All Is Fair

Arms reached down and grabbed on to Helena's shoulders. She wasn't alone, someone was going to save her. It took her a moment to collect herself, but the sense of safety vanished when she realized who had found her. Brooks griped onto her arms. She tried to shrink away, but he knelt down on the floor.

"What happened?" He asked.

The looks in his eyes was filled with genuine concern. Helena didn't understand. She wiggled out of his grip and fell against the wall, bracing herself for his advancements.

"Did someone hurt you?" He asked.

He looked away from her and towards the open door. Helena tried to slide against the wall and away from him.

"Stay away from me," she said.

Helena pressed her back as hard against the wall as she could. Her breathing was increasing and she felt like she was hyperventilating.

"Please tell me what's wrong?" Brooks asked.

He reached his hand out to put it on her shoulder and Helena almost fell over trying to avoid his touch. As she tried to steady herself she glanced down for a moment. The neon green of her t-shirt was visible. Her jeans were still on too. Helena looked back up at Brooks. He had brought his hand down, and was sitting on his bent knees. His lips hung open slightly and his brow was wrinkled. It wasn't him who attacked her.

Helena let out a loud sob and threw herself forward, right into Brooks' arms. He seemed taken aback at first, but quickly wrapped his arms around her. She continued to sob into his chest. Her shoulders started shaking and he ran his hand up and down her back.

"You're safe," Brooks said. "I won't let anything bad happen to you."

Helena felt him kiss the top of her head. She squeezed him harder, feeling like there was no way she could ever get too close to him.

"Please," Brooks said. "Tell me what happened. I can't help you if you don't tell me."

"I'm sorry," Helena said. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

All of the emotions Helena had been missing flooded her being. She wanted to stay in his arms forever.

"Let me help you," Brooks said.

"It was Victor," Helena said. "It had to be."

"Who is Victor?" Brooks asked.

Helena could feel the emotions draining out of her. She squeezed Brooks tighter, as if that could make whatever love she had building inside her stay.

"Is he the vampire that bit you?" Brooks asked.

Helena nodded her head. Her tears were drying up. She felt herself relaxing, no longer having the urge to be so close to Brooks. He responded to her movements and started to pull away from her.

"Tell me everything," Brooks said.

"I think I'm going crazy," Helena said.

"I promise you you're not."

Helena used Brooks' arms to steady herself and she stood back up. Brooks followed her lead. Once they were standing he pulled her against him. She no longer needed his embrace, but didn't push away from him. He let go of her, but kept his arm around her shoulder, guiding her back into his room. When Helena crossed the threshold she noticed the bed looked untouched. She wasn't sure if any of it had really happened or it was an entire hallucination.

"He comes to me when I'm alone," Helena said. "I don't think he's really here though, it's like a vision, but I think he is getting stronger."

Brooks didn't ask any questions. Helena knew he was giving her freedom to talk, but she wished he would drag it out of her.

"This last time he tried to attack me," Helena said. "Or make me think I was being attacked, I'm not sure. I can't tell what is real when he is around."

"Did he hurt you?" Brooks asked.

"It felt so real," Helena said. "He tore off my clothes and pinned me down, but none of it happened."

Helena looked up. She saw Brooks' eyes start to change color. He forced them shut for a few moments. When the opened back up the blue was back. Helena knew he was trying to hide his anger for her sake.

"The other two times were later," Helena said. "I thought maybe he was only a threat at night."

"Did he hurt you the other times?" Brooks asked.

Helena shook her head.

"The other two times he couldn't even touch me," Helena said. "He was like a mirage. This time it was different. I can tell too, when he's going to come for me. I feel like I have some stone growing in my heart, and then it lifts only for a few minutes then he is here as soon as he leaves the stone starts to come back."

"Can you feel him now?" Brooks asked.

"No," Helena said. "I think he can only appear if I am alone."

"My mom should have stayed with you until I got back," Brooks said.

"How could she have known?" Helena asked. "I didn't even know."

The adrenaline was gone. Helena was no longer afraid. It wasn't right. She wasn't right. Helena knew she needed to fix this and she needed help. She looked at Brooks. He had his knuckle at his teeth, biting down as if he were trying to keep from exploding.

"I need you to be absolutely honest with me from here on out," Brooks said. "Is there anything else you can tell me? Any side effects? Anything feel off?"

"I'm healing very fast," Helena said. "My ankle is fine. The scratches from yesterday are almost gone. I'm having some trouble with my feelings."

"Expressing them?" Brooks asked.

Helena shook her head.

"Feeling them," Helena said. "Like the stone in my heart."

For a moment Helena thought Brooks looked relieved.

"One other thing," Helena said. "This last time he didn't appear as himself. He was you."

Brooks was quiet for a moment. Helena thought it looked like he was about to explode.

"When you saw me in the hall," Brooks said. "Did you think I had just attacked you?"

Helena nodded.

"You should trust I would never hurt you," Brooks said.

"It felt so real," Helena said. "I didn't know what to think. I wasn't thinking, I was just scared."

Helena dropped her head into her hands and began rubbing her temples. The champagne from this morning was giving her a headache. All of a sudden a wave of sleep washed over her. She looked at the bed. It seemed too far away, like her legs wouldn't make the trip to the mattress.

"I need to lay down," she said.

She didn't wait for Brooks' response before hurling herself towards the bed. She didn't bother getting under the covers. Reality was slipping away as soon as her head touched the pillow.

"We will figure this out," Brooks said. "I promise."

"Don't leave me alone," Helena said.

"Never," Brooks said.

She felt his hand brush the hair away from her face and sleep overtake her.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

"Is the water warm enough for you dear?" Daphne asked.

"It's fine," Helena said. "Thank you."

Helena knew there was no way the water would be anything but perfect, not unlike everything else at the lodge. She knew Daphne was aware of that fact too, but the female wolf was kind enough to stay in the bathroom while Helena showered and was probably grasping at straws to make small talk.

"I know this is awkward," Helena said.

"That's what family is for," Daphne said.

Daphne was as sweet as they came, but Helena thought they were far from family. She was surprised to see Daphne sitting at her bedside when she woke up and not Brooks, but the two enjoyed a small dinner and now Helena was getting ready to go meet Brooks and whatever vampire expert the wolves had managed to get a hold of. She shut off the shower and dried herself off before wrapping the towel around herself and exiting the bathroom.

The steam from the shower had done a number on Daphne's hair and makeup. Her blond curls had frizzed up and the black eyeliner was starting to drip down. Helena gave her a sheepish smile.

"It's fine," Daphne said. "I got a glance of myself in the

mirror. No need to apologize."

Helena was about to say that she hadn't apologized, but thought better of it and closed her mouth. Truthfully she didn't feel bad for ruining Daphne's hairstyle. It seemed like such a trivial thing to care about. A small shudder worked its way through her body. Some part of her knew she should care, but nothing came.

"I am sorry," Helena lied.

"We are supposed to meet the boys in thirty minutes," Daphne said. "So lets both make ourselves presentable."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Brooks was pacing again. This time it was in his father's office. The vampire expert, Zachary sat in one of the chairs while his father sat on the opposite couch.

"You're making me nervous," Hugh said. "Are you sure you're okay with me being here?"

"Figuring out whatever is going on with Helena is more important than my urge to keep males away from her," Brooks said. "Even my wolf seems to agree with me on this point, but I would refrain from touching her...both of you."

"I may have to exam the bite mark," Zachary said. "Under your supervision of course."

There was a knock on the door. The other two men stood up and Brooks stopped pacing. His mother walked in first, with Helena right behind her. Brooks' wolf came up at first, wanting to run to her and take her, but his instincts abated when Brooks made him focus on the situation.

She wore the same baggy jeans from earlier, but switched into a plain white t-shirt. The material was a little thin and Brooks could make out the white bra she wore underneath. He glared at the other two men in the room, both of them seemed composed and Brooks forced himself to relax again. Her long brown hair was hanging in front of her shoulders. It wasn't quite straight, like the natural waves were trying to take over. Brooks thought she looked effortlessly beautiful.

"Hello," she said.

"Hello Helena," Brooks' father said. "My name is Hugh. It is very nice to finally meet you."

Brooks' mother walked over to his father and gave him a quick kiss. Brooks wished Helena would do the same, but instead she gave a small smile before taking a seat on the couch. Brooks sat down next to her, making sure that he was in-between her and his father and Zachary.

"Hello Helena," Zachary said. "I am visiting from another pack. My name is Zachary and I may be able to shed some light on your situation."

"You mean with Victor?" Helena said.

Hearing another man's names on Helena's lips sent ire down Brooks' spine. He gripped onto the sofa cushion, hoping he didn't need to shred it to focus his aggression.

"The vampire," Zachary said. "May I?"

Zachary stood up from his chair. Helena turned her neck to the side and moved her hair back. Brooks' heart broke a little when he saw the wound. It was growing darker in color and starting to spread. The two small puncture wounds hadn't closed at all.

"Does it hurt?" Zachary asked.

"I don't really notice it," Helena said.

Zachary reached his hand out. Brooks let out a growl. He couldn't help himself. He felt a hand grab his own. He was surprised to see it belonged to Helena. He focused on her small movement and didn't watch as Zachary touched her neck. Finally when Zachary stood up again Brooks let himself relax.

"How long ago was this now?" Zachary asked.

"One week," Brooks said.

Zachary took a seat again.

"The Benson's told me that you have some knowledge about supernaturals," Zachary said. "I would like to hear your story."

"You mean what I know?" Helena asked.

"Not just what you know," Zachary said. "How you know it."

Helena pulled her hand off of Brooks. He wanted to make her feel comfortable. He reached out and put his hand on her knee.

"You're safe," Brooks said.

"I don't think you will like this story," Helena said. "I told you, I'm not a good person."

"This is a judgment free space," Hugh said. "We all have our demons."

"We want to help you dear," Daphne said.

Brooks watched Helena's eyes dart around the room. She stopped when she looked at Brooks. Their eyes met for a few seconds, she had a blank look.

"Please," Brooks said.

"Alright," Helena said. "If you think it will help."

"I think it will help a great deal," Zachary said.

"My parents were a bit of fanatics. We lived in the middle of nowhere. I grew up without access to electronics, running water, friends, it was just me and my sister. My parents never let us out after dark. They could be a bit severe in their punishments."

Brooks was having difficulty controlling himself. The image of anyone hurting her made him want to go crazy. He tightened his grip on his couch cushion.

"I was ten," Helena said. "Rebecca and I were playing in the fields, we made sure we were home before dark, like always. This one particular day my parents were missing. They never came home. I never saw them again."

"That must have been hard," Hugh said.

Helena shrugged.

"Me and Rebecca continued on with our lives like normal," Helena said. "It took almost six months for someone to find us. My father was a farmer, he sold produce at the farmer's markets on the weekends. When he didn't show up one of his customers tracked down his address. He was shocked when he found me and Rebecca."

Helena took a little break. Brooks wanted to urge her to continue, but her expression wasn't one of fear. It was more of acceptance.

"At first social services tried to put us in a home with abused kids," Helena said. "But we weren't abused. My father didn't drink, he never put a hand on my mother. They just were a little unorthodox in our punishments sometimes. But we didn't fit in with those kids. People kept trying to convince us we were abused, but we weren't."

"Back up a moment," Zachary said. "Did anyone ever find your parents?"

"Yes," Helena said. "Their bodies were found in the lake, not too far from our house. It was ruled a suicide."

Brooks' mother let out a gasp.

"They had rocks in their pockets," Helena said. "No sign of a struggle, or a motive. I think we are getting a little ahead of ourselves though."

Brooks thought this must be painful for her to talk about, but her voice didn't waver. She was so strong.

"Back to the group home though," Helena said. "We had

an intense fear of the dark too. They tried to break us of it, but nothing worked. We bounced around from specialist to specialist over the years. Then when Rebecca was fifteen she started to adjust a little better. Admitted that our parents abused us and said she wanted to work through the issues. I remember telling her she was lying, but she said it didn't matter. That if we didn't lie they would separate us soon. I didn't want that, so I lied too."

Brooks didn't know whether or not Rebecca was lying, some of what Helena mentioned sounded like abuse to him, but he wasn't a parent and didn't feel the right to judge anyone at the moment.

"We went to a permanent home," Helena said. "It was a still a group situation though, we never had adopted or foster parents. We went to a normal school. Rebecca blossomed, she started going on dates, getting friends. I think she was happy there."

"What about you?" Zachary asked.

"I was happy to be with my sister," Helena said. "I never broke my fears like she did. I refused to go outside after dark. Sometimes a doctor made me and I put on a brave face, acted like it wasn't a big deal. I don't think Rebecca minded, since it freed up her nights. We sort of settled into a routine. It was nice...in a way."

"Then why did you run?" Brooks asked.

"Rebecca turned eighteen," Helena said. "Her time in the group home expired, but mine didn't. I was only sixteen. They wouldn't let me leave with her, so we ran away together. We got a motel room a few towns over. Rebecca said she was going out to get something for us to eat. It was nighttime, so I stayed in the room. She never came back."

Brooks looked at his parents' faces. He wondered if their opinions of Rebecca changed as his had, since they were fully aware as soon as she left she met her mate and abandoned her sister.

"What happened next?" Zachary asked.

Helena took a breath.

"That is where it gets...complicated," Helena said.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Five years earlier

It had been one week since Helena had seen Rebecca. She didn't know what to do. She asked the businesses within walking distance if they had seen Rebecca, but nobody would give her an answer.

If she went to the police they would send her back to the group home. Helena thought maybe that wouldn't be so bad, but then she remembered without Rebecca there it would be a whole different world. Helena knew she would be better off alone.

A knock on the door broke Helena from her thoughts. She looked towards the window, even though the curtains were drawn she knew it was dark outside.

"I know you're in there," a man's voice said. "Open the door."

Helena didn't move.

"Fine," he said. "I have the key, I can open it myself."

Helena heard the keys jingle. Her heart jumped up in the throat. She didn't know what to do. Once he opened the door, the moonlight followed him in and Helena stood up from the bed.

"You only paid through yesterday," he said. "If you want to stay I need more money."

"I don't have any more money," Helena said.

"Then get out," he said.

He moved to the side and left the door wide open. The sky looked so dark, Helena didn't know what to do. He let out a sigh.

"Look," he said. "I can tell you're just a kid, but this isn't a charity. If you want to stay I need more money or else I will call the police and you can be there problem."

"My sister went missing," Helena said. "I don't have anywhere to go."

"Shit," the man said. "The last thing I need is this place getting a reputation for missing persons. Do you know where you are?"

Helena shook her head.

"Well," he said. "It's not a good place for young women to be walking around by themselves."

"Then why are you throwing me out?" Helena asked. "Please. Let me stay one more night. I will leave in the morning. As soon as the sun comes up?"

The man looked her up and down.

"Have you had anything to eat today?"

Helena pointed to the dresser. There were bags of empty chips she had stolen from the vending machine.

"I'm not getting messed up in this," he said. "You leave as soon as the sun comes up?"

"I promise," Helena said.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wallet. He pulled out a few bills and smacked them on top of the television.

"This is in case anyone finds you," he said. "You tell them you were never here. Okay?"

"Never where?" Helena said. She was grateful for this small act of kindness.

"Leave the key on the bed," he said.

He shook his head before closing the door. Helena went to the window. Rebecca's beat up car was still in the lot. She figured the group home hadn't reported them missing because it would have been easy to find the vehicle. Nobody was coming for her. Helena didn't have her license yet, but she had her learners permit and that was good enough. She shut the drapes, making up her mind right then and there. Rebecca wasn't coming back, and Helena had to move forward.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

She drove all day, careful to watch the sun and the time. She maybe had a half hour left. The country roads had faded long ago and wherever Helena was the population had exploded. She needed to find a place to stay the night. The man at the hotel had left her one hundred dollars and she was determined to make it last.

Helena spotted a hotel and was quick to pull over. She parked her car and went in. This was different than the motels she was used to. There was a lobby, all the rooms were on the inside. She thought about leaving, but the sun was too low in the sky. She walked up to the desk.

"I need a room for the night please," she said.

"I will need an ID and a credit card," the woman behind the counter said.

"I have cash," Helena said.

"We still need a credit card," she said.