Thanks for the advice re: the previous chapter guys, concrit is actually wonderful to receive :) Hopefully shoes aren't thrown at me for this chapter, I promise the much needed explanation comes in the very next chapter. This is just a very basic introduction to how Rose feels about Nikola. That and I like to make John cower in fear.

Reviews are sustenance for my diet-starved tummy :P

xx

You are about to start digging deeper when whispers from the other side of the door catch your attention.

"You can't be serious Helen, that monster could have killed us all. We need to find a way to kill it and quickly before it figures out what we're doing." You let a low growl slip out as you hear John's words. Both Nikola and James follow your eyes which are now trained on the door. James cannot hear the whispers but you don't care how strange you behaviour seems. You hear a growl from beside you and feel a bolt of pleasure that the vampire next to you is just as upset at John's plans as you are. You stiffen and are about to set the foolish man straight but then Helen's voice floats through the door.

"Don't be stupid John, first of all, her name is Josephine and she is no threat. Besides that, she can probably hear you through this door. And if not, she can probably hear your thoughts."

Her words are harsh and direct and you feel a strange affection for the blonde. Considering you did try and kill her, it's a little surprising that she doesn't share the sentiments of her fiancé.

"I think Helen's right, John," Nigel says softly. "I mean, she's dangerous yeah, but I don't think she's a threat to us. If she wanted to kill us, she'd have already done it. I mean, it wasn't like we put up much of a fight."

You can hear John thinking this over and you are glad when he decides to trust his friends. You don't particularly want to kill him. The door swings open just as Nikola shifts to sit closer to you. You can feel him staring John down and you smile softly. His concern is sweet but completely unnecessary.

"You friends are right. If I wanted to kill you, John, I would have done so already."

Your voice is soft and even but he tenses at your words. Helen turns to you with a kind smile. She eyes the pile of clothes at your feet before turning once more from the room. Everyone is watching you and you watch them in turn. James is curious, wondering why you are here and why you haven't killed them yet. Nigel is puzzled but rather at ease with the situation. You give him a tentative smile in the hopes that he will return the gesture. He does and you smile a little wider. John is standing in the corner, hunched over in the shadows as he glares at you. You don't need to hear his thoughts to know he is afraid.

Then there is Nikola. He is sitting so close to you that you can feel the warmth of his skin through the fine layers you wear. He is sitting at an angle so that he almost hovers over you. He is protective of you and you understand why. He thinks you are a vampire. It's a thought none of the others have had and you have to admit, while you should be insulted by the thought, his guess was closer to the truth than any of the others. You shift in you spot to look him in the eye. He seems to realise for the first time how close he is to you and you feel him start to shift back. Without thinking you reach out to stop him. Although the stench of his blood is setting you on edge, you like being this close to another being.

"I am not like you," you say clearly. He looks shocked and you realise that he doesn't quite understand the extent of your abilities. "I am not a... vampire." He is confused for a moment and then his face falls. He starts to move again but you grab his arm more firmly.

Just then, Helen bursts back into the room carrying a thick blanket and a cup of something. She pauses, taking in the scene and it is only now that you realise the others were watching you, fascinated. Propriety dictates you let go of Nikola but you decide against it and hold him tightly. He stops trying to move so you loosen your grip so that you hand is simply resting on his arm. Helen's eyes flick to your contact and you feel a flash of… Jealousy? Are you reading that right? You search again and the pang is gone, replaced by curiosity. You are about to ask her why she is jealous and then remember that, considering her fiancé is in the room, it might not be the easiest question for her to answer. Instead you store it away for another moment.

Suddenly the blanket is thrown around your shoulders. You flinch as the course fabric scratches at your skin but then the cup is thrust into your hands. You look down at the insipid milky brown liquid. You sniff delicately at it. Tea. You stifle a groan at the way in which it has been prepared, knowing you shouldn't purposefully upset this girl who has gone to so much trouble to help you. By looking at her, you can tell she has never cooked much more than tea so you smile and sip the drink. Perhaps, if she doesn't kill you, you'll try and teach her how to make proper tea. No milk, three sugars.

As you settle into the normalcy of the room, you can feel those polite traits you have worked hard on honing come back to you and your animalistic tendencies hide behind the polite mask once again. Slowly, aware of all the eyes on you, you reach forward and place the cup on the table in front of you. The blanket around you shoulders slip and you don't care but immediately, Nikola's hands are at the ready, pulling it back up to your shoulders. You smile at him kindly, wondering if you should tell him that it is making you itch or that you really don't need the blanket.

You turn away from his probing eyes to scan the room once more. When your eyes come to rest on John, you instinctively shuffle back so that your back is touching Nikola's shoulder. You know it shouldn't be instinctual to sidle up to the closest thing to your arch nemesis but you can hear his mental anger at the man who is still glaring at the pair of you. Suddenly, you feel Helen's eyes on you and you turn to face her, glad to see her smiling.

"Now Josephine, what can we do for you?"

"-because they will wake up any second and I'll not have them see me writhing around on your lap," Rosie said curtly as everyone else let out a startled gasp. They all came out of the vision with a start, gasping for breath. Well, except for Helen whose eyes fluttered open gently.

"Like I said," Rosie muttered, rolling her eyes at Nikola who seemed to be pouting.

"What was that?" Will asked, his heart pounding.

"That was how I met Helen," she explained softly. She reached out, touched his hand softly and his eyes flew to her face.

"Yeah, but what was that?"

She chuckled softly at his confusion before answering.

"Just one of the many services I offer." At their blank looks, she made a pained face. "My memories."

"But how?" Kate asked. The dizziness that had accompanied the vision was staring to pass and she was beginning to piece it all together.

"Haven't a clue," Rosie answered cheerfully. "All part of the charm, I suppose."

"I had no idea," Helen said quietly. Rosie's face grew sombre before she smiled at her old friend.

"There is a time and a place for everything," she said simply. Helen's brow creased with worry. She'd always known of the animosity between John and Rose but this was a level of detail was something she'd never before been privy to.

"But wait," Henry said, sitting up. He'd experienced the visions before and was handling it rather better than the other two. "Why do we call you Rose if your name is…. A….Art…"

Rosie laughed lightly at his attempt to say her name.

"Akrin'tanki," she said, putting him out of his misery. "And it's a rather interesting story, if I do say so myself."

"May I?" Nikola interjected with a grin.

"No," Rosie answered, turning up her nose up at him. "Knowing you it would end up distorted beyond recognition." Nikola snorted but Rosie held up a hand and shot him a warning look.

"I always knew I was named after a flower but I could never place the translation. See, it's not an exact translation, more an appropriation," she explained, turning her back on the smirking vampire.

"But how did you realise?" Kate threw out.

"Well, one day, after I'd explained to them the origins of my name, Nikola took me walking through the public gardens not far from Helen's home. We were simply meandering through the grounds when I saw this flower and instantly I knew. So I abandoned Nikola and ran over to it, kneeling before it. My name, means, approximately, 'white flower of the many thorns'. "

"You turned to me and started to exclaim, very loudly I might add, that this was you," Nikola drawled and Rosie shot him an annoyed look.

"Anyway, it took a few tries but eventually Nikola realised what I was telling him and the name just stuck," she finished with a sour look over to the pouting vampire.

"I think you're missing the bit where you came sprinting home, waving a rather beaten looking rose in my face," Helen added with a smile. Rosie rolled her eyes but smiled at the good natured jibe.

"That's hardly pertinent," she scoffed sitting up that little bit straighter in her seat.

"But how did you find them?" Will asked, taking a deep breath as he ran a hand through his hair.

"Ah, yes well. After what the vampires did to my people, I became somewhat…" she paused, looking for the word, "blood thirsty," she decided with a smile. "And when Helen and her merry band of men injected themselves, I was able to track them down, believing them to be vampires. I could smell the blood or at least near enough to send me into a frenzy."

"And if I remember correctly," Helen added thoughtfully, "A certain part vampire was rather upset when you proved to be, for all intents and purposes, untouchable."

Rosie laughed appreciatively as Nikola made a face. "Mind control does have its perks," she said with a grin.

Taking in their confusion, Rosie rolled her eyes before quickly rolling up one of her sleeves.

"Nikola, if you wouldn't mind," she said, thrusting her arm towards him, palm up, forcing Kate to lean back. With a resigned sigh, Nikola raised a hand and tried to place his hand on hers. Everyone watched, fascinated as the two hands remained millimetres away from each other. There was a small haze between their hands and Kate, surprising everyone, reached out to gently rest her hand on Rosie's arm. Rose smiled before looking at Kate's hand forcing it up and off her skin, clenching it into a fist much to Kate's amazement.

"That's kinda scary," Will said in awe as he watched their fingers attempt to entwine. Rosie let out a light chuckle and suddenly, her hand was clasping Nikola's. The vampire smiled at their hands.

"It takes a lot of concentration," she explained, "so I don't do it very often." Slowly she retracted her hand from Nikola's. She cast a guilty glance at Helen before sitting up straighter than before, staring at Will as if afraid to look at the others. There was a brief pause as silence encompassed the group. Eventually Henry yawned and everyone looked at him gratefully, Rosie in particular.

"I think it might be time for bed," Helen said diplomatically as she tried to figure out the source of Rosie's discomfort. Henry nodded tiredly as did Kate but Nikola scoffed.

"Just because we're blessed with no need to sleep, doesn't mean you should gloat Nikki," Rosie chastised in such a way that Will wondered whether Helen had learnt it from her. Nikola's mouth twitched and he shot a glare at her.

"Call me that again and we can test that impenetrable skin of yours," he threatened.

"Would you rather I called you Edward?" Rosie threw back, her voice filled with innocence.

"Enough!" Helen interjected. Nikola closed his mouth and tried to relax into his seat but the animosity was coming off him in waves. Rosie crossed her ankles delicately and smiled sweetly at Helen. Suddenly her sunny smile turned into a pout and she crossed her arms.

"Really Helen," she grumbled, rolling her eyes.

"What?" Kate asked, suddenly alert.

"Don't," Helen warned her friend. Rosie let out a suffering sigh but seemed to keep her mental mouth closed.

"As delightful as this is," Rosie said, casting a glare at Helen before continuing, "I think I'll head off to bed now." She stood with a smile and started heading towards door.

"My thoughts exactly," Nikola said as she walked past him. "Night," he called cheerfully.

"Wait, I thought... You guys don't sleep?" Will asked, confused. Helen and Kate rolled their eyes and Nikola started to talk but Rosie held up a hand. She was unable to keep the bemused smile off her face as she paused in the doorway, hand on her hip, Nikola behind her, his features contorted with annoyance.

"Well, we were trying to be discreet but let's see how long it'll take him to figure out," she said indulgently before turning and almost pushing Nikola out the door. Helen rolled her eyes at the overly dramatic behaviours of the two immortals. Then Rosie sent her a rather clear message.

"Don't you dare!" Helen called out through the open door.

Everyone looked to the boss, confused at her sudden outburst.

"She threatened to break the bedside tables on purpose," Helen muttered by way of explanation.

"Oh wait," Will said suddenly, sitting up in his chair. "Oh, ew!"

"And now he gets it," Kate said, pushing herself out of her seat. Henry groaned and did the same and Will was quick to follow. Helen sat back in her chair as each of her team said their goodbyes, wondering if Rosie was in fact serious about destruction. Then something that had been niggling in the back of her mind clicked. Rose hadn't shown Nikola the memory. So much for a happy couple.