As Myka catalogued artifacts, she tried unsuccessfully to keep her thoughts from wandering to Helena and the time traveler's latest assistance with the warehouse.
She had hoped when Helena finished the mission with Steve they would finally have a chance to really talk honestly…and perhaps settle…whatever it was between them.
Her hopes were only dashed when she tried to approach Helena, but found the woman warily avoided her making it abundantly clear, she still wanted nothing more to do with the warehouse and by extension, Myka.
Helena had left just minutes ago with barely a goodbye and Myka felt saddened, confused and hurt by her absence once more. She vaguely wondered when Helena would stop walking away from her truth, or if she ever would. The thought troubled her deeply. HG Wells was not normal, and if anyone belonged at the warehouse, it was her.
Myka sighed heavily and chanced a glance at Pete who worked a few feet beside her, wondering how he felt about the time traveler leaving again.
She frowned when her glance at Pete revealed him quickly turning away from her when he caught her stare.
Pete had been acting strange around her for weeks now; ever since she found out he risked the warehouse to save her. Putting thoughts of Helena aside for the moment, she walked the few paces to approach her partner.
"Pete, is everything okay?" she asked concerned.
"What? Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" he asked defensively.
"You've just been acting really weird lately, and I'm concerned about you is all. You know you can tell me anything, right?" she encouraged. "We're partners after all."
Pete met her eyes reluctantly. "Yeah, right, partners," he sighed.
"Pete, are you sure you're okay?" she persisted as she watched him run his hand over the length of his face.
He silently shook his head. "I do have something on my mind," he admitted. "Something I should probably just come out and tell you."
"Okay," Myka spoke cautiously. "What is it then?"
"I'm in love with you, Mykes," he practically whimpered as he instinctively scrunched his eyes closed waiting for the inevitable punch to his shoulder; only it never came.
Myka was only a little startled when she heard Pete declare his love for her. He had been acting strange for weeks now after all, actively trying to avoid her at all cost. Still, the actual revelation was startling and she remained speechless.
Taking advantage of her lack of speech, Pete went on. "Mykes, I would risk my life for you. Hell, I risked the warehouse for you. I love you, Mykes," he repeated.
Myka closed her eyes, willing herself to remain calm. A flash of Helena filtered in her mind. Beautiful, intelligent, witty, Helena, who had walked out of her life once again. Pete would never leave her and he really was a good guy, a great friend and partner. She loved Pete, she really did. Maybe in time, she could learn to love him the way he seemed to love her.
"I know, Pete," she spoke gently, opening her eyes to see him watching her expectantly. She moved to him then, kissing him softly. She pulled back to see a stunned expression on his face. "Thank you for always being there for me," she whispered.
"Myka I…"
"No," she interrupted. "Let's talk later, okay? Right now I've got work to do, and so do you," she smiled briefly before turning away.
"Are you sure?" he asked confused.
"Yeah."
Pete walked away reluctantly, Myka watching until he was safely out of sight before dropping her head in her hands, tears coursing down her cheek.
"You don't love him."
Myka's head shot up at the voice behind her and she quickly brushed away tears before turning to meet Artie's concerned gaze.
"Of course I do."
Artie shook his head solemnly. "You love him as we all love him. I meant to say you're not in love with him."
"Artie, he saved my life, risking the warehouse for me. Pete is always there for me when I need him," she spoke softly.
"And you sound like a woman trying to convince herself she's in love when she's not. Well," he conceded, "in love yes, but not with Pete," he clarified.
Myka crossed her arms, looking as it about to launch into another argument but Artie held up his hand to halt her.
"Just hear an old man out," he sighed, looking at her intently, waiting until he saw a brief nod of acquiesce before he continued.
"I love you and Pete as if you are my own flesh and blood, and if you truly love Pete as you say, love him…romantically," he spoke awkwardly, "I will gladly support you both. But we both know you don't love him that way."
"Artie, I don't think you're in a position to tell me who and how I love," Myka spoke agitated.
"Fair enough. You are after all a grown woman who knows her own mind, but do you know your own heart?" he questioned.
"Artie, he risked the warehouse for me," she emphasized again.
"All right then, would you risk the warehouse for him?"
"That's not a fair question."
"Why not?"
"Because, the consequences of losing the warehouse are too great, larger than one person."
"And yet Pete did risk the warehouse for you."
"Yeah, he did," Myka conceded tiredly. "He loves me…and I love him."
"Because he risked the warehouse for you?"
"Yes…and because he's…Pete," she spoke flatly.
"If that's your reason for loving Pete, then you must love HG, for it's my understanding you were ready to risk the warehouse for her once."
"What?" she asked surprised.
"Claudia told me about the Janus Coin incident. Pete's plan to destroy the coin would have defeated Sykes. Without the coin, there would have been no HG to help unlock the chess lock and allow him entrance into the warehouse. Pete's plan was logical; a plan you would have come up with if the coin hadn't contained HG's consciousness."
"He would have destroyed one of the greatest minds in history," she spoke softly.
"You said yourself the consequences of losing the warehouse are too great to save one person. But not for HG, not for Helena," he spoke gently. "And if you love Pete for risking the warehouse for you, it stands to reason you must love HG for sacrificing herself to save you."
Myka choked out a cry. "No," she shook her head, "you said she saved us, you, Pete and I," she accused.
Artie nodded. "She did, but only because we all stood conveniently near each other. I may be old and occasionally prejudiced against a certain time traveler, but I'm not blind. I have no doubt it was you she really intended to save. She too would risk the warehouse for you and did lose her own life saving yours. The way she looked at you, Myka," he spoke gently, "it's not something I'm likely ever to forgot, nor the way your voice caught in your throat the moment you realized what she'd done for you, for all of us."
Myka turned away, tears coursing down her cheek. "Why didn't you ever tell me this before?" she asked her back still turned away.
"It never seemed to be the right time," he replied and they both knew it was an excuse.
Myka shook her head. "And you feel now is the right time?" she asked turning to face him again. "Now, when she's left again?"
"Why are you wasting more time having this conversation with me when you could be going after her?" he asked pointedly.
"This from the man who was her biggest opponent?" Myka laughed incredulously.
Artie shrugged. "Sometimes people can surprise you. It's something I've come to slowly but surely learn over the years, and HG has surprised me, more than once," he let out an amused chuckle.
'Sometimes people can surprise you.' The phrase echoed in Myka's ears. She was once a woman who was rarely taken by surprise. The warehouse and its endless wonder had changed that. So had Helena, from the moment they first met at gunpoint.
"You should go after her," Artie repeated, "before you regret it, regret her."
She shook her head sadly. "She doesn't want me, you heard her. She said the warehouse is where I belong."
"Sounds familiar, doesn't it?" came another voice in the aisle behind her.
Myka spun around quickly. "Pete," she spoke startled, brushing away a tear. "I thought you'd gone back to the office."
"I had a vibe," he admitted.
"Oh? Just now?"
"No, when you kissed me, actually."
"And?"
"It wasn't good."
"The vibe or the kiss?" Myka asked furrowing her brow.
"The vibe…and…actually…the kiss too," he admitted bracing himself for the inevitable punch.
"What!" she spoke as she delivered the expected punch to his shoulder.
"And I'll be leaving," Artie broke in. "You two work this out," he said as he began the walk back to the office.
The two partners watched him out of sight. Myka folded her arms over her chest as Pete rubbed at his shoulder.
"So, what exactly was wrong with the kiss?" she asked perturbed. She hadn't even really wanted to kiss him, and now he had the nerve to complain?
"Well, I don't know, Mykes! The moment you kissed me, it just felt all wrong. It was like kissing my sister. Thank god there was no tongue, 'cause that would have been awkward."
"Pete!"
"I'm just being honest," he defended. "I think you felt it was wrong too, but you have too good a heart to say so. I do love you, Mykes, and I admit, I thought for a while my feelings for you went beyond friendship, but now I know they don't. I'd do anything for you, and you know that, I'm just not in love with you. But the truth is, you are in love."
"What? I'm not in love with you either," she argued clearly annoyed.
Pete rolled his eyes. "Not me, Mykes, HG. You're in love with HG Wells.
"Pete," Myka tried to chastise.
"No, just hear me out on this. Artie's right. HG just repeated your own words spoken to her in Wisconsin. Her intentions are good, like yours at the time, but you're both wrong. Any time you two are kept apart by whatever force, holograms, astrolabes, ending the world, saving the world, Emily Lake, life in suburbia, or your own stubborn selves, is just wrong; and you know it," he breathed.
Myka tried to blink back tears. "She's gone, Pete. Again."
"So go after her," he encouraged.
"You do realize that if I go after her, I'm willing to do whatever it takes to be with her. That means giving up the warehouse for her if necessary," she explained, biting her lip.
Pete nodded. "I get that, Mykes, I do."
"It would mean leaving you, Pete," she spoke softly.
"It's alright. I'm an adult, at least that's what my driver's license implies," he joked. "I can handle it. I may call you every single day, but I'll manage."
"You're sure?"
"Mykes, we're double rainbow, all the way."
She rolled her eyes. "That's such an old joke."
"Yeah, but kind of appropriate for you and HG, right?" he laughed.
Myka punched him again. Hard.
"Okay, okay," he said rubbing his shoulder again. "I have to say, if you do leave the warehouse, I'm not going to miss the bruises on my arm."
"Yeah you will," she grinned.
Pete returned the grin. "Yeah, I will," he agreed. "Now go get your girl."
Myka wrapped her arms around his neck and held tight, whispering, "Thanks, Pete," before letting go to turn around and break into a run through the warehouse. She ran up the stairs to Artie's office, rushing past a startled looking Claudia and Steve.
"Where's the fire?" Claudia asked as she watched Myka hurriedly key the password to open the umbilicus.
"I'm going after Helena," Myka spoke breathlessly.
"About fraking time!" Claudia enthused high-fiving Steve.
Myka turned to offer Claudia and Steve a happy grin before disappearing behind the door as she sprinted down the umbilicus. She had just opened the door of the warehouse to step into the early evening landscape when she collided into someone with a startled, "Oomph."
Instinctively, her arms wrapped around the person before her, trying to keep them both balanced so they didn't tumble to the ground.
A soft chuckle escaped the other person's lips and Myka startled at the sound, looking down into dark eyes she would know anywhere. "Helena," she breathed. There was so much Myka wanted to say to Helena, to ask her, to tell her, but she had learned long ago, words often failed her in Helena's presence. With the old adage, actions speak louder than words, Myka finally forgot about words altogether and took action.
Without another sound, she dipped her head to capture Helena's lips in a soft, lingering kiss.
Initially surprised by Myka's action, Helena quickly responded in kind, parting her lips to allow Myka to deepen their heated kiss. Helena wove her fingers through curly tresses, pulling the taller woman closer to her.
Finally the women parted from their kiss, Helena delighting in the soft blush that spread across Myka's features.
"Helena, what are you doing back here?" Myka asked, still holding the other woman close to her, as if fearful to ever let her go again.
Helena smiled softly at her. "I got halfway to Univille before I realized I was only making another mistake and turned around to correct it, once and for all."
"Mistake?" Myka asked.
"Leaving you," Helena replied softly. "I've done it too often, I know, and where once I thought I was being noble, I now realize it was utter foolishness to ever leave you. I just didn't want to risk ever hurting you again, Myka," she spoke sorrowfully.
"Helena," Myka spoke exasperated, "living without you is what hurts me," she spoke seriously.
"You truly feel that way, even after everything I've put you through?" she asked incredulous.
"I love you, Helena," she spoke softly, tears forming in her eyes. "I've always loved you, because I know you," she spoke adamantly. "I see your goodness."
"Myka," Helena sighed, her fingers lightly tracing Myka's cheek to brush away fallen tears. "You have the most remarkable heart…and you are the one person who knows me better than anyone else. I love you too, darling."
Myka couldn't contain the short burst of laughter that escaped her lips in response the pure joy she felt at Helena's words, but she sobered quickly. "Helena, you said you don't want to return to the warehouse. We don't have to stay here…"
"Myka," Helena gently interrupted, "I think we both know here is where I belong, at the warehouse…and in your arms," she said stepping closer in Myka's grasp.
Myka smiled softly. "Finally done walking away from your truth?"
"You are my truth, Myka," Helena whispered against her lips, "and I'll never walk away from you again."
Myka answered her wordlessly.