The One Who Cared
Title: The One Who Cared
Author: tardis_mafia
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: They're mine - all mine! I don't own them, sadly, but I'd like to.
Characters: Kate Freelander, Nikola Tesla, Helen Magnus, Will Zimmerman; mentions of Henry Foss.
Summary: Kate gets comforted by a vampire.
Beta: The fantabulous persiflage_1.
Helen looked around for her oldest friend in the Sanctuary, but couldn’t find Tesla anywhere, not even the library or the wine cellar. She saw Will coming down the hall and asked if he’d seen the older man.
“He was talking with Kate earlier, but other than that, I don’t really know.” Will shrugged. “Don’t really care either.”
Helen smiled and chuckled, and continued her attempt to locate the newest member of her team.
Kate was also nowhere to be found, until she remembered one of Kate’s thinking spots: the roof. It was Helen’s as well, knowing it was a good place to work out your troubles.
She headed to the roof slowly, and quietly opened the door to see Kate and Tesla sitting side by side on the edge of the roof, just talking with their legs dangling over the side. She didn’t know if they’d heard her or not, but if they did, the pair didn’t give any indication that they had. Helen watched them for a while, wondering what they were talking about, but mostly observing how well they got along with each other.
It didn’t surprise her really. Nothing ever did anymore. Kate may have been a hard, tough girl on the outside, but on the inside, she was very soft, reserved, and maybe even a little damaged. Or maybe broken was a better word. Nikola, she thought, might seem the same way on the outside, or at least very similar. He was always the arrogant know-it-all who felt it was his duty to point out his brilliance, but when she was able to talk to him alone, he could be very…comforting; maybe even a little understanding, and certainly knowledgeable.
Helen saw Kate bow her head, as if she’d just heard some distressing news, but Nikola, of all people, was there to comfort her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and let her head fall on his shoulder. Helen could see Kate’s body shaking, maybe trembling. She was crying. But Tesla rubbed a hand up and down her arm, whispering something into her ear.
Helen knew what this was about: Kate’s friend Similia.
“You didn’t kill her,” she heard Nikola say. “She was killed by someone else.”
Similia, apparently, had been Kate’s best friend growing up, but she’d gotten mixed up with the wrong people and the person she was supposed to trust had killed her by shooting her in the heart. Kate had watched this happen and it took everything she had not to kill the bastard who did it.
Helen tried to back away from the scene, but she couldn’t. Not because she wanted to pry, but because what she was seeing really touched her.
“She told me she needed help and I got there too late,” Kate’s trembling voice said. The wind blew some of Kate’s hair into her face. “I could’ve done something, but I didn’t.”
“And you think that makes you a killer?” asked Tesla.
“In a way, ‘cause this could’ve been avoided.” Kate sniffled, wiping away the tears in her eyes. Nikola took out his handkerchief and handed it to her. “Not like I don’t like your company but, dude, why are you out here?”
“Well, dude,” he started, making Kate laugh. Helen smiled at this. “I watched someone close to me die, too, and I couldn’t help them, so I know how it feels. Besides, I’m not completely heartless. I can care for other people besides myself too, you know.” Nikola gave her a friendly nudge, and didn’t go into further detail about the person he had seen die in front of his eyes. “Just don’t tell Druitt or Helen - they’ll think I’m a thoughtful person, and god knows I’ll never hear the end of the teasing from John if he knew what I was saying to you.”
Kate turned to look at him and gave him a teary eyed smirk.
“Yeah, I guess you’re not a bad guy.” She chuckled and wiped her eyes again. “But your secret’s safe with me, Vlad.”
“Good thing too, Brat, ‘cause then I’d have to hurt you if this got out to the rest of the world.” Nikola shook his head at her, but couldn’t stop the smile on his face.
“You’re dead to the world, Nik. I think people finding out you’re still alive would be more of a shock than you being nice to me.” Kate laughed and daringly looped her arm through his.
This was what Kate needed; just someone to understand her. And who would’ve thought it would be Nikola Tesla?
Helen shook her head with a smile and quietly headed back inside, closing the door behind her.
“So now that you seem to be smiling,” Nikola turned back to his normal self, brushing the hair away from Kate’s face. “What do you say we go and tease Henry a bit? I haven’t done that since I’ve been away, and now that I’m back I’m afraid I’ll get a little rusty if I don’t start on it again.”
“You’re on.” Kate smiled, letting herself be helped up by the man in black and followed him inside the Sanctuary. “Hey,” she stopped him as he closed the door. “You got anymore of that wine left?”
“Yes, I do.” He smiled.
“Good, ‘cause that stuff was good.”
“Looks like I’ve created another monster.”
Author: tardis_mafia
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: They're mine - all mine! I don't own them, sadly, but I'd like to.
Characters: Kate Freelander, Nikola Tesla, Helen Magnus, Will Zimmerman; mentions of Henry Foss.
Summary: Kate gets comforted by a vampire.
Beta: The fantabulous persiflage_1.
Helen looked around for her oldest friend in the Sanctuary, but couldn’t find Tesla anywhere, not even the library or the wine cellar. She saw Will coming down the hall and asked if he’d seen the older man.
“He was talking with Kate earlier, but other than that, I don’t really know.” Will shrugged. “Don’t really care either.”
Helen smiled and chuckled, and continued her attempt to locate the newest member of her team.
Kate was also nowhere to be found, until she remembered one of Kate’s thinking spots: the roof. It was Helen’s as well, knowing it was a good place to work out your troubles.
She headed to the roof slowly, and quietly opened the door to see Kate and Tesla sitting side by side on the edge of the roof, just talking with their legs dangling over the side. She didn’t know if they’d heard her or not, but if they did, the pair didn’t give any indication that they had. Helen watched them for a while, wondering what they were talking about, but mostly observing how well they got along with each other.
It didn’t surprise her really. Nothing ever did anymore. Kate may have been a hard, tough girl on the outside, but on the inside, she was very soft, reserved, and maybe even a little damaged. Or maybe broken was a better word. Nikola, she thought, might seem the same way on the outside, or at least very similar. He was always the arrogant know-it-all who felt it was his duty to point out his brilliance, but when she was able to talk to him alone, he could be very…comforting; maybe even a little understanding, and certainly knowledgeable.
Helen saw Kate bow her head, as if she’d just heard some distressing news, but Nikola, of all people, was there to comfort her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and let her head fall on his shoulder. Helen could see Kate’s body shaking, maybe trembling. She was crying. But Tesla rubbed a hand up and down her arm, whispering something into her ear.
Helen knew what this was about: Kate’s friend Similia.
“You didn’t kill her,” she heard Nikola say. “She was killed by someone else.”
Similia, apparently, had been Kate’s best friend growing up, but she’d gotten mixed up with the wrong people and the person she was supposed to trust had killed her by shooting her in the heart. Kate had watched this happen and it took everything she had not to kill the bastard who did it.
Helen tried to back away from the scene, but she couldn’t. Not because she wanted to pry, but because what she was seeing really touched her.
“She told me she needed help and I got there too late,” Kate’s trembling voice said. The wind blew some of Kate’s hair into her face. “I could’ve done something, but I didn’t.”
“And you think that makes you a killer?” asked Tesla.
“In a way, ‘cause this could’ve been avoided.” Kate sniffled, wiping away the tears in her eyes. Nikola took out his handkerchief and handed it to her. “Not like I don’t like your company but, dude, why are you out here?”
“Well, dude,” he started, making Kate laugh. Helen smiled at this. “I watched someone close to me die, too, and I couldn’t help them, so I know how it feels. Besides, I’m not completely heartless. I can care for other people besides myself too, you know.” Nikola gave her a friendly nudge, and didn’t go into further detail about the person he had seen die in front of his eyes. “Just don’t tell Druitt or Helen - they’ll think I’m a thoughtful person, and god knows I’ll never hear the end of the teasing from John if he knew what I was saying to you.”
Kate turned to look at him and gave him a teary eyed smirk.
“Yeah, I guess you’re not a bad guy.” She chuckled and wiped her eyes again. “But your secret’s safe with me, Vlad.”
“Good thing too, Brat, ‘cause then I’d have to hurt you if this got out to the rest of the world.” Nikola shook his head at her, but couldn’t stop the smile on his face.
“You’re dead to the world, Nik. I think people finding out you’re still alive would be more of a shock than you being nice to me.” Kate laughed and daringly looped her arm through his.
This was what Kate needed; just someone to understand her. And who would’ve thought it would be Nikola Tesla?
Helen shook her head with a smile and quietly headed back inside, closing the door behind her.
“So now that you seem to be smiling,” Nikola turned back to his normal self, brushing the hair away from Kate’s face. “What do you say we go and tease Henry a bit? I haven’t done that since I’ve been away, and now that I’m back I’m afraid I’ll get a little rusty if I don’t start on it again.”
“You’re on.” Kate smiled, letting herself be helped up by the man in black and followed him inside the Sanctuary. “Hey,” she stopped him as he closed the door. “You got anymore of that wine left?”
“Yes, I do.” He smiled.
“Good, ‘cause that stuff was good.”
“Looks like I’ve created another monster.”