Chapter 4
The Doctor sat in the front lobby of the hotel, a newspaper in his hands; he sifted through it absently, turning the pages every so often. The content of the paper wasn't exactly his main prerogative.
He tilted one corner to eye one of his henchmen who was precariously hanging near the entryway, another was smoking a cigarette out on the veranda, and another reading a pamphlet on Vienna's prime tours.
They all looked back at their boss subtly before turning back to their duties.
Suddenly, the one referred to as Warnsworth dashed in and over to him.
"She's coming!" he whispered into his ear.
"Good, get to your post," the Doctor ordered under his breath. The man nodded and dashed away. He returned to his paper.
Helen through the lobby doors of her hotel and up to the front desk, not stopping to take a moment's breath; she was going to be in and out before Nikola went and started a war over a tie pin, or something as equally pointless.
"Guten Tag, Fraulein," said the deskman with a welcoming smile.
"Oh, uh, Guten Tag," Helen continued to play the part of innocent housewife, especially when she saw all the familiar black suits hanging around in the lobby reflected in the glass of the hotel's key cabinet.
"Was kann ich heute für Sie tun?" he continued.
"I-I don't know what that means," she laughed slightly, and nervously.
"Oh, uh, what like me do for you?" he managed to say in English.
Luckily she had actually understood him the first time.
"Oh, my husband has put something in the hotel's safe…could I?" she handed him the little tab with the number on it. He took it and smiled.
Helen smiled back, really hating playing this particular persona, but it was easier to trick these guys with a picture of blue-eyed innocence then the Old Big-Guts McGlory she was more preferred to.
At least Nikola let her keep her weapon.
She leaned against the desk slightly and rapped her nails against the surface nervously, keeping an eye out on all the men in black around her.
One by the pamphlet stand, one by the entryway, one on the veranda, two in the dining hall, and one particularly nervous one sitting in the phone box. His head was turned, probably watching her through a mirror or through the glass reflection while pretending to call home to his mama.
A man in a grey, much more expensive suit stood up and all their gazes shifted to him.
Here was the ringleader.
She pretended to sneeze to steal another look at him. Tall, broad-shouldered, mid-late thirties, dark blonde hair; he was quite handsome actually, but powerful and rightly so.
He was approaching her, but when the other men saw fit to join he paused and raised his hand, signaling for them to continue as they were.
She was hardly dangerous.
Helen stood up straight and let out a sigh, giving him an opening as she turned and bumped into him.
"Oh! My goodness, sorry sir," she said apologetically.
He smiled kindly.
"Oh it's no problem at all, it was practically my fault," he shook it off.
He seemed quite nice, if she didn't know better she would've thought him as a homely businessman or lawyer with a wife and two kids and a golden retriever. But she highly doubted he had any of that.
"You're English! I mean you speak it," she cried jovially.
"You seem surprised," he chuckled.
"I've been down here for two weeks and the only other English speaking person I've seemed to come across is my husband. It's easy for him because he has a degree in linguistics, he minored in it in college when he got his Business Degree. I, unfortunately have a certificate from the School of Court Reporting," she chuckled airily.
"Oh, you're husband wouldn't be Basil Heathering…I've met him before in passing. You must be the lovely Helen he talks so much about," he offered her his hand.
"If that's true then you mustn't have seen him in a while, we barely see each other anymore. He dumps me in city after city like this, gives me a weekly allowance and then goes away and works for months at a time. I hardly know him anymore. He could be cheating and I wouldn't care, it would give me an excuse to get in a plane and return to Winchester," she sighed. "But still, quite the coincidence. You must be in business then."
He shook his head.
"Not quite, though your husband has helped my particular business on several occasions, especially during the war," he smiled knowingly.
"I see. May I ask what it is that you do?" she looked at him rather suspiciously.
"I work for the military, primarily the American Military. Mostly odd jobs, but the job I'm doing now is what has led me to you…would you join me in the lounge?" he asked.
Helen contemplated before nodding and accepting his arm.
"I have no idea what the American military would want with me," she giggled slightly as he led her to a table.
"Well, you see, this morning you had an encounter with a gentleman at the Technical Museum doing in the Penzing, right?" he asked her, his voice lowered slightly.
"Yes," she looked around her nervously. "Was that you – I mean your men who stopped me in the street?"
"Yes, and I want to apologize for their conduct, they were completely rude to you."
"I'll say. They told me that man could be the most dangerous man in the world, and he'd taken a liking to me. I thought all morning that he might kidnap me!" she cried.
"I assure you, my men only said that in the hopes that if you saw him again you would call us immediately, nut he is a harmless defector. He stole some secrets and plans to sell them to the highest bidder; he's a pencil pusher in the military offices. One of the servicemen punching codes on the enigma during the war."
Helen tried not to snigger at that. If only he knew.
"So what do you want from me?" she asked.
"Well, as you said, he's taken a liking to you," continued the man.
"You want me as bait? Oh no, no I couldn't! I'm not sure he does anymore. I think he used me to distract your men. He won't come for me, I'll just be another useless distraction."
"There's only one way to find out," shrugged the man. "Are you sure you told my guys everything?"
"Well, uh…"
"Tea, Fraulein?" said a strangely familiar voice. Helen looked up and was met with a friendly pair of grey-blue eyes.
Nikola had apparently stolen a uniform from the hotel laundry and found himself a rather convincing, if hideous, fake beard, making himself unrecognizable to the men in black, but she knew those eyes anywhere.
"Uh, yes please," she answered with a small smile.
"Make it two," added the man.
He nodded and curtly winked at her before walking away.
Helen turned back to the man and bit her lip in thought.
"Uh, he came up to me…wondered if I was single and if I enjoyed Vienna in Springtime…he mentioned something about the birds and their songs…"
"Birdsongs?" he interrupted.
Helen caught a look at the henchmen by the pamphlet stand and got an idea.
"Perhaps he meant the upcoming music festival, I thought of going…"
"Of course!" cried the man. "Oh you are a smart woman. He's hoping you'll meet him at the music festival, or otherwise meet you if you're there."
"But why me? Why not someone else?" she asked.
"The heart wants what the heart wants," he shrugged.
"But he's only talked to me the one time…I never…"
"What? What is it?"
"I've been here for two weeks. Around a week ago some strange things started to happen. I received flowers, chocolates, other small gifts, I thought they were from my husband but he never mentioned anything the few times we've talked since. Now I'm thinking this man of yours has had a liking for me a lot longer than I thought."
"You must've done something," he coaxed her on.
"The man!...At the party!...He spoke English…we danced, I told him how much I enjoy music and how lonely I felt in this country. It was nice to have some who'd listen…he must see me as some kind of damsel in distress," Helen fibbed, but if she was right this was just the set up she needed to get Nikola out of this mess.
The man smiled widely, buying into her ruse.
"He sees you as trapped as he is," he added. "Which is perfect because we can use that against him."
Nikola returned still playing the part of waiter to listen in on part of their conversation. Placing the tea down in front of them and bowing when dismissed. Helen watched him out of the corner of her eye as he exited the lounge, probably off to cause more trouble.
She turned back to the man.
"I don't know…it seems cruel to use his feelings in such a way," she fixed her tea as she spoke.
"Yes, but Helena, he's a traitor and a rather unstable one at that if you know what I mean. He could harm many people with the secrets he's planning to sell, you could be the leverage we nee. If it comes down to it I'll tell him I gave you no choice, then he won't feel so betrayed."
Helen sighed.
"Fine…fine I'll help," she bit her lip nervously.
The concierge entered with her items from the safe and handed them to her.
"Thank you," she paid him a tip and moved to stand up. "Excuse me Mr…uh?"
"Oh, call me Parsons," he stood up as she did.
"I have to go…my husband is moving me to a more permanent living situation. I have to meet the movers, excuse me," she said with a huff, showing she was not happy with that.
"Maybe we can meet tomorrow night and talk…about the mission over dinner," he took her hand and shook it before turning it palm up and kissing the top delicately. "I promise Helena, I won't let him harm a hair on your head."
Helen blushed shyly.
"I trust you, Mr. Parsons," she forced a flirty smile.
"Doctor," he corrected.
"Doctor?" she looked at him with a slight tilt of her head.
"It's purely title," he shrugged off.
"Well then, Doctor, I would very much enjoy your company tomorrow evening…say eight o'clock?"
"Sounds perfect," he released her hand and she smiled.
"It's a date then," she winked and left the lounge, passing a concierge on the way out who was headed in.
She made her way out of the hotel and got half a block away before a familiar presence beckoned her to stop.
He stood outside a small sweet shop, picking at a bag of candies while leaning against a lamppost.
"Been waiting long, Houdini?" she sighed heading over to him.
"I took a shortcut," he shrugged and offered her one of the confections in the bag; she accepted it. "Have a nice chat with our good looking friend?"
"Yes, he's quite charming," she looked around searching for any black suits.
"They're not watching, I left them a little clue with the concierge that will have them halfway across town by now. No one is watching us," he plucked another sweet from the bag. "Do you like licorice?"
Helen nodded and opened her mouth for him to plop the black candy in.
He chuckled and obliged her.
"I've always been a taffy man myself, that and chocolate," he took out another sweet and ate it. "Did you get your important items from the safe?"
Helen nodded and lifted up the leather case for him to see.
"I don't mean to be brash Nikola, but could we continue this in the alley," she still felt watched.
"Ooh, I like you're thinking Madame Heathering," he teased and she rolled her eyes.
"I would just rather not be seen in daylight with the man I'm apparently supposed to help catch. Despite you're assurances I don't think it's safe."
Nikola nodded.
"Hail a cab, if anything happens you can tell your new friend that I kept you company as you waited," he whispered to her. "I'll meet you back at the house, we can debrief then and discuss our next move."
"Sounds good, though I much rather prefer you with your briefs on," she teased.
He leaned in and, with a grin, plopped a chocolate in her mouth.
"That's what you think," he pecked her lips and darted away before she could hit him, ducking into the alley.
Helen growled.
He was insufferable.
~~~~Author's Notes~~~~
For some reason i hear a cacophony of dreamy sighs. You're thinking about Niko and chocolate aren't you? *rolls eyes*
I hope you guys have fun with this chappie. Helen being all deceitful and schemey! Nikola being a master of disguise! Evil plots and of course, some tasty treats for all you to enjoy. :) I hope you like.