Hello my Dear Readers!)

So this is officially the end!) I propose you the last chapter of my story and I really hope that you will like it.) And I want to thank all of you for being with me, for your nice reviews, following and favouriting, for your patience, it means the world to me.)

Chartreuseian, you know that I adore you, and I can't express how much I appreciate all you've done for me.) Thank you very very very much for your precious friendship and for the opportunity to try myself as a Teslen writer!) XO

So… Enjoy!)

Chapter 11

A week later

Helen was working in the library all morning. There was no serious case this time, requiring the fasted possible solution, but she hated to leave even insignificant business unfinished. So now she was standing in front of the huge shelf of books, leafing through the book in her hand. In spite of all her attempts to concentrate her mind on it, her thoughts were drifting away from here. She got a mental picture of a beautiful Azerbaijan city and huffed in frustration.

She hadn't seen him since their return in the Sanctuary. And it had already been three damned days. Though, back in London she had no time even to exchange a few words with Nikola, moving from one meeting to another, barely having time for sleep. But he was beside her, diverting her with easy talk during the short breakfasts, and made for a pleasant companion her on the way home… And she was really grateful to him for that. But they did never bring up what had happened before at that night in Baku, and now she couldn't help but feel silly irritation due to his absence.

Suddenly she heard as the door leading to the library slammed, and turning round, she saw Nikola himself, who burst into her little world. She managed just to gasp as he grabbed her by her hand and with his vampire speed flashed both of them in a recess between stacks. And Helen found herself being driven into a corner, pressed with his body. She instinctively lifted her hands to create a space between them, but the position didn't leave too much room for her movement. She could feel the beat of Nikola's heart against her chest, his ghostly breath on her face, and this unavoidable proximity thrilled her to the core in a way she didn't want to dwell on. She used the only thing she was able to make him farther from her – the book she was still keeping in her right hand, and she immediately slipped it between their chests.

As she got the delusional sense of comfort, she started, "What…?" But she managed to say just a word when he put his index finger to her lips, appealing her to keep silence.

She gasped at his invasion into her fragile privacy as it was but quickly recovered and asked in a whisper, "What happened?"

And as the reply to her question, Will jumped in the library, yelling, "TESLAAAA!" Helen widened her eyes in shock. To say that she was astonished meant to say nothing. Her always reserved protégé was absolutely out of control. Meanwhile Will stopped in front of the desk and looked under it, then around, but there was nobody in the room. He stood still a little and rushed to the recess opposite from where Helen and Nikola were.

Neither Nikola nor Helen did budge. He didn't even remove his finger from her lips and unconsciously started to trace their contours, taking advantage of her exhilarating closeness. The silent question in her blue eyes was so expressive and the vampire replied in low voice at last, "William's suitcase has been delivered!"

Helen lost in her perception of his delicate touch on her lips that instinctively parted them to give him better access. He was delighting in her unsteady breath, making his finger warmer. The air in the narrow space of their hidden location became heavy and hot at once. The century-long experience of keeping poker face covered her heighten senses from his intense gaze and she replied nonchalantly, "He should be happy about this fact!"

Nikola's eyes sparkled slyly, "I don't think so!"

Oh, she could always recognize that expression of his mischievousness in his eyes, probably blindfolded too. "What have you done?" she asked.

The vampire smiled sweetly, "You mean, besides sending his luggage in a world tour with a long stop in Kazakhstan?" But caught her demanded look, he continued, "Do you remember the slime we were covered in?"

"Ugh!" Helen's face puckered slightly with the aversion as she recalled the nauseating smell, "Of course I do, and so?"

Nikola looked down and again back at her innocently and replied with the smile which was becoming wider and wider while he was saying, "Well, leaving out details, I put my 'nice' smelling jacket in his suitcase."

She simply opened her mouth, and swallowing the chuckle, whispered, "You couldn't have done that!"

"Of course I could, or why else would he be so completely unfriendly now?" he shrugged but his face was airing the obvious exultation.

"But the smell was impossible to dissolve," Helen managed to say, choking with laughter, "I had to get rid of my clothes entirely." She utterly forgot that Will was here and her childish laugh could betray them.

"And that's the most pleasant part, isn't it?" He grinned smugly. Helen really didn't know how to react to Nikola's trick. She tried to affect seriousness in her gaze but imaging Will who was tracing Nikola, she laughed to herself and asked, "So you, fearing for your safety, have come for my protection?"

For the moment he admired her eyes twinkling with joy and that delightful smile before he whispered, "Actually, no." And his gaze filled with breathtaking gentleness, shifting the atmosphere to intimate one, "I was looking for you when you protégé went in for the kill!"

She gave her head a shake as if fighting back his gentle voice, "And why were you looking for me?" She smiled.

"I missed you," he replied softly.

She stumbled. He puzzled her, acting so sincere and candid, without any hint of his usual innuendos. And being honest, she had no idea what to do with this version of Nikola and moreover how to resist him. She cleared her throat, changing the subject, "It seems to me Will has gone away!"

His eyes never left hers, taking in tiny turns of her emotions, "You are right. He left… about 7 minutes ago!" He grinned.

Oh, there he was, the Nikola she knew. She arched her eyebrow and shortening the gap between their lips, stopped a breath away from his lips and replied in a seductive whisper, "Then you could let me free before you choke me to death with your stony grip!" Her breath was dancing over his lips and that was too much for him, and he inhaled sharply and automatically gripped the curves of her body just a bit tighter in reaction to her behaviour before set her free. She slipped out their hidden place with a playful smile and went back to the desk, swaying her hips in a way that left Nikola barely able to restrain himself from pinning her to the wall and making her pay for her trick with hot, open-mouthed kisses. He followed her with his eyes and chuckled, what an exquisite woman!

"Do you have any plans for the next evening?" he asked all of a sudden.

She turned to him, and gulped, he was standing right in front of her, "A date?" The word escaped her so fast that she wanted to kick herself for that. "Whatever, I have… I have a meeting, I believe." It was an ungraceful attempt to draw his attention away from her slip but, of course, it didn't work. He was giving her his best, sexiest grin and she wanted to slap herself for her foolish slip.

"You said it, not me," he replied, not giving up. "But that's not an appropriate answer. Yes or no, Helen?"

Her lips twitched into a small smile and yielding to the charm of his light mood, she jested, "This kind of proposition is usually accompanied with gifts!"

Nikola smirked approvingly, "H'm, you're right. Then follow me, Miss Magnus."

"Doctor," she corrected him but asked suspiciously, "Where?"

"Oh, Helen, who would have known that you're so curious!" He rolled his eyes with a feigned sigh, but grabbed her hand and he led her out of the library along corridor to the farthest part of the Sanctuary. The closer they were to Nikola's mysterious place the more perplexed Helen looked.

"Nikola, where are we going to?" she asked, giving up the idea to find out it by herself.

Nikola laughed, "My dearest Doctor Magnus, do you understand the meaning of the word 'surprise'? Because I'm starting to doubt at such…" She slapped him gently, but couldn't keep from smiling at his enigmatic expression. Finally, they stopped in front of the door of an old lab, which, for the last twenty years had been used as a closet if her memory didn't deceive her.

"And what are we doing here?" She crossed her arms over her chest and shot him a glance of suspicion.

Nikola rolled his eyes, "Show patience, ljubav." And he held out a warm coat to her.

She looked at the coat, then her eyes 4raveled back to his face, "Why should I wear that?" she asked, starting to get irritated.

"Because I don't want you to catch cold." He replied, his tone laced with concern as he held out the coat again. She took it with a huff.

"So what now?" she grumbled.

"And now you close your eyes!"

"Nikola…"

"Helen!"

She eyed him for a few seconds before exclaimed, "Fine!" She took a deep breath before finally shutting her eyes, hearing him muttering about something and entered the room behind him. As she crossed the threshold she instantly gasped at the cold that embraced her, chilling her to her fingertips. She hated to admit it, but now she was really grateful Nikola for insisting on her wearing the coat.

"I'm going to open my eyes now, Nikola," she announced.

He blinded her with his right hand pressed to her eyes. "No, Helen, not yet," he murmured in her ear, and she found herself in his comfortable embrace.

"Nikola, this is ridiculous," she tried to sound derisive, but the gentleness with which she took his hand and removed it from her eyes gave her away. At the very moment she opened her eyes the sun, gushing out through the window, lightened the room and she immediately froze in astonishment.

"Oh, God!" she breathed, looking around without blinking as if it would all disappear any minute. "What is it?" she managed to ask.

Nikola smiled lovingly, relishing her speechlessness, "It's for you!" he said simply.

She couldn't stop looking about the room, scarcely believing her eyes. The room wasn't the same she remembered, there were no old furniture and the walls were painted a soft light blue, expanding the space and letting the air and the light freely move through it. It was no longer a storage closet but a wonderful, almost exotic garden made of flowers and fanciful patterns along the roof and walls, leading to the floor in remarkable columns that made graceful archways.

All made of ice.

Helen walked carefully about the room, endeavoring to not ruin any of the diminutive and magnificent pieces, and Nikola watched her movements, his heart rate rising every time her eyes lit up with bewilderment and excitement.

"I thought that ordinary flowers weren't for such an extraordinary woman as you are," he noted softly.

She shot him a rapturous glance, "They are gorgeous. Thank you," she whispered, being afraid that a louder voice would ruin this miracle, "But how did you do that?"

He gave a chuckle and winked at her, "Genius, remember?" Helen couldn't help but roll her eyes at his show off, but he added with a hint of seriousness, "It was Sally who helped me with the water. I needed something impressive to win you over."

"Amazing!" She spoke in a low voice, looking around the room again and again, admiring the piece of art, made especially for her. It was an incredible, unbelievable gift, which simply took her breath away. She faced Nikola, his eyes glittering with nothing but despair pushed her to make up her mind. Now or never! She ran up to him and cupped his face, pressing her lips to his in a sweet kiss. It was a heartbeat before he circled his arms around her body and responded to her. "How could I say 'no'?" she asked endearingly, moving away slightly.

"Then say 'yes'!" he smiled.

She stroked his cheek, "You do understand that this is going to be incredibly difficult, don't you?"

Nikola rested his forehead against hers, a wide grin was playing on his face, and replied, "I don't think I care. We'll manage. Somehow."

His voice was ringing with a genuine sense of love that was the best kind of answer Helen could receive. Her face lit up with a smile so beautiful that he couldn't stop himself from bending forward to steal another kiss. A knock on the door interrupted his intentions though, and Nikola growled, "Bloody hell, is there any place on the Earth where your protégé will not find us?"

Helen sighed disappointingly, "It could be anyone."

And as if to prove his words, there was Will's voice from the other side of the door, "Magnus, are you in there? I need to talk to you."

Nikola gave her 'I told you' look, before started moving towards the door, muttering, "I think the time to send Dr Expendable to Kazakhstan has come!"

She laughed, catching his hand, "For the first time, I agree with you! But let me…" And giving him a peck on the cheek, she headed for the door, but before she opened it, she threw over her shoulder, "What if we miss the first date and start from the second one?"

Nikola frowned looking perplexed, "What's wrong with a first date, ljubav?"

"Nothing, but old-fashioned girls don't kiss at the first date!" she replied with a wink and went out of the room, leaving Nikola in the middle of glacial garden completely speechless. He heard her moving away, high heels clattering before the irritating voice of William floated through the door, and the memory of the silkiness of her lips made his heart stop for a second. And they said that vampires could feel nothing. Oh, how wrong they were… He put forth a tremendous effort to suppress the urge to run after her, grab in an iron embrace and never let go by distracting himself with details of their forthcoming date. He stepped forward and stopped. He could be patient, he waited for her decades… He was Nikola Tesla after all and his will power was adamantine. Or not? If there was a weakness in him, it was definitely named Helen Magnus. So could he? He flashed out of the room and the sound of the slamming door was the best answer. Of course he couldn't…

The End