When Nikola reached the entrance of the Sanctuary, a small group had already gathered around Helen. Will was kneeling next to her, two fingers on the soft skin of her neck to check her pulse, the palm of his hand on her forehead.
"William. What is going on? Is she okay?" Nikola asked, pushing his way through the abnormals assembled around the inanimate body of their protector to kneel on the other side of the unconscious Helen, caressing her shoulder.
"Go away people, mind your own business, she needs some air." He added, dispersing the crowd.
Will shook his head, obviously confused.
"She fainted..." He stated.
"Yeah, I know, I've seen that. Teach me something." Nikola answered, slightly annoyed, stroking the woman's cheek, the softness of the touch reminding him of those kisses they had shared in their lifetime.
"She's breathing just fine and she's got no temperature. But her pulse is slower than usual." Will continued.
"A vasovagal episode? That doesn't sound like her. And she's so pale..."
Nikola was strangely fascinated by the porcelain quality of Helen's face at that moment. He imagined that with her blueish eyes open, only one word from him would make her blush and look like a living doll, exactly like the one he had broken as a child and promised to buy again for one of his sisters.
"I haven't seen her eat anything in a long while. Big guy was usually the one making sure she had three meals a day, I don't think she does take care of herself. I should have seen that before, she's depressed." Will said, looking surprised.
Truth be told, a depressed Helen Magnus sounded quite improbable, and therefore absolutely frightening. They had had a glimpse of what depressed meant for her when she had lost Ashley... It required all Nikola's self-control not to react to seeing her cry, or hearing someone mention the girl's name to hurt Helen. He wanted to shield her from the pain. She didn't deserve it. Could it be that she was depressed? How was it that he hadn't noticed? She sure looked thinner, and tired, but she had dealt with lots of things lately, among which was surviving a massive explosion... That surely explained a few things, didn't it?
"Whatever, she can't stay here, lying on the ground. I'll get her to her bedroom. You find some food and don't forget a glass of water." Tesla ordered, taking Helen in his arms to lift her so easily that Will wondered if the vampire was really strong, or if his boss had lost considerable weight.
When Nikola saw Will's disturbed stare, he added: "Who do you think I am? I'm not the kind of guy to take advantage of a lady's unconsciousness.". That somewhat convinced Will that Nikola would not be indecent. The scientist had been strangely off Helen's back lately, which was slightly unsettling for anyone used to the Tesla/Magnus dynamic, but a welcome change for anyone having to work for them both, which was usually Will's case. He wondered what had changed. Could it be that Tesla was depressed as well? The young man silently prayed he wasn't. The last thing they needed right then was a depressed egocentric Serbian vampire...
They parted ways once they reached the huge and bright hall of the building, Nikola entering the elevator to go up to the top floor, where Helen's room was located. While waiting for the engine to take them there, he adjusted Helen's position in his arms, pulling her arm around his neck and leaning her head against his shoulder so that she would not hurt herself or bump into something. This new position also made her weight even less, and Nikola pouted, suddenly realizing how frail she actually was.
"Oh Helen... You're stronger than that. What is going on?" He whispered to her still unresponsive frame.
The proximity of his nose to her body overwhelmed his senses. There was something wrong, or at least really unusual about her blood. He could smell her from a certain distance, only enough to know she was around. But this close... It was completely different, all he had ever known about women, he had learned it after the Source Blood experiment, through his vampire nature, and thanks to Helen's proximity. Of course, she always smelled the same, but every day was slightly different. Her blood system was a general theme, and all the chemical reactions brought variations to it. In more than a century, he had learned every one of them. For decades, he had known exactly where Helen stood in he menstrual cycle... no less. But what he smelt was new, that was a completely new variation yet unknown to him. It was attractive. Even really attractive. And fascinating... But he wasn't sure what it meant. Was it a good thing? Could something bad be as attractive as this? His lips were a breath away from her forehead, ready to plant a caressing kiss on her beloved head when the doors of the elevator popped open, waking him up from his mesmerized state.
He struggled with the door for a moment, but he finally managed to get Magnus on her bed. He took her shoes off and stuffed cushions under her feet, remembering it would help her blood flow back to her brain. Then, the genius sat down on the edge of the bed next to Helen, took her hand in his, and waited, lost in thoughts. 'what is that smell?'.
