I pour the last of the Chablis into my glass and contemplate everything that had happened. Helen, my immortal goddess of everything right with this world had nearly died. Adam Worth truly was a bastard. If he weren't already dead I would kill him for what he had put her through. John, proving once again what a failure he truly is, not only left me behind when Helen needed me most, but got himself caught in Adams trap. Of course they left all the heavy lifting to me and then John once more jetted off. Leaving me to try to pick up the pieces of Helens broken heart.

If only she let me.

I drain my glass and move on to the Merlot. I just pop the cork when young Katie storms in and plops on the couch grumbling. I moan but she doesn't leave.

"Really. Whatever childish whining you want me to listen to you can forget it." I snark but Kate only takes a glass and the bottle.

"I perfer Vodka." Kate says thoughtfully as she sniffs the cork. "But this will do."

I shake my head and pull the wine away. "You're enough of a loose cannon when you're Sober." I growl, ignoring her glower.

"I know what's bothering you." Kate bites back "You think you 're oh so mysterious. But you 're a pane of glass. You have a thing for Magnus."

"Young Wilhelm would agree about the Pain part. Oh yes I know all about your infatuation with Dr Zimmerman." I watch with some satisfaction as the color drains from her face.

She slumps back, defeated. Not my intent but all the same. "How did we get into this? I mean Magnus sees you as a thorn in her side and Will sees me as a kid sister or something."

I shrug and study the contents of my glass. "Well for my part I had to contend with Druit. Psycho that he is. I mean what does she see in him anyway?"

Kate grins mischievously and looks at me sidelong. I'm about to pay for what I said about Will, aren t I?

"Well he's...tall and brooding and mysterious." She grins and watches me sag lower in my own seat. "And he has that deep silky voice with the British accent."

"Ok...I see your point." I grumble.

"And he's strong. I would not want to run into him in a dark ally. And he has piercing eyes too...very mesmerizing. Ohh and he-"

"You're enjoying this aren t you?"

"No. Actually, I don't. "She says in a surprised voice. I thought I might. What s that old saying? Misery loves-"

"Wine." I finish and down my glass and pour another.

Kate sighs and grins. "Something like that." she reaches again for the wine but I hold it out of her grasp. "Nu uhn none for you."

"Not fair. You aren't a vampire anymore. You need to cut back on the booze."

"Oh trust me I've been trying for two weeks to get shnockered and it isn't working."

Kate sinks down in her chair and takes the bottle from me. "Well I can."

"Kate?" Will calls from the hallway. Kate sits up and grins mischievously, taking a small sip of her wine. She winks secretively to me and stands up tipsily.

I stand and catch her before she falls back down. "Katlyn? Is something wrong? Will! In here... I think something s wrong." I call, trying to push Kate back into her seat. If something happens to her uppity little monsterhunters, Helen would never forgive me. "In here its Kate she-" I stop and look down as Kate winks at me.

"Will...William. Wil I Am..." Kate prattles, staggering toward the door as Will appears.

"Kate? Tesla, what happened?" Will asks, pulling the merlot out of her hand. I shrug and look her over.

"I don't know she had some wine and then she- well she was like this." I wring my hands trying to apear nervous.

"Will is the man... the Zimmer-man" Kate snickers and stumbles against Will. "Ooops..."

I look at Will and then Kate. "I think we should-"

"Put her to bed?" Will nods. "I'll take her."

"Will! How dare you!" Kate titters. "I'm a lady. I need to-Hic-be propperly woo-hoo-Hic-wooed."

Will growls and puts an arm protectively around her. "Alright. Come on, Ill take care of you." Will glares at me and leads Kate off, giving her a soft kiss on the top of her head. Kate grins at me from under his arm and snuggles close to him. Will leads Kate out gently, making small lovey cooing noises as the door shuts behind them.

"I'll be damned." I can't believe that worked.

Genius.

I look at the merlot in my hand. If faking drunk worked for Kate...

I smirk softly and untuck my shirt, pulling the buttons free on my waistcoat. I stumble carefully up to Helens office and lean sloppily against the doorjamb. "Helen... I'm seeing five of you right now... And all of you look beautiful" I grin crookedly. She can't possibly resist.

"Nice try Nikola." Helen replies without looking up. I sigh and flop down beside her. "Come on Helen! Flowers didn' t work, admitting my feelings during a death defying heart racing fight to the finish in the catacombs of Rome, helping you retrieve the source blood didn't work..."

"Nikola..."

"I want you to know Helen, I meant it."

"Nikola..."

"And I know I can be a lot of things...Arrogant, rude, snarky, brilliant..." I stop as Helen leans forward and kisses me.

"I never thanked you properly" she smiles and tucks my shirt carefully back in. "For helping me with the map of hollow earth"

I smirk and pull her into my arms. I'm slightly surprised when she doesn t pull away immediately but I'm not about to complain.

"So that 's a thank you?" I grin and kiss her back. "Because I can think of a lot of reasons I should thank you."

"No. Actually, I was thinking I could make a nice dinner for the pair of us. If that's agreeable. And if you don't drink all my wine. " She adds, pulling away my Merlot. I take her moment of distraction to pull her into another kiss.

To my surprise, she doesn't push me off like the past. I pull away uncertainly and search her face. "Helen?"

Helen smiles and rests her head on my shoulder. "You don't have to play drunk to get a kiss from me Nikola." she smiles and places the wine on the table next to a pair of wineglasses.

"Oh." And I had been so clever. ""How did you know?

"I taught Kate that trick to begin with." she smiles and watches as my own grin slides off my face.

"Well? Can I kiss you again?" I ask hopefully and watch her eyes shine.

"Whenever you want. I've been trying to find a way to tell you for months. Everything you did, and the way you stayed even though you didn't have to... I really appreciate it. All the years we've known each other and everytime I ask for help you come to my aid. I can count on you and I want you to know you can always count on me. " Helen smiles and threads her fingers in mine. "I love you."

"Well I'll drink to that." I smile and pour us each a glass.