Tegan Chronicles Sanctuary Style:

Step Through the Looking Glass 36

Tegan glanced at Nikola as he shut the glass door behind him, her biomechanical hand balled into a fist. She looked back at Will. "If you'll excuse me?"

"Sure."

Tegan started toward Helen's room but was stopped by Nikola stepping into her path. "Can I help you?"

"I was hoping we could talk over a glass of wine."

"You drink a lot don't you?" She eyed him.

"Alcohol has no effect on me, and I have no need for food. It's one of my vises."

"I don't drink."

"Well," He turned his head letting his tongue play briefly on an upper incisor. "That certainly explains a lot."

"I'm busy." She stepped around him.

He looked at Will. "You can't say I didn't try."

"Please." Will shook his head. "I doubt you've ever apologized to anyone."

Tegan looked at Helen's chest tube and checked the monitor readouts.

"If Nikola being here is a problem –"

"What do you want to eat? We're cleaning out the fridge tonight." Tegan changed the subject before Helen could even finish what she was going to say.

"Is there any hamburger stew left from last night? That was really good."

Tegan had already laid claim to the last serving and now she was glad she had. "Assuming Henry didn't eat it along with the curried veggies there should be some left. I'll go heat it up for you."

"Have you eaten?"

Tegan shook her head. She hadn't left Helen's side except to patch up the others.

"You need to eat too." She waited until Tegan reached the door. "I'll ask him to leave."

Tegan's shoulders relaxed briefly before she took a deep breath and turned back to her, her hand resting on the door. "There's no need. He's your friend and I can deal with it."

"I'd like to think that we could be friends as well, and I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

Tegan shook her head. "It isn't necessary."

"We all need friends." Helen said to an empty room.

"Sunshine." Nikola called after her in the hall as she headed for the kitchen.

"I have a name you know." She continued to on her trek.

"Right." He snapped his fingers and jogged up to her. "Dr. Sunshine."

"Kiser." She grumbled and stepped into the kitchen.

"I knew that." He smirked and leaned against the doorframe.

Tegan opened the refrigerator and pulled out the bowl of leftover hamburger stew. She put it in the microwave pressing several buttons before it turned on. She pulled out the last of the homemade lemonade and poured it over ice. "Did you want something or do you just like stalking me?"

Nikola let his eyes travel over her body and licked his lower lip. "I saw something in the mirror."

She wanted to ask him what, but she couldn't bear it if he told her he'd seen her team looking for her.

He watched her plating a salad. "I didn't go in there with the intent of breaking the mirror."

She put salad dressing into a small silver condiment cup and sat it on the tray.

"I was curious about it to be honest."

"An honest vampire?" Tegan mumbled and rolled her eyes as she pulled out the peanut butter.

"I try." He offered before continuing. "I saw things on the other side of the mirror and all I could think about was what if they come through like you did. What if they were the Goa'uld you talked about?"

"Things?" She looked up from the sandwich she was making. "Never mind, I don't want to know."

He watched her put the peanut butter away, and close the bread with a clip. "Look, I know it makes no difference to you and I would do it again, but I am sorry you can't go home."

She knew it was the closest he would come to actually apologizing for what he'd done, and if she'd been in his shoes she might have done the same.

"Isn't there something you want to say to me?" He asked when she finished washing the knife she'd used.

"Like what?" She pulled the hot stew out of the microwave.

"You're sorry for trying to kill me."

"I didn't try to kill you." She picked up the tray and walked up to him. "If I had tried to kill you, you'd know it."

He watched her walk down the hall, taking in her form until she turned the corner.