A/N: this is for the August challenge on the GW of "Stargazing." There are three quotes in here by two of my favorite Beatniks, two by Jack Kerouac and one by Allen Ginsberg...if you know which are the quotes you are awesome 100 fake bonus points to you and 200 if you know who Jack&Allen are :) The title is a song by Two Steps From Hell that i was listening to while writing this and it just fit. I hope you enjoy this, but all reviews are welcome!
He'd lived for just a few years short of 160. That was a lot of days spent toiling over the tiniest adjustments in his experiments and late night lucubration's mulling over his various plans, schemes, and aching of the heart with a glass or six of wine. And in all those years he had never seen a single meteor shower.
It had happened by pure chance that he had to ride the elevator with the children. The sassy new girl, Kate, was making flirty eyes at Tiny Tim about hanging out that night when Dr. Expendable said that the meteor shower was later tonight. All three agreed this should be how they spend the evening rather than crowded around the TV attempting to do paperwork. They were finally about to get off, chatting wildly about inviting various people and making s'mores, when Tiny Tim turned back and invited him to go with them. Dr. Expendable made a comment about being sure that he would decline since over those many years he must have seen countless meteor showers.
"Meteor showers are for the foolish romantics looking to ignore the realities of this world,"
Was his snarky reply before striding off the elevator, his back to the trio and headed to his laboratory.
He did not notice Helen standing at the opposite end of the hallway.
That had been hours ago. Now here he stood, back against one of the North Towers pillars and his arms slightly folded. He could feel the cool stone of the pillar against the back of his head which was tilted to rest against it as he looked up, waiting. Lifting the wine bottle in his right hand to his lips to take a long, slow sip the breeze brushed the scent of the bonfire on the grounds below passed his nose and the joyful sounds of those gathered around it to his human ears.
With that thought stinging in his mind Nikola took another large drink from the bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon, the last bottle of it and the last before the Sanctuary would need a full restocking of red wine altogether. He let out a tired sigh as the door to the tower creaked open.
He swung his head around to the clack of Helen's shoes crossing to wear he stood. He was caught and he knew it by the playful grin on her face. Pushing off from the pillar to come to a standing position he faced Helen, making what he hoped was a dignified smile of feigned innocence in the presence of such beauty.
"And what brings you up to the Tower this late in the evening?" Nikola questioned.
"I was about to ask you the same thing."
Helen slid a look skyward then back to Nikola. He choose to ignore this suggestive look and instead ask her,
"Should you not be down below enjoying the evening with," He waved his free hand over the side of the tower, "while awaiting the meteor shower?"
She gave him her teasing smile,
"I prefer wine to s'mores."
She eased the bottle from his hand, taking a small sip. He watched her every move, carefully planning what he was going to say next. But Helen beat him to it,
"So if watching meteor showers is for the foolish romantics looking to ignore the realities of this world, what brings you up here?"
"Just stargazing," he replied lamely.
"Ah so you're admitting you're a foolish romantic?"
"Nothing of the sort!" he gave a laugh of disdain, swiping the wine back from her hands.
"I don't believe you for a second!" she replied folding her arms across her chest.
"My witness is the empty sky…" he lamented, gesturing lavishly upward with his free hand.
"Well maybe that's all life is, the wink of an eye and winking stars."
"Apparently I'm not the only romantic up here tonight…"
He grinned grimly at her, lifting the bottle to his mouth, polishing it off as she said to him,
"Glad to see you're finally willing to admit what I already know…"
Attempting to contain his slight shock at this statement he carefully placed the now empty wine bottle on the edge beside him before turning to face her gaze and say,
"Already knew?"
"I have known since the day I met you that you are a romantic Nikola,"
He shifted his body weight about to retort something but Helen beat him to it once again.
"And I don't mean those platonic trysts with Katherine and the like…"
Instantly his gaze flitted away from the shine of his shoes to meet her blue gaze. He turned his head to the side slightly, examining her face for the slightest sign of falsehood while processing what she meant.
"If you knew, then why did you…"
"Does it really matter?" She came closer, taking his hands in her own, clutching them against his chest, "That is the past; this is here and now…"
A cheer erupted from below and both Helen and Nikola swung their heads to the sky just in time to catch a glimpse of the meteor being devoured by the planets' atmosphere. He turned his head to look at her and murmur,
"Here and now Helen, I do not have much time…"
She turned her face back to his as more cheers and whistles sounded from below as two more meteors slipped by.
"That doesn't matter to me. I regret my actions of the past but it breaks my heart more to not be with you now, when we finally have the chance."
He freed one hand from her grasp to caress her cheek and she smiled at him. The unguarded look in her eyes was one he not seen in decades on her face. Her face that now carried the burden of her job and no longer that pure expression of happiness that made her face the one of radiant beauty that would forever be the keeper of his love.
Dropping his hand from her face, he leaned in as if to kiss her, but turned at the last second to whisper in her ear,
"It isn't enough for your heart to break because everybody's heart is broken now."
He stepped back and away from her, his head swaying from side to side,
"I will love you always Helen, even after death has claimed me."
He turned away from her, he could not bear to look at her anymore, and walked towards the door of the tower. The cheering exploded louder than before just as his hand grasped the doorknob.
Lifting their heads up Nikola and Helen watched as dozens of meteors streaked across the starlit universe, falling more silently than the tears on their lonely cheeks.