The Gift
Helena Wells' face bore an unparalleled smile. Her forehead, pressed against chilled window glass, was becoming colder by the minute but delightful warmth frolicked through her veins blanketing the rest of her body in pure relaxation. Her eyes could almost feel the heat emanating from the lights dancing around the city. Her entire body felt as if it could burst from sensory overload from her current view, and indeed from her earlier expedition. She just could not stop consuming it all. Most especially the lights – from the massive blues and greens flashing across electronic billboards to the brilliant reds and purples illuminating the sides of the tallest buildings she had ever seen, down to the tiniest white lights draped across evergreen trees. Her eyes were presently trained on an ordinary street light when they caught sight of something even more spectacular than the city's illumination and she gasped. "Oh, it's snowing!" She squealed. "Come look!"
But her companion did not join her at the window. Her smile drooped a little as she turned to glance at the room behind her. "Myka?" But the beautiful room that neither of them could believe Artie would have booked for any of his agents- complete with a single king size bed, the sharing of which caused much shyness and hesitation among both women the night before- was empty. "Now where did she…" She began to say to herself. She jumped as her answer came in the form of the door to the room swinging open to bang against the rubber stopper. The swinging door was shortly followed by a very irate agent, her curly head shaking back and forth. "Darling?" She questioned with the quirk of an eyebrow.
"Unbelievable!" She threw up her hands as she collapsed onto her bed.
Amused at her friends' exasperation, Helena's original smile returned to grace her features. "What is unbelievable?" She quirked an eyebrow.
"Not what! Who! Pete! He's unbelievable." Helena chuckled and turned her attention back toward the window.
"What has Mr. Lattimer done on this occasion to invoke the infamous wrath of Myka Bering?"
"Remember that girl from the ice skating rink? The leggy blonde?"
"Mmhmm." She answered, only vaguely remembering. The memories she had retained from the ice skating rink were much different. And they certainly did not involve any leggy blondes. A certain shaky-legged-on-skates brunette with a sweet smile and warm, mitten clad hands who utilized Helena as a cushion upon which to fall, and who's pink cheeks accompanied embarrassed giggle, however, was another story.
"And the one from the department store? That redhead? You remember, her heels were sharper than my sword?"
"Mmhmm." Helena agreed again remembering something else entirely about their time spent in the department store. What she remembered was an immense feeling of being overwhelmed by the crowd surging and bustling around her. Sweat was dripping down her back in frustration as rude women with bursting shopping bags rammed into the side of her and inconsiderate men brushed roughly past her knocking her small frame sideways. She remembered her heart racing at the onset of a panic attack until she felt a silken hand glide into her own, fingers interlocking. She imagined she could feel, even now, hours later, her heart simultaneously slowing down and speeding up as she was greeted by caring green eyes. She recalled being guided through the crowds feeling as though she was enveloped in some kind of protective shield produced by the kindness of the woman grasping her hand. What she remembered was her knees nearly giving out on her when she realized they had escaped the crowd five minutes prior and yet her hand was still being stored safely by the woman she held immeasurable feelings for.
"Well he's in his room with them." Helena didn't say anything. "Both of them! At the same time!" She added for emphasis. Then when she received no reaction, "Helena! Are you listening?"
"Hm?" She glanced over her shoulder. "Of course, darling. But you can hardly expect me to be interested in Pete's sexual exploits while I take in a scene such as what is before me." She gestured toward the gaping window. She turned her attention back to the increasing snowfall.
"It is beautiful isn't it?" Myka's voice now came from beside her. She cast her eyes sideways and couldn't help but giggle when she noticed that Myka had assumed the same position as she had – forehead and palms pressed against the window. "There really is nothing quite like New York City at Christmas time."
"I think it's my favourite." Helena agreed in a hushed tone, her breath creating a fog on the glass.
Myka looked over at her and smiled. "Sometimes I forget that you've never seen things like this before. This is probably your first time in Times Square."
"Time's what?"
"It's what this area is called. On New Year's Eve a huge crowd gathers here to count down to the new year and watch this-this gigantic sparkly ball drop." She gestured with her hands.
Helena laughed at the other woman's movement. "That doesn't sound very appealing."
"And did I mention that everyone runs around and kisses each other?"
"That on the other hand…" She trailed off as the snow captured her attention yet again.
"I still can't believe Pete." Myka shook her head against the glass.
Helena pulled her forehead off the window and turned to face her. "It sounds like you're the tiniest bit jealous."
"Of those women!?" She snapped her whole body to turn to Helena. Helena shook her head. "Of Pete!?" She snorted. "Those women are not my type."
Helena was about to ask her just what her type was but thought better of it and instead said, "Of Pete-" She held up a finger as Myka moved to protest. "-in a sense. Not because of the company he has selected to keep this evening. Of Pete's impulses. His ability to forget all pretenses and follow his natural urges."
Myka full out laughed at this. "You mean I'm jealous of Pete's inability to think?"
Helena scrunched up her nose. "Precisely. Or rather, his ability to forget to think every once in awhile."
When Myka's laughs had died down her face twisted into a thoughtful expression. "You know, maybe you're right."
"Of course I am, darling."
"Arrogant." She pointed a finger at her companion. "Sort of right, anyway. I do envy the way Pete can just jump into bed with whoever he finds attractive. You know, without any regard to consequences. Or the fact that he's doing it on the government's dime. Or his complete lack of professionalism." Helena knew this was just the beginning of one of the object of her affection's tangents, which she found utterly adorable.
"And what's stopping you from doing the same?" She interrupted before the other woman could continue.
"Oh I don't know!" She threw her hands up in the air. "Maybe because I think before I act, or that I am a professional? Not to mention the fact that I have actual human feelings!? Could you picture it? Me? Just approaching any random on the street and-and- having sex with them? Who in the world would I just hop into bed with?"
Helena could have said a great many things in response to this ramble. Her vocabulary was unparalleled. The entire English language was at her disposal. But there are some moments in life when she found the best response was not to say anything. There are some moments in life when she found the best response required action instead. Before Myka could even finish her last question she found her feet spanning the minor distance between the other woman's body and herself. Her arms seemed to move of their own volition as they reached out and encompassed her companion's body. And her lips- they were the worst offenders to her reasonable brain as they surged forward and asserted themselves on the full, glistening lips she had spent days-weeks-months- desiring from afar. Her own body was stiff as she initiated the kiss but it did not take her long to regain some semblance of control over her own muscles and she felt herself relax enough to become cognizant of the warm body pressed against her. And as the object of her affection's lips began to move against her own she felt herself appreciating the entirety of the situation. She gasped as Myka's tentative tongue creeped past both pairs of lips in order to meet her own. And she heard the other woman moan as her hands wrapped around Helena's waist to her back, finding bare skin where her shirt had inched.
All at once the realization dawned upon her that she was sharing one of her most intimate desires with the one person she loved most in the world and it became too much for her to handle. She reached up to Myka's shoulders and pushed her back with a careful touch, disconnecting their mouths from one another as she swallowed breaths. Her partner's eyes were still closed as they broke apart, her lips parted slightly. She opened her eyelids one centimeter at a time, revealing dilated pupils that stared straight back into Helena's own. "Oh." She breathed out after a few moments of silence.
"Oh?" Helena smirked back, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh." She nodded as a pearly smile exposed itself between her lips before pulling gently at Helena's waist and recapturing her smiling mouth. This kiss was deeper than the other they had just shared and Helena began to lose her mind in the languid movements of Myka's tongue against her own. Only when the backs of her knees hit a firm object, her legs failing her body, did she realize that Myka had been pushing her towards the bed, and she gasped in response, separating herself from the kiss for a brief moment. Her eyes met shining green ones and her heart rate increased at the predatory look she found there. Feeling equally hungry, she tangled her fingers into soft curls and pulled the other woman's head down to again initiate contact.
The rest of her body followed with her lips and her hips rose to meet the thigh coming to crash down on her. The pressure of Myka's breasts on her own set her body on fire and Helena didn't realize the animalistic groan vibrating through her ears had come from her own throat until she heard her partner moan in response. And she found herself clutching at the other woman's ass, seeking more contact between their bodies. Their hips started to form a rhythm with the moans being released from their throats as they continued to exchange heated kisses. And Helena wanted more contact. More touching. And less clothing. But she couldn't seem to stop kissing. It was as if Myka's lips were her sustenance and her survival. Luckily for her, the other woman seemed to find enough willpower to pull away from the kiss, pushing herself up by placing a hand next to either side of Helena's head. And they stared at each other, catching up on breaths for a few moments, chests heaving against one another's.
Myka smiled down at her, her eyes looking downward in a manner familiar to Helena. It was her uneasiness shining through. The part of herself the normally confident woman buried and allowed very few special people to see. And Helena was one of those rare, lucky people. She removed a hand that had been resting at the curly haired woman's back and brought it up to rest on her cheek in a way which she hoped the other woman found comforting. When she spoke her voice was husky. "What is it?"
Myka pulled her bottom lip in between her teeth and bit down but didn't answer.
Helena used the thumb that was resting on her face to pull the lip back out to its original state. "Myka?"
She leaned into Helena's hand and closed her eyes and then opened them again. "I don't want this to be-" She started. "No. It can't be- just a one-time thing." She finished, blowing a breath from between her lips.
Helena almost chuckled but stopped herself and gave the uneasy woman a small smile. "I was rather hoping it wouldn't be, darling."
"I'm serious, Helena." And she could tell from her tone that she was. "This can't just be some- some fling. Or some one-night stand. Or something we just you know, do, when the mood strikes us." And Helena felt the weight on top of her shift as Myka moved to push off of her. She quickly brought her hands back to Myka's waist and pulled her back. Myka raised an eyebrow at her action.
In one smooth movement she swung their bodies around and guided the other woman down on the bed so that their positions were switched. With one hand supporting her weight she brought her other hand up to rest on the cheek whose contours she was becoming quite familiar with. "Myka. Do you even realize how long I have wanted you? Wanted this?" Myka shook her head as she watched her eyes closely. "Well I do. I remember the first time I held you in my arms, hanging quite a few feet above the street. I remember thinking how perfectly your body fit against mine. And I recall feeling this urge to taste your lips. But I was quite sure you would strangle me had I tried. So I didn't." The woman below her couldn't help but smile. "And I have suppressed that same urge every day I have had the honour of sharing with you since. Until today, that is." And she leaned her head down and pressed a full bodied kiss to Myka's welcoming lips before pulling back to look at her again. "So you see, Myka, this will not- this cannot- be just a one time thing." And there was so much more she could say. So many more confessions she could have made. But there would be time for talking later. So when the woman she loved moved to reconnect their lips, she happily complied.
Helena once again found herself an observer of the shimmering lights and snow of New York City. This time from a different position entirely. Twilight had since faded into pure black and as she laid on her back, one arm behind her head, the other occupied as a pillow, she couldn't help but notice the entire scene had become even more beautiful if that were even a possibility. But even the view could not compare to the beauty of the woman sleeping soundly next to, no, basically on top of her. Helena abandoned the scenery in favor of the woman whose body she just spent hours exploring. She watched as Myka's eyelids fluttered and small sounds escaped her slightly parted lips. She had to struggle to keep herself from claiming those lips for her own so as not to wake the slumbering woman. She was reaching her hand to finger a stray curl when a loud buzzing sound came from the other side of the room. Silently cursing the Farnsworth's usual impeccable timing she carefully extracted herself from underneath the grasp of her lover, miraculously without waking her.
As she tiptoed quickly to the intruding noise her eyes quickly searched the room for an article of clothing to cover her nakedness. The first item she came across was the shirt that Myka had been wearing earlier that day and she tossed it over her head before reaching the bloody ringing object. "Okay, okay, I'm coming." She whispered to the inanimate object. When she finally reached her bag she pulled the device out and glanced at the still sleeping woman in the bed. She smiled at her ability to sleep through the most annoying of disturbances - probably practice from being around Pete so often.
Before the object could ring any further she snapped the lid open and was greeted by the smiling face of her red-headed protégé. "HG!" She yelled and Helena cringed before turning down the volume.
"Hello Claudia." She sighed out.
"How's New York, dude?" Helena shook her head at the younger woman's insistence on the slang term she despised most.
"It's wonderful. Quite pretty, really."
"Great! I just wanted to see how everything was going and-" The girl's eyebrow shot up. "Your hair is kind of messy."
Helena scoffed nervously. "Well, really, I wasn't aware this was a beauty pageant."
"Mmmhmmm." Came Claudia's smirking reply. "And I've seen that shirt before. But not on you." HG felt her cheeks growing warm.
"Yes, well, Myka let me borrow it." Helena cheered her ability to think when caught off guard.
"And-" Before Claudia could come up with anything else another voice accidentally chimed into the conversation.
"HG! Come back to bed!" Helena's head snapped over her shoulder. She had her back toward the bed so Myka couldn't see that Helena had the Farnsworth open in front of her. She caught one glance at Claudia's shocked look as she shut the lid with a high pitched squeak. She turned her attention back to a stunned Myka in the bed. "Um, was that-"
"Claudia." Helena was sure she bore the same horrified look at that moment.
"Shit." Myka threw her upper body back onto the bed.
"Shit indeed." She walked over and sat down next to the other woman, taking her hand. "Sorry, I assumed you'd sleep through that."
"Normally I would but I think I heard your voice in my dreams and suddenly sleep seemed like my least favorite option." Helena gave her a beaming smile before placing a chaste kiss on her lips. She was about to place another kiss to her cheek when the device in her hand began to vibrate again. Both women's eyes darted down to her hand.
"Do you think I should-"
"You might as well. I mean, she already knows. And God knows she's just going to keep calling." She sat up again and pulled the sheet tight around her upper body.
"Righty-ho then." She sighed and flipped open the lid to a joyful looking Claudia. She turned the Farnsworth so they were both in view and she again had to turn down the volume as Claudia squealed from the other side.
"Oh. My. God." She blurted out when she was done squealing. "You two are so. Frakking. Cute." She clapped her hands in front of her face. They both blushed.
"Are you quite finished?" Helena retorted.
"No!" She exclaimed and squealed again. "So I take it you guys liked my gift?"
Myka furrowed her brow. "Your gift?"
"Psshh, you don't think Artie got you two that room, do you? How's the view? I bet it's stellar, isn't it?" Helena tilted the Farnsworth toward the window and heard Claudia yell out, "Knew it!"
Then she turned the screen back to their faces. "I'm afraid I don't quite understand."
The redhead rolled her eyes in response. "I got you the room, geniuses. Hoping to ignite a little of that spark that you two have been shooting back and forth for eons." She exaggerated. "And it worked!" And with that she began squealing again.
"Well, we're going to go, Claud." Myka interrupted, knowing she could go on all night.
"Oh! Oh yeah, of course, you two have a lot of umm catching up to do. You, know, sexytimes and all that." Myka blushed furiously. "But seriously, Merry Christmas you guys."
"Thank you Claudia." Myka replied. "Really." She smiled and gripped Helena's hand.
"Yes, thank you darling."
"You're welcome. You know, you two owe me like the biggest-" And Helena shut the lid to the Farnsworth before she could complete her thought then turned to the woman she loved.
"Well." She smiled.
"Well." Myka repeated.
"This room really is beautiful and we wouldn't want to waste Claudia's gift now would we?"
Myka giggled and wrapped her arms around Helena's neck. As she did, the sheet slipped down her body and the English woman's eyes could not help but follow. "No. We really wouldn't." And she slid her hands up the back of Helena's shirt before moving her lips in close. "Now take this off and wish me a Merry Christmas." She murmured against her lips. And again, Helena happily complied.