Disclaimer: I only own Warehouse 13 in my dreams... and you can't take those from me.

Author's note: I started writing this at the beginning of winter, and promptly forgot about it until I got re-inspired by the season 5 trailer (squeal of delight). There will be one or two parts to follow shortly. Enjoy.

Something Borrowed

Helena pulled her jacket closer to her body, trying to keep as much of her warmth from seeping away as was possible. The cold had sneaked up on her rather suddenly. The weather had been mild when she had left for work, but now, she was regretting not thinking to bring a warmer coat. Or gloves, she thought, realizing how stiff her fingers felt. The days were even shorter now, darkness came more quickly and with it came the frigid winds. Another thing that had caught her unaware, this foolish American concept of changing the time during the winter - and apparently again during the spring! Her fingers protested when she unclenched them from her jacket to check the postbox. She reached into the box to retrieve the single item. Curious. The paper was thicker than the type usually preferred these days - more similar to what she would have used more than a century earlier. Her breath caught in her throat. Helena. The post was simply marked with that single name and her address. There was no return address, but she hardly needed one.

Her fingers trembled - from the cold, of course - as she opened the envelope and gently pulled out the card. An elegant, cream colored gatefold card bound with slim, black silk ribbon. She deftly untied the bow that held the card closed. The card unfolded easily, and she stared at the newly revealed print for longer than should have been necessary, trying to process what she was seeing. Mr. and Mrs. Warren Bering request the honor of your presence…

A few droplets of water fell onto the card. She carefully wiped them away with the edge of her sleeve. She squinted, not quite comprehending the reason for her sudden blurred vision. Her breath came in sharp, irregular gasps. Her lungs felt frozen, unable to expand fully, and her entire frame shook as the cold radiated through her body.

"Emily? Is everything okay?"

She looked up at Nate, not quite understanding his presence. He usually wasn't home until later, about an hour later. She couldn't have been out here that long. Could she? The stiffness of her body suggested otherwise.

"You've been crying."

She wiped her face and was surprised to find it damp.

"Come on," he gently steered her towards the house. "It's freezing out here."

Her grip on the card tightened as she numbly allowed him to lead her into the house and sit her down on the couch. He pulled the heavy blanket off of the back of the couch and wrapped it around her. He sat down next to her.

"What's wrong?" He asked the question softly, gently as if he was afraid that she would break apart at any moment.

She looked away from him to the card clenched firmly in her grasp. Her hands shook as she unfolded it once more and started reading again. This time, her mind allowed her to process the words… She wished it hadn't. A loud sob wrenched itself from behind her lips. The words didn't change - oh, how she wished they would. They remained as they were, mocking her for her foolishness, her cowardice.

Mr. and Mrs. Warren Bering

request the honor of your presence

at the marriage of their daughter

Ms. Myka Bering

to Mr. Peter Lattimer.

She wiped at the tears, but that did nothing to stop them. Nate pulled her into his arms and held her tightly as she cried.

"You love her."

It wasn't a question, but Helena nodded against his chest and managed a small, miserable-sounding, "Yes."

"Then fight for her," he said softly, unknowingly echoing Myka's words.

"What?"

"Fight for her, Emily. She loves you; that was obvious."

Helena shook her head sadly. "I can't. She's getting married! She's obviously happy. I just end up hurting her every time I get near her."

"I don't think that's true, but even if it was, you don't stop loving someone just because it hurts. When my wife died, I wished that I could stop, just so it would stop it from hurting so much, but it doesn't work that way. You can't stop loving, and it never stops hurting as long as you're apart." He sighed and pushed her to arms length. "Haven't you been hiding long enough?" She sucked in a sharp breath. "After you got Adelaide back, I didn't push too much when you said that there were things you couldn't tell me. I could tell that you were running from something, but you could obviously handle yourself in a dangerous situation. So, I knew it had to be something emotional you were trying to hide from."

"Nate," Helena found herself at a loss for words.

"You're not happy here, Emily. You haven't been happy ever since Myka left, and honestly, I don't know if you were happy even before that."

"But what about you and Adelaide?"

"You'll keep in touch. Adelaide wouldn't have it any other way. We'll miss you, but we'll be fine. Come on." He took her by the hand and pulled her up. "I'll help you pack some things. You don't have much time if you want to get to her in time."

"What do you mean?"

"The date on your invitation- it's the day after tomorrow."

Helena looked down at the card she had yet to let go of. Her eyes sought out the information she needed. He was right. The ceremony was to take place the morning after tomorrow. Helena pulled her hand free of his and raced up the stairs to their - no, 'his', never again 'their' - room.

The weeks leading up to the wedding had been hectic, but that was nothing compared to the day before. Suddenly, there had been an endless amount of details that needed to be settled, when everyone would come in and in what order and practicing the pace so no one was walking too quickly or slowly. It wasn't until the rehearsal was winding down that Pete revealed that he didn't really know how to dance. It was up to Myka to give Pete a crash course during what should have been a relaxing evening before the big day.

"Pete, you've had a wedding before! How do you not know how to do this?"

"Ow, stop hitting me."

"I would if you'd quit stepping on my feet."

"But you leave bruises, and I don't want to look like I got beat up tomorrow."

"Then stop complaining and pay attention to what you're doing."

Claudia froze when she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She scanned the room nervously. Hopefully, no one would notice if she slipped out of the last minute preparations for just a moment. She sneaked out the door, and made it halfway down the hall before she could no longer resist the urge to check her phone. She pulled it out. Her eyes scanned the room nervously before she returned her attention to the screen.

"Yes!" She grinned as she cleared the notification.

"What are you up to?"

She jumped and spun around. "Jinxy!" He just stared at her suspiciously. "Did you get tired of listening to Pete whine too?" She chuckled and flashed him a nervous grin.

He smirked. "Nice try. What are you up to? First, I caught you hacking into the TSA's database earlier this week. Now, you're sneaking around to take phone calls."

"I'm not."

"Claudia."

She groaned. "Alright! I might have sent H.G. an invite to Pete and Myka's wedding, and she might be on her way here."

"Claudia, you can't just meddle in people's lives like that." He sighed. "Does Pete know you did this?"

"...Yes."

"Really?" Steve raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "Pete's okay with you messing up his wedding?"

"Hey! I'm not messing anything up. I'm fixing everything. Myka and H.G. belong together. We all know that." Claudia frowned. "Myka's been a wreck ever since Wisconsin. I mean, she's Myka, so her version of 'a wreck' is way too well-put together, but it's still there."

"She lies," Steve said thoughtfully.

"Huh?"

"She lies, a lot, now. It's mostly little things," he shrugged, "like when she gets quiet and someone asks what she's thinking about or when she says that she's fine. The first time, I was about to call her on it, but… Myka can be pretty scary when she wants to be."

"Pete!" The yell was quickly followed by Pete's pained yelp.

Claudia and Steve chuckled.

"Are you sure about this? I know Myka and H.G. like each other, but Myka seems to always end up getting hurt. Are you sure trying to get them together is the right thing to do?"

"Yeah. You only saw them after everything went to hell. You didn't see Myka's eyes light up as she rambled about H.G. and her anti-gravity metal after the first time they met, or how in-tune they were the first time they worked together. You never saw the dopey grin Myka couldn't get rid of when H.G. was reinstated, or how H.G. was so worried when Myka used the time machine that she barely left her side.

You missed the days of non-stop flirting and staring into each others eyes like nothing else existed. Right now, they're both just scared and hurt, but H.G. booked a flight really quickly when she got that invitation. That's gotta mean that they've got a shot at fixing things, right?"

Claudia looked so hopeful, he couldn't bring himself to ruin that. He smiled reassuringly, trying not to show his doubts. "Maybe they just needed a shove in the right direction."

tbc...