"Is this a bad time?"

"Not at all, just got home, in fact." I can hear her setting items down on a hard surface in the background.

"How was your day?" I start to pace the room, my mind going a mile a minute, heart fluttering, sweat beading along my forehead.

"Alright, definitely on the dull side. Well, more like 'disgusting' considering all the bodily fluids."

"Ewww." Helena laughs at my obvious disgust.

"How about you? Everything alright there?"

She knows there's something on my mind. She always knows. We don't call each other, not even after our last coffee run, if you will, a couple weeks ago. We text and e-mail, but I try to be unobtrusive as possible for the remaining time she has there.

"Helena, I -" I stop myself for a moment. I tried to keep myself from calling her. She still has the loose ends of her life in Wisconsin to deal with before she can head out here. We are moving forward with a path of honesty and truthfulness. I take a deep breath and sigh into the phone, "I miss you."

I'm fairly certain that I can hear her smile on the other end. "I miss you too." she quietly replies.

I sigh again; I still pace the room wandering around and getting distracted at all the bookbindings and out-of-place items surrounding me. I finally settle down on top of the bed and rest a moment. "Honestly, I just wanted to hear the sound of your voice. Talk to me. Ask me anything."

"Of course," she replies. I pull back the covers and climb into bed, sighing heavily and focusing on the sound of her voice to soothe me, "tell me what you've been reading..."


I wake up with a startle in my own bed, swearing someone else is in it next to me. Unfortunately, I look over, remember that it's just me in the bed and that no one else has been here. Soon though. Soon I will not be waking up alone in the mornings. It takes a moment to catch my breath and gather myself. My cell phone is blinking with a notification of new messages. I swipe the screen to see a photo of hot coffee and a slice of coffee cake; no text to it, just the image. There's no need for me to decipher who sent that picture. The thought of her photo brings a smile to my face, especially as it's the first thing I see. I lie back down on the bed for a moment before getting up. It's her own way of saying good morning to me.

There's a knock on my door and I scurry out of bed to open it. Pete is standing there with a tray of coffee and something else bulging underneath a napkin. He's happy for me in regards to my relationship with Helena. He likes seeing me laugh and joke with him about women and relationships. In fact, he really likes to talk about women and relationships with me for some reason, so much so that I begin to think he hasn't had many people with whom he could discuss this sort of thing. Sure, he has to be reigned in occasionally, but it's good to have someone to talk to about all of this. Ever since the trip we took together to Boone and everything over the past couple weeks since my most recent trip, Pete has really stepped up and been there for me, been really attentive too.

"Hey hey hey. Breakfast is here." He walks over to the bed quickly to place the tray down. "Now, I don't normally do this, but you got an overnight package which I was instructed to open if you didn't get to it first."

"Oh?"

"Oh, is right because..."

He lifts the napkin off the plate and reveals to me a generous slice of warm coffee cake. There's a fork and napkin, even a cup of coffee for me. A quick look at the mug and this is altogether very familiar. I cover my hand over my mouth to stifle a laugh and a grin when I realize why.

"What?" Pete questions with a grin.

I can't stop smiling. "Nothing." I reach over for the coffee cup and take a sip. "Thank you for making the coffee, Pete."

"What makes you think I didn't make this delicious coffee cake?" he says as he puts his hands on his hips.

"Because I know it's something of Helena's by its look, taste and smell."

"Sure you do." he retorts with a saucy grin.

We sit on the bed (I ensure Pete doesn't get crumbs in the corners of the comforter) and chat while eating the delicious cake Helena sent. We've been hanging out with each other a lot more and it's certainly helped me deal with everything that has been happening. When we drove away from Helena a few months ago, Pete knew that I hurt, he knew I had lied to her about being happy there with Nate and Adelaide. We have both had to deal with a lot of our past demons and coming to terms with our own truths: Pete is happy that Helena and I have accepted our own.

"Was there anything else in the box?"

"What, like that lacy thong and harness?"

"Wait, what?" It takes me an extra moment to realize that he's joking with me. Normally, I don't mind the teasing. I like it, even though I will completely shut down and call him out on the inappropriate comments whenever there are others around, Pete still makes me laugh.

"No, nothing else in the box." Pete chuckles and helps himself to some more cake. "Helena's a really good cook."

"I will tell her you said that." I smugly say, very proud of her.

"Great, maybe she can get on making some cookies and other goodies when she comes back. Speaking of which, when you going back to see her?"

"Tomorrow," I reply, "tomorrow's the big day." Meaning that I fly out there to pick her up from suburbia once and for all. Our plan has been to drive back rather than fly, so I'm anticipating a ten-hour car ride with her.

On our last visit, we discussed what we both want. After our rendez-vous at the lake, we sat together in the car and talked until the sun came up. No one bothered us and we were gone before the Sunday crowds came in for a day at the beach. We agreed that she would need a month to settle her affairs in Boone, get in touch with the Regents and, most difficult of all, break the news to Nate and Adelaide.

Putting in her notice at work and asking the Regents if she could come back were the simplest tasks. Nate was understanding, knowing that she once had a whole life out there to which she used to belong and, on some level, had always wanted to return. Apparently he didn't ask too many questions, and they both decided it would be best if she stayed until just before the start of the new school year so she could help Adelaide get everything ready for back-to-school. I knew that the toughest part of all this would be saying goodbye to Adelaide: she loves that little girl so much. Nate had also asked her to move into the guest bedroom, which Helena admitted, wasn't a problem considering we had christened it with happy memories.

"You going to be okay flying out there alone?"

"It's two short flights, I'll be perfectly fine."

"How about the drive back?"

"I've got Helena." I pause for a moment and take a sip of my coffee. For an unexplained reason, I smile until it dawns on me. "It feels really good to say that, Pete."

I spend the rest of the morning clearing up what will be our room. There's a pile of clothes in the middle of the bed that need to either be donated, tossed out or brought to the Warehouse for my emergency clothing locker. I even manage to get a couple drawers cleared out and pretty much all of the closet space reserved for her. I have nothing more than a few blazers and a dress hanging in there, I imagine Helena has much more than me that requires significant care and maintenance.

Good thing I am not flying out to Wisconsin every couple of weeks after tomorrow; I was able to put that money towards the massive, floor-to-ceiling, wooden bookcase for what will hopefully be our ever-growing library. Doing something as simple as buying a bookcase gives me peace of mind. It's the two of us, settling down and being together.

I walk into the bathroom to thoroughly clean everything: shower, sink, toilet and floor. All the surfaces are tidy and neat, free counter and cabinet space for Helena's items. I wonder if it'll be weird, doing this. When I get up in the morning, I will be seeing two toothbrushes, two hairbrushes, two towels, two bottles of shampoo. Maybe over time, the number of items will diminish to one tube of toothpaste or one bottle of shampoo, but for now it'll definitely something out-of-the-ordinary for me to experience. It's strange to be doing this for the first time in my life, preparing a space for someone to move into with me. It's weird, but somehow it feels right since it involves Helena.

The final thing I do is strip the bed to put on clean sheets and fluff the duvet. I make sure there are enough pillows of varying softness and firmness for her to choose. The nightstand on her side of the bed is emptied and cleared, light fixture cleaned and new coaster added to the top. Next to the bedside lamp on what will be Helena's side of the bed, I put up a small silver picture frame. I adjust it with a smile, hoping she'll like it.


I wearily trudge into the terminal and wander to the nearest coffee shop I can find. The coffee on the plane was nasty and definitely not a good as what I can get on the ground. I know that Helena and I will be getting coffee in a little bit, but for right now I really need something to jump start me. I'm lucky that this establishment has an extra-large beverage with which I can completely drown my weariness. Walking around with a backpack and giant coffee in my hands, I feel as though I look like hell. I feel terrible, but I know that in a very short time I will be with Helena and that will curb all ill feelings I have.

We agreed to meet at the house, meaning I pick up the rental car first then head on over there. She didn't mention what she is bringing along, but definitely I expect her to have a good amount of stuff after at least a year on her own. There are a few drivers and families standing at the edge of the security checkpoint with signs for their rides or loved ones. I keep walking, avoiding eye contact with people and focusing more on the ground when I see my name on a sign. Well, both our names.

I look up to see Helena standing there with a small piece of paper in her hand with a crossed out, typewritten "Wells & Bering" and then a properly written out (in a neat, handwritten cursive) "Bering & Wells." Once she spots me and our eyes lock, she lowers the sign and runs her fingers through her hair. That action is always her tell for when she's nervous.

Rounding the corner, away from all the others travelers, I walk over to her, holding her around her waist to pull her flush with my body and I simply raise an eyebrow at her. "Hi."

"Ready to save the world?" she offers.

"With you, always." I give her a quick peck on the cheek and look down at her feet. "I thought the plan was to pick you up at the house?"

"I know. I mean," Helena runs her fingers through her hair again, "I didn't want to make the goodbye there anymore painful than it actually was."

"I'm sorry it was difficult."

"Yes, well," Helena wipes a quick tear from her eye and does her best to compose herself with factual information regarding all of this, "it was the goodbye to Adelaide that was the most difficult. My farewell to Nate, of course, essentially occurred well before this morning."

I lean in to kiss her cheek one more time and whisper in her ear, "It's okay, I got you."

We hold each other like that until Helena calms down a bit. I know she's sad, that she is going to be be sad missing Adelaide (and Nate to some extent), but she knows that this is where she wants to be and where she has always wanted to be. My arms eventually relax around her and I look over my shoulder for luggage cart. Helena has a couple giant bags with wheels, not too heavy, but still cumbersome. I still expected her to have much more luggage. "One moment, let me get..." I dash away as I see a neglected cart by a cafe and push my coffee cup into her hand. I wheel back to her with an extra spring in my step and a smile.

"Thanks for getting a trolley."

"You did not just call that a trolley." I joke with an eye roll. Her arm extends to return the coffee to me to tend to the suitcase.

Helena grins as she places the first bag on the cart with a thud. "And you love me all the same." Reaching towards me once more, Helena takes the coffee back and she takes a sip of my drink, leaving behind the faintest tinge of lipstick residue on the rim. "You want something to eat?"

I place the second bag on the cart and then add my backpack on the top rack. "No, just eager to get on the road with you." Helena looks around, still drinking my coffee and watching me. She looks at me for a second; I'm unsure what's going through her head. I can tell that she is just a little bit nervous about all this, but I know that once we get out on the road we will be able to talk and reassure one another.

We head to the car rentals to pick up our vehicle for this road trip across three states. I've been looking forward to this for a couple of weeks now. It was a month ago that I took my last trip out here and since then, I haven't taken any time for myself. Keeping my mind occupied with work and readying my room for Helena has been challenging enough. We load the bags into the trunk and leave my backpack in the back seat as it contains my wallet, Tesla and other contraptions. Once everything is loaded into the car, I get in the driver's seat and Helena takes a seat next to me. She plugs her phone in as the GPS and sets it up along the dashboard with a weighted mount to keep it from sliding everywhere.

"Ready?" I ask.

Helena smiles at me and says, "Go Home" into her cell phone.

My heart melts just a little bit more with that. I lean over the center console and give her a long kiss before the drive begins.

Throughout the drive, Helena checks in with me every 30 minutes to see if I'm alright at the wheel. The car ride goes quickly, we chat about anything, occasionally getting flirtatious when Helena settles her hand between my legs and lets it wander in my lap. Not while I'm driving, I remind her, but she only smiles back at me with a saucy grin. We take our time, stopping for a leisurely lunch somewhere near Rochester and a few hours later, get out to stretch our legs again and get some more coffee.

We finally decided to stop in a rural town along the highway, it's peaceful and there's wilderness which is something we both enjoy. There's a small park and wooded area with a trail at this rest stop where we decide to wander for a few minutes after we pick up some coffee. It's private and shaded, significantly cooler than everything else surrounding us.

"I really want to shower." I say. "Think I smell bad."

Helena chuckles and pulls me towards her, sniffing me a little and wandering her hands lower to my back pockets. She pulls me closer and gently squeezes me through the fabric. "You smell perfectly fine."

"That's not using an 1890s London odor scale, is it?"

"No." she says with a laugh.

We remain in the woods for a good 15 minutes simply drinking our coffee sitting against a tree. The leaves are beginning to change shade. Not too much, but just enough to notice that fall is coming in a few weeks or so. Our legs are stretched out in front of us and we calmly sip our drinks. Even though it's hot out, the warm coffee hits the spot and is another of our fantastic coffee dates. When it starts to rain, we both look up to see clouds and grey skies. I love it. I love the cool water falling on me and breaking the heat (literal and figurative) even if it's just a little while. "You want to get back in the car?" Helena offers, wiping the rain away from her face.

"You keep asking me what I want." I realize after I say it, my tone sounds a bit harsh and I press my lips to her cheek in order to be more comforting and sweet. "What about you?"

Helena is quiet, realizing she has spent a good portion of the day asking what I would like to do while completely ignoring her own desires. Just one look and I can tell she is going to burst if she can't go any further. I watch the water trickle down her neck between her breasts and I do my best not to be entirely overcome with arousal looking at her like this. Besides, there's still another five hours in the car.

"I want you. All of you. Out here, in the middle of nowhere, in the rain, against a tree...don't care, really." Helena is completely overcome with hormones and looks as though she could devour me. She's not pushy about it, but there is definitely something more in her eyes. She flips me around to press my body against the tree instead. I lose my breath for a moment, only regaining it just before Helena captures my lips with her own. "I can't wait to get home."

We hold each other, our hands wander, our bodies heat up, our eyes and mouths explore. It's been nearly a month since we last saw one another and we crave physical contact. At some point, I have Helena pressed against a large tree, my thigh creeps between her legs and I apply the faintest bit of pressure each 15 seconds or so. Every 16 seconds elicits a low moan from her lips and a smile from my own. My hands end up around her neck, in her hair, tugging her lips further into my own.


When we get into Univille, it's after 11 pm. The downstairs lights are on, but the bedrooms seem dark. There's only Abigail's car in the driveway and everything around us seems quiet. As we pull in, Helena takes a deep breath, taking in the surroundings she hasn't seen in almost a year.

"C'mon," I encouragingly say with an outstretched hand, "let's go inside, clean up and go to bed. I don't think anyone's awake right now. We'll get the bags in the morning." I grab my backpack, not giving any thought to bringing Helena's items inside. We walk into a quiet house. On the dining table is a note from Claudia saying she, Pete and Steve got called out on a ping and would be back in a few days. Leaving Artie back at the Warehouse and Abigail upstairs in bed.

We quietly make our way upstairs, unsure if anyone is sleeping or just unwilling to greet us because it's late and they're just as tired. I lock the door behind us so we can't be disturbed and see Helena smile as she takes in the room around her. She immediately notices the empty nightstand, half-vacant dresser top, even the mostly empty closet when she opens the door to look inside.

"I cleared some space for you."

"Thanks."

She looks around a bit, taking in everything around her, and finally grips one of the bed's posters to swing around what she easily identifies as her side of the bed. For a brief moment, she pauses to see the silver picture frame next to the lamp. Helena says nothing, but looks at it and smiles before turning her attention back to me.

"I know it's not, you know, an entire house that we have to ourselves, but it's a space that is ours."

"That doesn't matter." Helena says as she removes her lightweight jacket. She then takes off her shoes and climbs up, smoothing the bedding around her that got mussed. I do the same and reach out for her; we silently lay in one another's arms. Helena's head rustles against her pillow, her nose collides with the pillowcase and she breathes in my scent all around her. I stop to wonder how long it will take for both our scents to mingle in this newly shared space of ours. "You think anyone will be stopping by this evening?"

I scoot myself closer, trailing my fingers along the buttons of her shirt. "No. It's late and I don't think they will be back tonight or early in the morning."

Helena shifts towards me, hands going to my waist and then the buttons of my jeans, her mouth moving ever closer to mine. "Good because I want you naked. Now."

I feel the top button of my jeans come undone and let out a gasp. Once Helena's mind is set to pleasure, we don't need to speak any further. Her hands are in a frenzy, pulling my shirt over my head, pushing down my pants. Helena's mouth connects to every part of my body with a tongue trailing my hips bone to lips sucking on my earlobe to teeth pulling at my nipples. I love it. I love how hungry for me she is. I love how eagerly my body responds to her touch. By the time my pants and shirt are on the floor, I'm lucky to have unbuttoned two of her shirt buttons.

I'm panting, I'm so turned on and am in a puddle which causes Helena to smirk once her hand is teasing inside my clothes. She doesn't tease long though. All I have been able to think about with Helena seated next to me throughout the drive is the thought of her pleasuring me. I have practically had nothing else on my mind since I saw her at the airport. She takes off my remaining clothes and tosses them to the side of the bed.

Helena gracefully rolls me onto the bed and pushes my legs up as she kneels before me. She kisses my calves, lifts my legs to kiss behind the knee and then pushes them back down so she can tease the insides of my thighs with her trailing tongue. My legs are spread wide open, exposing me to her. Her breasts touch the sides of my legs and make me quiver with the expectation of what's to come. "I haven't done this in more than a century, so forgive me if..."

I can't hear a word she is saying with her tongue on me like that. Besides, she would have definitely had me fooled that she hasn't done this in a while.


I'm up before Helena in the morning, barely able to open my eyes and completely comfortable nestled into her side. She rests in the crook of my arm, her mouth resting near my nipple, her hair lightly tickling the underside of my arm. I can feel myself fade in and out, something that is so easy to occur when we are together, sense her breathing in and out as she holds me. It's still early. I don't really want to move. Helena probably doesn't want to move, she's all content sleeping and relaxing. We're both home and happy.

Regardless, I tilt my head to see the time and it's still early. I'm hungry, Helena probably is too. I shift myself to face her, which in turn wakes her up.

"Hey." she says with eyes still shut.

"C'mon, let's get something to eat." I give her a quick kiss on the lips to help wake her up.

The two of us crawl out of bed. I walk to the dresser and pull out some clothes. Helena is standing there completely naked and looking for her clothes on the floor. I forget for a moment that all of her clean clothes are in suitcases in the car. Once I realize this, I reach back into the drawer to pull out some pyjama pants and a t-shirt.

"I forgot your clothes are in the car." I quickly pull on my clothes and walk over to her. "Here." I put the t-shirt over her head and smooth it down along the sides. Helena puts on the pants and wriggles her hips back and forth, finally shaking her legs to gather how long they are.

"A bit long."

"You'll be fine." I assure her and lean over to kiss Helena. As I open the bedroom door, all I get is a whiff of bacon. "Ooh," I say as I turn to her, "someone's cooking downstairs."

We descend the stairs and wander over to the kitchen.

"Pete!" Helena exclaims, heading over to the tousled man with a spatula in one hand and the other pressed against his stomach. Pete groggily turns around to face us and waves the spatula at us. He turns around to face us, looking absolutely exhausted but determined to make something to eat with the spatula in his hand. Helena walks over to give him a hug and happily wraps her arms around his waist, careful not to get any of the grease from the utensil on her clothes. Rather, my clothes.

Pete hugs her back and turns back towards the griddle once she lets go. He sounds so weary, but still minds his cooking. "When did you ladies get in?"

"Late, around 11 or so." I reply as I lean against a nearby counter. Helena walks over to me, pressing her back against me. It's comfortable and soothing being here with her like this and Pete cooking. "What about you?"

"Oh, me?" Pete looks over at the two of us holding each other and smiles. "I got home half an hour ago, but the others went out for breakfast though. I saw the rental and thought, what the hell, why not make something for the three of us."

"That's kind of you, Pete." Helena says. "Can we help?"

He looks around his work area and assesses everything. "Once I clear some of this bacon from the griddle, I can do two pancakes at a time. So, good for now!" Pete turns around once the bacon and pancakes have got to an "unsupervised" point. "You all settled in then?"

"Not yet. We got in late and didn't bring all of the stuff inside." I answer.

"You want me to get the bags out of the car?"

"Nah, we can manage it after breakfast."

"Myka, I don't think you'll be thinking about unpacking and luggage after breakfast."

"Pete!"

Helena chuckles, reaching for my hand. "Perhaps it would be best to take care of that now rather than later." She tilts her head back towards me with her lips next to my ear. "I'd prefer to not be disturbed, wouldn't you?"

I pause, not sure how to reply. Pete looks at Helena with a grin and motions towards the pancakes. He understands without a word. "Just flip them over -"

"- when they start to bubble." she finishes.

"Yeah, forgot for a second you've added 'accomplished chef' to your résumé."

Helena takes the spatula from Pete and I scurry out towards the car, stopping only to find a pair of shoes to put on. "Hey, Pete, come help me with the bags!" Pete joins me at the car and pulls out some of the bulkier suitcases. I'm happy, but sort of nervous about having the whole "family" together in one place for the first time in a very long time. Pete shifts over towards the front seats and finds at least five or six empty coffee cups.

"Do you have a trash bag somewhere?" I look around the back seat to see what is there and find an empty plastic bag underneath the seat. I toss it over to Pete who immediately starts filling it up with the containers. "You guys sure drink a ridiculous amount of coffee." he says as he shakes his head.