Disclaimer: I own nothing and no one

Only recently discovered this series

And I like it, I really do. But you have to admit

the characters are getting more than their fair share of pain

So let's fix that.

Of Mad Scientists

James Watson, the best detective the world had ever seen, and member of The Five, awoke to the sound of maniacal laughter.

"It's alive," a shadowed figure exalted. "Alive!" Bits of lightning flashed along the ceiling, jumping from pillar to pillar.

The man's brow furrowed, hazel eyes fluttering open. He knew that voice, knew it almost as well as his own. "Nikola?" he croaked, throat protesting the lack of water.

The vampire pulled another lever. "Don't you dare move," he ordered while busily scanning one of the readouts. "Your cells haven't finished regenerating, and I haven't gone through all this trouble just so we can lose you again in a mere score of years." He only wished he had figured this out in time to save Nigel. But it was too late for that, half a century too late.

James' jaw dropped open as his brain finished rebooting. The events leading up to this situation flashing through his mind with perfect clarity. The virus, the quest for the source blood, his suit failing while the remaining members of The Five gathered around him. "I was dead," he said slowly.

"Exactly," Nikola clapped his hands. "Was being the operative word." The brunette grinned, a chuckle escaping his throat as he examined another screen; thus far everything seemed to be going as it should. "After this," the vampire gloated. "You will have no choice but to admit that it is I who possesses the superior intellect."

Now that was going too far, James decided. "That remains to be seen Tesla," he responded mock coldly. After a moment though, he shoot the vampire a suspicious look. There was something. His eyes narrowed as he realized what it was. "What else are you up to?" Nikola never did anything for only one reason.

Sure enough, the Serb's expression morphed to that of a child who had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Well," he admitted. "I might, just might mind you, need your help." There was really no point in hiding it. James was good at ferreting out secrets, and he would have to tell the other soon enough anyway.

"Ha!"

"It pains me to do this," Nikola went on as though Watson had not spoken, clasping a fist to his chest as though he had been impaled. "Right here. But," he sighed. "It will make Helen very happy." That was the deciding factor really, none of The Five had ever been able to deny her anything.

Helen? James thought with concern meeting the other's eyes. What was wrong with Helen? He tried to ask, only to devolve into a coughing fit. One that prompted the vampire to retrieve a cup of ice chips from a nearby refrigerator, offering one to the slightly older man, which he accepted gratefully.

The small glimpse Watson caught before the door closed prompted him to wonder just what else was in that fridge. But after a moment, the brunette decided not to inquire. Sometimes, just sometimes, ignorance really could be bliss. As long as the vampire wasn't storing body parts, unlikely to say the least, he could live without knowing.

Nikola waited until his friend had finished the first ice chip before sharing his news. "It turns out Johnny-boy is possessed. Some sort of energy creature."

What! James choked, spitting out the second chip, his attempt at sitting up thwarted by a pair of solid black eyes. He scrambled to get his thoughts in order. "What exactly do you mean possessed?" he asked carefully.

"Well," the vampire picked up a glass of red wine, taking an appreciative sip. This was a very nice vintage, Nikola thought to himself. He would have to see if he could acquire another bottle, or perhaps two. "After my, shall we say, electroshock therapy wore off, Druitt went back to his murderous ways." Nikola took another drink, ignoring Watson's look of frustration.

"And then," James demanded when it became clear the other man wasn't going to continue.

Tesla huffed. "Really my friend you have no sense of the dramatic."

Watson's only response to that was a glower.

"Oh very well," the vampire sighed putting down in glass. "In brief, Helen caught him, killed him, and brought him back. Druitt's temporary death caused him and the creature to separate, after which it took over Sanctuary and attempted to kill everyone inside." He took a breath. "John lured the creature back into his body and took off for parts unknown. No one has seen him since."

Nikola smiled. A toothy expression that had caused more than one person to run screaming in the opposite direction. "Any questions?"

Many, James thought to himself, but for now one would suffice. "I don't suppose," the detective drawled. "You have a plan of some sort."

The vampire shrugged. "I figure we find Johnny-boy, catch him, and go from there."

Watson thought for a moment. His razor sharp mind working through the possibilities at lightning speed. "I can work from that."

Finis

And there we have it. My first Sanctuary fic.

Apologies to those following Best Served Cold

The last few weeks have been a little hectic

I didn't really have much time to write

And then the internet went out for a week

Hazards of living in Africa

I promise, I will get the next chapter up sometime this week

Pinky swear and everything