Sorry this took me so long but there were a lot of things that I had to deal with that I didn't think of when I started this.

I tried my very hardest to make the end not sappy or too corny (especially a certain part that I'm sure some of you'll appreciate, even if it's just the sentiment) but, like the word count, it sort of exploded without any concious decision on my part.

Considering I'm about to come into a LOT of free time, I've decided to make this a little series of sorts, connected only by the idea that this is how I would have liked to see them write the episodes. So, you know, stay tuned. Oh, and naturally, we'll only be looking at episodes with, ya know, Helen and Nikola :P

Thanks for all the reviews so far, they make me happy so keep 'em comin'!

Enjoy

xx

"They're gone Helen, trust me. They think we've escaped," Nikola said as he grabbed her hand. She snatched her hand back before shooting him a dark look.

"While I appreciate the optimism, Nikola, I prefer to work with facts rather than assumptions," she hissed, grabbing for her gun. Regardless of what had just happened, Helen was on alert. This was the Cabal after all and this was not the time to be taking chances.

"What was your original getaway plan?" she asked Nikola, checking the cartridge of her gun before taking a peek around the corner.

"God, you look sexy with a gun," he whispered, moving in to nuzzle her neck. Before she could react, one of his arms was already snaking around her waist. She whipped her head around to chastise him only to find his lips firmly glued to hers. Unthinkingly she let out a small moan and melted into his arms, the imminent danger pushed to the back of her mind by his oh so skilful tongue. Her free hand automatically moved to his hair and she twisted and squirmed until he moved to press her body into the wall. His hips were moving against hers with a rhythm reminiscent of their storage closet tryst and Helen felt herself getting dizzy. Just in the nick of time, Nikola's lips slipped off hers and began to trace a path down her jaw to her neck.

As he began to suckle and nip her already marked pulse point, Helen's eyes drifted open for a fraction of a second but it was enough. With accuracy honed over many decades of practice, she raised her gun and, as she tried to push Nikola from her, shot the single Cabal agent twice. Nikola immediately twisted away from her, following the line of her gun. It didn't escape Helen's notice that, even as he took in the figure of the Cabal agent lying on the floor, his arm was still around her waist, keeping their bodies in contact

"Nice," he said after a moment, giving her an impressed look before stepping back.

"Thanks," Helen said breathlessly. As much as she wanted nothing more than to pull his lips back to hers, Helen knew that the sound of the gun shots would soon bring more agents running and, as such, she almost ran over to the collapsed figure. Ignoring the blood spilling from his body, she grabbed his handgun, shoving it into the back of her skirt before taking a quick look around.

So far they were alone but considering just how loud her two shots had been, Helen didn't like her chances.

"Exit strategy?" she asked quickly.

"Beauty before brains," Nikola said with a quick smile, gesturing for her to head down the nearest corridor. She could feel his hand on the small of her back, guiding her but, as it slipped just that little bit lower, Helen was a little shocked when she didn't protest.

In fact, she was more than a little surprised at everything she'd done. It had been years since she'd even heard from Nikola yet, within two minutes of her arrival she'd been, metaphorically, on her back. Their relationship had always been coloured by flirty banter but apparently a lack of contact could and would very easily change that. She'd never felt the urge to jump him before so maybe it would just be a one of.

Or not.

After experiencing even what he could offer in a supply closet, Helen knew that, given the chance, she'd be very much interested in exploring what he could do in a bed, on her desk, in her car, in that empty ballroom over there…

Shaking off the though, Helen realised where they were headed.

"The basement?" she asked as they hurried down a set of stairs.

"Catacombs," he corrected as he produced an ancient looking key. "They run right under the city and, if my contact is right, they'll come out a fair distance from here."

"Your contact?" she asked as he pushed open the door.

"Concierge, at my hotel," he said. "There are so many reasons I love Rome and after today, I think I can safely add another to the list," he added with a leer in her direction.

Unsure of what to do, Helen rolled her eyes and scoffed, pleased that the dark would cover her blush. Or, would have, if Nikola hadn't just performed his patented parlour trick (most certainly not the words she'd ever use to describe it to him, after all, he did still hold something of a grudge against the patent office).

"Helen," he said, sounding faintly surprised and a lot smug. "Are you blushing?"

"Oh shut up and get me out of here," she said defensively, stalking past him.

"Not until you tell me if you were blushing or not," he said playfully, grabbing her arm and dragging her around to face him. She glared at him for a second before coming up with a brilliant plan. Quickly, she darted forwards, pressing her lips against his. Instantly his hands were on her hips, pushing her backwards until she felt the rough stone against her back. She let out a gasp around his lips before knotting her hands in his hair. One of her legs slipped up his, the heel of her boot digging into his calf, making him moan against her.

"God Helen, we have to stop or I'm going to take you right here, right now," he whispered.

"If we don't stop I have a feeling I'm going to let you take me right here, right now," she whispered back. With a chuckle, Nikola pulled back far enough to drop his forehead against hers.

"You're going to kill me, you know that, right?" he asked as he stepped back from her, straightening his ruined jacket.

"Considering your regenerative abilities, I'll take that as quite a compliment," she said huskily and he groaned.

"I should have guessed. You, Helen Magnus, are a minx."

She smiled chuckled at him, pleased that she'd found a way to keep him quiet. What a pity that it wasn't a method she could employ once she'd introduced him to her team, she mused. Then she stopped. Now she was getting ahead of herself. For all she knew, Nikola was planning on running away just as soon as he'd showed her whichever harebrained scheme he'd come up with this time (and she had no doubt that there was one).

Together they hurried through the winding catacombs and a sense of dread began to creep up Helen's spine.

"Why are we down here? And I want the truth," she hissed at him as he pulled her into yet another corridor.

"I need your help," he whispered back, grabbing her hand. Now that shocked her more than her own inability to keep her legs together.

"Help?" she echoed lightly.

"Haven't you wondered what I was working on these last 60 years?" he asked her as they darted into another corridor. She remained silent, waiting for the harebrained scheme. He stopped, pulling her towards him. With some effort, she avoided falling right into his chest but the pure excitement in his eyes made her want to run her hand through his hair. He was so childlike at times, getting so caught up in a project. It reminded her of the times back at Oxford when he'd get disheartened, pouting magnificently for days on end until he finally figured it out and then his eyes would shine brighter than the sun and his smile wasn't far behind.

"I was thinking about all those things we learnt, back at Oxford and how the blood changed each of us. You all unlocked random pieces of DNA but for me it was personal, Helen," he enthused quietly, still holding her hands.

"As it was for all of us," she said, attempting to soothe him for a reason she couldn't understand.

"No, it was different. I found out who I really was." His glee was almost contagious now but in a way that made Helen wary.

"Nikola," she warned, darting her eyes around in case whatever it was was in fact down here.

There was a distant scream and, while fear appeared in Helen's eyes, the glee in Nikola's seemed to increase.

"Quickly now," he said, grabbing her and dragging her after him. He was walking fast and getting faster. There had been no more screams but Helen felt the silence to be more telling.

"Nikola please, tell me what's going on," she hissed, trying to yank her hand free.

"My work has just saved us from meeting an untimely end with the Cabal," he said proudly as they rounded a corner. Two vampire like creatures were crouched over what appeared to be a member of the Cabal.

"My god," she breathed as Nikola turned to face her, his eyes still shining. "How?"

"I've reanimated them, using my own blood," he said excitedly as the two creatures in question shifted restlessly. "They're fast, vicious, strong but dumb as tree stumps," he said with a slight pout.

"You want me to make them intelligent," she breathed, eyes widening with horror.

"Just imagine. Sanguine Vampris, reborn." She could see the naked excitement in his eyes and it was terrifying. He'd lost it, completely and utterly lost it she decided.

"They'd only enslave us again," Helen whispered, backing up ever so slightly. Hurt flashed through his eyes but too soon it was replaced by that singled minded determination he'd always possessed.

"This is everything you've ever wanted Helen. You and I could lead the abnormal community. We could usher in the new golden age." His eyes were begging her now, pleading with her to support his twisted brand of reasoning.

"You're mad Nikola."

"NO!" he roared, stepping closer to her and she flinched. Slowly he raised a hand to caress the side of her face but she twitched away and he dropped it. "This is as much for you as it is me."

"What on earth are you on about? Why would you ever think that I'd support something as ridiculous as this?"

"Because I love you. More than that lunatic Druitt ever did. And you love me."

She stopped breathing. He couldn't have heard those stupid words she'd mumbled in his ear, could he? And he didn't love her, Nikola didn't love her. Did he?

Then came the sound of gunfire and, before she could even think to react, Nikola almost picked her up as they ran to shelter. He shoved her roughly against the wall, pining her there as they both listened to the fire fight. Metallic screeches and human screams floated towards them, gunfire punctuating the chilling noises. Then there was an explosion.

The walls and roof shook with the force of it and Helen wrapped her arms around Nikola, pulling him closer. Smoke filled her nostrils and she buried her nose in his neck.

"What was that?" she muttered against him, uncertain as to whether he'd hear her muffled question.

"I haven't a clue but I don't think we should go investigate," he replied, pulling back slightly. She nodded her approval as he grabbed her hand and together they sped away from the explosion. After a few tense moments they slowed, looking around cautiously for any more Cabal agents. It was only at this point that Helen noticed the look of complete and utter irritation on Nikola's face.

"What is it?" she asked, worried.

"They'll have been destroyed," he whined and instantly she caught up to him.

"Do not even think about complaining. The death of those poor creatures was the best thing that could have happened," she argued, prodding him in the chest for good measure. He glared down at her, swatting her hand away.

"Since when did you get so short sighted?" he snapped. "My work these past 60 years has been all about returning the abnormal community to its rightful place among the ruling class!"

"Your work these past 60 years has clearly been nothing more than a shameful attempt at world domination!" she bit back, hands on hips.

"And how is it any different to what we did back at Oxford all those years ago?" he bellowed, stepping towards her, using what little height advantage he had to tower over her.

"BECAUSE IT IS! AND YOU BLOODY WELL KNOW IT!"

His eyes were glittering dangerously and she was grabbing the front of his jacket so tightly her knuckles were white with the effort. Both were breathing heavily and the tension in the air was thick.

And then, with a dark, vampiric growl, he all but threw her against the nearest wall and while the jiggered stone should have hurt against her back, his lips on hers, while not even remotely soothing, certainly distracted her from the pain. She moaned into his lips and pulled him as close as she could. His teeth nipped at her bottom lip and in retaliation, she sunk her nails into his skull, pleased when he hissed at the action. She smirked smugly against his lips but her victory was short lived. Before she even realised what was happening his nails extended and, in one quick flick of the wrist, a slit appeared in her skirt, leaving it hanging off her hips by the slimmest of threads. As if ruining her favourite skirt wasn't enough to set her on edge, it seemed his nails had sliced into her thigh too.

With a huff she shoved him away to take stock of the damage. She heard him chuckle but thought nothing of it until he landed on his knees before her. With a cheeky grin, his strong hands were on her hips, holding her steady as his lips descended on the long, thin trails of blood he had caused. In truth, until that point, she'd only been peripherally aware that she was bleeding, so minor were his marks but as his tongue swept up her thigh, she found herself inexplicably glad she was. Gripping his head harshly, she tried to manoeuvre him to where she needed his talented tongue most but he resisted, pulling back so that only the tip of his tongue was sending those little bolts of electricity straight to her core. Her entire body was throbbing in time with the touch of his tongue, sending her closer and closer to madness.

"Nikola," she moaned, trying to sound threatening. And failing miserably, she gathered when he chuckled. With a low growl she pulled his head back as far as she could manage, fed up with his teasing. In an instant she brought her knee up, slamming it into his jaw with all the force she could manage. The resulting crunch was sickening and sent him flying backwards with not so much the strength of the blow but with surprise.

After letting out a joyful chuckle, Helen stalked over to where he was sprawled on the floor, looking dazed. She saw him attempt to get up so she stradled him, sitting on his upper thighs as she ran her hands up and down his chest.

"That hurt," he growled but Helen noticed he made no attempt to throw her off.

"Serves you right," she purred, leaning down to bury her face in the crook of his neck, nipping at the soft skin there. "You should know better than to try and destroy society as we know it on my watch." He chuckled at that and Helen had the feeling he was about to say something which, quite frankly, was unacceptable. Pressing her hips more firmly against his, she moved to kiss him harshly as her hands eagerly sought out his belt, brushing against his bulging erection as she did so. He groaned into her mouth and sent his hands on a similar mission, squeezing at as much of her as he could. Roughly his hands shoved her ruined skirt over her hips before using a nail to slice through her lace panties. Sheathing his nails for the time being, he started to stroke her damp curls with a tenderness that didn't reflect the rest of their encounter, earning himself a few quick thrusts and twists.

Then, as her hand finally closed around his almost painfully aroused cock, he gasped, causing her to smirk.

"God Helen, I love you," he whispered hoarsely, eyes flitting shut. She froze, staring down at him.

"Do you mean that?" she asked as she did something particularly sinful wither her hands that drew a low growl from him.

"Of course I do," he hissed, eyes opening as he arched into her hand.

"Really?"

And there was that twist again.

"GOD! IloveyouIloveyouIloveyou," he cried emphatically.

"Tell me you love me Nikola," she purred, stroking him faster and faster. She'd been embarrassed by her earlier declaration of love, even if it had been in the midst of a rather heated encounter so she was quite happy to literally squeeze the words out of him, even if she knew it wasn't quite the same.

She felt him throb in her hand and a smile of satisfaction spread across her face. He arched up one more time and she let go of him. His groan of disapproval vibrated through his entire body and up into hers. With a cruel smirk she rose up above him, positioning her now dripping core over his cock.

"Minx," he growled and she chuckled but, before she could lower herself onto him, in a manoeuvre that had everything to do with vampiric strength, he had both of them upright and careening backwards and, as her back hit the wall, he slid into her. She cried out indistinctly, wrapping a leg around his hips as she began to thrust as much as his tight embrace would allow. Slowly, so slowly that Helen thought she might explode, he began to thrust, slowing her to feel every generous inch of him.

All too soon, she was screaming, her body convulsing around his which sent him over the edge. Faster and faster he thrust until they were both struggling for breath. When finally they were both still, Nikola chuckled into her neck. Helen swatted at him but, when he tried to step back, she held him tight, not willing to relinquish the embrace just yet. Then the reality of where they were hit home and she pushed him away, wobbling a little as she tried to fix what was left of her clothes.

"Do you think we'll ever make it to a bed?" Nikola asked casually and, if she hadn't been so shaky, she'd have hit him.

"Just get me out of here," she complained.

"Of course, love," he whispered, wrapping an arm around her waist and together they slowly started walking towards what she hoped would be an exit. They were silent for a few minutes and, bit by bit, Helen felt some of her strength returning. She debated whether or not to tell Nikola as such but his arm around her waist was too comforting.

"I meant what I said," he said softly after a while, causing her to stop. She knew what she thought he was talking about but couldn't bring herself to hope that that was what he was talking about. He stopped walking and moved to stand in front of her.

"I love you, Helen."

She gulped and suddenly he looked as nervous as she felt which was a little concerning. After all Nikola Tesla was nothing if not bold so the uncertainty dancing in his eyes was foreign enough to Helen to make her worried.

"I wasn't… That wasn't lust," he said softly with uncharacteristic shyness that melted her heart.

"It wasn't… I mean, I wasn't…" she tried, alarmed when fear filled those startling eyes of his. "I feel the same way," she rushed, not looking him in the eye. Next thing she knew, his lips were on hers, kissing her softly. Slowly her hands moved to his shoulders, steadying herself as he continued to kiss her gently. He pulled away and brushed his lips against hers one last time before smiling down at her.

"I love you," he whispered and she smiled.

"As I love you."

"I must admit, when I came to your rescue Helen, this was the last thanks I ever thought I'd receive," someone snarled from behind them.

"Mom?"

"Ashley?"

"John," Nikola hissed, grabbing Helen and pulling her back to stand behind him.

Helen was about to protest but then she caught a glimpse of the pure hatred in his gaze.

"Ashley," she said shakily, not taking her eyes off John. "Come here. Now." Ashley made to walk towards her but John grabbed her arm.

"She's our daughter Helen, I'll not have you contaminate her with that filth," John said quietly, smiling softly at her.

"Let go of me," Ashley said, fighting against his grip.

"Let go of her," Nikola snarled, stepping towards John as he let his transformation take over.

"Don't you dare tell me what to do with my own child," John hissed, stepping towards Nikola, dragging Ashley with him.

"Please John, let her go," Helen cried as she walked towards them. "Whatever your grievance is, take it up with me."

"No," growled Nikola.

"As you wish, my dear," John said, tossing Ashley to the side with enough force to render her unconscious. Helen cried out in alarm but, before she could rush to her daughter's side, John teleported in front of her. She flinched at the action but, before she could move, Nikola had pushed her aside and was fighting tooth and nail.

"Go Helen, get Ashley and run!" Nikola ordered as he slashed John's chest, nails coming away streaked with blood. In a few quick moves, Nikola had the other man by the throat and had raised his hand to slam in through his chest but as much as she needed him dead, Helen couldn't watch the man she loved become the murderer of the father of her child. If anything, that was a privilege she'd earned for herself.

"No, Nikola, stop! Don't kill him!" she cried and Nikola's head turned so he could look at her. Taking advantage of the distraction, John took a swipe, forcing Nikola to relinquish his grip momentarily. It was enough time for John to disappear in a red flash. Helen sprinted over to Ashley who was still unconscious. Quickly she checked to see if there was any real damage, relieved to find none. She turned back to tell Nikola to come and help her only to see John materialize behind the unsuspecting vampire. Her eyes widened in shock at the same moment Nikola's did and, together they looked down at the fist protruding from his gut.

Nikola let out a small gurgle before John withdrew his hand, letting the other man fall to the ground. Helen's scream was painful even to her own ears. Her first instinct was to rush to his side but, as she tried to do so, John reappeared in front of her, grabbing her shoulders to keep her still. He raked his eyes up and down her body, taking in the love bites on her neck and the ruined state of her skirt. The cool determination in his eyes washed over her and she knew what she had to do. For Nikola.

"I always knew you were unclean Helen but this take the cake," John growled at her.

"Are you going to kill me?" she asked calmly.

"Naturally."

"Then I suppose I can tell you, back at Oxford, no one liked you."

"Because I had you," he reasoned softy as he stroked her cheek. With her arm now, Helen slowly began to inch her hand to the back of her skirt where her gun miraculously still was.

"No, because you were an obnoxious ass. They tolerated you because you had me," she spat back, bringing a knee up into his groin as her hands closed around the butt of her gun. Whipping it out, she elbowed his face, sending him reeling. He took several steps back, glaring at her with murder in his eyes. He opened his mouth to speak but she was too quick, pulling the trigger before even the first word could slip out. And this time, he didn't get away in time. With a precision born of practice, the bullet went straight through his shiny forehead.

His body crumpled and she looked away from him and back towards her daughter who was beginning to stir.

"Mom?" she asked groggily and Helen was by her side instantly.

"I'm right here. Everything is fine, you're going to be alright," Helen said, as much for herself as Ashley. Slowly she helped her sit up and watched Ashley's eyes widen as she took in the carnage. The girl swallowed a few times before looking her mother in the eye.

"He was my father, wasn't he?"

Helen could do nothing but nod, wondering what the grim determination on her daughter's face meant.

"And the other guy? Who was he?"

Helen began to choke up at that question but, as she opened her mouth to respond, a light groan hit her ears. Both women spun towards the sound of the noise only to notice Nikola's hand twitching ever so slightly. In an instant she was beside his side.

"My god, Nikola," Helen whispered, looking down at his pale form. He opened his eyes briefly, smiled at her and then fell back into unconsciousness. Her fingers sought out his pulse, relieved to find it at all.

"Mom? What's going on?" Ashley asked, crouching down next to her mother.

"Let's get home and then I'll explain," Helen said. Between the two of them, they managed to half carry, half drag Nikola to an exit which they found without too much trouble. Helen had called in every favour she had, getting them a van, a driver and a private jet back to Old City. She'd given Ashley a very brief rundown of events (skipping over the bits that involved her losing clothes) and although she could see her daughter bursting with questions, she was glad that most of them remained unasked.

They were half an hour into the journey in the van when Nikola came around again. He'd flittered in and out of consciousness ever since they'd dragged him from the catacombs but never for more than a few seconds but now he was moaning softly.

"Helen," he choked out and she shuffled from her seat so that she could better see him.

"I'm here," she cooed softly as she cupped his cheek.

"Hi," he whispered softly and she smiled, barely holding back her tears of relief.

He smiled back at her for a few moments before darting his eyes to Ashley.

"Do I get an introduction?" he rasped softly and she let out a weak chuckle.

"Of course. Ashley, this is Nikola. Nikola, my daughter Ashley."

The pair shared a small smile as Nikola tried to sit up a little to offer his hand.

"Charmed," Ashley said, not taking the bloodied hand Nikola held out to her. "You could have at least told me you were here to meet someone here Mom," Ashley muttered as she threw a blanket over her mother's rather exposed lap.

"What? No, that's not- I mean, I had no idea that Nikola would-," Helen said, flustered but Nikola laughed weakly.

"Oh I think I'm going to like her," he told Helen, giving Ashley a conspiratory wink.

"Oh God," Helen moaned, burying her face in her hands. "What on earth have I unleased?"

This time both Ashley and Nikola laughed.

I do apologise for any mistakes. I wrote a good portion of this on the train in a fit of anger. Needless to say, I'll never look at my Mr. Squiggle notebook the same way again. Nor will the person who was reading over my shoulder the whole ride I think... But, right, I'm a crappy editor so I'm super sorry...

Oh, and I've no idea why they didn't check out the explosion, they just didn't, yeah?