Another anniversay offering - this one is a little different because I felt they were getting a bit too sad and serious. As usual nothing but the mistakes are mine.

"I bought you a gift." Nikola announced walking into Helen's office.

Helen looked up from the never-ending pile of work on her desk and smiled. She had decided several weeks ago, after they had spent Ashley's birthday together, that she liked having Nikola around. She was fairly sure she was the only one living in the sanctuary that would say that, and she was fairly sure that he would eventually get itchy feet and disappear at some stage in the future but at the moment she liked having him around. Although as she thought about it, he had commandeered a bedroom for himself as well as a lab and he hadn't made any indication that he was ever planning to leave, in fact he was even attempting to get along with her staff.

"A present? For me? Why Nikola it isn't my birthday." She gushed with as much amateur dramatic flair as she could muster.

"Mock me if you will but I thought you might like this." He presented her with a small jewellery box. Helen couldn't contain the look of horror on her face as he placed it on the desk in front of her. They had certainly been getting closer over the last few years and particularly the last few months but this was a massive step. One she knew with certainty she wasn't ready for. She groaned inwardly, trying desperately to work out how she was going to say no to Nikola without hurting his feelings but at the same time letting him know that perhaps in the future she might be more ready for such an important step.

Dammit, why did he have to go and spoil everything by making such a gesture? They hadn't even slept together yet and here he was presenting her with a ring, surely he didn't think her Victorian sensibilities required a ring on her finger before she went to bed with him? How on earth was she going to do this?

Nikola watched as emotions danced across Helen's face and he could barely supress a smile knowing full well what she was thinking. "Just open the box Helen." Nikola said summoning the most heartbroken tone he could.

Helen looked at the box warily and reached out, almost as if it was going to bite her. She reluctantly opened it and peered inside. Relief washed over her when she saw it didn't contain a ring but rather a bullet.

"Nikola?" She asked not having a clue as to why he would scare her like that and why on earth he was giving her a bullet.

"It's July 22nd" He announced simply, as though the date should hold some kind of special meaning.

Helen was at a complete loss. "I'm afraid you are going to have to give me a bit more information." She said as Nikola took a seat on the corner of her desk.

"Helen I am disappointed. July 22nd 1913 was a turning point in our relationship, I can't believe you don't remember."

Helen sifted through her memories. "It wasn't our first kiss, that was August 15th 1879, and it wasn't our first adventure together that was Stanley's expedition to look for Livingstone, that was in June 1887….Nikola you are going to have to help me out."

Nikola smiled and lifted the shiny silver bullet from the box and began to turn it in those divinely long fingers. Helen had always been mesmerised by Nikola's finger s and lately she had been having a lot of less than innocent thoughts about what she would like them to do. Giving herself a mental shake she got back to the task at hand, working out why the date July 22nd 1913 was significant and why Nikola had given her a bullet as a gift. And then it came to her.

Helen laughed out loud. Nikola smiled knowing she had finally remembered. He loved the sound of her laughter, in fact he had made it his personal mission to make sure she did it more often and he was not disappointed.

"You instigated Serbia and Greece declaring war on Bulgaria and I shot you!"

"I still maintain that I had nothing to do with that unfortunate incident between the heads of state, but yes this is the bullet from the first time you shot me." He emphasized.

"Oh Nikola." Helen continued laughing.

"I fail to see how commemorating the anniversary of the first time you shot me is so funny, if anything you should be choked up with remorse and begging my forgiveness." Nikola informed her with mock seriousness.

"Oh I am sorry I shot you." Helen continued to laugh. "I'm only laughing because you are the only person I know who could possibly think the anniversary of their first shooting is one worth remembering."

Nikola took Helen's hand in his and gently stroked the back of it. "Helen I think every 'first' with us is an anniversary worth celebrating."

Helen felt a tingle through her body as Nikola continued to gently caress her hand. How could she not love a man like this. She knew it was a side to him that he rarely ley anybody see, but with her he had no problems opening up and showing what a loving and caring man he could be.

"July 22nd 2012". Helen said softly.

"Today? Why does today hold significance?"

"You need to remember July 22nd 2012 because it is going to be the anniversary of the first time I said 'I love you'".