Will wheeled up next to Henry at the formal dining table trying to hide his discomfort. Thanksgiving was the last thing he wanted to take part in. Especially with Tesla sitting at the head of the table. The man was extra insufferable smirking at him under that hideous moustache. He looked so damn smug, Will wanted to punch him in the face.
The men waited patiently for Big Guy and Helen to bring out the various dishes on a little cart. Henry had offered to do it for her but Helen had refused, seemingly excited by her first holiday dinner. As they brought out the food Tesla uncorked some champagne with a pop then poured himself a glass. Will shook his head, disgusted as the inventor neglected to offer them any and simply started drinking. "I for one am thankful for the Dom Perignon. Thank you Helen." The cad turned to offer Magnus a kiss absently, then went back to enjoying indulging his obvious alcoholism.
Magnus dished up Tesla's plate for him carefully. The portions were miniscule. Probably to avoid killing his buzz, Will thought disdainfully. The couple exchanged sappy smiles, then she placed all the bowls and platters on the table and instructed them to help themselves. Tesla's special treatment rankled. Was he supposed to be the father in this twisted parody of Leave It to Beaver? Being cast in the role of child along with Henry was particularly galling, given Will's actual position as head of the Sanctuary.
They ate in tense silence for a while until Helen asked her husband tentatively if he liked the stuffing. Finally Will could hold his peace no longer. "He's not the only one eating here. I think it's wonderful. What about you Henry?" Henry nervously nodded trying to let the whole matter blow over as fast as possible. "Yeah Magnus. It's great! Did you guys make the gravy from scratch?" Helen nodded pleased by their praise, "Big Guy gave me his recipe. The stuffing came from a book I found."
There was another awkward lull in the conversation that Will decided was a good time to broach his concerns. "Magnus, I've looked at the data from your daily observations of the residents. Don't you think it's time you started doing more hands on assessments like taking their vitals?" Helen shook her head, "Nikola installed the habitat sensors to do that. And the sentient abnormals have been taking their own vitals as needed. Also, I was told you would be working with the new doctor and veterinarian-" Will interrupted, "That's true, but it's important to the residents that you continue your work. I know those I've talked to have expressed concerns as to when you will speak with them-" "Now is not an appropriate time to talk shop Wilhelm. Why don't you type up these concerns in a report and send it to Helen as a memo. I'm sure that will take care of it." Tesla dismissed the topic with an airy nonchalance.
Will erupted "Who asked you Tesla? I'm speaking to Magnus right now about vital Sanctuary business-" "Yes, and I'm honestly perplexed why you think now is a good time-" "Over six months of stop-gap measures and financial mismanagement-" Tesla suddenly sat up straight, expression deadly serious. "Measure your words, William. What are you accusing me of exactly?" "You went through two years' budget since taking over. The upgrades to the energy system, purchase of state of the art computers, cameras and sensors, they were all unnecessary. All you had to do was stick with Magnus' system-" Tesla raised his voice, "She did sixty percent of everything before; the work I've been splitting with Henry plus the work of three of the four staff members you're supposed to be recruiting right now. How dare you criticize the choices Henry and I had to make-" Will slammed his fist on the table making their horrified audience jump. "Don't give me this horseshit! You'd been begging for these upgrades for weeks before the accident!" "STOP IT!" Helen was sobbing, burying her face in her hands, unable to handle the intensity of her emotions. Everyone at the table turned toward her, concerned as she gasped through her hysterics. "Nikola, take-take me to my room…"
Nikola jumped up, took his crying wife by the arm and led her out of the room. Big Guy snorted disgusted by the conflict and quickly wheeled the meal cart back to the kitchen while Henry glared at Will balefully. "You're a real shithead for upsetting Magnus like that. Even if Tesla did spend too much on equipment it doesn't justify this. Nothing does. Irresponsible, making her cry…" Henry sniffled, shaken by seeing his adoptive mom so vulnerable. He grabbed his plate and left for the safety of his lab leaving Will sitting there all alone.
…
Nikola spent the better part of an hour trying to help Helen calm down. She cried inconsolably, miserable at how inadequate Will had made her feel. Besides that, she felt like she was the source of the conflict at dinner, leaving Nikola in a quandary on how to disabuse her of that notion. "Will and I don't get along. I made…a bad impression on him, and so, he treats me with suspicion. It has nothing to do with you darling. Besides, he's just picking fights because he's upset about how everything has changed. He's not a well man, probably depressed about his circumstances, you know how that is-" Helen wailed even more despairingly and Nikola internally cursed his own idiocy at his clumsy words. "Darling, my treasure, don't cry! Please…don't…" He was utterly at a loss, unable to comfort his wife.
Finally he resorted to distraction. "Don't think of it anymore. Will doesn't matter. Whatever Will thinks doesn't matter. What matters is that I love you. I love you no matter what you're like. Strong, weak, smart, stupid, well or sick. I'll love you forever Helen." He pressed her down on the bed and kissed her deeply. She calmed down a bit as he attempted to prove his love for her. As they parted for air she asked in a small voice, "Do you really mean it? Haven't I been a burden to you all this time?" Nikola shushed her and caressed her hair. "If you ever were a burden I'd carry you gladly. You-I know it's cliché, but it's true, you make me a better man. I've worked as hard as I ever have taking care of you, but if the reward is this bliss…" He kissed her neck intensely, breathing in the scent of her body, her hair.
Helen sniffled and held Nikola to her. Gradually she began to feel a bit foolish for overreacting to the ugly scene Will caused. Everything was fine. Her husband loved her. Her adoptive son was happy for her. Her Sasquatch best friend enjoyed working with her to keep the house running smoothly. "All I'm missing is a pet," she murmured. "Hmm?" her husband paused momentarily in his mission to strip her of her clothes. "Nothing dear. I was just thinking how wonderful my life is." Nikola chuckled against her chest and pulled her up to take off her blouse. "Let's make it even more wonderful!" he exclaimed as he tugged off her skirt leaving her in her underwear. Helen giggled as he threated to tickle her sides with a ridiculously exaggerated waggle of his eyebrows. "You look like you're about to tie me to a train traaack!" she squealed when he actually did tickle her. "There's no escape for you my sweet!" he played along with her silly melodrama, tickling her mercilessly until she begged him to stop.
After she caught her breath he reached under her to unhook her bra. She helped him take off her underwear then lay there next to him expectantly. "Just a sec…" he murmured and got up to take off his clothes, aware of her eyes following his every move, caressing every inch of skin as he revealed it. God, she was hot. He crawled on top of her, inserting his knees between hers and settling his body comfortably between her softly rounded thighs. He caressed the silky skin, so close to her sex, watching her reaction carefully. She shifted her hips toward his hand minutely and he smiled knowingly at her. "Ah, ah, ah! I intend to take my time with you…" he kissed her softly then descended to her breast. "Look up Helen. Watch as I make love to you." He whispered then began to suckle.
Helen watched in the mirror over the bed as her husband's slim fingers covered her full breast, squeezed and massaged it firmly, then delicately pinched her soft pink nipple, rolling it between his long thumb and finger until it hardened. She moaned as he simultaneously pulled hard on her other nipple with his mouth, making her arch against the bed, the tightening arousal shooting from her breasts to her vagina. "Oh god! That's…" she moaned as he worked her nipples ruthlessly. She began to feel a pleasurable ache between her legs and began pressing her wet sex against her husband's stomach. The sight of her husband spread over her, masterfully manipulating her body, making the tenderest parts of her swell and sing with pleasure was overwhelmingly arousing.
She moaned with disappointment when the slim, dark haired man in the mirror pulled off of her and scooted lower on the bed. What was he…? Suddenly it became clear as he took the lips of her vulva in both hands and pulled them apart. Seized with shyness, Helen tried to close her legs, but her husband pressed her thighs gently but firmly apart. "Let me see. It's so sexy…mm, please Helen?" he wheedled, kissing the juncture of her thigh and hip, coming so close to that most private of places. "It's dirty." She whispered feeling embarrassed. "Darling, no part of you could ever be disgusting to me. Let me." Helen looked into the warm sincerity of his steel blue eyes. Gradually she relaxed, spreading her legs for him. He smiled that sharp toothy smile and took a long look at her pink pussy.
"Fuck Helen, so fucking hot!" Shocking her to the core he pressed his tongue into her, tasting the raw wet flesh. "Oh god! What-?!" "Shh, watch me kiss you here." He commanded then got back to licking her thoroughly. He found her hard little button and pressed it over and over with his tongue, forcing a moan from deep in her throat. She threw her head back as he sucked on her clit, the tight throbbing of her arousal becoming all encompassing. "Watch!" he demanded then continued tormenting her with his skilled lips, tongue and teeth. She watched with pleasure drenched disbelief as her husband's dark head moved between her thighs. The wanton woman in the mirror couldn't be her. Two milky white breasts heaved with passion. Long blond curls spilled endlessly over a backdrop of black silk. A sweaty, reddened face stared back at her, eyes clouded with lust, lips parted voluptuously with every gasp.
Her husband laid his wiry body over her luscious curves. "My Venus! Here I come…" he muttered with a grin as he grasped his manhood in one hand, balancing himself over her with the other. He quickly found her entrance and sank deeply into her drenched cunt. "Agh! God, you're wet!" Helen had never taken him so readily before. He buried his face in her shoulder and humped her rapidly. She watched the animalistic scene reflected in the mirror hardly able to believe the ecstasy she was experiencing at being so used. She wrapped her legs around his slim, frantically thrusting hips, letting him jostle her roughly until he paused briefly to put his thumb on her clit. He thrust into her again and again, simultaneously rubbing her clit, making her keen with pleasure. Her body tightened, belly spasming as she began to feel an overwhelming pressure in her loins. "Oh god! Nikola stop! I can't!" He ignored her protests and pushed her further, increasing his efforts until she tightened around him and screeched, her eyes screwed shut, her face and chest flushing bright red. Unable even to speak, Nikola watched spellbound as this sex goddess came around his cock. Finally, she gasped and opened her eyes. He let go of her pussy and thrust rapidly into her twitching cunt, watching her face carefully as he blew his load in her.
Afterward he lay quietly next to her and gently stroked her hand. They looked at each other in the mirror. Nikola smiled so ridiculously widely that Helen couldn't help but grin back. He winked at her and a giggle burst out of her mouth. "I love you!" she exclaimed and turned to hug him. "You're the best!" she whispered as she kissed his ear, making him shiver with delight.
…
Will had noticed that Magnus was avoiding him. He supposed that he deserved it for upsetting her, but it made it difficult to speak with her about her mental state. Really, she was the responsibility of that psychologist Dr. Newman, but Will couldn't help but feel that Magnus should be his patient. He couldn't even ask about her status because of doctor patient confidentiality. How was he supposed to cope with being so out of the loop? With his need to know more about how Tesla was manipulating her foremost in his mind, he arranged to run into her during her duties in the SHU.
The basement levels were always a little spooky, but the Special Housing Unit for dangerous abnormals was the most of all. Helen found it downright frightening, but had become accustomed to pushing herself to do it. After all, it was a task that alleviated the burden on her already overtaxed husband and son. She was feeding the Manticore when an unexpected person appeared. "Will, is there something you need?" she asked cooly. The young blond man looked rather shame faced, "I just wanted to apologize for Thanksgiving. I shouldn't have brought up my concerns with our finances then. It wasn't appropriate." Helen nodded grudgingly. "Yes, well, if that is all…"
Will sighed, "Magnus, I miss our talks. We used to be close. And now, I feel like we don't know each other at all anymore." "You're right there. You don't know me. Just because I wear her face and have her name doesn't mean that I'm her." The psychologist frowned, troubled by the blatant dissociation his boss was exhibiting. "Is that what you've come to believe? That you're a different individual than before?" Helen nodded quickly and moved on to the baby basilisk's enclosure.
"It's obvious that you still have the love and concern for your charges that you've always had. They need you." Her hands shook slightly as she measured out the feed. "They have me. I'm here aren't I? Caring for them, even when others are afraid. Even when I am afraid." Will hummed thoughtfully, "Yes, they are quite deadly. It's natural to be frightened. But sometimes, I have to say, I appreciate the honesty of a mouth full of fangs. More often than not in our line of work, it is the prettiest faces and sweetest smiles that hide the worst treachery…"
The tall woman brushed off her hands and faced Will directly, looking down her regal nose at him in his wheelchair. "And which are you? A mouth full of fangs or a pretty face? Either way, you strike me as a dangerous man when you put your mind to it." Will pointed to his chest, eyes widened with disbelief. "What do you mean? I only want to make sure you're safe. Nothing more. Let me into your confidence as before. Surely, you must trust your previous self and her judgement?" A flash of doubt passed over her face. "I suppose…" They stood in silence for a moment until Helen asked the question she had been wondering all this time. "Why do you hate Nikola so much? He's never been anything but good to me."
Will looked down and took a deep breath. "He is highly motivated to be on your good side right now. In the past it hasn't always been so. And, his…impulses…they tend to fluctuate depending on what works to his advantage. Once to my knowledge, he professed to love you and when you disagreed with his plans he threatened to kill you. It was during his vampiric mania, but even when that came to an end, he still continued to berate his coworkers and occasionally treat you with self-centered scorn. After you married, he pushed to have more say in how Sanctuary money is spent and you had to constantly keep him in line. Besides that, he often bends the truth-" The psychologist saw recognition in her eyes. She had seen it for herself then. "-and for all I know, outright breaks it. He's much more clever about his deceptions now that he's not manic. He has a higher level of inhibition and self-discipline and an extremely calculating mind."
Helen picked up her equipment and turned to leave. "Thank you for your advice Doctor. I think that you have your reasons for the way you feel, and maybe they are grounded in some truth, but I am loyal to my husband. Thankfully, the responsibility of managing Sanctuary finances is now yours, so I have no stake in it. And as for our personal life, if Nikola is manipulating me to better please himself, I am not too worried. After all, he is taking good care of me as well. And frankly, I am enjoying my life with him. Maybe he wasn't able to be a consistently good man in the past, but I think he is now." Magnus left him behind again as he was forced to wheel after her. She let the doors of the lift close before him, leaving him with his thoughts.
Will sighed exasperated. "Well, at least she heard my concerns and is aware of them. Maybe she'll be on her guard now."
…
"This budget is outrageous! What am I supposed to be able to afford with this!" Will suppressed a smirk and droned over Tesla's hysterics, "You'll just have to make do with the supplies we have on hand. Otherwise how will we get back in the black?" Tesla slammed his hand on the desk, "Fuck you, you goddamn bean counter! Raise some more! I'm this close to perfecting a small scale teleporter!" Will openly laughed in the inventor's face. "Sure you are. I can't hit up our benefactors so soon and you know it. Work on that force field thing with Henry, or don't work at all. Frankly, I don't care. You're redundant here in my opinion and now that I'm allocating the funds my preference is to give the money to outreach and education. Now if you don't mind Henry and I have a teleconference with Declan in a moment. Let yourself out." Tesla spat a series of Serbian curses then stormed out, smacking Henry with the door on his way out.
"Ow! Where's the fire?" Henry shuffled into Will's office rubbing his arm. "You told him there's no money to buy more platinum, huh? Well, I told him you wouldn't go for his teleportation device, though it would be useful to be able to send stunners or power packs to someone stuck in a cell or whatever…" Will waved away Henry's technological daydream, "I need you to focus on the Praxian translation program to the exclusion of all else. It's important to be prepared for possible refugees." Henry hummed disappointed. "You know that languages are more Tesla's specialty…I just write the code. Do you really want me to try and get him on board-?" "Yes, you're in charge of tech from now on. Magnus might have had him nominally above you but her priorities were more along the lines of rescues and acquisitions. We have too much catch up to do in that area as it is, so let's focus on preparing for the future, okay?" Henry raised an eyebrow doubtfully then sighed and ran his hand through his dark hair. "Alright. Give me the easy jobs why don't you…" he muttered as he headed out the door back to the labs.
…
Nikola was sulking near the fireplace with his second glass of brandy. It had been a long time since he had tasted strong liquor. After he had lost his vampirism he had experienced a short lived depression and had indulged, in part due to angst and in part due to the mere novelty of being able to get drunk again. Helen had been most irate at his binge but told him she wasn't his keeper and let him be. Eventually, he went too far and gave himself a hangover. After that he gave it up as a bad job, at least until now.
"Ah, Nikola? Did you want anything to eat? I didn't see you at dinner…" Helen asked softly. He waved her off, "I'm not hungry." His wife took in his morose look and sat lightly across from him in a matching wing chair. She opened her mouth starting to say something several times, but closed it again, unable to come up with a suitable topic of conversation. Finally, her husband took pity on her or else the brandy loosened his tongue. He refilled his glass then spoke, softly slurring his words. "It's like Morgan all over again, gotta beg, borrow and steal to make the slightest progress…But that's just it! I can't make any progress without that damned platinum!" He paused to down the rest of his brandy, then looked her right in the eyes.
"How am I supposed to build the future without adequate support!? Will just lacks any kind of vision. Pedestrian fool with his mundane concerns…" He put his glass down a little too hard on the side table then leaned forward to take Helen's hand. "At least you humored me a bit. Let me loose sometimes to follow my dreams…You've always understood me, darling." He kissed her palm softly, then slumped back in his chair, drifting off into an alcoholic haze. "I wish you were still with me…that you were still in charge…I loved you in charge…"
Helen left him there to sleep off his drunken state, her brow furrowed and eyes downcast as she made her way back to their room.
…
Nikola woke to a splitting headache and an empty bed. "Ugh...that's...strange." How had Helen managed to get up before him? The Serbian inventor only slept four hours or so a night, going to bed at the same time as his wife then generally sneaking off to his lab by four thirty. Finding Helen gone...had she waited for him to fall asleep then left? Where had she gone, and why would she leave like that?
After searching the house and grounds he anxiously headed to the garage. The sedan was missing. Whipping out his cellphone he called Henry, "Helen is gone, she took the Model S." "I don't fucking care what time it is! Helen is gone!" "No, she left her phone behind." "I don't know where she would have gone! That's why I'm calling you! Isn't there some tracking device on the car or something?!" "Don't tell me to calm down! She shouldn't be driving at all. Oh my god-" he choked, swallowing a sob, and tried to force himself to calm down by breathing deeply. "She-where would she go?"
Henry sputtered, "There must be some kinda clue! What happened before she left? Did you guys have a fight or something?" Tesla cursed then said, "No, not that I remember. I was drunk-Fuck! What did I do?!" Henry groaned and put the phone down momentarily, trying to get ahold of his frustration. "Why the fuck did you have to go and do that?" he muttered angrily under his breath then brought the phone back up to his ear once he could manage to speak without yelling. "Ok, let's think this through. Does she have any appointments with anyone today? Maybe she went in early or something."
Tesla checked his phone. "Nothing in our calendar. She-she, oh god, call Will. Maybe he knows something." Henry hung his head silently as his mentor pleaded with him. "Alright. Yeah." He hung up and called Will, waking him up. "Magnus took off in the sedan. Tesla's hysterical right now, can't remember anything that might have set her off. We've got no way to track her and no ideas where she might have gone." "Okay, I'll tell him to meet us there."
...
Henry turned away from the security screen to see Tesla come through the door. "Did you see anything?" the scientist asked urgently. Will shook his head angrily, "Just you drowning yourself in brandy, saying something to her that made her look really sad, then her leaving you passed out on the couch until a couple hours later you dragged yourself off to bed. Then twenty minutes later the hall camera shows her leaving and going into the garage." "What time?" Will sighed, "At around 2:30." Tesla paled, "I-I'm going, I have to go find her." Will scowled and sighed with disgust, "Yeah, we'll call her therapists, the hospital and all that. You should make a systematic search of the surrounding streets."
...
The moment Tesla left Will turned to Henry and jabbed his finger accusingly in the air. "What did I tell you! That drunken prick finally went too far! God only knows what he said to her to make her take off like this. We've both seen how emotional she is, how reactive she can be. And now, just because he didn't get the money he wanted, Tesla got wasted and took out his frustration on her!"
Henry paced and whined anxiously. "Look, let's just make those calls, find out if she's in the emergency room-" "If she's there it's his fault! What if she did something to hurt herself? She has been depressed-" Henry groaned and chopped his hand wildly through the air, "No! She's been happy, they've been happy-"
Will slammed his fist down on the arm of his wheel chair. "Her mood has been unstable! Look, you let Tesla manage her recovery and it was a mistake. I know you don't want to believe that, but it's clear. He only cares about himself! All the time we've known him, he's been obsessed with Magnus, constantly trying to get closer to her, influence her decisions. Why? It's all for her money! We both know that she's a reliable source of funding for him, maybe the only one he's got left after he lost his vampirism-"
Henry shook his head, "This is a waste of time. I'm calling the hospital."
...
Tesla stormed into the room demanding to see his wife. "Sit down first." Henry said softly, gesturing to the chair in his lab. Tesla paused for a moment, mouth open as though to argue then furrowed his brow and quickly sat across from the young hap. "I-I don't want to say this, but I have to ask..." Henry sniffed and glanced uncomfortably into worried gray-blue eyes then down at his lap. "How often are you drunk around Helen?"
Nikola was taken aback. "I don't drink brandy around her. It was really just this once and well you know, when I lost..." he trailed off uncertainly, then continued on another tack, "It's just wine with food-" "You don't eat very much. Hardly eat at all actually." Henry interrupted, then sniffed again. "You smell sort of drunk all the time, do you know that?" An awkward silence hung over the room.
"You're lucky she came back safe, you know that right?" Henry asked softly, almost as though he was embarrassed for his erstwhile mentor. The rail thin older man nodded sharply once then swallowed hard. He spoke, "I was irresponsible." "Yes, you were." Henry interrupted, "You need to talk to Dr. Newman. We all need to know that you are...reliable. Magnus needs you to do better." Nikola nodded slowly, "Whatever I need to do, I'll do it."
...