Happily Never After
Chapter 1 of 10.
For Kathryn0505, who is the best author of Myka, this is for you, with my thanks for your support and inspiration, and help working out the plot kinks. Also all credit to you for the title :)
Chapter 1.
Myka Bering tries hard to keep her eyes closed, and will herself to sleep. Above all she is exhausted. Her back is aching, every muscle in her body is aching, as she drifts off into a nightmarish slumber.
She knows she is finally asleep, knows she is dreaming, when she reaches down and feels the swollen belly, the little feet kicking at her from the inside out. It was almost too real, too breathtaking. And exhausted though she is, she wills herself now to wake up. This is a little too creepy, even for her. Why on earth would she be dreaming about being pregnant? It doesn't sit comfortably, and she would rather be awake and exhausted than asleep and dreaming of...this.
Dream, or no dream, she has to pee. She opens her eyes, it's dark, and she doesn't bother to look around, because she can feel the pressure of this swollen belly, this is a dream. It isn't real. So no need to pay attention to anything that's happening. She tries to shift over to the side of the bed, but it's not as easy as she thinks to manoeuvre, she can't even manage to sit on the bedside, let alone stand. She understands now why pregnant women say they feel like a beached whale. She closes her eyes tightly, very very tightly, and wills herself to wake up. She has had this dream before. Not this dream, of being pregnant. But the dream of needing to pee. When she was six years old. And she had woke up in a wet bed, with her sister teasing her for months. She really doesn't want to repeat that experience, she has to wake up. Now.
That's when she hears Pete mumbling" Myks, you ok?" She turns to see Pete's figure in the dim light lying in the bed next to her. Her heart stops for a moment. Pete? In her bed? This was one freaky dream. She tries to remember if she had been drinking before she went to bed. What the hell had she been drinking? But she can't remember. She doesn't remember going to bed, doesn't remember what she drank, what she did. She doesn't remember the last case she worked, the last artifct she touched. Because, she tells herself, it's all a very weird dream and none of this is real.
It is so life like, though, and Pete's hand reaches out towards her shoulder "Do you have to pee, again?"He asks.
What new hell is this? Myka asks herself. Just when she thought she had tasted everything the warehouse could throw at her.
After struggling to sit up with that massive swollen belly, she switches on the bedside light and looks over to Pete. "What are you doing in my dream, what is ..this?" She motions to her belly, taking a good hard look at her very pregnant stomach. Her hands come to naturally rest over the bump and she feels again the unmistakable movement inside of her. Something that she had never imagined, being pregnant, never once thought about what it would feel like to have a baby grow inside her, and yet this felt so unmistakably real.
"Oh my God." Pete mumbles as he sits bolt upright. "It's happening again."He sighs, then reaches over very deliberately and picks up the lamp on his side of the bed and smashes it against the floor. His whole body stiffens as the lamp shade smashes into pieces, and Myka flinches in reflexive response.
She looks to the lamp, and that's when she notices- it's not her lamp, it's not her bed. It's not like her to pay so little attention to her surroundings. But that's ok, it's not her life, it's a freaky dream. Because this is Pete's room, Pete's bed, and there is this thing inside her kicking at her ribs uncomfortably. This is a dream. Or an artifact. Either way, this is not real, and no need for panic, she tells herself.
"Ok a nightmare was better than an artifact, you could wake up from a nightmare. But an artifact wasn't the end of the world. Snag it, bag it, tag it and all this will be undone." Myka mumbles to herself, not even realising she is speaking aloud. Myka leans back against the bed head, closing her eyes briefly. "Ok, calm down Myka, this is some weird Warehouse artifact thing, this will be ok, just think."
She can't think though, because she really needs to pee. Whatever artifact induced hell this is, it's not going away, she needs to pee, and there is some thing living inside her, kicking her, every muscle in her body is aching, especially her back.
"What is this?" She tries to demand an answer from Pete, but it comes out softly as tears form in her eyes. She doesn't understand why she is so upset. She doesn't understand what it happening to her body, to her mind. She doesn't understand why Pete is so angry, why he threw the lamp across the room. Why would Pete do that if this was a nightmare? Why would any of this happen in a nightmare? It's not a nightmare. It's too real. But it's ok. Because Pete is here, he will help her figure this out. Myka is is so unsettled, that she forgets for a moment that she is in Pete's bed, she just remembers- Pete is her partner, she can trust him, they will get back to normal. They will work this out, together.
"Myka." Pete says, and already she is reassured just by his voice, the calmness. He gets out of bed and walks around to her side of the bed. He crouches by the bedside and takes her hands "I promise I will explain everything to you, ok. But I just need you to take a breath. Calm down. I know it must be confusing for you. But I need you to relax, ok, for the baby."
"For the what now?" Myka asks.
"The baby." He says, gesturing to her swollen belly. He didn't really have to say it, it's not like she could overlook the huge belly, the fact she couldn't even get out of bed without his help because of the massive baby bump. But it doesn't make any sense.
"What are you doing here in my, I mean what am I doing here in your bed, Pete?" Her voice shakes in fear. "This is some kind of what? Alternate universe? Weird artifact? What Pete? Tell me the truth!"
"The truth is, you've been having amnesia attacks. What is the last thing you remember, tell me." Pete asks.
"No." Myka shakes her head and pulls away from his grasp. "No, no. This isn't me, this isn't amnesia, I would not forget...this." She motions to her belly. "This is an artifact, or something, I'll prove it to you Pete, come on you know what the Warehouse is like, this isn't the strangest thing that ever happened, right Pete?" Myka pleads with him.
"Is everything ok in here?" HG Wells asks from the door way. She flicks on the light switch causing Myka to flinch at the sudden bright light. "I heard the broken glass." She motions to the broken lamp on the floor.
"Helena. Thank God." Myka breathes a sigh of relief. "What the hell is going on? You have to help me work this out."
HG sighs too, and looks to Pete.
"She is having another episode." Pete says to HG.
"What are you talking about? Episode? I'm not having any kind of episode! What is wrong with both of you." Myka asks. "HG?!" Myka yells, so overwhelmed that she reverts to the use of 'HG' as opposed to 'Helena'.. "Tell me what is going on?"
The yelling has brought Claudia to the door. "Is everything ok?"
"She is having another episode." Pete repeats to Claudia.
"They are getting closer, the amnesia attacks." Claudia remarks to Pete, as if Myka wasn't even in the room.
Pete steps back from where Myka is sitting on the edge of the bed, over towards where Claudia was standing, with his head in his hands. And Helena moves closer towards Myka, sitting beside her.
"Myka, I know this must be confusing." Helena tells her.
"Confusing?! That's not the word I'd use. Helena, you have to listen, to believe me, something isn't right, this is an artifact, or something. You know this isn't real. This could never have happened."
"Ok." Helena says. It is clear she doesn't believe Myka, but she isn't condescending. It's almost comforting. "Just let's all take a moment and calm down, ok? And then we can talk about this."
"Ok." Myka agrees, reluctantly. Because she is outnumbered, no one believes her, and she is still so tired, she had lost her will to argue. She will listen to what they have to say, and work out what has happened, and put things back to normal. And if Pete wont help, maybe HG will. And if neither of them will help, she will do it alone. She might be...pregnant...she shudders at the word, but she isn't helpless.
"Tell me, Myka, what you think is happening?" Helena asks her.
Myka hesitates, as if it is a trap. But Helena nods encouraging her.
"I don't know. But this isn't right." Myka is insistent.
"What isn't right?" Helena asks.
"This." She points to her swollen belly.
"The baby?" Helena asks her.
"The what?" Myka stumbles. "No. See, I would remember this, I would not forget a ..baby. I would remember if there was a baby, I would remember if he..." She motions to Pete. "I would remember this. This is not right."
"Ok." Helena says. "What do you remember?"
"Not this!" Myka is adamant. "What would I want with a baby? I don't want a baby. I never wanted a baby. How can I do my job with a baby? What is a baby going to do at the Warehouse? Come on this is ridiculous, and you all know it! Is this you again, Pete? Like that time you wished me pregnant?" Myka asks the question, but she knows already it's different. She had never felt this...pregnant. Never felt the tiny person moving inside her, sending shivers down her spine, her whole body had changed in response to the pregnancy, she can feel it. This is too real. It's nothing like the pregnancy Pete wished upon her.
"No, Myka, it's nothing like that. I would never do that against your will, I didn't mean it the first time, you know that." Pete answers apologetically.
"So you accidentally did something to me, Pete? That's ok, I'm not even angry, just tell us what you did, and we can un do it." Myka pleads.
Pete just sighs and shakes his head in response wearily.
Helena tries again. "Myka, tell me, what is the last thing you remember? And we will see what we can work out, ok?"
Helena isn't being unreasonable, it is a good question, but Myka can't help but feel Helena is in on this, they are all in on something, and they are trying to trick her.
"Claudia's birthday." Myka struggles to think, the last thing she remembers. Claudia's birthday. She answers carefully, defensively, aware that she has to be vigilant, especially if she is the only one who knows something is wrong. Very wrong.
"That's good. That was just last week." Claudia says. "See, it's not so bad, it's late, you're tired, confused, that's all." Claudia says.
"A week?" Myka asks. "No. I couldn't forget a whole week." Myka shakes her head. "Besides, I don't remember it like this." Myka insists.
"Like what?" Claudia asks as she sits on the other side of Myka. Pete seems to be backing away, step by step, minute by minute, but Claudia and Helena at least are listening to her.
"This." She points to her belly. "There was no this."
"No baby?" Claudia clarifies.
"Myka." Helena says. She takes Myka's hand pressing it agains her belly. "Here, you can feel this. This is real. I know this is confusing and frightening, but feel this with your own hands, you can feel it moving inside of you. I know you can. You can't deny that."
Myka turns her head away from Helena, Because, no, she can't deny it. She feels it as if it was real. As if there really was a baby inside of her.
"That's really a baby?" Myka asks. She breathes out softly and lets her hand glide over her stomach gently. She feels the baby kick at her and her heart stops. How could this be possible? Where did this baby come from? That's when she shifts her gaze from her belly, to Pete, to the ring on his finger, the ring on her own, she looks around, Pete's bed, Pete's ring, Pete's baby.
"No." She shakes her head, laughing. "This is a joke, and it is not funny. I don't know what kind of artifacts you guys have been playing with but this is not funny! I'm not kidding Pete, tell me right now what you have done! You can't play with people's lives. You are always so irresponsible, playing with things you don't understand. What the hell have you done to me this time!?" Myka yells at him.
Helena takes Myka's hand. "Ok, ok, just take a breath and calm down. Tell me what you do remember, everything you remember."
"Why are you doing this?" Myka asks her, tears welling up in her eyes.
"I promise you, no one is doing anything to you. Talk to me, we will work it all out ok, tell me what you remember." Helena prompts.
"Claudia's birthday." Myka repeats. "It was Claudia's birthday, and there was no baby." she insists.
"Ok." Claudia says, though she looks at Myka as if she were crazy.
"I know you don't believe me, none of you, but I'm not crazy!" Myka tells them.
"No one said you were crazy." Claudia tells her. "Why don't you lie down and get some rest, this isn't good for the baby for you to get so upset."
"The baby?" Myka almost laughs, shaking her head. "This isn't real. It was your birthday Claudia, I remember it was. Joshua came and surprised you. We tried so hard to keep it a secret from you. I was sure Artie couldn't keep his mouth shut. But he did. And it was a great party, and there was NO baby. You won't convince me otherwise."
"That's just fantastic." Pete mumbles from the doorway where he is leaning against the door frame. "Fucking fantastic."
Claudia looks away, not able to meet Myka's eye.
"What?" Myka asks them. "What? What aren't you telling me?!"
"That was Claudia's birthday last year." Helena answers her.
"She lost over a year this time." Pete states blankly.
"Maybe it's best Pete." Claudia says quietly to him "Some things are best forgotten."
"Some things? A whole year? How far is this going to go?" Pete demands.
"Shut up, both of you. This isn't helping." Helena tells them. "Vanessa said we aren't supposed to tell her about the things she doesn't remember."
"Vanessa said we should keep her calm." Claudia replies. "And she is bound to notice she is pregnant, what does Vanessa want us to do about that?"
"It was one thing when she was losing days, weeks of time. But a whole year? What am I supposed to say to that? What can I possibly say to make her understand?" Pete wants to know.
"You can all stop talking about me like I'm not in the room, to start with!" Myka instructs. "Heaven forbid someone talk to me, and tell me what is going on."
"We just don't want to upset you, it's not good for the baby." Claudia tries to explain.
"It is upsetting me because this isn't real. There is no baby. And none of you will talk to me, you just argue among yourselves, and none of you will listen to me! I don't know what is going on. Someone better start explaining it to me. Everything you know. But, first, I really have to pee." Myka tells them.
Helena helps steady Myka to stand to her feet and find her balance. Myka waddles off towards the bathroom, shaking Helena off "I can walk by myself!" Myka snaps at her, even though it isn't all that easy to walk with dignity so she discovers.