UPDATED ON 2011/01/12.
Thanks to SnowWhite over at Gateworld for the original idea and for letting me write a fanfic around it. It started as an MSN discussion and evolved into this story! ;D It was first written in August 2010, but I just tweaked it a bit so it fitted better one the fanfic100 prompts over on LJ. The prompt was 'Triangle.'
We know that Watson and Griffin both have their books (Sherlock Holmes-Conan Doyle and The Invisible Man-HG Wells). What if they weren't the only ones?
The following conversation could happen anytime between End of Nights and Haunted, or somewhere in the future of the show, though it's tagged to the episode Sleepers. In fact, one particular line in Sleepers. "Bram Stoker? Alcoholic Irish hack. Bats, indeed." Why does Nikola hate Stoker?
Disclaimer: Not mine. Never was, never will be.
Parings: Helen/John AND Helen/Nikola, both implied.
Genre: Humor/Kinda-Romance
Rating: K+
Word count: 1444
Thanks to the awesome ClassicCouples for her awesome beta work. (Yeah, two times 'awesome' in one sentence! :D) Remaining mistakes are mine and mine only! :)
Enjoy. ^^
DRACULA
One.
Two.
Three.
Three little knocks.
He knew that was all he needed to do.
Staring back at the city behind him, he waited patiently for the large wooden door to open. He had always loved the site she chose to build her Sanctuary. It was secluded enough for it to be peaceful, yet at the same time close enough to the city to enjoy its wonders. He heard noises behind him and turned on his heels to see the door part slightly. To his delight, the one who opened it was a tall brunette with intense blue eyes and a knowing smile that always made his heart skip a beat. "Nikola, I'm glad you were able to make it," she said warmly, inviting him in.
He stepped inside. The foyer was impressive even if you had already seen it. Two large staircases led to the rooms and offices, as the corridor to his left went to the underground levels where the creatures who couldn't live by themselves were held for their own protection. "You know I wouldn't miss it for the world," he said smiling slightly, glancing in her direction as she closed the door behind him. "Is John here?"
"He will join us shortly," she said, already starting her way up the stairs.
Nikola didn't follow her right away. "Helen," he said, halting her walk, "don't I even get a 'Hello good to see you again' kiss?"
She turned right back and glared at him. "The last time I tried kissing you, you ended up kissing me." She flashed him a smile. "I'm flattered, but please, spare me this time," she added, carrying on her way to her office.
Nikola let out a sigh and, laughing to himself, he followed her inside her house.
The moment they stepped into the vast office, a red shimmer of subspace next to her caught Helen off guard. She looked, almost mesmerized, as her past-lover completed his materialization. He was a tad too close for her to be comfortable. She took a step back, breathing out. "John," she gasped, surprised to see him teleport inside. "How did you…"
"You never heard about the front door?" Nikola huffed at the man who had just appeared, interrupting her, annoyed at Druitt's early apparition. He had hoped for more time alone with the beautiful doctor.
Will came in running and froze when he saw John standing mere inches away from his boss. He could see from the look on her face that she had been startled by the abrupt entrance of Druitt. "Sorry, I should have warned you," he apologized, "but he called and asked that we lower the shield long enough for him to be able to teleport. Since I was with Henry in the lab, I agreed… Don't worry, it's already back online."
Helen rapidly composed herself, pushing back any incoherent thought made by John's intense gaze on her and holding back the shivers threatening to run through her body. John shouldn't make her react that way after all those years. "Yes, you should have told me," she said tugging at her the bottom of her blouse and pulling away from her ex-lover. She didn't trust herself when she was close to him. "This situation was completely avoidable," she directed at Will without feeling the need to precise which situation she was talking about. She considered that he knew her well enough by now. "Do you have the location I asked for?"
"Yes." He handed her the pad he was holding, glad for a change of subject. "Transylvania, Romania. People disappearing and a strange guy with bat-like traits wandering around a village have been reported. It's all over the news. Citizens are worried that someone has taken on the role of Dracula to scare people."
"Oh please, Stoker had no idea what he was doing," Nikola blurted out harshly.
"You're just upset because he died in the end," John responded with a wicked smile.
Helen closed her eyes and sighed. Were they really going to have that discussion again? She shot a look at Will, blaming him for her soon-to-be headache.
"I'm not upset. I'm outraged. He didn't deserve to die," Nikola argued.
Will raised an eyebrow. Had he known a little comment on Dracula would have heated the spirits of these two men, he wouldn't have said a thing. He knew better than that.
"Stoker saw what many didn't. He deserved his fate," John said bluntly.
Helen tried to stop their argument. "Gentlemen, please, we've been through this," she said looking from Tesla to Druitt than back at Tesla.
"Hey, you got the easy part of the story. Don't complain," Nikola shot back at her.
Magnus let out a brief breathless laugh. "Did I ever complain? We all agreed on that book. You could have said no anytime in the process."
"And ruin your joy to finally be in a novel like Watson and Griffin? Oh please, you would have hated me for the rest of my life."
"She already hates you. That's why she accepted myproposal," John said to Nikola.
"Hey Jack!" Tesla replied, turning to face Druitt directly and walking closer to him. "Had Stoker known YOU were the Ripper, you would never have gotten the girl."
"Please!" Helen shouted.
"Because leaving her with you is better?" John said incredulously.
"Both of you!" she added. They stopped arguing, turning away from one another. "It's been a hundred and twenty years. Can't you just get over it?"
"That's easy for you to say," Nikola muttered.
"Wait a minute," Will said incredulously. The three others turned to him. In their heated discussion, they had forgotten his presence in the room. The young man looked like he was still processing the previous minutes, shaken by what he had just found out. "You three," he started, not sure on how to say it, "are… Bram Stoker's Dracula?"
"No, we're not," Nikola said harshly, "but we're the inspiration for the book, yes," he added as if it were obvious. "Do you think he could have come up with a story like this on his own? Please, the man had no imagination whatsoever."
"And you didn't think about telling me this before?" Will asked Magnus in disbelief.
"It wasn't relevant," she answered. Truth was she hated being the center of a love triangle. She had never understood why Stoker had seen feelings between herself and Nikola. She had only had eyes for Druitt back then. 'What about now?' her inner voice interjected. She turned her head slightly to have both men in her sight. Nikola stood, arms-crossed, as stubborn as ever. John, a seductive smile on his face, looked over at her. Helen just sighed. Now, she sure as hell didn't want to delve on that. Far too many questions lay ahead. "Please Will, continue on with the briefing."
THE END
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