My first upload to , here goes nothing.
This story is an Alternate Universe.
What would life be like if Nikola had returned to Helen while she was still pregnant with Ashley?
Ash is a toddler at this point and Henry is a grade-schooler. Niko has been with them probably for almost a year at this point.
If this looks familiar it's because it's one of my Bingo Entries over on LJ, yes I'm that DragonAceSg7.
The door opened with the sound of a small bell ringing. Henry held Tesla's hand tighter as they stepped inside. He looked around, his bright eyes curious then they grew so big.
"Where are we?" Henry was clearly amazed at what he was all seeing.
"This, young Heinrich, is a hobby store," Nikola couldn't help the smile that spread across his lips. It was a mix of boyish thrill and fatherly pride, "I said we would get the supplies for your next project together, did I not?"
Henry just nodded as he looked around more, "and we'll find them here?"
"We will," Nikola promised as they headed farther into the store, "and probably get a few ideas for others as well."
"Really?" Henry looked up at the strange adult who had become a father to him, much to the young HAP's delight.
Nikola gave a nod, "Now then, do you have your list?"
"Oh, yeah," Henry pulled a folded piece of paper from the pocket of his cargo pants and held it out to Tesla.
"Nope, remember, your project, I'm here to keep you safe and get things from the higher shelves," Nikola gave a wink.
Henry giggled, "okay." It took a moment of thinking but he got the list unfolded without letting go of Tesla's hand.
"Should we start at the top of the list?" Henry asked.
"That's usually a good place to start," Nikola grinned.
Henry giggled again, "okay we need a small motor."
Nikola looked around then headed off in that direction.
The hobby store was filled with row after row of pieces for gadgets, parts of gizmos, lights for toys, wires for projects and glassware for experiments.
"Oooh what's that?" Henry pointed more than once.
Nikola seemed more than happy to answer the inquisitive boy as he too was getting a bit distracted by the sheer amount of things to tinker with, use to build or explore.
Henry held tight to Tesla as they walked. After only three aisles they had completely forgotten they were headed to look at small motors as the pair were trying to figure out how a toy with mirrors was making an illusion of a small porcine figurine down inside it.
That solved they moved on to an object that mimicked the sounds of insects.
They didn't play with that one long.
"How are those things in the corner glowing?" Henry pointed with the list hand, it getting crumbled from the repeating puting in his pocket to touch things then retrieve it.
"Let's find out," Nikola grinned.
"Yes!" Henry loved getting to figure things out instead of just being told.
Nikola took the list from Henry so he didn't lose it or wreck it as they walked over to the dark corner with a strange light and lots of things that seemed to glow.
"Whoa," Henry began to giggle, "how come the letters on my shirt are glowing too?"
"What's different about this part of the store, Henry?" Nikola prompted gently, trying to get his brain in the right direction.
"Oh, the light's all funny," Henry looked up, "it's the wrong color, oh I mean it's a different color."
"Very good," crouched down to Henry's level.
"Your shirt is glowing," Henry giggled more.
Nikola gave a nod. He looked around to make sure no one could see then flashed his fangs out tilting them towards the light.
Henry covered his mouth as he giggled harder, "they glow too," he whispered.
After a minute to calm his laughing Henry examined more trying to determine what made some things glow and others not.
"Okay," Henry took a big breath, "the things that are glowing are mostly white." He touched Tesla's sweater vest, "this is dark it doesn't glow so it's something with the funny light and the light colors?"
"Very good, Heinrich," Nikola beamed, "the light is called a black light."
"How can light be black?" Henry asked.
"That's what the light is called, not necessarily the light it produces," Nikola pointed to the purplish bulb in the corner.
"Oh, oh I've seen those!" Henry uttered excitedly, "Magnus has some in her lab. She uses it to see things sometimes. She said it had um, uh Other Violet."
"Ultra Violet," Nikola corrected gently.
"Yes!" Henry giggled, "And we can't see the actual Ultra Violet. Wow my brain is getting more work today than I thought it would for going shopping."
"Makes for the best trips don't you think?" Nikola stood up and walked them away from the glowing corner.
"Yes!" Henry giggled as they both quickly found new things to poke at.
"Mommy," Ashley shook her favorite cloth rattle at Helen in an annoyed fashion.
"Oh, I'm sorry little one," Helen scooped up her daughter and set her on her lap, "did mommy stop playing again?" Trying to read reports while her daughter played never did seem to work out well as she would imagine.
Ashley chewed her rattle with a nod, "addy?"
"Yes, Daddy should be-," Helen looked at the clock, "oh, he and Henry should have been back ages ago."
"Re?" Ashley inquired as to the whereabouts of her brother too.
"Oh dear, think they got lost in the hobby store?" Helen thought out loud with a small chuckle.
Ashley continued to chew her rattle, her first tooth finally in all the way so her calming activity no longer hurt. She tilted her head at mommy trying to figure out how daddy of all people was lost somewhere.
"I suppose we should go rescue them," Helen stood with her daughter in her arm, leaning on her shoulder.
"Addy!" Ashley giggled not liking going this long without seeing him or Henry.
"Yes, little one, we're going to find Daddy and Henry," Helen promised as she took Ashley to get ready to go out.
"Wait, does that hook this way or that way?" Henry asked as he tried to get his small fingers to work around the connectors.
"The first way, there, like that," Nikola was kneeling beside him. The pair had stumbled across a display model for what Henry thought was either a train or a car, that wasn't finished and just sort of started helping.
"Addy! Re!" was suddenly heard from across the low table they were at.
Both scientists looked over to see Magnus carrying a very curious and squirmy Ashley.
"Oh, uh, hi Magnus," Henry waved shyly.
"Dragi?" Nikola blinked then looked to Henry then back at Magnus.
Helen giggled as she walked over, "you boys have been in here all day."
"We have?" Henry was really confused, it felt like they just got here.
"Addy!" Ashley made grabby hands for Tesla.
Nikola stood and took their daughter from Helen's arms. He was promptly bopped on the head by Ashley's cloth rattle as she gave her father an annoyed look.
"Ashley, you know you're not supposed to do that," Helen sighed and shook her head.
Ashley chewed said rattle. She knew but Daddy was gone too long and needed to know that wasn't okay.
Nikola laughed softly and kissed Ashley's cheek. That made their little one giggle.
Henry looked up, "Magnus, are we in trouble?"
Nikola smiled and set his hand on top of Henry's head, Ashley tucked on his other arm.
"Of course not, Henry," Magnus promised with a smile, "we were just worried a little, not like you two to be out so long."
As if to confirm to the short scientist that it really had been all day Henry's stomach grumbled at being so empty. He blushed and hid against Tesla's leg.
Ashley offered her rattle to Henry, "Re?"
"Um, no thanks I'll be good," Henry giggled from his hiding spot.
Helen giggled behind her hand, "why don't Ashley and I help you finish your list then we'll go get some dinner?"
Henry nodded excitedly.
"Our hero," Nikola teased in a whisper. He gave his Dragi a kiss on the cheek then held out the now very crumpled and slightly ripped list.
"Now then," Helen smiled as she took the paper, "what were you looking for last?"
"Motors," Henry giggled as he reached for Tesla's hand.