Fire and Rain (Nikola)

[Siobhan O'Hurley]

On days like this, Siobhan thought it was positively cruel to have to stay inside. She'd been sitting by the window, looking out at the sunshine, for most of the afternoon. Sunny days like this were rare in London, and they should be spent enjoying oneself. But Siobhan wasn't allowed outside. This spot by the window was the closest she could get to feeling the sunlight on her face. And it was ruined by the bars on the window.

If she could cry, she would be weeping at this moment. She couldn't even remember why she wasn't allowed outside anymore, or what she was doing in this place. She just wanted to go home... if only she knew where that was.

The other patients in the ward were mostly quiet. Old Mrs. Rockham never spoke, she only rocked back and forth singing muggle showtunes in an off-key voice all day long. Mr. Frankenheimer was quiet most of the day, except early in the morning, when he crowed like a rooster. And then there was the young man they'd brought in a few weeks ago. So far he hadn't spoken at all.

Siobhan was fascinated by him. Sometimes she went over to his bedside and talked to him, just telling him whatever popped into her head. They let her read books sometimes, and she would tell him about them. Or she'd talk about the pudding they had with dinner, or whatever else might be going on, which, admittedly wasn't much. Nothing ever happened in the ward.

Sighing to herself, Siobhan turned from the window and walked over to the quiet one.

"It's too bad you missed lunch," she said brightly. "We had corned beef and cabbage. Only... I think I was the only one who liked it."

[Nikola Vlcek]

Nikola was awake now, his head turned to the side, facing the window by his bed. Usually, he spent his time watching people, but no one here seemed to pose any kind of threat or do anything worth watching. Except her, the redhead. But that was a different story.

He understood that he was in a psychiatric Ward. The hospital staff had decided it was the only place for someone who still needed recovery time, but had no idea who he was, or where he came from, or even what happened. There had been whispers, theories. Nikola couldn't even remember how he got here, but apparently, he'd stumbled into the hospital lobby, bloody and bruised and broken, and just collapsed.

The whispers didnt follow him to this section of the hospital, so he couldn't complain about being here. Not that he would have anyway.

Still facing the window, he closed his eyes, turning his attention inward to focus on his body. When he paid attention, he could feel every beat of his heart and the blood it pushed through his veins. That was real to him. The pain he still felt was real and it kept him grounded, when there were no memories to tell him what happened. His breathing grew shallow, and became even quieter. Less noticeable.

And there she was. Her words broke the through the air around him, and his eyes opened slowly while she spoke about lunch.

She talked to him a lot. He never answered. It would be easier for him to slip away unnoticed if he didn't make any connections here. And This girl probably thought he was a crazy mute.

Slowly, against instinct to ignore her, Nikola turned his head to catch her gaze. There was something familiar and comforting in her eyes. Still, he said nothing, waiting to see what she would do now that she had his attention.

[Siobhan O'Hurley]

Siobhan didn't think he was crazy or stupid... or even mute. There were times, like now, as he met her gaze, when she could see the intelligence in his eyes. Some people thought she was crazy, too, after all, which was why she was in this place. But deep down, Siobhan knew she didn't belong here. She didn't know where she did belong, but it wasn't here. Maybe she had some issues, but when she compared herself to Mrs. Rockham or Mr. Frankenheimer, she knew she was sane. And she thought the same thing was true of the man. She still didn't know his name... no one knew what it was and they called him John Doe. But she had known from the first time she saw him that he belonged here just about as much as she did... as in, not at all.

She smiled when their eyes met. "I know what you're thinking. How stereotypical of me, the Irish girl who loves corned beef and cabbage. And how boring my life must be to be excited about that. But, well, you've seen how it is in here. Nothing much to get excited about."

[Nikola Vlcek]

Kola tilted his head, almost like a dog would when presented with a strange noise or even a biscuit. He didn't really expect that he would continue with her discussion about lunch. But then again, it wasn't like he'd given her anything to go off of, either.

What he did afford her, though, was a small, barely there smile. He couldn't help it. She was charming... that was a dangerous trait in a person. And Merlin, whatever was so familiar about her was just on the tip of his tongue. It would drive him mad, pun intended considering the circumstances.

His gaze turned out the window again, almost in a dismissive way. He wasn't dismissing her though, he was thinking. Were he to slip away from this place, the goal would be to go unnoticed. But she.... she talked to him enough and paid enough attention to him That she would notice when he was gone. That was another dangerous thing about her.

After a long moment, he took a deep breath and sighed audibly- the most sound she probably heard from him the entire time he'd been here. He was still looking out the window when he uttered one word... finally, and quietly. "Siobhan." That's what They called her, right?

[Siobhan O'Hurley]

Siobhan was thrilled just to get a smile from him. That might have actually been enough for now, just an acknowledgment of her existence. But when he actually said her name, she wanted to dance. She didn't, but she wanted to. Instead, she broke into a wide smile.

"I knew it!" she said in a loud whisper. At the moment, no one could have heard her over Mrs. Rockham's screeching rendition of "June Is Busting Out All Over," but just in case, she didn't want to make too much noise. She often felt like they were being watched. "I knew you were in there somewhere, and that you can talk. But I won't tell anyone."

He must have been paying attention, just as she thought. He'd heard someone say her name and he remembered it. "Yes, I'm Siobhan. I don't suppose you remember your name, do you? Because I feel like I know you somehow. From the first minute you were brought in here, I thought so. Ever feel like you've known someone all your life, even though you've only just met?"

[Nikola Vlcek]

Maybe he'd given her too much. His eyes shifted around the room the second she exclaimed that she knew that he was cognizant, worried someone else would share in her realization. Like her, Kola always had that feeling that he was being watched. It was unshakable, ans for a guy who liked to go unseen, it was unnerving, too.

His lips pursed into a silent "shhh," though he knew as well as she did that no one was paying attention to them right now. Still, he didn't want anyone giving him more unwanted attention because of how she was treating him and reacting to him.

When she asked if he remembered his name, he hesitated, no more than blinking at her. The simple answer was that no, he didn't remember. But he knew. And if he told her what it was, she would start calling him by his name. It would raise questions, and she'd get attached. But he had a hard time ignoring her.

Quietly, hr gestured towards a muffle jacket near his bed, indicating that he wanted her to grab it and hand it to him.

[Siobhan O'Hurley]

Siobhan immediately put her finger to her own lips and made as if to zipper it shut. "Not a word, I promise," she whispered. "Quiet as a church mouse. Silly saying, that, isn't it? Are church mice really any different from regular mice? Never mind, stupid question. Not like you were going to answer it, anyway."

She shook her head and gave a little twitch as she looked out of the corner of her eye at Mrs. Rockham. The woman really was tone-deaf, not that she was actually trying to sing well. She was just warbling away like a broken record, her voice high and thin as she fumbled some of the words. It was enough to make any sane person crazy.

Looking back at her silent friend, she saw his gesture and nodded subtly. "I bet you'd like your jacket, right? You're probably cold. It's always drafty in here. Here you go," she said as she placed it in his hand.

[Nikola Vlcek]

Nikola just gave her a blank look for a moment... and if only in his head, he did answer her question. Not that she would ever know this. Besides, it wasn't really a question that needed an answer. In the end, she was correct, and he kept his silence.

His eyebrows rose when she fetched his coat, though, and for a moment, he didn't know if she just didn't understand what he was doing, or if she was making this look like he was still unresponsive to anyone who may be watching. He settled on the latter, and was more impressed and grateful than he could convey. Whoever this girl was... she understood.

He did not dwell on this, however, and took the muggle clothing from her. He held it by the collar, pushing the tag out. On it, scribbled rather crudely, was one word: Nikola. He didn't know who had written it, but could only assume he had in a moment of clarity, to at least be able to remember his name.

He gave her just enough time to see it before slipping his arms into it. He wasn't surprised that no one else had found it. When he came in, they checked his pockets for ID or a wand, but they didn't search his things thoroughly enough to find an identity. He preferred it this way.

Kola caught her gaze again, then smiled very subtly.

[Siobhan O'Hurley]

Nikola.

Something about the name was familiar to her, like something out of a long-ago fairy tale. She met his eyes, those piercing blue eyes that also reminded her of something she couldn't quite reach. It was all on the tip of her mind, some sort of story begging to be told, and it hurt.

She smiled back, just as subtly as he had, and tipped her head very slightly. But in all other ways, her demeanor had changed. While before she had seemed almost carefree, now she was more serious. Somehow, her instincts kicked in, telling her she must not say his name, must not tell anyone that she knew what it was, or that she was communicating with him. She could keep it secret... they wouldn't have to know. It would be their secret.

If only Mrs. Rockham would stop that incessant caterwauling. It was starting to get to Siobhan, and she twitched again and glared over at the batty old woman. But she turned back to Nikola, glad at least that she had something to call him, even if just in her mind.

"Well, it's nice to meet you," she said, her voice still low. "I can imagine what you must think of me, being in a place like this. The truth is, I don't belong here. And I don't think you do, either."

[Nikola Vlcek]

Nikola glanced towards the old crooning woman in the corner as Siobhan turned her head towards her. His glance at the woman was brief, much shorter than hers had been. His attention returned to the redhead by his bedside, and in some ways, instinct kicked in for him, too. He felt the urge to distract her, to get her attention back on him, but he was torn as to how.

He could make the decision now to allow her in, to talk to her... he already knew that she paid too much attention for him to make a difference now. But he just had this feeling that ate him that said it would be dangerous, for both of them. Besides, if push came to shove, he was going to have to start talking to keep blending in. For now though, with the exception of Siobhan, everyone pretty much ignored him.

And then, ending his struggle, she turned back to him, and he shook his head, slowly, at her words. No... he knew she belonged here as much as he did. Which brought up the question of why she was here. But those words... I don't belong here... and I don't think you do either were so familiar to him. He felt like he had said those words to her, but he couldn't have. He never met her before.

His eyes scanned the room very carefully, though he could see no one paying either of them any mind. Finally, his gaze settled on her again, and he touched two fingers to his temple. I know.

[Dr. Walter Everett Burkhardt]

They were right to be worried about being watched. It was necessary to have the most advanced surveillance techniques available to wizardkind in a place like this. After all, you could never tell when one of the patients would have a fit or fall ill or something. And for Dr. Walter Burkhardt, this was what he was always hoping for. He quite enjoyed watching the depravity of the weak-minded.

But at the moment, he was not focusing on the weak-minded. Oh, no... Siobhan and Nikola were not weak-minded and he knew it. He knew Nikola's name all too well, and was perfectly aware that the redhead had been fascinated with him ever since his arrival. The connection was still there, buried, but there. It was troubling, and yet for Walter's cool analytical mind, it was still strangely fascinating.

She was talking to him, he could see on the fuzzy camera feed, but the only way he knew what she was saying was through the reports of the portrait of two elderly Victorian ladies lounging by the side of a pastoral lake. The portrait was supposed to be "soothing," and "comforting," but in reality, it was just part of his surveillance technique, because there was an exact replica in his office, and the two ladies took turns popping between the two portraits to tell him what was being said.

"She says she doesn't belong there," said the shorter of the two women, who he often referred to as Bertha. "And she doesn't think he does, either."

Walter smiled--a slow, devious sort of smile. "Did she now?" he said. "I thought I saw his lips move earlier. What did he say?"

"He said her name, I think. It was so quiet I barely heard it."

The smile widened. "Excellent. Thank you. Oh... and Mrs. Rockham. What is she singing now?"

Bertha frowned. "I believe she just started on 'If I Were a Rich Man.'"

His smile dipped only slightly. "Good. Thank you." He nodded his dismissal of her, then turned back to the camera. It almost looked to him as though Nikola were somehow communicating with Siobhan, even though he wasn't talking. It was most interesting....

[Siobhan O'Hurley]

Somehow, Siobhan knew exactly what he was trying to say. It made her smile, and for a moment, she was able to shut out the cacophony of noise coming from the other side of the room. He knew she wasn't crazy, and that made a big difference to her. She had been here a while, after all, and it was starting to break her. If she hadn't been crazy when she came in here, then simply being here was likely to make her so.

After all, who could stand day after day of Mrs. Rockham's off-key warbling? She'd only shared her room with the loony old witch for a month or so, and in that time, Siobhan's nerves had been increasingly on edge. It felt almost like they were testing her. So far she had passed, but it wasn't going to last. Siobhan could feel her control slipping away.

But at least she had a friend now. Maybe Nikola didn't think of them as friends, but Siobhan didn't care. Here was someone sane, someone who understood her, someone who didn't make animal noises or belt out showtunes. It was a connection she needed desperately.

"Have you met the doctor yet? Dr. Burkhardt? He's very nice. I bet the two of you could have staring contests, his eyes are like yours. Sometimes he looks at me and I have to look away, but I like your eyes."

[Nikola Vlcek]

Nikola's head shifted to the side, lifting his chin a bit. It was half a head shake, not meant to look like anything really to anyone else. Maybe just like he had a crick in his neck.

But the affect was no, he hadn't met the doctor yet. They had actually left him alone since he didn't respond to anyone. No use sending him to a shrink if he wouldn't talk.

Nikola despised the idea, anyway. He didn't want anyone in his head or trying to figure him out. He didn't want anyone discovering any memories that he didn't even know about. It was a dangerous, terrifying thought. So no matter how friendly this guy was... Nikola already viewed him as an enemy.

But then she made that comment about his eyes, and he broke into an open lipped smile that he didn't even know he was capable of, and he met her gaze again, blinking once.

He pulled his lips between his teeth, so close to just speaking to her, but instead, lifted his left hand and tucked her hair behind her ear. He liked her hair.

[Siobhan O'Hurley]

When he smiled, Siobhan felt her heart beat a little faster. His smile could melt the polar ice caps, she was sure of it. And there was something so familiar about it....

Then he reached up and tucked her hair behind her ear, and she felt her pale cheeks flush pink. This, too, felt familiar, like a very strong case of deja vu.

"Thanks," she said. "I imagine my hair must look pretty messy. They don't let me have a brush or comb. Just because I hit Miss Gentille with one once. It was her fault, though. She kept trying to grab it from me and I wasn't done with it."

She automatically began to smooth her hair down, hoping that it looked OK. Then, suddenly, she looked around, as if she was worried that someone might be watching or listening. Leaning very close to him, she pretended to be adjusting his jacket around him as she spoke in a very quiet voice. "I wish I knew why you seemed so familiar to me," she whispered. "I don't really remember much about my past. They say I was found, wandering around Hogsmeade when I was 10. I don't remember how I got there...."

[Nikola Vlcek]

She spoke with the frank honesty and giddy enthusiasm of a child, he decided. Not that this was a bad thing. It was kind of refreshing, and she had a wide eyed curiosity that made him smile. Still, there was something very unchildlike that stirred in him when she adjusted at his jacket, and he couldn't help but just watch her while she whispered.

Turned out they had something in common, other than both being here. Though she had a hand up on him. He couldn't remember anything beyond a couple weeks ago. He didn't even remember getting here. But he somehow felt that maybe he was supposed to be here. For her.

He already planned on getting out. Soon, within a day or two. But she threw in a complication to that plan. All he knew for now was that he needed to get out of here before he met with that doctor. One less person to wonder where he went.

He let out a slow sigh, eyes shifting from her to the room beyond for the millionth time. And while he was watching the others, he took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. It'll be all right, he hoped she would understand. Though she seemed to understand his silence pretty well so far.

He had an image in his head... not something he would call a memory, because it invoked no sense of nostalgia in him. But it was a young boy and girl, much in this same position, in the dark. Except the little boy spoke to the girl, promising that he would get her out.

Kola didn't know how to take that image, but he felt protective of her... like he should make that same promise to her, especially if she was the reason he was here.

[Siobhan O'Hurley]

Siobhan liked the way her hand felt in his. It felt warm and strong and comforting... all sensations she had not felt since coming into this Godric-forsaken place. Maybe even longer. It calmed her, and even the irritation she felt toward Mrs. Rockham began to cool.

"I have to get out of here," she whispered to him. "I want to go home... where ever that is."

Her head was still bent low over him, her red hair acting as a curtain to shield them from the prying eyes she always felt in that room. She still couldn't explain the feeling. Clearly it wasn't either of her other roommates, both of whom pretty much spent the day staring straight ahead with blank, empty eyes. But it still felt like someone was watching. Sometimes she thought it had something to do with the portrait of the two ladies by the lake. If she blinked, she swore sometimes there was only one lady in the portrait.

"I have this scar," she said abruptly, straightening up. "I don't know how I got it, but I've always had it."

She lifted her loose-fitting blouse just a little to show a wide, pink scar that stretched across her side.

[Nikola Vlcek]

She knew.

For a split second, he wondered if that childlike behavior she showed was more sinister than it appeared. She understood him almost innately, and her comment about needing to get out of here....

He let out a slow breath. No, when he met her eyes, he couldn't believe that there was anything she was hiding.

With her face so close to his, he finally indulged her, moving closer so that his lips were near her ear, and his words were no louder that an exhale of breath. "I'm leaving tonight. With you." Yes, it was quick. But he'd already been here for a couple weeks. It was time to just slip away.

She pulled away from him, lifting her shirt to show a wicked looking scar. His brows creased when he saw it, and that he knew for a fact was familiar. He tore his eyes away from it to look at her, but refrained from showing her a very similar scar. And a couple more like it. For some reason, something told him not to. Not yet.

[Siobhan O'Hurley]

For the first time in a very long time, Siobhan felt hope blossoming in her heart. She'd been here so long, been forced to endure a seemingly endless parade of mindless zombies, singing, cackling, crowing, or simply drooling. But she'd known, the minute they first brought him in, that it would be different this time. She would breathe fresh air again. She'd never have to hear Mrs. Rockham's horrible, toneless crooning again.

As she straightened up, she touched her finger to the tip of her nose in a silent reply. Somehow, she knew this was meant to say, "thank you," and she knew that he would understand.

She lowered her top, and lightly rubbed her side. The injury must have been severe, because sometimes it still ached a little. Right now, it felt particularly sore, and she felt a sort of prickling on the back of her neck. She tried to shake it off, as she had more she wanted to say to Nikola. But Mrs. Rockham, who had just started singing "Anything Goes," seemed to drown everything else out. Her mind went blank, and all she could hear was that song...

"Stop it!" she shrieked suddenly, covering her ears. "For the love of Salazar, just shut up shut up shut up, SHUT UP! I swear, you loony old bat, I'm going to snap your scrawny neck!"

She jumped down from the bed and charged fiercely at the old woman, who was continuing to sing, completely ignorant of her impending attack.

"The world has gone mad today
And good's bad today,
And black's white today,
And day's night today..."

Siobhan swung out at the woman's rocking chair with her foot, knocking the chair, Mrs. Rockham and all, sideways to the floor. Then she began to kick at the poor woman, screaming over and over, "Shut up, shut up, stop, just stop..."

[Nikola Vlcek]

Nikola smiled at her thank you, knowing inately what it meant. However they were communicating, it was a language they both knew by heart. However possible that was.

His eyes were on hers, and he was about to say something else to her... verbally or not, it didn't really matter. She would understand either way. But something about her was different, and his smile faded, head cocking to the side again in curiosity. Whatever it was, he didn't like it.

And then she snapped.

His eyebrows didn't even go up. He wasn't surprised, shocked, or anything. It was as though he'd seen her act this way a thousand times before, and while she flew at the old woman, for a moment, he just sat still.

But when he noticed the orderlies running towards her, he stood up, forgetting everything about blending in and staying out of the light. This was the redhead in danger here, and she was more important than his instincts.

He stood up, taller than anyone else in the room, and took a few long strides to get to her, somehow behind her quicker than the orderlies, who had been closer than he was. He knew if he held on to her, she would fight him, too, so he did the only thing that felt right. He bent down, wrapping his arms around her. Taking her wrists in his hands, he pinned her arms to her chest, and found his lips once again near her ear.

"Siobhan," he said her name quietly. He was worried what they would do to her for this... would they try to make her take a potion or something to sedate her? He didn't want her to be compromised in any way. He thought that might scare her. "Shh... I'm here with you. You don't need to fight.... or I'd fight for you. Come back to me."

He didn't even have to think about those words... they sort of just tumbled past his lips.

[Siobhan O'Hurley]

At first she struggled against the arms that held her. But he was strong, much stronger than her tiny frame, even now when she was so amped up on adrenaline. Her struggles were in vain, yet still she tried to fight. "Just make her stop, make her stop..."

But his voice in her ear... suddenly she felt her feet touching the ground again, and she became aware of where she was. She went limp at his words, the fight suddenly drained out of her. And then she realized what she had done.

"Oh.... Oh, no... Oh, Godric, I didn't... did I do that? I didn't mean it... I'm so sorry...."

The orderlies were lifting Mrs. Rockham into a wheelchair, checking her for injuries. Siobhan saw that the woman was bleeding from the mouth, and she felt sick to her stomach. She knew about the rages, but she never understood them. It was like she left her body for a moment, because she never remembered doing it.

She seemed to melt into his arms, overcome with guilt. Sure, the old woman was annoying and she couldn't sing, but she didn't mean any harm... she didn't want to hurt her...