She Must Be Nearly Freezing
Summary: It's been decades since they've last seen each other. Why is she here now? (based on Winter Wooskie by Belle & Sebastian.)
Disclaimer: I don't have talent to make something as great as Sanctuary and Belle & Sebastian.
A/N: My brain is going 'WRITE ALL THE SONGFICS' so yeah. But you don't need to know the song to read this. You should know the song, though. I highly recommend the band (:
Some days it gets incredibly lonely for Nikola. Ever since he faked his death years ago, he couldn't be the great genius he really was. He couldn't be himself, Nikola Tesla, and that's what irked him the most. Plus, he was private and kept to himself most of the time. He did not want to risk talking to actual human beings, since he knew one of these days he'll have to abandon them. What was the point in making effort to get to know someone when in the end, he'll just leave them anyways?
He could not even be in contact with the Sanctuary or any of the Five. He felt the contact wouldn't be necessary. One of these days he will go back, but he knew now was not the time.
Nikola found himself in the beautiful Amsterdam a few years after the war ended, when he faked his death. It was a beautiful and relaxing city. He got a house that was not too noticeable, but still was located in the heart of the city. He did travel once in a while, but the Dutch city was where he was to be rooted in. Though he was a private man, he opened himself to conversations to a few token people. Some of these people include the neighbors, waiters and waitresses at the nearby café, and the bookstore owner down the street. To them, he is Mathias Petersen, not Nikola Tesla. The fake alias was simple, but elegant enough.
What has been occupying Nikola during these slow days pretending to be a human mortal was, surprisingly, photography and film. It has been barely a few months since he bought himself a Nikon camera as well as a few vintage cameras. Just as people sit on benches around the city and start painting the beautiful view of what is in front of them, Nikola takes one of his cameras takes beautiful photographs of the said city. He has taken over hundreds of photos, many of them scattered around in his beautifully decorated home.
Today was a perfect day for film. A snow storm reigned over the city of Amsterdam, and most people were inside today. Nikola took this opportunity to take his Nikon camera to film such an event. He wasn't sure what he was going to use it for, but he assumed it will be useful one day.
It was absolutely freezing right when he stepped outside. It was a big difference from his nicely heated home. The place was absolutely deserted; no one was around. The wind was very strong; it felt like he was going to be swept off his feet any second. (He was used to it though, he's been on missions with worse weather conditions than this.)
He turned on his camera and saw the falling slow in the preview screen. The picture was so clear; he was going to have a magnificent time replaying this in the comfort of his own home. God bless high-definition.
Nikola made a 360 degree turn, capturing his general area in the camera. He felt like a kid in the playground. Who knew the most influential man in history would be playing around with a camera filming snow, out of all things?
He stopped in his tracks when he spotted a figure on his preview screen. He made out a figure of the woman: she wore a petticoat that went down to her knees and she also wore boots that went up to her knees. She also wore a beret, and had dark brown hair. The woman's hands were clutching her elbows as she stood bunched up probably for warmth.
Nobody else was around. It was just those two. They were having a stare-down. Nikola had a small hunch that this woman knew who he was.
Who is that woman? Nikola thought, frozen. The storm continued on and the snow was clouding his vision. She looks like she must be nearly freezing.
The thing is, he had a small hunch that he knew who this woman is.
Nikola caught her hand waving. She was waving to him. (Or was she?) That was his cue. Taking the camera with him, he ran of the small bridge and towards the market place where she stood. Unfortunately, once he started running, she started running. That was a tad bit suspicious, he thought. He was in hiding, and his actual self is supposedly dead. A woman runs away just as he was about to run to her. The woman moved swiftly, but gracefully, and the snow made it harder to find her. In just a few seconds, Nikola lost her in the snowstorm.
"H-helen…"
It was a disappointment, really. Maybe it wasn't the woman he thought she was. Yet, she was the only one there, and she was (most likely) staring at him. And who would be crazy enough to stay out in freezing storm weather?
Maybe it could be a secret agent of a government of some sort?
Yet, in the back of his mind, he had the feeling that it was her. It was a small possibility, but it was a possibility nonetheless. After all, he was in love with her, maybe that was enough for him to believe in such a possibility. He wanted to see her face to face. He wanted to talk to her, to hear her voice again, and to see her smile. It's been decades, almost a century since he last saw her. Why did she want leave so quickly?
Nikola felt a tinge of disappointment and discouragement. He reprimanded himself for being too wrapped up with one person. He sighed, stared at his camera for a few seconds, and made his way back home. It's gotten a bit too cold for his liking and it might be better for him to stay home before he froze his skin off.