen inhaled slowly. "Tell me that you love me. Not every day, not even once a week. But when you feel it, when it's natural, make sure I know how you feel."
"Aw, Mom. You know I love you."
"And I love you. I never said... say it enough, but I want that to change. I treasure you. If I could have designed my perfect daughter, she would be your identical twin."
Ashley smiled. "Except maybe a little fatter so she wouldn't steal your clothes."
Helen laughed. "Yes, except for that. Maybe a little wider in the hips..." Her face softened and a tear roll down her cheek. "Come here."
They embraced, and Ashley let her concern show. "Mom, are you going somewhere? Planning something? Because you can trust me..."
"It's all right. Nothing is going to happen for a while. I just needed to see you. To hug you and let you know I love you."
"Mom? I may not know a lot about what goes on around here, but I know the important stuff. Never have I ever questioned that. Got it?"
Helen sniffled. "Understood."
"Now go. New guy needs your babysitting."
"Of course. I'll see you... soon. One day."
"Sure."
Helen nodded and kissed Ashley's cheek. "Goodbye, darling."
She left the room, and Ashley whistled quietly at the odd encounter. It wasn't like her mother to be so touchy-feely. She could only assume something was up and, if Helen wasn't going to tell her, then she would just have to be prepared for every possibility. She went to her wardrobe and took out the heavy jacket, which had Kevlar sewn into the lining, and shrugged into it. As she was doing up the buttons, her cell phone rang.
"Go for Ashley."
"Ashley!"
She blinked and looked toward the door. "Mom?"
"It seems Dr. Grant's contact information wasn't quite up to date. I need you to check my computer for any updates."
"Can't you... wait, where are you?"
"Halfway to the Himalayas. I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't absolutely necessary."
Ashley went to the door and peered out into the hall. Weird thing. Weird things happen every single day in the Sanctuary.
"Yeah, sure. Uh, Mom?"
"Yes?"
"I-I love you."
There was a pause on the other end of the line. "I love you, too, Ashley. Is everything all right?"
"Yeah. I think so. I'll text Dr. Grant's info to you."
"Thank you very much, darling. We'll see you when we return."
"If not before..."
"What?"
"Nothing, Mom. Love you." She hung up before she was forced to explain what had happened when she couldn't even explain it to herself. Although when she thought about it, having two Helen Magnuses running around did help explain how she managed to pull off some of her big adventures. She left her room and headed toward her mother's office to look up the information before she left.
If she was lucky, she would run into her mother's doppelganger in the hallway. The look-alike wouldn't get away a second time without answering a few questions.
Author: geonncannon
Fandom: Sanctuary
Word Count: 963
Category: Missing scene
Spoilers: Kush, Tempus
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me!
Rating: General audiences
Author's Note: HANKY WARNING.
Summary: After one hundred and eleven years of waiting, Helen visits her daughter.
Ashley sat on the edge of her bed and fastened the last buckle of her boot, humming under her breath as she went through a mental checklist of weapons she would need for the upcoming mission. Certain the bags on her bike would provide whatever was required, she stood up and realized her mother was standing in the open door of her bedroom. She was caught somewhere between a yelp of surprise and a battle cry, automatically backing up a step to put distance between herself and the unexpected arrival.
"Geez, mom! And you say I need a bell around my neck. How long have you been standing there?"
"Not long."
Helen's voice was oddly emotional, and Ashley thought she was on the verge of tears. "Mom? You okay?"
"Oh yes. Fine. Absolutely fine."
"I thought you were heading out with, uh, new guy."
"I did. I mean, I... I was. Will can take care of himself until I join him." She stepped into the room. "I just wanted to see if there was anything you needed."
Ashley frowned. "Are you sure everything's... because you... look weird."
Helen smiled. "Older, perhaps?"
"Nah, you look the same as you did when I was a little girl. Always had those crow's-feet."
She reached out to touch them and Helen swatted her hand away. "Oi. Brat." She kept Ashley's hand in hers and looked down at it, turning it over to examine the palm. "I've missed you, Ashley. You've no idea how much."
"Since... the... morning meeting?"
"Right." She cleared her throat. "Ashley, I just wanted you to know that... I love you very much."
Ashley blinked. "Whoa. Everything okay?"
"Fine." She furrowed her brow and looked away. "I want to ask you something... and I only want you to answer if you can be completely honest. Can you do that for me?"
"Is this about the jacket I borrowed?"
"No." She stroked Ashley's hair. "Did you choose this life? I know that I never forced you to become a member of my team, but perhaps I allowed you to ignore other options."
Ashley chuckled. "Mom, I begged you to go on a field mission. Literally. Do you remember, hands and knees in your office? Pleading? Offering to wash your car for a month?" Helen smiled at the memory. "If you want to fire me, you'll have a fight on your hands. I'm a Magnus. I was born to do this sort of thing."
"I suppose you were. If... if you could just do one more thing for me?"
"I'm supposed to meet Squid..." Ashley could see the urgency in her mother's eyes. "But he can be patient. What do you need?"
Helen inhaled slowly. "Tell me that you love me. Not every day, not even once a week. But when you feel it, when it's natural, make sure I know how you feel."
"Aw, Mom. You know I love you."
"And I love you. I never said... say it enough, but I want that to change. I treasure you. If I could have designed my perfect daughter, she would be your identical twin."
Ashley smiled. "Except maybe a little fatter so she wouldn't steal your clothes."
Helen laughed. "Yes, except for that. Maybe a little wider in the hips..." Her face softened and a tear roll down her cheek. "Come here."
They embraced, and Ashley let her concern show. "Mom, are you going somewhere? Planning something? Because you can trust me..."
"It's all right. Nothing is going to happen for a while. I just needed to see you. To hug you and let you know I love you."
"Mom? I may not know a lot about what goes on around here, but I know the important stuff. Never have I ever questioned that. Got it?"
Helen sniffled. "Understood."
"Now go. New guy needs your babysitting."
"Of course. I'll see you... soon. One day."
"Sure."
Helen nodded and kissed Ashley's cheek. "Goodbye, darling."
She left the room, and Ashley whistled quietly at the odd encounter. It wasn't like her mother to be so touchy-feely. She could only assume something was up and, if Helen wasn't going to tell her, then she would just have to be prepared for every possibility. She went to her wardrobe and took out the heavy jacket, which had Kevlar sewn into the lining, and shrugged into it. As she was doing up the buttons, her cell phone rang.
"Go for Ashley."
"Ashley!"
She blinked and looked toward the door. "Mom?"
"It seems Dr. Grant's contact information wasn't quite up to date. I need you to check my computer for any updates."
"Can't you... wait, where are you?"
"Halfway to the Himalayas. I wouldn't ask you if it wasn't absolutely necessary."
Ashley went to the door and peered out into the hall. Weird thing. Weird things happen every single day in the Sanctuary.
"Yeah, sure. Uh, Mom?"
"Yes?"
"I-I love you."
There was a pause on the other end of the line. "I love you, too, Ashley. Is everything all right?"
"Yeah. I think so. I'll text Dr. Grant's info to you."
"Thank you very much, darling. We'll see you when we return."
"If not before..."
"What?"
"Nothing, Mom. Love you." She hung up before she was forced to explain what had happened when she couldn't even explain it to herself. Although when she thought about it, having two Helen Magnuses running around did help explain how she managed to pull off some of her big adventures. She left her room and headed toward her mother's office to look up the information before she left.
If she was lucky, she would run into her mother's doppelganger in the hallway. The look-alike wouldn't get away a second time without answering a few questions.