NAME: Kirk Baldridge
EMAIL:
TITLE: Lost, Found…and Lost Again
DISCLAIMER: I do not own these characters. They belong to SyFy. I'm just borrowing them.
FANDOM: Warehouse 13
PAIRING: Myka / Helena
RATING: T
SUMMARY: Fixing things doesn't mean you're guaranteed to like the results.
SPOILER: Set just after the 3rd season finale. If you haven't seen it yet, DO NOT read this.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is the downer story, so don't read it if the finale bothered you too much. I'll write a more upbeat one once I find the right idea.
"We lost, Artie. We lost."
Myka wanted to say "You have no idea" to Pete, but she knew her partner wouldn't understand. She had lost more than either of them today. Sure, the Warehouse was gone, and with it all three of their careers, but as much as it meant to her it was just a place full of things, albeit incredibly dangerous and irreplaceable things. More to the point the death of the Warehouse had ended the life of the most incredible woman in the world.
A little over a minute ago the true HG Wells, her favorite author of all time, was standing right in front of her, and for a brief moment she found herself contemplating the possibility of the two of them actually being together once they found a way to stop Sykes' bomb. Even once it became clear they couldn't, she figured she and Helena would at least be able to hold each other one last time. Maybe, before the end, she could even find the strength to finally say "I love you", which it had taken her so ridiculously long to realize. Then suddenly the force field appeared around her and Pete and Artie, only Helena was on the other side.
"Thank you," Helena had mouthed, before her nose crinkled and she smiled slightly. "I smell apples." Then the bomb went off and everything was consumed by flames. Myka bowed her head, she hadn't wanted to see the end of Helena in the forest, when they were just going to destroy the coin holding her consciousness, and she couldn't bring herself to watch as the woman she loved was incinerated.
Artie pulled a hand out of his pocket. "Not yet." He showed them the watch he had taken from James' room. Myka and Pete looked at one another, silently recognizing neither had seen it before. From the way Artie was holding it however, they could pretty safely assumed it was more than just a watch.
"Is that an artifact?" Pete didn't know what to say. "What are you doing, Artie?"
Myka felt her breath catch in her throat. A watch? If it was an artifact, it probably had some effect on time. Was it possible Artie knew a way to fix this? To save the Warehouse? To save Helena? It was a little hard to believe, given how often he had reminded them artifacts were not technically supposed to exist, and that the more beneficial they were the more grievous the consequences for actually using them.
"This is a gift," Artie replied. "From James." McPherson. His old partner, who had killed quite a few people and was the one responsible for releasing HG Wells from her bronze prison. "It was dredged up from the ocean floor during a research dive on the Titanic, and is believed to have belonged to her captain. According to records, it was imbued with the essence of that tragedy and can only be used following another."
"What does it do?" Myka asked hopefully.
"It doesn't reset or rewind time, if that's what you're thinking," Artie explained. "It restores a structure and its contents following something catastrophic… provided the event in question occurred within the last twenty four hours. I should be able to bring back the Warehouse." He looked sadly at Myka. "Unfortunately, not the people."
Pete rubbed his hands together. "So what're we waiting for?" He saw the expression on Artie's face and the fact he was looking not at the watch, but at Myka. "Oh." His partner was crying. Not tears of joy, either. She wasn't happy the Warehouse was coming back, rather heartbroken at what she would be losing. "Mykes." He knew she had feelings for Helena, he just never realized they were this serious. "I'm sorry."
"Do it," Myka said quietly. "Whatever else it cost us, I don't want that bastard Sykes to have a moments more victory than he already has. Fix it, Artie."
Nodding, Artie clicked the stem of the watch, and immediately things began to move around them. Bricks moved back into place, walls reformed, the ceiling…and the artifacts. It was like seeing everything being constructed from the inside out. In less time than it took for the Warehouse to be destroyed it was back, none the worse for wear, yet the three of them felt an oddly profound lack of joy at the thought. Artie and Pete had not been as close to or fond of Helena Wells as Myka, yet both would miss her nonetheless.
Then Pete's Farnsworth began to ring. He opened it and held it out so Artie and Myka could see the screen too. On it were Claudia and Leena. "You guys all right?"
"We were just going to ask you the same thing," Claudia replied. "Mrs. F…she just faded away."
Artie blinked. "Oh no. When the Warehouse died, so did its Caretaker."
"Wait, what happened?" Leena asked. Artie explained about Sykes' bomb, Helena, and the watch. "But if the Warehouse is back, shouldn't its Caretaker be back too?"
Artie shook his head. "As I told Pete and Myka, it doesn't resurrect people, just structures. Once it was back the Warehouse most likely would have chosen a new Caretaker."
Claudia's eyes widened. "Whoa, what?" A year or so back, when Warehouse 2 nearly overrode Mrs. Frederick's mind, she and Dr. Calder had planned to transfer caretaker ship of the Warehouse to her, and it occurred to her the Warehouse might have decided to do it on its own anyway.
"Relax," said Artie. "If it had chosen you, the bracelet would be on your wrist. You remember Mrs. Frederick's bracelet don't you?" Claudia and Leena nodded. "Whoever the new Caretaker is, they'll have the bracelet on. They'll be the heart and soul of the Warehouse, as Mrs. Frederick used to be."
"Why thank you, Agent Neilsen." Artie, Pete, and a wide-eyed Myka, turned to see Helena G. Wells standing right behind them. She was wearing the same clothes they had last seen her in, as well as an all too familiar bracelet. "That is the nicest thing you have ever said about me."
Pete shook his head. "No frickin' way! You're the new Caretaker?"
"It appears so." Helena held up her wrist. "I smelled apples. I didn't realize it was the Warehouse welcoming me back, until I woke up with this on." She took a deep breath. "I can feel them, you know. Every artifact. The emotions of all the people involved in their creation. It's glorious."
"Helena." Myka wanted to embrace the other woman, to pull her close and kiss her, only now she felt that same strange sense of foreboding, the icy presence, that always followed Mrs. Frederic. "I'm sorry."
"Don't be, Agent Bering."
Hearing her name formally like that, from this woman, hurt Myka almost as much as the idea of never seeing her again. In a strange way, this was worse.
"Now, in light of recent events, I think some time off is in order." Helena clasped her hands behind her back. "I'll inform Jane Lattimer and the other Regents of what has transpired, and barring some emergency between now and then I'll see the three of you back here in say…a weeks time?"
Pete clapped. "Sweet. A vay-k!" He felt a profound sense of relief. Everything was okay.
"I'm going to the B&B to check on the others," said Artie. "Excuse me."
Once they were gone, Myka gasped as she felt an icy hand on her shoulder. "Are you all right?"
"No."
"What's wrong? It's me, Helena."
Myka shook her head. "No, it's not. You have Helena's face, her voice, but you're not her. You're an echo of Helena. You're not…" She paused, her next words were softer. "…the woman I fell in love with. She died, in the fire. That's why I said I'm sorry." She turned and walked away. "Goodbye, Ms. Wells."
"Goodbye." A single tear rolled down Helena's cheek. "My love."
THE END
I'm bitter. I'll get over it.