Got a plot bunny a while ago, not a very original one, but one I wanted to write nonetheless. This is my first attempt at writing for Warehouse 13.
So apart from the disclaimer that I own nothing, I'd like to add that I know this isn't my best work. Helena isn't even my favorite character. I've seen each episode that she's been in once. And I'm sure a billion fics have been written about this scene. But I wanted to contribute my thoughts on it into a one shot, so here it is.
Also, huge thanks again to my Bestie Amber for getting me into this show! I reiterate, girl, our TV swap was the best idea ever.
The entire time Helena was near or inside the Warehouse since she came out of the bronzer into a world not much better than the one that she had left, she'd failed to smell the apples. And it distressed her; when one was told that not everyone was able to smell them, she felt special for being able to. The Warehouse had appreciated her in a way that the world didn't, or at least the way the world didn't realize it did. But that was gone with her bronzing, even after she didn't destroy the world and became more committed to helping like she had before, the apple smell did not return. And along with the loss of her daughter and the harsh realization that the world today was not a better place than the world she had left, she now felt as if the Warehouse had rejected her too.
Eventually she was able to get past the rejection and throw herself into helping Myka and the others attempt to stop Sykes, and when the shield remained up and they found the bomb her heart sank, not because of her imminent death, that didn't concern her, and not totally because she knew that Myka, Pete, and Artie weren't likely to survive either, but partly because the Warehouse was going to 'die' too. Because the Warehouse had given up on her, and it seemed like the right decision had been made in that - she couldn't do anything about it. She couldn't save Myka, Pete and Artie. She couldn't save herself. And she couldn't save Warehouse 13. She was much too used to failure for her own good. She used to believe that there was always a way out, always a new plan, always a solution, and always a future. She didn't remember when she'd stopped believing.
Helena was unsure of when exactly the light bulb had gone off and the way to save the agents had popped into her mind, but her body went into motion, as if on autopilot, and began working to build the shield. And when it closed securely around Myka, Pete, and Artie, Helena allowed herself to smile, just a little bit, because there was always a way out, always a new plan, always a solution, and always a future. It just worked out that sometimes the way out, the new plan, the solution, and the future didn't involve everyone that the present moment did, but if Helena's life was what she had to put as a down payment on the other three's lives, she would do it without hardly a second thought. She had been unable to save Christina, but this, this was something that she could do. And maybe, among the three of them, they would find a way to bring the Warehouse back.
Myka was upset. Helena could see it on her face, even more so than Pete and Artie, who, surprisingly, protested once she told them what she had done. Helena appreciated their concern, but one day they'd realize that this was better. The Warehouse was going to explode no matter what. Helena was going to die no matter what. Why not save Myka, Pete, and Artie at no additional cost to herself? How did not doing so make any sense at all?
The timer was counting down, getting closer now, and Helena stood near them, watching their faces, knowing that this time she'd get the credit for what she'd done but not really caring about that, and then…
And then it hit her, not in a solid way that could push her over with the momentum, but in a way that almost knocked her off her feet anyway.
Apples.
Tears sprang to her eyes. It was all she could do to not fall on the floor and cry.
Becoming 'good' again was not enough for the Warehouse; wanting to make sure Sykes rotted forever wasn't good enough for it either. But the Warehouse had come to like, or even love, Myka, Pete, and Artie, and Helena, the fallen angel, had saved them. And ensuring their safety had made the Warehouse forgive her, thank her, and enable her to smell the apples once again. Normal people would never understand the significance that apples held when it came to Warehouse agents, but she hoped that the ones she was saving, or at least Artie, would understand.
Helena's voice cracked as she spoke, hoping that they understood that a part of her was happy now, at peace, relieved. They are safe. They might find a way to fix this. "I smell apples."
The explosion began. Myka's face grew even more pained. Even Pete and Artie looked emotional. And Helena closed her eyes. She was going down with the Warehouse, and in the Warehouse's good graces. And there were many a worse way to go.
I won't go so far as to hope that you liked it, but I do hope it at least did not make you cringe. Can't wait for season four!