Well, here we go again, folks!
I very much wanted to start uploading this at least a month ago, but life happened and priorities shifted, as they do. I tried my best to get the story back on track after having to put it down. I hope it flows well enough to still be enjoyable.
Mostly good feels ahead :-D
Chapter One
"I like the plain ones," Myka grumbled as she followed her mother around the department-store with Christina and Tracy in tow.
Four months had passed since the discovery that Helena's grandparents had not died in a ship wreck; since finding out that their destinies were more entangled with their enemy's than they ever could have guessed; and since they had insisted, rather vehemently, that they should no longer be relegated to paying lip-service to regency.
Claudia was the most apologetic, insisting that she had been excited about the reunion with the elder Wells couple and in all her enthusiasm, just hadn't paused long enough to consider how much the shock might hurt. In her obvious contrition, she was easy to forgive and as she was an integral part of the machine that was organising the upcoming nuptials, this was a blessing.
Jane and Don, having not known, were merely held to account for their insistence that the lies were for everyone's benefit. They were arrogant with the best of intentions and took their lead from two who showed not the slightest hint of regret: Adwin and Irene.
After several frustrating attempts to reason with the head regent and ex-caretaker, Helena and Myka realised that they were dealing with fanatics: calm, passive fanatics, but unshakable in their beliefs. So they decided in the end to be grateful that they were on the same side and leave it at that.
Progress with Rupert and Eleanor Wells was slow but assured. Once Helena decided that love and forgiveness were easier to live with than anger and resentment, Myka followed suit and bridges were soon being repaired and reinforced. Tentative first steps began from afar; the odd base-touch via Claudia's secure network became daily conversations the moment Christina became part of the equation. With the eleven-year-old's infinite compassion and easy-going nature added to the mix, it was inevitable that the older couple would eventually join their family stateside.
Mr Kosan arranged, through a backdoor into the Warehouse's finances, to provide the couple with a salary and back pay. Though the steady income was not needed for Claudia to bypass immigration, it smoothed the process somewhat, and Christina was delighted to have her great-grandparents in walking distance.
With the swift passing of time, the much-anticipated wedding drew closer. Though most things of real importance were taken care of: invitations, flights, accommodation and such, Myka's mother continued to insist that there was much left to do. Shopping for tableware was apparently of dire import.
As she tried to insert her opinion into the debate, the regent caught her sister's gaze and rolled her eyes. "Besides, we have plates. What do you think we've been eating off for the last three and a half years?"
"Enough of the back-chat, young lady," Jeannie admonished lightly. "It's tradition. We did the same for Tracy."
"And they've barely been out of the cupboard," Myka argued. She wished she could fob this job off on her wedding planners, but Claudia was busy with her recruits and she was reluctant to subject her daughter to too much time with her mother when Jeannie was in this sort of mood.
"Leave me out of this," Tracy grumbled.
"Wouldn't you like something nice to pass down to your children?" Jeannie tried to reason as she moved to admire the contents of another cabinet.
No, I'd rather torture them with endless shopping trips, she thought grumpily. "If that's the goal, then why not give me yours?" Myka knew the moment the words were out of her mouth, that she'd found part of the issue. "I've never seen any in the apartment though," she added tentatively.
Jeannie's energy seemed to seep out of her and she turned her back on her children as she gathered her thoughts. "Your father and I put all of our money into the shop and with what little our parents were able to scrape together, there wasn't anything left after the wedding to spend on trivialities."
Sensing that this was an issue between Myka and their mother, Tracy placed her hand over her niece's shoulder and tried to make good their escape. "Chrissie and I are going to check out the scene at Ben and Jerry's. Come find us when you've figured out... whatever this is. For the record though, Mom? I love my plates." She took her niece's hand and stuck her tongue out at her older sibling.
Myka rolled her eyes again at her sister even as she felt gratitude for Christina's opportunity to escape. She wasn't entirely sure what was bothering her mother but from the silver-haired woman's comments so far, she had an inkling that it had something to do with Helena's effortless wealth. Deciding that they weren't in the best place for a heart-to-heart, she led them to an outdoor seating area.
"Mom, what's up? I know this isn't just about plates," the regent asked as she found a bench and sat facing her mother.
"Dear, you don't have to make such a fuss. If you don't want the plates, don't have the plates," Jeannie answered defensively. She tried to appear nonchalant but didn't do a very good job of it.
"I don't want the plates," Myka confirmed as kindly as she could, pressing on as she noticed her mother's slight flinch. "I do want to know why it means so much to you that I have them though."
"It's nothing," the older woman stubbornly insisted.
Myka gritted her teeth but managed to keep her tone calm. "It's not nothing. I think I know what it is but I'd rather hear it from you."
The Bering matriarch fidgeted for several seconds, appearing to war with herself over how to respond. "Helena has given you everything you could possibly want," she eventually settled on.
"That's not a good thing?" the younger woman asked probingly.
"Of course it is. It wasn't easy for me to see it at first, not with my eyes closed, but she completes you in a way I didn't think was possible." She smiled at the expression on her daughter's face before sighing. "I know I'm being ridiculous, Myka. I just can't seem to help myself. With Helena and now Eleanor, what do you need your backward-thinking mother for?"
"Backward-thinking?" Myka parroted, considering it odd that her mother chose those words.
"I'm sure that's what they must think of me," Jeannie sniffed as her expression hardened.
"Mom," Myka began to try and reason. "I'm sure they don't..."
"How could they not? Eleanor was more of a mother to you than I was at a time when you needed me most." Her hands clenched together as her lip wobbled. "I still don't find it easy," she admitted softly. "And now they're here and are willing and able to provide for you better than I can."
Myka slipped a hand between her mother's and scooted closer. "Mom, if this is about money, I love the fact that you and Dad couldn't afford to give us everything. It's nice not having to worry about money but I know it's not the most important thing in life. You should hear the disagreements Helena and I sometimes have about not spoiling the kids. Even if sometimes I can't help myself either; you've said so yourself that I spoil them. I want them to appreciate what they earn like you taught me to." She paused to see that her words were sinking in before continuing. "As for the rest. You had a choice and you chose to love and support me even when you weren't sure that it was the right thing to do. When it definitely wasn't easy for you. That means more to me than I could ever put into words. I don't need things to know that you love me, because you show me every day."
Jeannie turned away to wipe at a tear before turning back. "You have a lovely way with words."
"Just another gift that you and Dad gave me," the regent teased.
Across town, another 'mother/daughter' conversation was taking place. Stood before a case of jewellery, Helena and Eleanor were debating the best choice for the inventor's wedding ring.
"I don't want it to be identical to Myka's," Helena grumbled almost to herself. "But they should complement one another, don't you think?"
Eleanor watched her granddaughter's gaze flit between the display case and her own hand and smiled to herself. "Yes, petal," she agreed for what had to be the dozenth time in the last two hours. "Do you not think that you are allowing yourself to fret a tad too much?" she suggested gently. "I know Myka will not complain about any ring so long as you like it."
HG bit her lip and nodded. She was running out of time and for some reason, this task was proving to be more troublesome than she had anticipated. Gazing down at the diamond adorning her left hand, she drifted back to Myka's birthday and smiled to herself.
She recalled the busy day and how her fiancée dragged her to bed after a glass of wine in the garden before sinking down on one knee...
With the children tucked into bed for the night, Myka led her partner into the back garden and joined her on the swinging bench on the porch. They had pulled back the awning, giving them a clear view of the sky as the sun slipped through the trees towards the horizon and tiny spots of light dotted a sapphire sky. As the birthday girl settled close to the inventor, wine in hand, she breathed in the crisp night air and sighed.
"I had a wonderful day today, Helena. As always," she added as she thought back to her birthday celebrations from the past two years. "After all this time, I wonder how you manage to make me blush so much."
"Talent, darling," HG smirked into her glass. "And preparation."
"I should take more opportunities to return the favour," the brunette mused.
"I have no qualms about you trying," Helena responded with an arrogant air.
Myka lowered the glass that was half way to her mouth and scowled. "I do know how to make you blush," she argued.
"Certainly," Helena answered, knowing that her non-specific, laconic reply would poke at the right buttons.
The American scoffed as she recognised the game and the challenge. "You're not going to win tonight, Helena."
"Is this a game?" the inventor responded with feigned ignorance. She might not have been as innocent as she pretended but the touch of surprise in her eyes was real enough. Normally at this point, Myka would be dissecting her every word and searching her memories to prove Helena wrong, but after only a brief spark of that green fire, it died down to smoulder gently behind a calm gaze.
Myka slowly drained the last of her wine and made a show of contemplating the darkening sky. "Perhaps... But tonight, I'm going to get one over you." She stood and reached a hand out in invitation.
"Well, I shan't say no to an offer like that," Helena grinned as she laced their fingers together and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet.
"Behave," the birthday-girl admonished half-heartedly. Almost walking backwards as she pulled her fiancée along, she answered, "I have something I've been dying to give to you for a while now."
Thoughts of trying to get a rise out of her lover vanished abruptly as Helena digested those words and left her imagination to have free rein with them. "Lead the way," she responded and followed in a happy daze.
They reached the landing, paused for the customary 'sound of movement' check and then disappeared into their bedroom. Myka smirked as Helena's clothes began to litter the floor but made no motion to remove her own.
Frowning, clad only in bra and slacks, Helena watched her partner search through the bedside drawer and return to stand in front of her again, only with one hand now hidden behind her back. "I was certain that we kept our accessories elsewhere," she commented, feeling confused since she knew Myka wouldn't put anything x-rated in reach of their children. "I'm beginning to think that this surprise hasn't anything to do with seeing you naked."
"I told you I'd get one over you," Myka teased.
"Forgive me, darling, but I had hoped that 'getting one over me' had an altogether different connotation," the inventor replied.
The American chuckled. "Oh, I know exactly what you were thinking."
Deciding to change the subject, HG asked, "You do recall that traditionally, on one's birthday, you are the recipient not the giver of gifts?"
Myka ignored the comment and moved so they were stood toe to toe. Behind her back, fingers grasped tightly to a small, black box while her free hand began to explore the exposed skin of her lover's shoulders. "Five years ago, or thereabouts, I met my soul mate. I didn't know it then and neither did she, and we had to struggle through some difficult times before we could truly be together, but I want you to know, Helena," she paused to check that her companion was hanging on her every word and saw a familiar hint of shame behind mahogany eyes. "Though I regretted not doing more to help you, I have never once regretted letting you in." At this point, knowing that she couldn't drag it out for too long or the older woman would begin to get suspicious, Myka sank down on one knee, her eidetic memory storing every twitch of shock and delight on the Brit's face as she did. "You chose me," she explained as she carefully brought the box into view and slowly opened it. "I want you to have something to remind you that I chose you too...
"Helena, will you marry me?"
Recalling Myka's surprising proposal brought a smile and a tear to the inventor's features and she had to shake off the memory before she could answer with a clear voice. "She is rather accommodating. In some instances at least."
"Helena, I could tell you that life is too short to hold onto regret when one has received pardon already, but perhaps a small amount is not so detrimental: if it serves to keep us humble and appreciative of those we have wronged." Eleanor didn't want to specifically mention her own wrong-doings but she felt that it was implied. "I think the secret may be in how much you allow those thoughts to hinder your life. Are your regrets making you think twice about marrying Myka?"
"Don't be absurd!" HG answered emphatically. The mere idea that she might choose not to marry Myka was ludicrous.
A gentle hand landed on the inventor's shoulder. "Love, I did not mean to suggest that you would consider calling off the wedding," Eleanor reassured her granddaughter. "Only that, perhaps the reality of the situation is finally beginning to sink in and in light of the commitment you are about to make, you are questioning your worth."
It made sense and Helena reluctantly nodded. "I have ruminated enough over the subject to know that my fears are unfounded. Still, they persist in tormenting me on occasion."
"You're on a path to redemption and are in love. It can be easy to forget one's own merits but I trust that Myka reminds you of yours often enough? You are not undeserving, my Little One." She watched the play of emotions behind the inventor's eyes and knew that the younger woman needed some time to digest her words. "Shall we call it a day? In this frame of mind, you are not likely to be content with any purchase, no matter how fitting."
"That is perhaps best," HG answered with a sigh. She really wanted to tick this task off on her list of things to do before the wedding, but Myka had insisted that she take as long as she needed to find the right one and nothing had taken her fancy yet.
They each offered the hovering assistant a polite nod and a word of thanks for the man's patience before stepping out into the summer sun. With June almost at an end, the city streets bustled, with locals and tourists all making the most of the good weather. Helena and Eleanor found a gap within the foot-traffic and began to make their way to Rocky Mountain Lake, where they'd agreed to meet up with the rest of their family for lunch.
A silence fell upon the pair, the air around them somewhere between comfortable and awkward. They shared an understanding of how disparate their surroundings were with where they'd each spent the early portions of their lives and this pulled them closer together, but with that camaraderie came the knowledge that they still struggled to be as close as they had once been.
"Your grandfather may be of better assistance to you in this quest," Eleanor ventured after lengthy contemplation. "He is a hopeless romantic after all."
Helena smiled, feeling fondness for her grandfather and relief for the diminished tension. "I will speak with him," she offered and searched for something to add. "I am beginning to wonder whether it is not too late to requisition a ring, as he once did. If I had known that the task would be this arduous, I would have seen to it months ago."
"I have to say that I am surprised that it was not your first consideration," Eleanor confessed as they crossed an intersection and dodged oncoming pedestrians.
"I was rather more concerned with ensuring that Myka would approve of everything. My own desires were not an immediate priority beyond that, and then..." She glanced swiftly at the older Wells and then back at the pavement in front of her. "Well, I became somewhat distracted."
Knowing precisely what that comment meant, the Wells matriarch felt a stab of guilt. "I am sorry, my darling."
"You are worth more to me than jewellery," the inventor was quick to add, a hand reaching out to squeeze the older woman's in reassurance.
Eleanor's expression softened considerably. "And I appreciate that, Helena. You have been rather more magnanimous with me than perhaps I deserve. Still, this is your wedding and I would like you to have the best of everything."
"I have Myka," the inventor answered without thought. "My children, now you and Papa, and the rest of our family and friends. What need have I beyond that?"
Pride swelled the older Victorian's chest and she glanced at her granddaughter with approval. "It is good that you can see that, love. Yet your mind will not be easy until you have found the ring that symbolises all of that. I know you, Helena; you are not looking for a simple trinket."
"No," HG nodded her agreement. "But even a simple trinket can become so much more under the right circumstances. Have we not seen this time and again in our line of work?"
A thoughtful brow rose in response. "True."
The following lull in conversation was not nearly as uncomfortable as the previous one and the pair continued their journey by exchanging the occasional observation on modern life: comparing architecture between buildings and lamenting the number of people they passed, most of them barely looking up from their phones to appreciate the vibrant world around them.
Rocky Mountain Lake was busy too, with lots of families and couples sat on picnic blankets and benches, while the occasional jogger or dog walker toed the footpath. They found their boisterous family soon enough though, spotting Christina crawling on all fours with Freddy on her back and Myka hovering nearby, ready at a moment's notice to catch her son if he looked like he was going to topple. Daniel sat on his father's tummy close by; one eye on his cousins as if he couldn't decide which game seemed more interesting.
Helena honed in on her fiancée and children, her eyes only for them while she traversed the grass to where the family were seated. She and Eleanor parted to greet their respective mates and Helena felt some unidentifiable weight temporarily lift from her shoulders; the second Myka's lips found hers, any concerns from the morning deserted her.
"Mmm," Myka hummed as Helena's hand slid along her lower back. "Hey, honey. How was your morning?"
"So, so," the inventor replied, a warm smile still lingering across her mouth. "Better for seeing you."
"Charmer," Myka chuckled as she leant into the Brit and bumped their hips together. She took a peak behind her fiancée and watched as Eleanor accepted a deck chair from her husband and Myka immediately pictured the two sat somewhere like Blackpool peer, Rupert holding his wife's parasol while she adjusted her skirts against the coastal breeze. "What do you say we get this show on the road?" she added in a louder voice and nodded to her sister to grab the cooler.
They ate in the chaotic way families do when there are no formal place settings or order to the consumption of the meal, and when youngsters are released from the restraints of chairs and free to come and go between food and play. Unconcerned by boundaries, Christina flitted between family members in turn, never slowing down or showing preference, the perfect tourniquet for fractured souls.
When the meal was over, Mrs Bering and the Littlewoods gathered their things and said their goodbyes. Jeannie was overly concerned (in her children's opinions) with leaving her husband alone in the shop all day and Tracy had agreed to take her home after lunch. As Daniel's parents had a longer drive home the next day, they didn't complain about leaving early.
Myka grabbed the almost empty cooler while Helena argued pointlessly with her grandmother over who would carry the chairs back to the car. Needless to say, the inventor ended up with Freddy on her shoulders and hands free to hold firmly onto his legs.
After dropping all of their extra belongings back in the car, they spent the rest of the afternoon at The Denver Puppet Theatre. Fredrick was a bit too young to sit through the performance so Myka volunteered to entertain him with the activities elsewhere in the building, while HG led Christina and her grandparents into a small theatre and joined them on four plastic chairs. As one of the eldest children in the room, Christina remained with her family but perched on the edge of her seat rather than sit on the floor at the front, more willing than most to play along with the story and talk to the characters.
Helena chuckled to herself with every giggle and gasp that escaped her eldest. She recalled a marionette that used to hang in Christina's bedroom back in her brother's house in London and knew instantly that they wouldn't be able to leave today without taking a few souvenirs with them. Almost as if her grandmother had read her mind, as the memory pulled forth forgotten tears, Eleanor's hand slipped into her own and suddenly, the connection that had been missing since their reunion reared its head and chased the shadows away.
As they passed into Boulder later that day and Myka began to slow down in preparation for letting her future in-laws out of the car, Eleanor vetoed the direction and requested that they drive on. With a quick glance and a nod from Helena, Myka returned her foot to the accelerator. If she was surprised at all by the proceedings, she didn't show it and stored any burning questions away until later.
Through some unspoken communication, the elder Wells couple split in opposite directions, Rupert taking Helena by the arm and asking for another look at her laboratory.
"I do not believe I will ever quite get used to all of this new technology," he chatted as the inventor led him into the basement and offered him a stool. Seeing Helena's hand on the work surface, he placed his on top and squeezed it in comfort. "I imagine that was the last thing you struggled with though."
Recalling the welcome distraction of so many flashy things, to the painful, dark thoughts that had accompanied her early in her debronzing, Helena nodded. "It was rather like being a child in a sweet-shop. Certainly the leaps in technology were easier to come to terms with than the paths humanity had taken in a century."
"Though so long as the world is a home to people like Myka, hope will never be completely lost," Rupert commented, somehow managing to dig into the one thing that had saved his Little One from the precipice of total destruction. "Now," he patted her hand and sat up straighter. "About this ring business..."
Chuckling and shaking her head at the realisation that he still knew just how much to push and when to step back, HG ran the fingers of one hand through her hair and leant her head on her hand, waiting for him to continue.
"I know that you are as worried about Myka's connection to the ring as I was with your grandmother and we talked about finding some way to... dispel or dampen the effects. I have discovered very little but there is something we might try..." Rupert's expression had turned serious; a look that rarely adorned his features. "Myka may not approve. Your grandmother certainly was not enamoured with the idea when I informed her at lunch."
"During the five minutes that Christina left the two of you alone?" Helena wondered with a raised brow.
"There was no time as we left home this morning and I dared not wait until we were home once more: I wanted witnesses nearby," he joked before the humour left his eyes again.
"I take it that your discovery might be dangerous?" Helena wondered aloud.
"As with any artefact, there is the potential for danger." He reached into a pocket inside his jacket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "Miss Donovan and I, amongst many things, have looked extensively at this item." He unfolded the paper and handed it to Helena.
HG scanned the page and immediately recognised the artefact. "The Hammer of Hephestus? You believe that it can alter the rings since it made them in the first place? What's the catch?" Her eyes returned to the words and began to process the information this time.
"Miss Donovan and I believe that we could make another ring and split the effects between the new ring and Myka's," he explained.
Helena dragged in a sharp breath, part in relief and part in despair. "I would be the one to wear the second ring," she immediately deduced. "You are correct, Myka will not like it." Without conscious effort, her legs lifted her from her stool and carried her across the room and back. She sighed and a small sarcastic huff fell from her lips. "It seems rather fortunate now that I have not managed to find a ring that took my fancy."
"Some things fall into place when they can and must," Rupert offered as something of an explanation. "I think perhaps it is time for your Norie and I to call it a night and let you get back to your family," he continued and pushed himself up from his seat. "Let us see if we can tear her apart from young Christina."
"I will follow shortly," HG informed him. "I need to wrap my mind around how best to approach Myka. There will be no rest tonight until we've hashed this out," she added as she pushed both hands through her hair.
"We will not give up our search yet. However, I think it not premature to say that this is likely the safest option." Rupert offered his granddaughter a crooked smile. "I will leave you to rehearse your speech. Certain to keep you on your toes, is a sharp witted wife," he chuckled as he turned to make his way up the stairs.
Helena shook her head, mirroring his expression even as she anticipated the battle of wills she had to look forward to.
Welcome back party? Who's with me? I'll bring the cheese!