Frayed At The Seams

by ZaraShade

Carentan, with Nikola. '"What about us, Helen?" he snapped, "Did everything we said, we did, did all those words unravel along with the time dilation field too?"'

Hello my beloveds, alas I know I should be updating some other stuff but this idea would not leave me alone. It's one chapter, so it's complete.

The basic premise is that Nikola was in Carentan with Helen and Will. The idea for this fic I give complete credit to The-White-Dove, who has inspired more ideas than I know what to do with! This story would not be in existence otherwise, so thank you my dear!

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Frayed At The Seams

Carentan, Day 40

It was dark outside, the creeping darkness bringing with it an evening chill. Helen pulled her cardigan closer about her body. She'd been in situations with far worse conditions than these. But, still, the feeling of complete helplessness had settled over the three of them just as chillingly as the nippy evening air.

It had been too long since they'd left. Too long since either one of them had come up with a possible solution and she was afraid they would not. At least not in time to save Will from the bitterness that came from so many lost days, years even. They had all fallen into habits here and that was what scared her the most – growing comfortable. For once one had grown accustomed, slipping so easily into routines; one slowly forgets the old ones.

When it came down to it, she and Nikola were essentially immortal. They could spend countless lifetimes in Carentan and still emerge looking the same. But Will could spend his life here. It felt as though she had losing her grip on reality, on their reality.

Yet, still, they were adapting slowly and surely without any of them really noticing. When they had first arrived, they'd worked tirelessly to find a solution. It was just another of the messy situations of which members of the Sanctuary often found themselves in. They'd commandeered use of Ravi's lab – a room that stirred chilling memories for Helen – and taken over his research. Many days and nights had been spent with papers strewn out over the bench to the floor, Helen sitting cross-legged on the rug as Nikola paced. Will would join them, but half of the research he couldn't understand, nor could be truly keep up with their discussion.

They'd gone on like this for a while, furiously working through fruitless solution after solution. Will slipped into the job Big Guy (and indeed often James before him many years ago) had. He would coax them out of the lab for fresh air, bring them food and tea, and ensure they slept at least a little bit.

This is how they went on day after day, all the while as time on the outside crept by. That was, until the day when everything changed for them.

Helen seemed to have walked back into their make-shift office at the most inopportune, or perhaps opportune, time. Nikola let out a frustrated growl and knocked the contents of the table off of it in one sweeping motion. She wouldn't have been particularly adverse to working from the floor, something she found herself often doing, only that those papers were now mixed up with the others that had been on the ground. Without a computer, they had to be much more careful with filing. She briefly mused it rather resembled some of their work stations at Oxford when they'd been onto something.

"Nikola," she said, softly.

He turned to her, eyes black and claws extended, his chest was heaving. She had long since stopped being frightened of the mere sight of him in all his vampiric rage, but it was still magnificent and never ceased to increase her heart rate just that little bit.

"Forty days, Helen!" was all he said by way of explanation. "No computers, no electricity, not even a goddamned slide-rule!"

Even in their youth, Nikola had not been content with the lack of technology presented to them by their society. He had always striven to improve it, to build it, to develop. He was a visionary, always wanting to revolutionise the way they did things. It was so deeply ingrained in him she knew it was killing him to revert back to a time when candle-light and parchment reigned.

"I know," she said, "I know. We're all frustrated, Nikola."

"Frustrated?" he scoffed, "Frustrated, Helen? Frustrated was spending a few weeks here trapped in an unknown time bubble. Frustrated was having to deal with a bunch of small town people poking their curious little heads in. Frustrated was having to deal with Wilhelm's pathetic attempts to keep up in our brainstorms. Frustrated was weeks ago, Helen."

She barely flinched as he launched into his tirade. Her eyes had been glued to him as he ranted, transfixed as he paced back and forth, but somehow making a jagged beeline to where she stood. She supposed it was what they always did in a way. Somehow they did always end up together, despite the bizarre zigzagging it took to get there.

"Bloody hell, Nikola," Helen ground out, her tone still soft but now fiercely low, "I know."

That made him pause, his eyes widening for a fraction of a second. The brief flicker of emotions caused them to dilute back to their grey-blue state. Satisfied that he was relatively calm now, she reached out and placed a soothing hand on his cheek.

"I, more than anyone, know exactly how you feel, Nikola," she said.

They were both geniuses who thrived on technology after all, on adventure. Stuck in a tiny village for weeks, months, on end was driving both – two people who had always seemed to get into trouble – stir crazy.

He let out a breath, his form fully human again.

"I think I may end up killing something or someone if we're here for much longer," he said. "My preference is Huggybear – or that little wench who follows him around, what's her face?"

"Josie," Helen clarified with a soft smile. He was speaking in a light tone now, jokingly. But the words held more meaning. Yes, both Helen and Nikola were likely to go crazy cooped up here. It was only a matter of time before one of them – or perhaps both – snapped and lost it.

"Just remember, Nikola," she said, softly now, "I'm...I'm here."

His eyes met hers and held them for a long moment. Her heart was beating so violently in her chest she was sure he could hear it, vampiric senses aside.

She'd missed him. Not just because their respective work often left them in different parts of the world, but even when they were together they weren't really. There was always some disaster, some crisis to avert. The world always seemed to be falling apart about them, the onus on them to lift it back up.

"Perhaps we should take this as an opportunity," he finally said.

His right hand reached forward toward her before pausing halfway in the space between them. It hovered there bizarrely for a few long seconds before he bridged the distance and grasped her hand.

"I've missed you," he said, taking a step closer to her as their fingers threaded together. Helen's eyes fluttered shut.

"I've missed you too, Niko," she said, "More than you know."

He lifted his other hand, his finger tips trailing lightly up her arm before coming to rest gently on her neck. She arched her neck, craving his touch with an intensity that almost frightened her.

"I'm a fool, Helen," he said, "I should have told you this so long ago but -,"

"Ssh," she hushed him, tears prickling her eyes, "Please don't say it, Nikola. Just...be here."

He dropped her hand and she was briefly sad for the loss until he wrapped both arms around her, pulling her into his embrace. She clung to him with the desperation of one deprived of affection for far too long.

She needed him right now, but she was afraid that this little world was too detached from reality. That once they figured out a way home everything would change, that nothing between them would change and she didn't think her heart could handle it. Not with the sudden attachment it seemed to have found in Nikola, responding to his presence.

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Day 72

Helen let out a little huff and dropped the writing implement to the table. Another possible solution proved useless. She didn't want to think about what would happen when they'd run through all of their possibilities. She couldn't accept it.

"As we suspected?" Nikola said from behind her. She wasn't sure when he'd entered the room, but nodded nonetheless, turning to him. "We'll think of something else. Come, it's been too long since you left this room, ljubav."

"But if I just -," she said.

"Helen," Nikola replied firmly. She sighed and rolled her head to get the nicks out of her neck. She hadn't realised how long she'd been sitting in the same position until she'd moved and her whole body had ached in protest.

"You've changed your tune," she commented dryly as she met him by the door, his arm automatically falling to its favoured place on the small of her back.

"I've merely come to appreciate what this place has to offer," he said. She eyed him suspiciously.

Nikola's list of complaints about Carentan was long enough to span the entire perimeter of the place itself – which had become another of his complaints. Near the top were the town's lack of wine, and the irritating 'small town' people.

"By which you mean you have me mostly to yourself?" she guessed.

"You have to admit," he grinned, "Not having a Sanctuary crisis to deal with every few hours is relaxing."

"You seem to be forgetting the small issue of figuring out a way to reverse the time dilation field," she said as they came to the building's exit. He waved a hand.

"Semantics," he said, "Anyway, I was thinking we could take a walk after dinner. It'll be just like when we used to walk through the Oxford gardens; only smaller, in France, and without that delectable crimson dress of yours that was low-cut enough to give the most sumptuous view of cleavage."

"Cheeky," she muttered. "But a walk does sound lovely, as does food. I can't remember the last time I ate..."

"Nor can I," Nikola admitted, "Which is why I decided it was time to brave the lion's den to drag you away from your work." She fixed him with a sharp glare. "Even I'm not safe from your wrath when interrupting you working."

"You're in an awfully saucy mood this evening," she said, shaking her head as they entered the building where most of the villagers took their meals. Communal dining had become a practice in the village long before they had arrived. In such a small community, it was important to have activities as such to keep spirits up and ensure no one became isolated.

They ate with Ravi and his wife, soon joined by a few of the others. Many of the villagers were still wary of the newcomers who worked so mysteriously in the bunker day after day. Not to mention, Nikola's usual effect on people tended to make sure it took them longer to warm to him.

Ravi had been giving them knowing looks seemingly at every touch between them. He was very astute. He'd noticed almost immediately when their relationship had shifted. Though they still hadn't openly come out and said anything, it was assumed they were a couple to the villagers. Helen suspected it had been assumed since the beginning regardless. It hadn't helped that Nikola had threatened to kill any man who took more than a passing glance of interest at her.

They strolled close to the perimeter of the time-bubble after their meal, as they often did. It was as though they were both itching to break out, and thus subconsciously always ended up walking near the edge of their little prison. Neither of them was the type of person who did well in confinement. Even in their youth they'd yearned to break free of the constraints society had put upon them.

"It's quite nice out here," she commented as they walked slowly.

"Helen," he said, his tone low and serious.

"Mmm?" she said, trying to sound absent.

"Helen," he repeated.

He'd stopped walking and she had no choice but to stop too and face him.

"I thought we agreed not to talk about this, Nikola?" she said, sensing what was coming.

"God damnit, Helen!" he exclaimed, "You can't keep me at arm's length forever! I'm here, I'm real, I have emotions too – despite what you may think! You've grown so used to keeping people out, you don't know how to let anyone in."

"Don't be so melodramatic, Nikola," she snapped in annoyance. "You're being paranoid."

"Oh really?" he challenged, "Then, enlighten me, why is every time I try to speak seriously with you, you brush me aside like some lackey?"

She bit her lip, anger warring with sadness as she saw the hurt in his eyes.

"What am I to you, Helen?" he said, "Because you sure as hell have been avoiding addressing the issue. Am I just convenient? Would you have fallen into bed with anyone just because they were trapped here with you?"

Her hand acted of its own accord as it connected with his cheek, more as a matter of principle than anything. He grabbed her wrist to stop her from slapping him again and stared with an intense fury at her. Her chest was heaving and she let out a small sob.

"How dare you say that, Nikola?" she said, voice wavering too much for her comfort, "How could you even think that?"

"You're the least forthcoming, frustrating, infuriating woman, Helen," he said, almost scoffing. "How could I think anything else? You show no interest in me in the outside world for over a hundred years and then we're trapped in a time-bubble of which we may never escape and suddenly you want me? What conclusions should I have drawn?"

He dropped her wrist and took a few steps away from her, as though he couldn't bear to be so close to her.

"But you know what?" he continued, hand on hip, "I put up with the doubts because I've loved you for so damned long and...and even having you because you had no other choice was better than not being with you."

Helen bit her lip and willed the tears not to fall. His voice sounded so hollow. Had she really made him so bitter, had she really treated him so badly?

She closed her eyes. He loved her. Bloody hell, she was an idiot. She'd been holding him at arm's length, far enough away not to hurt her heart, for all this time because she'd been terrified it was only the time-bubble that they were responding to. That had been what she'd been telling herself anyway because she was a bloody coward. She'd known he'd loved her, how could she not have? She'd just been so terrified of being hurt she had convinced herself he was the bastard everyone else saw him as.

"Nikola," she took a step toward him.

"I could pretend to be angry with you, Helen," he blazed, turning to face her with such force it almost caused her to physically stumble backward, "but I know I can't refuse you. You infuriating, endlessly maddening, wonderful woman."

"Nikola," she tried to break through his tirade, but he seemed to be on some sort of unstoppable rant as all of his pent up emotions bubbled forth and spilt out. She watched him in slight growing amusement as he continued on. She'd have to scold him later for some of the more colourful adjectives he was employing to describe her. But right now she didn't care.

"Bloody hell, Nikola!" she said in exasperation, "I'm trying to tell you I love you and all you can do is rant!"

He stopped, freezing almost comically on the spot in his pacing, his hands poised mid gesticulation. His head turned to her slowly and his wide eyes fell to hers.

"Please tell me that wasn't just another of your creative methods to ensure I stop talking?" he said, weakly. She laughed and shook her head. He grinned, closing the gap between them within seconds. Their lips were so close now, agonizingly so.

"Just tell me that this is real, Nikola," she breathed, "Just tell me it will still be real when we leave."

"Always, ljubav," he returned, "Always."

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Day 123

"I don't believe it!" Will yelled.

"Please, lower your voice, William," Helen said, coolly. "I do not wish to make a scene."

"Oh, this was a scene the moment you and Tesla decided to play house!" Will returned, scathingly.

Helen stood calmly as Will's rage directed itself at her. They were all on short fuses now days. It had been over a hundred days, and the hope of going home was slowly slipping away from them, like grains of sand through their finger-tips.

"At first I turned a blind eye," Will continued, pacing back and forth in a manner almost amusingly similar to Nikola (not that mentioning that to him now would really be a wise idea). They were standing outside the building that housed their lab, the occasional villager giving them curious looks as they spoke in not-so-hushed tones.

"I didn't even let myself see it for a long while because maybe I didn't want to believe it," he said, "But bloody hell, Magnus!" He used one of her favoured expressions in his frustration, much to her amusement.

The young man had been diligently ignoring any display of overt affection between his boss and the vampire for weeks now, refusing to acknowledge the budding relationship. However, it was harder to deny it even to oneself when stumbling upon the pair of them in an alarmingly intimate position in the middle of the lab. Helen was sorry Will had to witness that, but maybe it was what he had needed to open his eyes and accept it.

"Will, I'm truly sorry you saw that," Helen said. "It was careless and inconsiderate of Nikola and I when we know you use the lab too. I assure you, we will not be so insensitive in future."

Will gawked at her for a long moment.

"Is that all you have to say?" he said accusingly, as though he half expected her to jump to her own defence in her relationship with Nikola.

"What more do you want me to say, Will?" she remained calm.

"You could maybe tell me what the hell you're thinking!" he said. "I mean its Tesla, Magnus! Tesla. The guy is a class A jerk on a good day!"

Her anger simmered dangerously.

"We may be lax in formalities in our current situation," she hissed, "But it will do you good to remember who it is you are speaking to, Dr Zimmerman."

"Magnus I..." he said, his own behaviour seeming to settle in, "I'm sorry I just..."

"We're all tense, Will," she said by way of forgiveness, brushing off his outbursts.

"And you...you've found a way of relieving all that tension?" he said, slyly.

"Cheeky bloody monkey," she said, grinning. Will smiled too. He may not like the guy, but Magnus's relationship with Tesla had always been bizarre and one none of them could really understand. It wasn't worth losing her over.

"Look, Magnus," he said, "I don't like the guy. But...if it makes you happy." She smiled, touched by his words, said almost shyly.

"Thank you, Will," she said, "Your opinion means much more to me than you think. I am aware that you do not particularly like Nikola, he is an acquired taste. But I am one of the lucky few who has seen a side to him that not many get to."

"If you say so," Will said, sceptical.

"Well we have plenty of time," she said, jokingly, "What better opportunity for the two of you to get better acquainted!"

"Funny, Magnus," he said. She winked. "You are kidding though, right?" She grinned, patting him on the shoulder before walking back inside. "Magnus?"

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Day 201

Helen couldn't help but giggle as Nikola stumbled rather ungracefully, causing a dramatic flurry of papers to swirl to the ground around in like a literate snow-storm. His choice of curse words was a mix of Serbian and English as he glared at the offending wire that had tripped him up. It wasn't long before Will hadn't been able to prevent his own laughter, simply because of Helen's utter jubilation. Nikola glared at both of them as he picked himself up off the floor.

"You are both horrible, horrible people," he uttered.

"The great Nikola Tesla, inventor of radio," Helen said, trying to quell her laughter but not really succeeding, "Tripped up by a radio wire."

She and Will were unable to stop themselves from dissolving into another bout of laughter.

"Are the pair of you high?" Nikola said darkly, brushing off his jumper. He'd been forced to wear home-made clothes since coming here. He'd clung onto his suit for as long as he could before Helen had forcibly prised its fraying form away from him.

"Not as far as I can tell," Helen said, faux-solemnly, a twinkle in her eye.

"We could always try and grow something," Will offered.

"In a little garden outside," Helen agreed.

"Now you're just teasing me," Nikola frowned.

"We would never dream of it, darling," Helen soothed, patting his cheek. Nikola frowned. This dynamic was reminding him a little too much of all the times Helen and James had ganged up on him. Will chuckled, shaking his head.

"If the genius tripping on the wire was supposed to be a sign," Will said, "I'm going to take it as a message to get out of the lab and eat."

"An excellent proposition," Helen said, "Care to join us, Nikola? Or would you rather sulk for a little while longer in here?"

Nikola shot her a dark look, one that indeed showed he was sulking.

"I do not sulk," he insisted.

"Could have fooled me," Will said. Nikola frowned but followed his pair of tormentors out to rustle up some nourishment.

Sometime later, as they sat at an outside bench eating, Ravi approached.

"There are the three people I was searching for," the old man said. "I checked the lab but you weren't there."

"Our stomachs dictated we take a break," Helen said, "Not to mention certain other signs." She looked to Nikola in amusement, who sighed dramatically and pouted.

"A few of the young ones have decided the village needs some fun," Ravi said. Helen quirked a brow and he chuckled. "I am well aware your definition of fun is not the most conventional, Helen." Everyone was well aware Helen Magnus would rather spend her time chasing down dangerous abnormals. "But I am speaking on fun in the colloquial sense." He winked.

"What, pray tell," Helen said, "Does said 'fun' entail?"

"A bonfire," Ravi said, "On the outskirts of town this evening. Food, dance, drinking..."

"By drinking," Nikola piped up, "I assume you mean the pitiful moonshine these villagers consider alcohol?"

"Yes," Ravi said, "I'm afraid despite our location in France, we are still unable to find any good vintages."

"Ignore him," Helen said, "he's in a sour mood."

"As always," Will added for good measure.

Helen smirked, but squeezed Nikola's hand. She was sure he was pouting despite the fact she was not looking at him. They were being quite taunting of him today after all.

They ended up not returning to the lab that afternoon but, instead, helping the others prepare for the evening's festivities. It was a feat Helen found herself enjoying far more than she had expected. She had half thought herself to be itching to go back to her lab and work, but soon found herself forgetting all about it and relaxing. As the evening progressed, she found herself doing so even more.

They'd joined the villagers in feasting and drinking (even Helen persuaded Nikola to partake in moonshine – all it had taken was a wide-eyed look and a pout). She'd even dragged him up to dance for a while. He'd grumbled and whined but she knew he'd always enjoyed dancing. When she'd prodded him, telling him this, he'd smiled wistfully and said 'I only enjoyed it because I was dancing with you'.

Hours later, Helen had melted into Nikola's arms by the fire as they watched the young, energetic set dance. She found herself lost in the sensation of Nikola's fingers running up and down her arms as he held her close.

Her lips twitched upwards as she watched Will 'dance' around the bonfire. Perhaps she should have warned him to moderate in his consumption of the homemade alcoholic drink.

"Young Wilhelm is dancing with what's-her-face," Nikola commented.

"Josie," Helen corrected idly, despite that fact that she knew Nikola knew the girl's name, he only pretended he didn't.

"Whatever," he said. "Anything I should know?"

"They're just friends," Helen commented absently.

"Would you know if they were more?" Nikola said, curiously. He knew Helen was friends with her protege, but wondered just how much the pair confided in each other.

"You know," she smirked, "You pretend not to care but -,"

"Don't you dare complete that blasphemous little sentence, Miss Magnus!" Nikola said, clapping a hand over her mouth gently. She grabbed his hand to prise it away, laughing.

"Nikola!" she said, turning in his arms to half-face him. He was grinning.

Will, having waved a hand saying he was worn out, leaving Josie and the others to continue dancing, stumbled back toward where Magnus and Tesla sat. Something made him pause, however, and watch them. They were sitting in an undeniably close position that screamed of intimacy, as though reflecting the close bond the two shared. It wasn't this in itself that struck Will. In the past few weeks he'd seen them share affectionate little gestures, as Magnus grew more comfortable with the idea of Will himself knowing he suspected – something that had given him comfort, knowing it meant she trusted him. But, now, as he watched them speak softly, laughing intimately, and Nikola clapping a hand over her mouth, something caused his chest to become tight.

He clenched his jaw, shaking his head, and turning, storming away from the main group a little into the trees. Evidently, Magnus had seen his face darken dramatically before he'd stalked off as she frowned, extricating herself from her lover's arms and standing to chase after him.

"Will!" Magnus said.

Will only stopped when he'd reached a small clearing amidst the trees, far enough from the main group not to be heard.

"Will, what's wrong?" Magnus said, coming close and stopping in front of her colleague and friend.

"What's wrong?" Will exclaimed, "Everything is wrong, Magnus! Everything!"

She frowned.

"I don't understand," she said, it was a rarity to hear those words from her lips, he almost laughed. "Everything seemed to be going so well these past few weeks."

"That's just it," Will said, waving his hands about furiously. "Its all be so cosy."

It had too, the tension and frustration they'd been feeling seemed to have been lessened in recent weeks. Will was no longer uncomfortable in Nikola's presence, no longer annoyed when he saw the vampire with Magnus. He'd come to accept it, to accept them. The three of them had even managed to get along well enough now. That was what worried him now. It was all becoming far too comfortable. Watching the utter look of content on Magnus's face before near the bonfire had struck him. He hadn't seen her so happy in a long so, so purely content.

"I thought you were alright with Nikola and my relationship now," she said, misinterpreting his concern. He looked at her, wide-eyed with fear and, what scared her more, resignation.

"Has it ever occurred to you that we may not solve this problem in my life-time?" he spoke the words she'd been trying not to think about for two-hundred days.

"You and Tesla, you're both essentially immortal," Will continued, "You have time. But me, I have one life-time, Magnus – the remainder of which may be spent trapped here."

Helen met his eyes with sadness and sympathy. How could she comfort him when what he was saying was essentially true? She and Nikola were practically immortal, they could spend ten life-times trying to solve this and still emerge as physically youthful as when they had entered. But Will would age, his time had a limit.

"I know, Will," she said softly.

"Then I see... I see you sitting there with him," Will said, "We're all growing too comfortable here, Magnus. Like we're giving in. And I don't have the luxury of giving in."

Will shook his head sadly.

"I'm going to go to bed, I don't feel like celebrating anymore," he said, rubbing his chin.

Helen watched him walk away. She couldn't comfort him. She couldn't say anything that would make him feel better because the truth was he was right, and she felt so damned guilty. She felt responsible. He followed her, after all, always had and she had led him right into this.

"It's not your fault," Nikola said. She wasn't sure when he'd approached, but she was fairly certain he'd been hovering at a respectable distance for a while – just to make sure she was alright.

"But he's right," Helen sighed, "And I have a duty to him, to Ravi, to all these people to do my best to help them."

"Are you saying you regret...us?" Nikola said, carefully. She turned to him, eyes seeking his.

"Of course not, Nikola," she said, "I could never regret us...just, we have to make sure we don't allow ourselves to become too distracted."

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Day 234

She supposed she really should have picked up on this one immediately, being a doctor and all. Having been a practicing doctor for over a hundred years, one would think so anyway. Perhaps her subconscious hadn't wanted to see it though.

"Hey, Magnus," Will said, snapping her out of her reverie. She coughed, appropriately embarrassed. That was the third time he'd caught her in a day-dream today after all.

"I'm sorry, Will," she said, "I don't know what has prompted my head to drift so readily into the clouds today." That was a lie.

"You have been in here for three days," Will said, with a shrug. He was concerned, though. He'd never seen Magnus so flighty, it was a little bit off-putting. "Anyway, I said I'm going to go and take the energy readings with Josie."

"Oh, of course," she said. "Have fun."

"Always," Will grinned. She smiled.

"You have been quite distracted of late, ljubav," Nikola commented.

"Dear God, Niko," she said, almost jumping at his appearance, "I do wish you would desist in your habit of lurking. It is most disconcerting."

"Please," he smirked, sidling up to her, "You love it."

"Oh, of course," she said, "I cannot think of anything more appealing than a vampire who skulks in dark corners just waiting for the opportune time to jump out at me."

"See?" he said. She rolled her eyes affectionately.

"I have not been distracted," she frowned.

"How come Huggybear is allowed to bring it up and I'm not?" Nikola said.

"He didn't bring it up, not that there is anything to bring up," Helen said.

"Minor details, Helen, my love," Nikola waved a hand. "Am I not allowed to show concern for you?"

"Not if you coddle me," she crossed her arms. "I know you have a tendency to do so, Nikola, but I will not have you fussing about me protectively. Especially not if it involves insistence I cut back on work – particularly in the later months. James did the exact same thing years ago -,"

"Helen, moja ljubav," Nikola said, grabbing her shoulders, "I may be a genius, but even I have no clue as to what you are speaking of."

Realising she'd jumped the gun a bit, she had been so deep in thought before, she smiled sheepishly.

"I was talking about in the later months of the pregnancy," she offered.

"Well I don't..." he began, but then his eyes widened. She could have laughed at the emotions flickering amusingly across his face. "Pregnant, Helen?"

"Yes, I am," she said.

"But...I..." he said. She laughed softly then.

"Nikola Tesla, rendered speechless," she teased, "I seem to have finally achieved a goal I set myself at Oxford."

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Day 257

"My God, Nikola," Helen growled, "I promise you if you tell me to sit down one more time I am going to build a gun just so I can shoot you with it."

"That's not a very loving thing to say to the father of your child, Helen," Nikola said. Oh how she wanted to hurt him right now.

"How are the parents to be?" Will said, overly enthusiastically as he and Ravi came into the lab.

"Well, Helen is in a homicidal mood this fine morning," Nikola said. "So, not really a change for her, but I'm fine."

"Nikola, darling, come closer so I can hit you would you?" she said, sweetly. Will and Ravi chuckled and shook their heads.

Ever since finding out she was pregnant, Helen felt like a carnival attraction. Apparently, there hadn't been a baby born in a while and so this baby was treasured in the village. Still, she was quite touched when Ravi's wife, Anna, had knitted her a tiny outfit for the baby. She said she knew it was still early, but they were all quite excited about the child. Not only that, but Anna had also started to insist Helen eat ridiculous portions of food to keep the baby growing healthily.

"Aren't you supposed to take energy readings this morning with Josie?" Helen frowned at Will. He nodded.

"Yep, just on my way," he said, "Wanted to grab my mittens first. It's getting cold."

Will grabbed the items before waving a quick goodbye.

"Speaking of the dropping temperature," Ravi said, "Anna wanted to tell you that she will be ensuring you have ample protection from the chill."

"Then I shall thank her when I see her," Helen said, "Though I still feel uncomfortable being so fussed over."

"It is an exciting time when a baby is born here," Ravi said, "It is good for us to treat it as such."

Helen inclined her head in defeat.

"I think I shall join Will and Josie in taking the energy readings this morning," Ravi said,
"I feel like a walk."

"We'll see you later then," Helen said.

"Why does everyone always assume we need to be alone all the time?" Nikola commented in amusement, "I mean, not that I'm complaining, merely observing. It's as though they think because we made a baby we're going to jump each other at any given moment."

"Nikola," she smirked, "I don't think I can honestly argue with that summation."

"I said I was sorry for the time Wilhelm walked in on us," Nikola defended, she gave him a look, "and for the time Josie did...and Ravi...and Anna."

"As much as I should like to," Helen conceded, "I cannot fault you alone for all of those occurrences. I am as much to blame for most of them. I did want to speak to you about a sensitive topic regardless."

"A sensitive topic, why Helen Magnus are you trying to seduce me?" he teased. She rolled her eyes.

"Niko, I hardly think I need to try and seduce you," she pointed out.

"I could take offence to that," he said.

"Would you like to challenge my theory?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

"I think you have distracted yourself, ljubav," he said, leaning on the bench beside her.

"What?" she said, "Oh! Yes." He chuckled. She slapped him playfully on the arm. "Nikola, our baby..."

"Nikola junior," he nodded.

"It could well be a girl, Nikola," she said, for the umpteenth time.

"Lucky it can be a girl's name too then," he grinned.

"Careful, darling," she teased, "Or I shall have no choice by to name the child Thomas."

"You wouldn't," he said, narrowing his eyes.

"Well not if it were a girl, no," she said, "I wouldn't stretch my vengeance on you so that it would affect our child so negatively."

"How very noble of you," he remarked dryly.

"I'm concerned, though," she said, seriously, "We both know our child will not have completely normal DNA I mean with the source blood... without access to proper medical equipment..."

"Helen, ljubav," he said, soothing her with his soft touch on her skin, as he always seemed to manage. "Our baby will be fine."

"You don't know that for certain," she said, her voice weaker than she liked.

"We both know I'm not the generic 'fatherly' type," he said. He held up a hand when she opened her mouth to say something. "But that doesn't mean I'm not going to love our baby more than anything. I said 'generic', Helen, and that's not always a good thing. Our baby is not going to be normal, but it will be fine, and loved."

"Why Nikola Tesla, are you calling our baby abnormal?" she said. He grinned.

"Yes, I believe I am," he said.

|\\\|

Day 262

It was not long before they realised that, if they did not succeed in reversing the time-dilation field, it would spread to engulf a much wider area. Then, eventually, the world. Nikola and Helen had been working on a time node, trying to emulate the ones Adam had used to manipulate time.

Testing it, however, led to the discovery that reversing the field would result in the villagers disappearing. Helen knew that once the word of this spread, most of the villagers would try and prevent them from reversing the bubble. That was why they had to work fast. With their message to the others on the outside proving fruitful through the deliverance of the element, it seemed they would soon be able to have a working time node.

As Nikola was making the final adjustments, Helen decided to take a walk. The sky was a soft red, not quite fiery yet, as the slow sunset progressed. It was beautiful. She found Ravi standing in reverence of it and came to stand beside him.

"I don't hate you," were the first words he said. She smiled slightly. Neither of them looked at the other, both merely enjoying the sight of the slow sunset. "If the dome continues to spread, continents shifting at lightning speed, oceans born in the blink of an eye, the stress on the Earth's core would rip this planet apart."

His quiet acceptance of the fate of the village, and the villagers, in favour of the greater good reminded Helen of why she had first chosen him to become India's Head of House. It was a quality that was both a blessing and a curse to those who possessed it. A blessing in their line of work, a necessity even. Yet, a curse because it often meant sacrificing the things that meant the most.

"I understand all that," Ravi continued, "like you, I'm a scientist." Helen's work had always come first. "But I'm also a husband." And she, a mother to be. A mother to be to a child who may or may not survive.

"The sun has almost set," he said, finally turning his head to look at her. She turned her head too. "Are you ready?"

She smiled through the tears threatening to fall. Instead of answering, she threaded her fingers through his, a man who was a dear friend. There they stood on the hill as they watched the sunset, hands clasped together in a last bid to hold onto everything they cherished.

Back in the lab, Helen, Will and Nikola almost had the time-node ready for use.

"Shielding is secure," Helen said, "As it will ever be." She and Nikola exchanged a look. It would have to do.

"It's been a long time," Will said, looking around the lab. He then looked down briefly. "I wish I knew how to say goodbye."

Helen and Nikola's eyes met again. Helen too wished she knew how to say goodbye. But to what would she really have to say goodbye to? To the quiet comfort she and Nikola had found in each other's arms? Being able to just be together without the outside world threatening to tear them apart? Building a life together?

A frantic knocking sounded at the door and all of their eyes widened for a second.

"Its Ravi," the hushed voice said.

Helen walked over to open it with the gun they still had, letting Ravi in. They heard the clamour of people's voices outside.

"There's a crowd in the street," Ravi said. "I told them that you'd come out and speak with them, they're watching the front of the mayor's office."

"To hell we are," Nikola said. Helen shot him a look.

"We'll go through the basement and out back," she said.

"I don't know how long I can hold them," Ravi said.

"Every second counts," Will said. Helen touched Ravi's shoulder in thanks, giving her friend a nod as he exited. They closed the door, drowning out the sound of angry voices just outside.

They made it out to the fields, readying the time node for use. It was only minutes before Ravi was rushing up to them, out of breath, but diligent in his warning that the townsfolk were coming. The angry mob was lead by Josie, gun in hand, as they yelled at them to stop what they were doing.

Nikola stepped in front of Helen protectively.

"Josie," Will said, "Josie, don't do this."

"Helen," Josie demanded, "Get away from that machine." Helen remained crouched in front of the node. None of them moved. Nikola's claws were extended.

"Please," Will said.

"Who the hell are you to say who lives and who dies?" Josie said.

Will glanced back at Magnus briefly. She eyed Josie before her eyes turned back to the machine. Then she did what she always did, whether she wanted to or not, she was forced to play god in order to save the greater mass. She pushed the button activating the node, the button that would wipe out a whole village of people. It was a burden that always seemed to settle itself on her shoulders.

She heard the click of a gun going off and Ravi's yell before an unbearable whiteness engulfed them all.

|\\|\

Helen woke in a hospital bed. Before she even opened her eyes, the steady beep of hospital machinery alerted her to this. She was too familiar with that sound, even after the time spent away, not to know instantly they were in a medical facility. They had made it out, then.

When she did open her eyes, she saw Will sitting on a bed dressed in blue garb cross-legged. He was looking down at his hands with a grim expression in place. She turned her head slightly to see Nikola sitting on a chair beside her bed. He was, unsurprisingly, dressed in a grey suit, as though no time had gone by at all. She almost missed him in the more casual attire he'd donned in the dome. Almost.

Nikola sat up straight when he saw Helen's eyes open, and Will eyed the pair.

"I'll leave you two to talk," he said.

Helen made to sit up as Will left the room, Nikola eventually helping. She briefly wondered why the effects of the time node seemed to have physically affected her more than the others, but was soon distracted by Nikola's touch.

"Ravi?" she said, her voice hopeful. She didn't need to hear Nikola's answer, the look on his face was enough to tell her that her friend did not make it back with them.

"No one, Helen... no one but the three of us," he said. She frowned. His words were pointed, slow. Nikola watched as confusion flashed across her face, then deep thought, and then finally her eyes widened as realisation dawned. Her bluer than blue gaze was marred with the wetness of unshed tears.

"Oh," she said.

He hated to hear her sound so broken. Reaching out, he pulled her the short distance across the bed into his embrace. His arms were firmly wrapped around her, perhaps a little too firm but he needed to feel her too. He needed to know they would be okay. He just needed to hold her and share in the pain of their loss.

He felt rather than saw her hand instinctively go to rest on her abdomen, a place it had so often taken up residence since they'd found out in Carentan. But, instead of the thrill of knowing a life was growing within, she felt only emptiness.

She'd already lost one child, why did she have to lose another one before it even had a chance?

She pushed Nikola away, fury written on her features, as she tried to get up out of the bed.

"Helen?" he said. He sounded so small, so lost, but she was so lost in her grief and self-hatred she couldn't worry about him now.

Carentan was her fault. What else could it be? It could not simply be a coincidence that in the very spot she'd forced a dangerous fire elemental beneath the earth, a time dilation bubble had emerged. She'd been responsible for all those deaths. She'd been responsible for the death of their unborn child, for preventing it from ever having a chance. She'd killed another child.

She felt sick, so sick. She briefly registered Nikola's hands on her as she stumbled to make it to the adjoining bathroom, and voices in the background – no doubt the others.

She made it just in time to the toilet before she retched, emptying her stomach's contents. Salty tears mixed with the bile taste that lingered cruelly in her mouth as she sobbed, crumpling down to the floor in a mess. She shrugged Nikola's hand off her shoulder and swatted away any attempts of his to touch her, rather more violently than necessary. How could he touch her when she'd all but murdered his child?

How could he not hate her? She was a horrible person and a horrible mother. She wasn't meant to have people close to her, obviously. They all ended up in the same place in the end.

She didn't care what was going on as she heard raised voices from just outside. She heard Nikola roaring at someone to 'get out' but she just curled her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around herself. She just wanted the world to go away.

\||\\

Nikola watched as the woman he loved lay on her bed, staring unseeingly at the ceiling. She hadn't left her room in three days now, not since they'd returned to the Sanctuary.

Nikola Tesla was at a loss.

He didn't know what to do. He was so utterly terrified that the woman he loved had died along with everyone else in the time dilation field. Because, if he couldn't bring her back soon, he feared she would remain there forever.

The others, at least, had given them some space. He suspected it was Will's influence that had kept everyone, including the hairy carpet she called a Butler, away. The young man was surprisingly sensitive and understanding as Nikola lashed out at him in anger. The others, he supposed, didn't really comprehend what was going on. But Will had seen and experienced everything in the time dilation, so he mercifully afforded them their space.

Helen had spent most of the three days curled up on her side, always away from him, either sleeping or quietly crying. He'd never seen her cry like this, not so much. Whenever she had cried with him, she had always allowed him to hold her, clinging to him, crying on his shoulder. Once she had cried she would always bounce back quickly, she was Helen Magnus after all, and had always striven to find solutions. She was strong, so strong, which is why it alarmed him to see her so utterly broken.

He sat beside her on the bed, and his hand hovered above her shoulder timidly before he rested it gently there. He was persistent when she tried to shrug it off.

"Please, ljubav, please," he begged. He was not beyond pleading, not when it came to her.

"Leave me alone, Nikola," her voice was cold and yet, it was the first thing she'd said to him in days, and he couldn't help but relish the sound of her voice.

"No," he replied, trying to sound convincingly strong. He'd left her alone long enough, he'd given her space, but now he had to drag her out of this. He had to bring her back from Carentan before he lost her forever.

"I said go away, Nikola," she said. Even the fierceness in her voice was half-hearted.

"And I said no," he said, his voice firmer now. She turned to face him, finally, looking angry. Angry was good, at least it was something other than the heart-breaking emptiness he'd seen in her eyes before.

"What do you mean no?" she said.

"I won't leave you, Helen," he said, "You need to talk, we need to talk."

"Don't presume to tell me what I need, Nikola," she spat. She sat up now, perhaps needing to be physically on par with him as they spoke.

"You're in no place to make such conclusions by yourself, Helen," he said.

"Bastard," she hissed, "Are you questioning my competency?"

"If you continue to wallow so impressively, you leave me no choice," he said. He had to get her angry.

"You've no idea what I'm going through!" she said.

"Of course I do, Helen," he said, "I lost it too. It was our baby."

He hadn't noticed the glistening of her eyes until the tears were upon her cheeks, and he almost gave in to her.

"It was my fault all those people died," she said. "It was my fault..." her voice cracked and he wanted nothing more than to reach out and hold her, "it was my fault our baby died. I killed it. I killed them all."

"You have no idea if the fire elemental has anything to do with the dome," he said. "And it was all of our decision to use the time-node, we all knew the risks, but we had no choice. It would have spread. The Earth would have been destroyed and then our baby would have died anyway."

She let out a strangled sob.

"How can it be coincidence?" she said.

"It's not your fault," he said, "You did nothing wrong. Everything you did, you did to help others."

"You should hate me," she said, weakly, shaking her head. "Please, just leave me be."

"What about us, Helen?" he snapped, "Did everything we said, we did, did all those words unravel along with the time dilation field too? You made me promise it was real, that it would still be real once we'd figured out how to leave. I'm not going to break that promise, not even if you pull away from me. You won't push me away, Helen Magnus, I won't let you."

Her eyes found his, timid and scared.

"I could never hate you," he said, more softly now, "Never."

Her lip trembled as she fell into his arms, finally finding comfort in his embrace. She was still so broken, but now the light of her strength was shining through. She was crying on his shoulder just as she had done so many times before, and so she would find power there, and she would be the Helen Magnus he had fallen for so many years ago. Together, they would figure this out. He could finally breathe again because he knew they were going to be okay.

They may have been frayed at the seams, battle scared, and a little worse for wear, but they were strong enough to hold on.