Disclaimer: You already know I don't own this show, why do I keep putting this here?

AN: Finally, we can move beyond summer.

Chapter Four: Awkward.

"H…HG?" Myka tried to remember how to close her jaw as she took in the sight before her.

Helena G. Wells. The woman who tormented her in her thoughts and dreams was now standing before her in her parents' bookstore. She expected to see the cocky smile, the knowing glint in her gorgeous eyes. But she didn't.

What she saw instead made her heart twist further into itself then it had before. The first thing she noticed was Helena was somehow more beautiful than she remembered. The last three months had somehow made Myka convince herself that no one was as stunning as she thought HG was. Proof against that was standing at the end of the aisle now, clad in a loose white t-shirt and jeans- much more low-key than the brunette was used to seeing the inventor in. The hair was second, not odd since she always loved Helena's hair, and it's new length only made her want to run her hands through it more.

But then she saw the dark circles that professed more than a couple missed nights of sleep. Her quick mind also added that she had definitely lost weight in a scary way. The woman practically radiated exhaustion, and if it weren't for Myka's pride, she would have rushed forward to gather HG in a tight hug.

As it was, she stood still as a statue trying to figure out what was going on.

"Myka," Helena smiled as she sighed her name.

Part of HG's broken heart was mended upon seeing the other woman, though she didn't look as Helena remembered her. Her curly locks had been straightened, dyed darker- a shade shy of black. Her engaging eyes were heavily lined and her lips were shiny with gloss. Her black vest top clung to her body where Helena could see new muscle. Her legs, always a distracting feature for her, in Myka's painted on jeans looked amazing. And the boots added to her height. She looked good, if a bit taken off guard at the moment, and Helena really just wanted to hold her close and breathe her in.

Myka seemed to snap back to reality at the sound of Helena's voice and she physically shook herself and her eyes adopted a careful guarded look, "What are you doing here?"

Helena struggled to find words to speak, all the things she wanted to tell Myka fell away as the other girls mask came up, "I wanted to see you before… to tell you…"

"Hey, babe?" A voice called, and it was as if an electrical shock went through Myka and she straightened.

A tall man walked up from behind Myka, a cardboard box in his hands and a disgruntled look to his grey eyes as they were focused on the contents of the box. Helena quickly sized him up, her mind working only a fraction slower than normal. Heavily muscled, clearly he played sports, his eyes were clear and his mouth, though frowning now, was used to smiling often. His black hair was carefully gelled into spikes that managed to seem intentional and accidental all at the same time. His grey shirt hugged his frame and said Bering and Son's across his chest.

But she was far more interested in the reaction his presence had gotten from Myka, it was only then that it registered in Helena's mind just what this man had called Myka.

"This box only has half of the books your dad told me to look for today, is there another…" Kurt trailed off as he looked up, "Oh, who are your friends?" he asked, an easy smile breaking over his features.

"Um," Myka shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut as she forced a smile on her face, "Right, this is Claudia, Steve," she waved to each of them pausing a moment before making eye contact with Helena again, "and Hel ... HG." No one but the Brit noticed Myka's stammer, "They're my friends from school. Guys, this is Kurt, my boyfriend?" Myka hoped no one heard the question her tone had become.

Kurt sure didn't as he put down the box of new inventory and wiped his hands on his blue jeans, "It's great to meet you guys," his voice held no false note. Myka didn't speak much about her college experiences, it felt good to be shown this little bit.

Steve's smile was strained as he accepted Kurt's hand first. Assessing the strength in the taller man's grip.

Claudia plastered on a polite grin, "Kurt, was it?" she asked.

"Kurt Smoller," he nodded, "Claudia, right?"

Claudia hummed in assent as she filed away his full name to later be researched.

Helena seemed to pause a moment before accepting the man's hand, she seemed even smaller to Myka as she stood next to her boyfriend, but all her exhaustion and sadness seemed to evaporate, replaced by the bravado everyone had grown accustomed to.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Kurt." Helena smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes.

Kurt's own grin widened as he looked down on HG, "British, huh? That's so cool."

"Indeed," Helena's tone became clipped.

"What brings you to Colorado Springs?" he asked the group at large, but his eyes stayed focused on HG as he spoke.

It was Claudia who answered though, recognizing the look in her roommate's eyes, "We thought we could, you know, catch up with each other before we all go back to school next week."

"That's so cool," Kurt nodded, finally moving his eyes away from HG to look at the techie, "I've always wanted to meet Bunny's friends from school."

Myka saw Helena's eyebrow quirk as her brown eyes flicked quickly to Myka's briefly, and Myka felt her face flush.

"But you're clearly working right now," Steve interjected before the tension in the room became too much to handle, "So we are just going to go find Pete and hang out with him. We can all catch up after you finish your shift."

"Yeah," Kurt spoke for Myka, who was still half convinced she was going to wake up in bed at any minute, "That's cool. We can all go out tonight. The bowling alley maybe? I was promised a rematch by the Petester." He chuckled.

Helena was staring at Myka once more, but the brunette was refusing eye contact, looking at everything but her three friends standing in front of her now. Pain ricocheted through her chest and she felt as if she was going to be sick once more.

"That sounds wonderful," Helena's voice did not betray her, for which she was eternally grateful, "We clearly have so much to catch up on, and I for one am just dying to learn more about our Myka's newest love interest."

Claudia gaped at HG, and Steve cracked his knuckles nervously as Myka's face flushed, this time in anger at Helena's coolness. Kurt was the only one who seemed to enjoy what was happening.

"We shall see you later then?" Helena had begun to back away, "Myka," she nodded to the brunette, her voice bearing the faintest hint of pain.

Claudia and Steve exchanged a look before forcing smiles and waving to Myka. Retreating from her cold gaze as it landed on them. Oh yes, they were in trouble.

"Your friends seem nice," Kurt smiled as he turned back to the box of books needing to be shelved, "Especially HG. How'd you guys meet anyway?"

Myka groaned internally, "That's a story I think we can save for tonight." She smiled sweetly at him, anger slowly replacing shock.

Angry that Helena had shown back up, angry that her boyfriend had set them all to hangout in a few hours. She had been doing so well, hadn't she? Now she felt as if all those weeks of getting over Helena had gone to waste.

But she wouldn't let it, she was going to show everyone that she was happy now.

She looked once more at the book she had put aside. She stared at it for a long moment, Kurt unaware of her attention being elsewhere as he stocked the new shipment. She grabbed it from the shelf with every intention of putting it with the rest of the H.G. Wells collection. But the front page opened and she froze.

Was her father aware of the book that came in? Did he just order the box from some random collector who was unaware of what they had? Myka didn't care, and clutched the book tighter to her chest.

Kurt looked at her and quirked an eyebrow, having finished with the books save the one she held onto now.

"I think I'll hang on to this one." Myka's voice was careful, she had a plan for this book that she wasn't exactly keen on sharing with anyone, since even she wasn't sure why she wanted to keep this book only to give it away at some later date.

"Bunny, you have, like, a thousand books already." Kurt grinned and shook his head, holding his hand out still for the tome.

Myka took a step back though, "I know, but I don't have this book. I've actually been looking for it." She lied smoothly, because it wasn't really a lie, she just didn't realize it.

Kurt stared at her for a moment longer before shrugging. He knew the girl liked books from being up in her room, but he didn't realize how much. And if her biggest problem was being a book lover, he figured he could deal with it.

Myka kept the book tightly held to her as she bound up the stairs to her room, throwing an excuse over her shoulder to Kurt, something about getting ready, but she wasn't thinking clearly.

She pulled a box from under her bed. Loose leaf pages of a book she had stopped writing were clipped together. A grappling hook with a post-it still attached. A few photos of Myka and a smiling Brit. Myka didn't let her eyes rest on any of these things for too long as she gingerly placed the book next to the rest. She swallowed thickly before replacing the lid and shoving the box back under the bed.

"This was a horrid idea," Helena growled as she stomped a head of Steve and Claudia, "She has a bloody boyfriend!"

She had no idea where she was going, she just knew she wanted to put as much distance between her and whatever the bloody hell that was behind her, "And you lied to me." Her body was trying to decide if it was anger or pain filling her now.

"I know, HG," Claudia struggled to keep up, "I didn't know she would have a boyfriend, I mean after all the time we spent together I didn't think-,"

"That's the problem!" Helena spun on her, "You didn't think! Now what am I to do? I left London, I left Christina, for nothing!"

"For nothing?" Claudia challenged, not backing down like she once might have, "HG, you really think that Kurt Smoller stands a chance against the great HG Wells when she puts her mind to something? You can win her back!"

"How do I do that?" Helena's voice was small, her anger temporarily spent as tiredness settled once more upon her shoulders.

"I don't know yet," Claudia admitted, "But we'll help you. Don't worry, alright? I know that Myka still feels for you, you can get her back." It was obvious to the redhead that there were a lot of issues in the air around her two friends, but her normal cynicism about the world had given away in the presence of what she perceived to be true love.

"Well, well, well," the three straightened when the voice reached them, it was absent of its usual warmth even as it repeated a familiar sentiment, "If it isn't HG Wells."

Pete strode out form the fire station where he had been volunteering over summer break. Claudia and Steve were out of his range of vision as Helena was the only one to stop in front of the open garage.

"Peter," Helena felt a trill of excitement at seeing her friend as she turned, but his eyes were cold when she found them.

"Wow, I was sure I was seeing things. What are you doing back?" he demanded, "Let me guess, you heard Myka was finally happy and you came back to break her again?"

Helena blanched and Claudia stepped in to save her. "Whoa, Pete, chill." She held her hands up.

"Claudia?" Pete's face broke into a familiar boyish grin as he moved to gather the redhead up in a bear hug, "I missed you kid!" He put her back down as Steve came over and they exchanged a guy hug that had Claudia rolling her eyes.

"What are you guys doing here?" he laughed.

"I came to visit before school," Jinks explained, "Claudia apparently had other plans…" he mumbled.

"I was trying to help HG and Myka." Claudia told him.

"Help her how?" Pete's voice lost some of its warmth as his eyes fell on the Englishwoman once more, "Help her break Myka's heart again before she goes frolicking off into the sunset with her fiancé again when it's no longer convenient for her to use her?"

HG's anger was rekindled, "Do not speculate on things about which you know nothing!" She spat through her teeth, fire returning to her eyes, "Hurting Myka is the last thing I wanted to do."

"Oh, is that why you left her without a word?" He challenged, "Left her crying in an airport? You know she didn't leave her room for two weeks? You know how long it took for me just to get her to laugh without it sounding so broken? You think you can waltz back in here, after no word for months, after spending quality time with your fiancé, and just expect Myka to come crawling back to you?"

He didn't stop yelling, didn't notice the tears that began building in Helena's eyes even as she tried to hold on to her anger. In truth, she hadn't thought much about how Myka had dealt with her absence. She didn't know how big of an impact she'd had on the other woman's life.

It was Claudia who stepped between them with a determined look on her face, "Whoa, Pete, chill, okay? You don't know what HG has been going through in the last three months. It's a lot bigger than one ex-fiancé." Claudia wasn't sure how much to share with him, it was Helena's story, not hers.

"I don't want to hurt Myka," Helena shook her head, "This was a horrid idea." She repeated, only this time the words were saturated with sadness, "I only want to make things right with her, Peter. To explain, to apologize, but now…"

"She's happy now, HG," Pete's eyes were pleading with her to understand what he was saying even as his face kept its stern set, "Trace and I helped Myka get back on her feet, and she has a boyfriend now, and he's is a good guy. He treats her right and makes her smile."

Helena's heart ached, "Perhaps…"

She was going to say, Perhaps I should leave then, but the thought of leaving her friends again, of leaving Myka again was a physical pain she felt deep in her bones. What was she to do then? She couldn't function if she lost more than she already had.

She had always been an extremely independent creature, self-reliant and self-sufficient since she was sixteen. The thought of actually needing someone genuinely terrified her. And she was loath to admit now, but she needed her friends if she had a hope of getting through the next eighteen months in one piece.

She closed her eyes, "I fucked up."

Everyone looked at her to hear the word so harsh in her voice. She'd said it before, stubbing her toe, losing at Mario Cart, but it had never been uttered with such force before, such heat and fervor.

"I understand that," She looked at Pete, and he seemed to see just how bent HG was over this, "I left. I didn't call, or send a letter. In truth, I hoped she could be happy without me here, I hoped life could go on just fine for her. So I should not be surprised that it has, or hurt. Least of all hurt. So I have no right to expect to get her back as we were before. But I would very much like to still be in her life, if at all possible."

Pete huffed and ran his hands through his hair, it having grown shaggy, "Look, HG… I can be friends with you, I mean, I missed you too. But you can't expect Myka to be as enthusiastic about it, okay? I won't force a situation for you two to be together, but I also won't stop you from trying to earn her trust back, because I know you meant a lot to each other."

"That shouldn't be a problem," Steve spoke up and everyone looked at him, "Oh, did you guys not remember we were invited to go bowling by Kurt?"

"Wait," Pete looked at each of them in turn, "You guys already went to see her?"

"Yeah," Claudia nodded, "She's… different…" she hadn't decided yet if she liked this new Myka or not, so far all she had to go on was a new haircut and new clothes.

"And you guys met Kurt?" Something was bothering Pete, but he couldn't put his finger on it. It wasn't quite a vibe, but he felt the suggestion of one wrap around him.

"Yes he was quite friendly," Helena tried her damnedest to keep the bitterness from her tone, "He suggested, as Steven mentioned, that we all get together this evening for bowling. Wants to know all about Bunny's friends."

"Wow, uh, wow." Pete shook his head, trying to shake the feeling of wrongness slowly settling around him, "This is sure to be… interesting…"

"Why Peter, a three syllable word, I'm so proud," HG tried to slip back into their old banter, she had missed it so.

Pete smirked, but didn't respond. He felt himself slowly wanting to trust HG, though he had no reason to ever forgive her or talk to her, if not on his friends behest, then at least his own. Myka wasn't the only one HG Wells had abandoned without word.

Part of Helena being in their lives felt right, though. He wanted to be angry, to push her away, but not too far. He wanted her in arms reach so she could be pulled back quickly. Something had clearly happened to her over summer, now that he looked at the girl he could tell. She had the feeling of a person plagued with sleepless nights and stress filled days.

She looked like she needed a good long hug, maybe a cup of tea and about a week of nothing but old movies and laughter to even start making her feel better. Pete could at least justify to his pride giving her the first of those things.

He had missed her after all, despite all the shit she had put Myka's heart through.

He gathered her into a hug at last and it he could feel her instant of surprise before she melted into the embrace. Pete could feel the weight on HG's shoulders, and he made a mental note to ask her later what happened. Because his almost-vibe was telling him it was something big, and important, and he would need to help.

AN: I know Bunny was Sam's nickname for Myka, but I didn't write that in in the Sam chapter, and I needed a stupid pet name for Myka to be called by Kurt, so bear with me.