A/N: Sorry for the wait, but I wanted to end this just right. When I thoroughly plotted it out, it turned out I had to do some research. So, I really hope you enjoy this and thank you to everyone who read and reviewed.

Epilogue

"Can you believe this?" one man whispered to another. "It's crazy." He put an empty bucket down on the concrete floor, followed by a bag of concrete mix.

His friend merely shook his head. "When you've got money, and lots of it, you tend to become crazy. I don't ask questions. As long as they're paying my salary..."

The beautiful blonde smiled to herself as she overheard the conversation from across the wide room that was to become the ground-floor library. At first, the five of them had argued when the idea was proposed. Should it be a high-rise, made of metal and glass? Or like their Italian villa, complete with mortar columns and marble floors? Or perhaps Gothic in style like Helen's Sanctuary? Egyptian? Russian? In the end, a hodge-podge of cultures mixed to produce the elegant monstrosity being built.

Marko strode down the hallway, muttering to himself with a sheaf of blueprints tucked under his arm. The cavernous basement, with 12-foot-high ceilings was to be the domain of his state-of-the-art laboratory. Will trailed after him with a cup of coffee in hand, struggling not to drop his jaw at the beginnings of a palace in progress.

The finished parts were already impressive, but it would take years to complete the finished project. Specialty craftsmen were flown in and housed as they created works of art. Mosaic floors, marble fountains, ornate and beamed ceilings, decorative plaster moldings, and only the grandest of furnishings were all assembled under the watchful eyes of Chiska and Roze.

Alain was content to over-see to the outside of the vast granite and limestone building being built over the size of two football fields - and directly across the street from Old City Sanctuary. Copying Helen's style with high-tech stone walls all around the perimeter, the sight of the unfinished property was already impressive and had curious visitors peeking in, including the mayor.

When Alain explained their friendship with Dr. Magnus, the mayor simply nodded and smiled, promising to have all their necessary permits fast-tracked within days. The mayor was, after all, an abnormal. Who knew?

Surprisingly, Kate was with him as she pointed out possible entry points. Her mercenary past being put to good use, but privately it was moot point to her. Who wanted to break into a residence of vampires?

And that was only if the fools got through the wicked security set-up that Danel and Henry were hashing together in one of the tech labs that Danel had claimed as his own. With Helen away on an abnormal hunt, the trio had shown up at the vampire's doorstep across the street in the early morning hours.

Helen's associates had warmed up to them. In Henry's words, 'they weren't anything like Tesla at all'. Chiska laughed softly to herself and looked out the window to the sight of Old City Sanctuary across the street. Kate had explained their presence there in a hushed tone. The boss was returning that day and Tesla, in not-so-nice words, had told them to vacate the premises ASAP (read: get out now).

She laughed again. Even when they weren't there, those two were always entertaining.

O.o.O.o.O

The carpet did have to be ripped out.

To be replaced by exotic wood flooring specially ordered by the newest, and self-proclaimed most important, member of the Sanctuary Network. Nikola Tesla. The Nikola Tesla. Electrical genius, creator of the world today, and vampire. And yes, that was what was hammered into a pure gold plate nailed to the wall next to the door of his office.

Plush furnishings, state-of-the-art equipment, and a ['Do Not Disturb (except for you, Helen)']hanging on the shiny gold doorknob. Nikola was making his presence known, even though he never used his office as anything other than a storage room. He insisted on having one in case he had visitors, visitors that did not want to kill him, that is.

Nikola spent most of his time on the top floor of the Old City Sanctuary where he had converted the entire level into a lab where he could create and experiment to his heart's content. He spent all his time there, with the windows thrown open to let his pet pigeons in or to gaze over Old City like an emperor over his subjects. When he wasn't bugging or seducing Helen, purposely irritating the 'children', or accompanying Helen on a Sanctuary capture, he was hovering over some contraption on a table, pulling miracles out of his brilliant mind.

Three months after the Cabal's attack, Nikola was leaning the stone still of a window staring out at nothing in particular. His ears picked up the usual sounds of birds, cars driving by, even the faint sounds of conversations of people passing by, though that was somewhat over-ridden by construction work. The children had been kicked out, the butler mutt making himself scarce, and he absentmindedly tugged on the collar of his dress shirt, fiddling with his expensive tie before remembering her words.

o.o.o

"A colleague of mine has tracked down an abnormal in Alaska." Helen quirked an eyebrow at him. "Coming?"

Dramatically shivering, Nikola sneered. "No thank you." His eyes raked over her bulky clothing. "Tell me only if you're heading somewhere warm, where wearing a lot less clothing than that is required. Or," he brightened, "we could head back to your villa. We never did finish our stay. And I never did get around to telling you how much I appreciated you in that bikini."

Helen, as per usual, ignored most of what he was saying. "Speaking of which, my caretaker, Pierre, fixed everything up and it seems you owe me some very expensive chocolates, Nikola. Domori, if you please."

"Helen," Nikola murmured. "We're together now. Shouldn't it be, what's yours is mine and what's mine is mine? So that means, your chocolates, your wine, you even, are all mine." He smirked widely, waiting for her to tell him to get out. Bantering with her never ceased to amuse him.

Keeping a straight face, Helen brought her face inches away from his. Their eyes locked as Nikola, arrogant as ever, waited for her to give in. His smirk widened as her lips loomed closer, her breath brushing his face as quoted, "'Notes of petals, caramel, and buttermilk.'Apurimac chocolate, Nikola, soon or I'll stop sleeping with you and," She narrowed her eyes to show that she was serious. "I'll write a tell-all book about the real Nikola Tesla. The one who enjoyed baking with me who once set his hair on fire in the middle of an experiment and who had his first kiss at the age of twenty." Helen smiled viciously.

"You wouldn't dare," he breathed. "I did not 'enjoy' baking! You asked, you were my only friend at the time, what was I supposed to say? No?"

Helen laughed in his face, straightening up. "Try not to blow anything up."

"How about burning stuff down? Is that acceptable?" he called to her retreating back.

o.o.o

Telepathy was wonderful. Not only did it make it even easier to distract Helen, it made them an even better team than before, if that was possible. It also let Nikola know, from her mind to his, that she was at the airport and would be home soon. He wasn't watching anything in particular, rather keeping an eye out for Helen's car. His eyes sharp against the sunlit sky, tracking that speck in motion as it grew in size. Helen's curls streaming gently behind her, eyes covered in shades, as she sat behind the wheel of her black convertible, speeding towards home, towards him.

As she stopped in front of the gate, a look up would have revealed an empty window.

O.o.O.o.O

The foyer was awash with sunlight. Warm, peaceful, silent.

Helen closed the door behind her and set her bags down beside her. She inhaled contentedly. Home at last. Though it was odd that no one was there to greet her, especially Nikola as she had told him at the airport. Helen smiled wryly. The man probably got caught up in another experiment...or he was waiting for her to find him, slouched attractively somewhere on a sofa with a glass of wine in his hand, a smirk bending his lips. A taunt about how she must have missed him a lot to be so eager to see him playing on his tongue.

Well, two could play at that. Helen shrugged off her jacket, combing through her curls. A warm bubble bath sounded wonderful at the moment. Nikola would eventually become bored and frustrated and seek her out. An invitation to join her in the monstrous Italian-marbled tub he'd insisted on putting in would soothe him.

A piece of white caught her eye amidst the serene setting and Helen curiously approached it. A card, small, plain, white, rectangular, sat innocently on the third step of the marble steps. Helen's brow crinkled. Picking it up, her confusion cleared slightly as she recognized Nikola's curved writing on the front.

['You...']

You? You what? Flicking open the card, a small smile curved her lips.

['...inspire me.']

Oh dear, what was that infernal, irresistible man up to now? Helen looked over the card, trying to figure out what was going on. She glanced around to see if there was anything else. Another flash of white at the top of the stairs beckoned her. She laughed quietly under her breath, moving up the stairs. Now what on Earth was going on? Before picking up an identical white card, she spied yet another waiting for her at the end of the corridor. Nikola had graciously left her a trail of crumbs with which to find him. How kind.

['I...']

The single word was written on the front.

['...adore you.']

Of course he did. He had uttered the sentiment over and over again, along her bare skin the night before she left to Alaska. He had softly whispered it in her mind when he saw her off to the airport.

Clutching the cards to her chest with one hand, Helen padded quietly down the carpeted corridor to the next speck of white.

['You...']

A smile was threatening to permanently adhere to her lips as she read the message inside.

['...make me feel alive.']

The sentiment was returned. In the three months since her change, since Nikola permanently installed himself in her life, Helen viewed life through a burst of vivid, passionate colors. A life of gray inundated with splashes of warm red, rich gold, serene blue, intense green, vivid purple, fiery orange...

Glancing both ways down another long corridor, Helen spotted the next one sitting on a wood table to the right, far down, crooking an invisible finger.

['I...']

Inside, written in his writing.

['...cherish you.']

The smile became permanent. Her blue eyes glowed. The tiny white cards urged her forward, an irresistible lure.

['You...']

Warmth flooded her.

['...are my greatest joy.']

The messages were beyond anything Helen imagined. Nikola was a constant surprise, and that was what made him so interesting.

['I...']

Up the steps, Helen went, like Alice in Wonderland following that elusive white rabbit. Not knowing what awaited her at the end, but knowing it was something spectacular. Something wondrous. She hoped it would be Nikola.

['...love the feel of you in my arms.']

Quietly, slowly, she opened the cards, revealing each heartfelt message like it was the greatest gift she'd ever received. Unwrapping it, slowly, layer by layer, and widening her eyes at what was inside.

['You...']

Down the multiple corridors, up the stairs, past doors, windows filtering warm sunshine across her face and down her back. She followed the trail of love notes; the warmth building up, tingling underneath her skin.

['...are my treasure.']

The next card was perched on the ground in front of the door to the roof, a crisp white on the burgundy carpet.

['I...']

Helen flipped open the card and her blue eyes lit up again:

['...am always thinking about you...' (Flip over)]

Her head tilted as she read the extra words and she flipped the card over to the back.

['...naked.']

A surprised laugh erupted from her lips. Now that was more like it. Helen shook her head amusedly, but her hold on the cards she'd gathered was tight. Opening the door, the short stairwell to the roof was dimly lit. No white cards sat on its stone steps, but was instead taped to the outside door. Entering the stairwell, climbing the steps, still feeling like Alice, Helen read the card.

['Care to come outside?']

Having come all this way, having been slowly enticed as any woman who'd been away from her lover too long would be, seduced with notes, and teased, nothing could prompt Helen to turn back now. She would love to come outside. What else would he have waiting for her? Her hand encircled the doorknob and turned, pushing open the door.

Helen's lips opened in an 'O' of wonder. Despite being on the roof, in the open air, the rich and heady scent of chocolate wafted up and around her. Looking around, she had literally walked into a garden of chocolate.

Packaged in boxes, lying in open tins surrounded by string confetti, overflowing in satin sacks, wrapped temptingly in colored foil, perched in woven baskets, temptingly stacked in crates. Chocolate was everywhere. And amidst it all, a beautiful left-hand chaise lounge upholstered in red with mahogany finish legs. Sitting on the soft fabric was a large gift box with a big black bow on top. A sign ['Open Me'], stuck on it.

Helen glanced around, looking for Nikola's smug face, but he was nowhere to be found. Tucking his notes into her pocket, Helen strode toward the lounge and sat, turning her attention to the gift box. Another crumb for her to follow?

Untying the bow and lifting the lid, Helen couldn't help but laugh. Inside where dozens of Domori chocolate bars, of every flavor produced and sold. He'd actually went and bought her some. And even though her taste buds weren't what they once were, Helen was still too new at this vampire thing to not crave one of favorite guilty pleasures. Another card was taped inside.

['Turn Around']

It was official. Nikola Tesla was one hell of a tease. With the notes, the veritable buffet of the best chocolate, the idea, the effort, the loving sentiment behind it all. He was driving her slowly mad. Setting the lid down on the ground, Helen turned around and almost started in bewildered surprise. Dressed simply in a white shirt, tie, and slacks, Nikola sat beside her. How...? He smirked at her bewilderment, eyes playfully dancing.

He silently opened held up a final note and grinned mischievously.

['Eat Me']

Her shoulders shook with laughter and Helen shook her head in amusement. "No, thank you."

Nikola pouted, flipping the note over.

['Kiss Me']

She smiled. "That I can do." Leaning forward, Helen trailed a finger down the side of his face and traced his lips before pressing her lips against his. Angling her head, their lips met again and again, tenderly. Nikola's note fluttered to the ground as his hands dropped to their familiar position, cradling her hips, pulling her closer. She was home. He was happy she was there.

Their lips parted, but their bodies remained pressed reassuringly together. Helen looked into his playful eyes, then around at the garden of chocolate. "How...?" Helen frowned in confusion, in wonder, in disbelief. How had he managed to do this? "I mean...I..." It was true. Nikola Tesla never did anything by half.

"Ah, I've made you speechless. Excellent." He squeezed her waist before letting go. "You demanded chocolate, didn't you? Anything to stop you from writing that embarrassing tell-all." He twisted slightly, pulling something from behind him. An open box of sinfully delicious-looking chocolate truffles. "Your chocolate, love." He held the box up. "Why don't you try this one?" He pointed to one, a dark chocolate truffle highlighted with a gold streak. "A champagne truffle. Nothing wrong with a little bubbly."

Helen couldn't disagree with him on that and she picked it up, popping it into her mouth.

"Let it melt slowly on your tongue, Helen. Allow it to spread along your taste buds. Take the time to discern the different notes in the chocolate, the taste, the quality. Appreciate the subtleties. Allow the chocolate to overwhelm your senses." Nikola gave her a slow, rakish grin that had Helen believing he wanted her to think of something, or someone else, overwhelming her senses. Still, she did as he said and found the chocolate delicious.

Holding up the box, Nikola pointed to another truffle. "Now why don't you try this one?" It was a plain-looking dark chocolate truffle.

"Shouldn't I clean my palette?" Helen asked teasingly.

He shook his head. "It won't matter with this one."

That got her attention and she looked at the one he pointed at again. It looked ordinary enough to her. She picked it up and could instantly tell something was different. "Nikola," she said slowly, scrutinizing the truffle. "This isn't a truffle."

He raised his eyebrows questioningly.

Helen turned the truffle around in her hand. "See? There's a line running through it, like it opens like a box - " Her fingers pried open the truffle and her eyes widened.

A thin silver ring lay nestled inside.

Her mouth parted in surprise. This day was full of them.

"Do you like it?" Nikola watched her face.

Slowly, Helen picked up the slim ring and studied it. If one looked closely, one could see two hearts entwining each other to create a design she had never seen before and she said so.

"It's a single wire," Nikola explained. "I made it." After browsing on the Internet for a ring in a passing fancy, he'd come across an entire community of jewelers who made jewelry out of simple wires. He'd downloaded the tutorial for this one, not that he would ever tell Helen that.

"It's beautiful," she breathed, still studying it. "Adding 'jeweler' to your impressive repertoire?"

"I can't help but be good at anything I do. It's a curse." Nikola slowly took her left hand, taking the ring from her. He stared at her, eyes sincere and warm as he paused for a moment. The ring hovered in the air before sliding smoothly on her finger. It fit perfectly as they both knew it would. Their eyes never left each other's and as the ring slid home, simultaneous smiles lifted their lips. They were still smiling as they met for a second kiss; their fingers entwined.

He didn't ask her and she never uttered her consent. They were probably never going to have a ceremony; neither had the burning inclination for a piece of paper to declare their bond and both were more than fine with that. They were in this together, living the rest of their lives side-by-side. Nothing written on paper, nothing logged in a government office somewhere, no witnesses.

To them, marriage was a paltry word to describe what they had.

What they had, simply put, was more.

O.o.O.o.O

"...and that was how your father gave me this ring," Helen explained to her enraptured audience.

The blue eyes set in a cherubic face shined. "So you were like a princess and daddy was the prince!" The small body burrowed further into her mother's warmth.

Helen frowned. Prince? Princess? Not...really. She smiled down at the head of brown curls leaning against her chest. Her daughter was at that age where princesses were everything and pink was the only color that existed. "I suppose so, Viktoriya."

The blue eyes became calculated in an instant. "Mommy...do you still have all those chocolates?"

She laughed. "No, darling. This happened quite a few years ago. Long before you were born." She tapped her daughter on the nose.

Viktoriya frowned, an exact match to her father's. "Would they have tasted like M&M's?"

"Certainly not, young lady," Nikola announced from the open doorway where he had been unashamedly eavesdropping. "We need to broaden your horizons." He sauntered into the room, dressed in a crisp dress shirt, tailored vest, and slacks.

On Nikola's heels, a small, slightly pudgy one-year-old toddled rapidly after him. Dressed in khaki pants, a blue polo shirt, and the tiniest pair of Nike shoes, the toddler's sneakered soles thumped on the wood flooring with great enthusiasm. The blond highlights in his brown hair shone in the sunlight as he tried his hardest to catch up to Nikola's saunter.

Helen rose and Nikola looked back as he tripped on the fringes of the carpet with a loud thump. Viktoriya giggled. The family watched as, instead of bursting into tears, the boy merely looked fascinated at the fringes that had caused his unseemly fall.

Plopping onto his cushioned bottom, he reached a pudgy hand out to the white woolen strands, grabbing a few. Fingers clumsily inspected this odd-looking thing with an intensity that would have made Nikola proud. After a few moments of tangled study, the boy stuffed the material in his mouth.

"Dimitri, no!" Helen chastised.

Nikola caught her by the waist. "Wait."

"But - "

"How will he learn anything if he doesn't experiment, Helen?" He smirked at her.

Dimitri's baby face screwed up in disgust before spitting out the white fringes. "No!" he spat loudly.

"See?" Nikola raised his eyebrows. "Now he knows that eating carpets is disgusting. He won't do it again." He shot a look down at the little girl standing beside him, clutching adoringly at his pants. "Reminds me of someone when she was his age."

"I didn't eat the carpet!" Victoriya protested, not wanting to be compared to her little brother in any way. She shifted her blue eyes to her mother and paused. "Did I?" she asked hesitantly.

Helen smiled softly down at her fiery second daughter. Ashley would always be her first; her blonde feisty light. Taken from her physically, but held always, securely, in the warmth of her heart. "Of course not, darling."

"You're right," Nikola announced. He pulled teasingly on his daughter's brown curls and grinned at her triumphant look. "It wasn't the carpet."

"It was the bathroom soap you ate."

Fin.

For pics of Helen's ring, villa, etc., you can find them on my LJ, the link to it is on my profile. Thanks for reading!