Helen looked out of the window from her office, eyes lost in the mist the damp night had brought upon the city. Her hands lay on the window sill, fiddling with one another as she anticipated her next move in her elaborate plan to save the sanctuary from the corrupted and politically driven world the twenty-first century now lay in. It wasn't all bad, but she knew her sanctuary was no longer safe and was considered a threat in the fear filled eyes of new world leaders, so eager yet much too young to reason beyond the narcissistic ways of humans.

Although her plan had been in the making for over a hundred years, it was very risky. She thought about every possible scenario and how she would respond to each and every one of them to assure the same outcome every time. The only thing she couldn't be sure of was the sacrifices she would have to make, the lives that would be lost, and the minds that would be damaged.

As she kept on pondering, she silently scowled herself for being so melodramatic. She couldn't start to worry now. She had to focus on her plan.

By now she was sitting down, shivering as a cold breeze slipped through a crack in the window. She shut it more tightly, and turned back to look at her office. It was serene, she decided. A warm fire rumbled in the fireplace, allowing her keepsakes, scattered across her office, to glow in a seemingly peculiar manner. As she observed them, Helen allowed herself to drift off in every memory each item held. Each one represented a turning point in her past, moments which had helped her move forward into the future. Her eyes fell on a particular broach that lay on the mantle of the fireplace, its small size making it barely visible in contrast with the robust frame of the fireplace. The broach was that of a beautiful crimson rose. It was elegant, yet simple. Slowly, she made her way to where it lay, pick it up and ran her fingers over it, removing the dust that resided on the particularly small object.

Helen rushed out of her room, tears staining her cheeks. John's violent and manipulative behaviour had startled her to say the least, even though she should not have been surprised, having faced this creature that inhabited John on a few previous occasions. The cold steal against her throat, his menacing and fear provoking voice invading her senses and the unrecognisable being that lay behind his eyes was just too much for her to handle. Normally, she would hide out in some unknown corner of the sanctuary, willing herself to calm down. She couldn't give up on helping John defeat this entity, not when she was partly responsible. If it wasn't for her overpowering curiosity and intrigue that wished to overcome de boundaries of current science, things would have turned out the way they should.

Helen, without thinking, stepped out of the sanctuary and dashed for a place where she hoped she could reconnect with her sanity. Tears kept spilling over her red cheeks, burning with anger and embarrassment. Her fists, clammy and tight held on to her dress as she scurried through abandoned streets until she finally made it to a remote garden, where striking trees and tall rounded bushes faded into the silhouette of the night. Helen slowed down, her breathing finally slowing down to a normal pace. She could hear the water flowing gently through the nearby stream. She loved it here, although it was not a habit of hers to be there at night. It was not scary or even glum. She found that the shadows contouring the somewhat overgrown plants, mixed in with the fog that soaked up the moonlight, flowing between the ground and the top of the trees, gave the area a certain charm. She sat down on a nearby bench, enjoying the tranquility when a soft whistle was picked up by her ears. Instantly, she knew he had followed her. He always did.

"Nikola?"

The tall, slim man approached her calmly, his silhouette being the only visible sing of him. Only when he was standing a few feet away from her, did she notice his gentle yet always incorrigible smile.

"My, my Helen. Isn't it a little late to be wondering about?" Nikola took a seat beside her, eyeing her carefully, assessing the new damage caused by John. He had come to see her when he was told by the maids that she had left in haste.

"Hello, Nikola," Helen croaked out. She knew he knew. No other words were needed. Helen laid her head on her beloved friend's shoulder.

Nikola allowed himself to envelope her frame, an action that, although had been difficult after his change due to certain urges that were not related to the ones he already had towards his Helen, had now become very comfortable.

"I would say I told you so, but that wouldn't change much," Nikola said.

Helen raised her head, eyeing him questioningly. "What do you mean? You didn't predict that John would react this way to the source blood."

Nikola smiled smugly. "Oh of course not, but I wasn't talking about that. I just meant that I told you I was a better choice. I am, of course, much more handsome, outgoing and to be honest, amazingly brilliant! To be frank, I don't know how you could deny such a desirable man."

Helen slapped him on the arm, outraged by his boldness. "Nikola Tesla, you are being very unfair and unforgivingly smug!"

Nikola laughed, and put his arms up in surrender. "Alright, I guess I should stop pointing out the obvious," he said flashing her one of his megawatt smiles. Helen mirrored his smile, lost in his comforting eyes. All of a sudden, she noticed Nikola's smile fade, and a serious tone overpowered the features of his face.

Nikola let his hand cup her still damp cheek as he pressed his forehead to hers.

"My dear, friend," whispered Helen. Nikola's smiled returned, if only for a second. He closed his eyes and started humming an old Serbian lullaby. She had first heard it when she caught him feeding pigeons on a particularly quiet autumn afternoon at Oxford. They didn't know each other very well at the time, but she remembered being completely charmed by his quirky smile and reddened cheeks after he had been caught. Either way, the melody was soothing. Suddenly, she realised that she hadn't heard the lullaby since their experiment with the source blood. They all seemed to lose a small part of themselves after that event, overtaken by the empowering side effects of the substance. She was suddenly comforted to know that the gently foreigner, albeit also very mischievous foreigner, she had met a couple of years ago still lay somewhere in this new version of Nikola.

When Nikola's low humming ceased, he looked up at her and winked. "You're safe with me," he whispered. Helen was startled by his tone. It was loving, yet a hint of worry added an edge of bitterness to it. Helen inhaled his sent, and pressed her cheek against his. Her arms snaked around his waist as she treasured the moment. She loved him, and she knew it. Had she not been so charmed by John…no she didn't want to go there. Things play out the way they should. Helen gently pulled away, but only so that they could face each other. She suddenly mesmerized by him. Her breath hitched and by the sounds of it, so did his. She wanted to kiss him, press her lips against his in such a gentle way that it would smooth over any worries she had brought upon him. His face started moving towards her, but stopped centimeters away from her lips. His eyes shifted from her lips to her eyes. That subtle movement was enough to stop Helen from continuing on with her plan. They couldn't. Not now, not yet.

To break the spell, Helen pulled her face away from his, and placed her hand on his cheek. With a light tone, she replied, "Are you saying that I would be safer with a vampire then with John?"

Nikola, while recovering, still managed to give her a perfectly logical reply. "Maybe not, but vampires are so much more attractive in a menacing kind of way."

Helen laughed, rolled her eyes and stood up. "Thanks Nikola, I think I'll be on my way it's very late."

"Of course." Nikola took her hand, and pressed his lips against her knuckles. "Oh, wait! I just remembered," said Nikola, reaching in his coat pocket.

Helen smiled, wondering what he was up too. "My, my Nikola! It's a little late for a proposal, don't you think?"

Helen had meant it to be a light hearted joke, but when his eyes snapped to hers with remorse, her body stiffened. Nikola quickly recovered and smiled.

"I know that Helen."

Helen, too tired to think about his reply, sent him a small wink. He returned it, finally revealing that small object in his hand. "This is for you, ljubav," He managed to say with a thick Serbian accent. Helen blushed and took the broach from his hand.

"It's lovely, Nikola!"

"I'm glad you like it. Here," Nikola said, tracing the petals of the rose. "The petals represent the beauty and charm that is Helen Magnus!"

Helen rolled her eyes, but kept on humoring him. "Ah, I see."

"Actually, as true as that is, I also think the petals represent every ounce of effort you've given and will give to your work, piecing every delicate piece together to create something very elegant," Nikola whispered in a more serious tone. Helen smiled, taken aback by his honest complement. "I suppose the stem would then represent your ever-growing journey, you know, with the longevity thing."

Helen laughed, enjoying the comparisons. "And what about the thorns?"

Nikola smirked. "That's the obvious part!"

Helen's confused eyes met his.

"The thorns mean that I will always be that thorn in your side!"

And that he was! Helen laughed, placing the broach back on the mantle. She turned to the window again, overcome by a bittersweet feeling. She was blessed to have so many people who loved her. Could she really ask them to risk everything? She hoped that if anything happened, they all knew how much she loved them. The heavy weight on her shoulders was becoming a lot to bear. Although her 113 years had prepared her as much as possible for the upcoming events, it was a struggle to keep up the act. It drained her, in fact. Helen felt her cheeks moisten. A couple of more days, and it would all be over. No matter how it ended, it would be over. Helen shivered again. Damn! She decided to curl up on the couch. However, as she turned around, her eyes met those of Nikola.

She shivered, and tried to take a deep breath.

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