Vampir Srce

Sanctuary

Vampir Srce

Title: Vampir Srce (Serbian: Vampire Heart)

Fandom: Sanctuary

Genre: Sci-fi, Family, Mystery, Slash (?)

Warning: Bit of gore and violence... sort of

Word Count of Prologue: 6'872 words 0.O

Characters: Will Zimmerman, Helen Magnus, John Druitt, Nikola Tesla, Kate Freelander, Henry Foss, 'Big Guy', Kathryn Magnasa

Summary: When Nikola Tesla gets his Vampiric powers back, he has a girl to thank for it. A girl who has a lot of ties to the Sanctuary and the Five, in so many different ways. Whilst on the trail of a dangerous abnormal they must deal with the ramifications of such ties.

A/N: Well, this is the longest prologue that I've EVER written for a fic and I must say that this was the most challenging one too... I've never really written a real Sanctuary fic before in my life so this is pretty new for me; which basically means that the characters aren't coming to me as easily as other characters from other fandom's do. Incredibly annoying I can assure you. Anyway, this is kind of like a set-up for an actual – current-time – hunt that they're going to be going on as well as a review of what's led up to these events. It's one of those "it's kind of got the end at the beginning kind of fics"... sort of... :/

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and please review!

Kasey xx

"The burning desire to live and roam free,
It shines in the dark,
And it grows within me,
You're holding my hand but you don't understand,
So where I am going, you won't be in the end." – Utopia, Within Temptation

Prologue

Sometimes, it seems that life is full of dramatic irony, and not the sort that you want to come across and spend plenty of time in the company of. The type of dramatic irony that normally incites terrified or suspense-filled gasps from spectators during a tragedy when the unlikely hero undergoes something so traumatising and survives it that it's a better adrenaline rush than running through the tunnels of Old City chasing after a deranged abnormal that has a penchant for chomping down young children.

But dramatic irony for some is something that they live for; indeed some strive on it and perform some of the best and most unimaginable feats whilst living up to the drama. What is so dramatically ironic about what has happened previously is the fact that, the main protagonist in this whole affair, was not someone that was universally liked – but he was accepted and tolerated... well, mostly – yet, when it was his time to go into the night, none of them wanted to see him go even though he had suddenly come to terms with his demise – several decades overdue. The ultimate irony is, whilst he was so desperate to continue to live on throughout the ages, the one time he has the opportunity to do so – after the first one was so very unceremoniously taken away from him by a twisted and possessively stupid fledgling – is the one time when he can't fix it, when he personally cannot save himself. The irony is that someone else had to do what he could not when he finally acquiesced to the demands of time.

As it was, as he strolled along the decorated and tasteful corridors - humming a little tune that was most definitely an undiscovered masterpiece of one of the many classical composers – Nikola Tesla was indeed in absolute admiration of living, of being something more again. He needed this part of him; he needed the piece of his spirit that was so different yet so much the same that it was neither normal nor abnormal for him, in order to be able to survive. And he had a girl to thank for giving him a second chance, a girl that he'd initially only been interested in because of her DNA but now – after everything that had happened – he could safely say that if any harm came to her then there would be hell to pay. Someone so young had saved someone so old simply by being a fresh pair of eyes and a keen, observant mind. He was never going to live that one down was he? Hell no!

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"Nikola. How nice of you to finally arrive." Helen Magnus - the head of the Sanctuary Network that spanned the entire globe and sought out those who were genetic advancements, abnormals, in a bid to both help and understand them and the rest of humanity - a woman to whom Tesla's heart would forever belong to, said sarcastically as Tesla entered her study to find that he was the first one there.

He looked around himself and pouted before turning to look at Magnus and smile as he replied. "Helen, did you tell me the wrong time so that you could have me all to yourself?" He grinned cheekily and he swore he saw the woman blush – though he knew she blushed because he could smell the blood in her cheeks.

"Hardly Nikola, if I hadn't have given you the wrong time you would have been purposefully late." Magnus shot back as she stood up and moved out from behind her desk. She walked over to stand in front of Tesla who put on a wounded expression.

"Moi? I would never purposefully be late Helen. There was a good reason for me not being here on time." Tesla remarked as he took a slight, but noticeable, step back away from Magnus which caught her attention. He saw that she noticed when she smiled sadly at him.

"Of course. I should have recalled." Magnus said softly as Tesla looked away from her and off out of the window – it was sunny day with the sun shining down on Old City with a sort of benevolent feel as people went about their daily lives and the such... and Tesla wanted to go out and kill every last one of them.

"Nonsense Helen, I'm the Vampire here, I should have remembered what happened the first time." Tesla countered as he snapped his gaze back onto the brilliant woman standing opposite him. "Considering I'm a genius this was a poor oversight on my part."

Magnus stared into Tesla's face intently, trying to see if there was anything else he was hiding about his newly returned vampiric powers but he seemed to be on the level so she smiled and nodded. "Alright. But I'll want to run a few tests and see if we can find a blood substitute that will mix with you."

Tesla groaned dramatically and Magnus smiled wider. "Oh great, now I get to be the vampire pin cushion for the best doctor around. This is a real honour."

"Yes, yes it is Nikola." Magnus retorted as she moved off towards her desk and sat down. She looked up at him and asked seriously. "Will you be alright with the others in the room or shall I open a window?"

Tesla glared at her and answered softly. "I'll be fine, though I doubt opening a window will do any good Helen." He raised an eyebrow as she inclined her head in agreement before continuing. "Besides, they're about to come in here and I will not be shown up by a fledgling that's over one-hundred years younger than me."

Magnus laughed softly just as the door opened and the core of the Sanctuary in Old City came waltzing through the door. Will Zimmerman, the young protégé that seemed to have some very tasty blood running through his veins – the type of blood Tesla doubted there was a lot of in the world nowadays – frowned slightly as he noticed that Magnus was laughing and that Tesla was in the room already. Always suspicious, much like dear old James, but never overly obvious about it.

Henry Foss, the fur of the gang, walked into the room almost shadowing Will – in much the same way that a predator stalks their prey, though the young werewolf in Nikola's opinion didn't seem aware he was stalking his own friend like he was a tasty meal. Kate Freelander sauntered in, looking for all the world like she didn't want to be here but Tesla knew better, and he'd smelt better too – there was something about her scent that always made him queasy, though he'd never noticed it when he was human for a short time but now it was almost overpowering. He guessed it had something to do with the fur but he wasn't positive about it.

The air in the room seemed to become oddly charged when the next person walked into the room and Tesla felt a jolt in his heart where that little coil of pure electricity that he relished feeling again sparked. As the girl glided into the room because, honestly, the way she entered could not be considered as being walking or anything of the sort. Even for Tesla's re-vamped, if you'll pardon the pun, senses he couldn't hear any of her footsteps on the carpeted ground. Still, that was to be expected of a fledgling who was a bloody disconcertingly fast learner – she even upstaged Tesla's quick mind on occasion, and he was pointedly ignoring the occasion that had saved his life and brought him back to his former power and glory... well, if you exclude the fact that he'd got a few more wrinkles when he'd been human, and a grey hair!

Last but not least, although in Tesla's opinion last place wasn't far enough away from this old friend, John Druitt; A.K.A Jack the bloody Ripper, almost levitated into the room because of that silly looking leather coat of his – though Tesla couldn't say anything really about leather and such because he could distinctly recall what he did in the early 90s.

"Nikola. How unpleasant a surprise it is to see you walking unimpaired." Druitt said, his politely British voice softer than its usual tone wherein the man – or the monster as it had been for a number of years in Nikola's opinion – would mock him with words and tear into his heart, and though he tried to contest it Tesla did indeed have a heart that was capable of great emotion. Very great. Too great for a Vampire really. Too much for a normal man even.

"Well, even the greatest must be given a reprieve from their misfortune, perhaps you'll get that when you become great one day John... though probably not." Tesla shot back before Helen could interrupt and stop their verbal sparring – it was either a duel with words or a duel with claws and fists... to some degree Nikola preferred the latter because that would mean there'd be plenty of blood all over the place and no-one would notice if he lapped it up, sucked his saturated neck-tie because they'd be so busy trying to save John that little old Tesla would fade into the background...

But he couldn't think like that and he forcibly clenched his fists, his nails elongating slightly but they were sharp enough to dig into his toughened flesh, and used the pain to control his urge. He could not give into it, he'd made a promise all those years ago and he'd be damned if he'd break a promise – especially when it was to someone who he held in his heart with absolute reverence.

"What's up Magnus?" Will asked as he leaned against the couch which Henry and Kate were slouched on, looking at his mentor with a calculating but also politely intrusive stare which Magnus either didn't notice or didn't respond to.

"Yeah doc. What's so important that you had to have this thing drag me away from my baby's?" Henry asked jerking his head in Kate's direction who punched his arm making him wince.

Magnus raised an eyebrow at Henry who pouted, before answering both of their questions. "I thought it would be prudent if everyone was informed that there will be no lasting side-effects from Nikola's second-transformation as well as the fact that I've received a call from a contact who is requesting our assistance... with a particularly powerful abnormal." Magnus looked pointedly at Nikola and John. "Including you two I'm afraid."

"Well, I'm sure you'd adore having me along, what for my dashing looks and genius but I'll have to take a rain check m'dear. You'll cover the expenses though won't you?" Tesla smirked as Helen glared at him and Will rolled his eyes at his childish behaviour; what did he care what the young protégé thought of him and his behaviour, he didn't care... not one bit.

"Nikola..." John damn near growled as the man stepped closer towards him, his hands curled lightly into fists and his shoulders hunched slightly to try and make him seem more imposing – which didn't really work on a Vampire because size was irrelevant. But, that being said, Tesla had been human for a while before his second transformation so he instinctively took a step back and raised his eyebrows in surprise – more at his own silly following of a stupid instinct that applied to normal, dull humans.

"John." Magnus said sharply, the steel in her voice automatically bringing John to a dead stop, still standing in front of Nikola with his hands curled lightly, and he turned to look at her slowly.

He gave her a soft, disarming smile that seemed to say – I-wasn't-going-to-do-permanent-damage-honest - but Magnus shook her head and said sharply. "Nikola will be coming with us regardless of his personal thoughts on this. The abnormal has been infected, much like those centipedes in the mountain ranges, so someone with vampiric abilities would be useful – and since Nikola is quite experienced with how to fight without the use of handguns, he'll be an asset." Magnus' eyes snapped onto Nikola's face and he saw, deep in her eyes, a slight softening of her heart – as though she was doing this to help him and was trying to convey that to him; he wasn't going to thank her for this, not one bit – and said firmly. "No arguments Nikola."

Now that he had his silly, human-instincts under control Nikola smirked humourlessly and waved a hand airily. "Oh Helen... you shouldn't take everything I say to heart; you might get the wrong idea about my feelings towards you." He tilted his head slightly and grinned a little wider, knowing full-well that he was annoying John and Helen at the same time – but it's so much fun to antagonise those that know you best; they're the ones who won't take everything you say to heart... well, almost everything.

Shaking her head at Nikola's antics and wondering why she was putting herself through this agony, Magnus said to the room at large. "Make sure you're all packed and ready for six-thirty tomorrow morning; and before you say anything, it has to be that early because of the time zone differences." Looking around at the all she saw varying degrees of reluctance; Kate at having to get up so early no doubt, concern; for his computers of course, Henry was always concerned about his computers, and slight confusion; which would naturally be over who would be incharge of the Sanctuary whilst they were all away – she could always trust Will to be the one to think of such things first, so very much like dear old James that it was sometimes painful just to be around him, but that was no reason to avoid him; indeed, since he was so very much like James it was a reason to be around him, he could see things she couldn't. Just like James could. Had. Used to.

"Whilst we are away, Declan will be heading the Sanctuary as well as several others who are willing and able to be here for however long we are away. I suggest you all get an early night – even if you don't sleep – so that we can leave on the dot." Magnus smiled and sat down at her desk again, which was her cue for their dismissal.

All but the girl trudged out of the room, though Nikola was weary of leaving Magnus alone with the girl – as was John if the look on his face was anything to go by – but since Magnus had dismissed them and they had no other real reason to stay behind they had to leave. However, they didn't go far. Paranoia was a side-effect of a long life Tesla supposed as he and John blended into the shadows of the corridor less than twenty-feet from the door to Magnus' office door – though the corridor was well lit by the afternoon sun the two of them still managed to fade away into the woodwork, afterall, they were both hunters of much the same calibre.

Back in Magnus' office Helen Magnus watched the only remaining person with well-concealed weariness. She did have a justified reason for being weary; the girl was a fledgling, young and inexperienced, control was hard for her to find and maintain though she expressed the air that it was almost too easy to control her more... dangerous side. Magnus studied the girl for a long time, wondering, not for the first time, whether she should have told her and Nikola what she had recently discovered herself. She didn't have any real right to keep the information private and though it hurt her to think of it to be true, she knew the science wasn't lying – especially since she had redone the test two dozen times before finally conceding to the truth of the matter. There wasn't any real reason for her to deny it, no real reason for her to hide it, except... except for John's reaction. John would be so angry, angered beyond reason, and she was so very, very aware of how tenuous a grasp John held on his anger nowadays. She could not, would not, do or say anything about this that could potentially cause John to lose his temper and attack them. Any of them; including Nikola. Actually, especially Nikola since it would only be natural of John to blame Nikola; the Vampire was the easiest one to blame for anything going wrong, anything being done that is untoward a person, because Nikola wouldn't bother denying it whether or not he was responsible. His ego was just that big.

Just as Magnus opened her mouth to speak Kathryn beat her to it, her soft but subtly demanding voice echoing around the room in contrast to how her footsteps did not. "Why is it that you have included me in this Doctor Magnus? If I am correct in assuming so, I am not a member of your staff, nor am I officially one of your patients. Therefore I do not understand the reason for my attendance of this meeting, or the subsequent accompaniment of you all in search of this dangerous abnormal."

How very odd it was for Helen to hear another female British voice in her office, in her home, after having grown used to being surrounded by Americans. The girl's accent was a mixture between that of an Oxfordshire born-and-bred person along with the less than politically correct tinge that most in the North seemed to have that made certain sounds lilt and become more Irish in origin. It ultimately gave the girl a more enigmatic feel to her, not that she wasn't enigmatic enough of course, but the accent certainly helped. That being said, the fact that the girl had never attended a preparatory establishment, having instead attended public school, Magnus was quite surprised by the Oxfordshire tinge to the girl's speech; it was quite uncommon, but it seemed to be a part of the girls personality and Helen wasn't going to begrudge the girl for being who she was – Heaven knows the girl had already had enough of that whilst growing up being so different to the majority and never truly understanding why or in what way.

"You're a Vampire, the only other vampire in existence besides Nikola." Magnus responded, raising an eyebrow as the girl stared back at her with a raised eyebrow – if one had been in the room at the time then they would have sworn that they were seeing mirror-reflections of the same person with twenty-plus years between one image and the other, it was so very uncanny that it would have made even the most unobservant pause in consideration.

"Irrelevant and you know it." The girl shot back, quick as lightning as she crossed her arms and stared expectantly at Magnus. "My being a vampire has absolutely nothing to do with your decision to let me 'tag along', in fact we both know that you hadn't even considered my vampiric abilities when you decided to bring me along, so therefore there must be other criteria which you've judged me by and thought it prudent to have me join your little excursion. So therefore, if it isn't too much trouble for you Doctor Magnus, could you please skip the pointless excuse and simply tell me why I'm coming?" Though Kathryn was fast-speaking and forceful in her wording of sentences, she spoke with such a polite tone of voice that it put Helen off her game a little – it was like someone using your best move against you in a fight, it kind of knocked you for six.

"I-" Magnus blinked profusely as she tried to get her bearings back, and the girl just watched and waited for her to reassert her control. "Alright. The real reason is because I recently discovered some ah... sensitive information pertaining to yourself and I thought it would be safer if you came with us so that I could ensure your continued safety." Magnus let out a slow breath and stared at the girl.

"That's part of it but not the whole story." Kathryn stated simply as she shrugged. "And I know that because your heart beat just sped up by an average of two beats per minute which only ever happens when you're lying. So, what's the rest? Is it something to do with the serum I made? Or is it something to do with the fact that Nikola's still trying to handle being a vampire again and is finding it difficult to control himself? You want someone there who you know can hold him off when he's in a blood rage?"

Damn the girl was quick. Too bloody quick for Helen right now, her lie was being pulled apart and steadfastly stomped into the ground by a girl who, by all rights, shouldn't have even picked up on the fact that Helen was lying. Though, that being said, Ashley was always remarkably good at telling when Helen was fibbing, it seemed that that was no different with Kathryn Magnasa either.

Before Helen could say or do anything Kathryn had covered the distance of the office, from where she'd been standing close to the door right up to Helen's side as she sat at her desk, in less than a heart beat causing her to jump and reflexively reach towards her draw which housed her gun. "You're not going to tell me the truth of the matter are you?" Kathryn said softly, standing close enough to Helen to make Helen's natural instincts stir and make her aware that there was a very dangerous predator less than a foot away from her. "No, you won't because you think that whatever reason you've got for not divulging such sensitive information is a justifiable reason. So, I won't press you anymore, in fact I won't bring it up again and if, when you feel like such sensitive information isn't as classified as you obviously think it currently is, I'll be waiting for you."

The slight whistle of the air as Kathryn flitted across the room to the door was all that Magnus heard before her eyes picked out the girls form standing by the door, her hand on the door handle. "Have a good day Doctor Magnus and be sure to get some decent rest yourself, immortality doesn't include the lack of needing sleep you know?" And with those parting words Kathryn opened the door and slipped out into the corridor, the door clicking shut behind her as she disappeared down the corridors of the Sanctuary, leaving Magnus alone with her thoughts and secret fears.

The girl was right - and now she could appreciate Nikola's annoyance whenever Katrine won an argument with him; she never bragged about winning an argument, but she exuded an air that seemed to scream at you; I'm-right-you're-wrong-glad-we-cleared-that-one-up-moving-on?

Helen sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose tiredly as she logged onto her account on the Sanctuary network and began typing up lists of what needed to be done whilst she was away on the hunt. The work of a leader is never really done though because she knew, without a doubt, that she would still be giving out orders to people whilst on this expedition. Sometimes she longed for a nice, long, event-free holiday where she could just relax in the sun and not have to order someone about beyond getting another beverage. It would be so very nice. But she was a realist and such a holiday was neither practical nor possible with her line of work.

Still, she wouldn't give it up for the life of her. It was in her blood. Literally.

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As Kathryn walked down the corridor she got the distinct sense that she was being followed, in fact she knew she was being followed because her senses were picking up the same scent that she herself now had – only with a slight musky tinge to it which also told her exactly as to who it was. Pretending that she hadn't picked up on the fact that she was being followed she made her way towards the library which was, luckily enough, in the same direction that she was already heading, and made a deliberate attempt to not slip back into her predator persona. She had to look relaxed if she was to find out what they wanted – without bloodshed preferably. Her gait was deliberately relaxed in such a manner as to lull people into a false sense of security and it worked, quite efficiently in fact because she was nothing if not observant. She'd had to be observant because what others knew instinctively she'd had to learn through years of painful observation and trial-by-error. It made her ability to know people, their actions and their reasons for such actions, as good as Will's and she was quite proud of that fact.

Her breathing was soft and gentle, almost none-existent but that wasn't a real concern of hers as she slipped into the library and faded away into the stacks – she had to be thankful for Doctor Magnus' love of literature; the books kept her company during the night when everyone else was slumbering away. Watching the door way intently Kathryn observed as two figures, almost unnoticeable regardless of the fact that the library was relatively well-lit, stalked into the room obviously looking for her. She would have sighed had it not been for the fact that she didn't want to give away her position to them, she did want to hear what they had to say afterall.

"Well, that was productive!" Nikola hissed as he threw up his arms in exasperation, he was really beginning to hate this... this kid now. Everytime he followed her she always, always got away – it was like she was his metaphorical Achilles heel, his one weakness because she was indeed a very real threat to him. "She's probably in her room cackling away at having tricked me!"

"Hardly Nikola, don't be so dramatic." John said softly as he looked about the room. "She's in here; it will merely take some time for us to reveal her current hiding place." He moved softly over towards one of the bookshelves and took down a particularly old looking tomb which looked to be a first edition. Moving over to one of the tables in the library, John sat down and flicked the book open to a random page before starting to read it, studiously ignoring Nikola gaping at him in disbelief.

"You're reading?" Nikola asked, purely because he couldn't figure as to why Jack the bloody Ripper was sitting there, all willy-nilly, reading a book as though he were waiting for a guest with whom to have afternoon tea with. The British! Nikola would never, never ever be able to fully understand them!

"Yes Nikola. It is quite a common thing to do when one is in a library; which is a place which contains books and other such references for information and knowledge." John replied acerbically, turning one of the pages of the large book and seemingly absorbing what was written on it.

Nikola glared at the older man as he threw himself down into one of the chairs. "What I mean is; you're reading a book when you had just said we should be looking for the girl. Perhaps I'm not following your unique style of irrational thought as well as you think I should be, but doesn't 'looking' normally entail getting up and searching instead of sitting and reading?" Nikola raised an eyebrow pointedly as John stopped reading and looked slowly up at Nikola with a smirk.

"Yes Nikola 'looking' does indeed entail searching but then again, there are many different types of 'searching'." John smirked as Nikola glared at him and threw his hands up dramatically before leaning back in his chair to give John one of his patented glares which he'd been renowned for back in Oxford; oh how time flies when you're immortal.

"You know, his plan is probably more efficient than any hare-brained scheme you had planned fang-face. At least with Druitt's plan he'd have had a clear view of the entire open space here as well as the door way which is the only access point for the whole library; excluding the secret entrance but that's only to be used in emergencies if I'm correct in assuming." Kathryn's voice echoed around them as she walked out into the middle of the space and over towards their table, a light smile on her face. "Though, I'm sure you've realised that now it's been pointed out to you."

Nikola hissed at Kathryn as John chuckled in amusement; he may have been weary of the girl and her... nature, but heavens it was fun to watch her mock Tesla with his own precious weapon; words. It certainly made for an interesting experience he had to admit. "Well, if someone didn't try and play Houdini then we wouldn't be forced to have to make a plan in the first place would we?" Nikola snarled as he glared at the girl murderously.

"Houdini? Is that some sort of game you play when you're bored fang-face because if it is then I've got to warn you, make sure you have a pair of scissors that can cut through titanium-coated fabric otherwise you'll be as much a gonner as Mr Houdini himself was... that's if you weren't the original Houdini and you couldn't bear the embarrassment of being defeated by a silly length of chain and some water." Kathryn smiled darkly as Nikola's finger nails began to elongate as he growled deeply. "Temper, temper... you wouldn't want to lose control now would you?"

John watched wearily as Nikola suddenly, like someone had hit a switch, bolted up from his seat and dived away towards the doors with Kathryn following behind him with the same predatory feeling that John could sense Nikola was currently feeling. He rose from his seat stealthily and moved swiftly but silently across towards the doors, reaching them just in time to reach them to see Kathryn and Nikola disappear down the corridor to the left. Briefly debating as to whether or not he should follow them or go and inform Helen of Nikola's difficulties with his vampiric-rebirth, he was saved the trouble of deciding when he heard a shout from down the corridor followed by the sounds of hissing, snarling and general fighting between two predators.

Though it probably wasn't the most intelligent thing that John had ever done in his one-hundred-years-plus existence, the act of throwing himself in front of Nikola to stop his old friend from tearing the young protégé's throat out was probably not the most stupid thing he'd done either. Be that as it may though, putting yourself between a very hungry vampire and its prey is tantamount to suicide... or putting yourself between a mother bear and its young cub. You just don't do it if you want to live. So, with that conclusion, John had to seriously question his mental health as Nikola barrelled into him with so much force that he hit the wall so hard that for a second his was momentarily dazed. A single second and that was all Nikola really needed to wrench his neck to the side and dive towards the now exposed source of blood. But the sharp pain of teeth tearing into his flesh didn't come for John as he was suddenly aware of strong, clawed hands gripping Nikola's arms and dragging him away from John.

The next thing he knew was that the window at the end of the corridor no longer had any glass with it and neither Nikola nor Kathryn were anywhere to be seen. The young protégé was lying on the floor, leaning against the wall opposite John clutching his arm tightly and John spied fresh blood pouring from a scratch, not a bite, mark on his lower arm. Shaking off his daze John moved over to Will and took the injured limb in his hands as he examined the wound, deftly manoeuvring the limb with a gentle touch which didn't cause Will much discomfort, though that could have been because the boy was currently trying to get his heart beat back under control.

Sounds of snarling and hissing and essentially fighting still echoed along the corridor but John could tell that the... fight was losing momentum, almost as though they weren't fighting for much reason anymore and were rather just staking territory. Odd in itself really since he'd never known Nikola to be possessive of anything, except Helen but the vampire needed to learn that Helen was John's and nothing would ever change that. Nothing ever could.

As John silently helped Will to his feet both Kate and Helen came hurrying down the corridor and before he could utter a word Helen demanded. "What on earth happened? We heard a commotion over here from the other side of the Sanctuary!"

John sighed and was about to answer when something, no someone, dived through the window and hurried towards them. John stood protectively in front of Helen, Kate and Will as he watched warily as Kathryn stalked over to them, the entire right side of her face covered in fresh, sticky blood which John guessed was from a head wound that had only just healed. "Nikola needs his medication dosage increasing immediately Doctor Magnus, unless you'd much prefer your protégé becoming a vamp-snack for whenever he's a bit peckish?"

Helen blinked and looked behind Kathryn, no doubt trying to figure out where Nikola was and openly gaped when Kathryn answered her unasked question. "Don't worry; he can't hurt anyone right now. He's currently trying to remember how to swim in the pond... kind of amusing that a vampire that's over a hundred years old can't swim really." Kathryn smiled at them and it looked so strange with the blood on her face that she looked more like a deranged psychopath than a polite, well-mannered young lady. "I'll fish him out in a little while but it seems that he's so focused on not drowning that his urge to chew someone's throat open has currently abated. Although, I won't be able to do this again because I'm sure he'll know how to swim by the time I drag his fang-faced arse out of the water."

Kate, trying her best not to laugh at the absurdity of the whole thing said. "He's in the pond? As in you threw the super-genius, vampire in the pond right?"

"Yep. And I must say; if it doesn't do anything to deflate his ego then I'm going to revert to using my claws next time." Kathryn answered; quick as a whippet and she grinned as Kate laughed. "This trip of ours is going to be so much fun isn't it?"

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T=E=M=P=L=U=M

Nikola finally managed to drag himself out of the pond almost four minutes after Kathryn had rather unceremoniously bodily thrown him into it during their little... battle, war, all-out-attack on each other. If he was honest with himself, he was quite surprised that he didn't know how to swim – though perhaps it would be better of him to say that he couldn't remember how to swim. One-hundred-and-fifty-odd years is a long time for a long-term memory to function at near top-level really, so it was no real surprise that he'd forgot how to swim really is it? Not at all... honestly, not at all. Of course, the fact that he'd forgot and then had almost drowned as a result – could a vampire actually drown though, that was a good question really wasn't it? – was quite embarrassing for him, and when you coupled it with the fact that the fledgling had thrown him quite literally into the deep-end just made it an even more unbearable event for him than it had been beforehand.

Slowly rising to his feet and stripping off his water-saturated jacket, Nikola sighed and shook his head, dispelling some of the water stuck to his naturally spiky-hair. He needed to find Helen and get her to increase his medication, even though he hated the stuff and hadn't really needed it for over ninety years, it seemed that the high dosages he'd required back in the first decade of his new rebirth were going to become something of a daily habit again. Damn it, but this was a price he was willing to pay for his nature; he would not give up being a vampire ever again.

As he began moving towards the side-entrance of the Sanctuary that he was currently closest to Nikola spied the outline of two figures heading towards him from said side-entrance. They looked familiar and both were female judging by their gait. Great. The little fledgling had ran to get Helen who was going to shoot him on the spot for being a threat and not wait to hear his side of the story – though it wasn't exactly all that good a side really but that's beside the point. He might as well dive back into the pond and sink to the bloody bottom; it would save Helen a couple dozen bullets.

Folding his suit jacket over his arm Nikola took a deep breath and began to walk purposefully towards Helen and the girl with his trademark smirk plastered on his still wet face. "Helen! You should have joined me for a swim; the water's just lovely this time of year! Full of bacteria that can destroy an immune system and what looks to be a squid as well! Truly fantastic!"

"Nikola." Helen said as she came to a stop just a few feet away from her friend, looking at him with a sad but wary expression. "I'm going to increase the dosage of your medication starting immediately and I think it might be a bad idea to take you along tomorrow, but I can't leave you here free to roam about without any sort of containment." Helen winced as Nikola looked at her with a wounded expression, he couldn't really believe that she was considering locking him up already.

"He'll be fine if you increase his dosage Doctor Magnus. It'd also be safer if he came with us; at least I can give him a run for his money in regards to the vampire-style fighting." Kathryn cut in before Nikola could speak. "And then there's also the fact that I don't leave family behind." Helen started violently as Nikola openly gaped at the girl, too surprised by her comment to notice Helen's reaction to it, but the girl did and she smirked in quiet triumph. "I knew it."

"How?" Helen breathed out softly looking for all-the-world like someone had just hit her in the solar plexus with a two-by-four. Kathryn chuckled softly, her voice carrying lightly, and Helen was suddenly reminded of Nikola's laughter whenever he found something twisted to be amusing. It was a strange comparison of her to make but it was an apt one nonetheless.

"Easy. Ignoring the fact that I had to make a serum that would work on his DNA – which meant I had to look at my own as well – there's also the fact that we share certain physical attributes as well as particular character traits which suggests that we're in some way, shape or form related to one another." Kathryn answered waving a hand in airy dismissal and once again Helen was hit with the strange feeling of déjà vu as her mind supplied her with dozens of snapshots of Nikola doing the exact same thing! "Although, that's the whole story really is it? You wouldn't have kept that a secret if it had only related to Nikola would you? No, of course you wouldn't have. Therefore I've got to assume that there is some other element to this that I haven't yet added into the equation but I'm sure you'll supply it to me won't you?"

Helen stared in shocked silence at the girl who smirked in amusement at the shocked silence she'd managed to elicit from the great Helen Magnus. They were both staring at one another so intently that they were both surprised when Nikola suddenly said, his voice quiet and filled with abject shock, surprise and even a little fear if Helen heard correctly. "Helen's your biological mother... and I'm your father..."

Helen froze and that was all Kathryn needed to know that Nikola was right in his deduction. The only other thing that Nikola said, that is before he collapsed from apparent shock, was. "John's going to kill me for real this time around."

To Be Continued in Chapter One

(Whenever it's actually written that is... lol.)

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