Nikola stood at the window of his apartment in Old City. She would no doubt be flitting about the place as she always did, feeding the Abnormals, or something of a similar ilk. He looked up at the clock; it was 6.15. He knew he didn't sleep much, being Sanguine Vampiris, but even so, he'd only been asleep for an hour. His thoughts never seemed to stray far from her lately. His gaze returned to the window. As the snow fell, it dawned on him that today was Christmas Day. Not that he believed in all that nonsense, but he knew that once it meant something to him. Before the Five, before the Source Blood, before he had become so cynical, back when it was just the two of them.
His mind drifted to their very first Christmas together. They had met at Oxford at the start of the semester, and were instantly inseperable. She was brighter than any of the men in the class, and she was simply auditing. When she'd asked him to spend Christmas with her and her father, he had been only too happy to oblige her. He had already realised that he could never deny this beautiful woman anything.
That Christmas morning would forever be etched in his mind. They had spent hours in her father's courtyard, despite there being over a foot of snow on the ground. She had insisted that they wrap up warmly, even though he was used to far more treacherous wreathing in his native Serbia. Never the less, Nikola could still recall now the distinct shade of pink that graced her alabaster cheek, and the way a lose strand of hair fell in front of her face as she knelt down to make a snowball. It would miss his head, by mere inches, and he could still hear her laugh. It hadn't mattered to them that she had missed then, and it didn't matter to him now. All he had seen was her.
Nikola leant up against the tree in the middle of the courtyard. He sat watching her as she frolicked in the snow, her blonde curls bouncing as she walked towards him. She lost her footing and fell against him. His arm slipped around her waist protectively, making sure that she didn't fall. Their gazes locked, and for a moment, Nikola wasn't sure that having her so close was a good idea, but as he felt her lips pressed against his, he let himself go. He kissed her back, pulling her closer to him. In response, he felt her leather-gloved hand tangle itself in his hair, which sent shivers down his spine.
When they broke away from one another, Nikola looked at her incredulously. He was waiting for the moment where he woke up, but the moment never came. He could feel her beneath his hands, and knew that no dream could be that vivid. Every day he was learning more and more about this beautiful woman, and he didn't think he would ever feel this way about anyone. Her head tilted upwards, and he followed suit. Nikola smirked. She really was something else. Hanging from a branch of the tree was a bunch of mistletoe. "Merry Christmas Niko," she whispered, bringing her lips mere inches from his. He wouldn't waste an instant of this stolen moment with her. He closed the gap between their lips, and kissed her senseless.
Nikola growled as he pushed the memory away. His fondest memory was followed by his most painful one. They had kissed for hours, until it grew too cold for them to be outside any longer, and he thought he might expire from happiness. The next day couldn't have been more painful for him. When he had tried to greet her with a kiss, she had pushed him away. Although they still remained friends, Nikola Tesla had never forgiven Helen Magnus for breaking his heart.