I was trapped at a museum without my computer, but fortunately with a pad of paper. Therefore, something that every Sanctuary smut writer must craft at some point – a Nubbin fic.

808008080808

Usually, when Helen Magnus awoke, her thoughts were clear as crystal. She spent a moment in meditation upon her day, then she climbed out of bed. Even for an immortal, time was too precious to be spent lounging in bed.

But this morning, Helen woke slowly, groggily. Her eyes remained shut as her first lazy thoughts centered on the state of her body. She ached all over, but it was a far different ache than what she would have acquired in a fight. She was no stranger to the occasional necessity of physical force, but these aches were of a very different nature. Her skin tingled. Her mouth tasted of blood, but as she moved her tongue over her teeth to check for wounds, there was nothing but her very bruised lips to accounts for that metallic tang. She had been well and thoroughly kissed. And bitten, from the sting she felt on her neck, her buttocks and her breasts. Her sex throbbed, giving every indication of a highly satisfactory encounter. But the lassitude she felt in every bone did not explain the slow, listless drag of her mind.

That she could not remember how she'd gotten into this state was troubling. Perhaps her partner could fill in the blanks. His arm rested across her stomach, their legs intertwined. He was curled into her, his head resting against her neck, the softness of his hair tickling her ear. His scent, that touch of spice and ozone, and she knew before she opened her eyes that she had finally lain with Nikola Tesla.

She fought against the glue that kept her eyes sealed, and she blinked several times to clear her vision. The afternoon light filtered in through her curtains, revealing herself and Nikola entwined, his body wrapped around hers as though he was scared to let go of her. It was an odd sensation. She have never awoken with a lover. Even with John so long ago, she had shooed him out of her chambers, unwilling to be caught with her fiancé in her bed. With other men, even with James, she'd left in the night, taking her pleasure and leaving before risking too much attachment.

She did not quite know what to think of her current situation, or her inability to move. She surveyed what she could see of Nikola without moving too much, the firm, wiry muscles of his arms and legs were beautiful, his skin pale against her own, stained with scratch marks and a livid bruise on one wrist. His bicep show three deep puncture marks, which should have healed. Despite the lack of coverings and the slightly cooler body temperature of a vampire, she was warm and comfortable and had no real desire to push away from him. She could credit that to whatever mind-altering substance remained in her system and her significant level of dehydration, but she was honest with herself enough to acknowledge some of it was due to finally being in Nikola's arms. She had imagined it gar too often, and if he ever realized how often, he would be insufferable about it.

She could not stand to think he had betrayed her like this. Her last clear memory was opening the front door to his smirking face. He'd lifted up some kind of crate and announced, "I come bearing gifts, sweet Helen. Won't you let me in?" After that, there were only flashes. Her lab, them in the hall kissing frantically, being shot at by Will and Kate, and then writhing on the bed, her teeth in Nikola's throat.

She could not believe that after trying to seduce her for a century, of playing countless games and leering quips at her but always ultimately acting the gentleman, that Nikola would deign to drug her in order to get into her knickers.

He stiffened slightly, and she knew he was waking. "Helen," he whispered against the skin of her collarbone, his lips dry and his voice rough. He lifted his head suddenly and looked straight into her eyes, his blue grey eyes holding a mix of wonder, awe and befuddlement, a thing rather seen on the great Tesla's face. Nary a trace of smug satisfaction to be seen. He had not a clue what had happened. He must be at least someone innocent. Especially given the enormous bruise and the curve of her teeth marks in his neck. He had to have been dosed with some chemical that slowed his healing. Actually, the very fact that he had been sleeping, something that was entirely optional as a vampire, was a sign that both of them were under the influence.

"Helen, I always knew you would be utterly breathtaking first thing in the morning." He reached a hand up to stroke her cheek and she smiled.

"Actually, I'm fairly certain it's the middle of the afternoon." His hair was a mess, his smile was boyish, his lips still swollen and there was a trace of blood at the corner of them. She wanted to kiss him so badly it was almost painful to resist. "Nikola, what happened?"

He took a long, slow look down at their entangled bodies and again she thought she really should pull away from him and find something to cover herself. But she didn't. The litany of bruises and love bites and scratched that covered both of them told quite the erotic tale. But there was also those puncture holes in his bicep and her leg and Helen was fairly certain belonged to a sedative dart.

"I should think that what happened would be fairly obvious, my love. But as I have no memory of anything past bringing that creature to your lab, and I believe that the memory of the past night would be something I will do my absolute utmost to recover."

"My memory ends with letting you in the front door. An endeavor which is always somewhat hazardous to my sanity. What creature, might I ask?"

He smiled sardonically and pushed himself up on his elbow. He looked down on her and grimaced slightly, looking again at the wounds they both wore. "I'm sorry Helen. I ever wanted…when it happened I wanted it to be gentle, to show you…this was savage."

"The creature?" she asked again. She needed to distract him. A Nikola mired in guilt was not a Nikola functioning at peak performance. She fought a blush. Besides, given the welts and scratched he bore, she'd given as good as she'd got.

His mouth twisted wryly. "I was in Mexico City, wrapping up some stray ends before I came here to…" he broke off, and she could see him rebuilding mental walls. "I saw this creature, quite obviously an abnormal, in a small marketplace in a woebegone corner of the city. Not even a black market, imagine that."

"What did they tell you about it when you purchased it?"

"They knew very little, other that it was very rare and it had been found in Chiapas. At the time, the thing was in some kind of hibernation cycle, so I did not get to interview the little rodent. But I thought you might be interested in its rescue."

"I doubt it is a rodent, Nikola, and I do appreciate your intentions." If he was telling the truth. "It must be related to a nubbin."

"What in God's name is a nubbin?"

She sighed, remembering one too many odd encounters with the creatures. "For that, we'll have to get dressed and go down to the lab. See if this thing caused any more havoc!"

"Wait Helen." He grazed the side of her neck with one finger and she sighed with sudden bliss. It should have hurt, given that he must have fed from her there, but instead a bolt of pure pleasure streaked through her.

"Oh Helen, I'm so…this is serious. It's a…"

And she knew. "It's a mating bite. Yes, I've heard of them in what records my father kept. During intercourse these things would happen. I will not…"

He looked desperate for her to understand, "No, Helen. From all that I've read, all the legends and inscriptions, this was very rare. It wasn't just something done automatically during sex. Vampires after all were highly sexualized creatures and this was something…it was highly prized, honored above all else. This was the closest thing they had to marriage, if it was completed."

She blinked at him. "Completed?"

"It would scar, unlike any other wound on a vampire. A mark of possession. At least, if both of a mated pair willed it to be so. There must have been some enzyme released or…"

She traced her hand up his chest and stroked the mark at the base of his neck, the teeth marks still deep purple in his skin, whereas all his other wounds were healing fairly rapidly. Not instantly- there was still some agent in his system, but this one mark was obviously different.

"Apparently, I have enough of the Source blood left in system to render my bite good enough."

He gasped as she stroked her mark again, and his eyes looked strangely hopefully, then sad once again.

He chuckled. "This is rather like a bad film in which a man finds himself married in a seedy hotel room in Las Vegas after a truly epic battle with tequila."

She laughed, "At least I'm not some floozy intent on stealing your fortune. You never could hold on to money."

"I'm rather well off, I'll have you know. But thank goodness you're not some vile stranger." He cupped her cheek again, infinitely tender. "You are the woman I've always loved."

She didn't think. She simply threaded her fingers through that ridiculous hair and pulled him down to her, kissing him soundly, the mouth opening and luring his tongue to duel with hers.

For all that this was the first kiss should could remember giving him willingly, they seemed to know each other so well, heads cocked at the perfect angle, tongues stroking and lips working with the perfect pressure. He moved over her, his weight welcome, one hand cupping the back of her neck and the other at her hip. She could feel his cock half hard against her thigh and her legs parted without conscious thought, welcoming his body into the cradle of hers. His fingers strayed from her hips, brushing over her dark blonde curls. His thumb circled her clit and she sighed, pleasure fighting against the aches and pains and demanding that she give in to anything he wanted.

He broke the kiss, pulling away with eyes swirling black. "You are too sore for this. And I won't…not until you and I both are in full possession of our faculties."

"Always the gentleman, Nikola. I agree. Water and food and answers would be best."

"And then?" he grinned at her, and there was the smug satisfaction at having finally won her over.

"And then, we'll discuss a real wedding night."