010: [Location: Sanctuary For All] Breakfast at Tiffanys...

[thecheerleader]

Claire was a little surprised when Helen had agreed to her idea of having a 'girls' night in' together. She knew that Helen was only going along with it because she had already noticed how hard she was trying to provide her with distractions. It wasn't that she didn't want her to think of Ashley, because she did. She just didn't want her to feel

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[notanemptymotto]

It had been awhile since Helen had a sleepover of any sort. Most of the people she knew now weren't interested in just a night of relaxation. Usually it was just a social visit that would last a few hours. Claire's suggestion was rewarded with surprise, but Helen agreed to it. It could be fun - and hopefully no heavy alcohol was going to be involved. THe adventures with Nathan and the Doctor were enough to remind Helen why she rarely drank any.

Helen entered the living room with a bag and a cooler. She smiled at Claire, putting the cooler down in front of her. She brought the ice cream just as requested - and it was Claire's favorite. Then she placed the bag down as well.

"Ice cream and jammies." She said. "I hardly was going to walk about the Sanctuary dressed in them." A long cream silk nightgown? Helen could just imagine what certain men in the Sanctuary would say in regards to that.

[thecheerleader]

"Because that would be inappropriate," Claire laughed, amused at how Helen thought pajamas were somehow unacceptable. It didn't surprise her, but it was one more thing about her that she admired. Helen did things her own way, no matter what anyone else said about it. And usually, she did whatever it was better than anyone else could hope to.

"I haven't had a movie night since before I started college." She'd spent plenty of time hanging out in the dorm with Gretchen, but it wasn't the same. Sylar hadn't been wrong about the pauses - not that she would admit that to him, ever. The tension had a way of turning girls' night into something that it wasn't intended to be. "My mom and I used to do this all the time. Especially when Dad was working."

[notanemptymotto]

It was more the fact that she didn't want certain people seeing her in the nightgown. Who those certain people were would remain a secret, as she never was going to say. Instead she smiled at Claire and pulled the nightgown out of the bed.

"College." She repeated thoughtfully. "I imagine my days at Oxford were quite different from your time in college. Different world." Then she tilted her head slightly as she moved to the next room to change. "Any particular favorites you have selected for our viewing affair tonight, Claire?"

[thecheerleader]

"Probably," Claire nodded. "Could women even..." No, they couldn't. She'd learned that much in history class, even with her crappy attendance record. "Different world." Better in a lot of ways, but unchanged in others.

"I like Audrey Hepburn movies, but I brought some Marilyn stuff, too." If Helen didn't like either of them, she would have to get something else out of a hatch. It wasn't a big deal. "Nothing too sad."

[notanemptymotto]

"I was amongst one of the first women to attend Oxford." Helen went off the ickle that Claire had dropped off. "The rest of my peers were males. All in science and medicine. It was where I met my best friend, Sir James Watson. I also met John, Nikola and Nigel there. We made a group called the Five... and, well, the rest is history as they say."

A few moments later she came out from the room, her previous clothes in her hands. Her hair had been pulled back into a loose pony tail. Helen placed the clothes on the floor next to the couch before crossing over to another cooler that she had brought into the room earlier. Claire wanted a girls night, but Helen didn't see the problem in making it a little special. Claire was an adult, after all.

"Audrey Hepburn?" Helen smiled. "I do miss her."

[thecheerleader]

"Yeah she was - wait." Claire stopped mid-sentence, thinking over Helen's comment. It wasn't what she said that had her confused, but how she said it. "You knew her?" She couldn't help the stare that went along with her question, or how disbelieving she sounded. It was Audrey Hepburn.

Nikola Tesla was one thing, but Audrey Hepburn? That was amazing.

[notanemptymotto]

"Pen pals." Helen said as she opened the cooler, pulling out a bottle. "We met on one of her stage shows, and kept in touch here and there over the years. My obligations don't usually bring me to Hollywood so I didn't see her very often."

Helen crossed the way over, placing two glasses on the table and then the bottle of cider next to them. She shook her head slightly. "Eventually, you all will stop being so surprised at who I've met."

[thecheerleader]

"Maybe I will," she conceded. The list was getting pretty long, she couldn't deny that anymore. "But I'll never stop being jealous." Helen had handwritten letters from Audrey Hepburn. If it wasn't a complete violation of her privacy, Claire would have been asking to see them.

"Was she...nice?" As opposed to being evil or something. She didn't want the truth if that was it.

[notanemptymotto]

She sat down next to Claire, smiling at her. "Certainly. When they say she was a humanitarian, she certainly was. She would ask about the few patients of mine she knew. One of her co-stars in the show I met her at was an old friend and patient of mine. She was always open to new possibilities and people."

Then she gestured to the pile of DVDs she had. "Pick one and put it in. I imagine you have quite the list of activities for us to do tonight, while most of the Sanctuary is out tonight."

[thecheerleader]

"I wouldn't really call it a list," Claire lied. It was a list, but they were suggestions. Nothing stressful that they wouldn't want to deal with. And with almost everyone out doing other things, they had the place to themselves. She figured they should enjoy it. "Breakfast At Tiffany's?" she decided, walking over to put the DVD in and set up the television.

"You've seen all of these, haven't you?" She would have picked something more recent, but she assumed that Helen had seen every movie that she cared to watch. The classics were probably preferable to her, even if they didn't offer any surprises.

[notanemptymotto]

"It's been quite sometime." Helen nodded. "I haven't had the chance to just sit and watch movies since Ashley was very young. So, while I remember the basics of the films, it'll be a joy to see them again. Especially with such great company as well."

She folded her legs as she pulled the cooler to them. "Do you think a gallon will be enough?"

[thecheerleader]

"I think we're lucky we have the hatches so that we don't have to worry about that," she answered, impressed that Helen had gone all out for this. She grabbed the remote and sat back down, fast forwarding through all of the warnings. Why Taxon couldn't just take them out to make her life easier, she didn't know.

"So, you catch up on your favorites every couple of decades?" Claire asked, sitting back down next to Helen. She set her manicure kit down on the table and made herself comfortable. "I think I need the quiet nights at home more often than that."

[notanemptymotto]

Helen made a face at the mention of hatches, but said nothing on the matter. "Ashley was born in 1985. Having her, adopting Henry, and maintaining twelve Sanctuaries doesn't give much time for watching movies. I saw a a great amount of films before Ashley was born. Indiana Jones was wonderful, and I've yet to have the pleasure to meet Mr. Lucas."

It wasn't as if Helen knew every famous person in the last two centuries. Just almost every famous person.

[thecheerleader]

"I'm sure you'll get around to it, you know everyone else." She assumed that was how it worked. Meet one famous person, and then get to all of the others through that network somehow. It had to be disappointing when they weren't what you were expecting them to be. "Harrison Ford?"

She grinned, pulling a pillow into her lap. "My mom likes him."

[notanemptymotto]

"Ah, Harrison. A talented man and he has aged quite well. Just not someone I would attend a public event with." Helen said as she reached over for the blanket. "I prefer Sean Connery myself."

Honestly, was it a surprise? Hardly.

[thecheerleader]

"Really?" It wasn't surprising, but it was funny to think about. She knew that Helen had probably met the man and had some interesting story to explain the preference, but she didn't want to drive her crazy asking questions when they were supposed to be relaxing. "Let me guess, he's your favorite Bond, too." Bond wasn't all that exciting for Claire anymore. Her dad had ruined it for her when she'd learned that he wasn't a paper salesman.

"I'd rather watch old chick flicks. Give me a happy ending with Cary Grant, and I'm good."