This was meant to be a thousand or so words of Helen and Nikola having sexy times but it got rather sentimental and then I started making up stories and it all just got away from me a bit...

Dirty Mind by The Pipettes. That song is just so Teslen it hurts :P Well, in my mind it is... Plus it worked with this story...

Oh, and a teeny little shout out to LoveActuallyFan because there's a line in here that was so inspired by a conversation we had about phones and her fantabulous fic :P Actually, a big shout out...

Right, spoilers for CHIMERA BECAUSE IT IS AMAZING AND JUST AHHHHHHHHHH!

Sorry 'bout that... I just get all jumpy thinkin' about it...

And no, I don't own it :(

xx

"Oh Nikola, do you really need to ask?"

She saw the excitement in his eyes, the smile that grew at her purposefully ambiguous words. They both knew that never in a million years would she make such a decision but those words, the words she hadn't quite meant to say with such a pronounced smirk were doing things to her insides that had a lot to do with his grin.

Suddenly she felt nervous, like a school girl talking to the boy her friend had told her fancied her. Her body clenched as her heart sped up. She was tingling from head to toe and it had nothing to do with the wine in her hand.

"Cheers," she murmured as a blush began to rise in her cheeks, taking a sip of wine as she tried not to smile in response to his astounded grin. His eyes were still on her, she could just feel it and although she knew she should have been gloating at the fact that she'd rendered him speechless, his inexpressible joy humbled her. He smiled at her, catching her eye and she was unable to dampen the knowing smirk that rose to her lips.

They'd flirted before, she mused internally, keeping her eyes trained on her glass, swirling the red liquid so she'd have something to do besides feel terribly uncomfortable. In fact, the majority of their friendship had been built on mildly flirtatious quips that had steadily grown in audacity as the years passed. As he'd already said, it was automatic. She expected it from him and he expected her to rebuff him, of that there was no doubt. But this was different. This was her flirting with him. This wasn't a sly grin as he mentioned an unmentionable encounter or an indulgent chuckle as he laid on the praise as thickly as he dared. This was deliberate, suggestive and subtle, everything Nikola was not.

He knew what she had meant by her words, she didn't need to see the surprise in his eyes to know that. He knew. He always knew. And that was half the problem. Perhaps if he didn't know just how dear he was to he wouldn't seem to think that every moment they spent together was a moment wasted unless he was actively pursuing her.

But even then, a niggling voice in her mind supplied. Even then, when he was commenting on his desire to bed her or her apparent desire to do the same to him, it was never serious. The words, as lecherous as they might be were always light and fun, the banter simply a part of what made them them. She knew, no matter what, he'd only ever push so far, that for all his words and innuendo, he respected her above all else.

Which was why her words were different. They were less direct, less blatant but she knew she'd been unable to hide the glimmer in her eye.

He knew what she'd meant.

Finally unable to keep up the pretence of savouring her wine any longer she cleared her throat uncomfortably. She turned to give him what she hoped was a cheery smile, prepared to make her excuses and disappear off to bed but then she caught sight of the wonder and excitement in his eyes and she would have sworn she'd never seen anything like it.

Actually, she corrected internally as they continued to gaze at one another, Helen simply unable to look away, she'd seen this exact same combination on his face once before but it had been a very long time ago, back when they were both different people.

It had been a typically droll English day, a steady drizzle dampening their highly anticipated trip to London. James, John and Nigel were supposed to have accompanied them but at the last minute plans had changed and they'd been called away. Nikola had offered her the chance to bow out of their excursion but she'd waved off his protests, insisting that they carry on as planned. The day had been rather wonderful and she'd even managed to make him smile openly on more than one occasion but it hadn't been until they were just about to head home that this particular expression had cropped up.

They were walking down some street, huddled under an umbrella, his arm around her shoulder to help protect her. He'd sighed and whispered in her ear that the day had been perfect and he'd be forever grateful. She tugged on his arm until he stopped walking, pulling the umbrella down until his neck was bent to accommodate the protection from the elements. He'd looked down at her quizzically and then Helen had done something she'd never intended to do but he'd just been so sweet and grateful and so very different to sarcastic scientist she was used to. This wasn't Tesla, the genius, this was Nikola, a kind, sweet, gentle man who liked chocolate cake more than apple pie and always offered her a bite first, even if he did wipe down the utensil afterwards.

And so, she'd done maybe the silliest, most reckless thing she'd ever done. In the middle of the street at 3p.m she'd reached up, grabbed his face and kissed him. He tasted of the liquorice they'd just purchased and something altogether more electric. The kiss had lasted barely more than three seconds but when she'd pulled away his face had held the same mixture of triumph and awe as it did now.

"Ask me," Nikola said softly, drawing her from her revere. He'd moved ever so slightly closer to her, his smile still firmly in place as his eyes danced joyfully.

"Pardon?" she queried, her voice coming out a little more throatily than she'd expected.

"Ask me," he insisted, shifting closer again, plucking her wine glass from her grasp.

"Ask you what?" she pressed as he carefully placed both of their glasses on the nearest coffee table.

"Ask me."

His voice was low but eager and while she got the feeling was coming onto her, his gaze held adoration not insinuation.

"What?" she asked once more, at a complete loss as to what to say. A million questions were running through her mind, of course but from the way he was leaning in closer to her she gathered a question pertaining to why he wasn't still at SCIU probably wasn't the type he was looking for. She could ask him why he never restocked her cellars, why he was so mean to Henry when he obviously held such admiration for the younger man, why he never answered any of her emails but those were all too easy.

"Ask. Me."

And with that she knew what he was getting at. She swallowed audibly as he shifted still closer to her until they were pressed thigh to thigh. Carefully she uncrossed her legs as a fluttering sensation began in her toes, slowly moving higher and higher and higher until she thought she might actually be vibrating with the force of it. Her lips were tingling and she could smell him but even the heady scent wasn't enough to cloud her thoughts today. One thing shone through, one answer, one truth.

He loved her.

"I don't need to," she whispered softly before leaning in to close the distance between them. Their lips met tentatively, the touch being consensual for the first time in more than 80-odd years (from his timeline, anyway). He shifted closer before cupping her cheeks gently, one hand holding her jaw as the other slid around to thread into her hair. It was bliss. She felt tingles of joy running up her spine and she knew from the way he was almost smiling against her lips that he was experiencing the same sensation.

Suddenly one of his hands flew from her face and a loud clunk issued from somewhere in the room. In an instant Helen pulled away, eyes searching the room only to realise he'd simply manoeuvred the heavy oak door using the metal door knob.

"In case you've got any more creepy crawlies," he muttered, voice rough and dark as he returned his hands to their place on her cheek so that he could pull her forward for another kiss.

"Stop calling my team names," she murmured against his lips, moving so that she could clutch at his dress shirt.

He chuckled.

"Nice one," he muttered between kisses that were steadily getting hotter.

"I thought it was rather clever," she smirked breathlessly before capturing his lips more firmly than before. He chuckled once more, the vibrations flowing between their bodies as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He slanted his lips over hers, winding his arms around her waist to tug her closer and she couldn't help but moan, curling one leg so that the majority of their torsos were pressed together.

It was presumptuous of him to shut the door and it was even more presumptuous of him to shift a hand down to slip under the fabric of her shirt and caress the small of her back but she really, honestly didn't care. What would have been the point in pushing him away? In telling him to stop? She wanted this and he knew she wanted it. And she couldn't even tell him to slow down for her entire body was practically begging him to speed up. She was out of control and, for the first time in her very long life, she was loving it. Nikola was the only man left in her life to whom she could surrender willingly. Because if she fell, he would catch her.

His tongue swept across her bottom lip, begging for entrance which she happily allowed. Tongues duelling she drew her hands down from his neck to pull at the tie so elegantly knotted at his throat. Picking up on the new pace she was setting, his hands became more adventurous, one snaking up her back to flick open her bra as the other shifted around to fumble with her belt. Ripping free the tie, she threw it to the ground and began work on his shirt. The buttons were small and fiddly, only three of them working themselves free before she became fed up, simply yanking on the shirt until her hands came into contact with his warm chest.

Finally the need to breathe became too much and she ripped her lips from his, breathing heavily as she stared into his eyes. The fire crackling away gave the encounter a rather clichéd effect but when he smiled at her once more, everything but him faded from her vision. Gently he kissed her again, hands moving to drag her cardigan down her shoulders, placing it carefully on the seat beside them. Moving closer still he began to trail hot kisses down her jaw, brushing away her hair to grant him more access.

"Helen?" he whispered throatily and she could feel his grin against her skin. "Stand up."

"What?" she mumbled softly, leaning her head to the side so that he could attack more of her neck with hot little kisses.

"Up."

"In a minute," she muttered, eyes fluttering shut as she threaded one hand into his hair. He chuckled against her, nibbling on her pulse point before pulling away, giving her a breathless yet enthusiastic smile.

"Stand up," he ordered again as she let out a tiny mewl of disappointment.

"What are you on, Nikola?" she queried, fighting the fog of lust that set her body alight. Why was he stopping? Why was he telling her to go places and do thing? Didn't he know her body was about two seconds away from collapsing into a puddle of goo all because of him?

"Fine, stay sitting," he said with a mock sigh, rolling his eyes before flashing a wide and charming grin. Then, before she could reach out and capture his lips for another liquefying kiss, he stood up, moved to stand in front of her and promptly sank to his knees.

"Nikola!" she cried with a smile. He beamed up at her but something about the dark gleam in his eye made her shiver. Without warning he reached up and threaded his fingers through the belt loops of her pants, tugging sharply so that she shunted forwards with a small cry of shock.

"I always thought you'd be a screamer," he murmured with a grin before drawing his hands over her hips and thighs, grabbing her knees and spreading her legs wide. Before she could even think to protest he was moving forwards, keeping his eyes glued to hers as he slid his hands to her ankles. With rather nimble fingers he drew down the zips of her low heeled boots in tandem, only looking away from her when it became apparent that he'd need two hands to remove a shoe.

Brow furrowing he turned to the side, holding her ankle firmly in one hand as he wrestled the boot off her foot. The look of concentration on his face was so intense that Helen couldn't keep from laughing freely at him. He looked up at the sound of her jubilation, smiling happily as she reached out to ruffle his hair impulsively.

"I've always liked your hair," she commented with a smirk and Nikola rolled his eyes.

"Not always," he corrected. "Moustache, remember?"

"True," she agreed with a chuckle as he turned to her other foot, freeing it in much the same manner as the last. He turned back to look up at her, using his finger tips to gently massage the arches of her feet. She tried to stifle the moan he brought to her lips but somehow it slipped out, making Nikola's smug grin grow exponentially.

"I like that noise," he said, his voice growing husky as he leant forward. "Care to make it again?"

"Not on your life," she responded tightly, managing somehow to shoot him a challenging smirk.

"I'm like a cat, Helen. Only I have far more than nine lives with which to persuade you. Now, what do I have to do to get you to purr?"

"I didn't purr," she argued lightly, reaching forward to tangle her hand in his hair. "But if I scratch you behind the ear will you?"

"Actually, I've got another itch I'd like you help with," he quipped, taking her wrist to free himself as he stood up, moving back to sit next to her. "Now stand up."

She wasn't going to comply, more interested in exploring the expanse of naked chest before her but his hands on her waist were insistent and too strong for her to fight so, in a matter of seconds she found herself standing between his legs, his hands on her hips as he leant forward to nuzzle her belly through her top.

"This," he muttered. "Off." Laughing lightly she shook her head, unable to figure out how this encounter had devolved from unspoken words to their usually flirty banter in a matter of moments.

"Please," he simpered, looking up at her with a smirk. Suddenly she became aware of his hands on her hips and the way his thumbs were stealing under her top, drawing small circles of her skin. Slowly and without a word he brought his hands up higher, tugging at her top until it pooled just under her breasts. His lips flitted over her stomach with enough pressure to drive her insane but not quite enough to send her over the edge, forcing her to take matters into her own hands. With ruthless efficiency she grabbed the hem of her shirt, ripping it over her head and tossing it to the ground before Nikola could smirk.

"Nice," he drawled a little breathlessly, raising on hand to gently cup her breast through the loosened fabric of her black lace bra before she swatted his hands away. With practiced ease she held the lace to her chest, delicately shrugging her arms from the straps as he watched her, mouth hanging open ever so slightly.

"Eyes up," she said firmly, pleased when his gaze snapped up to her own. He still looked a little thrown but, predictably enough he recovered with a smirk, reaching up to pluck the expensive lace from her chest, swatting away her hands as she tried to keep it in place.

Tossing it aside, he gazed at her for a long minute and something in his gaze made her shiver.

"Magnificent," he murmured in quiet appreciation. "Absolutely bloody magnificent."

"I think I'm rubbing off on you," she whispered and his eyes flicked up to hers, smiling briefly at the double entendre before filling his hands with her breasts, rubbing his thumbs over her tightening nipples before he leaned forward to kiss and nibble at the underside of one. Moaning in sheer pleasure, Helen clutched him to her breast, her knees turning to jelly far too quickly.

"It's not fair," he mumbled against her skin, sending shockwaves through her body.

"What's not?" she asked absently, her eyes fluttering shut as his soft hair brushed against a particularly sensitive spot.

"You're gorgeous, an absolute Aphrodite with a mind second only to one and you taste better than anything I've ever had in my entire life," he groused, pulling her closer as he proceeded to suck at her tender flesh. "It's not fair to all the other women out there."

Helen felt herself blush at his words but with one of his hands cupping her arse, his mouth working her breast and his other hand playing with her belt buckle, she was having far too much trouble concentrating on breathing let alone being embarrassed.

"Eloquence, while admirable is only fun when it comes to phone sex," she all but grunted and he laughed, doubling his efforts in relation to her belt as he did so.

After a few moments of uncoordinated fumbling, Nikola pulled back, glaring down at her uncooperative pants.

"I don't like your pants," he complained but she could see a plan forming in his mind.

"No nails," she warned and he pouted.

"But your pants..." he trailed off, trying his best puppy dog eyes on her but to no avail. "Fine," he grumbled, rolling his eyes as he shifted his attention back to her hips and the final barrier between the two of them. Helen laughed at him once more but, as she felt them give way, a happy smile found its way to her lips.

Roughly he shoved the thick fabric down her legs and, as it pooled at her ankles, she kicked them away.

"These, I like," Nikola enthused as he stared at her crotch, grin in place. "Emerald green," he mused. "I never would have picked it but I must say, it's a nice choice. Tiny as they may be."

His hands slipped to her arse, tugging her closer as he leaned in to place small kisses along the waistband of the skerrick of lace she wore.

"And I know I should probably be disappointed that they didn't match," he said, his hands dipping to run a finger under the lace. "But, considering this one's about to go the way of the other, I shan't complain."

With that he pulled back, looking up at her mischievously. His nails grew as his smirk widened but before she could tell him to put it all away he spoke once more.

"It's been a fantasy of mine for a very long time. Please?"

He seemed to take her shiver of arousal as a yes because one second the lace was barely covering her skin and the next it was dangling from his nails. He chuckled at her before tossing the fabric aside to the growing pile of her clothes.

"Nikola," she breathed, cupping his cheek gently to make him look up at her once more.

"Yes, love?"

"Undo your pants."

He didn't need to be told twice. In a few seconds he'd pushed her back a little, unfastened his belt, popped the button and unzipped the zip before shoving them down his hips and to his ankles, underwear with them.

With a warm smile he reached for her, pulling on her hips until she widened her stance over his knees. Gentle fingers wandered down her bare legs, cupping her knees and, one by one, pulling them to kneel on either side of him. Her breasts were right in front of his face now and, acting on yet another of her unvoiced desires he leant forwards, capturing one tight bud in his mouth on which he sucked rather harshly.

Helen cried out in pleasure, nails scratching his shoulder through the fabric of his grey shirt as she tried to steady herself.

"Oh god, Nikola," she cried, arching her back as he pulled her even closer. Without warning he released her nipple but her mewl of disappointment quickly changed to one of pleasure as he captured the other breast with his mouth. Holding him tightly, Helen forced herself to open her eyes, looking down at the messy brown hair that tickled her skin. Smiling to herself through the pleasure he brought her, she looked up, a little surprise to see the almost perfect reflection of their embrace staring at her from the dark window. Beyond that she could see small pinpricks of light that signalled the city but as one of Nikola's hands made its way between her legs all thought of anything except him disappeared.

"Magnificent," he muttered again and she could help but chuckle.

"You're not so bad yourself," she choked out, pushing at the fabric still on his shoulders. The action forced him to pull back and remove his hands but when she sank down to sit on his thighs, greeted by an awful lot of bare skin, she didn't mind.

"Hi," he said with a soft smile, reaching over to brush her hair back.

"What did I say about talking?" she quipped, cocking her head at him.

"Then shut me up."

So she did, leaning forward to capture his lips in a heated kiss. Tenderly he cupped her head with one hand as the other traced faint circles on her hip. Their tongues danced together, fighting and retreating, playing and teasing, in much the same way their banter worked. Moaning into his mouth, Helen sunk her hands into his hair, holding him tightly so that there wasn't a chance he'd be able to slink away from her.

Picking up on the subtle change in mood, Nikola pulled away just enough to look into her eyes. Hands trailing to her waist he waited until she was glaring at him, silently chastising him for breaking the glorious moment.

"I love you, you know that?" he asked softly, apprehension simmering just under the surface.

"Good thing too," she whispered back, darting forward to nibble his earlobe. "Because I think, just maybe, I love you too."

Chuckling at her admission, Nikola grabbed her hips, pulling her up and off him.

"Good," he said determinedly, grinning up at her with unbridled enthusiasm.

"It is, isn't it?" she replied breathlessly, shimming forwards until she was able to reach beneath them and take hold of his much neglected erection. He hissed at the sensation, eyes screwing shut as he throbbed in her hand. She teased the head for a few moments before taking mercy on him and guiding him to her entrance. He nudged against her wet folds and they both let out a sigh of relief, the sensation helping to relieve some of the tension but amping it up at the same time.

In one smooth movement she sank down on him, her wordless cry of pleasure being drowned out by his. They paused for a moment, staring into each other's eyes as they acclimatised to the rather monumental shift in their relationship that had just taken place.

"Done with the romantic 'staring into each other's eyes' thing?" he asked tightly, flashing her a grin.

"Very much so," she agreed, bucking her hips as she spoke, pleased when he threw his had back in pleasure. Careful not to disrupt their joined bodies, she slid her legs from where they were bunched up by his thighs to cross her ankles behind his back, drawing him deeper into her body. The change of angle made her shiver with pleasure and almost instantly she began to grind against him. His hands slipped to her hips, guiding her movements as he began to thrust into her.

Wanting to taste him, she wrapped one arm around his neck, pulling him down for another breathless kiss. Eyes closed they both focused on nothing except the moment, kissing messily between broken and strangled cries. Helen could feel the sweat pooling between her breasts as their slick bodies moved faster and faster together. The pressure was building deep inside her, that tell-tale tingle spreading through her limbs as the pace grew. Soon enough he was slamming her down onto him, making her scream with each short, sharp thrust. His lips made their way to her ear, sucking on the sweaty skin he found there.

"You are magnificent Miss Magnus," he muttered with a strangled chuckle. "But I'd be much obliged if you'd hurry this along a little."

Quickly one of his hands made its way between her legs, swiping at her clit once, twice and then, on the third lazy pass, she came in a screaming heap, her body spasming uncontrollably as she clawed at his back. Instinctively she tightened her legs around him, pressing her hips against his as she tried to ride out the waves with some measure of dignity but to no avail. Nikola sucked on her neck, biting down at just the right moment to prolong her pleasure as he thrust into her still though his rhythm was finally starting to falter. Lowering her head to his shoulder shakily, she sunk her teeth into the muscle, pleased to feel him transform under her as he jerked spasmodically within her.

"Helen!" he cried, talons scratching at her hips as his distorted voice sounded in her ear. With shaky arms she held him tight, her entire body shivering as he finally grew still.

For a few moments there was nothing but the sound of their laboured breathing and the quickly dimming fire. Curled around him, Helen felt a strange calm wash over her and despite the slight chill in the air, getting up and finding what was left of her clothes was just not an option.

"I cannot wait to do that in a bed," he grunted eventually, his voice hoarse as he drew soft patterns over her back.

Helen chuckled, finally feeling strong enough to push back and look him in the eye.

"And who's to say we'll be doing that again?" she asked coolly, making sure to brush her already tightening nipples against his chest.

"We are going to be doing that a lot," he replied confidently, slipping one hand down to squeeze her arse as he grinned his smuggest grin.

"You sound awfully sure of yourself."

"Helen, you are sitting on my lap, my teeth marks are on your neck and- oh God, do that again please."

"Do what?" she asked innocently, squeezing her internal muscles around his already half hard cock.

"Tease," he whispered, dropping his head to her shoulder with a light chuckle.

"I've never been more pleased that you are a vampire than I am right now," she murmured huskily, stroking his back protectively.

"Mm?" he asked softly, taking her hips and moving her slowly up and down his cock once more.

"Recovery times," she gasped out, her still sensitive body protesting at the pleasure.

"Bed?" he asked softly, his voice tight and strained.

"In a moment," she replied, placing her hands on his shoulders as she began to move without his guidance.

And, funnily enough, it was a good hour before they found a bed. And it sure as hell wasn't one of theirs. That would have been a little too much effort.