For current Bingo card. Spoilers for SFN2. Teslen-y and dorky. :P

Helen didn't regret what she had done, destroying the Sanctuary.

Yes, it had been a huge decision.

Honestly though, parts of her were glad.

Yes, it had been her home for the better part of fifty years, give or take a few, yet it was also a reminder of what price she paid to save a city, to save a world while being paid for it almost like accepting a bribe.

Helen had no great love for any government, even England's. That hadn't stopped her from accepting the "hush money" to save more abnormals.

She sacrificed some of her hard earned dignity to live her father's dream.

She wanted her own dream, dammit.

She'd given how many lifetimes to his work? It was time to do it right.

However, the decision, while technically long in coming, had some shortcomings when it came to certain parts of the execution. Not the least of which was how much she'd lost of her library.

Yes, she'd been careful to move what had to be and make sure no one noticed and she was sure she had digital copies of almost everything there, but there were a few of her most precious tomes that didn't survive.

For some reason she had made herself not remove anything from her old office, save for the box that held the various cards and letters from Ashley over the years.

Now there was the task of running her new Sanctuary, continuing her work and trying to replace that which was lost.

Yet somehow it turned into less of a shopping trip and more a high school field trip.

At least it felt that way sometimes.

"Nikola," Helen poked the slumbering vampire beside her.

Nikola didn't respond.

"Nikola," Helen poked again, this time using a nail.

Nothing.

"Nikola open your eyes or I am wearing that red dress you love so much out to dinner tonight and going alone," Helen crossed her arms.

Blue eyes snapped open very quickly.

"Better," Helen fought a smirk, "come on, we've work to do."

"We worked all week at home," Nikola removed the arm that had been tucked under his head and snaked it around Helen's barely-covered-by-the-sheet waist, "you said it was play time."

Helen rolled her eyes as she let herself be moved, a little, to lean against Nikola's side, "I said we were coming up with specific tasks in mind."

Nikola shrugged, which looked strange given he was laying on his stomach half hugging Helen to him, "we'll just take a little longer, the kiddies can mind the store."

"You're missing the point," Helen started to move, despite Nikola's valiant attempts to keep her in bed, "we didn't go through all this to come to the surface with false names just to spend the entire weekend naked in bed."

"We didn't?" Nikola looked confused then grinned.

A pillow was promptly tossed at his head.

"No, we didn't, now get dressed, I'd like to get to looking before lunch," Helen grabbed her robe then went to go shower.

Nikola glanced at the clock and how late they had slept in.

"Too late!" he called then smirked when he heard the bathroom door click shut then be locked.

"You know, that wasn't really fair," Nikola practically pouted as they exited the hotel.

"What wasn't?" Helen asked, her accent carefully masked as was her appearance. Her deep, chestnut curls were braided tightly with a cherry red steak, bangs lengthened to be pulled back with the rest of her hair. Striking blue eyes were carefully covered with emerald contacts and Helen had made a point of not wearing any jewelry save for one single tiny sapphire stud on her left ear.

"You didn't bring the red dress," Nikola folded his arms, doing his best to look annoyed. He wasn't quite so disguised but did agree to the "toning down" of his wardrobe. He felt practically undressed in, of all things, a gray polo shirt with darker grey slacks. No coat, no tie, no vest and it was short sleeved.

"Oh, I didn't?" Helen acted all innocent.

Nikola restrained a growl as they turned into a bit of foot traffic. He suppressed the hell out of a twitch as he felt people brush passed him, his arms so exposed.

"I hadn't thought of that," Helen reached out a hand and placed it on Nikola's. His hating contact got a little trumped with their need to blend in more.

"I still think the tourist look is worse than the other idea," Nikola whispered, letting his own voice take on a slight German accent.

"Nikola, Dr. Heinrich Baumschlager, and assistant wouldn't exactly make for a covert trip to an antique bookstore," Helen barely kept in a snicker, "and you chose Heinrich back then on purpose."

Nikola just shrugged, "but think how hot you would have looked dressing up as my scantily clad lab assistant!"

"You seem to forget we are up here for a reason," Helen was trying to keep her tone scolding without letting her normal accent return.

"Oh right, our extreme antiquing," Nikola snarked.

Helen failed at suppressing the laugh that brought out, "this is the only place I've found with any references to these types of books that isn't some fake-y website."

"Did you just say 'fake-y?'" Nikola blinked.

"I think you only wanted me here because I'm taller when you're in flat shoes," Nikola whispered as he stretched for a book on the very top shelf.

"So?" Helen teased.

Nikola shook his head as he managed to get his long fingers around the binding and pull the book forward without its frail contents spilling all over the floor.

Helen snatched it quickly, her 'green' eyes alight, "we found one!"

Nikola nudged Helen with his elbow as her accent slipped through in her excitement.

"Sorry," Helen whispered as she carefully paged through the book that was actually older than she was.

"It's amazingly preserved," Nikola had to admire the book as well, the handwritten pages readable, if a yellowed and slightly brittle.

Helen looked much like a child at Christmas having received that toy they were asking about for months on end.

It was moments like this that Nikola was reminded how much he loved being beside Helen. She had that light of discovery in her eyes as she so carefully turned one page then another. He was quite sure when they finally figured out what to do for the Source Blood she had the same light.

"Well, worthwhile trip then," Nikola whispered with a subtle kiss to Helen's temple.

"Yes," Helen nodded and smiled up at Nikola.

With a smile, Nikola turned back to the shelves to keep looking for some of the other missing artifacts of written knowledge. As he reached again a very, very slender silver band with a tiny blue gem was seen on a finger on his left hand.

As he thought he found another he swore he heard Helen Magnus-Tesla giggle.