Disclaimer: I don't own Sanctuary or any of its characters. Wishful thinking aside.

Authors Note #1: *Rated for: adult language, adult situations, sexual undertones, and cuddling. – Spoilers: Up to and including the infamous season two episode: "Sleepers". This is an idea I've had kicking around since I saw "Sleepers" for the first time. - So this fic basically details the aftermath of Telsa's 'devamping' and with some Helen/Telsa and some group interaction/reaction to boot.

Authors Note #2: Please read and review. I am excited to see what you all think. I am open to comments, advice, and constructive criticism. Especially since this is my first Sanctuary fiction to date.

Defying Disaster

She wasn't sure how long she'd watched him struggle. It had been some time after they'd returned home. After the Premier Cru and the metal platter in her study, her best attempt at trying to cheer up her despondent friend. And for a few long moments she felt she had almost succeeded. But the joy of his new found magnetic powers had quickly faded into the backdrop. Like the consolation prize for an Olympic hopeful that hadn't made it past primaries. Gently expelled with the knowledge that they were undeniably exceptional, gifted even, yet not extraordinary.

– And to settle for anything less then that was simply not Nikola Tesla.

She had tried to give him his head. Knowing him well enough by now to know that the last thing her friend needed was to be coddled. But as the hours and then inevitably days wore on her best intentions became all for not. - First through household gossip, and then through the security monitors. Keeping a live feed of the security camera's in his labs up on her screen as she worked her way through the usual veritable minefield for paperwork that made up her desk.

And from there on it had been like a game of dominoes. Because it wasn't long afterwards that she found herself leaning against the door jam. Hovering just inside the threshold of his bedroom door; watching him take on the world in his dreams. - His exhaustion complete.

Being human once again had certainly taken its toll. And in a strange, rather daft way, she realized he had probably forgotten how. Too used to being able to work on little or no sleep for days upon end, forgetting the need for rest as the single-minded nature of his task over whelmed him. – Forgetting that he was now only human. And that the body needed such things in order to simply function, just a few of the more nonnegotiable aspects of humanity.

In fact he'd refused all her offers of rest, help, and even companionship. Locking himself in one of the lower labs and working for at least seventy two hours straight without rest. No doubt triple checking all her research regarding his changed state and testing out his own theories.

And while she had understood, and of course respected it, Nikola's need to try, she knew she wasn't the only one at least mildly concerned for his welfare. Indeed the house seemed strangely hushed, as if the man's depression was somehow spreading. Even Sally had been uncommonly restless, going so far as to splash Kate through the top entrance of her tank when she'd come for a lunch visit.

Though in truth she hadn't been overly surprised at that given how close the two of them were. Nikola had always made a point to visit her whenever he blew in. He had ever since Sally had first come to stay at the Sanctuary. The whole affair was utterly daft, but they'd hit it off right from the very beginning, taking a strange delight in baring their teeth at each other through the glass. Playfully hissing and squeaking in turn as they engaged one another in god only knows what. A battle of wits? A game? A conversation? - She hadn't a clue. Still didn't actually.

But what she did know was that watching the two of them gave her flashbacks to the antics of Ashley and Henry in their youth, all rambunctious play, sharp witted competition, and a deep, undeniable fondness for one another. She saw it as clear as day in the times when Nikola would grow bored with whatever he was working on, haunting her habitat an in effort to ease his restlessness.

Bothering her into tolerating his company, and even going so far as to let his claws to tap against the sides of her tank the a way he knew she hated. Making her flip her fins in annoyance as her whirling cloud of tendril spotted hair shushed through the heavy sea water. Showing him the back of her tail whenever he let his talons grate across the curved glass. The sound echoing out like nails on a chalkboard as he chuckled. Head tilting in amusement as he took in her furious barrage of high pitched squeaking.

- It was utterly childish, but hilarious nonetheless to witness.

She had even caught James staring open mouthed at the both of them on more then one occasion. Most memorably on the day that Sally had indulged Nikola's foolishness and engaged him in a game of sport. Something that appeared remarkably reminiscent of a bastardized version of cat and mouse. – Him balancing on the edge of her tank, dipping his toes into the water teasingly as if daring her to try and catch him. His claws and fangs distended in clear challenge as she tried to snag him down into the water. Stalking him just underneath the surface, mere inches away and poised to strike only to have him flit away at the last possible moment.

- A deep growling chuckle rolled up his throat the longer the game went on, successfully evading her until she'd finally gotten the better of him. Splashing the surface of the water with her main fin and soaking him completely. Resplendent three piece suit and all. Leaving him spluttering and indignant, hair plastered to his scalp. – Growling at her as she blew air bubbles at him teasingly. Flicking water at him with her webbed hands until he'd hissed in response. Back arching like a disgruntled feline before he'd called her bluff and dive bombed her tank.

The resulting scuffle had caused such a ruckus that her shrieks of glee had disrupted the Angelous-Xempous's hibernation cycle close to three levels up. – James had laughed so hard he'd needed oxygen.

Throughout the years they had spent endless hours pressed up against the glass in silent communication. Catching up, sharing ideas, memories. She had never thought it proper to ask. But she knew Sally adored him. And so did Nikola, in his own way. -Referring to her more then once as his "cheeky salt water mistress." Never failing to throw her a smirk and sultry wink whenever he passed, lips curling upwards when ever that unique, happy sounding chitter would echo from her tank response.

– The both of them were entirely incorrigible when they were together. Just the way she liked them.

Henry was trying to help in his own way. Monitoring the man's power usage and diverting more power for his experiments without having to be asked. Or more likely, yelled at. - Looking so incredibly earnest about the whole thing that she couldn't find it in herself to chastise him, already cringing at the thought of the months electrical bill.

She'd even caught Will watching the man work through the cameras on more then one occasion. Brow scrunched up with something akin to worry as the hours and days slid by and Nikola showed no signs of stopping. She could almost see the cogs and wheels turning in the man's brain. No doubt considering and abandoning a dozen or so psychological theories and treatments the longer the servers refused him access to the man's file. – Obviously knowing better then to ask for it, despite their past agreement on secrets and promises.

…Her loyalty to The Five went beyond that. Deeper then ties of family and friendship… Meaning intrinsically more to her then she could ever rightly explain…..

Though even she had to admit she'd been surprised when Biggie had taken a special interest in him, taking to bringing him meals when it became clear that the man had completely forgotten to eat. Growling and hovering pointedly until the man ate at least a few bites before returning to his slides and samples. The two of them had never gotten on in the past, but with the loss of Nikola's vampirism, her butler seemed to have developed something of a soft spot for him.

So perhaps that was why she didn't say a word about it when she'd seen him brewing a pot of his infamous herbal tea near the end of the third day. Watching through the monitors as he'd puttering around in the background of the lab under the guise of tidying up, watching closely as the unsuspecting man had downed at least a two full cups of the potent brew. - Too distracted by the condition of the cells and platelets on the computer read out to really notice that the tea wasn't his preferred China Black.

She considered it a small mercy that Nikola obviously had no idea what hit him when the tea took effect. Eyes blinking owlishly in tired confusion as his frenetic movements had slowly eased. Looking strangely cowed as he'd slowly slumped into a lab chair, running a sluggish hand through his hair as a near violent yawn had wracked his lean form.

If it had been any other situation she might have smiled at the way he'd tried to push on. As suddenly clumsy fingers fumbled with the edges of a fresh slide as his body leaned further and further into the edge of the counter. Shaking his head and adjusting the scope on one of the microscopes even as he'd slowly listed to port. - His newly restored humanity surrendering to the power of the tea with barely a ripple of resistance. A testament to just how exhausted the man really was.

And like some strange, far removed father figure, Biggie had been at his side before he'd fully succumbed; gently swooping in to catch Nikola before he'd slipped clear off the lab chair. - Already soundly in the arms of Morpheus as her dear friend had collected the man in his arms. Long awkward limbs and all and headed off towards his rooms. A ritual he had not been able to indulge in since Ashley and Henry had been small.

And as strange as it was to say, it was an adage that struck her as all too right as well. – Because despite being just as old as she, Nikola had always been the youngest of them in spirit. Young in a way she just couldn't compare to, especially these days. He was like a curious child, a rambunctious teenager, and a grown man all wrapped up into one quite formidable package.

– He'd viewed mortality as permission to never quite grow up. Too stay young in both mind and spirit as the decades had passed them by. Staying forever young while she had gradually become jaded and perhaps even a bit bitter as the weight of those years began to take more then they gave. – She had envied Nikola for that mindset, had leeched from it even. And now she feared that with the loss of his gifts he might have lost it completely.

It had been a long time since she'd seen Nikola like this… Venerable. Perhaps even a bit lost. - In fact the last time she could rightly remember such a time was when the last of the source blood had been injected into his veins. The thick needle piercing gently through the flesh of his forearm as the plunger arced downwards. - The action quick, but undeniably efficient under Nigel's capable hands.

As despite taking the injection last, everything about Nikola's turn had been different. In fact unlike the rest of them, for a long moment nothing had happened. Not a sudden hitching gasp or even a half muffled exclamation against the unexpected burn, the same reaction they'd all had as liquid fire had coursed through their veins. But not with Nikola. For him it hadn't been that simple.

For a long moment he'd simply blinked up at them. Disappointment slowly flooding across his face as the seconds ticked by without note; face mirroring the same frustration they were all experiencing in kind. With their own turns haven't yet progressed past that initial stinging burn.

But when it had happened for Nikola the moment had been undeniable. They had seen in it his face. In the way his breath had suddenly started coming out in a series of worrisomely throaty pants. - Eyes going wide and unfocused, as if his gaze had somehow turned inward. Deaf to their growingly concerned questions and insistent pleads.

– None of them even so much as noticing how the dull echo of the empty syringe had sounded strangely heavy as it had fallen to the ground, slipping from Nigel's shocked fingers. His grip going lax and panicked as James' voice had risen above the fray, yelling something about his surgeon's kit as Nikola's lashes fluttered alarmingly…

She remembered how she'd leaned forward, hand outstretched to touch his face. Desperate to garner some sort of response as Nikola had simply quivered in place. Gasping for air as his fingers dug into the hardwood with impossible force. Not even seeming to notice that Nigel was struggling to untie his cravat, loosening his shirt collar and buttons in an effort to ease the rapid pace of his increasingly labored breathing. The cadence turning pain hitched and close as James counted out the man's pulse, large palm all but dwarfing the delicate taper of Nikola's wrist as the man's spine went rigid.

And it was then, with her hand only inches from the man's cheek that it had happened; the change. They couldn't have even begun to imagine it at the time. - The power of it..the sheer severity. Indeed for a long moment it had seemed as though he was dying, having heart failure or possibly even a stroke right here on her parlor floor.

The lot of them had been forced to simply watch as the cords of his neck had suddenly strained, flesh rippling outwards as Nikola had abruptly convulsed. Arms flailing backwards as James and Nigel had rushed to his side, supporting him through the worst of the episode as those long, colt-like limbs had seized. Lashing out blindly as a sudden, inhuman growl rattled up his throat. – Sending the lot of them scrambling as Nikola had fallen on to all fours, hunched up and threatening, snarling out his pain and confusion as the change coursed through him.

But it had been the look in his eyes that had really shown it. Before the bright, almost ethereal nature of his usual sharp blue had been overtaken by that of heady crimson and the deep scaling blackness of the darkest shadow. Before his features had suddenly shifted and his teeth sharpened, body changing on a cellular level as the nature of his gift had suddenly become clear.

Because there had been fear in those eyes, if only for a moment. A spit second in time where he'd caught her eye amidst the chaos. Eyes reflecting all the apprehension and vulnerability of a school boy just weaned off clutching at his mother's apron strings. - Showing her a part of himself that he likely hadn't counted on as his gaze seared through her. - Letting her in perhaps for the very first time, before they'd rolled back in his head, sending him reeling back into James and Nigel's hold with a bitten off cry.

He'd been wavering between consciousness and a dead faint for close to five minutes before she'd finally thrown caution to the wind. Ignoring the others warnings as she'd leaned in to take the man's pulse. Barely missing getting slashed by the man's talons for her trouble when he'd startled back to full consciousness a split second later, his face a nightmare of old and new features as he'd bared his teeth and hissed in warning.

- James and John had their pistols cocked and aimed before she'd even had a moment to protest. Holding them back just in time with a single piercing word. She didn't know exactly why, but even then, in spite of everything she knew they hadn't lost him. Because she had seen him, the man he was and had been only a moment before, clear as day underneath the demonic guise. He was still himself.

And for his part Nikola had slowly righted himself. Rising up from his defensive crouch with a lithe sort of grace she had only even seen hints of before. Breathing hard and blinking with his new eyes. Scenting the air like a wild thing as they'd wisely retreated, giving him space to regain himself as the man tilted his head, eyes fastening on each of them in turn. Dark claws gleaming in the near light before he'd found it in himself to speak.

At first it didn't seem as though he could. Jaw working for a few heart stopping moments, as if trying to navigate his tongue around his newly sharpened teeth. The lean, arching curve of his features fluctuating between human and vampiric almost restlessly as he struggled. – Until his voice, now a deep, trembling bass had finally sounded out in the close space, waylaying the worst of their fears.

Her name had been the first to leave his lips, coming out rough edged and wondering. Lilting off in the end like a question as he'd raised his clawed hands towards the light, splaying them out in front of him. Rolling his neck strangely, as he smoothed the wrinkles out of his rumpled suit jacket, hunching his shoulders and shaking himself over, as if he'd never used the muscles before. Testing something within himself they could only guess at as he'd bared his teeth experimentally.

- She hadn't been able to take her eyes off him…

It wasn't until much later that she realized what that truly meant. What it meant to know that it had been her name that had grounded him, pulling him back from the siren song of blood lust and instinct as he struggled to regain his humanity. - Tethering him to reality as he'd pulled himself away from the brink, fighting against a veritable flood of conflicting instincts as he'd wrestled for control.

And despite the intervening years, she still hadn't quite been able to dampen the aroused shiver that had flooded through her when that realization had hit. ..To know that the same liltingly foreign accent that had so subtly caressed the syllables of her given name had meant so much more. Even then….

It took a bit of trial, error, and near panicking by the others before that enigmatic shade of polar blue had eventually returned to the man's eyes. Melting back to normalcy as his fear and confusion had slowly turning into that of wonderment and purpose. All but bursting at the seams with that same bottomless scientific curiosity and manic energy they all knew and loved.

And while she had smiled at him in return, sharing in the thrill of discovery and the adrenaline spiked excitement that came as the nature of all their gifts slowly became apparent … She had never quite forgotten that look and the feelings that had come with it.

Because the truth was that throughout the intervening years, despite John, and the loss of far too many friends and lovers, Nikola Telsa had never strayed far from her thoughts…

A/N: Please let me know what you think. Reviews and constructive critiquing are love! – Let me know if you wish for this to continue, I am considering a second part to wrap it up if there is interest.