Chapter 46 – Must Be the Heat Part 2 (4)
Helen and Nikola stepped out of the car, hands still entwined, and right into the heart of Carter's camp. They were surrounded by tents, the smell of earl grey, and Englishmen with rifles.
The cockney man got out of the car. Helen noticed he had a small limp as he walked. He gestured to them to follow him to the main tent in the epicenter of the camp; she assumed it was Carter's personal quarters.
The camp was lit by torches, and there was a large fire pit not far from where they stood; some of the men were cooking a stew of some sort of its hearth.
Helen squeezed Nikola's hand tighter; he looked at her and smiled softly. She knew that meant he would never let any harm come to her.
The cockney opened the flap of the tent and welcomed them inside with a crooked smile. He was short, about 5'8", dirty brown hair, and a day's worth of growth on his chin, even more on his teeth. There was a small bandage on his forehead above his right eyebrow. Despite his ragged appearance he was dressed in a nice tailored suit, with a black bowler on top.
"This way ma'am…and sir," he grinned mischievously at Nikola, and their entwined hands. Nikola glared back, deliberately putting himself between the man and Helen as they entered the tent.
The tent was well furnished, with all the English comforts all Englishmen seemed to not be able to travel without, mostly, a sitting room set up, a china tea set, a gramophone in the corner, and a bottle of aged brandy.
Nikola smirked. So British.
Carter entered from a separate section of the tent, possibly his private room.
He looked over to his henchmen.
"Well done Creedy, you found them," he nodded to the cockney man. "I hope we didn't take you away from anything important."
"Well…" Nikola started.
"Unfortunately sir, I did interrupt them during a rather intimate moment," inserted Creedy.
"Really?" Carter looked at them, noticing their entwined hand.
Helen released Nikola's hand instantly.
"We were working," she said firmly.
"Snogging," corrected Creedy with a small chuckled. Nikola shot him another glare.
"Well, no matter, can I offer you a drink?" Carter went over to the small table with the brandy resting on top. He poured a glass ad held it out to Helen.
Helen stared at him suspiciously.
"No thank you," Helen said dismissively.
Nikola's jaw stiffened and he sniffed derisively at the man, keeping his place beside Helen.
"Very well then, please sit down," Carter gestured to the seats in the middle of the room.
"What do you want from us? You didn't kidnap us here in the middle of the night for a social gathering now, did you?" Helen stood her ground.
"You, the English, they'll do anything for a tea party," Nikola shrugged jokingly.
Carter chuckled slightly.
"Your Yankee friend has quite the sense of humor, Dr. Magnus," Carter ignored her protest and sat down with his glass of brandy, relaxing into the soft cushioned chair.
"Yankee?" Nikola snapped indignantly. "I'm Serbian, born and raised, I only live in America for economical reasons."
"Oh, forgive me, you have no accent," apologized Carter.
Nikola opened his mouth to say something but Helen stilled him, causing him to bite his lip and glare quietly.
"Enough of the chitchat, if you don't mind, tell us why you brought us here?" Helen reiterated firmly. "And how do you know my name?"
"I was alerted to your presence in Egypt a few years ago when I heard a rumor that one of my beloved sisters was traveling with her fiancé to see me. Naturally I was curious, for all my sisters happily married mothers and wives, and none have ever gone by the name of Helen. So I did a bit of searching of my own, and soon it all began to make sense. But I knew of you way before then. I knew your father, Gregory…my condolences."
"Much obliged," Helen continued to watch him suspiciously.
"I met him years ago; he loved the world and all it's wonders. I shared that sentiment, though I cared lot more for it's riches than it's genetic makeup. He wanted to study the evolution of time and people, I wanted to reclaim some of our past; we had some very interesting conversations. He always wanted to come back to Egypt; he believed there was something out there, aside from mummified bodies and old tombs. I assume that's why you're here, on the hunt for the tomb?"
"Yes, my father believed there was something in this desert that could help advance his work," Helen nodded.
"Before his disappearance he had sent me a letter, he must've heard of my excursions through this desert and he wanted my help, possibly to search for whatever you're looking for now. I've been trying to find you and your friend for years, you never let us get close until now."
Helen looked over at Nikola, who smirked out of the corner of his mouth knowingly. Helen knew what he was thinking. They had been distracted, if they weren't he would've heard them coming a mile away, but at the time all she had heard or seen or felt was him. Helen couldn't even remember what had happened that had ended with him on top of her, lips locked in a tender yet purposeful kiss. She couldn't remember who initiated it, did he kiss her or did she kiss him? Why did they kiss?
Helen looked back at Carter.
"What do you want from us?" asked Helen.
"We share a common enemy, as I'm sure you're well aware, they encroached upon your camp and nearly slaughtered you all," Carter was referencing to the Horacians.
"Yes, they tried to kidnap us as soon as we arrived, and they tried to steal an artifact we'd found. We've been trying to keep on the move so that couldn't get the jump on us again. Trying to stay two-steps ahead of them," Helen answered curtly.
"As you should, they're an disgraceful class of nitwits, lead by a man made up of pure greed. He wants this tomb and it's riches for himself, for the fame; for the money. Whereas you and I have much more selfless goals in mind. I want the thrill of the discovery, I want it's artifacts in a museum to be studied and learned by everyone; I want to uncover what is hidden and you, well…"
"We don't know what we're looking for, we won't know until we get in there," sighed Helen. "My father left out a few things."
"But whatever you want you want for some higher purpose; for something grander than fame and fortune. I knew your father well enough to know he cared a lot more about the science than the profit."
Helen smiled fondly at the thought of her father.
"Yes, he saw the world through a child's eyes and a scientific mind," Helen agreed.
Nikola looked between the two of them. He resisted the urge to scoff; he didn't understand what they were talking about, the Gregory Magnus he knew always treated him with a cold and distant glare. He definitely wasn't here because of that Dr. Magnus.
"My proposal to you is that we join forces. You two have your father's notes; I have the financial backing and manpower. You find what you're looking for and I find what I'm looking for and none of it lands in the hands of the enemy," Carter said blatantly, taking a sip of his brandy.
"How can we trust you won't pull out of the deal once you've found what you're looking for?" Helen eyed him suspiciously again.
"Simple, I'm British," he shrugged.
"Oh I've known some pretty despicable Englishmen in my time, your word and your heritage is not enough," Helen crossed her arms.
Carter grinned and stood up, placing his glass on the small table. He went to his desk and pulled a drawer open, taking out a worn photograph.
"Gregory was a master of judgment. It was like he knew people before he even met them. Like he could look right into your soul and see what kind of person you were. He always knew who to trust, he had a good instinct about things."
He handed the photo to Helen. It was of Carter and her father. Carter looked no more than 17 or 18.
"My first excursion to Egypt assisting Percy Newberry. That's where I met him, at the excavation of the tombs at Beni Hasan. That's where he became my friend…and my doctor," Carter confessed somewhat shyly.
Helen looked up at him sharply.
"You're…?" she started.
"Gregory noticed a strange glint in my eyes and asked if he could run some tests on me. Apparently me and my father's gift for artistry isn't just a shared hobby. My father must've had this mutation in his brain that was passed on to me. He helped me learn and understand and use my ability for the better. He made sense of my entire life, Dr. Magnus. Everything strange and unexplained in my life suddenly had answers to it; they were opened up to me and exposed. I'm eternally grateful to him for that."
"You mean he's a…?" Nikola butted in.
"Yes, I am," Carter answered before Helen could interject. "And I suspect you both are as well."
"How so?" asked Helen.
"All Gregory could ever talk about aside from work was his beautiful daughter Helen, That was when I was seventeen, you would've been a grown woman then, you would be much older than I am, yet you look about twenty years my younger; and he…well, from what I've heard he was shot in the head at point blank range by one of Horace's goons two years ago, yet here he stand before me without a scratch."
"It might not have been me, I could be someone completely different. Did you ever think of that?" Nikola answered with a slight smirk.
"I did, but Mr. Dragoslav, I hear things," said Carter casually. "You don't have to worry. You're amongst friends here, Creedy here is much more than he seems, whereas I have a more hidden abnormality."
"Prove it," Helen challenged.
Carter chuckled and stood up, taking out his drawings.
"My brain as an abnormal growth allowing for a much larger capacity of thought. I don't mean intelligence, I'm talking about my artist's ability to paint a scene from memory or create something completely out of their imagination, but I'm one step forward than that. I look at old hieroglyphs, worn texts, faded paintings, and I see what was there once.
"I heard you were brilliant at recreating the tomb decorations," Helen admitted.
"Hardly, don't know a thing about it, I just draw what is there, what is hidden. It allows me to make such immense and invaluable discoveries, but this one…the young Pharaoh…you're father…"
"My father?" Helen interrupted.
"Yes, Gregory was the one that first sent me on the search. He brought me books, records; told me to start looking for it," Carter sighed.
Helen smirked and looks at Nikola briefly; he smirked knowingly back.
"And you think it is more than just mere coincidence that we're both in the desert now?" asked Helen.
"Gregory is a mastermind, you know that, he always has a grand scheme and he's always giving various people one part of the puzzle, you are one and I am one," Carter nodded.
"What do you think we have that you don't?" asked Nikola.
"You have her," Carter pointed to Helen. "Gregory's prodigy and blood relation, the apple of his eye; he gave her something or told her something that could be the key to the tomb, and I'm willing to share whatever's in it if it furthers your father's work.
Helen bit her lip thoughtfully.
"I don't know Mr. Carter, this is a lovely tale, but you might just be well informed. I don't know if what you're saying is true, not without proof…"
"Ah, I see, but please, give me the opportunity to try, stay the night in my camp and dine with me in the morning. I will layout my entire work schedule to you; I will uncover every rock you wish me to uncover, anything to prove that I am an honest man who deeply respects a great man and his family."
Helen looked sidelong at Nikola.
"That may be permissible," Helen sighed. "As long as you don't separate us."
Carter smirked slightly.
"Of course."
Nikola smirked back and Helen tried not to growl.
"Will you show us to our tent please?" she rolled her eyes at the two men.
"Certainly. Creedy!" Carter ordered and the man limped towards them. "Show Miss Magnus and her…gentleman friend to our guest quarters."
"As you wish, Mr. Carter," he chuckled slightly and gestured for the pair to follow him.
"I look forward to seeing you in the morning at breakfast," Carter smiled kindly as they left.
Helen stayed as close to Nikola as possible without drawing any more false conclusions. She should've just ignored his game as always; why'd she have to get roped into his gimmicks like that all the time? And the kissing…where had that come from…on her part that is, she knew very well where Nikola was coming from.
It was like she couldn't help but play his game, and when he had stolen her kiss the first time she couldn't help but press further; wondering if either would give in before it was too late. Then in a flash of light it was over, and they were left at a particularly compromising stalemate.
That was not the reason she requested they share quarters though; she didn't feel safe and despite how annoying and flirty he could be, she'd much rather have him close by then separated by a hundred other tents.
Creedy stopped in front of an empty tent and opened the flap, gesturing for them to go inside.
It was at this point Helen noticed the extra appendage peaking out from under the hem of his trouser leg. It looked almost reptilian in nature, and the limp she had noticed in him earlier turned out not to be caused by injury, but because the appendage took up space in his pant leg, so his actual leg couldn't bend, causing him to have to limp to get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time.
Point one for Carter. There were abnormals in this camp.
"Have a good sleep," nodded Creedy with a toothy grin and he limped away.
Nikola entered the tent first and she followed closely behind. It was smaller than the main tent, but had two cots on either side, a small desk in the corner, and an oil lamp. Cozy, if a little rugged, but compared to their living quarters for the past three years it was a five star hotel.
"So, where to first, the cot or the desk?" said Nikola as soon as they were alone.
"What?" Helen raised an eyebrow at him in confusion.
"I assume we're picking up where we left off before the interruption. I believe I was about to make sweet love to you in the sand," he grinned cheekily.
"I don't recall it going that far…if I remember correctly you were playing dirty," she moved past him to one of the cots, sitting on it and testing it's comfort ability; unfortunately Nikola's arms outweighed the cot's in that respect but she wasn't about to say that out loud.
"And you were playing right back," he sneaked himself beside her, his arms around her waist in an instant, toppling her over in to the thin mattress of the cot.
"Yes, playing…we weren't taking anything seriously," she growled; he was incorrigible.
"I beg to differ," he shrugged, his grin getting wider as he snuggled closer. "Wasn't it you who wanted to cuddle in the first place?"
"Take it from you to take a simple gesture of comfort and turn it into prelude for sex," she teased.
"Everything is a prelude to sex, Helen," he grinned even more deviously.
Helen rolled her eyes, and pushed him off her. She got up and went over to the other cot to test it.
"I'm not preluding to anything tonight…not here…I'm embarrassed by your antics enough as it is," she sat down on the mattress, it wasn't much better than the first one, but by the way Nikola was lying on it she wasn't about to go back and claim that one.
"This cot will be just fine," she sighed.
"This one is warmer," Nikola offered enticingly, scooting over a smidgeon and patting the spot beside him. "I could hold you again."
"I don't trust that glint in your eye," Helen teased.
"It's only my natural prowess," he shrugged.
"Please, just go to sleep, I can't handle anymore of your dribble for tonight," she tossed the covers over her and blew out the lamp.
"I can see in the dark you know," he muttered.
"Then see the letters N-O tattooed on the tops of my eyelids," she growled.
She suddenly felt her cot bounce and another body hovering above her.
"I don't see anything," he teased, his nose just brushing her cheek as he pretended to be examining her eyelids.
"No! Go to bed!" she growled.
"But it's so lonely over there," he whined.
"Maybe Creedy will keep you company," Helen offered jokingly.
"I much rather have you," he snuggled closer.
"Do not make me shoot you, Nikola," she threatened.
"You don't have a gun," he grinned smugly.
He suddenly heard a small click and looked down, seeing a small one-shot pistol pressed into his abdomen.
"That's what you think," Helen smirked a little bit.
"Oh Helen, I would love to know where you were keeping that," he leered down at her, mischievously.
"Someplace you will never touch…again," Helen tossed him off her cot and heard him land on the ground with a loud thump.
He groaned wordlessly and whimpered.
"Helen…can't we pretend we're desperately in love fiancés again…that was fun wasn't it?"
Helen rolled her eyes.
"It wouldn't help our situation, they already know the whole fiancé thing was bogus," she sighed, rolling onto her side, trying to get comfortable.
She immediately felt him pressed up against her, his arms winding around her.
"What do they know? We could be twin nuclei for all they care…come on, let's keep the camp up all night," she felt his hands wander slightly.
"What has come over you, Nikola? You haven't been this randy since Cairo, why all the sudden?"
"Must be the heat," he shrugged, pressing a small kiss to the back of her neck.
"Nikola, I'm serious, this is neither the time nor the place," she turned and pushed him away again.
"It's been three years," he said with a small smile. "To the day."
Helen smiled back.
"And what? You want to celebrate?" she teased.
"In honor of the first night we spent in this sand ridden hell hole," he chuckled. "I was thinking we pretend to be fiancés and make out, steel a jeep and blow up one of the awful cots as a memento," he snickered.
Helen rolled her eyes.
"Save it for our escape in case Carter turns out to be just as slimy as he is British," Helen pecked Nikola's cheek affectionately.
"Alright…but that does leave the making out," he grinned and Helen laughed.
"Will you get to your cot already!" she barked and he grumbled and got up. She heard the mattress squeak as he plunked his weight on top of it and then the ruffling of sheets as he made himself comfortable.
Helen exhaled silently, tucking her gun under her pillow in case he tried anything again. He was damn near impossible when he got randy; she'd nearly forgotten he could be till she had let him get ahead with his pestilent game. To be honest though, she had felt a bit randy herself at the time, a little playful as well, and the memory of his arms wrapped around her in a comfortable embrace, his lips just millimeters away from hers, the moon highlighting his sweat-slicked face. He smelt rugged, like sand, and a hard day's work. His arms, though wiry, were strong, he breathed gently, blowing smalls gusts of air onto the back of the neck. This was the Nikola she enjoyed being around; before he woke up and got ideas.
"You're thinking about me, I can smell it," he mumbled.
"Shut up," she growled.
He chuckled.
"You smell divinely aside from the lack of hygiene," she heard him turn over in his cot.
"You smell like an old sock," she mumbled, trying to ignore him.
"I love it when you think dirty thoughts," he continued.
"How do you know what I'm thinking?" she rolled her eyes, he wasn't going to let her get much sleep tonight.
"I've known you long enough, and have slept in the same room as you long enough to know when you have thought dirty thoughts, the smell is quite distinct," she knew he was smirking.
"Well, I'm sorry for the inconvenience of your olfactory senses," she huffed.
"Well you should be, it drives me crazy, on a purely animalistic level, I love it and I can't do anything about it," he sighed like he was the victim.
Helen rolled her eyes.
"My God, is it vampire confession hour?" she groaned. "Go to sleep, have a dirty dream, I don't care, hump a pillow! Just leave me alone."
"If anyone is having dirty dreams it's you, and I'll be up all night wondering what you're dreaming about," he sighed.
"Fine, I'll think of dead fish, blood pudding and Edison and that'll knock you right out," she closed her eyes. "Is it working?"
"You're not trying hard enough, I can still smell you, you should really learn to control your bodily functions," he chuckled teasingly and Helen grabbed her pillow and tossed it at, what she assumed was his head.
He grunted as the pillow made contact.
"Hey!" he barked.
"Use it to suffocate yourself!" Helen grumbled and rolled over.
"It would've been easier for you to just let me cuddle you," he sighed matter-of-factly.
"Can we just get through this night without any cuddling, smells, or confessions? Can we do that? We'll talk about this when we get back to our camp, away from Carter and any wondering ears, I'm tired, tomorrow is going to be a long day, let's just get some sleep, will you allow me this one grace?" she pleaded.
"Fine…as long as I get to choose the first position, I'm thinking desk…" he said jokingly and Helen audibly groaned.
"You drive me crazy!" she threw the blanket over her head and forced her eyes shut, trying to occupy her thoughts with a medical procedure she learned in Switzerland involving removing half of the part of the brain the produced speech and dissolving the tissue in a vat of acid. All she would need is a scalpel, some chloroform, and a match and then she would never have to hear another word out of his obnoxious mouth ever again. She fell soundly asleep somewhere between cutting through the cranial membrane.
Nikola on the other hand lay wide awake, his eyes looking through the murky dark, one hand resting on his abdomen and one hand resting under his head. He shouldn't have been bugging Helen the way he did but he couldn't help it. She was so much fun when she was flustered, and he could mask his real desires in the guise of their game. She would only break his heart if he was sincere, and he truly did want her, he wanted to hold her, and the fact that she was willing to play his game, he couldn't help but wonder if a part of her wanted him to.
It was probably the heat, or the fact that they were the only other living bodies each other has seen in the last while. Whereas he sure it was love, she was sure it pure horniness. He could stoop low enough to satisfy her horny blood if that's what she needed, but he was scared of how she would react after it was done, so he stuck to teasing.
He looked over at her, she was dreaming, he could hear the way her breathing changed.
He sat up and moved carefully over to her. Would she wake up if he held her? He moved a stray hair from her face; she barely let out a sigh. Nikola smiled and sat on the edge of her cot.
He worked his way carefully into the tiny space beside her, draping his arm gently over her waist. She sighed and mumbled incoherently before relaxing into his embrace, her back pressing flushing against his chest. Nikola smiled softly, and kissed the back of her head before closing his eyes, he'd only stay here awhile, he'd be gone before she woke up, he just wanted to pretend for a few hours, he wanted to pretend this was real.
~~~~Morning~~~~
Helen awoke early, Nikola was already up and nowhere to be seen. His bed was neatly made and the bright sun of the morning shone through the opened flap of the tent he must've left open for her.
Helen rubbed her eyes and got up, squinting at the bright light.
She walked out into the camp. It was buzzing with life, all the workers moving this way and that like ants, carrying tools and ladders; she could hear jeeps in the distance.
"Good morning, Miss Magnus," the voice made her jump.
"Oh Creedy," Helen breathed a sigh of relief when the short cockney appeared behind her.
"Mr. Carter is waiting for you," he gestured for her to follow him.
"I'm sure he is, but do you know where my gentleman friend is?" Helen asked.
"He's with him already," Creedy nodded.
"Oh," Helen screwed her eyes together. "Really?"
Creedy nodded and began walking.
"You're not very talkative are you Creedy?" she smirked.
"Only when something needs to be said," he answered.
"You should give my friend lessons," she joked.
Creedy chuckled shortly.
They walked the rest of the way in relative silence.
As they approached the tent Helen heard the familiar sound of Nikola's laugh, joined in with what she assumed was Carter's laugh. Creedy stopped and gestured for her to continue. She nodded in thanks and kept approaching slowly. Nikola kept talking and she was curious about the story he was telling that was causing so much laughter.
"And so I was dangling off the clock tower, she's up there trying to find a rope to haul me back up, but then the clock ticks, she looses her footing, comes screaming down, I manage to catch her in time, and so we're both straddling the clock hands of Big Ben, waiting to be rescued!" Nikola burst into another fit of laughter.
"I remember my father talking about to drunk partiers up on Big Ben, the newspaper called it New Year's idiocy at it's finest," Carter chuckled.
"If they only knew the truth. But that's nothing. Helen and I were on the Titanic…now there was fun trip. Helen and I were this close to…"
"Ahem!" Helen interrupted sharply.
Nikola turned and grinned widely.
"Ah, speak of the devil, morning darling," he grinned and stood up to greet her, taking her hand and kissing it. "Carter and I were just talking about you."
"I heard," Helen glared at him sternly.
"Yes, your fiancé was just regaling me on some of your marvelous adventures," said Carter.
Helen's ears perked up at the word fiancé. He would, her fist clenched slightly.
"Oh, he was, was he?" Helen shot a sharp look at Nikola.
"Just some of the fun stories of our shared past," Nikola shrugged.
"All egregious over-exaggerations, I'm sure," Helen sat down, noting how Nikola sat comfortably beside her, looping an arm around the back of her chair.
"It's amazing how long we have known each other and only now are we getting married," Nikola smirked up at Helen. "I guess I finally won her heart."
Fine, if he wanted to play fiancés, she would play along. She leaned back against his arm, resting a hand on his knee.
Nikola looked down at the hand and back at her with a smirk. She smiled back, gritting her teeth to prevent herself from punching him. She turned back to Nikola.
"I see that the two of you are getting along," Helen smiled tersely.
"Javor and I kept each other company while we were waiting for you. I trust your sleep was well?" Carter smiled softly at her.
"As well as could be expected," Helen didn't chance a look over at Nikola but knew he was smirking.
"Of course," Carter nodded. "It's next to impossible to have all the comforts of the civilized world out in the desert, but we try."
"You certainly do," Helen smiled warmly.
Creedy arrived carrying the trays for their meals, setting it down in front of them.
"We decided to wait for you before we ate, I hope that's alright," said Carter.
Helen looked over at Nikola and forced another smile.
"Perfectly fine," Helen reached over to unfold her cutlery from its napkin, she took the knife and fork in her hands and pretended to bump her elbow against the table and drop them. "Oop! Oh my dear, how clumsy am I?"
"Let me get those for you darling," said Nikola.
"Oh no, I'm perfectly capable," she leaned down to get them before he could.
"Leave them, I'll get you a clean set," Carter moved to get up.
"Oh no! It's no issue," Helen refused politely, grabbing the knife. "I'm sure with a good cleaning they'll be just fine…oh they seemed to have bounced."
She grabbed the knife that was just beside her chair and stabbed it into Nikola's thigh. He held back his squeak of pain very well.
Helen grabbed the fork and sat up.
"Well, the knife disappeared, but I did manage to find the fork," she sat back in her chair and met Nikola's pained glare with a smile.
"Oh, I think I found the knife," he yanked the knife out of his thigh with enough finesse that it was barely noticeable that he had any sharp implement jammed into his body. He wiped it off on his napkin and handed it to her. "You might want to get a clean one…wouldn't want to catch anything my dear."
Carter looked at the strangely.
"I'll be right back," he smirked slightly and left.
Once they were alone she slapped Nikola across the back of his head.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" she growled lowly. "Telling him we're fiancés!"
"It's all fun and games Helen, it's not like I asked him to be my best man or anything," Nikola joked.
"You are so unbelievably…and what is it? You're telling him about all our adventures? Why not tell him about the Actress, hmm, he'd get a kick out of that, or how's about the story of how you were the one who drove Jack the Ripper to kill, I'm sure he'd love that story!"
"Helen…"
"Are you two chums now? Is that it? Why not tell him how we did it at the World's Fair, and how that sparked our undying love for each other, or whatever bullshit you decide to spew forth from that!"
"Helen, I didn't tell him anything specific, didn't even mention the source blood, I just mentioned a few stories, to gage his reaction as James would say, I may not be Sherlock himself, but I can read people to a certain degree. He was telling stories as well, just humorous little stories. No talk about monsters or experiments, or about my real identity, give me some credit Helen," Nikola sighed.
"Fine, but I still can't believe you told him we were fiancés," she growled.
"Aww, Helen, we haven't been fiancés in years, I thought it'd be fun, and it's better than having to explain why a man and a woman who are not betrothed are running around in the desert together," he sighed.
"True, but I'm not kissing you," she pointed her finger at him threateningly.
"Fine, then I'll do all the kissing," he kissed her fingertip with a cheeky grin.
Helen rolled her eyes just in time to have Carter comeback.
"Here you are," He handed her the clean cutlery.
"Thank you, you didn't have to go through all this trouble just for us, we'd have been content with just having the food be warm," Helen smiled appreciatively.
"Nonsense, you're my guests," Carter waved her off.
"I'd be much more impressed with seeing her operations," Helen said pointedly.
"All to come, Miss Magnus, eat up and then my camp will become an open book to you," Carter said sincerely before beginning to eat his breakfast.
Helen nodded and looked at Nikola for a brief second, he shrugged back nodded his head towards the food. He took a bite of his meal and then shrugged as a signal that it didn't taste poisoned.
Helen took that as assurance enough.
~~~~Later~~~~
The day went by fast as Howard Carter lived up to his promise to show Helen and Nikola every facet of his camp, from the minor geography operations, to the security, even to what kind of batteries he used to power the high-powered lamps during night excavations.
Helen was impressed in how openly he answered her questions. Nikola was unimpressed with the lack of AC equipment. If Helen decided to trust Carter and join forces the first thing that would have to change is their equipment, which Nikola would be willing to oblige.
Carter also introduced them to several men in his charge with special abilities, Helen was even more impressed as the men totaled to more than half. Carter encouraged the use of Abnormals and humans in harmony and those workers who didn't agree were quickly let go of.
Helen could picture Carter as a man her father would associate himself with.
The day faded to evening and the threesome enjoyed the cooling air of the evening outside his tent. Watching as the torches for the camp were being lit.
Carter was thoroughly kicking Nikola's butt in a game of Chess, and Nikola was becoming more and more vocal in his frustrations, causing Helen to laugh with her glass of wine. It seemed both men were connoisseurs of good red wine.
"Oh bugger!" Nikola grumbled.
Helen laughed again, taking a sip from her glass.
"Just give in already Javor, you're doomed," Helen chuckled.
"It's not over till he says checkmate…oh damn!" Nikola grumbled and moved his pawn.
"The lady may be right, Mr. Dragoslav," shrugged Carter.
"I'm usually so good at this," Nikola grumbled.
"I've had more practice," Carter chuckled.
"I just haven't seen a chessboard in years, I'm rusty," sighed Nikola.
"Checkmate," Carter leaned back in his chair triumphantly.
"Aww hell," Nikola grumbled, leaning back, snatching his wine glass and drinking a generous amount.
"Another round?" offered Carter.
"Give me a moment for my pride to heal itself," Nikola sighed.
Helen laughed and went over to Nikola and draped an arm around his shoulder, leaning down and pecking his cheek.
"I'll play in his place," she smiled at Carter.
"I'd be honored," Carter sat up and Nikola switched chairs with Helen.
"Good luck," Nikola scoffed.
"Just to let you know…I play to win," Helen smirked.
Nikola huffed and plopped himself into the empty chair, watching them set up the game disdainfully.
"I always wondered what it would be like to play the child of Gregory Magnus," Carter grinned.
"Watch it, she cheats," Nikola warned.
Carter laughed.
"I do not, he just says that because he's a poor loser," Helen scoffed. Nikola grumbled sourly but didn't say anything more.
"I don't doubt it," Carter laughed again and made his first move.
"My father taught me to play when I was five, we've played ever since, I've had plenty of practice, unlike Javor," Helen grinned.
"I will admit, I've never been able to beat your father in a game, but I'm willing to bet I could give you a run for your money," Carter smirked.
Helen moved.
"Check," Helen smirked.
"Told ya, she cheats," Nikola drank more of his wine.
"I'm starting to believe him you know," Carter chuckled.
Carter moved. Helen moved. Carter moved. Nikola drank. Helen moved again.
"Check," she stated.
"Damn," Carter muttered.
"I failed to mention that I have beaten my father in a game, several times in fact," Helen sat back confidently.
"See, she cheats!" Nikola accused.
Carter moved.
"Checkmate," Helen claimed.
"Oh, now it's my turn to turn tail and lick my wounds," Carter groaned.
"Never play a Magnus, it only ends in heartbreak my friend," Nikola sighed.
Helen glared at him.
She couldn't help but hear a double meaning in that statement.
"You are a lucky man for being able to tame this beast enough to claim her hand," Carter teased.
"Oh, I didn't tame her, I merely gave her no choice but to," Nikola smirked and Helen rolled her eyes.
"Pretty much wouldn't leave me alone until I gave him the answer he wanted, it was much more troublesome not to believe me," Helen teased as well.
"You two go very well together I must say, your friendship is very evident," Carter drank some of his wine. "You can tell with people who've known each for a long time, there's a certain energy about it, and you two have known each other a long time."
"Some would say too long," Helen shot a teasing glace towards Nikola.
"Some would say not long at all, depends on how you look at it," Nikola looked back at her.
"It's always nice to know you won't have to go through life alone, that you'll always have somebody in the same boat, it's when of life's common decencies, we're never truly alone," Carter sighed. "You just can't let chances go by, I was like that with my wife, I saw who I wanted to be with for the rest of my years, and I told her so. Every day we're apart it's like I'm missing something important, that's apart of me, and when I go home the puzzle piece fits snuggly back together. Unfortunately, my two great loves are my wife and my mistress: Egypt."
Nikola suddenly became engrossed in his wineglass, going shockingly silent and Helen watched him for a moment. She could never understand this side of Nikola, the oddly contemplative Nikola, he popped up on rare occasions, always averting her gaze.
"This wine is going straight through me, excuse me," chirped Carter.
"Yes, of course," Helen nodded.
Carter placed his wine down and swiftly left the room to relieve himself.
The moment he was gone Nikola was beside her.
"Helen," he said hurriedly.
Helen was a little startled by how close he was but quickly adjusted her position to put distance between them, he immediately countered her actions keeping himself tantalizingly close.
"Nikola…"
"Helen, I…" he sputtered.
"Nikola," Helen sighed.
"No, Helen, please, just…let me…I've been thinking…and…"
A loud bang startled the pair, and shouting sounded on the far side of the camp.
Helen and Nikola's attention was diverted from each other towards the cries.
Gunshots echoed in the night air and the sounds of automobiles followed.
Carter came running back with his shotgun.
"Bloody Horace!" he growled. "He will not be making a mess of my camp!"
Carter ran past them towards the sounds of gunfire.
Helen looked back at Nikola and he looked back at her.
They silently agreed to do something about the sudden and violent intrusion by the Horacians.
~~~~Elsewhere~~~~
Carter marched up directly to the approaching automobiles.
Creedy was beside him with his own rifle, along with several other armed members of Carter's team.
The head automobile stopped a few feet from the, the other two cars stopping behind it. Horace stepped out, smoking a thick cigar.
"Evening Carter, mind if we join the party," Horace grinned.
"Get out of my camp, Horace, you were not invited," growled Carter.
"I beg to differ," Horace shrugged.
Carter heard a click beside him and saw Creedy pointing his rifle at him.
"Creedy? You?" Carter felt the sting of betrayal. "Why?"
"Better pay, sorry Howie, but I'm not the philanthropic type, a museum isn't good enough for me, not after all these years," Creedy shrugged. "You're a good man, Carter, and a good boss, but I've got a sick child and another three to feed, I've got to choose my priorities."
"He's right, give us the woman and we'll leave," Horace grinned. "Magnus, give us Lady Magnus, and you're camp won't suffer for it."
"Never," Carter said firmly.
"Then you leave me no choice, Carter. Search the camp! Separate them into groups, bring me all women you find, if there are none, we start killing them faction by faction until she makes her presence known."
Creedy kept his gun fixed on Carter.
"As for you Carter, makes yourself comfortable, you're going to watch," Horace grinned cruelly.
"Sir! Sir!" Two men came from the behind Horace. "Look who we found lurking around the cars."
They tugged a struggling Helen over.
"Ah, excellent, you're lucky Carter, I won't have to kill all your men now," Horace grinned.
"Nice to see you again, my dear," Horace went over to her, moving a stray lock of hair from her face. "As beautiful as ever, Dr. Magnus."
"Go to hell," she spat.
"And still as tough as nails, well, we'll change all that, put her in the car," ordered Horace.
"No!" Carter jumped forward but Creedy's gun cocked.
"Not so fast," Creedy warned.
"It's alright, Howard, I'll be fine," she looked at him carefully and winked.
Carter relaxed slightly, his eye moving to where hers was indicating.
She saw what looked like a large iguana slithering in the sand, several in fact. Ah, Javor, if he wasn't mistaken.
Horace and his men moved to tug Helen back into the automobiles when an explosion shot of only feet away from where they were standing. Causing the men to fall to the ground to protect themselves. Before they could get their bearing another explosion burst on the other side of them and six or seven men led by Nikola popped out from under sand colored tarp, right behind the dazed men of the Horacians.
They pulled out long machetes and guns and had several men lying dead in the sand in under 5 minutes.
Horace growled.
"Move! Move!"
The distraction was good enough for Carter to turn on Creedy and pry the weapon out of his grip; he used the butt of the rifle to smoke Creedy in the head and he fell to the ground unconscious.
The rest or Carters team took the hint and began to attack the Horacians, using everything from shovels to fists, to spoons and bowls as a weapon.
Horac and his two men still held on to Helen, fighting there way through to get to the automobiles and shove Helen inside.
Everyone was so busy fighting one another that no one noticed the large men and his goons sneak off.
The last Horacian man fell unconscious and the workers cheered triumphantly.
Nikola rushed over to Carter.
"Where's Helen?" he asked frantically.
"I don't know…did she not escape?" asked Carter.
The sound of a car's engine grasped their attention.
They looked just in time to see Helen in the back window banging on the glass.
"NO!" Nikola cried, running into full speed behind the car, but it was too far ahead for him to catch up when the entire car exploded.
Nikola slowed down and fell to his knees in the sand. Helen…
Carter came running up behind him.
Nikola felt his whole world shatter around him, his whole world had been in that car, and now she was gone.
Carter breathed heavily but placed a hand on Nikola's shoulder.
"Javor…I'm so sorry…"
Nikola shot a look of anger back at him.
"She wasn't supposed to be in the car, she wasn't supposed to…" Nikola's voice hitched, he couldn't say the words, not here. "I have to go."
"Javor, stay…you're amongst friends…"
"No, I am not!" Nikola barked, tears threatening to burst out and drown him in grief. "My life was in that car! I have no friends…you're friends is what put her in that car! If it wasn't for you, we could've kept staying one step ahead of the Horacians and she would be here right now!"
Nikola's heart was threatening to shatter right in front of this man he had just met and his pride was too strong to do that. He needed to go back home…to their home in the desert and piece himself back together there.
He turned and began walking.
Carter watched him leave with a heavy sigh.
It took Nikola several hours to reach the camp. The stew he had been cooking was now a charred mass over a dead fire; he kicked it over anyway.
He walked into their tent. Her bedroll was unmade, just like she had left it, and Nikola remembered holding her not less than a few hours ago, in this very spot, his arms woven around her in a gentle embrace, her, sleeping against his chest. It pained him to think he would never hold her that way again.
He looked at her collection of things in the tent.
This had been their home for the past three years. Their home…now it was nobody's.
Nikola found it hard to breathe.
He would've spent eternity with her in this blasted desert if that would've made her happy, and now that she was gone he would wander the desert, a shell of a man.
He clenched his fists, trying to hold back the onslaught of tears that threatened to break like a dam.
Suddenly he heard a noise from the front of the tent and his head snapped forward, ready to kill whatever it was that chose to disturb his grieving but instead was met with two blue eyes.
Nikola's heart caught in his throat.
He hadn't the words to say anything, his mouth just flapped wordlessly, his eyes blinking to keep his vision clear.
"You…left without me," she said, her voice exhilarated. She had a small wound at the side of her head above temple that was bleeding slightly, and a small wound on her thigh, but other than that she was alive and relatively untouched.
"Helen?" Nikola's voice came out barely a whisper.
Helen smirked.
"That…that was…a close one," she breathed heavily, as if she had ran all the way there.
Nikola stepped towards her.
He didn't care how she took it, she was alive; his whole body was screaming to make sure it wasn't a hallucination.
Their lips collided fiercely as he wrapped his arms around her, feeling her, real and breathing under his touch.
He pulled back, gasping, still trying not to cry with joy.
"How did you…"
"Jumped…right before the explosion…I'm sorry…I must've…terrified you," Helen found it hard to breathe, she had never seen Nikola this way.
Nikola shook his head.
"You're alive, my god, Helen," he kissed her again, just as passionately. Helen's hand went up into his sandy hair; she felt such a tender love in this kiss, it was unlike anything she'd ever experienced and she embraced it; she embraced him.
They were both soon lost in the kiss and the love and the exhilaration flying between one another.
By the time Helen came to, she was lying naked in Nikola's arms, both his arms wrapped around her body with him sleeping soundly beside her. It was early morning, the sun was just coming up and she watched him sleep. He was beautiful, his hair all mussed, his heart beating against her cheek, serene and content.
She had no idea what had come over him last night. Was it the fear, the joy, the loss, the heat?
They shouldn't have done it, but something came over them.
Helen lifted a hand to her head and she felt the crusted blood there, she should probably tend to that. Last night had gone away in such a blur that she could barely remember it all. All she remembered is that it was the most intense and intimate moment she had ever shared with Nikola. More than their time at the Fair, or when they were together those few brief times, even more so than on the Titanic. She felt an all-encompassing passion with him last night.
Nikola stirred slightly and mumbled something incoherently.
Helen smiled.
There was more to her vampire than she realized.
A sudden, haunting realization dawned on her. What did this mean for them now?
Would they continue to play fiancés and traipse around in the desert? Would they have to sit down and put a name to it or…or depart…or blame it on the heat.
Yeah, must be the heat.
Helen sat up moved over to where her canteen was lying. She grabbed a cloth and wetted it with the water from the canteen. She used Nikola's shaving mirror to wash the blood off her head. Not caring about her state of dress for the moment.
Nikola's eyes lazy shot open. The first sight his dazed eyes fell upon was a gorgeous naked goddess sitting on the counter of his shaving sink, with a wet rag, her legs spread just enough to give him a rather enticing view and his heart picked up a quick pace. He watched her silently for a moment, not wanting to ruin the moment by alerting her to his presence. She was beautiful.
Helen's eyes darted over and their eyes met. Instead of shock and disgust, she met him with a dazzling and soft smile. It nearly had his heart bursting out of his chest.
"Good morning," he croaked.
"Good morning," she said softly in return.
"You look…"
"Beaten and battered," she laughed.
"No…divine," he grinned sincerely.
"Please, I'm a mess," she shook her head.
Nikola sat up.
"I have never seen anything more beautiful," he stated firmly.
"Definitely seen something cleaner," she teased.
Nikola grabbed his undergarments quickly then stood up, going over to her.
"Helen…"
"About last night," Helen interjected.
Nikola deflated.
"Yes?" he asked hesitantly.
"It was…nice…it really was…it was amazing actually…I don't know what came over us…must be the…"
"Heat?" he finished for her with a grin.
"Yes, the heat," Helen smirked.
"Yeah," he looked down shyly. "Not bad for heat stroke though."
Helen laughed.
"Not bad at all," she leaned over and kissed him tenderly. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"Just…thank you," she sighed. She moved to go and find a fresh change of clothes but Nikola grasped her hand.
"Helen…about last night…I don't want you to think it was…"
"No, of course not…"
"Because I didn't mean it…"
"No, it's fine…"
"And I'd like to…"
"Yes?"
"I mean if you want...I mean, I'd like to…"
"Yes…"
"Would you want to…"
"Keep playing fiancés?" Helen smirked.
"Yah…"
"Well, we kind of have to, you did tell Carter we were after all…"
"So…"
"So, I guess we'll have to live up to the characters we play…on occasion…if we're going to work with Carter that is, I mean I do think he more than proved himself last night," Helen sighed matter-of-factly.
"Yah," Nikola shrugged.
"I wouldn't be opposed to…on occasion…playing fiancé at night," she said sheepishly and Nikola grinned. "Not all the time, but if the mood is right…and the heat gets to us again…I would not be opposed."
Nikola grinned even wider.
"Neither would I."
"Then I guess we have an…arrangement of sorts…now, go make us some breakfast while I dress, go on!" she pushed him out of the tent.
"Can I at least have some pants?" he called to her from outside of the tent. A moment later a pair of his trousers came flying out, walloping him in the face. "Thank you."
"You're welcome!" she called back to him.
Nikola pulled the trousers off his face and quickly hauled them on his body before heading to the fire pit and adding some wood logs and kindling and using a spark from his fingertips to ignite it.
He looked back at the tent and grinned widely.
He had a feeling he was going to enjoy the rest of his time in Egypt immensely.
~~~~Author's Notes~~~~
Hello my awesome fandom readers! Sorry for the wait, but guess what? School is finally finished! More time for writing! Whoopie...though my career seems to be picking up so I'm still a bit on the busy side, but i'll find time to write you yummy teslen stories.
Speaking of yummy teslen...i think this chappie will satisfy your appetites. It's got some action, adventure, banter, a little tragedy, and some really yummy moments that would satisfy a bear into hibernation!
I think i have one more story for egypt and then it's on to the home stretch for The Troublemakers...excited...i've got some fun storyline coming up ahead
For readers who enjoy the Life Long Series, the latest installment Moment Long Misery might be getting pulled, for reasons, i just don't like it...i want to pull it, rework it, and give you a better ending to the series then what i could with that dribble. I know you guys like it, but I don't like where it is going, it's not the direction I want to take for that series, i have a new idea, one that i think you'll enjoy more than MLM, so FYI, if in the next few weeks that story goes missing, that's why.
Other than that, i'm hoping you all are having a wonderful April, soon to be May. I certainly am. It's been an amazing week...and the weekend is going to be even better.
Seeing Amanda Tapping on Saturday at the Comic Expo...so excited!