Hello again, sorry for the wait. This chapter is a tad long, I think, but bear with it :) Thanks to everyone who reads these and the lovely people who comment, and reviews are always welcome. All mistakes are mine, and I apologise for them.
Myka sat in the living room. Then she paced. Then she wandered into the kitchen where the others were eating, having finally dragged themselves out of their beds. Abigail knew what was up with Myka; they had talked while making breakfast. But the others were growing anxious at the restlessness of the agent.
"Mykes, for Pete's sake, what's up?" demanded Claudia through a mouthful of pancakes.
"What's wrong with me?" asked Pete curiously, only just tuning into the conversation. Claudia rolled her eyes and hit the man next to her on the shoulder while she continued chewing.
"Hey! You've been spending too much time with Myka!" he exclaimed. Steve and Abigail looked on with amusement, but Myka took no notice; she simply bounced from the counter over to the table, hovering behind Steve for a moment before she snatched a syrup covered pancake from Pete's plate and stuffed it in her mouth, all the while playing absent-mindedly with a lock of curls. She did not appear to have heard.
"Myka!" called Claudia again. Myka stopped and looked over, mouth chewing fervently, eyebrows raised in question. "What's got you nervy this morning?"
"I'm not nervous, don't be ridiculous," said Myka, crossing her arms a little defensively over her chest, her right hand still clutching the half eaten pancake close to her face.
"You're eating sugar," commented Claudia with her eyes slightly narrowed.
"Not sugar. Syrup," she corrected, resuming her pacing, left arm still across her chest.
"Mykes, what's wrong?" asked Pete, concerned as he looked over his shoulder at the distressed agent.
"Nothing," she replied, much too quickly. Claudia glanced at Steve, who was looking at Myka with eyebrows furrowed, about to open his mouth. Now Steve had a choice here. Myka was glaring at him, telling him with her eyes that if he said his favourite word, she would kill him. But he had to spend the whole day with Claudia, and he was a terrible liar. On previous occasions he had lied and Claudia had found some way to make him suffer for it, especially on inventory duty.
"Liar," he said quietly, looking pointedly at his food and nowhere else. Myka narrowed her eyes as Steve glanced up and silently apologised.
"Ha! Spill, Bering!" said Claudia triumphantly, leaning forwards on the table with her elbows, a cup of coffee grasped in her hands. Myka glanced around the table. All eyes were on her. The emerald orbs darted to the door, but Pete had already moved to block the portal to her freedom. Turning, she looked pleadingly at Abigail, who just shrugged.
"Alright," she sighed, slumping into Pete's empty chair. Everyone leaned forwards, Pete clutching the back of her chair. "Helena called last night-"
"What?" yelled Claudia and Pete, while Steve's eyebrows rose in surprise.
"What did she want? Is there another artefact?" asked Pete, while Claudia simultaneously babbled: "Oh my God, is she okay? What did she say? Are you pissed at her?"
"Guys, let her speak!" said Steve, noticing Myka's lack of energy to stop them both. Claudia and Pete were silenced.
"She called at two in the morning and I missed it. I called her back earlier this morning. She's coming by today to… to talk," Myka explained.
"Why would she call at two?" asked Pete. He had shockingly abandoned his plate of food, giving his full attention to Myka.
"Adelaide answered the phone in the morning before handing it over to Helena, but she said she reckoned it was because she… missed me," said Myka quietly, staring into the cup of coffee in front of her.
"When is she coming?" asked Claudia quietly. While she desperately missed the inventor, Claudia was super pissed at HG for just leaving them, but also toying with Myka. While she had great respect and admiration for HG, she wouldn't let her do that again. Not to Myka.
"Sometime in the afternoon, I guess."
"And how do you feel about that?" asked Pete. For the first time, Myka laughed.
"I thought that was Abigail's line," she smirked. Pete smiled, glad that Myka was still laughing. He was angry at Helena for screwing around with Myka's heart like she had, whether she realised she was doing it or not. When he had said "I'm counting on you," he had really meant to come through for Myka. He had held his tongue for Myka's sake, but if Helena screwed with Myka's head again, he would do what he could to protect his friend. He knew Helena loved her, but made bad choices. Reaching down, he hugged Myka tightly, and was not surprised when she tried to slap him away, but was laughing. He held on tighter, and soon Claudia joined in, dragging Steve with her.
"You too, Abigail, if I have to do this, you aren't escaping," called Steve. Abigail joined in, an arm around Claudia, the other around Pete. She finally felt accepted.
There was a knock at the door, and Myka froze. She began to pry herself off of her bed, where she'd found sanctuary. If she'd stayed in the living room, she'd pace relentlessly between the door and the window. So she shut herself in her room to try and find solace from her restless mind. The others had left a few hours previously to go to the Warehouse. Artie knew that Helena was coming; Myka had informed him over the phone. He grudgingly let her have the day off, knowing that Myka needed this. He just hoped that Helena didn't hurt her again; otherwise he may have reached the end of his tether with her. Sure, she sacrificed herself to save the Warehouse, but he was extremely protective over his little Warehouse family. Anyone who messed with them; messed with him. And he did not like to be messed with. Emerging on the landing, she heard Abigail open the door.
Helena paused just before she knocked on the door. She glanced back at her car that she'd parked in the space next to the SUV. A tiny part of her considered jumping back in and running away again. She immediately scolded herself, took a steadying breath and knocked on the door. After a few seconds she saw a figure moving about behind the door. Her heart began to race as the door handle turned and it opened. Helena plastered a dazzling smile on her face, only to meet an unfamiliar face.
"You must be Helena," the stranger said kindly. Helena's eyebrows rose a little in surprise as she searched her memory for the identity of this woman, and how she would know her.
"Yes," she said slowly, momentarily rattled. Her confidence was on shaky ground already and she hadn't even seen Myka yet. "I don't believe we have met."
"Oh, yes, of course," smiled the woman. "I'm Abigail Cho. I'm the new owner of the B&B," she said, holding out her hand.
"Helena Wells," she replied, shaking the woman's hand, unsure of how much she knew. This Abigail seemed to be appraising her, watching her closely for a moment. Helena felt a flash of vulnerability.
"Won't you come in?" Abigail said politely, standing to the side. Helena smiled as she entered the familiar building, inhaling the wonderfully welcome smell she had grown so used to in her time here. But she no longer lived here, and felt incredibly awkward as she stood in the hallway. Everything seemed the same, a few new pictures around the walls, but still basically the same. Abigail gestured to take Helena's coat, and Helena handed her the dark material.
"Myka's upstairs. She's just coming. Don't be so nervous," smiled Abigail, placing a hand of comfort on Helena's upper arm for a moment as she passed her, heading into the kitchen. The touch, while not unwelcome, surprised her. This woman seemed to be completely at home here. The agents had clearly given her a proper welcome, one that she – deservedly – had missed out on. Helena felt restless and found interest in one of the new pictures; a beautiful photograph of a mountain as the sun rose behind it. It had been captured just at the right time with astounding quality. The stairs creaked behind her. She felt her heartbeat quicken and stomach lurch as she turned, and her eyes fell upon Myka, standing three steps from the bottom of the staircase, dressed casually in her jeans and blue t-shirt, and a pair of adorable fluffy purple socks. Helena felt a genuine, warm smile grace her face for the first time in ages. Myka seemed frozen in place for a few seconds, before she came back to reality, physically shaking her head a little to clear her head.
"Helena," she nodded, walking down the last few steps and pausing a few feet from Helena.
"Myka, replied Helena in the same tone. This was ridiculous; she was the silver-tongued, witty 'father' of science fiction! Wordsmith, author, storyteller; all of these involved her best skill, the manipulation of just the right words in the right way to create emotion and feeling. SO why was it that when she needed her skill, her wit, her charm the most, it deserted her as quickly as the sea retreating from the shore?
After a moment of awkward glances and silence, Myka gestured to the living room. Helena walked obediently through the door, her heels clacking against the wooden floor. She sat on the couch, on the side closest to the hallway. Myka remained standing for a moment.
"Can I get you a drink, or something to eat? You must've had a long drive," Myka inquired.
"I couldn't trouble you for some tea?" Helena asked. Myka smiled, huffing a small laugh at the familiarity of Helena and her tea, and turned to leave the room. Helena settled herself comfortably, feeling a little more relaxed. She heard Abigail's voice say something to Myka.
"Abigail bought more scones this morning, do you want one?" called Myka, poking her head through the door way.
"Surely having tea and scones is a little too stereotypical?" she said, attempting a joke. It worked as Myka did her 'dork' smile as Claudia called it before. "But yes, I'd love some," smiled Helena. Myka nodded and went back to the kitchen. Helena could feel her nerves fading a little as she sat, waiting for her tea. Honestly, she was exhausted – it was a long drive and she had been too nervous to even contemplate eating, surviving only on tea and water. She didn't realise how hungry she was until she had entered the B&B and could smell the remnants of breakfast, the aroma lingering in the air.
"Tea and scones," said Myka as she skidded into the living room on her slippery socks, sliding gracefully across the floor, coming to a halt next to Helena as she placed the tea on the table and the plate of scones next to it. Helena couldn't suppress her smile any more than she could stop her heart racing in such close proximity to Myka. Myka slid over to the other side of the couch and sat, curling her knees underneath her. She seemed a lot more comfortable than Helena was. Helena was torn between being 'proper' as was her habit, and stuffing her face with one of the scones. Myka had halved them so there were six pieces. After a single sip of her tea, she reached out and took one, taking a large bite and sighing happily as she ate at last. Out of the corner of her eye as she took her second bite, she paused; Myka was smirking.
"What?" she asked with as much dignity as she could muster with her mouth full of scone.
"Hungry?" asked Myka sarcastically with a smile.
"It was a long drive," defended Helena. Myka noticed a crumb on her cheek. She motioned to Helena.
"You have a little…" she said, pointing. Helena swallowed and scoffed the rest of it, then attempted to gracefully wipe her mouth. She failed. "It's still there," laughed Myka, nibbling at her own half.
Helena tried again. Myka's repressed giggles informed her it was still there.
"Here," said Myka, reaching forwards to brush it away. Helena froze for barely a moment at her touch, just as Myka did the same. Myka withdrew quickly, a slightly smaller smile plastered on her face. There was a moment of silence. When Myka realised that Helena was not going to be the first to talk, she took control.
"So, uhm, why did you phone me? At two am?" Myka asked carefully, gauging Helena's reaction with scrutinising eyes.
"Ah," said Helena, setting the cup of tea on the table. Her hand found its way to her neck. Myka recognised this as a sign of Helena's discomfort. "I… missed you."
"I missed you too," replied Myka. Helena was a little envious of Myka's comfort in this situation – the woman was sitting cross legged on the sofa cushion, a mug of tea clutched in her hands. Myka waited patiently for Helena to continue. To be perfectly honest, she wanted Helena to suffer this awkwardness that had inflicted her. She felt it was deserved after what Helena had put her through.
"Myka, I wanted to apologise," Helena began after gathering her thoughts. Myka smiled.
"Go on," she replied.
"You were right. I was trying to run away, chasing ghosts of the distant past. You were right about everything; Adelaide, Nate, everything." Helena refused to look her in the eye. "And I'm sorry I put you through that." She took a breath before continuing. "I told Adelaide everything. I had to – Don't worry, she promised not to say a word to anyone, and I believe she won't." Helena cut off Myka before the brunette could protest.
"What about Nate?" asked Myka quietly.
"Ah," she said again. Her hand went to her neck. "We… Nate's…" She tried to calculate the right words. "When I said Nate was normal and kind, I really meant it. He was lovely, and he… he and Adelaide represented the ideal life, a life I had been forced to miss out on."
Each word was like a crushing blow to Myka, and though she was positive her warm smile didn't falter, she could see that Helena knew her inner turmoil.
"I owed it to myself to try, Myka. I thought… I thought that if I could make that work, it would be better for everyone. I would never again be tempted to destroy the world; I would no longer be a threat to Claudia, or Pete or… you. I thought you'd be better off without me."
"Helena –" started Myka as Helena looked down at her lap, but the Victorian's eyes snapped to hers, cutting her off again.
"Myka, what I did to you was unforgivable. I betrayed your trust, manipulated you, nearly killed you! And yet, after all of that, you still believed in me. Even in that blasted Regent Sanctum, you trusted me to get you out of the lock!" Myka's heart bled as Helena's voice grew steadily more emotional, her tone rising rapidly, the walls she had built up so well over time were crumbling down around her. "And I thought, if there was any way to even attempt to make up for what I did, I would do it. I would have happily died for you!" Helena's voice faltered as she looked down, one hand wiping her eye gently, the other supporting her on the sofa as she leaned away from Myka, hiding her face. Myka, completely taken aback by Helena's vulnerability and honesty, felt a wave of overwhelming sympathy wash over her. Gently, she set her mug down and reached for Helena's hand. Warm flesh came into contact and Myka's heart beat rapidly against her ribs. Helena froze momentarily, but the action seemed to strengthen her. Helena looked back up at Myka, her eyes watering slightly, a look of pure helplessness on her face, before it flickered and was gone. Helena was back in control of herself.
"I thought that a soul as pure and good as yours would only be tainted by one as black as mine. And I didn't want to hurt you anymore. I thought if I could erase myself from your life, and you from mine, then we could carry on. And I had my dream life, my easy life. But… it was empty. I missed the adventures, the Warehouse, I missed you. And every day I would dream that something would bring you out to Boone, some artefact would pop up and you'd have to be there. I never thought it would really happen. You couldn't imagine my excitement when that young man appeared in the station. I had a legitimate reason to call you, to see you."
"You could have just phoned for… I don't know, coffee or something," interjected Myka, hand still clasped around Helena's.
"I wanted to. But I could never muster the courage to do it. If you had said no, if you were angry with me, I'd have-"
"I was angry. I understand that you had to leave with the astrolabe, but after that had all been sorted, I expected you to come back. I expected you to return to your home, your family. But you ran off." Myka wanted to stop herself. Helena looked so ashamed of herself, so guilty. But Myka had to say it. "You chose a normal life over…" What was she going to say, a life with her? "Over us," she decided. It was an ambiguous enough answer to hide behind.
"I'm truly sorry."
"I know."