I don't own Sanctuary!
By demand by SanctuaryLover, here is part 1. Part 2 is coming whenever I finish typing it
I'm sorry it sucks :S
Nikola sighed wistfully and sipped his wine thoughtfully, gazing into the dying embers of the fire. Usually he didn't care about holidays, he had a habit of getting so absorbed in his work he forget basic things including what day it was, which was why he wasn't usually bothered by them but this year was different. He wasn't absorbed in his work. He was all too aware of the fact that it was Valentine's Day tomorrow and he would be spending it at the Sanctuary, by himself. This year he had been hoping to spend it with Helen, he had worked hard to repair the rift between them and John was gone, having left after they got back from Hollow Earth. But alas, she was spending the day on a mission.
His gaze drifted to the right where he saw the Valentine's gift and card he had prepared for her, the card was quite plain but the store had been surprisingly low on cards and his funds not exactly great either. To make up for it he had wrote her a poem inside, he knew how much Helen loved literature and poetry so he had attempted to put his feelings into words. He knew the poem wasn't especially good, he wasn't much of a poet. Words whether spoken or written never seemed to come out quite as he intended, but he had tried:
You sat beside the fountain, engrossed in a book
Never knowing how beautiful you look
The way the light danced off your face... I could never forget
Do you remember? That was the first time we met
The days with you are the best of my life
Even though usually they're riddled with strife
There's just something about you I cannot describe
Just something I can never get off my mind
Maybe its your eyes, such a dazzling blue
So bright and sparkling, perfect like you
Or maybe its your hair, brunette or blonde
On you, either one I'm fond
Maybe its the sound of your voice
So sweet and musical, I must rejoice
Or maybe its your stunning smile
Even though I haven't seen that in awhile
Perhaps it could be your personality
Despite your somewhat annoying morality
I've always admired your kindness and passion
The thought of that gone leaves my face ashen
Though mostly I suppose I love you for you
So unique and special, you send my world askew
I know we've fought and I know we've cried
But through thick and thin I have stuck by your side
I know I'm not perfect, I'm sometimes a jerk
And you've always cared more for your work
When I'm with you my mind is a blur
But one thing's the same: Te amo, semper
The gift he had selected was special too, a necklace. It was a pure silver chain with a single star sapphire hanging from it, so simple and yet so elegant. It was a beautiful piece of jewelry, he wasn't normal fond of such things but this was the exception. Anyone who has ever seen a star sapphire would know why, the brilliant blue seeming to have captured a star inside it and always it shone.
He had purchased it more than a century ago, while they were still studying in Oxford. He had been walking with her through the town, escorting her home when she had become mesmerized by the jewel. He had never seen her so excited about something that wasn't science, he had to concede it was lovely and it was perfect for her. He had saved for months to buy it for her, such an exquisite necklace had cost him a fortune, his cash flow had never been particular great and he had taken a secret part-time job to pay for it despite it cutting into his class time which he simply shrugged off by pretending he just hadn't been bothered to come. He'd cut down on everything, not buying anything non-essential, not buying wine and even forgoing meals to save up his money and everyday he had raced to the store to make sure no one had bought it yet much to the storekeeper's amusement until he finally had enough to buy it.
Having finally bought it he just needed the right time to give it to her, he'd planned on give it to her on Valentine's Day and t finally confess his feelings for her. But those events hadn't come to pass, John had beat him to the punch and he'd seen no point in continuing with his plan for fear of looking a fool. Why tell a women you loved them when they were with someone else? He'd been crushed, the woman he loved was with someone else, one of his best friends no less. It was a deep wound and stung painfully whenever he thought about his Helen's in Druitt's arms, no one could ever love her as much as he did especially not someone like John. Nikola alone had supported her at Oxford, she'd had to prove her worth to everyone else but he had always seen her for the truly magnificent person she was, she'd never had to prove anything.
He had never stopped loving her though, it was irrational he knew but he couldn't help himself and somewhere deep down he had never given up hope that one day she'd return his love which was why he had kept the necklace for all that time. Which was how he came to his present day situation, with John having disappeared again and no one else in Helen's life he had decided to resurrect his plan... Until Helen had decided to go on a mission instead.
"Nikola? Are you awake?" Helen's voice question shocking him from his reverie.
"Yes," he called back while hastily shoving the card and gift out of sight before she entered, looking as enchanting as ever, "what brings you to my humble abode at this hour?"
"Its technically my humble abode since its my house," Helen pointed out playfully taking the seat opposite him.
"Semantics," he shrugged smirking and pouring her a glass which she accepted and sipped thoughtfully before speaking.
"I want you to do me a favor," Helen began, "I want you to come on a mission with me."
"Me?" he couldn't help but scoff.
"I wouldn't ask if I wasn't desperate," Helen stated relaxing into the seat, "but there's no one else. Kate and Will our on a romantic getaway together, a quinquennium has passed so Biggie's temporarily left to find his mate and Henry has made the last minute decision to fly to England to spend Valentine's Day with his HAP girlfriend."
"So you've come to me?" Nikola prompted curiously wondering what dank and dark region they'd be going to.
"Yes," Helen sighed and he studied her carefully for a minute, she truly was beautiful, "so will you?"
"Will I what?" he wondered sipping his wine again.
"Come with me," she stated as if it were obvious before suddenly looking worried, "you don't have plans too, do you?"
"Me? Of course not," he repeated trying and failing not to laugh, "I'm past 150 now, a little bit too old to be dating."
"I know the feeling," Helen replied with a hint of a smile.
"So where are we headed tomorrow?" Nikola asked intrigued at the idea of spending the day with her even if he assumed it was somewhere less than desirable, "India? Saudi Arabia? South Africa? Brazil? Mozambique? Antarctica? Egypt?"
"We're going to Paris," she told him and his eyebrows shot up, "don't get any ideas Nikola, we're after a lizard creature that lives under the ground.Lacertaspecus, a underground dwelling lizard. It's been living in the caverns beneath the city and is causing a bit of a stir with the local government so we are going in to capture it and I'd rather not do it alone."
"I already said I'd go," Nikola confirmed his offer of help with a smile in her direction, "but I'm just saying, its a beautiful city and awhile since I've been. We could just catch this lizard thing then spend the day taking in the sights, admiring the art at the Louvre, taking in some Opera and then dinner at the finest restaurant we can find and then gaze down at the city from the Eiffel Tower sipping the best wine in the world, oh and we should go to a ball like the ones back in our day, oh and we shoul-"
"Nikola," Helen chided shaking her head, "focus. This will probably take a while and then we need to get it back to the Sanctuary ASAP."
"Oh come on Helen," Nikola moaned feeling the bubbling excitement, Paris was the perfect place to spend Valentine's Day with her and had the best wine, "this is Paris we're talking about, how often are we going to spend Valentine's Day together in Paris?"
"Nikola," Helen sighed and rolled her eyes skyward before seeming to change her mind, "fine. If we successfully capture the abnormal, depending on how much time is left we'll see, okay?"
"Okay," Nikola agreed excitedly already playing the day through in his mind before he realized Helen was standing to leave, "where are you going?"
"Our flight leaves in an hour," Helen explained, "best you hurry."