Chapter 17 – Under Paris, Under Water
~~~~Fall 1882, Paris~~~~
Helen watched the scenery outside her train window whiz by. In her hand she held tightly in her grasp a wad of letters she had collected over the years, the address was from Budapest, the letterhead noting the National Telephone Company, and the signature at the bottom noting it's chief electrician.
She hadn't seen him since he had left back in January, so close to 1880 that it felt like a whole two years had passed since she had seen her Serbian friend.
She had traced him down to his living space in Budapest only to find that he had left, on a whim, just like he had done in London, his mind taking him further and further away. The landlord handed her a scrap of paper specifically left for her with a mailing address and a name. The Continental Edison Company. Obviously the telephone company ceased to satisfy his need for electricity and electrical power. He needed invention, he had stated so much in his letters. Now he had run off to Paris.
One call to the company gave her confirmation and she was on a boat and on this train before James had time to convince her otherwise.
She had sworn Watson to secrecy, she didn't want John to catch wind of her travels, the poor man had been growing frightfully ill because of his ability, she was sure of it. The less he did the better.
She tucked the letters into her side bag as the Paris Train Station came into view. The train screeched and lurched to a stop, and the window became marred with a thick sheet of smoke.
The conductor shouted ringing his bell and she gathered up her bags, and made her way out of the car.
The first thing she smelt was the thick layer of smoke, it fogged everything, but as her eyes adjusted she could see other people falling into a loved ones embrace, pulling out a map, or just standing there, waiting to be greeted, like herself.
The smoke cleared fully, and her eyes darted across all the faces on the platform, she saw no one familiar.
She picked up her suitcase and took a step. Maybe if she made a call, or sent a message, maybe he would come for her, maybe he had come for her.
She felt a little hopelessness sink into her. She was so sure that Nikola was calling her to come to him, why else would he have left that scrap of paper for her in Budapest.
Was it just because he wanted their correspondence to continue?
The thought made her sick to think about.
"Pardon moi, madame," a voice said behind her, "But I believe you dropped something."
She turned around and came face to face with a pair of brilliant grey-blue eyes and a boyish grin hidden under a thick and well-groomed mustache.
"You bastard," was all she could say and he let out a small chuckle.
"You didn't think that I would beckon you all this way just to keep you waiting, now would you?" he grinned even wider.
She rolled her eyes ad threw her arms around him.
"You are such an ass," she muttered before pecking his cheek.
"And you look as beautiful as ever," he pecked her cheek in return. "Come, I have a carriage waiting."
Nikola picked up her suitcase and looped her arm with his.
"So tell me what you've been up to," said Helen with a smile.
"Oh, I will…in time," he said cryptically.
"Why does that sound rather disconcerting?" she laughed.
"Because you think that everything I do is going to end up with something blowing up," he smirked.
"And?" she teased.
"Only some of the time," he smirked as he helped her into the carriage.
He sat next to her.
"So, how are the others?" he asked making small chatter as the carriage moved on.
"Fine, Watson's been working even more at Scotland Yard recently, Nigel's been up to his old tricks, nothing really knew there, John's been having some problems with health and controlling his ability, I've been working with him primarily. Some new abnormals have found safe harbor, but nothing really interesting, and then there's you," she looked at him. "You've fallen off the face of the Earth, our only connection to you is through these letters you send ever so often, you left Budapest after becoming the Chief Electrician for the Telephone Company to come work for Edison in France, what is going on with you, Nikola? Is it the source blood?" she took his hand.
"Of course not, I'm keeping up with my medication, the thought hasn't even crossed my mind, I'm just…adventurous, the Telephone Company wasn't doing anything for me, it was a waste of my talents. I was miserable in Budapest, but then one day this fellow named, uh, Batchelor, calls me up and tells me about this Edison fellow, a pioneer in electricity in America, expanding his company into France. I figured why not, the guy is an inventor himself, maybe he would listen to my ideas, so I handed in my resignation, left that note with the landlord and made my way to Paris, and here I am, and so are you," he answered honestly. "I missed you, Helen."
"I missed you too, you're letters are seldom a replacement for your company back in London," she smiled softly.
"Well, you won't be disappointed about what I have to show you, call it a gift," he grins and looks out the window.
"A gift?" she probes.
"Mmm," he looks at her again. "You'll see."
After awhile he tapped the side of the coach and it stopped.
"Mylady," he grinned stepping out of the car and then extending his hand to hers.
He tells the driver to take her bags to his home, tipped him then took Helen's hand leading her through the entrance into a park.
"Is this a constant stop for you?" she teased.
"More often than not," he answered with a smile. "We're not here to feed the birds."
Helen eyed him suspiciously as he takes her behind a large willow tree. He pulls her to him when she looked away at the cascading branches of the willow.
"Nikola!" she squeals slightly.
He leans in and kisses her lips roughly; Helen heard a small squeak resonate in the back of her throat. The kiss was tenderer than when he had cornered her in the dark alley under the effects of the bloodlust, that goes without saying, but she felt a similar hunger behind it.
He pulled back and winked at her.
"Just play along," he whispers to her before kissing her jaw line back to her lips.
To say Helen was stunned would be an understatement, she was frozen stiff, unsure what he was doing.
"Nikola…what are you doing?" she gasped out, putting her hands on his chest to push him away slightly to look at her.
"Shh," he put a finger to his lips and moved his eyes to gesture her to carefully look to her right.
She saw two men dressed in black, suspiciously too interested.
"They've been following me since Budapest, and I suspect it is not because I am good with electricity," he whispered softly, again wrapping his arms around her, and kissing her neck gently.
"They were there at the station, watching us, I want them to think that all they're seeing is a romantic tryst between a genius and a beautiful lady, and not the true purpose behind your visit," he kissed her lips again before moving to the other side of her neck.
"And we had to do this in a park?" she muttered, moving her hands into his hair slightly.
"The entranceway to an old sewer line is right underneath my feet, what I'm hoping is that these vultures will have the decency to turn theirs heads when they realize that we are not up to something diabolical, that's when we'll disappear," she felt his hand slowly bunch up the skirts of her dress and she gulped slightly.
"You do mean faking it?" she eyed him slightly.
He nods slightly.
"Don't worry, I promised I would never tarnish your honor, and I haven't done so yet, I am a gentleman I'll have you know," he placed his hand deftly on her waist and kissed her again, this time she kissed back. Letting herself buy into the ruse, it was like a play; Romeo and Juliet kissing in secret as the Montagues and Capulets peered nearby.
She felt a slight breeze hit her newly exposed knee and she shuddered slightly.
A couple caught in such an act like this would no doubt be put to public shame in London, but in Paris?
The park was relatively deserted, and the tree was shelter enough that you wouldn't notice the pair of them unless you were really looking, possibly why Nikola had chosen the location.
His hand on her thigh sent butterflies soaring through her, more than she wanted to admit, and the fact that he had pushed the front of her skirts up to her waist excited her more than a lady of Victorian sensibilities should be. Everything wrong about it sent her senses tingling, but she kept firm, this was an act, a performance of sorts. A trick.
It didn't feel that way, it felt like a scene from one of her mother's old novels. She had found the collection hidden in her father's library, the ideas left her mind swarming.
Making love under a tree in broad daylight, her father would've had Nikola castrated, but it isn't much different than making out in the grass under the moonlight, isn't it? She and Nikola had done that before, hadn't they? It felt so long ago she wondered if it had been a dream.
Nikola's lips left hers and she opened her eyes; when had she closed them?
His eyes were not on her, they were looking at the two men, who had turned their heads to be respectful, just like Nikola had hoped.
"Ok, now," he whispered, he removed his hand from her skin, and she immediately missed the feeling.
He knelt down and quickly peeled away a patch of grass covering a manhole.
He popped open the metal lid and grasped Helen's hand.
"Ladies first," he grinned and lowered her into the dark orifice, like a mouth swallowing her into the ground.
Her feet touched ground and she heard a splash. Soon afterward she heard Nikola enter the dark tunnel with her, covering the only source of light with him.
"Having fun yet?" he chuckled, his accent making goosepimples prickle allover her.
"Only with you," she sighed, latching on to his arm. "How do you intend to navigate this place?"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a strange device.
"Working at Edison's Company has made me privy to some fascinating technology, technology I have adapted to suit my own purposes," he smacks the device and it emits a strong light.
"Edison's biggest innovation, Lightbulbs! They run quite well, but I'm working on ways to make it better, his DC generator is a shoddy thing, I see potential for more, which is what I want to show you," he takes her hand and leads her with his light down the tunnel.
"Is this your 'gift' Nikola?" she stopped him.
He grinned widely.
"You made your own DC generator?" she asked.
"Even better," he stepped closer to her.
He spun on his heel and took him with her.
"It's not complete, but when it is…oh Helen, when it is I will have found a way to lift the whole world out of darkness," he pulled her down another section.
"We're not living in the dark ages, Nikola," she huffed.
"Oh yes we are, not the proverbial dark ages, but an age without light, we still live by the rise and fall of the sun, but what if I find a way that allows us to live in light and dark by our choosing, a flick of a switch! Then suddenly everything else around us becomes easier, thinks like reading, writing, inventing! Soon a whole plethora of inventions will pour out, not just from me! With power comes the ability to create! If my machine can power a million of Edison's lightbulbs what else do you think it could," he smiled and the came across a large steel door.
He protruded a key from his vest pocket and opened the door.
"I haven't even seen it yet," Helen sighed as he guided her through the door.
He closed the door behind her and moved to the left pressing a few buttons, flicking a switch and suddenly the world was thrown into light.
"My god, Nikola," Helen gasped.
"Isn't it marvelous?" he looked at the machine then back at her.
"What is it?" she asked looking at him.
"Not direct current, a stationary electromagnet surrounded by a rotor, building up a magnetic field, creating voltage, alternating current," he smiled like a Mad Hatter.
"It's brilliant, Nikola!" said Helen looking at the device.
It was hooked up to several light bulbs.
"It's not as efficient as it could be, this is just the prototype but when I'm done with it, it will be the invention that will start a chain reaction, the world will look back one day and say where would we be without Tesla's invention," Nikola turned his head suddenly then ran over to the switchboard shutting his wonderous machine down.
"We have to go," he muttered.
"What?" said Helen, he grabbed her hand and took her back out the door. He locked it and moved her back down the tunnel. She heard a faint splashing and footsteps coming from behind.
"If it wasn't for those hounds it would be done by now, unfortunately they only give me so much time to work with it."
He started running down the tunnel.
"Who are they?" whispered Helen, not wanting her voice to carry.
"I do not know, but they follow me like hawks, I've sensed them ever since I turned, it's part of the reason of why I left so suddenly, if they're after me, I didn't want them to come after you or the others," he took her down another section of the tunnel.
"What could they be after?" she asked.
"I'm a vampire, a lost race, face it Helen, you and your father have only just barely scratched the surface of the abnormal world, what if there are others, cults, groups, clans that have been in on it a lot longer than you have, ones with a lot less generous intentions than you," a loud creak resounded through the tunnel and he stopped.
"Nikola, what was that?" she grabbed his arm.
"That's not good," he muttered.
"What's not good?" she prodded.
Another creak resounded and he grabbed her hand tightly and started running.
"I was afraid they'd attempt this eventually!" he said over the sound of he creaking.
"Attempt what?" she cried.
"They're trying to flush us out!" he yelled as a faint sound started fluttering in the back of her hearing.
"What do you mean flush?" she cried as they ran.
"Like when you try to get spiders from under the house! You make their safe habitat unpleasant so they come running out, most people throw a bucket of water into the crawl space!" he turned a corner.
"That's one big bucket of water," muttered Helen as the sound increased exponentially.
"We're not going to make it to the exit in time, hold on!" He grabbed onto a door handle for another one of those strange rooms in the tunnel. She wrapped her arms around his waist and the sound seemed so loud like it would swallow her whole before the water did.
Nikola inhaled a deep intake of breath and she did the same.
Helen closed her eyes tightly waiting for the rush of water to cover them completely.
The wave of water hit them hard, knocking the air out of her lungs and replacing it with water. She released Nikola's waist and was carried by the force of the current aways. After getting her bearings from the shock of the hit she poked her head out of the water and gasped a full breath, coughing the water from her lungs.
"Nikola!" she called.
Her feet touched the bottom, the water only came up to her waist but was slowly rising. The mass of petticoats weighed her down though.
She trudged heavily through the water.
"Nikola!" she called again.
She heard a cough and saw his head poke out from the water. He stood up and shook the long strands of his hair out of his face.
"Nothing like a swim to invigorate the sense!" he said with a grin, wiping a hand across his wet face. "That dress looks ten times better soaked I might add.
He gestured to the white cotton front of her dress with a smirk. Helen rolled her eyes.
"What are we going to do Nikola? We're not out of the woods yet, or out of the water as it may seem," she gestured to the rising level.
"Yes well we might have enough time to get to the exit before we're drowned like rats," he smirked and ran a hand through her hair. "Unfortunately you lost your hat."
Helen sighed.
"Just lead the way Nikola," Helen was more concerned about getting out of here then her apparel.
She stopped.
"Wait, you said they were trying to flush us out, what if getting to the exit is precisely what they want us to do?" she said grabbing his arm.
"You're right, but that means we'll have to wait this one out," he looked around him then at her. "I'm not sure it's a risk I want to take."
"But you're immortal…to a point, we've proved that, you could easily survive the water," she looked bewildered at him.
"Yah but you can't, if I can get you to the exit you can crawl out, maybe lure them away, I'll wait out the water, you go," he held her hand.
"No, I can hold my own, I'm not leaving you," she put her other hand atop his.
"It's going to be rough," he said with a small smile.
"Rougher than hanging off Big Ben?" she laughed.
"Then we at least had air," he chuckled.
"A new challenge then," she said firmly.
"Then we're going to have to get you out of that dress," he said nonchalantly.
"Excuse me?" she gave him a weird stare.
"The layers, they're going to pull you down, if it makes you feel better I can take of some layers too," he undid his jacket and pushed it off his shoulder.
"It doesn't," she glared at him.
"Look, the lighter you are the easier it will be, I promise I will take you shopping and buy you one of those new Parisian gowns all the femmes are wearing!" he grinned again and Helen sighed.
"Don't look," he grinned even wider then put a hand over his eyes as she peeled away several of the layers. "Give me your coat."
He handed it to her and she threw it over her to cover her modesty.
The layers of her dress floated away.
"You owe me," she muttered and he grinned.
"You've never looked better," he eyed the thin wet layers of cotton she had left on.
He took her hand.
"We should get as close to the exit as we can before the levels get too high, the current will get stronger too, soon we'll be swimming against it, we don't want to end up on the other side of town," he trudged his way through the water he following with much difficulty. Despite all the layers she had removed the few she had on still made her feel like she was swimming through marmalade.
"Faster would be preferable," mumbled Nikola.
"I'm trying," she groaned.
"Here," he gestured to his back, suggesting she let him trudge through the thick water carrying the both of them.
"Are you insane?" said Helen.
"I'm stronger than I look, Helen," she let out a sigh but climbed on to his back, surprisingly her added weight made no strain on his effort.
She felt his heart beating through his back, and she hugged him closer to keep herself warm. It didn't help all that much.
He grunted slightly.
"Are you okay?" she said losing her grip.
"Well, as much as I may be immortal, air is still vital," he joked.
"Sorry," she mumbled.
He laughed slightly.
"No, it was great until the oxygen got cut from my brain," he said with a smile.
The water rised significantly as they moved along until he was barely touching the floor any more.
Helen moved off his back and swam next to him, putting up an equal effort to stay afloat.
Nikola looked up.
"Grab ahold of that bar hanging from the ceiling he said, using what little leverage he had to lift her high enough for her to hang, then jumping to hand from an adjacent bar.
"This must be where they would hang lamps for laborers when this was the main line," she said with a slight astonishment.
"Must be," he said holding himself up with one hand as he brushed the water from his face.
"Why do you always attract trouble?" she said with a groan.
"Me? How is this my fault? You're the one that proposed we use the source blood which turned me into what I am, this is in no way my fault, if anyone's it's yours!"
"You asked me down here even though you knew you were being followed!" she accused back.
"You came!" he cried.
"You invited!" she cried back.
"Why are we arguing?" he shouted.
"Because we're cold and we're wet! What else are we going to do?" she sighed.
"I told you to get out while you could," he said with a grin.
"And miss out on an adventure with a vampire, never!" she laughed.
"It's about the only thing I can promise to deliver," he chuckled and looked at her with a soft smile.
It was that small genuine smile that always made her stomach flutter, it was like he reserved it only for her and the few times he would look at her in that way made her feel like the only one in the room.
Her eyes fell back to his lips, the small droplets of water sitting on them, her mind went back to being under the tree. Why keep it an act? If it felt as good as it did, was it really an act?
Do the actor's hearts flutter when they have to kiss a stranger on stage, or do they just do the motions until they have to speak again.
She could just lean over and kiss those warm lips and everything would wash away; the water, the trouble, the fear, the cold, all of it, gone in just one kiss.
Helen didn't move, she just stared at Nikola, wondering what would happen; what if?
The water rose to just over her chin, and she felt a chill rise in her.
"I hope your good at holding your breath," he said with a slight laugh.
"That's easy for you to say, you like swimming," she rolled her eyes.
"Old trick: don't take a deep breath until just before you go under," he said with a grin.
"Oh yes, that helps, I still have to hold it until the water comes down," she sighed, her lip quivered slightly.
"It'll be over sooner than you know it."
"I'm sorry Nikola…for your machine…" she looked at him.
"Don't be, I have the plans for it, I can easily rebuild it, it was a prototype, now I can make it better and more efficient, it's not a huge loss," he looked down a little sadly.
"Still, I know how much it meant to you, it can't be easy," she looked lifted her head to keep her mouth above water.
"You got to see it, that's the main thing, I wanted you to see that I didn't leave you for nothing," he said doing the same as her.
"I never thought that," she defended.
"Come now, Helen, I saw the hurt in your eyes when I told you I was leaving for Budapest, I left without a goodbye, your first letter in response started with how could you, Helen, spare my feelings and be honest with me, you didn't want me to leave then and the only reason you came is to convince me to go back with you!"
Helen was about to retort when the tunnel seemed to shake, and the handle she was dangling from broke off sending her into the water, the heavy layers dragging her down. She inhaled water and she fought to swim up, her eyes seeing nothing but dark in the water, and her need to breathe causing her to thrash hopelessly until she felt a hand on her, a small light from a small device.
Nikola swam to her and wrapped his arms around her waist protectively before catching her lips in a strong kiss.
Her mind wondered for a moment; what was he doing? Choosing now to kiss her! What about up above when she could breathe? Why didn't he kiss her then? But she was breathing…well not really breathing, but she wasn't choking anymore, he wasn't kissing her, he was sharing air, keeping her alive.
Best survival method she's ever heard of.
Her hands tangled into his hair, and she closed her eyes, feeling his lips gently caressing hers, his arms holding her so strongly, she got lost in it.
Until the water level dropped, and her nostrils hit air and her feet hit the floor.
His lips left hers and he let out a long sigh.
"Whew! Who knew drowning could be such a party," he laughed, coughing slightly.
"That's a useful little underwater breathing technique, where'd you learn it?" she looked at him.
"You don't want to know," he shook his head.
"Lets get out of here, you'll catch your death of cold," he smirked.
She shivered slightly.
"Yes, I could use a cup of tea and a warm fire, right now," she realized his arms were still securely around her.
"I can only promise to provide one of those things, Paris is much more known for its coffee," he grinned.
"Then you can heat up some brandy," she laughed and extricated herself from his wet embrace.
"How about a glass of wine next to the fireplace?" he offered.
"Add a French pastry into that and you've got yourself a date," she joked.
"And what a lovely date I'm sure," he chuckled.
He found the exit to the tunnel and they were up into the cool evening air, she wondered for a moment how long they were actually in that tunnel.
They were at his flat in no time, changed and warm again. He had made the fire, poured the wine, and sent a maid out for the pastries and was snuggled up with her. She had missed this.
"Here's to another adventure," he toasted clinking their glasses together.
She had her legs pulled up on the couch, spread out from end to end so that the fire could hit every inch of her, he was cuddled in the space between her body and the back of the couch, his head resting on her hip, his hand that held the wine draped over her side, while his free hand rested gently by her knee. She had her free hand resting on his shoulder. She was perfectly comfortable, and the chill from the water and her near cusp with death was fully out of her system.
"To tell you the truth I think this is much more enjoyable," she said with a slight sigh.
"That's the best part of an adventure, realizing it's over and your still alive!" he laughed taking a long sip from his glass, being careful not to spill on her dress.
"Nikola…you were right…down there…I want you to come home with me, those men can't hurt you back in London," she looked at him seriously.
"I know, Helen, but I can't, as long as I work at the Edison Company, I have resources to make and test my inventions, and I'm close, Helen, so close, I can't give up now," he looked at her just as sternly. "I'll keep in touch, you'll know the moment something has happened, I promise, just give me a few more months, I'll be back then," he said with a sad glint in his eye.
"And then how long will you stay, until you get bored again? Until the next whim sends you to Germany or Brazil! I get enough disappointment from false promises from my father, I don't need it from you!" she sat up, effectively disconnecting them. "I'm leaving tomorrow, Nikola, if you're not coming back with me, don't bother coming back at all!" she stood up and left coldly.
"Helen!" he called after her.
She slammed the door to her room and he led out an aggravated sigh, slamming his fist into the wood paneling of the hallway and biting back a pained cry.
Helen watched the scenery outside her train window whiz by. In her hand she held tightly in her grasp a wad of letters she had collected over the years, she opened up the window a crack, preparing to send them flying one by one into the French countryside. She stopped and let a small tear escape. The seat across from her was empty, Nikola hadn't even bothered to see her off, he had his carriage take her to the train station, but he had gone long before that. To what? To his ruined machine in the sewer? To his workbench in the Edison Company?
She wanted to hate him, but she just couldn't.
And she couldn't throw this letters out the window either, as much as she wanted to, they were the only thing she had of him to bring back.
And as the train moved farther and farther away, she held on to the letters tighter and tighter.