Hobbit Notes: My second Halloween story! Hooray. I dedicate this to my own Mischief-makers, the devilishly devious DG and And Glitch a truly troublesome trickster. Happy All hallows e'en
Slainte!
Hobbit
Helen looked up from her paperwork as a loud clatter rang through the sanctuary. Kate and Henry burst into her office door, out of breath. Kate was laughing, but Henry looked nervous.
"Doc I think Tesla needs some help. " Henry gasped and looked to Kate who was laughing too hard to stand upright. "He is umm a little tied up."
"And not in a good way" Kate snorted. Helen sighed and stood up quickly, following her team out to the elevator as she straightened her charcoal jacket. The doors opened to reveal the resident vampire hanging upside down in a large tangle of wires.
"Helen! Thank God." Nikola smiled in relief. "The children kept on laughing and taking pictures. No help at all." Nikola said with a small growl at Kate.
Helen sighed and began untangling Nikola as he began hitting on her as usual. "Nikola what on earth were you trying to do?"
"Even at this angle you look completely flawless." Nikola grinned his lopsided smirk and Helen rolled her eyes.
"Why are you upside down in my lift shaft, tangled up in a large collection of electrical wires?" She asked as she began to pull Nikola free.
"It's Mischief night." Nikola grinned. Helen rolled her eyes and pulled one of the wires, making Nikola drop another two feet.
"Sweet Holy Mother! Helen, don't DO that!" Nikola yelped. Helen gave a triumphant grin and began untangling Nikola. "Do you remember our very first Mischief night Helen?" Nikola smiled reminiscently.
"Dear lord. You mean that time you dyed James neon green. ?" Helen laughed.
"And you put that numbing agent in John's tea. It was a week before he could talk properly againe. " Nikola reminded her, laughing fully now.
"I thought that night was going to be dull."
It was the end of October in her first year at Oxford. The school had set up a Halloween masquerade dance and everyone had talked nonstop about going for the entire month, driving Helen Magnus absolutely mad. She was young and naive, determined to prove that she belonged in Oxford and so had dedicated herself to her studies that Saturday night.
Helen was sure she was the only one not going the the ball and therefore would have no trouble getting what she wanted from the chemistry supply closet, like she had in the past. Helen gathered up the proper paperwork and double checked to make sure everything was filled out correctly. She even got her professors to sign off on it. Satisfied, she went down to the closet and showed the papers to the administrator with a confident smile, who pawed through them and shook his head.
"Sorry Miss. I can not allow you access." He replied, handing the papers back. Helen frowned and shook her head.
"Why not? I have all the forms and all the papers you gave me the last 10 times. I have all of them signed and notarized just the way you asked."
"Not alphabetized." The clerk said with a cold smile and handed the papers back. Helen turned on her heel with a growl and began marching away. She was passing by the main chemistry lab when something caught her eye, the quick movement and a flash of a brown dress coat. Curious, Helen pushed open the door and poked her head in. she recognized the young Serbian Nikola Tesla who was experimenting with different chemicals and dying test rabbits green. He washed one off and swore in Serbian then returned to the board and began reworking the equations.
"Whatever insult you come to hurl at me, get it over with and be on your way." Nikola sighed in his careful English. "I am very busy."
"I didn't come to insult you. I came in.. " Helen hesitated at the door and stepped in, smoothing her crimson dress. "I thought I was the only one who wasn't at the ball."
"You are the woman they all talk about. Miss Magnus who is in class here."
Helen nodded and watched the long, skilled fingers measure out the elements. "You are the Serbian here under the special scholarship. Why are you dying the rabbits green?"
Nikola made a face and wrinkled his nose. "This other student tried to get back at me. I proved him wrong. James Watson put a snake down my jacket to frighten me. " He sighed and tried the new dye on the rabbit. "I thought I would get him back by turning him green, but the dyes won't stick."
Helen looked over the notes on the chalkboard carefully. "You need an Oxidizing agent compound." She said, carefully writing it out and sighed "But the foreman of the chemistry closet won't let us get the supplies we need."
Nikola smiled Mischievously and lead Helen to a small window "That is because you went through the proper channels." He winked and slipped through the window, helping Helen out and leading her to another widow close by. "Beauty before brains... though you seem to have both." He grinned. Helen blushed lightly and slipped into the window, looking around in wonder. "How clever." she smiled and helped Nikola through the window.
"They would not let me in here either. They do not like me because I am not an English chap." Nikola smiled and looked around the chemistry supply closet. Helen nodded in approval and looked at the shelves. "So is that why you are not at the Halloween Mask?" She asked with understanding. Nikola nodded.
"Parties are not my thing." Nikola shrugged. " And nobody wanted me there. No one ever wants me about."
Helen smiled in understanding and took his hand. "I would like to have you around. I've seen your work and you are very intelligent."
"I have heard of you as well, Miss Magnus." Nikola smiled "You will go on to be a wondrous doctor."
Helen pulled down the supplies she needed for her class assignment and handed Nikola the proper chemical compounds. "This should work for bonding that green dye."
"Speaking of bonding..." Nikola said thoughtfully, pulling down a strong adhesive. "I can use this on Nigel. He scared away all the pigeons. I must pay him back. Mischief night seems the perfect opportunity."
"Mischief night? Isn't that a little bit immature?" Helen laughed. "I mean we are responsible adults. College students even. Dare I say the Elite?"
"I would certainly think so." Nikola smiled with an evil glint in his steel blue eyes. " But I hardly think just because we are the most brilliant geniuses to grace this fine establishment, does not mean we can't have fun. "
Helen smiled deviously and pulled out a bottle of benzocaine "Well perhaps a little of this in his morning tea will stop John Druit from always going on about how women don't belong in Oxford."
"Benzocaine? Wouldn't that numb his tongue?" Nikola asked with a tilt of his head.
"A strong one." Helen nodded with an evil smile. "I think that's everything."
Nikola placed all the supplies in a small basket and pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and filled out the supplies they took. Helen recognized it as the same paperwork the clerk refused her.
"Why do you come in through the window if you have all the papers?" Helen asked. Nikola shook his head.
"The man who keeps all the supplies. That- Clerk. He pretends I speak bad English."
"But your English is very good" Helen exclaimed as she climbed back out the window.
"I know." Nikola replied rather arrogantly. "It is this despicable accent. I hate it. I will be rid of it one day."
"I rather like it." Helen smiled as they walked back to the classroom.
Nikola smiled and looked at the items in the basket. "I suppose we should get you back. You will want to look nice for the Masquerade tonight."
Helen shook her head. "I'm not going to the dance. I have so much work to get through. "
Nikola smiled and took her hand timidly. "Perhaps we can study together then?"
Helen nodded and gave his hand a light squeeze. "I would like that. and maybe we could sit together in class tomorrow?"
"Yes please. No one else will sit with me. But we must sit in the corner table. It is the only one with a view of the pond." Nikola said with a tantalizing smile.
Although still puzzled by his choice of seating, the next morning found Helen far from her usual spot at the front of the classroom. Instead, she slipped into a seat in the back by the small dingy window. Nikola slid into the seat next to her with a light grin and pointed to the pond, where a small group of pigeons were gathered.
Helen turned and nudged Nikola as John Druit and a lime green James Watson entered the room.
"-Dun' know wha happened" John said perplexed and opened his mouth wide to feel his tongue. "I' wath fine dis morning when I woke up bu' affer 'ea I couldn 'alk"
James shook his head. "I know Nikola is behind this somehow. But the only one who approached you at all was that woman." James shot Helen a suspicious glare. John shook his head.
"A woman?" John half laughed. "Impossible, they dun' have the cunning."
James huffed shortly and took his seat. "All I know is I am going to be extra careful about letting Tesla near my shower. "
Helen snickered and looked at Nikola. "Well done." Nikola frowned and looked about.
"But where is Nigel? I was hoping to really put him in his place." Nikola grinned crookedly at the pun.
Helen smiled back, deciding she could get quite used to his grin. He pouted a moment later as the teacher walked in and told the class to settle.
"Today we shall learn about compound Elements and the bonding qualities of carbon." the professor drolled out and pulled aside the partition in front of the chalkboard. "You will find all the notes you need on the board. Please copy them-" the collective gasp of the classroom made the professor turn to see Nigel Griffin, naked and glued to the blackboard.
"Dear heavens." Watson and Druit ran forward to help him down. "What happened who would do this dear boy?"
"It had to be Tesla. He is always giving me a hard time." Griffin snarled and tried to get down.
"Couldn't be. I saw him just before breakfast, talking to John." James pointed out. Nikola smirked arrogantly. Helen Stifled a grin as the only reason Nikola was talking to John was to keep him distracted so she could douse his tea.
"But don't worry, We will find out old boy." James promised Nigel.
"They never did figure out it was us... well you. But the Basic idea was mine." Nikola smiled and looked at Helen as she finished untangling him.
Helen sighed and looked at the huge pile of wires with a shake of her head. "You never told him it was me. Why?"
"Oh Helen, I could never do that. I have too much respect for you. Even back then, I knew you were the smartest one in the room. Besides me I mean" Nikola smiled and connected the last 2 wires together. "All done. shall we?"
Helen took the arm her vampire comrade proffered and rolled her eyes. Nikola just gave that sideways smirk of his that made Helen's heart flutter. But she was not about to let him know that.
"This had better not ruin my sanctuary, Nikola." Helen growled. "I trust you recall the havoc wrecked when you set loose a Praxian nanite loose?"
Nikola pouted and shook his head. "That was your doing and this is completely different." Nikola lead Helen out to the front of the underground sanctuary and clicked the remote he was carrying. Instantly the entire building lit up with bright red lights spelling out
I LOVE YOU HELEN MAGNUS, WILL YOU MARRY ME?
Helen felt her jaw drop and it was several long minutes before she found her voice again. "Nikola is this some kind of a joke?" she asked, turning to the Vampire who now had a wide, almost delirious smile. He pulled out a small black box and dropped to one knee.
"I have never been so serious in all my life." Nikola smiled and opened the box, revealing an antique ring. It was an intricate band of white gold with a large pink rose in the middle.
"Nikola It's beautiful" Helen gasped as he put the ring on her finger and gave her knuckles a light kiss.
"Glad you love it Helen but I still need an answer"
"Can I keep the ring if I say no?" Helen smiled and admired the ring. Nikola s face fell.
"Helen that- that...you're joking aren't you?" Nikola sighed as Helen began laughing.
"Yes Nikola. I know you will always make me happy. " Helen nodded and entwined her fingers with his.
"Happy Mischief night." Nikola smiled and pulled her close for a kiss.
Helen rolled her eyes. "Nikola every night with you is mischief night."