"HG, how many times do we have to go through this? Get down from that ladder. And don't think I didn't see you climbing around on the shelves earlier. If I see you do it again I'm going to tell Myka."
"Oh, please, Claudia. You're worse than Myka. Soon you're going to start clucking."
"Yeah, well you've never seen her evil twin emerge when she gets really…uh, no, I guess you have. A lot. That would be why we have the container."
"Yes, that would be why. I recall you having spent plenty of time in there as well."
"Usually with you," Claudia pointed out. "Maybe we should just call it the Wells Tantrum Tank."
"I will try my best to find the intended humor in that comment," she grimaced at the woman. "I assume it is your turn to watch me? Pete had this morning."
"Not really, I just happen to be down here looking for something. You are supposed to be up there." Claudia pointed to the office. "What are you doing here, anyway?" They were near the portal. Most of them avoided the area preferring not to bring back those memories.
"Oh, just a futile task I suppose." She followed Claudia towards the office. "Something that comes to mind on occasion." Her voice trailed off, empty.
"Like what?"
"Senseless, really. I keep wondering if my locket may have gotten lost somewhere down here. I've long ago become used to its absence, but sometimes I wonder. Most likely it was lost on the other side of the portal. Too much reading of late. Myka gave me a book of Thoreau. Very wise man."
Claudia looked at her oddly as they walked, Helena still with a slight limp.
"I don't think it's stupid. Maybe it'll show up someday. Things end up in surprising places, you know."
"I suppose. It is odd, though, not being so dependent on its possession. It seems one does not need an object for one to hold a memory. Quite the opposite really. I learned that very quickly running around with the astrolabe. Though, it is comforting at times." The women climbed the stairs to the office.
When they came through the door, Myka scowled at her. "I'm not saying anything. There is some new information on that artifact you were asking about that I found. It's on the table, where you are supposed to be, easing into work."
Helena gave her a brisk kiss on her cheek as she passed. "I'm going to make some tea first. Do either of you want anything?"
Claudia looked at Myka quickly. "Hot chocolate sounds good. Thanks, HG." With HG off to make her tea, Claudia walked up to Myka. "You should be ashamed of yourself." She spit out.
Myka was physically taken aback, surprised by the menacing, cold tone of Claudia's voice.
"What did I do?"
"It's not a matter of what you did do; it's what you didn't do." Myka was still confused. Claudia quickly took a look in the room next door, watching Helena go about her business. "Do you want to know what she's doing down in that section? She's still looking for her locket. I know you have it. Why haven't you told her?"
Not waiting for a response, she turned her back to Myka and sat at the computer, her back towards her.
Helena came back with her tea and the hot chocolate, complete with a big marshmallow. She sat at the table with the new information in front of her, curious about the unusual silence in the room. "Did something happen?"
"No," the other two women said simultaneously.
Helena went back into the small area and dug through the cupboard.
"Are you quite sure?" she asked sitting down, again. "You are both rather quiet."
Neither woman responded.
"Well, in that case, something must be done about this silence." She turned around in her chair and threw a large marshmallow at Claudia, hitting her point-blank in the back of the head and then very quickly at Myka. Claudia froze on the spot in complete surprise. Myka acted more quickly, picking up the marshmallow and returning fire at Helena. Helena had already ducked behind the table expecting the retaliation, and let loose two more of the soft objects. Both shots missing their target. Claudia picked up two and lodged them both at Myka, still angry at her.
Helena took advantage of Claudia's momentary focus on Myka, and dug into the bag getting three direct hits at Claudia.
"How come I'm the target?" Claudia complained, from under the desk using the swivel chair as a shield.
"Because you need more practice. Learn to duck!" Myka yelled. At the same time the last words came out of her mouth, she took two direct hits in the head. Myka jumped behind the door lobbing her collection of marshmallows in the direction of Helena, now on the sofa, well shielded by the chairs she set up in front of it. "You are so in for it, Wells!"
"I have the ammunition." Helena laughed back at her.
Claudia scrambled to collect the soft objects around the desk. "I've got plenty of my own now, HG."
Myka saw the opening, having collected her own stock pile.
"Claudia?" Myka looked towards her. "Do you see it?" Helena, in her haste during the fun, had left one side free with little defense of her position.
"Yeah." Claudia saw the opening and the advantage from the table.
"On three"
"Got it. I'll take the table."
"One…two.…..three!"
They moved in perfect synchronization as Helena threw the last of her marshmallows at the two. Myka dove for the side as Claudia jumped on the table letting loose a barrage of marshmallows at the instigator. Myka jumped onto the sofa, covering Helena with her body and started tickling her sides. Helena let out a loud shriek between the laughing. Now out of ammunition, Claudia stood on the table looking at the scene below her, astonished at the revelation of a ticklish HG.
Between the shrieking and laughing, she pleaded with Myka. "Myka stop…stop….I'm going to wet myself….Myka, please….okay….Uncle!"
"It took you long enough," Myka laughed down at the breathless enemy.
Claudia was still standing on the table. "Dude, this is so awesome. HG Wells is ticklish and screams like a little girl." She doubled over in laughter.
Myka looked up at her, still holding down the laughing woman, laughing herself. "You will not tell anyone. I just lost two of my best bribes."
"Was that really an Emily Lake scream?" Claudia was still in awe.
"No, that's an HG Wells scream that was retained by Emily Lake that occasionally comes out under extreme duress. Fun, huh?" Myka sat up still straddling her girlfriend, trying to control her laughter and catch her breath.
"WHAT is going on in here?"
Trying to gain control of their laughter they faced Artie at the door, Myka scrambling off of Helena, who followed behind, sitting up.
"Um…nothing?" Myka laughed out, tears streaming down her face.
"I can see that nothing is being done. The question is what IS being done."
Claudia was the first to regain control. "Uh, stress relief? Hey, did you know HG…?"
Myka kicked her before she could finish.
"Well, it can all stop now. And I DON'T want to know who started it. Clean up this mess and go home." Artie turned to his desk smiling. They were nothing if not creative. "Someone owes me a bag of marshmallows."
Climbing the front steps to the B&B, Claudia started laughing again. "Are you guys eating here tonight?" She stared at her two friends from the top of the stairs. They were holding hands, Helena leaning against Myka for support, chuckling again. "You guys are too cute sometimes. You really should get married."
Helena choked on her laughter as Myka turned white.
"Uh, no, we're going to the cottage. You reminded me of something I need to do," Myka answered blankly.
Claudia nodded her head, understanding. "Okay, goodnight then."
Walking towards the cottage Helena looked up at Myka. "What do you have to do?"
Uncertain, Myka smiled lamely at her. "You'll find out soon enough. Are you hungry?"
"Not really. I'm looking forward to getting this foot up, though." She chuckled again. "I'm sure a marshmallow war was not part of the doctor's instructions, but it was fun."
Myka turned the door knob, opening the door. "Still not locking the door I see," Helena commented.
"I don't see the point. She can get in any time she wants one way or another. Go upstairs and I'll give you a foot rub. I'll be up as soon as I get some ice."
Helena stripped off her clothes and cleaned up while Myka puttered around downstairs. She crawled under the loose covers, leaning against the headboard, putting her foot up on the pad at the end of the bed, loudly groaning in relief.
"There better not be any moaning and groaning up there if I'm not involved," Myka yelled from downstairs. She heard Helena break out in laughter.
As Myka headed up the stairs with the ice, Helena explained, "My foot, darling. Trust me, if you were involved, it would be a very obscene noise." Laying the ice gently on the injured ankle Myka headed for the bathroom to clean up.
"Myka? What Claudia said…do you want to get married? We've never talked about it. I've never even considered it."
Myka slowly came out of the bathroom in a light robe, sitting on the bed on front of Helena's feet. Pulling the oil out of her pocket, she started with the good foot, Helena sitting back with a sigh. "Was that a proposal?" Myka smiled. "I don't know. I've never really thought about it either. I guess I'm just happy being with you and I know I love you. I never thought I needed a piece of paper to tell me I did. I've always felt that way, I think, even before you. Anything else was more a result of parental pressure. And after what we've been through, I don't doubt how you feel."
"I never saw marriage as anything other than a transfer of ownership, but it's different now. Neither of us exactly jumped with excitement at the suggestion. Quite the opposite in fact." She bent forward away from the headboard. "Myka, I think we waited long enough for each other that the thought of getting married seems somewhat superfluous. It certainly doesn't mean I won't change my mind. I wouldn't mind exchanging rings though, at some point." She took Myka's left hand in hers, rubbing her naked ring finger.
Myka sighed deeply. "You might change your mind after I tell you something."
"Darling, what is it?" Helena sobered. "Is this what Claudia reminded you of?"
Myka kissed the bottom of the foot in her hand before getting up and walking to her small jewelry box. Helena watched her closely as she opened it slowly, retrieving something from the bottom.
"This could go very badly, and I won't blame you if you get mad at me and never want anything to do with me. I'm not sure I can explain. I don't know that I understand completely myself." She sat next to Helena on the bed and continued to ramble, starting to cry. "It was really selfish of me, and I should have given it to you a long time ago, it's just there never seemed a good time and when you came back...I'm sorry. I'm the one that found it in China. Your clue." She took Helena's hand and placed the locket in her hand, closing the delicate fingers around it. "I'm sorry I didn't return it a long time ago. "
Helena recognized the feel of it immediately. How many times had she held it? Quiet tears flowed unheeded. She painstakingly opened her hand, afraid to look at the small reminder of a former life that spanned a century of pain, loss, and anger.
Helena looked at Myka, sitting beside her lost in her own fear. Confused, she turned the woman's head towards her. "Why, Myka? Why now after all this time? Why have you kept this from me for so long?"
"I'm sorry Helena. I'm not sure. I never had the chance to give it back to you before you took off. You just disappeared. I wore it all that time you were gone, not knowing if you would ever return. Just as it kept you closer to Christina, it kept you closer to me. When you returned there never seemed a good time. I was so afraid you wouldn't come back ever again. I still do. Keeping it meant keeping a part of you. It was selfish of me. I am so sorry."
"Myka, please leave. Now. Give me some time alone. Please," she commanded.
"I'll go stay at the house."
The team was still sitting at the table relaxing when she walked in, still in her robe.
"Uh, Myka, we stopped dressing in formal wear for dinner awhile ago." Pete cracked before he saw the streaks of tears. He stood up quickly, but Claudia had already beaten him to it.
"I got this, Pete. Let's go find you some clothes, Myka. I think you have some spares upstairs."
After hours of silence and staring at the ceiling, she fell asleep next to Claudia. Claudia felt the bed jump, finding Myka sitting straight up. "Mykes?"
"I need to go. NOW." Myka sprung from the bed and threw open the bedroom door.
"Mykes, give it the night." Claudia got up to follow her as she raced towards the cottage.
"You don't understand, Claud." She threw the door open. "Nightmare!"
Claudia heard the scream from the open door, following on Myka's heels as she took the stairs two at a time. Myka was behind Helena, arms wrapped around the thrashing, screaming woman, holding her firmly against her before Claudia made it to the top.
Myka talked her down, waking her up, far away from the demons of the dark.
"How'd you know?" Claudia asked bewildered by what had just occurred.
"I don't know. I just woke up. I just...knew." Myka looked over Helena's shoulder, her body limp in Myka's arms. "We're okay, Claudia. You can go back to bed. We're going to be okay." She gave Claudia a faint smile, pushing the wet strands of hair away from Helena's face. "Thanks. For everything."
"Yeah, okay."
"Helena? Where are you?" Myka came back straight from the warehouse when she found out she wasn't in the office with Claudia.
"I'm upstairs," an empty voice echoed from the loft.
She took the stairs two at a time. She never liked that sound in her voice. It wasn't just quiet resignation. It was dead, completely devoid of emotion.
"What's going on? Why are you packing your bag?"
Helena stopped momentarily, throwing her things in the bag. She couldn't look her in the face. "You didn't get my message. I left it on your phone. The Regents are sending me out." She threw another shirt in the bag and turned her back to Myka. She searched the drawer and quickly found the sweatshirt from Myka's dresser, bringing it to her nose, inhaling its scent. She shoved it in the bag and deliberately shut it.
The low undertones in Myka's voice were distinct. "What do you mean the Regents are sending you out? You were pulled from the field. You have at least three weeks left."
"Well, they retracted it, Myka. I don't have a choice."
"But, you're still limping. You never limp. Even when it hurts." She sat on the bed leaning her arms on her knees, dropping her head forward into her hands. "Why? Why you?"
Helena threw her bag to the top of the stairs and sat on the edge of the bed next to her, closing her eyes against the morning sun, clenching her jaw, and fighting off the tear in her eye. She collapsed on her back, rubbing her face with both hands, ridding the tear before Myka could see it.
"You know I can't tell you," she whispered. It was the same argument every time. Her endless discussions with the Regents proved futile in decreasing her activity. She begged last time to stay an agent exclusively at the warehouse.
Myka fell back next to her. "I'm not asking where or what, just why you? Isn't there anyone else?"
"Despite my pleas, apparently not." She sighed deeply, already tired and missing home. She turned her head towards Myka perplexed. "Why did you come home if you didn't get the message?"
"You weren't in the office with Claudia so I just came home. I don't know. I just knew."
"Myka, we can't go through this every time they send me out. It's difficult enough leaving you. It's my job, Myka. Just like yours. You're out there too, tracking down artifacts all the time." She reached down taking Myka's hand in her own.
"But this is different, isn't it?" Myka held the hand firmly.
"Yes, it is." She pushed herself up and kneeled over Myka. "Darling, I don't have much time. The car is probably already waiting for me. At least I get to kiss you good-bye this time." She smiled sadly before fulfilling her promise. "Remember our prince, 'The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.' I feel you every day."
"Now, I must go." She pushed herself off the bed before she lost all resolve. "Keep Pete out of trouble if you can. Don't let him touch anything." Picking up her bag at the top of the stairs she turned one last time towards Myka attempting her best bravado, "Oh, and darling, I left you something on your dresser. I had intended to give it to you tonight; part of a nefarious plan of mine to be touched again as softly as last night. I'll see you soon. That is a promise." She smiled sadly, winking at Myka, and limped down the stairs and out the door, silent tears painting her face away from Myka's view.
On her dresser sat a small, intricately engraved wooden box. She opened it to see a small note quickly torn from the pad that always sat on Helena's desk. Underneath was the locket. With shaking hands she gently picked it up. Upon opening it, she saw the ever present smile of Christina Wells staring back at her. Another photo, formatted in black and white to complement the other, had been added to the adjoining space. It was a quick shot of the two of them Claudia had taken in one of the gardens in Tenerife. She opened the piece of paper to the graceful script:
Myka,
I am terribly sorry to leave this for you like this. I had hoped to give it to you tonight. However, it seems I am short of time. I do not wish to lose this treasure again and return it to your hands for safe keeping. Perhaps we might share that task. I believe it holds as much sentimental value for you as it does for me. I'll see you soon.
'It's not what you look at, it's what you see.' – Henry David Thoreau
-your Helena
Myka sat on the bed. Looking at her phone she saw the message alert that Helena had left earlier. Out of habit, she looked to the side table. Helena's phone sat on the table beside the bed. She wasn't allowed to bring it this time. After listening to Helena's message she dialed a number already in tears.
"Pete…?"
A/N: 'The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.'
-Antoine de Saint Exupery, The Little Prince