Helen wiped the sleep from her eyes and looked at the clock blearily. It was nearly 4 in the morning. Even Will was sleeping at this hour. With a stretch, the head of the underground sanctuary stood stiffly and made her way to her bedroom. As she drifted along, dreaming of a nice warm cup of tea and wondering if she would have that strange dream again, Helen noticed a light on in the lab. With a rueful laughed she pushed her way through the door. Of course, the only one up later than her was Nikola Tesla.
The inventor had showed up on her doorstep four months ago and since then had become a permanent fixture in her lab, playing with all the praxian technology. He barely stopped for anything, not even to drain the wine cellars. At first, Helen dreaded the barrage of interruptions she was sure to endure when the vampire discovered where her office was, but she'd had nary a visit from him. On the few occasions he did enter, it was strictly business. A special screwdriver was needed for something he was building, and she would need to order it at once, Henry was growing weary of sharing the lab and perhaps she could open the spare one for him, The device he had been fiddling with had shocked his finger and could she administer burn ointment.
Never a flirty smile, never an innuendo, no suggestions of cloistering themselves in a cozy little parlor where no one would find them 'playing doctor', he didn't even ask her to kiss the burned finger to make it feel better.
Sure enough, as she walked in, he barely turned around.
"Can I help you?" He asked, curt but polite.
Helen sighed. "I never thought I would miss the days you would try to woo me at every turn."
He shrugged without turning around. "I know what that kiss was. That last kiss. I accept that you will never kiss me againe. I feel ashamed of all the years I pined over you. And the only kiss I got- the only kiss you could ever bother to give to me, was a goodbye kiss, a get the hell out of my life kiss." He growled. Helen shrank back.
"Nikola, I-" Helen began, but he cut her off in a loud angry voice.
"NO. Helen, No. I am tired of your lies and half truths. I loved you for a hundred years and you never gave me the time of day."
"We would never work out." Helen replied, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You know that."
"Right. We're too different. I'm Serbian and you have ethics. And- what is it you call it when you always force me to do the right thing?"
"Morality " Helen replied and played with his tie before he pulled away. "And it is not because you are Serbian, Nikola. I have no problem with that. We are both too headstrong, too stubborn. Too much the same and too different. "
"Even in your last moments, when you thought you might die, you couldn't muster any more than just a pity kiss. I am not here for you Dr. Magnus. "
Helen nodded. "Very well then. I am more than happy to be friends. I only stopped in to wish you a good night and remind you not to wake me again. The wrong sort of screwdriver is not an emergency."
Nikola rolled his eyes. "Againe? That only happened five times. You really need to let that go."
"Good night, Nikola." Helen laughed and walked back out. Had she bothered to turn around, she would have noticed that familiar impish grin spread over his face.
"Oh it will be, Doctor Magnus. It will be." He whispered and turned back to his work.
Helen changed into her favorite lacy black nightie. Even if no one else saw her in it, she felt like a woman. Radiant and desirable. It was solid black with soft lace at the top and bottom, which stopped just above her knees. She blushed at the idea of anyone seeing her in it. Anyone real, at least. She was having a lot of strange dreams lately.
They started around three months ago, or as far as Helen counted. It wasn't every night, but most nights she would dream of a voice, a soft whisper that would tell her in Latin how wonderful she was. Soft words of praise dripped from an invisible tongue in dreams that a waking Helen Magnus would never admit.
She at first suspected Nikola. It was not out of the realm of possibility to imagine the arrogant vampire would sneak into her room and play with his sleeping friends psyche, but as the Serbian never made an appearance or untoward remark at the breakfast table the morning after, Helen decided it couldn't be him. Besides, she doubted he even knew where her bedroom was. It had to be a dream. The wild dream of a woman who had been alone for far too long.
Helen stretched luxuriously out on her bed and turned to her right side, facing away from the door. She had the dreams more frequently facing away from the door. She had not only grown used to the dreams, she had grown to like them. With a final sigh and a soft plumping of her pillow, Helen closed her eyes and let sleep take her away.
"My love" The now familiar voice whispered into her ear. "My beauty, my queen, my goddess" Helen froze as a pair of hands glided smoothly over her body, touching her chastely. Caressing her with love and attention. Helen stretched out to give the skillful hands more room.
"Does this mean I can touch your perfect body?" The voice sounded excited. A kid at Christmas. Helen lifted her chin and purred her ascent.
"You are so perfect." The voice purred as the hands roved down her arm, to her side and came to rest upon her stomach. "The most perfect woman. Not just because you are the most beautiful woman to ever live."
Helen felt a smile tug the corners of her mouth. This was the best dream in her life.
"You are Cassiopeia, a Venus demilo, Aphrodite." the voice continued in a fevered rush. "compared to you they all look like ugly old crones."
Helen stretched luxuriously as the hand slipped down toward her hips. "You are indeed the most beautiful-" The voice stopped as the hand reached her thigh. It slid back up the side of her hip then down again. Helen smiled as the voice hissed in surprise.
She wasn't wearing any underwear.
The fingers tightened on her thigh for just a moment as the voice muttered rapidly in a Cyrillic language that seemed somewhat familiar.
"Tease" The voice said in an undeniably sexy growl.
Helen purred and moved to give the hands better access.
"Your wish is my command. You just made all my dreams come to fruition, milady." The voice purred as the hand ran across her stomach.
"Mmm" Helen gave a small moan of approval.
"She speaks! Speak again, bright angel" The voice recited. If Helen had been awake she would have rolled her eyes.
"Ohhhgrrr" She groaned instead.
"Right no Shakespeare." The voice muttered as the hands continued roving sensually over her body. "Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art–
Not in lone splendor hung aloft the night
And watching, with eternal lids apart,"
"Ni-Nio" Helen mumbled. Something on the tip of her tongue.
"Yes. A name my love? Would you chose a name for me." The voice whispered gently.
"Name" Helen repeated softly. Yes a name. Her love had a name. "Yes, name"
"What is it, my darling? What is my name?"
"Ni-Nnnikik" Helen muttered and stretched. "Nikola!"
Helen awoke with a gasp. She turned to where the voice had come from, where the wonderful hands had made her feel so special.
They were gone, and somehow deep down, she knew she would never have that dream again.
But then she realized, she didn't need the dream anymore, no longer wanted the phantom lover. A real man waited just down the hall. Someone who knew her every secret, every turn her life took. He stood with her in moments of triumph and held her in moments of defeat.
Nikola Tesla.
He was her rock. He was impulsive when she was cautious, practical when she was emotional. He would go to the ends of the earth for her. Walk straight into hell to retrieve her. And she knew, because he had.
Helen collected her phone, her bathrobe and, after a moments consideration, her gun then headed out to tread the familiar path to the room where Nikola always slept. She knocked three time.
He would like that.
Helen gathered her courage, preparing what she would say when he answered.
And then the door opened. And Helen was speechless.
Tousle haired and blurry eyed, Nikola looked down at her with mild bemusement. But that wasn't her undoing.
He was wearing absolutely nothing but silk black boxers that hugged his thin, wiry frame.
"Helen? Do you have any idea what time it is?" Nikola asked in only mild annoyance.
Helen tried to gather her thoughts, failed and kissed him.
"I uhm- I had a rather strange dream" Helen blushed. "Can I- stay here? With you?"
Nikola shrugged and stood aside, letting Helen in. "So? Strange dreams?" He prompted as she crawled into bed. It was still warm where he had been lying. "Not a bad dream, I hope, Helen?"
"No. A good dream. A very good dream. It made me realize how much I love you." Helen smiled and blushed as he approached her cautiously. "Helen. I love you too. I love you so much and I have for over a century."
Helen laughed as he lifted her up, twirling her around before he set her carefully back in the bed, Helen laughed and curled up beside him.
Nikola smiled to himself as Helen ran her hands experimentally over his stomach. It had taken months, but sneaking into her room finally paid off.