Thank you for the lovely reviews. Special thanks to Spark She-demon for her help.

One Step Forward; Two Steps Back

Helen walked slowly into Nikola's lab. She smiled seeing him working on a new project. She never thought about giving Nikola the same chance John and James's had. New York replayed through her mind. He held on too to her for so long, yet all she did was hurt him. Helen sighed and walked up behind him.

"Yes-" Nikola asked writing something down on a piece of paper.

"We need to talk." Helen said softly. She was nervous, actually she was terrified. What if he rejected her as she did to him so many times?

Nikola turned to look at her. "Helen, Nikki will be fine. She just needs time." Nikola assured her.

"I know; I actually wanted to talk about us." Helen said trying to smile again at the reassurance of Nicole being okay.

"Us? What about us?" Nikola said raising his eyebrows.

She nodded. "I know I was blind to you once…" Helen turned her face away from him as he faced her. "I want a to-" Helen stopped as her lips were cover by Nikola's.

"Yes, I will be your boyfriend." Nikola said smiling.

Helen took his hands. "I wish Nikki was here for this."

Nikola pulled her hands to his lips. "Me too. And in time ljuvabi she will be."

X~x~X

Nicole couldn't believe it had been two months since left the Sanctuary. It still felt odd at times being alone in the house. Thanks to her dad she was still up to date with the Sanctuary happenings, at times she wished she could go back. However the little voice in her head talked her out of it. Why would she be needed? What great thing could she do?

Nicole sighed heavily as she turned into the parking lot of the diner. She looked up as Billy, the manager, was outside with a few men in business suits. Nicole felt a knot growing in her stomach as she opened her door.

"Miss Watson." Said a bald guy in his thirties or forties. "I am Greg Addison." Nicole swallowed hard as she recognized the name. "I am the head of SCIU in this district as you would know from your late night hackings."

"Look…I…-" Nicole stammered with her words.

"You're not in trouble, well not yet at least." Addison said with a crooked grin. "I have a proposal for you."

X~x~X

John sat sulking as he thought of Helen with Nikola. The vampire was unworthy of her. John sighed; he didn't believe that was true. Of course Nikola was worthy of Helen; he stood by her through everything. Nikola even saved his life, because he thought Helen would still want him to be there.

Nikola hovered of John's body; that still twitched from the electricity that surged through him.

"Let me die!" John begged as his human side emerged.

"I would if Helen wouldn't hate me." Nikola assured him as he quickly worked to save him.

The details were stretchy but he remember that much. Nikola loved Helen so much he would save a man he hated. John looked up as Ashley entered the drawing room. He was grateful to Nikola; of course he would never admit it. He was able to be around Ashley now which was nice.

X~x~X

Nicole sat at the booth as Addison complimented her on breaking through the firewall of SCIU. She found it hard to look at him as she knew where this was leading.

"We want you to help us." Addison finally said looking at her.

"I don't think I have a choice if I want my freedom, do I?" Nicole said looking down.

"Not really. " He said smirking at her. "So shall we get down to business?"

"Sure." She said feeling horrible.

"Your full name for the record?"

"Nicole Marie Watson." She lied smoothly as she pulled out her I.D.

"Great." Addison said taking it and handing it to the man to his right who started to type in the information into his tablet. "Who are your parents?"

"I don't know my birth parents, I was adopted." Nicole said looking at Addison.

Addison looked at the tablet and smiled. "Seems to check out, now I need you to read over this and make sure it is all correct and sign it."

Nicole took the paperwork that Addison pushed in front of her. She felt like a traitor; her heart beat sped up and she felt sick. She pulled the pen from her pocket and slowly signed Nicole Watson. Nicole was at least happy knowing that the fake identity her dad gave her worked out.

Nicole looked out the window as Addison gave her another piece of paper. "This is the direction to the office you will be briefed there. You will be expected there by nine thirty tomorrow morning…Don't be late." His voice was dry and cold.

Nicole looked back taking the paper and nodded. "Yes sir."

Addison smiled as he stood up with his group of men. "See you then."

Nicole nodded and watched them leave. She looked back out the window. She looked at Billy as he walked to the booth.

"So I guess you're leaving." Billy said sitting across from her.

"I don't have a choice; I have to pay for my actions." Nicole sighed leaning into her seat. "I am sorry I know you gave me this job because of my dad."

"Actually it was for your mom." Billy corrected her with a smile. "Your dad is a bit of a pain."

Nicole giggled. "But I love him."

"Nicole, please be careful. SCIU is very dangerous." Billy said taking her hand.

Nicole felt peace as Billy used his own gift to soothe her fears. Nicole closed her eyes as and enjoyed the memory Billy drew to her mind.

"Well cricket are you ready to drive?" James asked looking at the excited sixteen year old girl.

"The question is are you ready?" Nicole said taking the keys to her car.

Helen smiled at the pair. "James, are you sure you want to do this?"

"I don't think her driving could be any worse than yours." James said smiling at Helen as he wrapped his arm around Nicole's shoulders.

Billy smiled as he broke the connection. "How did it end?"

"James was horrified with my driving." Nicole said smiling. "He also had to admit that my driving was worse than my mom's."

Billy laughed and patted her hand. "Get going kid, I'll send your check to you tomorrow."

Nicole nodded and stood up from the booth. "Thanks Billy."

X~x~X

Helen sat next to Ashley and Nikola. The pair was talking about James; mainly about how great of a man he was to play dad for both her and her sister. It was small talk but Helen was happy to see them bounding as well, but she longed for Nicole to be here. She missed her greatly; she only stopped looking for her because she was trusting Nikola. Ashley took her mom's hand, as Nikola was talking about the time him and James blew part of a lab up.

Helen laughed and gave Ashley's hand a tight squeeze. "Had it not been for father it would have been a complete loss."

"Very true, and this was when we found where your mom got her boring lecture talent from." Nikola said winking towards Helen.

"Really?" Ashley seemed amused but quickly hid her smile. "I mean that's not nice."

Nikola could only laugh as Helen gave Ashley a look of disbelief. "Thank you Ashley," Helen in a mocking tone.

Ashley stared at her mom for a moment. She reminded her of Nicole. She remembered her first week in the new Sanctuary. Every time Nicole did or said something that resembled something their mother did she pointed it out, and every time Nicole mocked a hurt voice. Ashley hugged her mom and kissed her cheek. "Anytime mom," Ashley decided it was best not to mention Nicole right now.

Helen and Ashley looked at Nikola as he stood. He was reading his phone screen. His expression changed from content to worry. 'Dad I really need to talk to you!' Nikola looked up from his phone.

"What is it, Nikola?" Helen asked looking at him; one arm still around Ashley.

"One of my contacts needs to me with me." Nikola replied looking back to his phone. "I need to go," Nikola moved towards Helen and kissed her forehead. "I will be back soon."

X~x~X

Nicole hurried and opened the door as her dad's headlights peered through the blinds. She wiped her tears as his car shut off and he stepped out. Nicole's arms shot around him as she buried her face in his chest.

Nikola's heart sank; she was crying. If some boy broke her heart… Nikola could only think of the ways he would torture the ignorant fool who hurt her. He stroked her hair as he tried to find the words to say. He never had to deal with this type of hurt from Helen, or any other woman he knew. Plus it was different because these weird feelings of wanting to hurt anyone who hurt her.

"Dad, I messed up!" She whimpered as Nikola managed to sit with her on the couch.

"Tell me what's wrong and we can fix it." Nikola said calmly still holding to her.

"I hacked into SCIU's network," Nicole pulled away and looked down at her hands. "They found out and I am being blackmailed to work for them."

Nikola swallowed the lump in his throat. "Nikki, we can fix this."

"How?" Her voice cracked. "Anything we would do would look suspicious."

"Come back to the Sanctuary, and we will go from there." Nikola assured her.

Nicole shook her head. "She will be so angry at me."

"Nikki, she loves you so much. She doesn't go a moment without wishing you were there." Nikola comforted her.

"But I always mess up I am useless to them." Nicole confessed broken heartedly.

"No you're not." Nikola made her look at him. "Tell me what you want to do."

"I want to help her and you and the rest…even if it is by working with SCIU." She whispered as her tears stopped. "But I'm scared she will hate me if she finds out."

"Nicole, your mother loves you, and no matter how bad you mess up she will always love you…and so will I," Nikola said sternly. "And as for SCIU, if that is what you really want, then please be careful."