Everyone please beware that this is my first fanfic! I'm a huge Teslen fan! After reading Chartrueseian's "Progeny" this has been floating around in my brain so I thought I'd try my hand at it. I apologize in advance if it sucks! Reviews would be greatly appreciated!
"Hey Doc, the big guy asked me to bring this blood work up to you." Henry said as he walked into her office.
"Thank you, Henry." Helen replied, trying to keep her face from betraying the nervousness she felt. Taking the folder she couldn't help but notice her hand shaking ever so slight. "Please shut the door on your way out," she told him with a tight smile.
"Um…are you gonna be much longer cause Erika's down in the infirmary waiting for her check-up."
"Of course. I'll be along shortly."
"Thanks Doc." Henry said with a grin before turning to leave, making sure to shut the door behind him.
Staring at the folder in her hands Helen took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. She'd been waiting for these results all day and had been so distracted that she'd barely made any head way on the rather large stack of paperwork cluttering her desk. In truth she'd fallen further and further behind on her paperwork these last few months, only getting done the most essential of reports or bills and leaving the rest for a later day. Except that day never seemed to come.
Between system failures and fluctuations, making sure all the abnormals settled into their new homes, managing the crisis's that seemed to pop up on an almost daily bases, coordinating with the other heads of houses, and the ever growing mound of paperwork accumulating on her desk, there was always something demanding her attention.
It had barely even been 6 months since they'd made the move to the new sanctuary and the amount of work it had involved was exhausting. Not that she'd expected much less. Kate had stayed to help out as long as she could, only just leaving a few weeks ago. Will and Biggie had been transporting and making sure all the abnormals were settling into their new homes. And Henry and Nikola had been working on making sure all the new systems were up and running properly and working out any kinks that had arisen in the process. Unfortunately, there had been quite a few mishaps.
Last month Will had miscalculated the dosage on the sedatives they'd given the Steno to transfer him from the holding bay to his permanent enclosure, which resulted in him waking up mid-transport and getting loose on the grounds. Thankfully Kate hadn't left to return to hollow earth yet and with her help they were able to round him up in a relatively short amount of time.
And just yesterday she'd been stuck in a transport pod for almost 3 hours because all the none essential systems had been shut down when the climate control for the entire facility had short circuited and the power from the back-up generators had to be divert to higher priority areas such as the holding tanks, abnormal enclosures, and the shields that protected the complex from outside detection. Thankfully (though Henry hadn't thought so) Nikola had been with her when the pod's went offline and they'd found several creative ways to pass the time. Remembering all the absolutely sinful things they'd accomplished in such a small space sent a shiver through her body. Chastising herself, Helen pulled her thoughts back to reality. She and Nikola had been going at it like animals every chance they got ever since moving down here and that was exactly what had gotten her into this situation in the first place.
Taking one last shaky breath and trying vainly to calm her racing heart, Helen flipped open the folder and hurriedly scanned the results. And there it was; elevated hCG levels. The blood never lied. She was pregnant. Her heart didn't seem to know quite what to do, apparently unable to decide between fluttering with excitement or sinking with dread, managing instead to somehow do both simultaneously.
How had this happened? Of course she knew how it happened, but she honestly hadn't even considered this being an issue. She was 275 years old for god's sack! But tell that to the embryo apparently now growing inside her. They'd never been quite sure how the transformation had effected Nikola's reproductive abilities. The fact that he hadn't spawned any children over the last century had led them to believe he must be incapable. But apparently they'd been wrong. Very wrong.
Oh God. What was she going to tell Nikola? She couldn't not tell him the way she had with John. But how would he react? He'd never been overly fond of children. He wasn't overly fond of most adults. Helen tried to picture him as a father, changing nappies and feeding bottles, but she just couldn't do it. Nikola Tesla, the man who was constantly pristine in his appearance and who had a serious aversion to germs, with a baby? It just didn't mesh. What if she told him and he just simply left, like he had done so many times in the past when things got uncomfortable between them? Her heart ached just at the thought.
The past 6 months had been some of the best of her life. Her 113 years of seclusion had given her plenty of time to re-evaluate everything and it was during this time that she'd realized just how much Nikola meant to her. He was her oldest friend and had always held a special place in her heart, but in all the years she'd had to spend separated from him she'd begun to recognize other emotions in regards to her quirky best friend. There had always been a certain level of attraction and chemistry between them. The handful of times they'd crossed that invisible line over the years she'd never allowed herself to look further than the physical pleasure such encounters had brought her. She knew how he felt, she'd known for years, but she'd been very careful to never let things go further than the occasional tryst. She had been too afraid to. Even after she'd returned to this time line she'd been terrified to act on her newly acknowledged feelings for him. But standing in her old lab, not sure if she'd survive the explosion she was about to set off, she'd sworn to herself that if she made it out alive things would be different.
Nikola had been more than willing to take their relationship further than just 'friends with occasional benefits', but the idea had still scared her at first. What if it didn't work out? If they took that step there would be no going back. But it had been the right decision. She knew that now. The transition had been almost seamless and there had been several times Helen wondered why they'd never done this sooner.
They'd kept it under wraps for awhile, trying to allow themselves time to adjust to being a couple, but when her team had walked in on them one afternoon in her office the secret was out. They hadn't been very happy at first, but they were slowly starting to come around to the idea. Kate had been the most supportive. Henry and the big guy had said they just wanted her to be happy. It was Will that had put up the most fight; sulking around the place for weeks, giving Tesla the silent treatment, and being more than a little short with her on several occasions. She'd finally had to put her foot down, telling him that her personal life was really none of his business and she didn't need his approval in her relationship with Nikola though she'd appreciate it if he'd stop acting like such a child. She suspected his behavior had more to do with the fact that he was still a little upset she'd kept her plans a secret from him for so long. But Will was a grown man and he needed to start acting like it. She didn't have time to coddle him. Especially not now that she was…was….was pregnant. Even just thinking the words were difficult. She let out a deep sigh. This was so not what she needed right now.
"Doc? You gonna be down here anytime soon? We've been waiting for like 20 minutes." Henry's voice through the intercom in her phone nearly made her jump out of her skin.
"Yes Henry, I'm on my way now," she replied hastily. She hadn't realized she'd been sitting here that long. Pulling herself out of her daze with some difficulty, Helen rose to leave her office. She honestly hadn't meant to keep them waiting that long. She quickly put the folder in one of her desk drawers, locking it away so that no one could run across it by accident. Straightening out her skirt and buttoning up her jacket, Helen tried to make it look like nothing was out of the ordinary. She silently thanked her British upbringing and years of experience keeping her composure despite what was going on around her. She set off at a brisk pace towards the infirmary, trying hard not to think about the fact that her and Nikola were now in the same boat as the two young HAPS.