Just when I thought I had no ideas to get back writing, I saw the first episode of Season 4 and my mojo kicked back:P. Just a one shot this time, but I hope you'll like it ;). And sorry for the Italian but it's made with Google translate so I have no idea how correct it is :).

She was always there. Whenever he made a public demonstration of his inventions, whenever he gave an interview, she was always there. Sitting in the back row, trying not to get too much attention, with these hats covering her face. Nikola didn't have a clue who she was, but there was something odd about her. He knew her. Even if they hadn't met, he always had this strange feeling that he had seen her before. But she would never talk to him. He had tried to make contact a few times, but she always ran away from him, as she was trying to hide something. But why come to his demonstrations and not make contact? At first he thought that she was shy. He was after all one of the most hunted bachelors of his time. But this woman was so… strange in a way. Most women came to his demonstrations without having a clue what he was talking about. But somehow, deep inside, Nikola knew that this woman understood everything. And only that was impressive for the 19th century.

But then one day, she didn't come. And Nikola found out something that scared him. He missed her. He hadn't got any clue about who this woman was, but he missed her. And then he realized that he had made his last public demonstrations only for her. Because he knew that there was someone there who understood him. And what was worse, he had been trying to impress her. But why in God's name? He wasn't in love with her, he couldn't have been. His heart had been taken a long time ago. And even if Helen was… a difficult person to say the least, he was planning to spend his eternity waiting for her. But this woman… She reminded him of Helen in a way. But of course, she wasn't Helen. Helen was in the UK, barely writing to him from time to time, too busy to mourn her beloved Jack or John or whatever.

But still he missed the new woman in a way. He went to his laboratory thinking about her, but he soon forgot about it when he discovered that the door was open. Nikola clearly remembered locking the door when he left. Plus, it was night so anyone who entered his laboratory at this time was most certainly a thief.

Nikola entered silently when he heard one of the windows opening. He ran over there just in time to catch the intruder, grabbing his hand as he tried to jump off the window. He pulled him back inside and took a step back when he saw who the intruder was. The mysterious woman who went to all of his public demonstrations.

"You know, this is so low, even for that Italian bastard. I know he's been trying to send radio waves over the Channel Tunnel, but sending a spy to steal my work…" Nikola said angrily, making Helen freeze. She quickly hid his face away, cursing her for her stupidity. It was bad enough that she couldn't handle the urge of seeing Nikola in the last weeks, but trying to get in his lab had been completely reckless. She had no excuse. But she missed him in a way. And yes, it was stupid, but seeing him like that, with that sparkle of glee in his eyes, charming the public with his magic…It gave her a sense of comfort. But she couldn't risk letting him know who she was. Sure, she had changed everything about her, her hair, her clothes, but it wasn't enough. He could still recognize her and she knew that. So she just decided to go with the current. If she had to pretend she was Marconi's spy, very well.

"Signore, per favore, mi può spiegare." She said with the most convincing Italian accent she managed.

"Oh I bet you can explain yourself, lady. Really now. What was the plan? Pretend you are one of my fans and make me fall in love with you so you could then steal my inventions and sell them to that thief?"

"Sì. Mi hai catturato." She said with a flirty smile. Damn it. No time for flirting, what the hell was she thinking?

"Did I now? Well I have news for you. My heart is taken." Nikola said with a sad smile. "And I admit that I'm probably in love with the most stubborn woman in the world and I have absolutely no chance with her but I'll be damned if that will stop me." The passion in his eyes when he said that almost made Helen tremble. He was talking about her. To a stranger. In that way. Dear God. She had to do something to change the subject, because if she heard anymore of this...

"Mi dispiace, ma non capisco proprio. L'inglese non è la mia prima lingua." She said as convincing as she could.

"Not your first language, huh?" Nikola said with a grin. "Molto bene. Suppongo che tu mi vuoi lasciarti andare ora come se nulla fosse successo." Damn. He was hot when he spoke Italian. Too hot for their own good.

"Sì, grazie. E non chiamare la polizia." Helen said, trying to maintain an even tone. If he was ready to let her go without too many questions asked, it was the best she could hope for.

Helen let him take her to the door, his hand behind her waist, and she couldn't help cuddling to him just a bit. It felt so good being held by someone who cared about her the way that he did, in that century that wasn't her anymore. His arms felt like home and she loved that. But she couldn't do anything about it. That day, she just had to step over the threshold and leave his life forever. Or at least for 130 years. It broke her heart that he was so close to her and yet so far, but the timeline had already been altered and she couldn't afford destroying history just for screaming that she loves him too. She had almost left when he grabbed her hand.

"How long?" he asked trying to maintain an even tone.

"Mi scusi?"

"How long will I have to wait until you make up your mind about me? Will you ever admit that you love me or I'll just die before that happened? Don't get me wrong, I would wait an eternity for you but if I only knew that you'll one day be mine... it would be a lot easier for me. So please, I only need a little help here." She avoided looking him in his eyes knowing that she wouldn't have been able to bare the sight of him crying.

"Lasciami in pace, non capisco." She continued playing her stupid role, begging that it will work. For him, she wasn't Helen. She couldn't be Helen.

"Right. You can't tell me I suppose. Just tell me you're not still with Johnny."

She just shook her head and left, but couldn't help whispering: "Come ho detto, non capisco. Ma se mi hai capito ... Direi che il futuro è tuo".

These were the last words he heard from her. She left, leaving him behind the closed door, his back propped against the wall as he couldn't help smiling. It all made sense now. He had fallen for this woman because she was Helen. Not his Helen but another one. One from the future. He couldn't even begin to think of the physical implications that this had. Time travel was impossible. But still, he had just met a future Helen. And her words were still screaming in his head. "Il futuro è tuo". The future was his. Someday she would realize that she loves him and they would finally be together. Maybe he had no idea when, but this didn't matter so much. It would happen. Sooner or later, it would happen. The future was his. He had to admit, this phrase had a certain ring to it...