notsocommon | [item post]

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Will was gone when she found it. In retrospect, it was probably a good thing.

He'd gone to the psychology office and Helen had tried to spend her morning leisurely in bed but old habits died hard and after only forty minutes or so of tossing and turning she got up, stumbling over something left in the floor and cursing the cat until she looked down and saw it most certainly was not Austen; she'd climbed up on the bed to overtake the warm spot left by Helen's vacating and it was there.

The jar had rolled away from her leather duster some and Helen froze stock still in panic before sinking down to her knees to make sure the seal was still airtight. It seemed to be, but she'd never turned it on its side before and hoped that didn't matter in the end. She couldn't inflict it on the world, not like in that alternate universe.

Was the island another part of that universe? Part she didn't remember?

She clutched the jar against her chest and rocked slightly, frantic despite Austen's attempts to calm her by rubbing against her legs and purring. She needed Will. She needed Will badly and she didn't think she had the legs to go find him at the moment so she waited. And she rocked.

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Will had gone about halfway to the compound when he realized he'd left some papers at home that he needed. Having just moved in, he hadn't quite gotten used to the fact that spending the night at Magnus's house and then going to work wasn't the same as spending the night at home--like it was now--and going to work. It was the third time this week he'd done it and he wanted to kick himself.

"Hey, Magnus," he said, immediately rummaging through some piles when he came in. "Did you see my--"

It took him a second to realize what Magnus was doing, but when he did, he immediately forgot about the papers he needed. "Magnus?" He came and sat beside her, concerned. "You okay?"

"We have to bury it, Will," Helen said softly, rolling the jar from palm to palm and trying to decide if it was safe enough to put it down with Will in the room. It wasn't safe. Without the Abnormal spirit here to guard it, the best she could do would be to bury it.

"It can't get opened. You'll help me bury it, won't you?"

He didn't like the way Magnus was talking, the way she was handling the jar--what was that, anyway?--that she was holding like it was an explosive. It worried him. "I'll do whatever you want," he said quietly, "but what is it?"

"I'll tell you later," Helen said, looking up at him with wide, panicked eyes. "We have to go to the jungle and bury it first, Will. Come help me bury it now, all right?"

There were times that Will questioned Magnus, called her out on some of her actions, and then there were times that Will followed her without hesitation. This was one of the latter times. There was something in her voice that made it clear that this wasn't something to be taken lightly. "Okay," he said. "We'll bury it. And then we're going to come back here and you're going to tell me exactly what it is. Okay?"

Helen nodded once before reaching for his hand, tangling her fingers in his and squeezing tightly. Will understood her more than anyone on this island could and ever would.

"I'll tell you, I promise. We just need to bury it, deep enough that animals won't be able to get to it. I don't know what we'll be able to use."

"I was working in the yard the other day and didn't take back the shovel I borrowed from the compound yet," Will told her. "It's still leaning against the back of the house. We'll use that."

"Yes, bring it," Helen said, comforted at least that they'd be able to get it deep enough that it wouldn't get disturbed. "I'll feel much better once this damned thing is in the ground and I can breathe once again."

"Come on." He took her hand and led her outside, grabbing the shovel as they went. "Do you want to hide it close enough to the house where you can keep an eye on it, or far away enough that you hope it won't be found?" Of course, they never knew where new huts would be built, so there was a risk there in it being disturbed.

"I don't want anyone to find it, ever," Helen said, color draining from her face. "Nobody can find it. You have to promise me that if I disappear you go check and you see if it's safe. Promise me, Will."

Will looked at the jar, held tight in her hands. He didn't know what was in it, and it was obvious she wasn't going to tell him until she was good and ready, but suddenly it occured to him that maybe just putting it straight in the ground wasn't a great idea. It was clear she didn't want whatever was in it to get out, so they couldn't risk it getting cracked or damaged in any way. "Wait a minute," he said. "I'll be right back."

He went back in the house and got one of the waterproof plastic cases they'd had their stuff in when they showed up here. He dumped out the stuff that was in it and grabbed a handful of his old t-shirts too, for padding, then went back to Magnus. "Whatever's in there, you obviously don't want it to get out," he said, showing her what he'd brought. "Can't risk it getting broken if someone accidentally digs nearby. This should help protect it some."

Without Magnus telling him what the hell it was, he couldn't do very much else, so this would have to do. "Come on. We'll find a spot for it."

"Thank you," Helen whispered, clutching his hand tightly as she marched toward the jungle. In the middle, far from the paths, and she nodded toward the shovel.

"Shall I dig or will you?"

"We'll take turns," Will said. "It'll need to be as deep as we can make it. I'll go first." He stuck the shovel in the ground, pressed down on it with his foot for leverage, and started digging. "While I'm digging, pack that up really good. Protect it the best you can."

Helen nodded and rewrapped the jar, ensuring there was enough padding around it that it wouldn't shift inside the case. Will had been clever to remember that and she couldn't help but thank him over and over, a low, murmuring chant.

"I don't want it to leak. I don't...Will, it can't leak," she whimpered, panicked. Tears tracked down her cheeks. "Don't let it leak."

"It's okay, Magnus," he said as he dug. "It's gonna be okay. It'll be out of sight; nobody can find it. Nobody's going to get their hands on it." Will wasn't entirely sure it would be enough, but after she told him what the hell it was and why it was scaring her so much, he could always come back himself and make it more secure.

"Nobody can. I don't...I don't want to die anymore, Will. Nobody can find that jar."

She had to tell him why it was so important so he wouldn't get curious. There was no way she was dooming him to that fate again. Not now.

Will kept digging, grunting a little with effort when he got to the harder ground beneath the top layer. "Tell me what it is, Magnus." He wasn't asking; he was telling. He wanted to know what the hell had her so terrified. Nothing ever had Magnus this scared.

"Not until it's buried," Helen said, fingers clutching the case until they went white. "It has to be secure before I can tell anyone anything. Help me make it secure, Will."

"I'm working on it." No sense in pressing her, so he quit talking and concentrated on digging. It was slow progress, but he kept at it, digging till his hands ached, and after a while he stopped for a minute, pulling his shirt off to wipe at his face. It was hot and sticky this far into the jungle, even in the thick shade.

"I'll finish digging," Helen said, offering to take the shovel. "I don't...I don't want to put you out any more than I already have and we have to work quickly, or at least quicker than we are. It's not safe, Will."

"It's not 'putting me out,' Magnus," he said, but he handed over the shovel anyway. She could dig while he caught his breath, and then he'd dig some more. "You know I'm going to help you however I can. Always. Don't worry about it."

Helen dug with the shovel, occasionally pausing to wipe the sweat off her brow. They'd bury it, deep, and it would be secure enough that a passerby or animal wouldn't dig it up.

It had to be or she'd lose her mind. As she dug, she felt the strain in her back and legs and used it to push herself harder, faster.

Will watched her work for a little bit, while he rested, and then he got up and reached for the shovel. This hole would have to be even deeper, he thought, to have any hope of reassuring Magnus that this thing would be secure. "Here, I'll take it," he said, reaching for the shovel.

Helen handed him the shovel, fingers still trembling. "I'm so sorry, Will. I never thought it would show up here. I never thought..."

"Shh," he said quietly, and leaned the shovel away some so he could pull her close with his other arm. "We're taking care of this, all right? You and me. Together."

Will took up the shovel again and got back to digging. To make the hole as deep as he wanted, he had to widen it enough that he could step down into it to dig further. It felt like digging a grave, and Will supposed it was what it was: a grave for this damn thing that had shaken Magnus so badly. He dug until his hands ached, then passed the shovel back to Magnus. Their hands were coming up blistered from the effort. While she dug, he ripped up his t-shirt and wound strips around his hands, then when she stopped he did the same for her. It wasn't great, but better than nothing, and they still had to fill the damn hole eventually.

"I think it's deep enough," he said some time later, leaning on the shovel. "Too much farther and we'll hit the water table."

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