Chapter 41 – Consistencies
~~~~England, 1905~~~~
Nikola was being held against his will.
He had been minding his own business…and planning the financial downfall of JP Morgan when a group of well-dressed, well armed, gentlemen burst into his Colorado home and dragged him heel to cuff from America to the United Kingdom. Forced into a car, dragged up Parliament's steps and led through its winding corridors like a dangerous criminal being led to this trial. They had yet to remove the handcuffs from his wrists.
"Step this way, sir," said one of the men.
"Sir? Well, how courteous," muttered Nikola sarcastically, forcing his Serbian tongue as he usually did in front of the public, to keep himself interesting, he guessed. The only one he shown his fading accent to had been Helen. To the rest of the world he made sure he was just as Serbian as ever.
He grumbled something else as under his breath about his escort as he walked past the gentlemen and into the room. He paused immediately upon seeing three familiar faces.
"Well, if it isn't the prodigal scientist, come to visit us at last," teased Nigel. He sat closest to the door, his hands between his knees. James sat beside him similarly.
"I was dragged here against my will," Nikola scowled at him.
"Join the club," said John's eerie deep voice from where he had been standing, facing the wall.
Nikola did all he could do to keep himself from growling at the man's presence.
"What are you doing here?" he asked sharply.
"We were all dragged here against our will, old friend," shrugged John nonchalantly.
"What do you mean?" Nikola asked.
Without a word all three men lifted up their similarly bound wrists for Nikola to see.
"Ah, so it's not just me, I thought it was persecute a foreigner day down at Parliament," Nikola fixed his glare at John. "It wouldn't be the first time."
John pretended to feign innocence. "Why Nikola, you couldn't mean me?"
"I precisely mean you, John. I hope they brought us here to convict you once and for all. If it will cut down on costs I'll gladly help," Nikola sneered at John.
John lunged but was caught by James.
"Gentlemen! Can we wait for the verdict before we make any plans to annihilate each other?" Nigel stood up and grabbed Nikola's shoulder to steady him.
"I'm sure Nikola's been planning my demise ever since I stole his little college crush," Nikola lunged at him again for saying that.
"Is that all she meant to you?" he snarled, Nigel held him back as best he could.
"You know very well she is the world to me!" John lunged at him as well, only to be held back by James.
"Really? Is that why you tried to kill her?"
"Will you both be civil!" James tossed John towards one side of the room and Nigel pushed Nikola to the other side. "We are all here for god knows what reason, and you are both under scrutiny in regards to Helen, so you should both just sit down and shut yourselves!"
Nikola clenched his jaw but was not willing to argue with James' point, especially in front of John. Silently, he plopped himself on the bench and pouted while John returned to his place by the wall.
"Why are we here anyways?" piped up Nigel, sitting beside Nikola.
"I have no ideal Nigel, nobody will tell us anything," sighed James.
"And where is Helen?" asked Nikola, not for any other reason than the fact that the four of them were here and she wasn't.
"She had some kind of meeting today, she left at noon," answered James. "But it is odd that she is not here. The only thing that links the four of us is the Five, so…"
"Maybe she asked us here?" offered Nigel.
"If this meeting was for today it must've been planned in advance…I only just arrived here after a two week prison escort from Colorado," muttered Nikola. "And I doubt it was Helen who wanted to see me."
"What'd you do, old boy?" John perked up at the small confession, turning once again to face them.
"I bit something," Nikola said sarcastically. Like he was going to tell Ol' Jack, that he had slept with his precious fiancé multiple times then got rejected flat when he tried to ask her for more. If John didn't kill him, he would laugh his ass off, both were unacceptable results.
James gave him a look, understanding that Nikola had no desire to tell John about his failed romance with Helen.
John chuckled lightly, then grumbled something and leaned against the wall.
"It's nice to know that we can all get together and chum around like we used to," said Nigel sardonically. James glared at him then sat down and crossed his legs sternly.
The door opened, breaking the tense silence between the four of them. Two men walked in and unlocked the handcuffs around each of their wrists.
"Stand up," ordered one of them. Wordlessly they all complied.
They were forced into a line, Nigel at the front followed by James, and Nikola after that.
"Hold out your arms," instructed one of the men.
Nigel did so without protest.
"If we were carrying weapons wouldn't it have been more prudent to confiscate them before leading us into the big important government building," grumbled James with a raised eyebrow.
"Y'never know with you four," muttered the man standing next to the door.
"Oh really, I wasn't aware we had built up a reputation," James eyed the man suspiciously. Nigel smirked with a silent scoff.
"He probably referring to Jack over here," muttered Nikola with a teasing tone.
"Really? Did the terrestrials tell you that?" John replied easily.
Nikola tensed.
"I discovered radio waves! Instant communication from far off distances, the measly little journalist misquoted me. Probably was paid off by the devil," he grumbled.
"Edison is not the devil Nikola," James rolled his eyes. He spread his arms, as it was his turn to be searched for weapons.
"Well, then explain the tail," Nikola joked with a straight face.
"Is there some sort of explanation for all this?" Nigel asked the man at the door.
"You'll see through this door," the man turned the handle and opened the old oak door into the room.
Nigel wordlessly walked through, all the sudden hearing his name being uttered in introduction. His eyes moved from the floor to meet the voice. Nigel was a more than a little confused.
In front of him, having tea, was the Prime Minister and none other than the last and missing member of the Five.
That couldn't be good, he thought. He quietly shifted to the back of the room.
James came in shortly after. The expression on his face similar to Nigel's, he shared a look with Helen, just as Nigel did, a mix of understanding and a silent question that only Helen could read.
Nikola came after, hearing his name being called. He was thinking, god I hope I don't have to give a lecture. He smiled at the idea, but as soon as he stepped in his smile faltered slightly. There she was, just as perfect as he remembered her, as he always remembered her. He couldn't help his eyes from feasting on her entire form for a quick second. She was beautiful, and his heart wanted to leap out of its chest and into her arms. He contained himself with a small half smile, before following Nigel and James to the back of the room. As he passed her their eyes connected for a brief moment, she nodded to him slightly, he took as good to see you, not I'm going to kill you later, but just to be safe he moved to the farthest point of the room.
He kept his eyes on her though, he couldn't see her face but he could imagine. Like a flood the images of their brief romance danced through his head. He had missed her, oh how he had missed her. He grinned slightly as she promptly tried to ignore John's presence…at least he was still held in lighter favor than him.
She must've liked seeing him without the mustache, he pondered. He had shaved it off out of anger when Marconi had been credited for his invention. Then, under protest, he had refused to grow it back…that and it itched like crazy.
He began to wonder aimlessly as Helen sat back down to resume her conversation with the Prime Minister. He didn't really much are what it was about, he was too distracted with his own thoughts.
~~~~Summer 1898~~~~
She loved to be secretive, very secretive. She loved to skirt along the precipice of almost being caught, stealing a kiss when her husband looked away, placing her hand on his knee when they sat down to a meal together. She loved to feign sleep until he would drift off, then sneak out into the garden to met her dirty little secret in the gazebo of the summer estate.
Any time he would go off to write by the river, or for a walk into town to pick up provisions, they were sneaking around, precariously stealing moments the entire two weeks they'd been here.
Yes, Katharine Johnson loved secrets.
Nikola Tesla, however, did not.
Nikola bit his bottom lip to muffle a groan as Katherine writhed beneath him.
Robert was out for a long afternoon walk.
They always did it in his bed in the attic bedroom overlooking the garden. Never in hers, in theirs, Nikola made a point of that.
Her fingers stroked against his face, she loved his face as he'd discovered. Her thumbs rubbed over his mustache dumbly as they moved together. It broke his concentration; it was irritating, and the slight tugs she gave it hurt.
Helen had always gone for his hair; he liked that, the nails scraping along his skull, clutching the back of his neck. She loved to mess it up, always teased him about how much slick he put in it, and how, with just the slightest amount of give, it cow-licked like crazy.
Katherine didn't like the feel of the hair grease so she rarely touched his hair, but she loved his face.
He was drawn to the neck, call it cliché, and he despised giving in to mythical legend but, as a vampire, the neck was a very pleasant and intoxicating place. Every time he leaned in though she tried to meet him with her lips, blocking his path to that delicate spot. Sometimes he'd be met with chin, and they'd fumble against each other as he'd try to make another go for her neck, while she would try to capture his lips with her teeth, ending up with more drool than anything.
Helen had always tempted him with her neck, she'd let him tease, nuzzle, and occasionally bite, but only with human teeth. The one time he'd bitten Katherine she'd nearly boxed his ears with her shriek of laughter, then she told him not to do that because it felt weird. This whole thing felt weird if he was to be honest.
He loved Katherine, he did, sometimes more than he should, but as the weeks went by at the summer cottage, and their trysts were becoming more and more frequent, he found himself nitpicking all the minor things, and thinking about her; Helen.
It had been…long. Too long since they're last meeting, and the memory of it was bittersweet. Stubbornly though, he couldn't crawl back to her and tell her he missed her, then he'd have to admit that he was an arse that evening in the bathroom and that he loved her, deeply, too deeply.
What was he doing? He shook his head. Katherine, I'm with Katherine, stop thinking about Helen and think of Katherine.
He groaned, and not with pleasure, in fact, it took all his effort not to roll his eyes, Dang mustache tug, what was she trying to do, rip it off?
Nikola sucked in a deep breath, he felt like he was working way too hard for this, and no neck either. He placed a hand on her hip and shifted her, just slightly so, coaxing her to do…something, anything with her lower half.
Katherine was great, he knew she was, and he was being more nitpicky than he ought to be, but it was all the secrets, the lying, the knowing that any moment Robert could walk in and become utterly destroyed at seeing his two most beloved people betraying him in his own home.
That was the clincher. It had been different when he was out of town in New York, they'd meet once or twice at his apartment or at a hotel, squander off what little fortune he had left for kicks, and he wouldn't have to think about it when he and Robert would sit and have a brandy together. It was different; it didn't feel like he was stealing his best friend's wife.
Then he had been invited to spend 3 weeks with them at the cottage, where this whole affair began, and then the veil of pretense was lifted from his eyes and the hard walls of reality sunk in. It was starting to hit him.
All the secrets, the lies, he hated them, and he hated even more how much she loved them.
He stilled suddenly and shook his head.
"Nikki?" Katherine asked breathlessly. She sat up, eyeing his sudden change.
"I'm sorry, I just…" he ran his hand through his hair, missing the feel of fingers running across his scalp.
He got up without explanation and pulled on his underclothes. Katherine watched him intently.
"It's just that…Robert…might be home soon, we should probably…straighten up," sighed Nikola.
"He's gone on a spiritual walk, Nikki, he won't be back for at least another hour," she stood and followed him, carrying the sheet with her.
"I think I need some air, Katherine," she sighed again. "I need to think about something."
"One of your inventions, right?" she smiled innocently.
"Exactly, it's been bugging me all afternoon," he laughed easily with a small shrug.
"That explains it," she nodded, caressing his jaw. "Always the inventor, but I understand, go, I'll just have a surprise waiting for you later."
She kissed his cheek then grabbed her clothes and headed to down the staircase to the small bathroom.
Nikola finished dressing quickly and then walked outside, opting to stay true to his word and inhale some fresh air, sort out his mind possibly. Nature always did help him see things clearer.
He didn't know what was wrong with him, he hadn't really thought about Helen since that New Years party. There had been some brief thoughts now and then, but never when he was with Katherine, not like this. He hadn't stopped thinking about her since he agreed to this trip; she would be appalled with him, he knew she would. He found himself, day by day, becoming more and more uncomfortable with the affair. Robert was a friend, a good friend, and every time Katherine uttered I love you into hi ear he felt a heavy wave of guilt in the pit of his gut.
"Nikola?" Nikola jumped at the sound of his friend's voice.
"Oh Luka, you startled me," Nikola placed a hand on his chest to still is pounding heart.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you, I know how you are, I'll leave you," Robert excused himself politely.
"No, stay. I wasn't thinking about anything important, it in fact involves you," Nikola summoned up some courage, stealing himself for his confession. He had to tell him something.
"Really? How so?" asked Robert.
"Well, it's about you and Katherine, and…"
"Nikola, I know."
Nikola felt his words freeze in his throat.
"Y-you know?" he asked cautiously.
"Yes, and I understand these last few years have been extremely tough on you, it's only natural to bend under the stress of it all," said Robert. Nikola's eyes widened with confusion.
"N-natural?" Nikola carefully studied Robert's expression.
"What with Westinghouse going bankrupt, Niagara, your lab burning down…that's why Katherine and I have endeared to get you away from all that, if only for a weekend," Robert smiled kindly at him. "You are our dear friend, Nikola."
Nikola sighed with semi-relief, as he understood what he was talking about.
"Oh, uh, thank you Luka. But I don't deserve such kindness, I've hardly been as good of a friend in return," Nikola felt a pang of guilt strike him.
"Of course you have, just having you as a friend has been a privilege," Robert patted his shoulder. "I trust you with my life Nikki, and that of my wife's."
Nikola felt another pang.
"I'm sorry, Luka," Nikola groaned, sliding a hand over his face.
"For what, Nikola?" asked Robert.
"For…not treating you…and Katherine as I should," Nikola felt his courage melt under Robert's friendly gaze. He couldn't keep betraying him this way. It had to end; he realized that now. No more lies, no more secrets.
~~~~England 1905~~~~
Nikola snapped out of his thoughts hearing the Prime Minister's voice break through the walls of his genius mind.
"You see we've known about you and your colleagues for some time," said the man, Nikola was already sick of the sound of his voice. "And we've given you your head because we thought the day would come when the five of you might prove useful."
"Well, I'm flattered," mumbled John with a facetious smirk.
"That day is here," continued the Prime Minister, ignoring the criminal. "I'm proud to offer you now the opportunity to serve your country."
Nikola snapped into attention at that. He couldn't help himself, it was the perfect set up.
"I'm Serbian," he said in his accented tongue. He found it quite funny actually, he hasn't been considered or ever considered himself a member of the British kingdom, and this man knew it if he happened to know all else.
James bit his lip to keep the amusement out of his voice.
"Just ignore him," he said to the Prime Minister. He was definitely thinking at the moment, Helen actually had a type…something to do with brash and sarcastic men. He could also see the amusement in Helen's face, but he had a feeling it had nothing to do with what Nikola had said, more to how he said it.
"You are aware of a gentleman called Adam Worth?" said the Minister.
Nikola smirked slightly, it's been awhile since he's heard that name, an intelligent if rather precocious little Irishman, or at least, Nikola always assumed he was Irish, his accent was awfully weird in his ears. Course, he never bothered to ask.
"You mean the pipsqueak from school?" asked Nigel.
Nikola smirked even wider, so it wasn't just him who thought of the man as tiny. That's nice.
"No…once perhaps, but now…a genius mind warped by rage and mania, and, I might add, quite a headache for our Secret Service Bureau," replied the Minister warily.
John just grinned and shrugged another cheeky, unnecessary remark.
Nikola however noted how Helen and James seemed to share a look at the mention of this their old school boy's madness.
"And I would dispute the term genius," Nikola said, mostly to keep up appearance instead of showing the whirring of his mind as he continued to watch his old friends squirm where they stood.
Helen was hiding something, Helen and James were both hiding something, and he wanted to know what it was.
~~~~Summer 1898~~~~
The night sky weighed heavily on Nikola's shoulders. He was to meet Katherine again tonight, at the gazebo…for the last time. He had been pondering what he was going to say all afternoon. Now it was time, he heard the door from downstairs open and shut, he peered out the window at to see her escaping off the veranda, wearing a light summer dress, or maybe it was her nightgown, he couldn't tell.
He inhaled a deep sigh and grabbed his waistcoat from where it was resting on top of his already pre-packed suitcase. Just in case he had to make a quick getaway.
Nikola quietly made his way down the steps and through the door, following cautiously. As he approached the gazebo he saw no sign of Katherine, and stood a little perplexed at where she could be before continuing on towards the gazebo. Was she playing a game? He wondered if he'd find some kind of whimsical note holding a clue to her location, he really didn't want to find a whimsical note, that'd mean he'd have to play along instead of tell her the straight up truth.
He approached the stairs of the gazebo, ascending them slowly, still seeing no sign of her. His feet reached the landing just seconds before he was grabbed out of the shadows and thrown against the pillar of the gazebo in a passionate kiss.
The shadow of the pillar against the moonlight hid her from view but he knew it was her from everything else. The way she smelt, the way she felt against him. This was going to be harder than he thought.
Nikola broke the kiss sharply, pulling his lips away from hers.
"Katherine, stop," he said softly.
"Nikki?" she looked up at him, knowing the tone of his voice, it was serious, despite being genteel.
"Katherine, I can't do this anymore," he groaned, his body leaning against the pillar in defeat. "All this sneaking around behind Robert's back…like this…I can't do it, Robert doesn't deserve this, not from me, not from us."
Katherine stood back, he could tell her heart was sinking.
"But…but I love you Nikki," the moon shone in her eyes and he say them tears reflected in them.
"I know…and I love you as well…but not like this…not if it will hurt Robert in the process. He is one of the best friends I have…and I'm betraying him…it was different…when we were in New York, screwing around when he was on business trips…it was like it wasn't you and it wasn't me…it was a strange man and a beautiful woman…no names…no attachments, but here…I can't do it…I won't do it…not anymore. I'll start hating myself…and you…I'll start hating you as well," Nikola let out a long sigh.
"So, it over then," she turned to hide her face from him.
"Yes…Katherine, I know it feels right…to you…right now, but it's killing me…it will kill Robert…we weren't meant to be together…like this, despite how we feel or how you feel…"
"Don't…don't lie to me Nikki…I know what this is about…it's Helen, isn't it?"
Nikola swallowed hard.
"What? How do you…?"
"I'm not blind Nikki, I've seen how you look at her…even at that party…oh god, the party," realization dawned on her slightly. "I was just a distraction, wasn't I, Nikki? A convenient distraction so you didn't have to think about the woman you actually wanted…which isn't me."
Nikola stepped up to her, throwing his arms around her in a friendly embrace.
"Kathy…I…" he stumbled over his words. "You were not just a fling, please believe me when I say that."
She leaned into his embrace, letting him hold her comfortingly.
"It'd be different if it weren't for Robert," Nikola sighed, it was a half-lie half-truth, because she was right…he wanted Helen, he missed her more and more each day and he hated himself more and more each day knowing that he had driven her away with his feelings. Sometimes he wished he had never taken Rose's advice to try and woo Helen, he realized that now. Despite how he had reveled being in her intimate affections that brief time, the constant heart break was going to last longer, it would've been better to do without it at all.
Nikola pulled out of the embrace, gazing into Katharine's sad eyes. He leaned in and kisses her tenderly, a brief kiss, but enough to still her tears. "I'm going to leave tomorrow, I think you and Robert should spend some time together."
"I've been a fool haven't I, pursuing a relationship outside of my perfectly happy marriage…maybe not so perfect, I feel so alone Nikki, Robert is a few years older than I, and at the time of our union it was good, but then I met you and…I just got confused…I am confused…inside, my heart and my head are telling me different things. I do love you, Nikki, and I don't think that will ever go away, but I have been selfish, not even thinking about what I was doing to you…can you forgive me?"
Nikola smiled softly.
"Of course, Katharine, you are a beautiful, bright, intelligent woman, a man would have to be a fool to not notice that…but it wasn't all you…you were right…I was using you to distract myself from...well…other things. We're both feeling confused and foolish…that's why I think we should stop before it gets out of hand, for Robert…and for us," Nikola stepped away from her. "I'll stay the evening and leave in the morning…so Robert doesn't feel like I abandoned him again."
Katharine chuckled.
"You know, Nikki, in another life…I would hope I married someone like you," she kissed his cheek softly.
"You have…he's in there sleeping," Nikola watched her eyes light up as she looked back at the house. Without a word she smiled and squeezed his hand slightly then left the gazebo, sprinting back to the house. Nikola watched her retreating form.
He dragged his finger through his hair again then sat on the step of the gazebo to look at the brilliant country sky. He never saw a view like that in the city, he barely saw the sky as a matter of fact.
A light in the Johnson's bedroom flickered to life. Nikola smirked slightly, he'd go for a walk, it would be nice to have some time to think to himself.
Everyone got a happy ending…but him. He was in love with the one person in the world who never wanted to love again, and he may have hurt as well…he was a bastard. Nikola walked down to the lake and skipped a stone across it's moonlit surface. Too many distractions…too many disappointments…he needed to return to his work, away from all these distractions, some place he could lock himself away into to pour out his mind on to paper, into schematics, or prototypes…some place where he could forget.
~~~~England 1905~~~~
The Five sat in the large study in the Sanctuary. James sat in his large chair drinking a brandy, John sat coolly across from him on the settee. John knew that if it weren't under these exact circumstances he wouldn't be allowed past the front gate, and even so, James made sure he stayed a moderate distance away from her.
Nigel stood by the door, leaning against the wall, fingering his specialized gun in case anything went awry. Helen had left the room just briefly to do something, and Nikola analyzed the state of her office. There were several newspaper clipping, some of possible abnormal sightings, and the most interesting was an article on the infamous Father Magnus, apparently gone missing in Mecha almost over a year and a half ago.
Nikola flittered his gaze back to James, then back to the clippings bemusedly.
"James, a question if I may?" he asked.
James' steel gaze moved to Nikola.
"You're still here? I thought you'd be running the new operation in the Americas," he met James' gaze.
"The project was scrapped," James said coolly.
"Really? Why?" asked Nikola.
"Please, you know why," James rolled his eyes.
"No, I don't, all I see are a few newspaper clippings about our old friend Dr. Mag-"
"He went missing, yes, and we decided that until he was found we would halt anymore efforts in establishing a new Sanctuary, the investigation is still pending, I've been in contact with the investigative service in Israel, helping with the case. We've found nothing."
"Wouldn't be the first time," John piped in with a sardonic grin.
James' gaze snapped to him sharply and Nikola could see him using all his effort to keep his emotions in check.
"How did he go missing?" Nikola continued.
"We don't know, the team he had with him searched for any sign of him for several days before they reported him gone…it's rather bizarre," James said as calmly as he could manage while still in a locked gaze with John.
"My condolences," Nikola said with a slight bow.
James scoffed.
"Thank you, Nikola," Nigel piped in, he was getting rather frustrated with all of their conduct, especially John and Nikola.
Nikola half a small half-smile to Nigel, then turned to rest in the furthest chair, cradling his wine glass in his hand.
After a few silent moments James stood up.
"I'm going to go see what is keeping Helen," sighed James.
Nikola perked up and jumped out of his seat.
"I'll join you, I'd like to see the old girl myself," he said chipperly, following James out of the study despite his deep and annoyed scowl. Luckily John did not invite himself along as well.
James walked quickly but Nikola managed to fall into step beside him quite quickly.
"Pardon me, Nikola, for saying, but I really don't think Helen wants to see you," James said brusquely.
"I know, I just used that as an excuse to follow you, I actually only really wanted to talk to you," Nikola nearly walked past James as he stopped abruptly.
"Excuse me?" James stared Nikola down.
"James, you may have an excellent intuitive eye, but you have a truly horrible poker face, always have. I may be the only one, but I saw the way you and Helen shared a little look during our little meeting with the Parliament lackey."
"That was the Prime Minister," sighed James.
"There's something you two are not saying, something about Adam Worth that goes beyond our old college days, something you did or know he did that would explain why he's suddenly become a megalomaniac," Nikola stood his ground, matching James' gaze eye to eye.
"It's nothing," James pushed past Nikola and kept walking.
"That's a lie and you know it," Nikola followed James. "Tell me James…is Helen in danger?"
Nikola clasped his friend's shoulder and James' demeanor melted.
"It's not like that…it was a few years back…1898 sometime, Adam came to me and Helen, to ask our assistance, for his daughter," sighed James.
"He had a daughter?" Nikola raised his eyebrow, how did that little man procreate.
"Yes, Immogen, she was suffering from a rare blood disease…"
"And he came to you guys to cure her?" coaxed Nikola.
"No, someone had, uh, kidnapped her…it's hard to explain, but anyways, the fact of the matter is, we found her, a few days later, she had been crushed by some fallen debris…the poor man was nearly wracked with torture...I believe that could be the cause to his destructive behavior now. The man lost the most important thing in his life, way too early," sighed James.
"How old was she?" asked Nikola, he was taking in all the information.
"15, a very sweet girl, you could see why he considered her his greatest treasure, it's a real shame really."
"There's something else," Nikola inquired, something was missing, something he was deliberately leaving out.
"Well, me and Helen were the first on the scene and well, he blamed us for not helping him find her quick enough."
"But you were helping him, right?" asked Nikola, still uncertain of his friend's tale.
"It's hard to explain, he had dismissed us from his services due to a…small altercation…it's nothing, but he still directed his anger towards us…mostly Helen."
"Helen? But why?" Nikola prodded, needing the answers to better ensure Helen's safety.
"It's nothing, Helen is not in danger, if he were to try to harm us in any way he would've done so by now, his destruction is aimed at a much larger audience, possibly global, that is the danger of Adam Worth, I am merely stating the probable cause of it, not suggesting that the Sanctuary, or dear Helen will become his target."
Nikola still wasn't convinced, but decided to drop it.
"How has she…?"
"Fine, despite circumstances," James answered sharply. "These last few years haven't been easy on her, and you have been no help either."
Nikola looked down at his hands.
"I'm sorry," he muttered sheepishly.
"Don't apologize to me, Nikola, she's the one you unabashedly screwed around with, it's her that deserves to hear it, and I won't tell her for you."
"I know, and I will, just…don't tell John," Nikola whispered, being cautious that the teleporting maniac wasn't just around the corner.
"Don't wory, Nikola. You screwed up hugely but you could never cause as much damage as he did, you at least have the presence of mind to own up to your failures as a human being."
Nikola frowned at James…just like him to insult and compliment him at the same time.
Nikola was about to respond when Helen marched into the hallway excitedly.
"James! There you are!" she came up to him. "I think I have something on Adam, but we should move quickly."
Nikola didn't realize he was holding in his breath since she had entered.
"Nikola stop standing there like a freeloader, if I'm right he's planning something big, and we have only a matter of time," she hit his shoulder, and Nikola felt even more sheepish.
"Yes, of course…tell me how I can help."
"Follow me, and grab the others, we'll need all hands on deck."
~~~~Colorado Springs, 1899~~~~
Nikola stepped off the train at the Colorado Springs station, the smoke from the engines temporarily clouding his view of the picturesque mountain village.
He had spent the last 9 months or so looking for a place to continue his experiments, away New York. It had taken him all this time to come here, to Colorado Springs.
The trip to the hotel felt long and quiet. The Alta Vista Hotel, his new temporary home he surmised.
He was welcomed by a group of reporters, inquiring what genius he'd come up with next. When asked why he was here he simply replied.
"I come here for work."
Then as if fast-forwarding through the next few minutes he was at his door, room 207, divisible by 3…that's good.
He entered inside locking the door behind him.
Alone at last.
He plopped his suitcase on to the bed and began to unpack it. It wasn't a lot, he really didn't need a lot, all he needs was a few spare clothes and his materials, besides his assistant would be coming with the rest.
At the top of the pile of stuff in the case was the small silver locket, why he'd kept it he didn't know, he didn't even know why he had gotten it made, it just seemed to follow him wherever he went. She always did.
He put the locket in the drawer of his bedside table, where it'd be safe.
He finished packing in less than a few minutes and went to the window to stare out it; it was perfect. The valley in Colorado was perfect for his new stream of ambitious inventions, far away from prying eyes and with the offer to power the town he had full reign. He already had plans for the new lab, and what would be carried out there. A whole myriad of distractions for him to submerge himself in, then maybe, after he was done that, enough time will have passed that Helen might take him back…at least as a friend.
~~~~England 1905~~~~
"Don't disconnect that!"
Nikola growled.
"Don't tell me what to do! I do this for a living Sherlock!" he barked.
"Be careful, please!"
"Aren't you supposed to be keeping watch Mr. No-see?" Nikola was beginning to tire of all these interruptions.
"Nikola, please, not all of us are as impermeable as you are," Helen said calmly to him.
"Fine," he said, looking at her with a slight sigh.
"He certainly didn't cobble this together, did he?" she looked back at the slightly marvelous, slightly terrifying device, it was the size of a small stable, with more working technology than Big Ben, filled with an ominous green substance they could only surmise to be Worth's neuro-toxin, they found the plans in his apartment when they had gone to search for him. He was not there…they could only guess that he was far away by this point, waiting for his destruction to follow in his wake.
"He's really outdone himself," Nikola agreed.
"Pumping a neuro-toxin through the whole of London's gas lines…what is he hoping to achieve?" she tapped her skull as she pondered aloud.
"Suffering," Nikola's eyes met hers in an oddly tender shared moment. "He lost everything he cared for…he wants someone in the world to feel the same way."
Helen looked at him inquisitively, as if reading between the lines, as he hoped she would.
She bit her lip slightly.
"We can't let him succeed," she said determinedly.
"I know," he sighed, turning back to the contraption, focusing in on it closely.
It took him a couple of minutes.
"There," he pointed to a specific part of the machine. "We start from there."
Helen's whole face lightened up.
"Nikola! That's brilliant!" she cried, smiling warmly at him, despite the dim light.
Nikola felt his chest tingle slightly, like a heavy fog had been removed from out of it just by seeing her smile again.
There it was again, his love for her, like a spring flower blossoming, he could never keep it down long enough.
Nikola felt inspired to work as hard and as diligently as he could, if not for the good of humanity then at least for her.
~~~~Colorado Springs, 1899~~~~
Nikola walked through his field of lightbulbs, smirking to himself with amusement.
Two-hundred lightbulbs, in neat, well-maintained rows, all lit up without wires, without any of his powers; to prove that electricity was not limited to just himself and copper conductors.
His assistant was a decent ways away, checking the lightbulbs to make sure all were working to their full capacity, while Nikola just sat back and admired his handiwork.
Two hundred lightbulbs. Edison would swallow his damned tongue at the sight, nearly wear himself to death trying to figure the trick behind it.
Helen's eyes would light up at the marvel, look at him, then back at the lights…then she would take his hand, and lead him to the little cove of trees just down the valley, and…
"Master Tesla!" called his assistant.
Master Tesla had such a nice ring to it.
"All lightbulbs working at max," said his assistant Fritz Lowenstein.
"Fantastic," Nikola grinned, go in and get some rest Fritz I have big plans for tomorrow."
"Right you are sir," Fritz nodded his head then began his trek back to the lab, but stopped. "What about you?"
"I'll be fine, just go," Nikola waved off his colleague.
"Alright," the hint of concern in Fritz's voice was flattering, but unnecessary, as a vampire he rarely needed food, water, sleep, or even human interaction, as long as he took his medication daily he could continue working long into the night, some days he would go to his hotel room for a couple of hours, for show mainly, as to not raise suspicion. But he constantly worked, constantly thought up and drew down ideas, new experiments for him to try. He and Fritz, in the brief time they had been there, had already gone through many trials of experimental work. Poor Fritz nearly set fire twice, Nikola himself got trapped in a barrage of electric streams, which he could've easily walked through, but for Fritz's sake he crawled underneath. Nikola had felt a sort of rejuvenation; he'd almost forgotten what it was like to be lost in his work, and the total freedom in that. It was like visiting an old friend. Recently, he found himself allowing her to leak back in to his thoughts, to his dreams, when he'd permit himself to close his eyes for a few brief moments. He fantasized about her walking into his lab, seeing his genius manifest before her eyes, then take his hand and ride him into oblivion.
It happened more often than he would likely admit, and usually in the moment when he sat back and truly enjoyed his work. He'd think of how much she'd enjoy it with him.
Since Katharine he'd refused any other woman's advances towards him, he didn't want their company for that reason any more, he was tired of that life, unless the woman on the end of his arm was Helen. People began commenting that he really was celibate…perhaps he was, but not for the reason he had claimed all those years ago, that was to keep the crazy women away from him by dashing their hopes before they had time to conceive them, that was when work was important, then there was Rose…and Katharine…and Helen.
He missed her, he didn't like to think of how long it had been; he wondered if he should write; he wondered if she would receive it, or burn it upon arrival.
He wondered if she missed him too.
Then he would work for 3 straight days without another thought on her.
That was his life now in Colorado Springs. Work, work, work, with a brief reprieve to dream.
~~~~England 1905~~~~
"FINISH IT!"
BANG.
Nikola heard the shot resound through the valley where they had tracked Adam to; his head immediately snapped towards the source. "Helen?"
The Five of them had split up, Nigel had taken the right bank, Nikola took the left, John and James were in the forest, and Helen, Helen in hot pursuit of their target.
He saw a small figure falling from the high cliffs overtop the river, but it never hit the water.
Nikola ran towards the spot, seeing a figure in the water…though it hadn't landed there. He hid behind a large rock and watched. It was John, that slimy bastard would show mercy to a fellow kinsmen.
After a few minutes John let the other man go, drifting himself to the shore. Nikola got up from behind the rock and followed him, getting to the bank first and extending his hand towards the lunatic.
John stared at the hand offered to him for a long moment before letting his eyes drift towards Nikola's face.
"Had a nice swim, Johnny boy?" Nikola grinned facetiously.
John grumbled something unintelligible and ignored Nikola's hand and proceeded to pull himself out of the water.
"I like to swim myself, good for the cardio, you know, and rather refreshing…clears the mind as some would say," Nikola continued.
"What are you on about, Tesla?" John growled, getting to his feet and shaking off his wet body. Nikola skillfully dodged the splatter.
"Nothing, I just find it funny," Nikola shrugged simply.
"Find what funny?" John pulled off his wet shirt to ring it out.
"Oh, just where your loyalties lie," Nikola chuckled. "Like Ripper like Hyde."
John fixed him with a sharp glare.
"Nikola, don't be shooting your mouth off…you could offend someone," John warned subtly.
"Yes, like Helen, once she realizes that you're the same old bastard, betraying his friends again, and for what? For kicks? You will do an honorable thing for a man who tried to wipe out the entire population of London, but hurt the very woman you claim to love!"
John growled again.
"Nikola…I'm warning you…"
"Warn away! But if you so much as even harm a single hair on Helen's head again I will make you feel pain like nothing any of your victims ever felt."
John laughed sardonically, then grabbed a fistful of Nikola's shirt, yanking him, almost nose to nose.
"Don't test me, Nikola, I'm not in the mood," he threatened.
Nikola just smirked before bringing his fist back and punching John hard in the gut, causing him to drop him.
"I've been wanting to do that to you since we met!" Nikola said triumphantly.
"Congratulations, Nikola…this may be the day I finally kill you!" cried John. He pulled out his blade from his sleeve.
Nikola elongated his fingernails slowly.
"Bring it on, Monty!" Nikola challenged, using John's despised nickname.
John threw down the blade.
"I won't be needing this, I think I'm going to put you in your place the old fashioned way!" John brought his fist back and walloped Nikola in the jaw. Nikola laughed slightly.
"I see why you use a blade, you punch like a toddler!" Nikola taunted.
For it he got a swift, and hard, kick to the chest.
"You are pathetic, Nikola! A pathetic little weasel who can't own up to the things he wants. You're a coward! You ran away from Helen, you ran away from the Five! You made it so easy for me to come in and sweep Helen off her feet!"
It was Nikola's turn to growl and throw a punch, missing the teleporter by a mile.
"You will always run, always hide from her! Because for all your gadgets and special talents you are a spineless jellyfish!"
Nikola laughed.
"At least I'm not a jealous lunatic!" Nikola threw another punch, this time making contact with the underside of John's jaw. With the other hand he grasped John's neck and squeezed slightly. Jonhn coughed raggedly.
"You destroyed her! She loved you and you tore her to pieces, and it's been me, me John, left to pick up the pieces! I let her blame it all on me, all the pain you brought on her on me, so that she could stop crying herself to sleep at night. You are a jealous fool, and because of that, she will never love you again! I would wait a hundred years, let her blame me for a hundred years if it meant she would think of me in even a fraction that she had thought of you, and I will wait if that's what it takes. Call me pathetic if you like, but it's more than I can say for you."
Nikola felt a slight sting in his side, and realized John had stabbed him with his knife. Nikola stepped back slightly and looked at the handle of the blade protruding from his abdomen.
"You always were a dirty fighter," Nikola scoffed. Bringing a clawed hand down to swipe across John's chest.
The scratched were deep and John collapsed to the ground in pain, clenching his teeth to muffle his cry.
"A taste of your own medicine," Nikola growled, staring John down.
John snarled, then teleported away.
Nikola scoffed again at the spot John had vacated, then looked back down at the blade in his gut, his fingers wrapping around it's handle before quickly ripping it out in a quick brief moment of pain.
He tossed the weapon into the river as the wound healed.
"Nikola!" came Helen's voice, breaking him out of his thoughts. "Where's John?"
Nikola turned to her.
"Gone," he sighed. "I guess he had no reason to wait around."
James and Nigel ran up behind Helen.
"Nikola, dear god, are you alright?" James said, noticing the bloodstain on Nikola's front.
"Oh, yes," Nikola smirked. "Me and John just had a difference of opinion, that's all."
"Please don't say you killed him," Helen groaned.
"Only with words, Helen," Nikola said poetically.
"Looks like we're taking the long route home," sighed Nigel.
"Longer for some," Helen looked back at Nikola.
"I'm in no hurry," he shrugged. "I've actually enjoyed being back on the British isles.
Helen's demeanor melted slightly.
"But Worth is gone, you don't have to stay here anymore," Helen asked him, her eyes squinting as she tried to read him.
"I know, but I want to stay…for a little bit, I've actually rather missed you guys…save John," Nikola grinned warmly at her.
Helen gave him a smile, which he knew meant she approved.
Nikola looked back to the spot where John had been standing and something hit him, a thought that cut deep. He looked back at Helen as she began to walk back to find James and Nigel so they could return home.
"Helen…I," he started to call after but froze when she spun to the sound of his voice.
"Yes," she responded.
"I'm…c-coming," he sighed, defeated. John was right, he was a pathetic coward, at least when it came to Helen.
His mind was made up he wasn't going to leave until they could talk, if it took him a year to work up the courage then so be it. He would stay a year. He had to make things right between them before leaving again…now if he only knew what to say…he'd need a bottle of Claret…or perhaps a bourdeux…screw it, whatever he found first that's what he'd drink.
~~~~Later~~~~
Helen searched the halls of the Sanctuary in search of him. She'd been meaning to talk to him in private ever since he had walked through those doors at Parliament.
Of course, there were complications, mainly John. He had given her a half-hearted apology, that she couldn't really accept while Nikola had remained relatively well-behaved in her presence. What he didn't know is that she knew, knew that the bastard that had screwed her all those years ago had died, disappeared just as quickly as he had emerged. She wanted to tell him that…wanted to patch up this awful grudge between them. It was time they both grew up and stopped blaming each other for their problems.
She searched everywhere she thought he would be, the library, the lab, the rooftop, but he had mysteriously been incognito. She decided to just suck it up and head to the room in the Sanctuary he had chosen to stay in. It was on the third floor residential corridor.
She was glad he decided to stay, so that they could take the time to have this long overdue chat, but ever since they arrived back from the valley he had kept pretty much to himself.
She knocked on the door to his room, but got no response. She didn't have the patience to wait, so she just barged in. The room itself, seemed empty, clean, but empty. His bag was still here…that was good…meant he hadn't stolen away yet.
"Nikola?" she called. "You here?"
She heard a rustling coming from the bathroom and she moved cautiously towards it, in case of…well, whatever.
"Nikola?" she called again, opening the door.
She jumped slightly as she entered, not really expecting to see what was in there, and mildly shocked at what she did.
There he was, Nikola Tesla, sitting in the shiny porcelain tub, fully clothed, legs draped over the side, feet dangling over the edge, with a full bottle of red wine in his hands, resting on his stomach. His hair stuck up at odd angles, and he looked oddly adorable in his disheveled state, and a little out of it.
"Oh, Helen," he grinned, not really bothered by her interruption. "Welcome to my solace, care to join?"
He held up the bottle as an invitation.
"Nikola, what are you doing in the bathtub?" she tried not to laugh. The tub wasn't even filled with water…he was just sitting in it.
"The bed was too soft," he shrugged, making Helen chuckle slightly.
"So naturally you thought drinking in the bathtub was the next best choice," she teased.
"Of course!" he opened his arms up in a grand gesture, Helen heard the liquid inside the bottle slosh around as he moved. "That and the porcelain keeps my suit from wrinkling."
Helen rolled her eyes.
"How many of those have you had?" she gestured to the bottle.
"Let me see…somewhere between 1860…and 1885…" He reached over and lifted up some empty bottles, reading their labels. "…I don't know!" he cried with a laugh, taking another swig from the half full bottle clutched in his left fist.
"You're awfully cheerful after 6 bottles," Helen noted.
"What's not to be cheerful about…good wine…good tub…and now good company," he scooted himself right to the edge and patted to spot beside him. "Come on, Helen, you know you're tempted."
Helen sighed, and gave in, coming to sit on the edge before gently sliding herself into the tub. She fiddled for a few seconds to get comfortable.
"Alright, I'm in the tub," she said, feeling slightly juvenile.
Nikola handed her the bottle with a small grin; she accepted it.
"Drink up," he chuckled.
She cheered him then took a generous swig from the bottle.
"Mmm, good year," she mumbled.
"Isn't it?" he took the bottle back and drank from it again.
Helen took a deep breath, knowing she couldn't deflect any longer.
"Nikola," she said, her tone changing to be much more serious.
"Yes," he looked at her, his voice matching hers.
"Why are you in the tub?" she asked again.
"I…needed to think…in private…you can't get more private than in a bathtub," Nikola shrugged. "A man needs to think sometimes…some of my best inventions came out of doing the most mundane of activities."
"What were you thinking about?" she prodded him along.
"About some of the mistakes I've made over the last few years…mostly towards you, have I apologized for that by the way?"
Helen didn't know how to answer that so she just bit her lip and reached for the bottle again.
"Well, I'm sorry anyways," he sighed, handing the bottle to her.
"It wasn't exactly all your fault, Nikola," Helen finally said.
"It was mostly mine…I was being a bastard for no good reason, and that was wrong of me…I think I was going through some kind of mid-life crisis," Nikola gave a weak laugh at that.
"Nikola, you don't age," Helen teased lightly.
"Maybe not physically, but as the years go by I do feel myself become more and more foolish," Nikola sighed again. "I remember when I was young I was so sure I had it all figured out…and what I didn't have I would discover and master, like everything else, now I realize I really didn't know anything past the textbooks."
Helen gave him a half-hearted smile.
"I understand," she nodded her head, she'd been feeling the exact same way.
"Life is funny that way…and it wasn't just you Helen…why I acted that way…I felt like my whole world was caving in…first George Westinghouse losing money left and right…Niagra felt like it was slipping out of my hands ever since the lab fire. I felt like you were the only thing I had left…silly, I know, but my whole universe was slipping and I desperately reached out for the one constant in my life…you…hence why I tried to…change the relationship again. I wanted one consistency in my life, and when you began to slip as well…I guess, I snapped, decided to give in…if I hurt you because of my crisis of faith, I am deeply and truly sorry Helen…I've wanted to say that to you ever since I walked through those doors."
Helen leaned over and rested her head against his shoulder, draping her arm lazily over his middle in a relaxed embrace, a light snuggle.
"I forgive you," she muttered lightly.
Nikola felt his heart swell and a warmth tingle throughout his body coming from her body as she embraced him.
"I'm sorry as well…I hardly acted kindly to you…I guess I was going through something of a crisis as well," she lifted her head up and pecked his cheek. "I guess we were both acting a little foolish."
"We still are," Nikola looked in her eyes.
"What do you mean?" asked Helen.
"I still…want things…want…consistencies…though I know I'll never get them I'll still ask…still want them," Nikola took her hand gently in his.
Helen's eyes widened slightly.
"You mean…"
"I don't know what I mean," Nikola shook his head. "My life hasn't been easy…Colorado is gone…my tower is…crumbling bit by bit…and I…still feel things towards you…but I won't force anything on you."
Helen moved away slightly.
"I don't know what to say," she muttered.
"You don't have to say anything, Helen," he leaned in and kissed her tenderly. "Just letting you know."
He stood up and swiped his trousers before getting out of the tub.
"All in good fun though, just like before?" he gave her a cheeky grin.
Helen saw what he was getting at.
"Except this time I can say no," she stood up, challenging him. "And I will."
"I know," he offered his hand to help her out of the tub.
"I told you I would never sleep with you again, and I meant that," she got out of the tub.
"I know, but you can't deny me the fun in trying," he grinned at her even more.
"Your efforts will be futile," she sighed.
"All the more of a challenge…and I promise, I'll only annoy you when I feel bored, and when you're in the mood," he teased.
Helen laughed, and rolled her eyes.
"Why, Nikola?" she asked honestly, still not seeing his true motivations behind this game.
"Call it a mid-life thing…a chance at consistency." Nikola took her hand and kissed it.
"Consistency?" Helen looked at him funny, but nodded her head.
"I should return to New York soon, I have a renewed ambition to work on my tower…you should come visit some time…get the full tour."
Helen scoffed and shook her head.
"I get the feeling you're not talking about seeing the sites," she teased.
"You never know," he shrugged. "But I'll be waiting."
He grinned and took a last swig from the bottle before placing it in her hands and strolling charismatically out.
Helen stayed where she was, slightly dumbfounded.
What had just happened? First they were apologizing, making up for their past misdeeds, then Nikola basically told her he would not stop in his pursuit of her…of her what? Affections? Admiration? Love?
Did he love her? Is that it?
Maybe he couldn't love…but maybe he wanted to try.
For some reason that didn't bother her as much as it should've.
~~~~Author's Notes~~~~
What up my beloved and patient readers!
And thus the relationship between Helen and Nikola is born! Ta-daa! Is it just me or would it be just like Tesla to be exactly like this…I'm going to love you whether you like it or not…I think he went a little cray-cray in Colorado…too much electricity :P
So, yes, no Adam…frankly…I couldn't see any scene between him and Nikola that would be really significant, it's all about John and Nikola's animosity and healing over the whole 1890's debacle and setting it up for pretty much the rest of their lives. Nikola decides he's going to pursue her, but tells her in away that he doesn't actually have to tell her, and Helen's just like whatevs.
I might have one more chapter in this time period before making a massive jump, because I already wrote Seasick…if you read it again, and just don't finish the last chapter…it stays in canon, then after that comes the wonderful magical world of 1917, which will start a new arch, which I'm excited about. Some wonderful flirtiness, some almost real tenderness, some sex appeal just for fun, and maybe for the heck of it some kind of beast attack.
Also…hehe…you notice the little switcheroo in the story I added…I decided to factor in Helen's little time travel escapade :P I'm so clever! Not really, I'm kidding…it was a choice, I decided, eh, this way I don't have to write a companion piece.
Life is fricking busy, probably for many of you, but for me, it's like…AGHHHHH! So chapters will probably be few and far between, because being a Theatre Student is not easy…they expect you to know lines and memorize like a million things and rehearse 15 times before next class and read plays and…ugh! I have no life…and no Nikola…how depressing.
Oh, the dire times of Nikolalessness…such a sad and lonely place to be. Praying for a season 5 *fingers crossed*
In any case, enjoy! Sit back, relax, read, and hope I don't die of a brain aneurism which I just might. Happy Weekend!
Btdubs, reviews lessen the possibility of a brain splode, so leave me some I kid :P You don't have to.