I hid behind some crates with my gun drawn.

"Great…" I said quietly after checking the clip on the gun. Empty. I looked all over for one of the extra clips I always carried on me before seeing it a short ways away from me. "Seriously?" I tried looking past the crate to see anyone else, but it was empty. "Ok. Ok." I took a deep breath and looked down at the gun trying to form a plan in my head to not only get the clip but to live through this. "This is gunna suck." I quickly stood and aimed my gun all around trying to find the person after me while going for the clip. "Where are you?" I whispered to myself. I lowered myself to the clip and quickly exchanged the empty for the full one. "You don't have to do this." I called out to him jumping and pointing my gun at everything that made a sound. "Talk to me!" I shouted before turning to see him holding a gun to my face. "We can talk about this if you want." He just smirked at me before glancing over my shoulder. My eyes widened and I quickly turned right before a man stuck a sword was through my abdomen. I fell onto my back and what little breath I had left my body and my world slowly went black.


SIX HOURS EARLIER

"Are Will and Helen almost in place?" I asked Henry walking into his lab.

"Almost." He told me looking over his screen. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him clanking at me and smiled.

"If you want to know something then ask." I told him.

"Dracula?" he asked me and I took a deep breath.

"Dracula was never a vampire, Henry, but yes I am married to a one." I answered his unasked question.

"When did you do that? I didn't even know you were married." Henry said.

"I married Nikola shortly after he became a vampire." I answered.

"When was that?" he asked me.

"His name didn't give it away?" I asked him confused slightly. "Nikola Tesla." His eyes widened and he tried to say something but he couldn't find the words.

"Tesla?" he asked me and I nodded.

"The one and the same." I said.

"The famous inventor?" he asked. "The dead one?"

"His death was faked and that was the longest time I'd been with him in years." I told him. "Looks like they are at the coordinates." I said looking at the screen in front of us.

"Calling them now." He said before calling Helen and Will.

"Ahoy, Mateys!" Henry said when they came on screen making me shake my head. "It's because you're at sea."

"Henry, are you certain these are the proper coordinates?" Helen asked him.

"Absolutely. I traced the psychic signal Sally received to where you are right now, but she says that, since you left port, there's been, uh, no further communication from her people." Henry told her and I looked at him confused.

"Did you say Sally?" Helena asked him.

"You named the mermaid?" I asked them.

"That was his idea." Henry said pointing at Will.

"It's our nickname for the Sanctuary mermaid." Will corrected.

"She has a proper name, you know." Helen reminded them.

"Which is unpronounceable." Will said.

"It's a true fact." Henry added.

"Besides, it beats calling her something obvious, like...Ariel." Will said.

"Marina."

"Oceana."

"Ursula."

"If you two are finished?" Helen asked with a smile.

"I hope so." I said laughing.

"So are you guys there? In the middle of it, right now?" Henry asked them and I rolled my eyes.

"It's not that exciting, Henry." Helen told him.

"Come on, are you kidding me? Doc, you're in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle! People have been speculating about that part of the ocean for centuries. Missing ships, and planes disappearing. Come on!" Henry said and I smiled at the boys.

"You know, he's right. There's been reports of lost time and doors to other dimensions..." Will told us.

"Alien abductions." Henry added.

"It's the ocean; seriously." Helen told them.

"Okay." Will said and I shook my head at them.

"Henry, Liz, we'll call you when we've made contact with the Mer-folk." Helen told us.

"Okay, but if you find those missing airmen from WWII—" Henry started saying but Helen reached for a switch to terminate the call. "No, no, don't, don't, don't—" I laughed as the screen went black.

"You two should probably put a cap on your excitement." I told him.

"A lot of the people you two meet and the places you two go are almost legendary." He told me and I smiled.

"I guess." I told him. "Haven't really thought about it."

"Well of course you haven't." Henry told me. "I mean, you two just go about your lives meeting people and still looking incredibly hot." I gave him a small look. "What?"

"Helen wont stay looking as young as she does forever you know. Not even I will." I told him.

"Yea but you'll outlive the rest of us by at least a hundred years." He told me before something on his computer screen started making noises at us. "Looks like we have a break in at one of the old warehouses."

"Which one?" I asked him and he pulled up the map.

"Other side of the river." He told me and I made sure I knew exactly where it was.

"Ok, I'll check it out and be back soon." I told him.

"Want me to send word to Ashley? Have her meet you there?" he asked me.

"No. For all we know it's just some kids messing around in there." I told him.

"Or it could be bad enough to be in the shoe." He told me.

"Then I'll call someone." I told him.

"I don't like your plan." He told me and I smiled at him.

"Helen wouldn't like it either, but she'd listen to me. Besides Ashley's on a job so it's just you me and the Big Guy." I reminded him.

"Do you want me to go?" he asked me slightly hopeful. I smiled at him and shook my head.

"Like you said, we don't know what's really out there. It's best I go alone." I told him.

"Be careful and take the big guns." He called after me as I left the room.

"See you later."


I walked around the perimeter of the warehouse, trying to see anyone. Whoever was here must have found a way inside.

"Well this is fun." I quickly turned and pointed my gun at the person who spoke. "Whoa. I won't hurt you."

"Matthew? What the hell are you doing here?" I asked him. He had dark brown hair and clear blue eyes that were always full of mischief and lies.

"I heard my former fiancée was here and knew I just had to look you up." He told me with a smirk on his face.

"Well you did. Now leave." I told him going back around the warehouse for the door.

"But we just met up again, why not talk about the old days." He asked me.

"Because I don't want to talk about the old days. They are boring and done with." I told him as he continued to follow me.

"They weren't all boring." He said trying to get me to remember one specific moment that he liked.

"No, I suppose they aren't. After all meeting Helen has opened up the door I'd been looking for." I said and his smirk fell making one come onto my own face.

"That was not I was talking about, Eliza." He told me.

"Don't call me that." I told him getting to the door. "Only one man calls me that and he's dead."

"You mean that vampire?" he asked me. I glared at him before going to open the door.

"I mean the man I married." I corrected.

"Ah yes, the man you left me for. That inventor." He said his smirk growing again. I opened the door and looked around at the crowded warehouse. "I forget his name, what was it? Nicholas?"

"Nikola." I corrected him before moving into the warehouse.

"Ah, yes. That's right." He said. "Nikola Tesla. He was quite the man before he got your blood in your system of course."

"Do you have a point?" I asked him.

"Do I need one?" he asked me and I gave him a look. "Look, your vampire husband didn't work all that well. Why not upgrade to your own race?"

"I am still married, you know." I reminded him. "Besides, getting a divorce a hundred or so years later is a pain in the ass."

"What is he was dead?" he asked me.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I asked turning to him.

"You could hire someone to kill him or do it yourself." He explained to me.

"And why would I do that?" I asked him.

"To be remarried to someone who won't try and kill you, of course." He told me and I glared at him.

"Even if I took you up on your offer who says I want to be remarried? The last hundred years haven't been ideal." I reminded him.

"You're a woman. You'll remarry." He told me and I rolled my eyes before turning back to the contents in the warehouse.

"My gender means nothing, Matthew. You'd do good to remember that." I told him.

"Oh, I do. You were the best back in the day." He reminded me.

"What the hell does that mean?" I asked him.

"Well, like you said. It's been a hundred or so years." He said to me.

"That means nothing." I said when we suddenly were getting shot at. I quickly moved Matthew out of the way and ducked behind something.

"You should have sensed that!" he shouted at me over the shooting.

"What the hell does it matter if I sensed something or not?!" I asked him before standing and shooting at the person opposite us before taking cover once more. I heard them moving and stood with my gun pointed, but saw nothing. "He's gone." I told Matthew.

"Won't he come back?" he asked me and I sighed.

"This is why no one wanted to marry you." I said quietly to myself knowing that he could hear me.

"You did." He said.

"Arranged marriage means someone else forced our engagement. I didn't chose it." I told him.

"Oh come on. You wanted me and you know it." He told me and I finally turned to him.

"What I want is to be left alone. It's what I wanted then and what I want now." I told him before walking away from him.

"You can't leave me here alone." He said quietly while continuing to follow me.

"Just leave me alone, Matthew." I told him. Matthew was never a fighter and that's why no one in our race ever wanted to marry him. The way our race hierarchy worked was the strongest in combat was at the top. Matthew's family was close to the top while Matthew was the bottom. My family was midway and I worked hard not to just be the middle. I aimed to be the best and then my parents and his made the marriage arrangement. Behind closed doors we were a laughing joke until I broke it off. Of course I broke it off for a human who then turned into a vampire. We do have a reigning family but everything under that was chosen by combat. We even had a tournament every few decades to change out the offices if they need to be changed.

"Break it off with your husband." He told me.

"We just got shot at and you want to talk about my marital status?" I asked him while giving him a look.

"Focus is important in this situation, right?" he asked me and I rolled my eyes before continuing to move and looking for the shooter.

"Yes, but focusing on the shooter and not my marital status is better." I told him.

"I can't do anything about the shooter." He reminded me.

"And you can't to anything about my marital status either." I told him.

"I can try to talk sense into you." He told me and I turned and gave him another look.

"Look, Matthew, my husband has recently tried to kill me. I don't need you reminding me what he is capable of." I told him. "As for being with you again. The first time was forced and it won't happen again." I turned from him and continued trying to find the shooter.

"This isn't the first time he's tried to kill you." He reminded me after a moment and I sighed.

"Yes I remember being there both times." I told him.

"Who's to say he won't do it again?" Matthew asked me. "And succeed next time?"

"That's when I kick his ass." I told him.

"You didn't the last couple times." He said and I turned to give him a look again.

"How badly do you want a bullet in your brain because I can arrange that." I warned him.

"I'm not asking for anything. I just wanted to remind you why you should be with your own kind. Elementals learned long ago that vampires are dangerous and shouldn't be trusted. You weren't around for that." He told me.

"I was. You weren't." I reminded him.

"No, but our parents were. And they taught me about vampires." He told me.

"Being taught about vampires is nothing compared to actually meeting and fighting one." I told him. I heard something shuffling and grabbed Matthew's collar and pulled him down. "What is it?" he asked me.

"Shut up." I growled at him. I looked over the boxes we were behind but saw no one. I sighed softly before standing up fully. "Where is this guy?" I questioned no one in particular.

"Eliza." Matthew called to me.

"I told you not to call me that." I told him while scanning the area.

"You're going to want to turn around." He told me and I turned to see a guy with a gun to Matthew's head.

"Really?" I asked him. "If you wanna kill him then please do. Maybe this way he'll finally shut up."

"You're really going to let him kill me?" Matthew asked shocked.

"Everyone dies sometime." I told him shrugging.

"You're kinda heartless." The gunman said to me.

"Yeah, well he was annoying me." I told him

"So I guess he's not that important to you." The gunman stated.

"Not really." I answered.

"I told you a woman who dumped you for a vamp isn't that into you." The gunman told Matthew. I looked at them both confused as the gun was removed from Matthew's head.

"There is no saving her." Matthew told the man and I started backing away slowly.

"What's going on?" I asked them both.

"You should have given up the vampire Eliza." Matthew sighed while giving me a small smirk. "It would have made this a lot easier on you."

"Please tell me this isn't some stupid plan to take me back, because I will kick both your asses before you can even try and force me to do that." I warned them.

"No one wants you back, Eliza. Even your parents think you're better off dead." Matthew told me.

"Then leave and don't come back and no one will have a problem." I told them.

"I'm afraid you don't get a choice." Matthew told me. "If you had chosen me over the vampire things would be quite different now, wouldn't they?"

"Can't see into a parallel universe." I told him with a smirk.

"Just let someone kill that vampire and you'll be free to come home." Matthew tried again and I glared at them both.

"Anyone touches that vampire, dead or alive, and I'll kill you all." I warned them and Matthew sighed shaking his head.

"You shouldn't have said that." Matthew told me before the other one raised his gun and started shooting at me again. I dodged his terrible aim easily enough and kicked the gun out of his hand before running from them. Mathew might not have been much of a fighter but with a gun in his hand I wasn't going to be where he could see me. "Eliza!" Matthew called to me as I hid behind some crates. I heard the gun cock echoing through the warehouse. "Fine her!" I heard him order as I continued to hide. I waited a few moments before looking out from my hiding spot and seeing both men together. I started shooting at them and they ducked behind some crates around them before the mystery man started shooting at me again. I quickly hid behind the crates.

"Great…" I said quietly after checking the clip on the gun. Empty. I looked all over for one of the extra clips I always carried on me before seeing it a short ways away from me. "Seriously?" I tried looking past the crate to see anyone else, but it was empty. "Ok. Ok." I took a deep breath and looked down at the gun trying to form a plan in my head to not only get the clip but to live through this. "This is gunna suck." I quickly stood and aimed my gun all around trying to find the person after me while going for the clip. "Where are you?" I whispered to myself. I lowered myself to the clip and quickly exchanged the empty for the full one. "You don't have to do this." I called out to him jumping and pointing my gun at everything that made a sound. "Talk to me!" I shouted before turning to see him holding a gun to my face. "We can talk about this if you want." He just smirked at me before glancing over my shoulder. My eyes widened and I quickly turned right before Matthew stuck a sword was through my abdomen. I fell onto my back and what little breath I had left my body and my world slowly went black.

"Eliza, wake up. Come on, wake up my love." I opened my eyes to see a blur over me. I started struggling against him weakly. "Now, now. I know you hate me at the moment but you shouldn't be moving so much with an open stab wound." I recognized the voice and the blur was quickly taking shape.

"Nik?" I asked quietly. I thought he was dead from Druitt's hand through his stomach. "What are you doing here?"

"I watched those two try to kill you. I wasn't about to let them do that if I could do something." He told me with a small smile on his face. He picked me up and gently put me into a car before taking me home. I used my code to get past the gates and we quietly went inside to my room.

"Nik." I said looking up at him as he started to leave. "Thank you." He turned and walked back to me before gently placing a kiss on my forehead. "Stay with me." He smiled down at me before joining me in the bed and holding me close to him as I fell asleep.


The next day I woke up alone in bed but not alone in my room. I saw Helen sitting next to my bed and smiled up at her.

"Morning Liz." She said to me.

"Morning. How was the thing in the Bermuda Triangle?" I asked her.

"Got a little touch and go, but we survived. I hear you had a little adventure of your own." She said to me.

"Yes. Some of my race decided that I shouldn't be alive anymore. Nearly did the job until someone helped me home." I told her.

"I saw on the camera. Nikola brought you back." She said and I nodded.

"Yea. Even when he's a pain in the ass he can be sweet." I said with a smile.

"Let's get your injury cleaned up and looked over." She told me before helping me down into the med area.