Slide 7: Windows.

A cold breeze swept through the apartment, smelling of damp and threatening snow. She grumbled sleepily, patting at the other side of the bed. "Nikola. Get up and go close the window." There was no murmur of assent, no rustle of fabric, no gentle kiss on her temple in apology.

She moaned quietly, burrowing further into her covers before tossing them back and going to close the kitchen window. It must have blown open, the winds seemed to be whipping up into a storm. She sighed and returned to bed, letting the crackle of electricity and soft blue glow soothe her into sleep.

He would be home before the storm got too bad, clattering around in the kitchen making tea. He usually was.

"Delly!" Emily was out of Will's grasp and running for the door before the bell even sounded. Her mother turned and smiled at the younger woman with a quiet "Good morning, Adele."

"You okay?" Sleet blew into the shop as the door closed behind her. She looked pensive but managed a smile as she picked Emily up and nestled her against her hip.

"Yeah, 'm fine. Just the storm, I suppose, playing havoc on my nerves." And there it was again, that puzzle vs. time feeling, even as Emily told Adele all about her Thanksgiving dinner in excruciating detail and her mother laughed and the storm raged outside, rain moving like miniature oceans on the sidewalks.

"We'll have to wait until the storm eases up to properly search, but our contacts are all worried." She paused, the kind of lengthy tired pause he thinks is indicative of the British, and sighed. "The Cabal is here and they're looking for something, something they're awfully keen on."

"You think it's Nikola?" He leaned against the counter, half-listening to the crackle of frozen rain beating the windows. It was late, it always was when she called, and there was no one really still out to get coffee. "Do we really want to get involved if it is?"

"It would be better for us if the Cabal left or suddenly lost the trail of their quarry. Having them searching here puts us all in danger, the whole Sanctuary. And there's always the risk that our informants may start to blame us for their presence."

"Trust and all that." He mused for a moment, frowning. "Yeah, of course. So once the rain lets up I'll go check out some of the leads?"

"John will help you." There was a smile in her voice as she anticipated his response. He groaned and smiled into the phone as she laughed delightedly.

Sleet and frozen rain turned to snow somewhere around two fifteen in the morning and the sudden whispering silence woke her.

"I didn't think that snow counted as the storm easing up." Will groused, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets and trudging along. John just quirked a smile and shook his head.

"This is the building." He gestured at the blocky apartment building to their right. It was unremarkable, matching the ones flanking it in almost every detail. Will looked at it skeptically, blinking snowflakes off his eyelashes. "Come on."

Will yelped as John grabbed his arm, there was the sudden absence of air, and they were inside the building, along with a small flurry of snow. He cleared his throat, unzipping his jacket, and made for the elevator. "So, what floor?"

There was a firm knock on the door. Adele darted up from the sofa, abandoning her quickly cooling mug of tea in her dash for the door. She flung it open, mouth already opening to scold and greet, only to close it abruptly. "Will. Hi."

"Adele?" Will stared at her, neither looking pleased and both rather confused.

"Well," John drawled lazily under his breath, a small smirk creeping onto his face, "It seems Nikola's taken up some new company."

She was perched tensely on the arm of the sofa, just an arm's length away from him, John leaning against the wall with the insufferable smirk he knew was irritating her. They had been silent since she had stepped aside and let them in.

She sighed, shifting suddenly. "So. Tell me why you're here. And who you are, for that matter, William." He flinched at the censorious tone in her voice, one that his first name hadn't had inflicted upon it since he was younger and in grade school.

He opened his mouth to at least try but John beat him to it. "We're looking for Nikola."

At that she stood, casting a rather disparaging look at John, and went to busy herself tidying things on the entry table. "Well, good luck there. Idiotic man disappeared after Thanksgiving dinner and hasn't been back since, even with the storm. Hell if I know where he is." And a vase of loose change slammed back down onto the table.

Will couldn't stop the words from tumbling out his open mouth as he looked at her, shocked. "You're worried for him."

She whirled on him, took a step towards him. "Of course I'm worried for him, William! The man has spent the last few months being nothing but kind to me and dare I even say it loving. Yes, he is beyond odd and yes he will disappear, but he always comes home before storms get too bad. He does not leave me to worry, not to this length."

She closed her eyes, breathing heavily, and slumped against the table. After a long moment she scrubbed a hand over her eyes and spoke without opening them. "Clearly I don't know everything about him, maybe not even half." Another pause. "I'm sorry for shouting."

Will shifted on the sofa, facing more firmly towards her, and extended his hand. "I am still your friend, Adele." She opened her eyes and looked at him tiredly and he nodded slightly. "Come on, sit. Give us half a chance."

She took a half step towards him.

And then there was the pound and scrape of the sticky kitchen window being slid open and a low groan and she shrieked, stumbling as she dashed into the kitchen.

Will didn't have to stop John from going after her as they heard her choked "Nikola!" and stifled sobs accompanied by the thump that must've been her knees hitting the linoleum. They had both stood at the sound of the window, as she left the room, but were frozen even as they both heard the wry tone, weakened and rough, make its reply. "Honey, I'm home."

Then she was shrieking again, shouting for Will in a barely controlled tone of hysteria.

Will was becoming somewhat used to having to work outside of his training and stand in as some kind of trauma nurse. And it turned out, not too surprisingly, that John was a dab hand with a bandage.

Adele was sitting at the head of the bed, her fingers woven through Nikola's as he drifted in and out of consciousness. John looked up at her, betraying his experience somewhat as he snipped and taped a bandage without looking. "Don't worry too much. He heals quickly."

She quirked a smile at that, huffing out a laugh. "Oh, I know. Stupid man comes home bleeding half the time and leaves me to keep him from getting the sheets all dirty and patch him up. He's always fine by the next morning. This is just the worst I've ever seen him…" She trailed off, running a hand through his hair absently.

And then she was firm, focused, as she foled her hands in her lap. "How did this happen? What are you three in?"

Will and John exchanged looks and then Will sighed. "Pack a bag. We'll need to be gone for a few days, maybe longer. And pack one for him as well." Adele bristled and he reached out a hand soothingly. "We will explain. The people who did this may have followed him and we all need to be somewhere safe. And….well, it's easier to show than tell. Trust me, I've been the new kid once too."