Disclaimer: I still don't own any part of Warehouse 13 and honestly, I really don't want to. It's much more fun to play with the toys and put them back to play with later.
A/N: Thanks to all comments and reviews. Always appreciated and considered. Keep crying, keep laughing. Without one, you can't have the other.
Helena was the first to wake up, sitting straight up in bed, listening intently. Myka opened her eyes, wordlessly questioning her before she heard the knock. Looking at the clock Myka grumbled, "Is this place cursed? Why does everything always happen at two in the morning?"
Helena was already up trying to sort through the clothing on the floor, throwing various garments to the woman sitting up in bed. "Myka, must we really leave our clothing in such disarray?" There was another louder knock on the door.
Despite all of Helena's efforts, Myka dressed quickly and was halfway down the stairs, trying to make some order of her messed up hair. "As I recall, it was you that was in such a hurry to get them off last night when you got home." The knock on the door was becoming more persistent. "I'm coming, Claudia, hold on!"
She threw the door open to what she anticipated. Standing in the doorway in flannel pajamas, with cold bare feet, was their bed bug, tears streaming down her face. Without invitation she threw herself into the waiting open arms, nearly knocking the taller woman over.
"Nightmare?" She'd wrapped her arms protectively around the distraught young woman, holding her close. "Come on. Let's go get those feet warm."
Helena was just trotting down the stairs. She'd been held up by an unsuccessful search for her top from the night before, resorting to grabbing one of Myka's much more accessible tee shirts. Handing over the customary pair of warm alpaca socks to Myka, a hand softly crossing her back, she headed for the kitchen. "I'll go warm up some milk."
Myka sat the young woman on the sofa, wrapping the fleece blanket they kept on the shelf of the mission coffee table around her shoulders. Picking up her feet as she would a child's, she rubbed them between her hands getting some circulation started in the cold appendages before putting on the socks.
"Want to talk about it?" Myka asked quietly, sitting beside the redhead, pulling her into her arms. She felt the head shake 'no', and heard the beginnings of soft crying as the head buried further into her body.
"Here's the milk." Setting the cup on a coaster, Helena looked at Myka, concerned brown eyes clearly asking if the young woman was settling down yet. When Myka slightly shook her head 'no' Helena sat on the other side of Claudia rubbing the flannel covered back.
Having gotten control of herself, Claudia took a drink of the warm drink. "Hey, there's something else in here," she accused HG, eyeing her suspiciously.
"Of course there is. You're not a child anymore." At Myka's raised eyebrows, she defended herself. "A splash of brandy. I found it quite helpful for Christina's nightmares on many occasion. It is Cognac, and a very good one at that." This apparently made all the difference in the world to HG.
Myka rolled her eyes. "I know. I saw the receipt. I'm just happy your bank account can support it."
Claudia finished the milk quickly, rather enjoying the new twist HG always seemed to add to her life. It was an unspoken rule between the two of them that nothing was said to Myka or Artie. Myka, however, was loosening up a great deal. HG had pointed out, often, Claudia was far from a child anymore.
Brushing the girl's hair back off her face, Myka stood up and grabbed her hand. "Come on brandy breath, let's get you back to bed."
Without question, Claudia assumed her normal place between her security blankets, tears returning. Myka spooned her from behind holding her in her arms as Helena positioned herself facing the tear stained face before her, pushing back the red hair and gently wiping the tears off her face with her thumb as they appeared.
"Joshua was still stuck in the other dimension and Artie got sucked through. Myka, you and Pete got thrown out the window and were gone. I don't know why or where, but you were just gone. And then everything went black. And you, HG, you were in that limbo place again and I couldn't get you back and everyone else was gone. I kept fiddling with the sphere and you'd appear, but then disappear on your own. You were crying. Steve was still dead. Everyone kept leaving me."
It had been a common theme in Claudia's nightmares, though usually not so extreme. Generally, they'd be limited to one or two people, usually Joshua. Myka tightened her hold.
Helena fought her own tears. She was familiar with similar dreams, and strong memories of her time with the sphere came to the surface. She herself ended up in the same place Claudia was now after her own nightmares. She took one of Claudia's hands, gripping it tightly as she continued to brush back the red hair. "Well, there have been a great number of disruptions in all of our lives recently, but we're still here. I'm sure you heard Pete snoring on your way here, and Steve is very much alive, thanks to you. Joshua is safe. Do you want to call him?" She started to get up to grab a phone.
"No. That's alright. I know he's okay," she sniffed.
Helena resumed her former job comforting their guest. "We have no plans of leaving anytime soon, darling. Why do you think we decided to live here? You don't even need a flashlight to get here now. You have your own little transmitter in that glorious mind of yours," she chuckled, receiving the small smile she'd hoped for. "I, at least, need your support as much as you need ours. We all do. I've come to realize it's one of the requirements of this job that no one ever anticipates when they sign up. It must be in the fine print." She smiled at Claudia, giving her cold hand a slight squeeze.
Myka smiled across the pillows at her partner. It always amazed her how well she dealt with Claudia on these occasions. Helena was so much better at it than she ever was. It shouldn't have surprised her. How many nights had she comforted her own child in the dark or after a skinned knee ?Claudia relaxed in her arms, but was still reluctant to move away yet. It was a routine they had gone through many times before and would happen in its own time.
A tired voice spoke into the dark, "You guys would make great moms."
Both women froze in shock, staring at each other in alarm. "HG, will you tell me a story?"
Recovering from the earlier statement, HG cleared her throat. "Always."
The warm timbre of the woman's voice quickly sent both Claudia and Myka into a sound sleep, as she lay on her back turning over the young woman's words.
The smell of fresh coffee drifted up into the loft, waking Myka. Bless Claudia. This was the one benefit of Claudia's late night visits. If she could only learn to make Helena's tea so she didn't lose half of her coffee in the process with the usual dialogue about its inferior qualities that accompanied it to the woman before the tea was ready. She rolled over to face Helena, finding her wide awake staring at the ceiling. She scooted closer to the warmth she had missed. Placing her head on Helena's shoulder, she kissed it before tracing her fingers lightly up and down her arm, settling on rubbing circles on the slender wrist.
"Hey, you. Smells like that little bed bug is making us breakfast again. Maybe we should give her the key back."
Helena turned her head sharply towards the warmth beside her, "Not blooming likely!"
"I missed you last night," Myka whispered, kissing her tenderly.
"As I recall, you had me, darling, you just didn't end up waking up on top of me. You do get heavy at times, you know." Helena softened her words with a small smile. "However, it is a wonderful start to me day. This last trip was far too long," she muttered sourly.
"I know the feeling. I'm not that happy with your disappearing acts. What's going on in that big brain of yours?" Myka pushed ever so slightly, tapping a finger on the side of Helena's head. Her fingers weaved a path through her hair, softening her pokes.
"Why do you ask?" Helena turned onto her side staring into the eyes boring deeply into her soul.
"I just know."
"Ah, that conversation again?" Helena ran her index finger down Myka's nose to her chin, its path interrupted by her teeth.
"Why do you insist on doing things like this when our breakfast is being prepared by a certain bed bug, that unfortunately, has acquired far too much knowledge of our more intimate affairs?" She tugged her finger back, now wet from being sucked on.
"You started it," Myka pouted. "Seriously, Helena, what's going on? Sphere or the mom thing? Or both?"
"If you knew, why did you ask?"
"Because it's your job to share." She started to roll over on the smaller woman. "You don't get that part yet and I have to keep reminding you."
"Oh, no, you don't." Helena pushed her back while squiggling out from beneath her. "I'll have none of that to find myself left here unsatiated."
"Can I at least get a real good morning kiss?" Myka didn't wait for an answer and took what she wanted anyway, despite the feigned protests beside her. "We know the nightmares will never go away. You know, I have them too," Myka admitted faintly.
Helena jerked her head back surprised at this disclosure. "Why have you never mentioned this before?" She placed her hand against Myka's face, thumbing her cheekbone.
"I always felt mine were minor compared to what we deal with you. I should have told you before. I was afraid they would make yours worse. You have no idea how hard it was turning you on and off like that. Just like I'll never know what it was like being turned off at someone else's will so you could be kept on hand like a flashlight. And not being able to touch you…"
"That part I am very familiar with." She smiled weakly at Myka. She leaned over, gently kissing the pouting lips in front of her, her own stolen more intensely.
Reluctantly releasing her lips, Myka tentatively asked, "Do you want children?"
Helena rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. "I don't know, Myka. I never gave it any thought. I never foresaw myself in a position to either have or want another child. I was happy with what I had and when I lost it…" Helena trailed off into a long dark silence. "I vowed never again, but..."
"Now you find yourself with a possibility you never anticipated that someone has brought to your attention."
"Exactly." She turned back on her side facing Myka's concerned face. "Part of me would love to raise a child with you, but another part...Having a child is as terrifying as it is miraculous. I don't want to prevent you from something you may want. Do you want children?"
"Honestly, Helena, I never saw myself as a mother and the thought is completely foreign, but now I have you." She started playing with the dark hair on the pillow. "I was never in a place in my life I would have ever even considered it. I'm not sure that the way our lives are now would constitute the best timing." She smiled at her lover, placing a quick kiss on her nose. "I do know this. Claudia has placed a seed in our heads. It is nothing more than a seed. We think, we share, and we talk. If it's meant to be, then yes, we'll raise a child. But, honestly, right now I'm not ready to share you with a snotty nosed kid latched onto my leg. You were gone a long time and I don't mean this last trip. I never know when or where you'll be. Besides, we already have Claudia. I really haven't figured out what she is yet, but from the smells coming from downstairs she has learned a few new tricks from Artie. I'm starving."
"I can still work up your appetite, then?" Helena grinned just before her own stomach growled.
"And apparently I don't do such a bad job myself. Oh, and Helena? After breakfast, I'd really like to come back to bed and just sleep next to you. It was a long trip, and I feel kind of jipped by a two a.m. nightmare."
Getting out of bed, Helena smiled. "I think that can be arranged. I suggest we eat quickly." She started rummaging around the floor. "Where the Hell is that shirt? I couldn't find it last night."
"Which one?" Myka pulled on her jeans, craving the coffee she smelled.
"My Colorado State University sweatshirt. You threw it somewhere over here…" She motioned in the general direction of the corner with her hand looking under furniture and around the corner of the room.
"YOUR sweatshirt?" Myka crossed her arms watching the woman tediously looking for the disputed sweatshirt.
"What other one is there?" Helena looked up to see Myka glaring at her. "What?"
Myka went to her dresser and pulled out a sweatshirt from the drawer, throwing it at her.
"I got you another one. MY sweatshirt, that you took possession of, has too many holes in it to be of any use. And don't worry; I broke it in for you while you've had the other one with you when you were away. It took a few trips." She smiled at the expression on Helena's face.
In a rare display of over-zealous affection, Helena threw herself into Myka's arms. "Thank you." She pulled the shirt over her head, jubilance radiating from her. "Mmmm. It still smells like you." She grabbed Myka's hand pulling her towards the stairs. "I'm still starving, and I really need some of that vile stuff from your mug while I wait for my tea."