Sitting next to her Audi was a shiny black sports car that signified more than the end to her happy afternoon. Taking a deep breath, her nails dug into Nikola's leg, clutching at him in the hopes that she could convince herself it was all a dream.

"Is it him?" Nikola asked coldly as he turned off the car. Helen nodded mutely, eyes wide as she tried to suck in deep breaths. She barely noticed his hand on top of hers until he started to murmur her name.

"Helen," he whispered and she turned to look at him, focusing on his grey blue eyes instead of the shiny black harbinger of doom. "You don't need to be afraid, my love. I won't let him hurt you."

"I'm not afraid of what he could do to me," she responded quickly. "He won't hurt me, not physically anyway. It's more what he will do to you for being here with me."

"We just had lunch Helen, that's all. Nothing more than that. I am your agent and your friend. We have had lunch dates before. He doesn't need to know any specifics," Nikola said softly, threading his fingers into hers.

Helen nodded slowly, trying to calm the sense of dread her hopefully soon to be ex-husband always managed to arouse within her. Maybe he was here with those divorce papers, she mused. Maybe he was here to tell her he was sorry for taking so long, for ignoring her requests. Maybe-

"Helen? We need to get out of the car," Nikola whispered, touching a finger to her chin in an attempt to make her face him once more.

"Of course," she croaked out, steeling herself before throwing open her door and stepping out. Slowly and with a kind of intense concentration she hadn't known she possessed, Helen walked towards the front porch, coming short. Of course, John still had a key. The thought of him in her house was disturbing. She'd already told him in no uncertain terms that she didn't want him in her life and no change of job would make her feel anything except contempt for the man who had deserted her for his work. He shouldn't be in her home, in her safe place, in her sanctuary. Unthinkingly she reached out to Nikola, taking his hand firmly as she stared up at her home.

"Whatever he wants, we face it together," he whispered, coming to stand closer, giving her hand a little squeeze.

"And we never even said vows," she joked weakly.

"In time," he said simply, a hand rubbing soothing circles between her shoulder blades.

"Did you just..." she trailed off, looking at him, astounded.

"Focus Helen. Let's get rid of the maniac in your living room and then you can make me get down on one knee," he said before kissing the tip of her ear tenderly. He pushed her gently and they began to walk towards the front door. Stopping on the porch, Helen turned to face him, laying a hand on his shoulder as she looked into his eyes.

"I love you," she said, her voice low but full of certainty.

"As I love you," he whispered, letting the back of his hand brush against her cheek. Smiling at him once more, she let out a breath and turned to the door, willing to face anything so long as Nikola was right behind her.

Slowly she pushed open the front door, biting her lip as she took a few steps inside.

"Helen?" John called from within the house.

Taking a deep breath Helen reminded herself that the hand on her shoulder was Nikola and that everything was going to be fine.

"I'm here John. What do you want?"

"Always straight to the chase," John said sadly as he stepped into the corridor, eyes widening as he realised she was not alone. He cocked his head slightly and a cruel smirk twisted the very edges of his lips, making Helen's heart beat double time. There was no way she'd get away with this, she realised. Not that she was doing anything wrong but she just knew he'd be able to smell Nikola on her. Her dress was slightly twisted, Nikola's suit was crumpled and both of them looked thoroughly ruffled. This was never going to work.

"Busy as ever I see," John said smoothly, stepping towards them. It was only Nikola's presence beside her that stopped her from running.

"Good to see you too, Druitt," Nikola said calmly, nodding imperceptibly.

There was a tense silence as the three dared one of the others to start what was evidently going to be a painful conversation.

"Tesla," John said curtly, "perhaps it would be best if you left. I need to speak with my wife." His voice dipped menacingly on the last word, contradicting the genial smile on his face.

"Nikola is not going anywhere," Helen said firmly, finally finding her voice. "And I've nothing to say to you unless you've signed the papers."

"Really Helen, this isn't something to discuss in front of him," John insisted, stepping closer to them.

"We have nothing to discuss. And Nikola is my friend, John and, seeing as this is my house, I get to choose who is and isn't welcome here."

"You are my wife!" he thundered and she couldn't help jumping slightly. Fear started to thread through her body once more but, as Nikola squeezed her shoulder gently, she remembered what she needed to do.

"In name only," she said decisively, voice raised a few notches. She was not going to be bullied by this man any longer. Her entire life, since she'd met him had been about bending to fit his needs. She'd put up with his moods and rages, she'd raised their daughter almost on her own and she'd always been there for him, even when things got really bad. She deserved better than a man who thought of her as nothing more than a possession that he was unwilling to part with. Once she'd enjoyed the idea of belonging to a man but the thought of belonging to this man was repulsive to her.

"How can you do this Helen? After all we've been through you're not even going to listen to me?" John pleaded, arms thrown wide.

"Nikola," Helen said tightly as she crossed her arms, "would you mind going and making me a cup of tea?"

"Are you sure?" he asked softly, letting his hand drift down to rest on the small of her back. At the tender gesture she felt some of her anger melt away. She turned and gave him a small smile, nodding slightly as she resisted the urge to lean forward and kiss the concern from his face. She was fine. Or at the very least she would be.

"Go," she urged softly, letting her fingertips brush his cheek. He smiled tightly at her and, with one last murderous look towards John, walked towards the kitchen.

"Don't want your lover to be turned off by the sight of your husband?" John sneered.

"No, John. This has nothing to do with Nikola. You were right, this is between you and me."

"Oh how gracious of you, admitting to a fault!" he cried with a dangerous laugh. "And now sending away your concubine makes more sense. Can't have him learn that his little trollop is anything except perfect."

"How dare you speak to her that way!" Nikola burst out he came striding around the corner. "How dare you-."

"Nikola," Helen said coldly, not taking her eyes from John. She knew if she looked over at Nikola, she'd end up distracted, he always looked hot when angry. "It's fine. Really."

"No Helen, it's not fine," he argued striding from the kitchen to stand in front of John. "This is your house and he has absolutely no right to come in here and call you such disgusting names."

"If you think that's disgusting, then you clearly don't know our little harlot well enough," John sneered, closing the distance between himself and Nikola. Although he was significantly shorter than John, Nikola held his ground easily, glaring up at him with pure hatred in his eyes. "Though considering the benefits her promiscuity is granting you..." he trailed off with a cruel smile.

"Nikola," Helen said warningly, reaching out to grab his arm just as he began to prepare for a punch. "As right as you are, give us a moment."

Nikola turned his head so as to look into her eyes and she could see he was about to protest. "Please," she added in a whisper, smiling at him encouragingly. He paused and she could see the war waging within him.

After what seemed to be an eternity, Nikola let out a breath and stepped back from John. Without a word he turned and stalked to the kitchen.

She watched him retreat with a sense of satisfaction before turning back to John who was grinning madly at her. He opened his mouth to produce what was undoubtedly another little scathing comment but she'd had enough.

"Get out John," she ordered, her voice deadly quiet. "Get out of my house and don't you ever, ever come back."

"You are my wife," he bellowed at her, making to grab her shoulders but she was too quick, stepping back before he could make comment.

"Get out," she said, voice filled with contempt. "And if you ever try to touch me again, I will kill you. You have no claim to me and you haven't for a very long time. You gave up that privilege when you took that girl as your lover. What was her name? MJ?"

He stared at her open mouthed for a second and she felt a thrill of success shoot through her.

"Did you really think I didn't know about her?" she asked softly. "Admittedly, she's the only one whose name I know but I'm not dumb John."

"It's hardly my fault," he scoffed. "If you hadn't been so bloody frigid..."

"You were lonely John, and I acknowledge that I probably had something to do with it but this is a two way street, you are equally as guilty as I," she said softly and with genuine emotion. "I never begrudged you those women, John. I knew things were bad between us but, as much as it hurt, I never complained because I had no right to. Much the same as you have no right to come in here, berate me and my closest friend and then demand that I talk to you-."

"So you deny that you're sleeping with that little rat?" John demanded, cutting her off.

"That is none of your business," she said coldly. "And more than that, it is time you left."

John shook his head, laughing dryly. "Of course," he said angrily, "who else would you fall into bed with the second I was out the door? I may have slept with others Helen but what you are doing is just as much as sin as what I did."

"Get. Out," she said softly, hands balled into fists. "Nikola is first and foremost my friend. He has stood by me since the very beginning and, unlike you, has never pushed me away from the things I love."

"Oh please," he yelled, "that little weasel has been out to get into your pants from day one! And don't you try and tell me it's got anything to do with love. After all, we both know he's incapable of such basic emotions."

"Get out!" she screamed, her anger finally getting the better of her. It was one thing for him to insult her but Nikola and whatever was between her and him had no place in this conversation. "Get out! Get out! Get out!"

"Hit a nerve did I?" he asked softly, stepping closer to her. "Are you afraid that, as you've clearly spread your legs for him, he's going to lose interest and run away? After all, what other attraction could you possibly hold?"

And that was it. With everything she had, Helen pulled back her fist and slammed it into the side of his face. It hurt like hell and he didn't hit the floor as she would have liked but she had actually done it.

"Get out of my house," she said once more, sounding smug even to her own ears.

"You little-."

"Don't you even think about laying a hand on her," Nikola said coolly, twirling a knife in his long, elegant fingers as he sauntered around the corner. Helen's eyes widened but she had to work to control her laughter at the image he presented. It was just so absurd to see sweet Nikola threatening John with a carving knife.

Glaring contemptuously at them both, John spat a mouthful of blood onto the floor before shoving Helen to the side and stalking towards the door. Roughly he pulled it open and, just as before closing it behind himself, turned on his heel to glare at them once more.

"Good luck with her, old boy," he said softly. "If I couldn't handle the little hellcat, you haven't a hope in hell." And, with that, he slammed the door. Both Helen and Nikola watched through the window as he stalked to his car and only once he'd screeched out of the driveway did Helen turn to face Nikola once more. He still held the knife tightly in his hand and, with his brow furrowed in apprehension, he looked like such a contradiction. Then, quite against her own will, Helen burst out laughing. She was still furious at John and terrified of some of the things he'd said but all of it came bursting out as near manic laughter.

Concerned, Nikola placed the knife on the nearest table and stepped towards her slowly. She tried to stem the giggles but, until his hand landed on her shoulder, she had little success. Then the silence was overwhelming. She was breathing heavily, eyes wide and, as she looked into Nikola's eyes, her body began to tremble.

Screw John, she thought angrily. Screw John and screw his twisted sense of love. He didn't want her, he wanted a pretty little thing to call his wife. Screw him. How dare he come into her house, call her names and try to hurt her. How bloody dare he.

Her blood was boiling and the trembling in her limbs now had nothing to do with shock.

Snaps for those who knew it was John! But don't worry, this is the end of his involvement :D

OK, so, it's not the most romantic Valentine's chapter ever but, well, meh. Give me Valentine's reviews and I'll give you the next very smutty chapter. And I'm not kidding when I say very. Not even a little.

xx