Lost Hearts

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Helena sealed yet another box up before heading to the post office. This was the sixth package in two months.

"Would you like delivery confirmation on this, Emily?" Jim smiled over his glasses, from behind the counter.

"Yes, I think I should," Helena smiled at him.

"You got it, that'll be $15.27." Jim tapped a few buttons on his register screen. Helena just prayed the package got there safely.

Helena checked her watch as she climbed into her SUV; time to pick up Adelaide from school.

"She sent another one?!" Artie inquired as he felt the air behind him move.

"You are getting too good at that," Mrs. Frederic replied without missing a beat.

"Well, I have been working here since the Civil War," Artie joked.

Mrs. Frederic merely raised her eyebrow and handed the box to Artie.

Artie opened it and gasped, "Shakespeare's ink blotter, where did she find it?" He immediately turned to typing on the Warehouse computer.

"You know she did not find it, it came to her," Mrs. Frederic interjected un-phased by Artie's excitement.

Suddenly, Artie stopped and turned in his chair, "You're right, Helena said they've been coming to her. Who would possibly be able to get these artifacts? Some have been missing for…."

"Artie," Mrs. Frederic gently interrupted him, "I think we need to give her a push, don't you?"

Artie looked at her for a moment, sighed, and nodded his head in agreement. "Yes, we need her back, we always have."

Mrs. Frederic nodded and Artie half turned to look at the newly returned artifact.

"I have a feeling this is going to be big and not in a good way," Artie continued. When he refocused on Mrs. Frederic she was already gone.

Helena was making dinner when the doorbell rang. She quickly dried her hands with the towel on her shoulder. "Be right there," she called moving down the hallway to the front door.

She was not expecting anyone and her body was tense, ready for anything. Ever since the incident where she had been forced to call Myka she was prepared for the worst.

Helena let out a breath before opening the front door, "Hello…" she started, but no one was there.

"Agent Wells, we need to talk," Mrs. Frederic spoke from the living room couch.

Helena closed the front door and calmly turned around, "I'm not an agent."

Mrs. Frederic carefully raised her eyebrow as Helena sat in the chair next to the couch. "I'm afraid I have to disagree, you have been returning artifacts to us." Helena attempted to interrupt but Mrs. Frederic held up her hand. "Furthermore, why would a suburban housewife be hiding a switchblade in her back pocket to open the door," Mrs. Frederic ended, sitting back and waiting for Helena to respond.

Helena's mouth opened and closed a few times. She, the writer, was at a loss for words. "One can never be too prepared," was all she was able to come up with.

Mrs. Frederic kept looking at Helena and then she finally started, "I know you've been trying to heal, that you are trying to have a more normal life. I admire you for trying, especially after all that you have been through." Mrs. Frederic watched Helena stare at her hands. "But are you sure there isn't something missing in your life?" Helena took a sharp breath, but said nothing.

They sat in silence for a while. Mrs. Frederic was not going to make this easy for her because life-changing decisions were never easy.

"I think you are denying who you are, Agent Wells," Mrs. Frederic pressed gently, "you're the best agent the Warehouse has ever had and I think you need the Warehouse as much as she needs you."

Helena sighed and looked out the window. She ran a hand through her hair and finally spoke, "To be honest, I have been getting a bit bored here. Don't get me wrong, I care for Adelaide and have enjoyed learning to cook, but I'm afraid I'm still HG Wells even if I now know how to make omelets and pasta. If I didn't know any better, it felt like the artifacts were finding me for a reason. Did you get them all?"

"We did, but we are not sure where they have been coming from."

"Really? I thought the Warehouse was somehow sending them to me, sending me a message," Helena replied, leaning forward as she spoke.

"We thought that as well, at first, but the artifacts have either been lost for decades or we did not know of them before you sent them to us," Mrs. Frederic replied.

"How can that be?" Helena asked both intrigued and scared by this development.

"We're not sure, that is part of the reason I have come here. We need help figuring this one out and I have a feeling it's not going to be a simple mystery."

"Part of the reason?" Helena inquired, worried. "Is something wrong at the Warehouse or at the Bed and Breakfast?" Helena rushed forward, her hand landing on Mrs. Frederic's.

Mrs. Frederic stood up and straightened her jacket, "I think you know the other reason I would come to speak with you." Mrs. Frederic moved around the table.

"What do you mean by that?" Helena stood up as well.

"I think you know," was the reply and with that Mrs. Frederic vanished.

Helena rubbed her hands together, the scared look clear on her face.

Myka never wanted to go to South America again. The heat was terrible. The flight was way too long. Pete was even more insufferable if that was possible. Myka blamed the food and women. He couldn't seem to control himself.

She was happy to be home. Ready for a shower and curling up with a book. Their family may be small and weird and their home a quirky unfathomable place, but it was theirs. She really couldn't imagine living anywhere else. The Warehouse was here. Her family was here.

Myka went about her routine nearly content. There was really only one thing, one person missing, but she knew it unlikely that they would cross paths again. So she grabbed her well-worn copy of The Lord of the Rings and a whiskey before climbing onto the window seat, hoping Tolkien's words would pull her into a calming space.

"Nate, thank you for everything," Helena said as they stood in the driveway.

"Thank you," he said quietly. They both look over at Adelaide who was sweeping the garage or at least appearing to do so, giving Nate and Helena a moment to talk.

"We both knew it wasn't forever, but I hope it helped you as much as it helped me," Nate continued.

Helena nodded and gave him a hug. When they parted she waved Adelaide over, they experienced their long goodbye the night before with promises to stay in touch and visit, of course. Helena had been worried that Adelaide would be extremely upset, but the smart, precocious child surprised her yet again.

Helena had come to stand in Adelaide's doorway the night before during story time.

"You're going, aren't you?"

Helena nodded gently and went to sit next to the girl, "I have to, it's important."

Adelaide had fallen forward into her arms, "I understand, I think you need to go on more adventures, you need to keep the world safe," she finished snuggling into Helena.

"I guess you could say it's my calling, hmmm," Helena mumbled into Adelaide's hair.

Adelaide nodded vigorously as she opened up a volume of Alice in Wonderland for Helena to read to her.

Helena could not help but smile as they settled into reading, and she stayed with Adelaide all night.

Perhaps she was meant to keep the world safe, but did that mean she had to sacrifice having some sort of life outside of adventures? Helena realized she owed it to herself to find out. She hoped Myka and the others would forgive her for essentially going walkabout without telling them or even saying goodbye.

"I'm going to miss you my dear," Helena said, kneeling down to give Adelaide a strong hug as she skipped over from the garage.

"I'm going to miss you too, but I know you will be back," Adelaide grinned as they pulled apart. Helena grinned back before climbing into her car and heading back toward the Warehouse, endless wonder, and hopefully something else entirely.