A/N I'd like to dedicate this little holiday tale to my fellow troopers on the Nikola Tesla Thunk Thread and Nikola/Helen Shipper Thread, Merry Rufflemas! :)
Helen Magnus had never really celebrated Christmas. But after the birth of her daughter, she decided it could do no harm to have an excuse to give her gifts. Plus it could bring a sense of unity to the Sanctuary as a whole with decorating and such around their home. The residents had loved the idea from the second Helen suggested it and ever since Ashley's first Christmas it had been the one of the few highlights in the year.
Helen, however, had always refused to give out a "Wish List." For as she always insisted, her daughter was the best gift she could ever have asked for. This of course, did not stop a few of them, namely Henry and Big Guy, from getting her a little something every year. Ashley too would get her mother something as well as Will after he had been recruited.
And so Christmas was always an interesting, but fun and delightful, time in the Old City Sanctuary. This year however, was going to be the most interesting Christmas of all. The collapse of the Cabal, and Ashley's safe return home were only half the reason this year was going to be extra intriguing.
For starters, there was the possibility John Druitt would be around. Helen was not quite sure how she felt about this prospect. While so long as Ashley had no protest she would never deny him the chance to see his daughter since all that had transpired, but Helen knew his presence might make some of the others uncomfortable, herself included. But, she was willing to put aside her uneasiness for the sake of her daughter.
Then, of course, there was Nikola. He was a wild card in every sense of that phrase. Helen did not mind him staying here but every since the preparations for Christmas had begun she had thought he would become extra reclusive and more snarky towards the whole thing. He had surprised her, however, and done nothing of the sort. While he didn't exactly get overtly involved in the set up, she had a sneaking suspicion he could be the reason the Christmas lights around the house were now capable of blinking sequences.
John stopped by the night before Christmas. He had announced he would not be spending a lot of time there anymore as certain circumstances had changed. He had also given Ashley a gift before disappearing off to who knows where. He had given her a small, portable device that if she pushed a button on it, it would call him to her almost instantly. Helen was not sure how she felt about this. She knew in her heart that this device no doubt doubled as a tracker by which John could locate Ashley, which was not idea she liked very much. But Ashley had thought this a sweet gift from her father, and so Helen let it slide, thinking she'd just get Henry to take a clandestine scan of it after the holidays were over.
So it was that on Christmas morning, after a hearty breakfast with her daughter, Will, Henry and Big Guy, Helen Magnus found herself seated with a cup of tea beside the gigantic Christmas tree watching her family unwrap gifts. On the table beside her saucer lay books from Will, a "day off" pass from Henry and Big Guy each, and a small photo album from Ashley partially filled with some of her favorite photos of the two of them, the rest was left to be filled with pictures from years to come at Helen's leisure.
The gifts were almost all gone at this point and Helen was feeling very content. Everybody was smiling and laughing, especially her daughter, which warmed Helen's heart a great deal. She was so busy bathing in the happiness of the moment she had not noticed Henry reach beneath the tree to find a small, precisely wrapped box and get a very quizzical look on his face. Ashley did, however, and asked him,
"Whatcha got there Gumby?"
"A gift," Henry answered blankly, still staring at the small package in his hand.
"Very good Henry," Ashley teased sarcastically, "but who's it for?"
"Doc, its for you…" He said, going and handing it to Helen.
Slightly startled Helen placed her cup on the saucer and took the gift, eyeing the solid red paper with hesitation as she looked at her name scrawled across the top of it. She carefully slid her finger under one of the tapped edges and tore away the paper, removing it from the long black box. As she went to toss the wrapping paper to the ground she noticed a small half-sheet of paper tucked within it. She placed the box on her lap, and lifted the half-sheet from the wrapping paper and read it silently to herself.
"Dear Helen,
One day I was forced to seek refuge in a jewelry store. While attempting to blend into the crowd by perusing the items I saw this and knew immediately whose elegant neck it belonged around. I have been waiting many years to give this to you, and I suppose there is no better day than today. I hope you like it."
Helen placed the note down on top of her gift from Ashley and delicately eased open the box. Her breath caught in her throat. Inside was a stunning necklace. A small chain looped through a slender piece of sterling silver that braided beneath another piece that wove down covered in sapphire and diamonds. Reaching her hand down she gently lifted the necklace from the box to examine it closer, causing a slight gasp from Ashley who said,"Oh my god, Mom. That's beautiful."
"Who does the note say it's from?" Will asked her.
There was a pause as Helen turned her gaze from necklace, down to the note, pretending to re-read it. Then she replied,
"It does not say."
"How can it not say?!" Ashley burst out.
"Any thoughts as to who it's from Doc?" Henry asked.
A smile creased Helen's lips. She knew exactly whom it was from as she had recognized the handwriting the moment Henry had handed her the wrapped box. But she only said,
"No."
Then she placed the necklace back in the box, replaced the lid, pocketed the note, grabbed her tea cup and stood saying,
"Excuse me, I think I want more tea," and bustled out the door.
Henry looked at Ashley
"You don't think…"
"No." She jumped in, "No I don't think it was from him…"
There were now four very confused people sitting around the Christmas tree.
Nikola was startled to hear the crisp knock on his door. He marked the place in his book, putting it on the windowsill beside his chair where he'd really been watching a few birds flitting about in the snow covered branches outside, and went to his bedroom door. Upon swinging it open he found Helen Magnus standing before him, an unreadable expression on her lovely face. She brushed by him inside his room and slipped the long black box into his hand. As he shut the door and turned to face her he felt his heart fall from his chest cavity, fearing she had hated his gift, and him too. But a grin appeared to her lips,
"How many years?"
"Too many," he smiled back at her, heart returning to its proper place, if not a little higher.
"Well," She stepped stand inches from him, leaned into his ear and whispered, "I love it."
Had Nikola been a person of less poised standing he would have jumped for joy at that moment, however, he was very poised and only allowed a huge grin to slid onto his face. As he did so, Helen leaned back, turned around collecting her soft hair to one side so the back of her neck was exposed. Silently Nikola opened the box, tossed it aside after removing the necklace and unclasped it. He tenderly rested it around Helen's neck. After he clasped it, he allowed his fingers to trail over the exposed skin, causing Helen to turn and face him. He slowly trailed his eyes upward. They lingered on the necklace, as it looked more gorgeous nestled than he had ever imagined, then rose to meet Helen's eyes which were smiling at him. Next thing he new their lips were fused together in a gentle but passionate kiss. It was over much to quickly for Nikola who soon found Helen pulling away. She then went to brush by him again, and out the door, but Nikola reached out and grabbed her by the hand pulling her to him.
"Forgive me if I'm wrong," he breathed, "but I don't think that gift was anywhere equal to my gift."
He leaned in, pressing his lips to her. Helen kissed back and reached her hand up to run it through his hair. In turn Nikola grabbed her hips, pulling her impossibly closer to him. She moaned gently and opened her mouth permitting his seeking tongue inside. For a few long moments they were utterly entangled in each other and their passion. Then Helen extricated herself from Nikola. She stepped back and said,
"Merry Christmas Nikola."
And slipped out the door and back downstairs leaving a broadly grinning Nikola with one hand bracing himself against the dresser so as not to collapse with joy. He decided then and there that Christmas was his favorite holiday.