Wow. So I've had this sitting on my computer for forever and I thought I posted it, but apparently not. Enjoy this little epilogue thing I wrote to act as the end of this little story. It's short, and I apologize. I apologize for the odd quality of this story too, but it was one of my very first Teslen fics. I might rewrite it one day! Thanks for hanging in there!

Things settled, finally, falling into place as Helen had planned and as they should have. A wonderful feeling of peace and freedom had settled across her mind, feeling better than she had in ages. It was as if a giant weight had been lifted from her shoulders – the paradise of the New Sanctuary was a home for all, and it had quickly become all the more wonderful the longer time she spent amidst it and the abnormals now residing there. Several ventured back and forth between the Sanctuary and Hollow Earth, helping in rebuilding the once gleaming city to its former glory. Things were coming together better than what she ever could have planned.

However, there was also a much smaller reason that a smile never seemed to leave Helen's face in the most recent of days.

Her hands curled around the smooth, dark, antique wood, warmed from where the sun had been shining on it all day through the arching windows of the room. She smiled, remembering some years ago when a different child had been housed in the safety of the crib, encased in the pink cotton sheets with not a care or fear in the world. The child that now lay in the sheets was just as careless and fearless, with eyes that already told Helen she would live to take on the world and unravel more of its mysteries, bringing sanctuary to all those who needed.

She hummed a lullaby softly, attempting to lull her daughter into sleep for the night, but she was quite persistent on remaining awake. Her eyelids would drop for a moment, then snap back open to stare at Helen with bright blue irises. Helen rested her hand gently against the child's chest, feeling her rhythmic heartbeat fluttering on her palm.

"You've not idea how truly special you are, little one." Helen murmured quietly, much aware that Sophia could not understand her. She continued anyway. "You're well protected here. Nothing will ever hurt you, I promise." She said softly, running her thumb gently across the curve of her daughter's cheek.

Her greatest love, her entire world, lie just beneath her hand. While she was no replacement for the daughter she had lost, Sophia had healed part of the hurt Helen had carried for so long. Things would be different this time, certainly. While she didn't often believe it was real, she had earned a second chance to be a mother and was determined not to let this chance go.

"Seems to hate sleep just as much as her mother."

Helen looked over to her second greatest love as he strode into the room in his usual cocky manner. She smiled faintly as he moved to stand on the opposite side of the crib she was already leaning against.

"I don't hate sleep. I just don't have the time for it." Helen replied, looking back down at Sophia. "She's just restless tonight for some reason."

"Probably because she's missed her father and is making up for lost time." Nikola said, smirking ever so faintly. He did have a point – she had kept her from him for quite some time, and now she seemed to be well adapted to having her father there – and he was hopelessly already wrapped around her little finger. She couldn't stand to be away from him long.

"Good thing you're staying then, isn't it?"

Her statement seemed to finally sate Sophia long enough as she began to calm down. Her limbs ceased their flailing, at least, and she stopped wriggling. She was more like her father than Helen cared to admit, she knew, which would undoubtedly be a problem when she grew older. For now, however, she was simply the blue eyed, curly haired, pale skinned daughter of two immortals who happened to have a paradise of creatures that didn't exist.

"Big day tomorrow, little one. Sleep." Nikola said, running his fingers gently through her fuzzy dark curls. Sophia gave a bit of a wide-mouthed yawn, as if the promise of a big day tomorrow already made her simply exhausted. Helen smiled and leaned back a bit, seeing as Nikola clearly had this handled. She'd always loved watching him interact with Sophia, since he'd been introduced to his daughter. His movements were so careful, so planned, and so precise so as to avoid hurting her in any way, shape, or form. If it wasn't so endearing, it would be amusing, really. But Helen knew he'd never had the experience of being a parent in the same way she had. Certainly she was learning a few new things, yes, but Nikola was new to it all.

She'd watched him accept it all easily enough, though and was quite grateful she had him there as an extra support. Yes, he's retained his usual snark about things, but he was helpful with Sophia and did his duty of being a father as well as could be expected and more. It had merely opened up a new side of him.

Although, Helen couldn't help but feel as if he deserved it. After countless lifetimes, he had put up with quite a bit, especially from herself. He'd spent years digging ditches, years being one of the most favored geniuses of all time, and years pretending to be dead. He'd had a far more harsh life than Helen had in some aspects, but this one little thing had put something of a light in his eyes that Helen had never seen before. She could identify it now, the little spark that remained there on a constant basis now.

Happiness.

It never failed to make her smile.

"What are you staring at?" Nikola inquired, glancing over at her as he traced circles across Sophia's chest and stomach, attempting to lull her to sleep now. She was beginning to relent, eyelids dropping and another yawn escaping her pink lips. Helen smiled, caught.

"Nothing in particular." She said. "Just thinking."

"A dangerous pastime, knowing you."

She chuckled softly, shaking her head. After everything, the dust had settled and they had returned to their usual banter with one another.

"It's nothing." Helen replied, looking back to their daughter. Sophia yawned again, lips parted briefly before she settled again, chest beginning a different pattern in rising and falling as she began to fall asleep, breathing shifting into something far more softer and steadier. How long it would last, Helen had no idea – it varied with her on the best of nights.

"I'll never understand how you put her to sleep after I've tried to hours." Helen murmured quietly, reaching over to turn on the nightlight.

"Clearly I'm the favored parent of our demon spawn. Not so demonic now, though."

"Some days I wouldn't doubt it. And just wait until she's older."

"No dating until she's thirty."

"Nikola."

"Fine. Forty-five."