The library was Helen Magnus's favorite room in her new Sanctuary. It was a source of pride, her collection rivaling that of the Congressional library itself. She'd spent a century building her collection, more if you counted her recent revisiting of the past. That time had been put to good use, filling in and adding to her already impressive collection back in her own time. The end result was the grand room she now stood in. High ceilings and walls lined with rare editions of history's most well known works, as well as a few obscure personal favorites.
Helen wove through the endless shelves, passing by alcoves of tables, chairs, and even the occasional sofa. She wanted this place to be welcoming, to provide solace during the pursuit of knowledge.
She drew in a deep breath, inhaling the scent of old books and leather bindings. It was cathartic. She had spent countless hours in libraries, surrounded by books, trying to soak up all their knowledge.
In her youth it had been The Five holed up in her father's library. Between their school studies and their pursuit of the source blood's secrets, they could get lost for hours with their noses buried in books.
Her first kiss was in a library. She and Nikola had been up late doing research for their source blood experiments, the other's long since retired for the evening. More than a little wine had been shared between them and they were both a bit tipsy. It was back in the days when alcohol still had an effect on them, before the source blood had altered their metabolisms to better tolerate the inebriating substance. They weren't so drunk that they were careless, but just enough to loosen them up a bit. She'd fancied him for awhile by then, thinking it only a foolish crush. In a few months time John would begin expressing his interest in her, but for the moment her attention had been on Nikola. He had caught her eye, and, if she was honest with herself looking back, maybe even a piece of her heart.
It had been winter, a chill creeping through the library despite the fire they had going. She had called him over to look at something she'd discovered, something that after all these years she could no longer remember what it had been. She did remember the warmth of his body when he pressed up behind her to look over her shoulder, his hands resting lightly at her waist. He'd always been rather forward in that regard, showing his affection in little touches and caresses that society would deem highly inappropriate. She secretly loved when he touched her, getting a thrill out of breaking the rules and just the fact that it was him.
He'd tried to talk to her about whatever she'd found, but she just snuggled deeper into his embrace, reveling in the added warmth his body provided. She'd turned around so that she could snake her arms around him as well, holding him close. To this day she couldn't tell you who'd started the kiss, only that it still made her a bit weak in the knees when she thought about it. Nikola Tesla was all passion and electricity, no pun intended, and his kisses were damn near intoxicating.
They had only broken apart when in their enthusiasm he had hauled her up to sit on the table, only to cause an empty whine bottle to go crashing to the floor. The shattering of glass had startled them so much that they'd separated and after that she'd quickly taken to cleaning up the mess, fearing what might happen if she kissed him again.
She'd been so young back then, all blonde curls and innocence, completely naive to the arts of seduction and intimacy between a man and woman. The next few months had seen many afternoons and evenings holed awhile in secluded sections of the library, exploring the wonders of kissing and other such things with one Nikola Tesla. She remembered them as exciting times, but also looked back with a hint of regret at the way she'd used Nikola to her own ends. It had been fun, but she'd never really intended things to go any farther. He was her best friend and she'd simply wanted someone to test the waters with, to practice on for the real thing. Which ended up coming in the form of Montague John Druitt. Once they'd begun to court, her little trysts with Nikola in the library had ceased.
Helen and John spent their fair share of time making out amongst the books in her father's library. They'd even had sex there once or twice after their relationship had evolved to the level. John was an aggressive lover and she had very vivid memories of her face pressed against the pages of a book resting on the table as he took her from behind, the scent of books and sex in the air.
There were sweet memories too though. Her falling asleep in one of the comfy chairs only to be woken up by his long fingers brushing the curls back off her forehead. Tender kisses stolen when the others' backs were turned on nights they were all doing research together.
She even had memories of James and she among the bookshelves of the London Sanctuary. Their first time together had been on the library floor, in front of a roaring fire. James had always shared her love of books, of knowledge, and he'd found it rather poetic to learn her body in the one place he held sacred to his pursuit of knowledge. She hadn't minded in the slightest, putting up no protest when the events of the evening had taken that particular turn.
They'd been reading. It was somewhat of a tradition of their's to spend Wednesday nights reading in the library. They rotated between him reading and herself, but it was always one of them reading out loud to the other. It was mostly poems, occasionally novels, and once or twice they'd read through some her father's old journals.
It had been the later this particular night, Helen having dredged them up in the hopes that they would help in the capture of whatever abnormal they'd been hunting at the time. She remembered the pungent smell of the old paper and leather as she read. Old books always smelled differently than new ones.
James had been listening intently, or at least she'd believed him to be, from his place by the fire. When he'd joined her on the couch he'd sat just a little too close to her, his thigh pressed against her's, making her pause in her reading. He'd motioned for her to continue and she had, only to be distracted again by his hand on her knee. The way he'd looked at her made Helen's mouth go dry. She knew that look, it was lust. One thing had led to another and before she knew it they were both naked and tangled together on the floor.
She smiled at the memory of how gentle and attentive he'd been. So different than the harshness she'd known with John. It was funny really, as she looked back, at how different they'd all been; Nikola, John, and James. Her boys. All with pieces of her heart, but all so very different. Nikola and been a bit shy, but no less passionate. John was all raw passion and burning lust. James was more mellow, attentive to her needs in a way only one as observant as he could be. And though she'd never been involved sexually with Nigel, she still had many pleasant memories of evenings spent laughing and drinking among the bookshelves.
The library, both at the London sanctuary and the one in Old City, and been places of solace for Helen. These were the places she'd discovered the answers to so many of her most puzzling questions. It was there that she could relax and lose herself for hours. She had so many fond memories of times spent near and around books. And not just of The Five, but from all her long years.
Ashley's first steps had been taken in the library. It was the place Henry, the poor little lost boy she'd taken into her heart and home, had finally spoken aloud to her. His tiny little voice echoing through the empty room as he told her he liked it here with her. She'd spent many nights with both Ashley and Henry curled around her on the sofa, reading about thrilling adventures, horrifying monsters, and far away magical lands. She'd always encouraged her children to have healthy reading habits. Ashley had been able to read by the age of three, a feat Helen had been extremely proud of.
Yes, Helen Magnus loved the library. To her it was scared ground. And so she had taken care to ensure that the library at her new Sanctuary was the most magnificent one she'd ever had. It surpassed the London and Old City's libraries put to together.
Walking among the bookshelves, Helen inhaled deeply once again, pushing through the onslaught of memories brought on by the musky smells of old paper, leather bindings, and even the undertone of the newer fresher editions. She trailed her fingers over the spines, the contrast of some soft and some stiff exciting her.
This is where she would bring her grand baby, Erika being due any day now. She had the perfect chair in mind. It was tucked away in a far corner, soft and luxurious and perfect for bed time stories with grandma. She knew it would be years before the little tyke would be ale to understand the words she read to it, but she'd soothed Ashley to sleep many times by reading to her. She was looking forward to having a baby around the Sanctuary again, a sweet little thing for her to dote on. If there was one thing Helen loved more than the smell of books, it was that sweet little baby smell.