As I promised here is chapter two, the last chapter of the story. Since I managed to upload it just before Christmas I want to wish you all Merry Christmas and a happy New Year :)

I know it's a bit OOC but I hope you'll forgive me since Nikola isn't exactly himself. [Plus, I felt the need to write something semi-angsty after the amount of gutter I enjoyed lately XD]. Enjoy the story and let me know what you think :)


Nikola Tesla. That was his name. His first instinct when he realized he had lost his memory was to find out who he really was. He thought that once he will find out his name everything would become clear. But who was actually Nikola Tesla? And who was he now? His mind was struggling hard to remember but the effort was useless.

Helen had told him a few aspects of his life but he knew she was holding back on him. What was it that important about his life that he had to get used to gradually? A Serbian scientist who studied at Oxford and was part of a group of scientists called The Five. There she had stopped pretending she had to take care of an urgent matter. Her eyes however said something else. His life had nothing unusual so far. Why then did he have the feeling that there was so much more he had to know?

It was late so he decided to try to sleep. It had been an exhausting day. As he laid his head on the pillow vivid images started to play in his mind. Schemes, devices, faces, names, voices. They were fading away too fast for him to catch their essence.

..::..

Helen decided to check up on him one more time before heading to her bedroom. The next day she would have his blood analysis results so she was hoping the mystery around his unexpected amnesia would soon start to clear out.

As she stepped through the infirmary door she heard a moan as if someone was suffocating. She hurried to Nikola's bed and froze because of the sight in front of her. Nikola had his eyes wide open but his gaze was locked on a spot in the ceiling. He was struggling hard to breathe as if his lungs were rejecting the oxygen. His entire body was trembling. She placed her hand over his forehead which was burning hot.

"Nikola!" She called his name hoping to make him react. "Nikola, can you hear me?"

Suddenly he blinked and gazed her. He was breathing deep now that his lungs were welcoming the air.

"Nikola, are you alright?" She asked cupping his face.

"Helen?" He answered when he was sure he had enough strength and his voice wouldn't fade away. "What happened?"

"I believe you had a seizure." She replied. "Take it easy now. It's over. You're going to be fine."

"I saw things." Nikola said after a short moment of silence. "Things I would have rather not remembered."

"What did you see?" Helen asked with concern.

"The death of a child. A little boy. Dane. And there was pain and guilt. Who was he?"

Helen hesitated for a second before answering but she knew sooner or later he would remember.

"Your brother." She answered.

He felt like someone had burnt a hole in his chest.

"It was my fault wasn't it? He died because of me." Nikola said lowering his gaze.

"No Nikola. It was not your fault." She tried to comfort him. "It happened long time ago. There was nothing you could do."

"I don't blame you Helen for not wanting to tell me who I really am. For not allowing me to become the monster I really am."

"Monster? What are you talking about Nikola?" She asked.

"I caused my brother's death. But there was more. I saw long black nails, sharp teeth and dark eyes. And I felt the blood lust. Such a powerful blood lust. I saw you shooting me and running away." He stopped for a moment. "I don't want to get back to that. I don't want to remember. I don't want to be a monster."

Helen had never seen this vulnerable side of him. She couldn't stop wondering if that was really a part of him or just a new personality that had emerged as a result of the amnesia.

"Oh, Nikola!" She exclaimed. "You are not a monster."

Before realizing, she found herself encircling Nikola with her arms in an attempt to comfort him. He did not reject the embrace. More than this, he rested his head on Helen's shoulder and let out a long sigh. Her fingers were now rubbing his back. Even though his heartbeats got faster, Nikola was feeling safe somehow trapped in an embrace he wished it would never end.

"Nikola, what is this?" She asked when her fingers met a lump at the bottom of his neck just above the spine.

"Ouch." He exclaimed as her fingers explored the lump. "I don't know. I probably hit something when I collapsed to the ground."

In a moment everything was clear to Helen.

"Dear Lord! I think I've just found the reason of your amnesia."

..::..

"So what you're trying to say is that I have an insect inside me and it stops me from remembering things?" Nikola asked in disbelief.

"A scarab, yes, deeply imbedded in the muscles in the base of your brain.

"And you know that because…"

"Because the same thing happened to my father as well! Though in his case the scarab not only that it was blocking his memories but it was also controlling him. You don't seem to be affected by any form of control. Something must have gone wrong during the implantation process."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Nikola asked.

"I don't know yet. I'll know more once you'll be on the surgery table."

"Wait a second! Surgery?"

"Yes." She replied. "That's the only way we can remove the scarab and restore your memories."

"I am not having any surgery." He said.

"I know it's risky" she started, "but I've done this before. Aren't you at least curious to find out who you really are?"

"Yes. And no." He replied.

She gazed him surprised by his answer.

"What if I don't like the man I used to be? What if I've done things I don't want to remember?"

Even she could not completely understand the inner conflict he was experiencing, she could understand his struggle.

"You are a brilliant scientist. The world as we know it today wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for you. Your gifts to the world changed everyone's life." She paused for a while then she continued, "And your friendship changed my life even more."

Their gazes locked for a moment as if scanning for the truth in each other's eyes.

"All that sounds wonderful but I- I can't..." He finally broke the silence.

"I understand." She said. "It's been a long day and everything must be very confusing for you. Try to get some rest and we'll talk again in the morning."

"Well then, good night." She said as she headed to the door.

"Good night." He replied in a whisper.

Nikola knew he would spend his night thinking. There were a lot of things he had to consider.

Half an hour later Helen sneaked into the infirmary. Pacing carefully not to wake him up, she placed a book on the bedside then she left the room quietly. The light coming from the lamp reflected the dark letters on the cover: "My Inventions: The Autobiography of Nikola Tesla".

..::..

The first hours of the morning found Nikola reading the last pages of his autobiography. When Helen entered the infirmary he was just placing the book back on the bedside.

"Good morning." She said. "How are you feeling today?"

"Confused." He answered.

"Nikola…" she started, "have you considered the surgery?"

"Yes." He replied.

A long moment of silence followed. None of them had the courage to speak out their thoughts. In the end, Helen broke the silence.

"I understand you are confused and maybe even afraid of having this surgery, but trust me had it been any other way I would have never suggested this. I'm afraid the scarab is messing with your nervous system. The blackout you had when you came here was its fault. Your health is in danger so I'm begging you think twice before giving me a definitive answer."

"I can't afford to lose you Nikola." Her mind completed her sentence.

"Very well." He replied. "I'll do it."

A smile brightened her face.

"What made you change your mind?" Helen asked surprised.

"Last night I found out a lot of things." He gazed the book on the bedside for a moment. "Some of them were the explanations I was looking for. Others confused me even more. But I have come to the conclusion that being Nikola Tesla can't be such a bad thing."

With a reassuring smile she took his hand in hers.

"I'll go to make the preparations then. The sooner the better."

When she was just about to leave Nikola called her name.

"Helen?"

She turned around waiting for his question.

"I may not remeber you but... I remember feelings. Have we two ever been…"

"No." She answered. "It's complicated."

"I see." He said with a wistful smile at the corner of his lips.

"We've been through a lot of things together. But just as very good friends."

She turned around and left the room thinking how powerful those feelings could've been if he could not remember his own name but remember them instead.

..::..

Three hours later he was pacing nervous to the surgery table.

"Don't worry." Helen tried to comfort him. "I'll do my best so everything goes well."

"I know." He answered.

"Before we start, I want you to have this." Nikola said and handed her the notebook she had given him to write down his thoughts. "If something goes wrong I'm afraid that's the only legacy I can leave you." He smiled cheekily.

"Don't even joke with that!" Helen replied. "You're not going anywhere anytime soon Mr. Tesla." She winked.

He sat on the surgery table and gently squeezed her hand before the procedure began. Somewhere inside he knew he trusted Helen.

..::..

When she paced to the infirmary to check on Nikola, as she has been doing for the last three days since his surgery, Helen was relieved to find him awake.

When he saw her, he held up a glass of wine and said,

"To the most skilled, beautiful and talented surgeon of the last two centuries."

Taking a sip of his wine he exclaimed,

"Mmm, I forgot how much I love wine."

Helen rolled her eyes and approached his bed.

"I'm glad to see you're back to being your usual self. Though I don't remember allowing you to drink wine. You just had a surgical intervention!"

He smirked taking another sip.

"Where did you find the wine anyway?" She asked.

"Helen, I think I remember pretty well where your wine cellar is." He replied as a wide grin grew on his face.

"So I take it your memory is back?"

"Pretty much so."

"Did you remember how the scarab was implanted to you?"

"I think so." He answered. "There was this secret organization, pretty much resembling to the Cabal. They caught me off guard and took me to one of their laboratories. They were hoping to obtain valuable information from me. But something went wrong and instead of controlling me, the scarab only blocked my memories. So when they saw I was useless they dumped me on the street knowing that it was just a matter of time until the scarab would kill me. Then everything becomes blurry. I must have been wandering the streets for a while until somehow I reached the Sanctuary. I still can't explain how I was able to find the way to this place. Perhaps my subconscious mind led me here. You know the rest."

"This organization might prove a threat to the Sanctuary network. I'll have to do some research." She said. "You can remain here if you want. I highly doubt they have the resources to lead an attack against the Sanctuary."

What was she doing? Was she actually asking him to stay?

"Helen." He said grabbing her hand. His blue steel eyes gazed her for a moment that seemed to have lasted a century. Then, as he lowered the shield around his heart he whispered a heartbreaking "thank you".

She smiled surprised to see the vulnerable side of him. He was not suffering from amnesia this time. It was really him the one that was holding her hand. And she was enjoying his touch.

"I'll have to think of a way to make up for everything." Nikola added.

"Just stay out of trouble." She replied.

"You know me better than that." He smirked while he approached her, his face only a few inches away from hers. "I think I have a better idea."

He slowly leaned in and brushed her lips with his own. She eagerly pulled him closer and bit his lower lip. Their tongues met in an unending duel while their hands closed the embraced and pressed their bodies together.

Helen finally realized how much Nikola really meant to her and how close of loosing him she had been.

..::FIN::..