006. i'm here - spring, 1890
Nightmares were not something that normally plagued Helen, Nikola knew, but for the past few nights she had been troubled by them. Tonight was no different, and the thunderstorm raging outside wasn't helping. Beside him, Helen had pulled from his usual embrace in favor of tossing and turning across the blankets, twisting herself further into them and only restricting her further. Nikola didn't dare wake her, but managed to keep her from suffocating herself by pulling away the sheets when they got too close. She mumbled things beneath her breath that not even he could make out with his advanced senses. It was frustrating to know he couldn't help her in any other way.
Halfway through the night with a particularly bright flash of lightning, she suddenly jerked up, screaming horrifically. Nikola followed and wrapped his arms around her, trying to calm her, but Helen still seemed lashed within the nightmare to some point as she tried in vain to shove him harshly away, yelling at him and pounding on his chest.
"Helen." Nikola said firmly. "Helen, stop this, it isn't real." He tried to sooth her, watching as recognition came over her face and she paled slightly, and then flushed with near embarrassment. She wrapped her arms tight around him in return, burying her face in his chest.
"I'm right here, Helen. I promise. I'm not going anywhere." He calmed her quietly, trailing fingers through her long golden curls. Helen sniffled against his chest, trying very hard to keep it together. Nikola was very aware someone else in the house had likely heard her screams and would be coming to investigate shortly. Likely James, who was also not aware that Nikola slept with Helen during the evenings. She pushed lightly on his chest.
"Go. Give me five minutes." She whispered and he nodded, pressing a kiss to her forehead before he quickly retreated to what were his own quarters. Not a second later, with his advances senses he could hear heavy footsteps in the hallway that clearly belonged to James. Quickly, Nikola ruffled his hair slightly and untucked his shirt and the like, making it seem as if he had just woken up. Voices sounded in the hall, including Helen's soft voice, and Nikola took his chance by stepping out into the hall, a tired and confused expression on his face.
"I thought I heard screaming . . . ?" He muttered, furrowing his brow as he approached James, who lingered in the hall outside of Helen's bedroom door. She had wrapped herself up in a thick robe to at least appear decent, and glanced from James over to the mussed Nikola.
"I was just having a bad dream, Nikola, it was nothing. Go back to sleep." Helen responded curtly, before her gaze flickered back to James.
"Are you certain you're all right, Helen?" James asked and she nodded.
"I'll be fine. You go back to sleep as well. Big day tomorrow." She gave a faint smile and a yawn. James nodded, gave another curt nod to Nikola, before he disappeared back down the hall to his study, likely up late again studying. Helen's gaze met Nikola's and he counted a solid ten seconds before he crossed the rest of the way to her door and slipped back inside her bedroom. Helen's arms wrapped tightly around his waist and he pulled her close, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
"It was just a dream, love." He muttered, gathering her in his arms and carrying her back to bed.
"It was him." She whispered into his chest as he tucked her in, much like a child. She sat up the instant he had tugged blankets over her and had crawled back into bed with her. Nikola reached up, cupping her cheek and running his thumb along her skin.
"He can't hurt you, Helen. He's dead. Gone. You're safe, I promise." Nikola said and she leaned into his touch, nodding with a heavy sigh.
"I still see him. That damned menacing look of his – part of me feels as if he is still alive, waiting for his chance."
"And if that's the case he'll never lay a hand on you." Nikola replied, a bit more harshness in his voice than he intended. Of course it was directed toward John – even if the man was dead, he still hated the creep. What he'd done, the emotional damage he had done to Helen; it was never to be forgiven. While Helen had forever to get over it, Nikola doubted she'd be able to for quite some time yet.
"Thank you, Niko." Helen smiled faintly, leaning over to press a kiss to his cheek. She settled back against the pillows, waiting for him to settle as well before she curled against him, as always, and worked on getting back to sleep. He traced circles across her back in a soothing pattern, hoping it would help.
It continued to storm outside, thunder rumbling and lightning flashing while Nikola remained awake. He slept very little, of course, and he intended to be awake should Helen slip into her nightmares again. She seemed relatively calm, however, her hand resting across his chest possessively and her face at ease in her sleep. His fingers moved up from her back to trail gently through the golden curls fanned out across the pillow.
There was a flash and Nikola felt his body react instinctively before his mind caught up to realize John Druitt had just materialized in front of him at the foot of the bed. He was soaking wet, hair plastered across his face. Beside him, Helen slept on, unaware of the intruder. A low growl escaped Nikola's lips.
"You're meant to be dead, Druitt." Nikola muttered in a low tone and John chuckled.
"I'm meant to be a lot of things, Tesla, though dead is not one of them." His gaze drifted to Helen. "Enjoying her toying with your affections?"
"Keep talking about her and I'll rip your vocal chords out and shove them somewhere you won't really enjoy." Nikola threatened, voice dropping an octave as his eyes swirled to a nasty looking black in color. "So please, continue, and give me an excuse to kill you again."
Beneath his hand he felt Helen's breathing shift and her heart rate sky-rocket in such a way that he knew she was awake. He continued to glare at John, however, merely waiting. The taller man snarled.
"As much as I'd love to fight you, I don't think dear Helen would take too kindly to that. Nor James, just down the hall. I'm afraid our duel shall have to wait, old boy." John stated, drumming his fingers along the cane he carried in his left hand, where Nikola was more than aware he carried a knife, prepared to kill at all times.
"Afraid to be out numbered? How very unlike you. Then again, since Helen did take you down last time, I can only imagine what the four of us could do to you in return. Not to mention what Gregory intends to do to you when he returns from his trip – you should have stayed dead. You'd be better off." Nikola replied sharply. John chuckled.
"You're delusional if you think any of you will be touching me again." He replied.
"And you're still the same insanely-posessed freak we know and hate. Take your threats somewhere else, John." Nikola's tone was starting to grow a bit louder, threatening on his own. Helen shook against him, trembling almost in a way. Gently he ran his thumb across her back, comforting her as far as he dared while John was in the room.
"Your day will come, Tesla, as will Helen's. You can't play house forever." Another growl and he disappeared again, clearly only there to instigate for the time being, and make his presence known. Nikola's eyes turned back to their blue shade. Beside him, Helen shifted and rolled over, staring at the top of her four poster bed with watery eyes and her teeth biting down hard on her lower lip. Nikola sank lower onto the bed and moved to draw her back into his embrace, but she moved away.
"Don't." She murmured, before climbing out of bed all together. She tugged her robe back on from before and paced beside the bed a fleeting moment. Nikola sat up and watched her with a heavy sigh.
"It will be all right, Helen. We've fought him before and we'll do it again. He won't get to you." He said carefully and Helen shook her head.
"I can't stay here any longer, Nikola. He'll come after me, after you. I have to leave London." Helen said suddenly, stopping to look at him with her still watery gaze. "I have to go." She moved to her wardrobe, but Nikola reached over and caught her wrist.
"You're being irrational."
"No, I'm not!" She jerked her wrist away. "He's going to murder me, Nikola, and will not stop until he's through. He'll go through you and James and anyone else he has to in order to get to me. I have to leave London, go somewhere and hide away where he can't find me. I won't have him hurting you or James or Nigel over me. Not now and not bloody ever."
"Helen!" Nikola said, a bit louder and harsher to grab her attention more fully. He climbed off the bed and took both her hands in his. "Listen to yourself. You can't just run and hide away from him. You're the safest here, with us, with me." He insisted, hands switching to cradle either side of her face. "I love you, Helen Magnus, and no teleporting idiot is going to hurt you on my watch. Tomorrow morning I'll start work on something to keep him away, out of the house. I'll travel with you everywhere now if I have to – if anything it gives me an excuse to spend more time with you."
Helen gave a weak smile in response. Nikola brushed his thumbs across her cheeks, wiping away the tears that had managed to escape from her eyes. Her hands came up to close over his, peeling them away from her face in favor of linking their fingers together.
"I believe you. I just don't want to see you hurt."
"I'll be completely fine. Takes more to kill a vampire, of course." He gave a lopsided grin, leaning forward to capture her lips in a kiss. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer until the need for air was apparent. He pulled her into his embrace, hugging her tightly, head resting atop hers.
"Now, will you finally go to sleep? You'll be falling asleep at the table tomorrow if you don't."
"Only if you sleep with me."
"Gladly." He smirked and she rolled her eyes, pressing a hand against his chest.
"Don't make me kick you out, Nikola. Go to bed."
"With pleasure." He grinned again and wrapped his arms tighter around her waist, lifting her up and proceeding to dump her onto the bed, earning a plethora of giggles from her. As promised, he crawled back into bed and gave her no chance to escape, choosing to draw her instantly into his embrace with her back to his chest, one leg thrown over both of hers possessively.
"So you can't escape on me." He offered as explanation.
"If I wanted to escape I would have done it by now, idiot." She muttered, but made no move to protest his current embrace. "Goodnight, Nikola."
"Goodnight, Helen."
There was a long pause.
"Nikola, if your hand goes any higher on my chest, I will rob you of any and all equipment it takes to procreate."