The Shadow Men: Chapters 1-3

[nocleversig.livejournal.com]

Title: The Shadow Men
Summary: When Druitt begins seeing shadow figures that no one else can see, the Sanctuary Team wonders if he's going insane...or worse... returning to his Ripper ways.( No. 13 in my  "No Destination in Mind" series or Stands Alone)
Rating: Teen
Genre: Action Adventure, Angst, Romance, Suspense, AU
Characters: ALL!!! Helen and John but also Will, Henry, Kate, Big Guy, Tesla, Original, and Other
Spoilers: Definitely through Eulogy and most of season 2.
Disclaimer:  I own nothing of Sanctuary or its characters. My words, however, are my own.
Word Count: 5 chapters, 20,489 words
Author's Note:  COMPLETE! In this series, John is cured of his energy demon and Helen and he are reunited. Thanks as always for reading! And thanks to my fabulous beta, MajorSam. Peace. NCS 

The Shadow Men
Chapter 1: Figures in the Dark
(Copyright 2011, NoCleverSig)

The knock on Will Zimmerman's door was bold and precise just like the man who delivered it.

Will looked up from his file to see John Druitt, dark slacks, grey shirt, blue eyes, standing in his doorway. The team had returned from Guatemala and their encounter with the mysterious Kukulkan nearly three months earlier. Since then, life at the Sanctuary had, more or less, returned to normal. Druitt, who'd been freed from his energy creature by Tesla the year before, was once again a member of the Sanctuary team and working side by side with Kate. The partnership was as productive as it was endearing. Henry had taken up where he'd left off, teaching John about the Sanctuary's computer systems. Even the Big Guy had started to warm up to him, perhaps smacking him a bit harder than necessary on the back of his bald head, but still smacking him nonetheless.

And of course, there was Magnus.

Druitt and she had reunited in the jungles of Guatemala, although Magnus kept the details of their reunion to herself. The two, Will thought, were like rare-earth magnets; the attraction so strong it generated a field of energy that was almost palpable to those around them.

All Will knew and all that Magnus would tell him was that she'd forgiven John and that his clothes were back in her closet.

Will had grinned at that revelation, and Magnus had too. He knew full well how much the head of the Sanctuary Network valued her personal space. To admit that she was once again sharing her room with John Druitt said everything Will needed to know about the state of their relationship.

"Do you have a moment, William?" Druitt asked, his deep voice resonating. Looking at who he was now it was hard, even for Will who had spent countless hours counseling the man, to imagine the depths of violence Druitt had once committed.

"Sure. Come in," Will motioned with his hand and scooted his chair back to move around the table and join John on the couch. John closed the door behind him and signaled for Will to stay put. He did, and Druitt pulled up a chair in front of Will's desk.

"Don't get up, William. I know you're busy. The number of new intakes is remarkably high these past few months. It appears Helen has found a renewed sense of purpose," Druitt smiled.

Will chuckled. "You could say that." What Will and John both knew was that Magnus was happy, and that translated into a variety of things including, oddly enough, more work for everyone.

"What can I do for you? Trouble with the new Xenophobes?" Will asked. He knew the capture had been a rough one for Druitt and Kate despite their abilities and speed.

John shook his head. Something in Druitt's expression, his demeanor, made Will uneasy.

"What's wrong?" Will asked, learning forward, concern on his face.

Druitt flashed him a quick smile. "You read people well."

"It's what Magnus pays me for, and under the circumstances it's not that difficult. We've been working together for awhile now. Have the nightmares come back?"

Months ago, when Tesla first rid Druitt of the energy creature, the gravity of the Ripper's crimes had come crashing down on John. Consequently he suffered almost continuous nightmares that left him screaming and shaking in the dark. Although the entity that possessed his body was gone, its crimes had been forever burned into John's consciousness. Will was the only one able to help Druitt work through it, and although John might never be able to sleep soundly, at least he slept.

"Not exactly, no."

Will waited a beat. He'd counseled the man long enough to know to let him take the lead. John Druitt came from another time and place, and opening up about his feelings, his fears, wasn't exactly his strong suit.

John held his hands as if in prayer. After a moment, he began talking.

"Something has been happening to me, William. Something I can't explain…can't put my finger on. At first I dismissed it as nothing…the stress of the last few months, Helen's abduction, my departure," he added sheepishly. "But now…I'm not so sure." He paused. "Frankly, I'm afraid."

From someone else the admission might have had less impact. From John Druitt, it was positively jaw dropping

"Of what?" Will asked, trying not to act as concerned as he was beginning to feel.

"Of slipping. Of becoming what I once was."

Will nodded his head in understanding. They'd had this conversation before, albeit early in John's days at the Sanctuary. "You and I have discussed this. You were violated andpossessed, John." Will said, waving his hand in the air. "You didn't commit those crimes, the creature inside you did. You were a vessel, a pawn. If it hadn't have been for you, the creature may have killed more…maybe thousands. You kept it at bay."

"Small comfort, particularly to those I did kill…and their families," Druitt sighed, his eyes dropping.

Will nodded. "I know. But you understand what I'm saying."

"I do, William. But that's not what I'm talking about this time." He scooted forward resting his clasped hands on Will's desk. "I know I could never commit such heinous acts on my own. It is not in my nature. You convinced me of that."

Will nodded.

"But what," he hesitated. "What if it were to happen again?"

Will cocked his head. "I'm not sure I'm following you, John."

Druitt sat back, obviously gathering his thoughts.

"What if I was to become haunted once more, William?" he whispered.

Will leaned back in his chair, hands folded. For some reason the hair on the back of his neck stood on end and he shivered. "Magnus has taken precautions. The drugs you're taking…" he countered.

John nodded his head. "Are designed to make my cellular structure unappealing, shall we say, to creatures of that sort, yes, I understand. Helen and I have discussed the theory behind her and Tesla's creation. But what….what if it isn't working?"

There it was, Will thought, the root of whatever it was that was bothering Druitt.

"What's happening, John?"

Druitt looked at him and swallowed hard, obviously hesitant, fearful even.

"I'm seeing things, William. Things that shouldn't be there."

"Such as?"

"Shadows. Figures. Dark shapes. From the corner of my eye. But when I turn to look, they're gone."

Will narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure they aren't dreams?"

Druitt shook his head and stood up, pacing the floor, jamming his hands into his pockets.

"At first I thought they were, since it happens only at night. Some sort of waking dream perhaps? But over the past week it's happened more and more often, now during the day as well when I'm fully awake. I see a figure, a dark shape, just out of my peripheral vision, but when I turn to look…." John shook his head and leaned his forehead against his arm gazing out the Sanctuary window. "They're gone. I'm not sure they were ever there in the first place."

Will started to speak, but John turned around, cutting him off.

"What if I'm going insane William? What if the creature's possession of my body for so long left some sort of permanent psychological damage? What if what I'm seeing is a similar creature wanting to repossess me? What if…"

Will stood up and raised his hands. "Whoa, hold on a second. First off, that's a lot of 'what ifs.' Second, nothing that you've just told me leads me to believe you're going insane. How long has this been happening?"

"Almost two weeks now."

"Have these figures tried to attack you? Approach you in any way?"

Druitt shook his head. "No. It's as though they're watching me…waiting."

Will walked around from behind the desk to stand in front of John. "If they'd wanted to possess you, don't you think they'd have tried it by now?"

John nodded. "Perhaps."

Will leaned against the edge of his desk. If he were calm, perhaps John would follow suit. "There could be a lot of explanations for what's happening to you including physiological ones. We should get your eyes examined, and some neurological scans done. And of course, there's always the possibility that there is some sort of Abnormal at play here."

John looked up at that. "But no one else has seen it."

"As far as we know. We don't know that for sure. We need to check, interview some of the residents, see if they've noticed or sensed anything unusual. But first we need to rule out the most plausible explanations, and that involves testing. Have you told Magnus about this?"

John shook his head emphatically and paced the room again. "No. The last thing I want to do is worry Helen, not after…well after everything that's happened."

Will bit his lip and nodded. "I understand, but you're going to have to tell her. She'll need to conduct the tests. And if you're concerned that the medicine she's giving you isn't working, she needs to know that too."

Druitt sighed and rubbed the back of his neck.

"I know. I just…" he turned to look back at Will.

"Tomorrow night is an anniversary of sorts. April 24, the day we would have…Well, let's just say it's special and leave it at that," he said enigmatically. "Anyway, Helen and I have a date planned, and I have a gift for her as well. Can it wait until after ?"

Will wanted to say no. Magnus needed to know what was going on and she needed to know right now. What if the drugs weren't working? What if there was some sort of undetected Abnormal loose in the Sanctuary? Or worse yet, what if Druitt was right? What if he was going insane?

Magnus could be at risk. They all could.

He might get fired over this, or worse, but Will found himself nodding, giving in to John' request. "Okay. One day, but that's it. We'll go see her together the day after tomorrow…first thing in the morning," he added for emphasis. Will put his hand on Druitt's shoulder. "We'll work through this, John. I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation for what's happening here."

Druitt smiled and nodded.

He wasn't convinced.

---

"Oh, Johnny, you did gooooood!"

Kate Freelander oohed and awwed at the sparkling piece of jewelry peeking out from the velvet box in her hand. Druitt had just picked it up from the jeweler that morning and planned to give it to Helen that evening at the conclusion of their special date.

"Do you really think so Miss Freelander? Do you suppose Helen…Dr. Magnus," Druitt corrected himself, "Will like it?"

Kate closed the box, looked up at Druitt, and put her hands on his shoulders, catching him off guard.

"She will love it, and she will love you even more so for going to all the trouble to fix it. Seriously, Johnny, it's…" Kate shrugged. "It's extraordinary…" she sighed. "Damn, I wish I had an old school romantic like you in my life," she mumbled absently.

"You don't think it'll bring back…bad memories?" He asked hesitantly.

Kate shook her head. "Nope. Not in the least. Fresh start, that's what this is all about. She'll get that."

John grinned, pleased with himself. "Good, I was hoping that is how she would see it."

"Excuse me. Am I interrupting?"

Helen Magnus walked through the doorway into the new intake holding area with arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

John turned to look at her and grinned, knowing full well how the scene might appear to any other lover. He also knew that Helen would know better. Kate, however, was less informed.

"Nope, not interrupting a thing. Nothing going on here. Zilch. Nada," she said in hasty succession yanking her hands off of Druitt so fast he might as well have been electrified. She tucked the velvet box behind her back, hands clasped.

Magnus nodded, trying to look slightly cross while doing her best to fight off a wicked grin.

"Well, if you two are finished with…whatever it is that you were doing, I'd like a word with John, please."

Kate paled. "Sure. Fine. No problem. I'll just be...uh," she pointed her thumb toward the stairs. "Out of here. Johnny I'll give you back that *thing* in a few." She rushed out as fast as possible.

Helen walked over to John, lavender dress swishing, heels clicking, and hips swaying. Druitt smiled, not only because he found her game amusing but also because, as usual, she took his breath away.

"Should I even ask?" Helen asked when she got a foot away from him.

John stuck his hands in his pockets. "I was seeking Miss Freelander's advice on a topic of peculiar female interest and, as usual, she became a bit overenthusiastic, that's all."

Helen laughed. "So I don't have to vie for your attention or, God forbid, fire her. Good help is so hard to come by these days," she frowned playfully.

"No, I think we're fine on all counts. How are you, my dear?" He reached up and held her arms loosely, caressing them with his thumb. "Tired?" he smirked, eyebrows raised.

Helen looked up at him and grinned. "My, we are full of ourselves this morning aren't we Mr. Druitt?"

He gave her a cocky look. "Just trying to make sure I pleased my lady last night."

He could have sworn he saw a faint blush sweep across Helen's face, but it was gone so quickly, he couldn't be sure.

"Your lady," she emphasized the words, "was quite pleased and intends to return the favor tonight, which is what I'm here to talk to you about."

"Oh?" he asked surprised.

"I have a conference call with Declan late this afternoon and it might run over. He's staying up well past his bed time so we can talk about the situation with the UN. I hate to cut him short. Would it be all right if we pushed our reservation back an hour?"

"Certainly," John nodded. "I'll call the restaurant."

Helen smiled, reached up, and kissed him on the cheek. She didn't abide for public displays of affection, particularly in front of her staff. But since she'd scared off the only one in the vicinity, well…

"Good, then I'll see you tonight?"

"You most certainly will."

Magnus turned to walk away, then stopped suddenly and turned back around, her long brunette hair sweeping over her shoulders as she did so.

"Oh, and John?"

"Yes dear?"

"Tell Kate to keep her hands off of my boyfriend." She smiled sweetly and left the room.

John Druitt laughed.

(to be continued…)

  

The Shadow Men
Chapter 2: Diamonds and Blood
(Copyright 2011, NoCleverSig)

Dinner was at an Italian restaurant not far from the Sanctuary. It was a small, family owned place that had been one of Helen's favorite for years. Now it was a favorite of Helen and John's and, as usual, the owners made sure the two had their preferred table. It was a cozy, corner spot, lit only by candles. The entire restaurant was nothing but candles with soft music and soft voices, which is why Helen loved it so. They had had their first real "date" there almost a year ago, and since that time it hadn't lost its appeal.

They ate, drank wine, and shared a dessert. And throughout it all, the conversation, the pasta, the red zinfandel, they couldn't keep their eyes, or their hands, off each other. Helen had thought the novelty of being together again might pass with time, but surprisingly (and pleasantly) it hadn't.

To an outside observer, they were discreet. Simply two people, obviously intimate, enjoying dinner and one another's company. But Helen and John knew better. Every look, every gentle touch of their hands was a communication between them. A sub textual conversation so intense, Helen thought her heart might burst.

She was happy, insanely so. John and she had gone through hell and back again, several times, and had emerged, if not unscathed, at least together. Not many couples could make that boast.

They spent the evening in quiet conversation discussing world events, Sanctuary business, and reminiscing about years past, including Ashley. John enjoyed hearing Helen talk about their daughter's childhood. He could see it in his mind's eye as surely as if he had been there himself, and that offered him some small comfort for the fact that he never had. Helen glimpsed it in his expression, his smile, how much he enjoyed these windows into her and Ashley's past, and the truth was it no longer pained her to discuss it. The stories, the memories, seemed to bring their daughter back to life if only for a moment, and both he and Helen found joy in that.

The one subject they never spoke of, however, were the dark days, the days when John became possessed and transformed into the Ripper. They had had that conversation early on in their relationship, and in Helen's mind, it was said and done. What John thought about it she didn't know and frankly was hesitant to ask.

Still, one subject weighed heavily on both their minds tonight. It was the very reason for their evening out, yet neither one had yet brought it up. Perhaps it was because it marked a bittersweet anniversary of sorts. Or perhaps it was because it skirted too close to the edge of the dark times Helen and John avoided discussing. They both knew the date and its significance, and each was waiting for the other to acknowledge it.

April 24. The day, 122 years ago, they were to be married.

It was a day Helen marked, at the time, with a heavy dose of absinthe and laudanum to ease the pain. And here they were more than a hundred years later, in a small Italian restaurant in New City celebrating the very event that never happened. It made Helen suddenly laugh out loud. Life was nothing if not full of surprises.

"Are you all right my dear?" John asked a tad shocked at her sudden outburst. He hadn't said anything particularly clever in the last few minutes.

Helen dipped her head and took another sip of Zinfandel. "I'm fine, John. Just amused. Do you know what I was doing on this night 122 years ago?"

John hesitated to ask, so Helen continued.

"Getting high."

He raised his eyebrows at that.

Helen nodded, feeling a tad loose from the wine and went on.

"I had three glasses of absinthe that evening. I was testing Oscar's theory. You remember the one, don't you?"

Druitt nodded, recollecting with some embarrassment a dinner party he and Helen had attended with Oscar Wilde and his wife. It was the night John introduced Helen to the wonders of "the green fairy" and an evening that hinted at the darkness growing within him.

"Oscar said," she went on when John didn't speak, "After the first glass you see things as you wish they were. After the second, you see things as they are not. Finally, you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.' Of course, I laced mine with laudanum so the effect was…quite stirring."

Druitt nearly jumped out of his chair, his tall frame draped over the table. "Helen! My God, you could have died!"

She gazed at him with wine in hand. "At the time, it didn't seem to matter, John," she replied quietly.

He didn't know what to say to that. "I'm sorry," was far too inadequate.

The evening had turned suddenly morose, not at all how John had wanted this night to be. Should he proceed with the present he had intended to give her? What if Kate was wrong and it only added to Helen's pain? Dear God, he wished he hadn't had suggested this dinner at all. In hindsight, it was an egotistical and insensitive idea.

"John," Helen reached over and grabbed his hand, startling him out of his reverie. "I didn't mean to upset you. I only wanted you to know how much our engagement meant to me. It still does. There hasn't been a year gone by that I haven't stopped and thought of you, of us, on this date. And the fact that we can spend it together now?" she smiled and squeezed his hand. "There are very few events in this world I would classify as 'miracles,' but this, I would say, is one of them."

Helen leaned across the table and did something the she rarely did in public. She kissed him. "I love you," she whispered into his ear, and she slid her cheek against his and pulled away, still grasping his hand tight.

He clasped her hand tighter in return, speechless. He'd put this woman through hell. Whether he had intended it or not, and whether he or the creature that had possessed him was to blame or not was of little consequence. All that mattered was that she had suffered by his hand, and yet, she could sit here with him tonight, on the anniversary of a marriage that never happened, and tell him that his presence with her was a miracle? He didn't deserve this, didn't deserve her. But here she was.

He reached into his pocket, suddenly overcome with emotion. He couldn't find the words to tell her how much she meant to him. He hoped his gift would suffice.

"Helen, I have something for you. I wasn't sure, to be honest, whether it was appropriate but…" He extended his hand across the table and handed her the small velvet box. "I hope you will accept it in the spirit in which it is given, with my love and devotion."

Helen let go of John's hands and took the box, stroking the soft velvet surface between her fingers. She looked up at him, puzzled. "John?" she asked curiously, tilting her head.

He smiled and leaned back. "You have to open it to find out." He was nervous as a schoolboy and trying his best not to show it.

She grinned, dipped her head, opened the lid, and gasped.

Positively gasped.

It was her engagement ring, or more precisely, a duplicate of the one she had owned. The one John had given to her 123 years ago. The one that madman had destroyed when he'd kidnapped her and crushed her hand in revenge for John's murder of his wife. It was white gold with a glowing, oval opal in the center surrounded by tiny diamonds. How could John possibly have…?

"I had it recast, from what little remained," John answered, guessing the questions flowing through her mind. "When Henry went back to the building where they…kept you," he hesitated, "he found some of the diamonds from your ring scattered on the floor. He brought them back. I asked the jeweler to include those in the setting. The opal had to be replaced, so that's new, but it's as close to the original as I could find. And the ring…I took the gold from what was left of yours and had it melted and recast. I tried to make it as similar to the original setting as I could from my memory of it…" He knew he was stammering trying to fill the empty silence that had followed his presentation.

He couldn't read her reaction. Did she hate it? Did it bring back only painful memories of those terrible hours when she was kidnapped and tortured, or did it do what he hoped it would do; show that nothing, NOTHING, could destroy their love. He held his breath, waiting for an answer.

"Helen," he finally choked out. "Say something. Anything."

She looked down at the ring glistening in its velvet box and tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I don't know what to say, John. I'm…" she hesitated then looked up at him. "It's beautiful. More than I could have ever imagined. It's…" she paused, obviously choked up. "You did this for me?" she looked up at him, eyes glistening.

"For us," he corrected her.

She smiled and nodded. "Of course," she whispered. She slipped it out of its box and onto her hand. Over the finger, the hand, that had been almost destroyed by anger and revenge. Somehow John must have known to make it bigger, the swelling in her ring finger would never heal. It fit perfectly.

"I know we agreed not to marry, Helen, but, as I said once before, I would be honored if you were to wear it as a token of my affection for you," Druitt whispered.

Helen smiled, the tears ending now. She wasn't one for emotional scenes, but this…this was special. Special indeed.

"Of course, John. I'll treasure it always. Is this what you were discussing with Kate the other day when I interrupted you?"

"It was."

"And?"

"She said you would love it."

"Clever girl," Helen smiled.

She looked down at her hand, slightly crooked now from the surgery that had been done to repair it. Yet with the ring upon it, it somehow looked beautiful again. Elegant. Complete. How strange life was that it could turn so quickly from sorrow to joy and back again.

John glanced down at this watch, shocked at how fast the time had passed. "My dear, I hate to rush you, but if we don't leave soon we'll be late for the opening act," John said.

Helen looked up at him and grinned mischievously. She leaned forward, her hair draping over her shoulders, her eyes wide and seductive. Her chest bent just so that John had a perfect view down the front of her dress and her ample cleavage. She reached over with both her hands and enveloped his, her left hand on top, the ring sparkling in the candlelight.

"I have another idea," she whispered in that oh-so-tempting bedroom voice of hers. "Perhaps we should get the check and return home."

John could feel his body tingling. "But we have tickets for the theatre?" he reminded her playfully, knowing exactly where Helen's mind was going.

"Twelfth Night. Yes, I've seen it, as have you if I recall correctly. I'm more in the mood for a different kind of entertainment. I think we can skip this one, don't you agree?"

"I agree most heartily, Ms. Magnus. I do indeed."

---

Helen Magnus lay naked and asleep, her face buried in the crook of Druitt's arm. John lay awake beside her, absently stroking Helen's long, dark hair. As tired as he was from the long day and their numerous nocturnal encounters, he couldn't sleep. Couldn't stop thinking…

He would never get used to this, never. The feel of Helen's body pressed against his. The softness of her hair, like silk. The scent of her perfume, still a preference for Chanel after all these years. Her smile as he kissed her neck, her breasts. Her quiet gasps as he entered her. The way her nails trailed down his back as they made love. The way her breathing sped up, her face flushed, her eyes grew heavy, her hips rocked, and she murmured his name, God's, and several other lesser deities all in one sentence as she crashed around him.

How had he lived so long without this?

Whatever it took. Whatever he had to do, he would never let go of her again. Never.

That's when he saw it. A shadowy figure. From the corner of his eye it moved from left to right, a solid, black mass, denser and darker than the blackness around it. It hovered in front of their closet door, to the left of their bed, as tall as a human being but with no substance, no form, just an inky darkness. John wanted to nudge Helen awake, get her to see what he was seeing. Verify that he wasn't going insane. But he knew the moment he tried it, it would vanish, and he'd lose the opportunity forever.

Instead, he lay perfectly still and feigned sleep. He closed his eyes until they were mere slits, tracking it as best he could with his peripheral vision.

For several seconds the shadow did nothing. It simply hovered there near their closet, immobile. Finally, it moved. Slowly at first, then faster toward their bed. John's eyes flashed opened. He turned to look at it, and it darted away across the vanity toward the door and into the sitting quarters in front of their bedchambers.

Quickly John released his arm from around Helen, grabbed the switchblade he kept in the drawer by the bed, and hurried to the door. He opened it, catching only a faint glimpse of utter darkness in the room beyond. For a brief moment he saw it head on. A tall, black, mass, the size and vague figure of a person. It stood there, facing him, then vanished, slipping through the outer door and into the hallway.

John ran through the darkened room, tripping over a chair and sending it crashing to the ground. He reached the door and threw it open. The hallway was dimly lit and empty. He looked from left to right when he saw something move, an inky dark shape going swiftly around the corner. He took off after it, blade in hand, rounded the hallway, closed his eyes, and jumped, crashing down upon the entity, slicing it clean with his blade.

When he opened them again the creature lay limp before him, its dark eyes staring up at him in confusion.

"John?" Henry whispered.

"Oh my god…" John gasped, realizing with horror the mistake he'd just made. He looked down at his shaking hand and saw it, blood pouring from Henry's side, his shirt, his hands, the carpet covered in it.

"Someone! Anyone! Help!" John screamed. "No…no…no…." John shook his head, putting his hands on Henry's wound trying to stem the bleeding, rocking his body back and forth.

Will, Kate, and the Big Guy ran down the hallway at breakneck speed and stopped dead in their tracks. Helen followed behind them, red silk kimono hastily thrown on to cover her.

"What the bloody hell…" she started, then froze.

There in front of her on bended knees sat John Druitt, switchblade in hand as he pressed his palms against the flow of blood, looming over Henry Foss' broken body.

Her face paled. She couldn't move. Couldn't think. Finally she looked down at Henry and back up at John. There was only one word for the expression that swept across her features, John thought fleetingly.

Devastation.

"Helen, no, it's not what it seems…" John shook his head.

Quickly she snapped out of it and ran to Henry, shoving John out of her way. The Big Guy came up and grabbed Druitt, the switchblade fell to the floor by Helen's feet.

"Someone give me a towel, a shirt, anything!" she yelled.

Will tore off his shirt and handed it to her. She wadded it up and placed it on Henry's side. "You'll be all right, Henry," she said, gently, stroking his face. "You'll be all right," she repeated.

She turned to Will and Kate. "Keep the pressure on the wound and take him to the infirmary. I'll meet you there."

"What are you going to do?" Kate asked, reaching down to help Will grab Henry.

Magnus picked up the tablet Henry had dropped and pulled up the security protocols. "I'm activating the EM shield."

"But Doc, there's no way John would have…"

Magnus looked up at her, a blank stare on her face. "Get him to the infirmary now. DO IT!" she shouted.

Kate nodded and she and Will picked up Henry as gently as they could and hurried down the hallway toward the elevator.

Magnus turned to the Big Guy. "Take him to a holding cell."

John looked at her, blood on his hands, his chest, his black, silk pants.

"Helen, you can't believe I…this is a terrible mistake…I would never…"

"I'll deal with you later," she hissed, and the Big Guy dragged him away.

She looked down at the blood soaked carpet, the switchblade, her reddened hands and closed her eyes, collapsing against the wall for a second only to straighten herself, run down the hallway to the elevator, and fly into the infirmary ready to save Henry's life.

She washed her hands, prepping for surgery, and removed the opal ring.

Its diamond stones were splattered with blood.

(to be continued)

  

The Shadow Men
Chapter 3: Confessions
(Copyright 2011, NoCleverSig)

Will Zimmerman pushed through the infirmary doors frantically scanning the room for Helen Magnus. He found her, dark hair pulled back, green scrubs on just leaving Henry Foss's sleeping side. The Big Guy was checking Henry's vitals, standing over his friend like a hairy, protective angel.

"How is he?" Will asked, nervously glancing over his shoulder at Henry and following Magnus to the sink as she washed her hands. She looked up at the ring she'd left on the counter.

"He'll be all right, thank god," she answered, scrubbing her hands longer than was necessary and staring at the flowing water, anything to avoid eye contact with Will. "He lost a great deal of blood but, fortunately, the knife didn't penetrate any internal organs. Henry heals fast, given his unique physiology. Barring infection or some other unforeseen circumstance, he should recover fairly quickly."

Magnus wouldn't look at him. It was obvious. She was upset and worried, certainly, but there was something else. Something she didn't want him to see. It didn't take a psychiatrist to guess what that something might be.

"That's good. That's really good. And how are you doing?" he prodded gently.

She finished washing her hands, took the ring off the counter, and cleansed it with soap under the hot, steaming water. "Are you asking me if I'm tired? How I'm feeling about this evening? Or what I think about John trying to kill my adopted son?"

Will dug his hands into his jean pockets, surprised at her frank response. "All of the above?"

She spun around and faced him, heat in her eyes. "Not too well, Will. Not too well at all."

"Magnus, Druitt wouldn't purposefully…."

"Don't! " She raised a hand up in front of her chest forcing Will to step back. "Don't even try to make excuses for him! Every time…every single time…," she hesitated, the anger clear in her voice. She shook her head finally putting her hands on her hips. "Whenever I give him the benefit of the doubt, allow him back into my life, just when I believe things are, God forbid, normal…." She stopped, closed her eyes, and put a hand to her head. Will stood there watching her, silent. Helen took a deep breath, pulled her hand back down and opened it, staring at the opal and diamond ring John had given her earlier that evening.

God damn it!

She couldn't stay here anymore. Couldn't stand here and speak to Will. She needed to leave. Get away, quickly, before she fell apart, before the tears she had been on the verge of shedding all night came pouring out of her. If she was going to cry, and she knew she had little choice in the matter, she'd do it in private, without witnesses, thank you very much.

God damn John Druitt! God damn him to bloody hell!

She shoved the ring into her pocket, turned on her heels, and walked as fast as she could to the small infirmary office.

He knew it was the last thing she wanted, but Will followed her. He had no choice.

He turned the corner and saw her sitting at her desk, laptop in front of her, head bowed and bent against her folded hands. She looked like she was praying. Maybe she was. He leaned against the door jamb, not saying a word, and waited.

"I don't want to talk about this right now," she announced after a few moments.

She didn't turn around, but he could tell from the sound of her voice, the way she was carrying herself, the trembling in her shoulders that she was crying. It wasn't a sight he was used to seeing.

"Magnus, I'm sorry, but we need to talk. There's something I need to tell…."

She spun in her chair. "Not now, Will! Please…"

Will's face fell. Helen's eyes were red, her cheeks wet with tears. She turned back around and buried her face in the palm of her hands, her body shaking.

Will Zimmerman was at a loss. Helen Magnus in tears was a jarring sight. He answered his uncertainty by doing the first thing he thought of, taking the action most natural to him.

He walked up, knelt down, and put his arms around her.

She bristled at his touch, sitting so still, so rigid, Will was afraid his instinct had been off, that he was pushing her away instead of pulling her out of her misery. But after a moment she reached her arms around his waist, buried her head into the side of his neck, and let go, sobbing in his arms so hard, so intense, all he could do was hold her and hang on.

She cried a long time. The tears flooded out of her, choking Will with their magnitude. Was she crying for John, he wondered? Henry? Ashley? James? God, the list could go on and on, Will realized with sudden clarity. Immortality was every human being's dream, yet it was Helen Magnus' nightmare.

After a time, she quieted. Still she clung to him, so he did too, holding her tight.

"Magnus?" he eventually whispered in her ear. It was one word, only her name, but it meant so much more. It was a question, a statement, a promise: Are you alright? What can I do? What can I say? How can I help?

She pulled back and looked at him, her blue eyes swimming in a sea of red, her face and cheeks glistening with tears. She closed her eyes and nodded, wiping her face with her hands. "I'm all right, Will. I'm all right….Thank you," she added with a slight smile that was meant to reassure him, if not herself. He smiled back, playing along. She was far from all right, he knew it, but for the first time in the three years since he'd known her she had let herself be completely vulnerable in front of him and that, at least, was a start.

He got up, walked over to the cabinet, grabbed a box of tissue, and brought it back to the table, pulling up a seat next to hers. She nodded and smiled at him again, taking the tissue and wiping her eyes, her nose, pulling the pieces of herself back together that she had allowed to spill out so honestly in front of him. He'd give her time to do that before he told her, before he had to face, what he was sure, would be a very different reaction from Magnus.

When she seemed composed, he took a deep breath, looked her straight in the eye, and began.

"Magnus, there's something I need to tell you. Something I should have told you as soon as it happened, but….Damn it," he swore under his breath to himself.

Helen narrowed her eyes. "What is it?"

He couldn't stall any longer. He had to let her know. Might as well just come out and say it.

"John came to me yesterday afternoon," Will paused. "Magnus, you know that I don't disclose doctor-patient discussions, not private ones, but this was different. I told him he needed to talk to you, tell you what was going on. I agreed to go with him."

He could see her demeanor change, the tension build.

"What are you talking about, Will?" she asked shaking her head in confusion. "What did John tell you?"

Will took a deep breath, knowing the fury his confession would likely unleash. "Druitt came to talk to me because he said he was afraid he was going insane."

Helen snapped to attention. "What?"

"For the past couple of weeks he's been…seeing things," he told her hurriedly. "He described them as shadows, dark shapes, out of the corner of his eye. But when he turned to look they were gone. At first he thought he was dreaming, but then he began to see them during the day too. He was…afraid, Magnus. Afraid that maybe the energy creature had left him psychologically scarred or…"

"Or what?" Helen demanded.

"Or that what he was seeing was real. Magnus, John was afraid he was being stalked by a similar creature. He was afraid he was going to be possessed again."

Magnus' jaw dropped. A mix of emotions crossed her face, shock, fear, concern, surprise, and then finally anger.

She flew out of her chair, standing up so quickly she knocked it over, her fists clenched.

"And you're just telling me this now? Tonight? After John tried to murder Henry? Will, what the hell were you thinking!" she yelled at him.

Will stood up to face her. "John asked me to wait a day. One day," he explained, his hands open wide in despair. "He said he had a special evening planned with you, something he wanted to tell you or give you, I don't remember which. I agreed because it seemed important to him, because I thought…I hoped, one day wouldn't matter….Obviously, I was wrong."

"Obviously!" Helen shouted, pacing the room now. She was angry, furious so enraged she was shaking. Will was her protégé. She trusted him with everything, EVERYTHING. The entire Sanctuary network, her life's work was in his hands should anything happen to her. How could he have made such a terrible error in judgment?

"You should have come to me the moment John told you this!" she yelled, pointing her finger at him. "The very moment! You know that don't you?"

"Yes."

"Your decision…your lack of judgment could have cost Henry his life, you understand that?"

"Yes."

She stopped her pacing and stood in front of him. He looked at her, and then cast his eyes down at his feet, his hands in his pockets again. She gazed back at him and tilted her head. "God damn it, Will," she said softly.

They stood silently.

"I'm sorry, Magnus, I don't know what else to say. You're right. I was wrong." She started to interrupt him but he stopped her with a hand to her arm. "But my gut, my instinct tells me he's not unbalanced. He was perfectly rational when he spoke to me. Worried, fearful, certainly, but perfectly sane. There's something else going on, here, Magnus, something else at play."

"What?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. I can't put my finger on it. All I know is John never meant to hurt Henry, I'm almost positive of that."

"Almost," she snapped.

He looked at her sheepishly. The both grew silent again.

"He's on medication," she finally said more calmly now, thinking out loud. "Cellular inhibitors to keep energy Abnormals, or anything similar, from invading his body. I know he's been taking the treatments. You don't think….?"

"That they're not working?" Will shook his head. "I don't know. I don't know what's going on. But I don't think he's insane. And I don't think he's possessed. You've known him longer than I have." He knew it was a terrible understatement when he said it. "But it's not the same. I don't know what it is, Magnus, but I think something else is happening."

She crossed her arms and looked at him. "We need to talk to John."

Will nodded. "Yes. Yes we do."

---

Magnus took a deep breath and punched in the security code. She entered the cell with Will following behind her. Biggie had wanted to go in too, to make sure she was protected. When she told him no, he insisted on monitoring the conversation from outside via the video link, leaving Kate to watch over Henry. She agreed to that.

John was sitting on the cot when they walked in, still shirtless and barefoot. His only clothes were his black silk pajama bottoms, his head in his hands. Helen took another deep breath, steadying herself. She'd been lying by his side less than two hours ago and before that….she shook her head, burying her feelings. There wasn't time for that. Not now.

John bolted upright when they entered, anxious and upset. He wanted to run to her, wrap his arms around her, tell her it was all a horrible accident, but he knew from the look on her face, her demeanor, that she wasn't ready to hear it. She had assumed the worst about him, that the Ripper had returned, and part of him was afraid she may be right.

"How is Henry? How is he? Helen?" he pleaded.

"He'll be fine," she answered, arms crossed over her chest standing several feet away from John. "He lost a lot of blood, but he heals quickly. He'll be all right."

John collapsed back onto the cot, his legs giving out from under him, his face in his hands.

"Thank God. Thank God," he murmured. He looked up at her, tears in his eyes. "Helen, I never mean to hurt him. I…please, you must believe me. It was an accident, a terrible, terrible accident."

God, how she wanted to believe….

Will pulled a chair over so she could sit down. He remained standing. He was still too upset at what had happened, at his role in it, to sit. It was a small penance to pay on his part.

"Will said you came to see him yesterday, John. I need to know what's going on."

John glanced up at Will sympathetically and back to Helen. "Helen, don't blame William for this. This is my fault…."

She cut him off.

"We'll talk about that some other time, as well as why you didn't tell me any of this sooner. What I need to know now is what's been happening to you and what the hell happened tonight?"

John shot a glance at Will again. Will folded his arms across his chest and nodded.

John closed his eyes.

"For the past, I'm not sure how long, 10, 14 days perhaps, I've been seeing a figure, a dark shadow, out of the corner of my eye, lurking in my peripheral vision, but when I turn to look, it's gone."

"What do you mean by shadow, John?" she asked, her voice neutral.

John shook his head. "Just that. A dark, shape, like an outline of a person. At first, I thought I was dreaming or it was some trick of the eye, but then, when it continued, and became more frequent, I began to worry. I began to think that perhaps," he hesitated. "Perhaps something was wrong with me, psychologically, or…." He stopped.

"Or what?"

He looked down at her hand, noticing for the first time that she was no longer wearing the ring he had so recently given her, and sighed "Or that I was being haunted once more, Helen. Like before."

Haunted…The word sent a shiver down her spine.

"I began to wonder if a creature, like the creature that had possessed me, was stalking me, waiting to take control again."

She nodded. She was afraid, terrified in fact, to ask the next question, but she had to. "I need to know, John, and I need an honest to God answer," she hesitated, staring him straight in the eyes. "Are you yourself?"

Will looked down at her, momentarily confused.

"Am I speaking to John Druitt and only John Druitt? No one else," she went on. "You know what I mean."

John nodded to her in understanding. "I do. You mean am I possessed? Is that why I attacked Henry? Has a creature possessed me again?" He stopped, and shook his head. "No, Helen. No. I would know. I remember how it was, I remember…" He closed his eyes, a look of pain crossing his face that made Helen's heart ache. "No. I am not. I swear to God, Helen I am not."

Will interrupted. "Then what happened tonight, John? Why did you attack Henry?"

John shook his head. "I didn't. Not intentionally. I assure you, it was an accident. A terrible accident." He turned to Helen. "Helen, you must believe me!"

She looked at him. "Tell us what happened, John," she said ignoring his plea, her voice low and controlled.

John nodded. "I woke up. I don't know what time it was, maybe 2 or 3. I knew I was being watched. I could feel it. I opened my eyes and I could see it, this…dark shape hovering in the corner by the wardrobe. I pretended to be asleep to try to observe it, see if I could figure out what it was, what it wanted from me. Then it moved, heading for our bed, toward you. I panicked, I opened my eyes to look at it, and it darted away across the vanity toward the door and into the sitting quarters in front of the bedchambers. After that, I just reacted. I grabbed the knife I keep in the end table and hurried after it. For a brief moment I saw it head-on in the sitting chamber next door. A tall, black, mass, the size and vague figure of a person. It just stood there, facing me, then vanished, slipping through the outer door and into the hallway. I ran through the room, threw open the door, and saw it move quickly around the corner of the hall. I ran after it knife in hand when…," he shook his head, lowering it, staring at his hands. "I ran into Henry, and when I did I stabbed him, thinking I had caught the creature. Too scared, too…I don't know what.. to think straight. To stop myself in time."

"It all happened so fast, Helen. When I looked the creature was gone and there was Henry and...Dear God…" he trailed off.

John closed his eyes, rubbing his face with his hands, blinking back tears.

"Helen, I would never hurt him. You must believe me. I…It was a horrible accident."

Helen stared at him. She wanted to believe him. With every fiber of her being she wanted to.

"Why didn't you come to me, John? Tell me about this sooner?"

John glanced up at Will and back down to Helen again.

"Because I was scared. Scared that I was either going insane or that some creature was stalking me, trying to possess me once more, but mostly…" He stopped and looked up at her, his blue eyes shining. "I was scared of losing you. Of losing all of this," he said, looking around, meaning of course the Sanctuary, his home. "I can't go back to that life again, Helen. If it comes to it, if that's what's happening, I need you to promise me, you won't let me go back."

She swallowed. They both knew what he was asking of her.

She shook her head, not able to look at John, not able to even consider what he was asking her to do. "John, Let's not get ahead of ourselves." She turned to Will. "Will? We need to run some diagnostic tests, rule out any neurological abnormalities, perhaps even optical, that could explain the reasons for John's…visions." She wasn't sure what else to call them.

"We also need to interview the residents, particularly those with empathic, telepathic, or similar abilities. We need to find out if anyone has seen or sensed anything similar to what John has described."

Will nodded.

"And we need to find Nikola Tesla," she added.

John and Will both looked at her, surprised.

"Tesla? Why?" John shot at her. Tesla was the last person he wanted to see.

"Because Nikola helped me design the drug that we're using to treat you. John. The drug we're using to keep an energy creature from invading you again during teleportation and because…he has the energy creature. The one that possessed you. That was part of the deal I made with him when he agreed to help me rid the creature from you. He got to keep it and study it as long as he promised to maintain its security."

"Magnus? "Will asked, not believing she was suggesting what he thought she was suggesting.

She paused, her face paling. "If we can't find a psychological or physiological cause for what you're experiencing, and if we can't validate the existence of some other abnormal inside the Sanctuary then…."

John stared at her, suddenly understanding where she was going. He looked like a man just sentenced to death.

"We have to find out if the drugs are working. And I can think of only one way to completely establish that," she said, not able to look at John.

"Magnus, you can't possibly suggest we…" Will started, but Magnus interrupted him.

"I do, Will. If all else fails, we release the energy creature and see if it can repossess John. If it does, we have our answer."

(to be continued)

Comments

[magicamethyst80.livejournal.com]

Wow, so far really enjoying this, it is nice to see for once a Helen/John story which takes place in modern times and includes the current Sanctuary cast members.

Will being a psychiatrist, something we haven't seen much of on this show, a skill he possesses, but doesn't seem to use too much. While I'm not the biggest fan of the idea of the energy creature, I like the fact that Druitt has nightmares, traumatic memories, and fears because of what the creature made him do.

The date, taking up the broken and mangled pieces of something beautiful because of what someone or something else did, and trying to reconstruct them is very symbolic of the relationship shared between Helen and Druitt.

Really feel sorry for him after whatever that thing is making him do, ruin what matters most to him, his relationship with Helen.

Now love the fact that Helen is willing to listen to John, and believe him about seeing things, and not just say "you are evil again I want nothing to do with you." Shows that she really loves and believes in him.
And Tesla having the energy creature, brilliant!

Can't wait for more.