A/N: I own nothing but the ideas and the words used to express them. Characters belong to the creators of Orphan Black. This story is from my Tumblr and has likewise been published on another fanfiction archive as well.
Sarah nudged the door open, pausing in the entryway of the small flat. Music blared from inside, loud enough to rattle the walls. She groaned, dropping her keys on the table by the door and kicking it shut. Un bolting the second door's three locks and entering the security code, Sarah stepped into the flat. The door had been put in between the front door and the rest of the flat after her neighbors complained about Helena breaking in and wandering around their flats. The floor shook from the music, and Sarah could almost feel her eardrums throbbing. "Helena! Turn it down! The neighbors'll be calling the cops!"
Swearing under her breath, she walked into the living room to find her sister sitting rapt in front of the stereo. The music still played, only a decibel or three below eardrum bursting. The song was an old seventies tune, something about a street preacher. Helena sat with her legs crossed, swaying back and forth to the beat. Sarah stared, her mouth hanging open. Her sister was...still. And quiet. For the first time in days, the apartment wasn't a disaster. The door bore no scratches from Helena's attempts to escape. The kitchen wasn't full of the food Helena had found-or tried to cook. The sink wasn't full of dishes. With a shake of her head, Sarah stepped up behind her sister...but not too close. "What you listenin' to, then?"
Helena shook her head, shushing Sarah with a finger to her lips. Her gaze never left the stereo. From the stereo, the singer sang a line about everyone having two hands, one to help people and one to reach out to God. Helena paused in her swaying, holding out her own hands and looking at them, head tipped and a small, thoughtful frown on her face. After a minute, she nodded, as if accepting his words as true.
"Helena? You like this, eh?" Sarah tried again, resting a hand on her sister's shoulder.
"Hush!" Helena snapped, shrugging away from Sarah. "Tell you when song is over." She turned back to the speaker, scooting closer to it. As the song picked up again, Helena swayed once more, nodding her head to the beat.
It was Neil Diamond. Helena was listening to bloody Neil Diamond. Sarah swallowed a laugh, certain that Helena would strangle her with her bare hands if she interrupted the song. Who knew her sister even knew about music, let alone someone like that? And she liked it. Really, really liked it, if the grin lighting up her face was anything to go on.
Finally, the song ended and Helena turned to Sarah. "Brother Love Traveling Salvation Show song," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Nice song. I like it. Neil Diamond good singer, isn't he, sestra?"
Sarah nodded absently. "Yeah, sure." She wrinkled her nose. "Where did you hear it?"
"Spent lots of time in car, with Tomas and Maggie." Helena grew quiet for a minute, then said, "Listened to Neil Diamond a lot."
Sarah shook her head, staring at her twin. "Those two listened to seventies music?"
Helena nodded, a small smile on her face. "Maggie liked it. Said it made her happy. She drove a lot, and Tomas let her pick the music when she drove."
"Yeah?" Sarah flinched at the sadness in Helena's face. "You miss Maggie, yeah?"
"Sometimes. She was nice to me. Like a mother." Helena looked away, chewing her lip. "Sorry," she mumbled. They didn't mention their mother much. Not even the word. It was still a sore subject for them both.
"What about Tomas?" Sarah asked. She didn't usually bring him up, but now curiosity nibbled at her. What sort of music would someone like him even listen to? Helena frowned and Sarah looked away. "Sorry, Helena. You don't have to-"
Helena held up her hand. "No, is okay. Just not sure how to tell you. He listened to music without any words, just pianos and violins and violas and..." She ticked off each instrument on her fingers, then shrugged. "Lots of other ones. Don't know all the names. And hymns too, like what we sang in the convent."
Sarah nodded. "That doesn't surprise me," she muttered. Helena simply nodded and Sarah smiled. "What about you?"
Helena shrugged. "Didn't drive," she replied.
Sarah frowned. "So you didn't ever pick out the music?" She rested a hand on her sister's shoulder, and this time Helena didn't pull away.
"No," Helena said, peering up at Sarah as if she'd just suggested the dumbest thing in the world. "Didn't drive," she said again, as if that explained everything.
"Well, what about when you weren't driving?" Sarah asked. Surely her sister had listened to music at other times. Surely she had a favorite song, or band. Hadn't she?
"Didn't listen to music," Helena said.
"Never?" Sarah stared. How was that even possible? When she was younger-and even now-she listened to something every chance she got.
"No ". Helena squirmed, biting her lip and twisting her fingers together. "Is that bad?"
"No!" Sarah took Helena's hand. "No, it's not bad. Just a bit weird." She tugged Helena up. "Come on. No sestra of mine isn't going to have a favorite song. Let's see what we got here." Still holding her sister's hand, Sarah tugged out her CDs, until they littered the floor it might take the rest of the evening, but they'd listen to them, until Helena found her favorite. That's what sisters were for, after all.