First of all you should know I wasn't really planning to write anything for this month's challenge "stargazing" because I was feeling tired after "Obsession" and I really needed a break. But it would appear my muse disagreed. So the idea of this fic was born while I was listening the song "Pieces of a dream" by Anastacia. It's just a short angsty fic. Nothing fancy, far from being my finest work. Time travel set on the 6th of January 1943.
Reviews, both positive and negative, are welcome :)
many thanks to my beta Keaira who, despite of her lack of free time, took the time to correct my work. 333
Enjoy!
It was a calm and peaceful winter night. No wind was blowing; no noise was interrupting the deep silence that had fallen over London. The sky was clearer than ever and millions of stars were shinning brightly. People trapped in their everyday life seldom forgot to look at the stars and recognize their beauty. She never did. The moonlight was dancing in her black curls. Her eyes were filled with the light coming from the stars. But light wasn't the only thing that filled her eyes that night. Frozen tears at the corner of her eyes threatened to overflow her face.
Helen Magnus was in the highest tower of the Sanctuary looking at the stars. Her tormented soul needed a break. So many things to say and so little time left. She wrapped her arms around herself to banish the cold. But it was not the winter cold the one that was taking over her heart.
Something warm was gently placed over her arms. She turned and met his gaze.
"Nikola."
"You know, you'll catch a cold if you keep sneaking around like this in the tower in the middle of the winter." He said in a cheeky tone but Helen was able to hear the trace of concern in his voice.
With a wistful smile at the corner of her mouth she turned once again to the sight she had admired just before he came.
"Isn't it beautiful?" She asked more for herself. "The sky."
But she couldn't focus anymore. She couldn't see its beauty. A fever had taken over her body.
"Helen." His voice called her name in a whisper.
"Is it everything…"
"Yes, Nikola. It's done!" She answered without letting him finish the sentence. "Tomorrow morning everybody will find out the great Nikola Tesla died of heart failure in his hotel room at the New Yorker hotel."
She didn't dare to turn and look at him. She wasn't sure she had the necessary strength to deal with this awful reality of loosing him. Struggling to control the tone of her voice, she added,
"I can still arrange for you to live in a secure location until things calm down."
The truth was that she just couldn't let him go as easily as she would have wished. Not knowing where he is or whether he is safe or not was going to be a torture in the endless nights to follow when she would struggle to fall asleep.
"I have to go alone and you know it. The fewer people know about me, the better. I don't want to endanger any of your secure locations. Or you…" His voice faded in a whisper.
She turned around and looked him in the eyes. For a moment she was able to see behind his arrogance mask. He was serious.
A sigh left Helen's chest. As much as she was bothered by his snarky attitude, she would have preferred that than seeing him so vulnerable.
God, what was she doing? Was her heart strong enough to bear his departure?
"Will I ever see you again?" She asked in a low voice while a cold tear was crawling over her hot cheek.
"I don't know." He answered raising his hand and wiping out her tear.
He then leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on her forehead, his fiery lips lingering on her skin. He took a deep breath to withhold the tears threatening to blurry his sight. She encircled him with her arms and buried her head in his chest. Uncontrollable sobs made her entire body tremble.
This was goodbye. None of them knew for how long but they both knew this was inevitable. The big clock tower in London let them know it was past of midnight.
With a huge effort Helen released Nikola from her arms grip. Though she wished that embrace would never end she also knew that was the right thing to do. But how do you let go of a friend without knowing if you'll ever get to see him again? How do you let go of the one who always was able to see in the deepest corners of your soul? How do you let go of the one you love?
As much as she had and would continue to struggle to deny it over the years, that night she knew she loved Nikola. But there was no point in admitting it now that he was leaving.
He took one step back and she had the chance to admire him for one last time. His elegant black suit, the brown tie, the white shirt, his hair, his face, his blue steel eyes, she took in every last minute detail so as to keep them fresh in her mind for the years to come in which she would miss him.
"I have to go." His voice broke the silence while his words sent frozen shivers to her bones.
"Play nice while I'm away." He said in a cheeky tone.
"I always do." She replied with a smile on her face. What Nikola didn't know was that her smile was the only thing that was stopping her from bursting into sobs.
"Goodbye, Helen." He said and placed a soft kiss on her hand for old times' sake.
She tried to answer but her throat was dry so she just kept smiling at him.
"And thank you." He completed with a bow of his head.
Placing his hand on his hip he turned around and slowly paced to the exit. In just a few moments he was gone.
Helen turned to look at the stars one more time before her sight became blurry. For more than sixty years the memory of that fateful night haunted her thoughts and tormented her mind…