Chapter Text
Edging closer towards the door, Helen reached out and gripped the frame, keeping herself mostly hidden as she peeked around the edge to watch the pair.
Originally she had intended to walk out and join them, but as she got closer, she could hear their chatter and couldn’t help feeling as if she was about to disturb something. As if her presence would change the little dynamic that was happening between the two, so she chose a place to hide, watching them from a distance.
It wasn’t often she got to see these two together, without others around that is, but the way they were talking sounded as though this happened often enough and it had Helen wonder what other little moments she had missed.
There couldn’t be that many surly, there had only been a few occasions where she had been watching over Alice while her parents were away, and Nikola had always been busying himself in the lab.
But here they were, talking as if this happened every day.
She had first spotted Alice about twenty minutes ago from her window, running back and forth in what the little girl had affectionately dubbed ‘the garden’.
It was a beautiful little area, in its own natural rugged way, mostly out of site this little piece had escaped the radical landscaping that had taken place over the years, boulders still sat in small groups draped in thick carpets of moss, the little room between them taken by large leafy ferns.
A small amount of grass now growing in patches across the hard stone floor but mostly the parts that were flat enough to walk on remained bare, in fact the only part of ‘the garden’ that had been altered in any way since Helen had built the sanctuary was the patio by the door that served as a quick and easy exit from the building.
Alice had been quite taken with it, and Helen realising she could just about see the small area from her office had kept a watchful eye.
It had in fact become one of her favourite distractions over the past week while Erica and Henry had been away.
she had spent hours now watching her play since she had discovered that small patch, collecting pebbles and climbing all over the small boulders and sometimes, to Helens great amusement, she even managed to drag along a reluctant playmate for whatever games she had planned that day.
But today, seeing as the play mate of choice was Nikola, Helen could not simply just watch.
She had moved quite quickly, once she got past her surprise of seeing Alice run into the building for the final time, emerging with a basket full of apples and a rather disgruntled looking Nikola in tow.
Despite feeling a twinge of guilt for spying on them, she couldn’t help smiling as she listened to Alice enthusiastically explain how to play bobbing apples to Nikola, she was obviously very excited, waving her arms about widely and bouncing on her feet as she gave the simple instructions, all the while Nikola nodded along, looking slightly bored but paying attention none the less.
Helen inched forward a tiny bit more so she could hear them more clearly.
“See, like that!” Alice told him a little breathlessly wiping the water off her face with her free hand.
Nikola narrowed his eyes at the apple being held out to him, “you used your hand.”
Alice quickly hid her soggy arm behind her back.
“Mum said you can use your hand to help if you can’t get an apple with your teeth,” Alice said frowning as she dropped the apple back into the bucket causing the water to splash, quickly Nikola stepped back, the water barely missing his shoes.
“That’s against the rules.” Nikola crossed his arms as he spoke, and Helen had to bite her lip to stop the laughter as she watched Alice mimic him.
“Mum said its fine.”
“Well, your mum can’t always be right, did you even bother getting a second opinion?”
“What?”
Nikola huffed, rolling his eyes, “Did you ask your dad?” he asked a little pointedly.
For a second Alice looked unsure, nudging at the bucket by her feet with her toe, then a grin spread across her face and, standing at her full hight, she looked Nikola straight in the eye, her grin now replaced with a serious expression.
“Dad said mum is right.”
Helen shook her head smiling, honestly this four-year-old could have convinced even Will with that tone.
Forgetting herself, the door nudged forward where her belly had been pushing against it, shifting quickly to make a little more room, she rubbed at the small swell of her stomach frowning.
She had to remember to give herself a bit more space these days.
Hearing Nikola grumble, she quickly looked out to see if either of them had noticed her peeking.
Nikola had moved slightly so that he was now stood between herself and Alice and for a moment she thought he was hiding her from view, but then he reached down and grabbed a stray apple, dumping It back into the bucket and resumed his place, grumbling something under his breath, which to Helen, sounded a lot like “wolf boy would say that.”
Alice was now looking as if she had won the argument, smiling brightly as she rocked back and forth on her feet.
“Mum and dad both said you can use your hands if you can’t get an apple, so, it’s the rules,” she said proudly.
“Well, your mum and dad can’t always be right, this is an old game” he gestured to the bucket “and using your hands has always been against the rules.”
Helen groaned inwardly as she watched Alice’s expression change.
“No… no it isn’t!”
“Yes, it is,” Nikola huffed “you’re only supposed to use your teeth, otherwise everyone could just reach in and,” he demonstrated with his own hand “take one.”
Alice seemed to crumble a little more, she hung her head, wrapping her arms further around herself and Helen had to fight to not go out and salvage the situation, she near enough stepped out when Alice spoke next.
“But I can’t do it.”
Everything in her told her to move and it was only the look on Nikolas face that held her back, waiting.
Fortunately, she didn’t have to wait long.
Helen watched on as Nikola sighed, kneeling in front of the bucket and crooked his head to side trying to catch Alice’s eye.
“It is not that hard, I’ll show you” he said once she was looking at him, then he vamped and dunked his head straight into the bucket, coming back up he tried to give a smug smile around the apple that was caught in his sharp teeth.
Helen’s hand shot to her mouth as she gasped.
Without any warning, Alice had shoved her hand into the water grabbing an apple and sending it flying straight at Nikolas head.
“What was that for!” he sputtered as he spat the apple out and having to duck as another one came flying at him.
“You cheated!”
“I never used my hands!”
Nikola was standing now, and Helen had to try really hard to smother her laughter as Alice gleefully grabbed yet another apple.
“If dad isn’t allowed to go HAP to get an apple, you’re not allowed to go vamp!”
Nikola ducked again raising his hands in mock surrender as Alice went for another one.
“There are other things we can do with the apples!” He shouted stepping back.
Alice took no notice, running and giggling she started grabbing the apples off the floor now that the bucket was empty.
In the minutes that followed Nikola dodged apple after apple, occasionally one would hit, and he would yell loudly making Helen grin even more knowing it was entirely for Alice’s benefit.
Nikola could dodge every single one with ease, but the fact that he was standing still long enough for a four-year-old to catch him filled her with so much warmth affection for him.
She knew Alice had a soft spot for him, she always seemed to seek him out and ask him questions when they were all together, but what she hadn’t realised was how much of a soft spot Nikola had for Alice, he was genuinely good with her.
Looking down to where one of her hands was now gently rubbing across her small bump she wondered if Nikola even knew he was good with her, smiling softly she decided it was probably something she should tell him.
Eventually Alice slowed down coming to a complete stop when the last one she threw fell about a meter short of Nikola, she stood tired and out of breath watching him as bent down and gathered the apples up, piling them back into the basket.
“As I was saying, there are other things we can do with these apples.”
Alice pouted “it has to be for Halloween though, for the party.”
“It is, it is,” he quickly reassured her.
Picking up the last apple by its stalk, he began to twirl it in front of her, “how does candy apples sound?”
Alice’s eyes went comically wide at his words and Nikola grinned at the reaction.
No longer seemingly tired, Alice started to jump up and down on the spot almost shouting in her excitement.
“Daddy likes candy apples, and he said Doc, I mean, grandma likes candy apples and, and we can make chocolate ones and red one’s green one’s and, and with sprinkles and, and can we make them now?”
Alice froze waiting for Nikola’s answer.
“Oh, I suppose” he said, wincing as Alice shrieked happily.
Helen stepped back against the wall as Alice came racing through the door, she didn’t see her though, so caught up in her excitement she didn’t even pause as she ran down the corridor in the opposite direction towards the kitchen.
Helen watched her go, letting out a breath she hadn’t realised she was holding as she disappeared around the corner. She turned back to see where Nikola was, only to jump as she found him leaning against the door watching her, he caught her arm quickly steadying her, smiling a little apologetically.
“You knew I was watching,” she said returning his smile.
Letting go of her arm he moved in closer so that he could rap his arms lightly around her waist.
“Of course.”
Helen grinned at that.
“I must say though, I’m a little insulted.”
“By my spying,” it was her turn to smile apologetically.
“No,” he shook his head, “by the fact that you continued to watch even when I was assaulted by a HAP.”
Helen scoffed, “really Nikola!”
He ran his hands up and down her sides as she grinned back at him, smiling as he spoke, “You did not come to my rescue Helen, I was alone out there.”
Wrapping her hands around his shoulders she leaned against him slightly, loving the way his arms automatically wrapped fully around her.
“You were hardly in any danger,” she said, pecking him on the edge of his lips.
“I was assaulted by a HAP!”
He gave such and incredulous look she couldn’t help her laughter before leaning in and kissing him again.
“A four-year-old with apples is hardly an assault.”
“She’s four and a half.”
“Another argument between you two?” she asked trailing her fingers through the fine hairs at nape of his neck.
“Hmm,” he nodded “yesterday.”
Helen frowned, it was another moment she had missed, she was starting to wonder how many more had slipped by without her noticing.
“She obviously won the argument” he said reassuring her with an impish smile.
“It’s not that it’s…”
She bit her lip, not really wanting to explain her train of thought.
Sighing, she settled on giving him a half truth, “that HAP that assaulted you? She is now in the kitchen by herself, attempting to make candy apples.”
Nikolas eyes went wide, groaning dramatically he brought his head to lean on Helen’s shoulder.
Helen chuckled, patting him on the shoulder in sympathy.
“What on earth made you suggest making candy apples to a four-year-old?”
“Heinrich mentioned once that you made them with him for Halloween,” he grumbled straightening up and letting her go.
“I’m surprised he remembers that” she said smiling at the memory, “it wasn’t long after I brought him home, he wasn’t much older than Alice is now.”
“Yes, well, he does, and I had to go and open my big mouth about making candy apples to his child.”
He scowled in the direction Alice had run.
“It was a lovely idea Nikola.”
“We’ll see how lovely it is when she brings you the first one to try,” he looked back at her grinning as he started off after Alice.
“I can’t wait” she called back as he disappeared around the corner, and funnily enough she found she actually meant it.