April 11, 1912 3:12 am

Helens first impression was surprise. She wasn't even aware she was asleep until she woke up. Her second sensation was pain. Corsets were not comfortable sleepwear. . Part of her wanted to wiggle out of the blasted garment and go back to sleep. She roused herself drowsily and made her way up to the top deck.

The floating city of Titanic ploughed onward, shining in the dark water like a star alone in vast space. Whitecaps broke gently on her prow, but otherwise the sea was dead calm. Helen turned to gaze up at the sky. Thousands of stars blazed cold and unaffected around a sliver of moon. The New moon was only days away. Helen looked out to the horizon, barely visible in the faint moonlight. What did the ocean look like, she wondered vaguely, with no moon at all?

Cold she decided. Cold and dark.She shivered despite the warm air.

"Perhaps I should warn you." said a voice close by. "It's going to get a lot colder before we reach New York."

Helen turned to see a man in in captain livery Broad shoulders and clear eyes, an able bodied sailor they would call him.

But for his wiry white beard and weathered face, he would look nothing of his 60 years.

Helen looked at him in shock. Was this how she would look? What would she be lie had they never tried the source blood? At the age of 60, she only looked late 20s if that. The captain smiled warmly. "So sorry miss. Didn't mean to startle you."

Helen Smiled and shook her head. "No. I just didn't expect to find anyone else out here tonight." Helen sighed and looked back out to the heavens.

"Well. First night of my last voyage." Captain Smith smiled wistfully up at the stars. "Guess you could say I'm feeling a little sentimental. And 12 miles of hallway just isn't enough pacing."

"12 miles? On one ship? "Helen sighed."Dear God."

Captain Smith smiled and nodded. "She is a marvel isn't she? I'm glad to live long enough to see something so fine as Titanic. Twenty years ago, if you told me they would have electricity on a ship, I would have eaten my hat."

"It must take a lot of light bulbs." Helen mused. Though the conversation took her mind off John, she never felt comfortable discussing electricity with anyone. To her it was a dangerous element humans had no business playing with.

"10,000 light bulbs." Captain Smith smiled proudly. "Fortunately, Mr. Morgan, our financial backer owns the patent. Edison worked for him. Cost a pretty penny to get the system they run on though. Fellow called Tesla."

Helen nearly swallowed her tongue. "Do you know him?"

The captain laughed. "No. From what I hear he is a complete shut in. Even before he was carted off to prison."

"Prison?" Helen repeated faintly. Had the vampire stopped taking his medication? Did he attack someone? Was her gentle Serbian friend a killer? First John and now Nikola...

"Poor Bloke." Captain Smith said with empathy. "Money is so much easier to spend then it is to make eh?"

Helen let out a long breath of relief. "Oh. Debtors prison." She smiled and tried to look sympathetic. That sounded more like her Nikola. Living like a king on a pauper's salary.

"Since the end of last year, according to Morgan. He keeps talking about Merlot."

"Merlot." Helen repeated with a smile.

"Mr. Morgan could tell you more." The Captain continues. "He should be here on the ship. I haven't seen him personally."

Helen swallowed nervously. Getting off seemed like a better idea every minute. "When should we be arriving in France?" She hadn't seen Nikola since she broke it off with John, she wasn't sure she could face him.

The captain frowned. "Terribly sorry, Miss. We passed France. And Ireland. We won't see land again until New York Harbor. "

Helen planted on a smile. "Oh. Then I guess I'm going to New York" She said with a laugh she was able to make sound light and breezy. "Thank you Captain."

"She's a fine city. And this is the finest ship to take you there. I believe we are giving a tour of the Ship to a few passengers. If you would lie to come, Mr. Morgan should be there. Mr. Ismay as well. And Mr. Andrews."

"Sounds wonderful." Helen smiled. "I suppose I had better rest up then."

"I best had be off too." The captain smiled. "I have a big day myself. Good night miss."

Helen shuffled back to her room and changed out of her evening wear. She considered redressing and going down to the library. There had been a mention about a Shing-na, a rare abnormal from China. She was pulling a long sky blue dress from her trunk when an overpowering exhaustion came over her. She changed quickly into her night clothes and fell back into bed. She didn't wake again until after sunrise.

Notes. The real Nikola Tesla was in debtors' prison from Dec of 1911 until 1913. We had to do a few backflips through fire rings to get Nikola into the story. We had to deviate from real life, but it works with the Sanctuary Universe, as debtors prison is no place for a vampire.

Super special thanks to Glitch for his invaluable information and for finding a way to revise it.

Sliante