See, I told you I'd have a new chapter done within the next few days, and here it is. Originally, this was going to be two separate chapters, but originally they were going to go to a party for New Year's and do a lot more with their Winter Break. But I still can't write parties and I couldn't have them have a snowball fight while still keeping them in character. So now you have this. The good news is I have the rest of this fic and half of the sequel outlined, so that'll make it easier for me to write, so my updates should be more regular now. Anyway, enjoy.
Disclaimer: Does anyone really think I own this? Really? Other than Kiri, none of this is mine. If it was, we would have a season five and Teslen would be completely canon.
On New Year's Eve, Gregory went out to a party, leaving Helen, Nikola, and Kiri alone in the house to celebrate. Helen had pulled out an old bottle of Bordeaux and poured them all a glass. Kiri took one sip of hers, then made a face and placed her glass on a table. Nikola chuckled at her, taking a sip of his own wine and humming appreciatively.
"Do you two want to go into town later to celebrate?" Helen questioned as she sat down on the couch. Kiri and Nikola glanced at each other.
"I don't think so. I'd much rather stay here," Nikola told her.
"Me too. New Year's should be celebrated with people you like. And I barely know anyone but you two," added Kiri, nodding. Helen laughed as she nodded.
"Alright, I'll ask Ellie to find some champagne. I'm sure Father keeps some around here somewhere." Helen turned and left the room,, leaving Nikola and Kiri alone. Nikola turned a questioning gaze towards the younger girl.
"Do you really not know anyone else?" he asked. Kiri shrugged.
"Well, there are a few other people. My employer and her friends, James, a few of the other professors and students at Oxford, some of the shop owners. But you two are my only friends," she told him, smiling at him. Helen walked in at that moment, holding out a bottle of champagne and three champagne flutes.
"We found it," she announced, smiling at Kiri and Nikola. "It's only nine, so we still have a couple of hours. What do you want to do?"
"When I was growing up, my mother and I used to sit in front of the fire and tell stories about things that had happened in the last year, and things we hoped to have happen in the next year," Kiri remarked. Helen looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright, that sounds like fun." She led the way over to the rug in front of the fire, and the three friends sat in a tight semi-circle. They spent the next couple of hours exchanging stories about the past year. At eleven fifty-eight, Helen poured them all champagne, and they prepared to usher in the New Year. At midnight, they cheered and clinked their glasses, and Helen turned to Nikola and pulled him into a chaste kiss.
"Srećna Nova godina," she whispered, grinning. Nikola grinned in return, trying to fight back the blush that had crept up when Helen had kissed him.
"Where did you learn that?" he asked, furrowing his brow.
"Kiri's been teaching me," Helen replied, indicating their friend, who was standing a few feet away. "Did I say it right?"
"You said it perfectly," Nikola told her, smiling. "Sestrice, you must be a very good teacher." Kiri blushed slightly at the complement, looking at her feet.
"I had a good student," she responded after several seconds. They only stayed up for about half-an-hour after that before they all retired to their rooms.
The next day, Gregory spent most of the day asleep, and Kiri was helping Ellie with the cleaning, since most of the other servants had the day off. Nikola and Helen spent the day in the living room, reading or talking or sometimes just watching the fireplace together.
The rest of their vacation went by rather quickly, until there was only three days left until school started back up again. The three of them had decided to spend the day in the park; Nikola and Helen walking along the paths enjoying the scenery and each other's company while Kiri stayed in the center of the park making a snowman with some children who were there with their parents. Kiri had told them not to worry about her, that building snowmen with the children in the park was one of her favorite past times in the winter.
Nikola led Helen down a path and into the center of a grove of evergreens, and they stood together for what felt like hours, although it was probably just a few minutes. The snow was falling in large flakes around them, turning everything, including them, a soft white. Helen turned around, gazing around at the snow-globe-like scene around them.
"Oh Nikola, it's beautiful," she whispered, her eyes wide as she turned to face him. Nikola smiled slightly, looking around.
"Yes, it is," he responded after a while, turning back to look at her with such intensity that she shivered slightly. Before either of them could say anything more, a large weight suddenly jumped on Nikola's back, nearly knocking him over.
"I've been looking for you two," Kiri exclaimed, wrapping her arms around Nikola's neck and resting her chin on his shoulder.
"Kiri, could you maybe get down?" Nikola asked, cocking an eyebrow at her. Kiri pouted but let go and dropped to the ground, grinning.
"The children had to go home and I was bored," she remarked, glancing up at the trees around them. "I guess their parents don't appreciate them playing with a servant." She shrugged and plopped down into the snow at her feet, idly making a snowball. Nikola and Helen sat down next to her, watching her quietly.
"Do you want to go back to my house and have some hot chocolate?" Helen inquired after a few minutes of silence. Kiri instantly perked up, her eyes wide.
"Could we? Would your father be okay with that?" she questioned excitedly. Helen laughed, nodding.
"Of course. He wouldn't mind at all. Come on." Helen stood, Nikola and Kiri following suit, and soon they were in Helen's living room, sipping hot chocolate and talking quietly. They went to bed early that night, and the next day Kiri and Nikola left Helen's house to return to their own homes. Kiri left before Nikola, claiming that she had to hurry home so she could speak with her employer. Nikola and Helen exchanged a quick hug in private before he left as well. Classes started again that Monday, and once again Nikola and Helen had essentially the same schedule. They weren't in any of the same classes, but they ended at the same time each day, allowing them to continue the study group. Kiri flitted in and out of their classrooms, and they could never really pinpoint exactly what it was she was doing in each.
Totally realized that when I first uploaded this I forgot to translate the Serbian for you guys.
Srećna Nova godina - Happy New Year