Chapter 6 – Small Kisses Part One
~~~~August 1878~~~~
Helen giggled as she felt Nikola's soft hands wrap around her eyes.
"Guess who?" he said in a very bad English accent.
"Hmm, I don't recognize the voice, is it Peter?" she jokd and the hands left her face.
"Very funny," Nikola said in his normal accent.
"Nikola, your English accent is absolutely atrocious, I knew it was you instantly," she teased.
"Well, you ruined the moment, I guess you'll just have to wait till later," he crossed his arms and Helen giggled.
"Wait for what?" she asked, knowing full well what he was talking about.
"Nope, you ruined it so you obviously don't want it," he teased walking to one of the many shelves in her father's library and pretending to peruse through it.
"Aww Nikola, of course I do, stop being such a spoil sport, give it to me!" she giggled and went up to him.
"Why should I?" he teased backing away, causing her to chase him around the massive library.
Her father had recently bought the massive home, selling the townhouse in Oxford and relocating his practice and his home to London. Helen was still attending Oxford though, so he afforded her a decent sized flat near the University and even closer to the man she could only identify as her best friend in the world.
They were inseparable, as if they had been twins taken from birth only to find each other again in the hectic world.
He made her life an adventure in the seemingly short two years they had known each other.
Even James, who had become like a long lost older brother to her, noted their deep friendship as a match made in heaven. In this day and age most respectabke people would have called it very inappropriate relationship between a man and a woman. They were way too intimate with each other in a sense, without courting, or engagement rings, the amount of time they spent with each other was ridiculous, their comfort with each other was unacceptable, and the little touches, looks and secret smiles they shared were wholly inappropriate.
Helen remembered her aunt scolding her at Christmas for attending her party with a man that was not her betrothed and spending the whole evening running about with him.
Helen bit back her remarks, but knew in her heart she had more fun running around with Nikola that evening than she would ever have dancing or socializing with complete strangers.
Nikola may not be the most perfect suitor or gentleman in the world, but he was honest, caring, and more fun than any man she had ever met.
That's why she had dragged him along to London for the summer, knowing she'd have the dullest time without him there.
She laughed as Nikola popped out of nowhere and grabbed her by the waist, scaring her into another fit of giggles.
"I thought I was chasing you," she smirked as he lifted her off the ground and to the small loveseat by the fireplace.
"Yes, but I caught you," he said placing her on the loveseat.
He lost his footing and landed on top of her, making her laugh even more.
"If only my father came in and saw this," she laughed, but not moving him off her lap.
"I'd be dead," Nikola laughed, but not moving either. He sighed in the mass of petticoats around him.
He pulled something from his pocket.
"Happy Birthday Helen," he laughed handing her a small box.
She smiled, wide-eyed at the box.
"Ooh for me?" she grinned at him.
"No, it's for James, I just wanted to know if you'd think he'd like it," he tmocked her and she leaned over and kissed his cheek lightly.
"Thank you, Niko," he melted at the touch of her soft lips on his cheek.
"Don't just sit there, open it," he said impatiently.
"Alright, don't get your knickers in a twist," she mumbled opening the small box, "Oh Nikola, it's beautiful!"
She lifted up a necklace with a small amulet attached to, it was clear all around until you reached the middle where it was the most brilliant blue.
"Did you make this?" she looked at him.
"Of course," he smiled proudly. "Not a jewelry shop in England that can make something as unique as this; look."
He stood up and took her hand, leading her to the moonlight window of the library.
He held up the amulet to the moon, focusing the moonlight through the blue center till an image, a silhouette, of two people dancing elegantly.
"Oh Nikola, how is that possible?" she stared in awe of the little shadow dancing along the wall.
"Trade secret, my dear," he joked and slipped the beautiful necklace around her neck.
"I love it, it's simply marvelous," she leaned over and kissed his lips softly.
It was not the first time she had kissed him like that. Over the course of the years they had shared many small kisses with each other, on the cheek and hand, on Christmas he held up, as a joke, a piece of mistletoe over their heads and she had laughed and pecked his lips softly.
They were nothing more than kisses; no more than a hug or a welcoming smile between friends.
She twirled in front of him.
"How do I look?" she joked posing with the beautiful necklace.
"Beautiful," he stared in awe. "The necklace goes with your eyes."
He said gently walking to her.
She laughed again and took his hand.
"Where are we going tonight? It is my birthday after all," she pulled him along with her, out of the library and through the expansive mansion.
"Well I refuse to pay a dime for what these people call food, so I had your father's chef cook something really special for the occasion, and after some cake and wine, I have purchased tickets for the theatre, I believe they are performing Shakespeare's Twelfth Night."
She smiled.
"You know how much I love Shakespeare," she said excitedly, and a little giddily.
"Yes, that's why I knew you'd love to go, I have thought of everything!" he grinned smugly.
"Yes you have, it sounds like a perfectly wonderful evening," she smiled.
She let go of his hand and skipped up the massive staircase.
"I'm going to get ready, my outfit is not quite appropriate for a night on the town," he nodded as she escaped upstairs.
Helen got to her room and sat in front of the oak vanity, staring at the necklace Nikola had made for her, it was truly beautiful, just at first glance.
She smiled as she rushed her long blonde hair and pinned it up, she moved across the room and waved over to her handmaiden Estelle, a beautiful young Irish girl.
They were good friends, in fact, Helen considered all her father's staff to be almost family.
"Big night tonight, Miss Magnus?" said Estelle as she came over and undid the many strings of Helen's corset.
"Yes, Nikola is taking me out to the theatre," Helen moved to the closet, Estelle trotting behind.
"I swear Miss Magnus, I have never seen such a relationship between a lady and a gentleman like you and Mr. Tesla, you act as though you've been together for years, no strings or expectations," Helen pulled out a beautiful blue dress and laid it on the bed.
"We are very close friends, Estelle, nothing more," she said, holding still so that Estelle could remove the gown.
"Oh it's more than that, I saw the way you admired that necklace, a gift from him on your birthday, am I right? No man ever purchases jewelry for a woman without love in his heart," said Estelle, pulling away the corset.
"He didn't purchase it, he made it," Helen looked absentmidedly at the beautiful accessory.
"And you fancy him as well," teased Estelle.
"Don't be ridiculous," Helen shook her head.
"I's seens you two together, I has, you two can't keep your eyes off each other, it's like no one in the room exists."
Helen bit her lip thinking about what Estelle was saying. It was true Nikola meant more to her than any other man, except her father of course.
Even tonight on the loveseat, when he was nestled among her petticoats, any other man would have taken advantage of the situation, but Nikola, no, Nikola took it as the perfect opportunity to give her a gift.
It was these small moments that she knew he would be her friend forever.
But was it more than that? She never really thought about it till now, maybe she did fancy him, more than she knew.
She was soon dressed and heading back downstairs to the library where Nikola had set up a tea tray and a plate of square cakes.
He smiled at her when she entered.
"You look stunning," he smiled.
"Oh, ever the gentleman," she teased and he kissed her hand, the gesture suddenly making her knees feel weak.
He had kissed her hand, cheek, and lips a dozen times, why all of he sudden did it affect her now?
He led her over to the loveseat again, this time letting her sit down properly.
He handed her one of the little cakes and she took it, unsure exactly what kind of cake it was.
"What is it?" she asked.
"Serbian cake, Čupavci my mother used to make on special occasions, I know the recipe by heart," he poured her a cup of tea and himself a glass of wine.
"Not too much Nikola, I don't want you to get too inebriated this evening," she teased.
"Not to worry, one glass, I promise," he sipped liquid and munched on one of the cakes as well.
It was a light sponge cake covered with coconut with a custard filling; it was quite enjoyable.
"Are you planning to fatten me up?" she joked and Nikola laughed.
"And do what? Make you into a stew?" he teased back.
"You know cakes are my weakness, hide them before I scarf the whole thing down!" she laughed, compulsively reaching for another one.
"You won't have time!" he laughed covering the plate with a towel. "We have to be at the theatre in a half hour."
He examined the pocket watch attached to his vest.
"Our carriage is waiting," he took her hand and she looped her arm with his and the exited out of the mansion in a flurry of giggles.
(End Of Part One)
~~~~Author's Notes~~~~
If you've seen the web series you'll note that Twelfth Night was Helen's favorite play, so I used that to my advantage.
The Serbian cake Čupavci I looked up it's actually labeled as Croatian, but they're the same thing really, I don't know if Nikola's family would've really ate it but give me some credit, half of this story is hypothetical.
I've adjusted my timeline to fit in certain discrepancies. I had to piece it together using the wiki pages for Nikola Tesla and the Jack The Ripper case. John and Helen will not be courting for 8 years now, though something changes in their relationship that changes this awfully cute relationship you see here between Nikola and Helen, I think very realistically.
Also factoring in Sanctuary's mythology, apparently John was sick and Helen injected her blood to prolong his life, so that will play into the story as well, not now obviously, they haven't even met John yet, so why am I telling you this.
And that brings me to James' little project from the last chapter, it's nothing, just a plot point, it was just to serve as a premace to the beginning of the Five, starting with The Three, I really suck at science stuff so I don't really want to write anything scientifical at all, the pain and research I went through just to give a reason for why James was giving a lecture in the first place was bad enough!
Plus, I did not realize James Watson was not a real person, searched forever trying to find the real guys wiki, all I found was a James D Watson molecular biologist, but he didn't fit into the timeline at all! He was born in the early 1900's. I guess I got him confused with James Watts.
Nevermind, but I hope you like this chapter, we're still in the segment of the story focusing on Helen and Nikola's super cute relationship BSB (before source blood) I'm keeping it all pretty innocent. The second part to this chapter is still focusing on her birthday.
As you may have noticed I've established the Dr. Magnus is already developing the first Sanctuary, hence the move to the mansion in London, that is where they are now, the Original Sanctuary. That's where he is.
And I'm hoping to bring in Nikola's obsession with the number three sometimes, it was part of the real Nikola's weirdness, so eventually in the story I hope to bring it in, or at least mention it.
Um ok, I'm done ranting about my evil plans, Read and Review :)