Thank you all so much for the reviews in the first chapter, I'm glad of the interest that you've all shown in this story, and I apologise for the delay in posting this chapter.
I had a busy few weeks finishing up uni stuff, but now its holidays. Woot. So you can expect actual updates! Since, as I mentioned, I now have a lot of free time I can work on this story (and my others) :).
I hope you enjoy. :)
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Helen landed on the cobbled stones in a crouch. A dizzy feeling washed over her and she was disoriented momentarily. She regained her bearings and equilibrium quickly. After all, nothing could jolt Helen Magnus so far as to render her more than temporarily confused.
"Well...this is certainly not what I had in mind when I followed you into Praxis," Nikola said as he looked around.
They were standing in London. It was unmistakable. Helen had walked – or often run, depending on what or whom she was chasing at the time – these cobbled roads hundreds of times. A cobbled road that no longer existed in their timeline...
Helen's mind snapped back to focus when she saw Adam rushing off around a corner into the labyrinth like back-streets. She'd come here for a reason. She didn't have time to dally in blissful reminiscences.
"Adam!" she yelled, rushing after the man. Nikola looked around briefly, noting the suspicious glances they were garnering from passer-bys. It seemed Helen had forgotten that women didn't act so ungraciously in this time. She'd grown accustomed to unquestioned authority and free-reign as a woman. She was going to need someone to remind her it hadn't always been like that.
"Bloody hell," he uttered, as it seemed only appropriate to adopt one of Helen's favourite phrases in this time and place.
He ran off in pursuit of her, and Adam.
Helen scurried around the corner, shooting at Adam with her gun, but not managing to get the man. Her blasts instead hit the brick walls causing dust to cascade down to the ground.
Nikola caught up to her just as she was rounding a corner, gun in hand.
"Don't make things worse, Adam," she called out. She was looking around carefully, single-minded in her pursuit to stop Worth from altering their timeline.
Nikola walked beside her in his vamped-out state, searching for any sign of their evil madman.
"None of us can be here, we all know it," Helen called out. Nikola knew she was trying to provoke Adam into talking, into revealing his location, or perhaps part of his plot.
"It's only time travel, Helen," Adam called back. "What's the worst that could happen?" His voice echoed in the alleyway, so neither of them was able to get a fix on where he was.
"You mean aside from destroying the natural order of history?" Helen replied as she and Nikola crept forward.
Nikola heard scuffling ahead and indicated to Helen. She nodded at their silent gesture and they moved forward together slowly.
"What, by creating a utopia?" Adam replied. "You must have thought about it, think of all the possibilities! Nikola, don't pretend you haven't considered it. The world, any way we want it to be."
Helen looked over at Nikola uncertainly. He picked up the look and the meaning behind it. She was remembering that day in Rome when he'd talked of the new golden age.
It hurt him a little more than he would like to admit that she thought he would actually turn to Adam's side and abandon her. After everything they'd been through together.
"I already started to shape the world by creating advancements in technology once," Nikola scoffed, "I'd rather not do that again."
It wasn't as though he was going to give up on his quest for power, of course not, that would be ludicrous. No, he merely wanted to seek it in his own time. Altering history was too dangerous. Who knew what damage they'd do that wouldn't work in his favour, or Helen's.
Nikola and Helen rounded another corner together. Nikola could tell they were getting closer.
"Think about it," Adam said, "The three of us together. We could be like the Five, only better. We don't need the other two, not when we're the real geniuses anyway."
"By taking over the world?" Helen said.
Nikola saw the blast of green light from Adam's gun and acted on instinct, pushing Helen out of its path. He growled as he felt the blast hit him in the chest. The last thing he heard as he and Helen tumbled to the ground was her soft gasp before everything went black.
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James Watson couldn't say he was altogether surprised when he'd gotten summoned to Scotland Yard in a matter concerning one Miss Helen Magnus, and a certain Mr Tesla. Though he had thought Nikola was out of the country, which was curious. He hadn't heard that Nikola would be returning to visit. Surely Helen would have mentioned it. It did make sense that the vampire would seek out Helen, he'd always been a sight too attached to her for propriety.
As he'd made the short trip across town to Scotland Yard he wondered what Helen could possibly have got herself in to this time that merited him needing to bail her out. Helen and Nikola had always been a frightfully troublesome combination.
He was greeted by a familiar officer of whom he'd worked with before on occasion. The man had dealt with several matters to do the Sanctuary, not explicitly of course, but enough to know their work required a certain discretion.
"Hasn't said a word since we brought her in," the man said. "The other one keeps demanding to see her though. We're keeping them in separate cells."
That didn't surprise James.
"Wouldn't let the doctors near them neither," the man continued as they made their way to the holding cells. "Despite all the blood on his shirt and the bumps on her head."
"She put up any kind of resistance?" James inquired.
"Gentle as a debutante, despite all the weapons we found on her," the officer said. "Never seen anything like it. I would say Miss Magnus's reputation as odd remains in tact."
"Doctor Magnus," James corrected, at the man's calling Helen odd. He would still defend her honour, whatever trouble she'd caused. "And I will need everything you took from her. No charges, no evidence to suppress, just make your life easier as usual."
"Fine," the man agreed. Probably more out of a reluctance to deal with the unusual Dr Magnus and whatever bizarre behaviour she'd been involved in to warrant her arrest. "But you owe me for this, Watson."
He moved to unlock the door and James stepped to the doorframe as the heavy metal door pushed open. The man then moved several cells down to unlock the cell which held Tesla.
James was shocked when he saw Helen sitting on the bed, wrapped in a grey blanket. It was Helen, of that there was no doubt, but there was something strikingly different about her. It wasn't just the glaringly obvious change of her hair colour either.
"James," Helen stood. There was a tone to her voice he couldn't quite place. It was almost as though she was shocked to see him.
"Helen," James said.
"Well, isn't this quite the happy reunion?" Nikola said as he appeared beside James.
"The two of you have a lot to explain," James said.
Helen and Nikola exchanged a look which did not escape James. Whatever they'd been doing was something big, he could tell. Nikola's shirt was bloodied and torn around the chest, almost as though he'd been shot (which was quite possible for the vampire) and Helen was barely wearing anything decent at all.
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Helen and Nikola followed James out of Scotland Yard, both trying to formulate the best possible explanation for this without raising their rather inconveniently perceptive friend's suspicions.
"I got a call," James began as they exited the building into the darkened street, "To say that you were both found injured, Helen half-dressed, with strange weapons."
Nikola grinned lewdly at Helen when James said 'half-dressed'.
"I wasn't even aware you were on the continent let alone in the country," James said, to Nikola.
They exchanged another look, neither one quite knowing how to deal with this and get away from James as quickly as possible to ensure things didn't become even messier.
"You know me," Nikola shrugged, "I thought I'd come and visit... have an adventure or two."
"Well, it certainly looks as though you've had success with the latter," James said, surveying them. "What in Heaven's name have you two been up to trawling the streets at night? What are you wearing? Your hair, for God's sake, when did you do that?"
"I..." Helen said, but she was still woozy from the tumble. She staggered, and Nikola caught her around the waist. She placed her hand on his chest for support gratefully.
James's brows shot up at this display, and Helen moved away from Nikola's embrace.
"We're...we're grateful to you for your assistance James," Helen said, "But it's been a hell of a night and we really must be on our way."
"Helen, you've taken a terrible tumble, at least let me look at you," James said.
"I'm fine," Helen said. "Really. I can see myself home. Goodnight James."
"What on Earth are the two of you up to?" James said, "Why are you employing such secretive measures? Neither one of you even thought to inform me that you were intending to come to London, Nikola, and now the pair of you turn up like this in Scotland Yard?"
"Nikola and I just got a bit out of hand," Helen said. "We shan't be so careless next time."
Helen went to walk away, but stumbled once more with a soft gasp. James moved to her aid this time, a look of concern on his face.
"Bloody hell," Helen uttered as she swayed on her feet. Nikola watched in concern. She collapsed and Nikola moved forward to lift her to his arms, his vampiric strength more than Watson's.
"We need to get her to the Sanctuary," James said, "It appears she's been more affected by her tumble than she let on. I ought to check her out to ensure no lasting damage."
Nikola clenched his jaw and looked at the woman in his arms. He really had no choice. He had nowhere else as of yet to go and Helen could need medical attention. He couldn't risk her any further harm if her injury was that bad.
Things were about to get very messy.
