FIC: "A Spy in the House of Me," Helen Magnus/Ashley Magnus/Kate Freelander, Explicit
Title: A Spy in the House of Me
Author: geonncannon
Fandom: Sanctuary
Pairing: Helen Magnus/Kate Freelander, Ashley Magnus/Kate Freelander, Helen Magnus/Kate Freelander/Ashley Magnus
Word Count: 3,395
Category: Established relationship, fix-it
Spoilers: End of Nights, Eulogy
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me!
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Incestuous pairings
Author's Notes: Happy belated birthday to halfbloodme! It's shameful it's taken me this long to get around to this. :(
Summary: Kate isn't feeling quite herself lately. Helen knows why.
AO3 Link
Her dreams had never exactly been normal, and moving into the Sanctuary hadn't exactly helped tame them any. But now Kate found herself suffering the oddest recurring dreams she could remember. They were odd in how unusually normal they were. Missions with Magnus and Will, idle moments in the Sanctuary, but they weren't actual memories. It was like dreaming about grocery shopping or having dinner. After a week or so of disturbed sleep, waking up anxious and paranoid despite the normalcy of the dreams, Magnus noticed.
She waited until the morning meeting had broken up, asking softly for Kate to remain behind a moment. Henry mocked her as he left. "Ooh, someone's in troub-le...!" Kate flipped him off and waited for the door to close before she stuffed her hands into her pockets and stood in front of Helen's desk. Helen took a moment to settle in before she looked up.
"Is everything all right?"
"Fine. Just not sleeping well lately. Weird dreams."
"Weird how? I only ask because it may be the fault of a resident. Some of them have been known to play games. If it's becoming a problem for you, I can speak to the most likely candidates."
Kate shook her head. "Nah, that's... it's not like anyone is trying to mess with me. It's more like..." She searched for words. "I can't explain it. If I tried, it would sound lame."
Helen raised an eyebrow. "Well. With my definition of normal, I may appreciate a bit of lame from time to time. Why don't you try me? What was the dream last night?"
Kate sighed and sat down. "Last night, I was in the van with you and Henry. We were staking out a smuggler. You and Hank were talking about downloading television shows from the internet, and he was talking about how it wasn't different from..." She sighed and slouched forward. "See? It's nothing to get upset about or lose sleep over." She noticed Helen had an odd look on her face. "What?"
"This discussion. Was it spawned by Doctor Who and the fact I refuse to expense a cable package that picks up BBC America?"
Kate furrowed her brow. "Yeah. How the hell did you know that?"
Helen touched her chin and looked toward the window. "It's a conversation I actually had."
"With me?" Kate was suddenly panicked. Was it something that happened and she'd forgotten? Was there something wrong with her memory?
"No, no..." Helen's voice was distant. She looked away from the window and focused on Kate again. "You're certain?"
Kate nodded. "Yeah. I don't remember the exact details of the whole dream, but--"
"There's a possibility I filled in the blanks by asking you such a specific question. Do you have the dreams every evening?"
"Pretty much."
Helen seemed to come back to life. "If you would permit me, I'd like to monitor your slumber tonight. I'll watch for anomalies that may explain why you're having these flashes. Or if you're having them at all." She looked down at the desk again. "At the very least I can assure you a decent night's sleep."
Kate said, "Worth the cost of admission. Let me know when you want to set it up."
Helen nodded, distracted again. Kate thought about asking her what was wrong, but decided Helen would tell her when the time was right. She stood up and walked out of the office, allowing herself a quick smile at the thought of finally getting an uninterrupted night of sleep.
#
Kate knew it was counterintuitive to take a nap the afternoon before a sleep study, but she couldn't help herself. Part of her hoped she could fool the dreams if she tried sleeping when the sun was up. She was exhausted enough that she didn't think she'd have a problem falling asleep again when Helen was studying her. She pulled the blankets up to her stomach, settled against the pillows, and closed her eyes. She didn't remember sleeping, but the hands on the clock kept moving in larger and larger chunks. Finally, she was asleep and...
Helen was softly kissing her. A soft brush of lips on the corner of her mouth, and Kate felt the swelling of happiness in her chest. She turned her head and met Helen's mouth. Helen made a small, startled noise, and then their tongues were touching. She turned her body and Helen pressed against her. They were both eager now, hands cupping faces, eyes closed as they surrendered to the kiss they both knew had been coming for so long.
Kate knew her first kiss with Helen hadn't been like this. It had happened in the infirmary, and it had been tender and sweet. This was wanton, and it made her face warm.
"God, what are we doing?" Helen gasped. "This is wrong."
"Not for us," Kate said in a voice that she didn't recognize. She brushed a thumb - a pink-skinned thumb - over Helen's bottom lip, and Helen instinctively took it into her mouth with a desperate whimper. She sucked, and Kate bit her bottom lip. "This is right for us, Mom."
Kate's eyes snapped open and she sat up, knocking aside the pillow she'd been holding. She looked around the room, brow furrowed, struggling to catch her breath and focus on the dream at the same time. Mom. And Helen said the dreams were things that really happened, so that left only...
Ashley Magnus.
She was remembering things that happened to Ashley. And apparently Helen had a much closer relationship with her daughter than she'd ever told anyone. Kate bent her knees under the blankets and pushed her hands into her hair, staring across the room and trying to make sense of what she'd just experienced. Helen and Ashley. Mother and daughter. Teammates. Lovers.
"Shit."
#
Helen was distracted. She couldn't make herself focus on what she was trying to do, she could only think about what Kate had said. She was reliving Ashley's memories. How? What did it mean? And more importantly, exactly how much was she remembering? It was like discovering someone had gone through her lingerie cabinet, like waking up to discover someone closing a desk drawer. How much did she know?
There was a soft knock on the office door and she looked up to see the object of her distraction. "Kate. Is everything--"
"Doc... I remembered something. And I know whose memories I'm reliving."
Helen kept her expression safely neutral. She nodded once, a quick dip of her chin. "Ashley."
Kate moved deeper into the office. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I feared it was simply wishful thinking. That I was only seeing what I wanted to see. But you're certain now?"
"Yeah. I took a nap and I got confirmation. I called you Mom."
"Ah."
Kate wet her lips. "I was kissing you."
Helen closed her eyes. "I see." She let the silence linger for a moment and then met Kate's eye. "Is this going to be an issue?"
"I don't know what you mean."
"My daughter and I had a highly unorthodox relationship, to say the least. You have every right to be offended or find it distasteful."
Kate put her hands in her back pockets and looked out the window. "My brother and I? We never... I mean, we never. But there were times when I thought he was the only person in the world I'd ever be able to trust. I knew he was the only person in the world I could ever possibly trust enough to have sex with. So I decided to not have sex. That didn't last too long." She scoffed. "But I was just a teenager. I can't even imagine what it's like to be you. To try and find someone you can let your guard down with. Ashley was available, and she was someone you already loved. You two needed each other." Her voice was soft. "I get that."
Helen tried not to look too relieved. "And you and I..."
"Hell. I figured you weren't a virgin when we met." She shrugged. "One of your exes is just a little more surprising than I thought. I'm prepared to be surprised by you, Doc."
Helen stepped around the desk and touched Kate's cheeks. "Are you certain?"
Kate leaned in and kissed Helen's lips. She put her hands on Helen's hips, pulling her close as Helen's lips parted. She slid her hands higher, skimming the slick material of Helen's blouse until reaching the underside of her breasts. She could feel the firmer material of Helen's bra and moaned into her mouth, pulling back just enough to whisper against her mouth.
"Oh, Mom..."
Helen stiffened. "Kate?"
Ashley smiled. "Who is Kate? Want her to play, too?" She tilted her head up again. "Kiss me, Mom."
Helen leaned back. She looked at Kate and realized her eyes were lighter than usual. Ordinarily a dark purple, they were now a much lighter blue. She blinked slowly, waiting to see what Helen was doing.
"Ashley?"
"Now that we have my name out of the way..." She slid her hand over Helen's cheek. "Kiss me. Please. It seems like it's been so long."
Helen's heart soared as it broke. Even Kate's voice seemed different, more like Ashley's, and it was uplifting and devastating at the same time. "Oh, Ashley. It has been ages." She couldn't resist another kiss before she broke the news. She reluctantly pulled back and brushed her thumb over Kate's lip. She could almost see her daughter in the other woman's face. She closed her eyes and forced herself to focus. Tears forced their way out at the corners, wetting her lashes. "Ashley, you... died."
"No, I didn't."
"Yes. My darling, I'm so sorry. It was the Cabal. They took you--"
Kate put a finger on Helen's lips. "Sh. I remember. I know what they did and I know what you're talking about. But you're wrong. I didn't die. I teleported away even though the EM field was up. I teleported, but I didn't go anywhere. I just went away. I didn't live, but I didn't die. I just stopped... being. You know. You felt me in the hallways and watching over you. I just couldn't bring myself back. I tried and I tried, but teleporting with the EM field up made it impossible. My body was gone, but my self still existed."
"And you took Kate?"
"You took her first. I watched you, you know. Your first kiss, the first time you made love to her. I can feel so much more, Mom, and I know you felt like you were betraying me. But I hope you felt me whispering in your ear."
Helen's eyes widened. The first night she spent with Kate in her arms, she had watched the younger girl sleep. Feeling guilty, beating herself up over the horrible mistake she'd just made, she was about to slip out of the blankets and go back to her own bed so they could pretend it had never happened. Then she heard Ashley's voice in her head. Be happy. Be happy however you can, Mom.
"It was you."
"Yes." Ashley brushed her lips across Helen's. "Mom, I love you. I loved you in every way it was possible. I just wanted to say goodbye. I wanted to say it the right way." She kissed Helen with more force now, and Helen clung to her. When she pulled back she curled her tongue along Helen's bottom lip. Helen caught the tip and sucked it into her mouth.
"You feel like Kate," Helen whispered.
"I know. Will you apologize to her for borrowing her body like this? I couldn't exactly ask permission, and I didn't want to try taking Will or Henry. Although that might have been interesting." She bit her bottom lip and lifted an eyebrow. Helen smiled despite herself. "I tried to make it easier for her. I gave her memories. Tried to tell her who I was, but I couldn't control it. And then I rushed it because once I was within reach, I just..." She cupped Helen's cheek. "I had to touch you one more time. Even if it wasn't with my own hands."
"Oh, Ashley..." She turned her head and kissed Ashley's palm. "We can't. I'm so sorry, but we can't do this."
"Because of Kate."
"Yes. Without her permission, it would be wrong."
Ashley nodded. "I know. I wish Doc?"
Helen blinked. The tone and timber of Ashley's voice had vanished mid-word, and she blinked as the color in her eyes swirled and darkened. She gasped and leaned back but remained within Helen's grasp. She looked confused, but not lost. Helen touched her cheek.
"Kate?"
"It's me. I heard everything, Doc." She kissed Helen softly and Helen whimpered. The differences were so strangely diverse, considering it was the same pair of lips. Helen accepted Kate's kiss and sagged against her when Kate pulled back. "Say goodbye to your daughter, Helen. Do it the right way." She kissed the corners of Helen's mouth. "I'd be honored to let you use my body for that."
"My dear Kate..."
"Sh." She turned Helen toward the window, lowering her onto the bench without breaking contact. At some point during the kiss, Helen couldn't pinpoint exactly when, Kate's mannerisms gave way to Ashley's. Helen kept her eyes closed as Ashley kissed her cheeks and then down her throat, and Helen lifted her chin to give her daughter room to maneuver. She wet her lips and said Ashley's name so softly even she could barely hear it, running her hands over her daughter's back. The tight T-shirt, the slender shoulders, that was all Kate. But in her state of mind, it was easy enough to pretend it was Ashley.
One thigh nudged Helen's knees apart and Ashley stepped closer. She rose up and guided Helen's face to her breasts, and Helen kissed them through the thin shirt. Ashley sighed and bowed down, her lips next to Helen's ear. She buried her hands in Helen's hair and whispered, "All I have are my memories. And I've gone over them... and over them..." She dropped her hands and followed the edge of Helen's collar. She began undoing the buttons as Helen leaned back against the glass.
"Any in particular?" Her eyes were still closed, letting the feel of Ashley overwhelm the reality of Kate. "Tell me."
"Central America. You with that tank top, tucked into those cargo pants. God, you looked so beautiful. So hot. I remember licking the sweat from your shoulder and then sucking on your neck. And the mosquito netting over our bed as we fucked."
Helen grimaced. "Don't be crass."
Ashley, hair plastered to her forehead and cheeks by sweat, said, "Well, what would you call it?"
Helen pushed the hair away, exposing her daughter's face. "We make love, Ashley. I make love to you."
"That's fine, Mom. I love making love to you. But sometimes... it's more fun to just fuck." She curled her lip as she said the word, thrusting herself between Helen's legs.
"My darling," Helen gasped, and Ashley pushed Helen's blouse off her shoulders. She knelt and pressed her face against Helen's chest. Helen cupped the back of Ashley's head. "Fuck me, my darling girl."
Ashley ran the back of her hand over the inside of Helen's thigh, up under her skirt, and she pressed the flat of it against the crotch of Helen's stockings. She lifted her head and ran her tongue across Helen's lips, and Helen let it into her mouth with a sigh of surrender. Ashley pressed harder, her knuckles against the cushion of the window seat and pressed her wrist against Helen's sex.
Helen gripped Ashley's forearm and lifted her hips, rocking against her hard, rubbing herself against the strong pillar of her daughter's arm.
"You're so beautiful when you're being fucked, Mom," Ashley gasped. She licked Helen's cheek and growled. "You're so beautiful when I'm fucking you..."
The two of them barely fit in the bath, but they worked it out. Helen's legs were wrapped around Ashley's waist, her feet hooked under the girl's knees. Helen cupped her hands and let the water cascade over her daughter's breasts. She smiled as the small pink nipples contracted and stood erect. Gooseflesh erupted on her areola and Helen wished she could taste them. She kissed Ashley's neck instead, also burned pink because of the heat of the water. Ashley tilted her head to the side and Helen nipped her earlobe. Ashley reached back and pressed her palm against her mother's sex. Two fingers slipped inside of her and Helen sucked in a breath, biting harder on Ashley's earlobe than she had intended.
James entered the bathroom and averted his gaze so abruptly it looked as if Nigel had slapped him. "Honestly, ladies!"
"Hi, Uncle James," Ashley said.
Helen looked up at him, her hands covering Ashley's breasts. "Can it wait a moment, James?" Her voice was hushed, her muscles tightening around Ashley's still-thrusting fingers. "We're a bit indisposed..."
"Don't dawdle, please." He turned and left the bathroom.
Helen kissed Ashley's neck. "You heard the man, my dear. Get mummy off..."
Helen cried out and threw her head back. It bumped against the glass and she half-laughed, "Ow, ow..." Ashley sat up and used her free hand to cup the back of Helen's head.
"Mommy got a boo-boo?"
Helen shivered. "Don't stop."
Ashley thrust harder, and Helen ground down against her arm. She tightened her legs as much as she could around Ashley's body, her ass no longer in contact with the cushion as she moaned through her orgasm. She put her hands on the back of Ashley's head and gasped, "Oh, fuck, kiss me, Ashley," just as Ashley's mouth crushed hers. Their tongues twisted and Helen came, crying out into her daughter's mouth.
She pulled back and Ashley kissed down her throat, sucking just hard enough to turn Helen on without leaving a red hickey.
"Goodbye, Mom."
Tears returned to Helen's eyes. "Ashley... please..."
"You can repay the favor to Kate. It's her body, after all. I'll never be far away. Trust that." She kissed the corners of her mother's mouth. "Love Kate. Let her have your love, because she deserves it." She kissed Helen softly. "I love you."
"I love you too, Ashley."
"It's me," Kate whispered. Helen opened her eyes. Sure enough, the woman between her legs was Kate Freelander. "Disappointed?"
"Never," Helen gasped. She cupped Kate's cheek and kissed her tenderly. "Thank you, Kate. That was a gift I could never have asked you to give, a gift no one could ask for." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I can never thank you enough for giving us that moment together."
"I love you, Helen." Helen shivered, as she always did when Kate used her proper name. "It was my pleasure. And I may have only just met Ashley, but I kind of like having her memories around. Gives me an edge." She closed her eyes and listened, then shook her head. "I think she's still there. But I can't tell. It's so faint. I think she'll leave me alone for the time being."
"I got that impression, yes..."
"So maybe I can get some sleep tonight."
Helen slid her hand over the swell of Kate's breast. "Oh, I wouldn't count on that."
Kate groaned and pressed against Helen's palm. "Oh, you Magnus women..."
Helen chuckled and kissed Kate again.
#
Nikola took a nap, unusual for him. He had just barely fallen unconscious when he sat up, smoothed his hand over the front of his shirt, and issued a quiet, "Hm." He rolled his shoulders and stood up, bouncing on the balls of his stocking feet before he turned and strolled into the bathroom. He looked into the mirror and opened his mouth wide. He worked his jaw and turned one way, then the other.
He bit his lip in a decidedly feminine manner and ran his palm over the crotch of his trouser. "Hm." His cock swelled against the material and he chuckled low in his throat. He laughed and squeezed himself, then shook his head. He winked at his reflection and sighed. "Oh, Mom... we're going to have so much fun..."
Author: geonncannon
Fandom: Sanctuary
Pairing: Helen Magnus/Kate Freelander, Ashley Magnus/Kate Freelander, Helen Magnus/Kate Freelander/Ashley Magnus
Word Count: 3,395
Category: Established relationship, fix-it
Spoilers: End of Nights, Eulogy
Disclaimer: They don't belong to me!
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Incestuous pairings
Author's Notes: Happy belated birthday to halfbloodme! It's shameful it's taken me this long to get around to this. :(
Summary: Kate isn't feeling quite herself lately. Helen knows why.
AO3 Link
Her dreams had never exactly been normal, and moving into the Sanctuary hadn't exactly helped tame them any. But now Kate found herself suffering the oddest recurring dreams she could remember. They were odd in how unusually normal they were. Missions with Magnus and Will, idle moments in the Sanctuary, but they weren't actual memories. It was like dreaming about grocery shopping or having dinner. After a week or so of disturbed sleep, waking up anxious and paranoid despite the normalcy of the dreams, Magnus noticed.
She waited until the morning meeting had broken up, asking softly for Kate to remain behind a moment. Henry mocked her as he left. "Ooh, someone's in troub-le...!" Kate flipped him off and waited for the door to close before she stuffed her hands into her pockets and stood in front of Helen's desk. Helen took a moment to settle in before she looked up.
"Is everything all right?"
"Fine. Just not sleeping well lately. Weird dreams."
"Weird how? I only ask because it may be the fault of a resident. Some of them have been known to play games. If it's becoming a problem for you, I can speak to the most likely candidates."
Kate shook her head. "Nah, that's... it's not like anyone is trying to mess with me. It's more like..." She searched for words. "I can't explain it. If I tried, it would sound lame."
Helen raised an eyebrow. "Well. With my definition of normal, I may appreciate a bit of lame from time to time. Why don't you try me? What was the dream last night?"
Kate sighed and sat down. "Last night, I was in the van with you and Henry. We were staking out a smuggler. You and Hank were talking about downloading television shows from the internet, and he was talking about how it wasn't different from..." She sighed and slouched forward. "See? It's nothing to get upset about or lose sleep over." She noticed Helen had an odd look on her face. "What?"
"This discussion. Was it spawned by Doctor Who and the fact I refuse to expense a cable package that picks up BBC America?"
Kate furrowed her brow. "Yeah. How the hell did you know that?"
Helen touched her chin and looked toward the window. "It's a conversation I actually had."
"With me?" Kate was suddenly panicked. Was it something that happened and she'd forgotten? Was there something wrong with her memory?
"No, no..." Helen's voice was distant. She looked away from the window and focused on Kate again. "You're certain?"
Kate nodded. "Yeah. I don't remember the exact details of the whole dream, but--"
"There's a possibility I filled in the blanks by asking you such a specific question. Do you have the dreams every evening?"
"Pretty much."
Helen seemed to come back to life. "If you would permit me, I'd like to monitor your slumber tonight. I'll watch for anomalies that may explain why you're having these flashes. Or if you're having them at all." She looked down at the desk again. "At the very least I can assure you a decent night's sleep."
Kate said, "Worth the cost of admission. Let me know when you want to set it up."
Helen nodded, distracted again. Kate thought about asking her what was wrong, but decided Helen would tell her when the time was right. She stood up and walked out of the office, allowing herself a quick smile at the thought of finally getting an uninterrupted night of sleep.
#
Kate knew it was counterintuitive to take a nap the afternoon before a sleep study, but she couldn't help herself. Part of her hoped she could fool the dreams if she tried sleeping when the sun was up. She was exhausted enough that she didn't think she'd have a problem falling asleep again when Helen was studying her. She pulled the blankets up to her stomach, settled against the pillows, and closed her eyes. She didn't remember sleeping, but the hands on the clock kept moving in larger and larger chunks. Finally, she was asleep and...
Helen was softly kissing her. A soft brush of lips on the corner of her mouth, and Kate felt the swelling of happiness in her chest. She turned her head and met Helen's mouth. Helen made a small, startled noise, and then their tongues were touching. She turned her body and Helen pressed against her. They were both eager now, hands cupping faces, eyes closed as they surrendered to the kiss they both knew had been coming for so long.
Kate knew her first kiss with Helen hadn't been like this. It had happened in the infirmary, and it had been tender and sweet. This was wanton, and it made her face warm.
"God, what are we doing?" Helen gasped. "This is wrong."
"Not for us," Kate said in a voice that she didn't recognize. She brushed a thumb - a pink-skinned thumb - over Helen's bottom lip, and Helen instinctively took it into her mouth with a desperate whimper. She sucked, and Kate bit her bottom lip. "This is right for us, Mom."
Kate's eyes snapped open and she sat up, knocking aside the pillow she'd been holding. She looked around the room, brow furrowed, struggling to catch her breath and focus on the dream at the same time. Mom. And Helen said the dreams were things that really happened, so that left only...
Ashley Magnus.
She was remembering things that happened to Ashley. And apparently Helen had a much closer relationship with her daughter than she'd ever told anyone. Kate bent her knees under the blankets and pushed her hands into her hair, staring across the room and trying to make sense of what she'd just experienced. Helen and Ashley. Mother and daughter. Teammates. Lovers.
"Shit."
#
Helen was distracted. She couldn't make herself focus on what she was trying to do, she could only think about what Kate had said. She was reliving Ashley's memories. How? What did it mean? And more importantly, exactly how much was she remembering? It was like discovering someone had gone through her lingerie cabinet, like waking up to discover someone closing a desk drawer. How much did she know?
There was a soft knock on the office door and she looked up to see the object of her distraction. "Kate. Is everything--"
"Doc... I remembered something. And I know whose memories I'm reliving."
Helen kept her expression safely neutral. She nodded once, a quick dip of her chin. "Ashley."
Kate moved deeper into the office. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I feared it was simply wishful thinking. That I was only seeing what I wanted to see. But you're certain now?"
"Yeah. I took a nap and I got confirmation. I called you Mom."
"Ah."
Kate wet her lips. "I was kissing you."
Helen closed her eyes. "I see." She let the silence linger for a moment and then met Kate's eye. "Is this going to be an issue?"
"I don't know what you mean."
"My daughter and I had a highly unorthodox relationship, to say the least. You have every right to be offended or find it distasteful."
Kate put her hands in her back pockets and looked out the window. "My brother and I? We never... I mean, we never. But there were times when I thought he was the only person in the world I'd ever be able to trust. I knew he was the only person in the world I could ever possibly trust enough to have sex with. So I decided to not have sex. That didn't last too long." She scoffed. "But I was just a teenager. I can't even imagine what it's like to be you. To try and find someone you can let your guard down with. Ashley was available, and she was someone you already loved. You two needed each other." Her voice was soft. "I get that."
Helen tried not to look too relieved. "And you and I..."
"Hell. I figured you weren't a virgin when we met." She shrugged. "One of your exes is just a little more surprising than I thought. I'm prepared to be surprised by you, Doc."
Helen stepped around the desk and touched Kate's cheeks. "Are you certain?"
Kate leaned in and kissed Helen's lips. She put her hands on Helen's hips, pulling her close as Helen's lips parted. She slid her hands higher, skimming the slick material of Helen's blouse until reaching the underside of her breasts. She could feel the firmer material of Helen's bra and moaned into her mouth, pulling back just enough to whisper against her mouth.
"Oh, Mom..."
Helen stiffened. "Kate?"
Ashley smiled. "Who is Kate? Want her to play, too?" She tilted her head up again. "Kiss me, Mom."
Helen leaned back. She looked at Kate and realized her eyes were lighter than usual. Ordinarily a dark purple, they were now a much lighter blue. She blinked slowly, waiting to see what Helen was doing.
"Ashley?"
"Now that we have my name out of the way..." She slid her hand over Helen's cheek. "Kiss me. Please. It seems like it's been so long."
Helen's heart soared as it broke. Even Kate's voice seemed different, more like Ashley's, and it was uplifting and devastating at the same time. "Oh, Ashley. It has been ages." She couldn't resist another kiss before she broke the news. She reluctantly pulled back and brushed her thumb over Kate's lip. She could almost see her daughter in the other woman's face. She closed her eyes and forced herself to focus. Tears forced their way out at the corners, wetting her lashes. "Ashley, you... died."
"No, I didn't."
"Yes. My darling, I'm so sorry. It was the Cabal. They took you--"
Kate put a finger on Helen's lips. "Sh. I remember. I know what they did and I know what you're talking about. But you're wrong. I didn't die. I teleported away even though the EM field was up. I teleported, but I didn't go anywhere. I just went away. I didn't live, but I didn't die. I just stopped... being. You know. You felt me in the hallways and watching over you. I just couldn't bring myself back. I tried and I tried, but teleporting with the EM field up made it impossible. My body was gone, but my self still existed."
"And you took Kate?"
"You took her first. I watched you, you know. Your first kiss, the first time you made love to her. I can feel so much more, Mom, and I know you felt like you were betraying me. But I hope you felt me whispering in your ear."
Helen's eyes widened. The first night she spent with Kate in her arms, she had watched the younger girl sleep. Feeling guilty, beating herself up over the horrible mistake she'd just made, she was about to slip out of the blankets and go back to her own bed so they could pretend it had never happened. Then she heard Ashley's voice in her head. Be happy. Be happy however you can, Mom.
"It was you."
"Yes." Ashley brushed her lips across Helen's. "Mom, I love you. I loved you in every way it was possible. I just wanted to say goodbye. I wanted to say it the right way." She kissed Helen with more force now, and Helen clung to her. When she pulled back she curled her tongue along Helen's bottom lip. Helen caught the tip and sucked it into her mouth.
"You feel like Kate," Helen whispered.
"I know. Will you apologize to her for borrowing her body like this? I couldn't exactly ask permission, and I didn't want to try taking Will or Henry. Although that might have been interesting." She bit her bottom lip and lifted an eyebrow. Helen smiled despite herself. "I tried to make it easier for her. I gave her memories. Tried to tell her who I was, but I couldn't control it. And then I rushed it because once I was within reach, I just..." She cupped Helen's cheek. "I had to touch you one more time. Even if it wasn't with my own hands."
"Oh, Ashley..." She turned her head and kissed Ashley's palm. "We can't. I'm so sorry, but we can't do this."
"Because of Kate."
"Yes. Without her permission, it would be wrong."
Ashley nodded. "I know. I wish Doc?"
Helen blinked. The tone and timber of Ashley's voice had vanished mid-word, and she blinked as the color in her eyes swirled and darkened. She gasped and leaned back but remained within Helen's grasp. She looked confused, but not lost. Helen touched her cheek.
"Kate?"
"It's me. I heard everything, Doc." She kissed Helen softly and Helen whimpered. The differences were so strangely diverse, considering it was the same pair of lips. Helen accepted Kate's kiss and sagged against her when Kate pulled back. "Say goodbye to your daughter, Helen. Do it the right way." She kissed the corners of Helen's mouth. "I'd be honored to let you use my body for that."
"My dear Kate..."
"Sh." She turned Helen toward the window, lowering her onto the bench without breaking contact. At some point during the kiss, Helen couldn't pinpoint exactly when, Kate's mannerisms gave way to Ashley's. Helen kept her eyes closed as Ashley kissed her cheeks and then down her throat, and Helen lifted her chin to give her daughter room to maneuver. She wet her lips and said Ashley's name so softly even she could barely hear it, running her hands over her daughter's back. The tight T-shirt, the slender shoulders, that was all Kate. But in her state of mind, it was easy enough to pretend it was Ashley.
One thigh nudged Helen's knees apart and Ashley stepped closer. She rose up and guided Helen's face to her breasts, and Helen kissed them through the thin shirt. Ashley sighed and bowed down, her lips next to Helen's ear. She buried her hands in Helen's hair and whispered, "All I have are my memories. And I've gone over them... and over them..." She dropped her hands and followed the edge of Helen's collar. She began undoing the buttons as Helen leaned back against the glass.
"Any in particular?" Her eyes were still closed, letting the feel of Ashley overwhelm the reality of Kate. "Tell me."
"Central America. You with that tank top, tucked into those cargo pants. God, you looked so beautiful. So hot. I remember licking the sweat from your shoulder and then sucking on your neck. And the mosquito netting over our bed as we fucked."
Helen grimaced. "Don't be crass."
Ashley, hair plastered to her forehead and cheeks by sweat, said, "Well, what would you call it?"
Helen pushed the hair away, exposing her daughter's face. "We make love, Ashley. I make love to you."
"That's fine, Mom. I love making love to you. But sometimes... it's more fun to just fuck." She curled her lip as she said the word, thrusting herself between Helen's legs.
"My darling," Helen gasped, and Ashley pushed Helen's blouse off her shoulders. She knelt and pressed her face against Helen's chest. Helen cupped the back of Ashley's head. "Fuck me, my darling girl."
Ashley ran the back of her hand over the inside of Helen's thigh, up under her skirt, and she pressed the flat of it against the crotch of Helen's stockings. She lifted her head and ran her tongue across Helen's lips, and Helen let it into her mouth with a sigh of surrender. Ashley pressed harder, her knuckles against the cushion of the window seat and pressed her wrist against Helen's sex.
Helen gripped Ashley's forearm and lifted her hips, rocking against her hard, rubbing herself against the strong pillar of her daughter's arm.
"You're so beautiful when you're being fucked, Mom," Ashley gasped. She licked Helen's cheek and growled. "You're so beautiful when I'm fucking you..."
The two of them barely fit in the bath, but they worked it out. Helen's legs were wrapped around Ashley's waist, her feet hooked under the girl's knees. Helen cupped her hands and let the water cascade over her daughter's breasts. She smiled as the small pink nipples contracted and stood erect. Gooseflesh erupted on her areola and Helen wished she could taste them. She kissed Ashley's neck instead, also burned pink because of the heat of the water. Ashley tilted her head to the side and Helen nipped her earlobe. Ashley reached back and pressed her palm against her mother's sex. Two fingers slipped inside of her and Helen sucked in a breath, biting harder on Ashley's earlobe than she had intended.
James entered the bathroom and averted his gaze so abruptly it looked as if Nigel had slapped him. "Honestly, ladies!"
"Hi, Uncle James," Ashley said.
Helen looked up at him, her hands covering Ashley's breasts. "Can it wait a moment, James?" Her voice was hushed, her muscles tightening around Ashley's still-thrusting fingers. "We're a bit indisposed..."
"Don't dawdle, please." He turned and left the bathroom.
Helen kissed Ashley's neck. "You heard the man, my dear. Get mummy off..."
Helen cried out and threw her head back. It bumped against the glass and she half-laughed, "Ow, ow..." Ashley sat up and used her free hand to cup the back of Helen's head.
"Mommy got a boo-boo?"
Helen shivered. "Don't stop."
Ashley thrust harder, and Helen ground down against her arm. She tightened her legs as much as she could around Ashley's body, her ass no longer in contact with the cushion as she moaned through her orgasm. She put her hands on the back of Ashley's head and gasped, "Oh, fuck, kiss me, Ashley," just as Ashley's mouth crushed hers. Their tongues twisted and Helen came, crying out into her daughter's mouth.
She pulled back and Ashley kissed down her throat, sucking just hard enough to turn Helen on without leaving a red hickey.
"Goodbye, Mom."
Tears returned to Helen's eyes. "Ashley... please..."
"You can repay the favor to Kate. It's her body, after all. I'll never be far away. Trust that." She kissed the corners of her mother's mouth. "Love Kate. Let her have your love, because she deserves it." She kissed Helen softly. "I love you."
"I love you too, Ashley."
"It's me," Kate whispered. Helen opened her eyes. Sure enough, the woman between her legs was Kate Freelander. "Disappointed?"
"Never," Helen gasped. She cupped Kate's cheek and kissed her tenderly. "Thank you, Kate. That was a gift I could never have asked you to give, a gift no one could ask for." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "I can never thank you enough for giving us that moment together."
"I love you, Helen." Helen shivered, as she always did when Kate used her proper name. "It was my pleasure. And I may have only just met Ashley, but I kind of like having her memories around. Gives me an edge." She closed her eyes and listened, then shook her head. "I think she's still there. But I can't tell. It's so faint. I think she'll leave me alone for the time being."
"I got that impression, yes..."
"So maybe I can get some sleep tonight."
Helen slid her hand over the swell of Kate's breast. "Oh, I wouldn't count on that."
Kate groaned and pressed against Helen's palm. "Oh, you Magnus women..."
Helen chuckled and kissed Kate again.
#
Nikola took a nap, unusual for him. He had just barely fallen unconscious when he sat up, smoothed his hand over the front of his shirt, and issued a quiet, "Hm." He rolled his shoulders and stood up, bouncing on the balls of his stocking feet before he turned and strolled into the bathroom. He looked into the mirror and opened his mouth wide. He worked his jaw and turned one way, then the other.
He bit his lip in a decidedly feminine manner and ran his palm over the crotch of his trouser. "Hm." His cock swelled against the material and he chuckled low in his throat. He laughed and squeezed himself, then shook his head. He winked at his reflection and sighed. "Oh, Mom... we're going to have so much fun..."