Sanctuary ficlet/probably the start of something longer

[oneiriad]

This wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it, which is vaguely annoying - I dislike starting a story I don't have a reasonable grasp of where will end up, but at least I do know the next couple of bits, so here goes nothing.

Title: Oh Brave New World - part one
Author: oneiriad

Disclaimer: Sanctuary does not belong to me - obviously, otherwise this wouldn't be fanfic, now would it?

Beware spoilers for Sanctuary episode Tempus, going AU at the end of it (actually, probably won't make sense if you haven't seen that, so...)

"You can always go home - it just might take a little while. It's one of the benefits..." but she's not listening anymore, distracted by the sudden pain, ripping through her innards, making her double over, gasping and reaching out to steady herself.

"Helen?" and James' voice is all concern, and she wants to answer him, reassure him, but the pain is too much, pulsing and distracting like she can't even remember labor being, pulling her away from everything, even as she instinctively tightens her grip.

Then the world is blinding light and rushing noise and the complete and utter absence of absolutely everything.

Next thing she knows, she finds herself standing in the cave that was Adam's lair, across from a John who is still as she left him, swaying and on his knees, and for one dizzying moment she fears - hopes? - that it was all but a dream, that she never left at all.

Except there's a pile of ashes on the floor in front of her, which wasn't there before.

And John is staring at her. Staring like he can't believe his eyes.

No. Not at her. At something next to her - which is when she realizes that she never relinquished her grasp.

"Oh, bloody hell!"

"Indeed," says James.