Author's Note: Warning! Briefly switching to Helena's POV here! And it's filler. I'm so sorry, but I needed a way to transition out of the sleepover and Myka wasn't giving me it. Upside, you get to meet Caturanga and Charles properly. :) And the next chapter will be back to super long and will become very shippy (finally, I know. I'M SORRY).

AKA: you all are basically getting a rough draft of a novel, so uneven POV changes are part of the consequences. :P To quote Better off Ted: DEAL WITH IT. (And to requote the Tenth Doctor: I'm sorry. I'm so sorry.)

-/-

Helena shut the front door behind her and checked the foyer. Empty, but there was a light shining into the hall. Someone was in the dining room. Helena stifled a yawn as she removed her jacket. She shouldn't be feeling groggy today. She'd slept almost twice as long at Myka's as she usually slept at home. Perhaps that was the problem.

She retrieved her phone and car keys from her jacket pocket and then hanged her jacket in the front closet. The keys she needed to return to Caturanga, but the phone she slid into her jeans pocket. A glow of smug satisfaction spread through her when she caught sight of her shirt - Myka's shirt, truthfully. Helena had kept the t-shirt she'd been given to sleep in. There was no real plan for it. She'd just wanted to see if she could smuggle it out in plain sight. Also, she suspected wearing the shirt later would elicit some amusing, if not wonderful, reactions from Myka.

She walked towards the dining room, contemplating how deep Myka's blush would be when she's spotted casually wearing Myka's t-shirt in public. Her musings cut themselves short when she saw her brother sitting at the table finishing a meal. Apparently, he didn't have friends to disappear with, yet. Or he'd just woken - what meal was he even eating at ten-thirty in the morning?

"Have a good night?" Charles said when he noticed her.

"All my nights spent away from you are good," Helena said. Charles scoffed.

Caturanga was nearby rinsing a mug in the kitchen sink. He hadn't looked over when she'd arrived. Helena wondered how upset he was with her. She caught Charles's eye, but he only shrugged.

Helena took a breath to brace herself and stepped over into the kitchen. "Hello, Uncle. I've returned your keys." She held them up. "Car's all safe and sound in the drive."

Caturanga nodded. "Just set them down, there. I'm still finishing the dishes."

Helena placed the keys on the counter. He hadn't yelled, but maybe he preferred the silent disapproval approach. Or maybe he bottled up his anger, and it would all come exploding at her later.

He didn't say anything more. Helena glanced at Charles who seemed to be smothering a snicker. "Right, then." Helena began backing away. "I'll just be in my room."

She gave Charles another questioning look on her way out, but he adopted an innocent expression and shrugged again out of spite for her. Bloody useless brothers. And what about her uncle? Was it really so difficult to inform someone if they were in trouble or not?

As she climbed to her room, Helena sought out reasons why her uncle might have forgiven her misbehavior. Surely a phone call wouldn't have done it. It had surprisingly gained her permission to stay out all night, but could it have gained her a full pardon for stealing the car and running off? No, that was rubbish. Her parents wouldn't have sent her here if Caturanga was never going to punish her. He'd allowed the stay at Myka's because Myka was her One. He'd still express his disappointment in her for the rest. He just wanted her to sit and stew first.

Helena huffed and laid out on her bed.

"Alright," her brother said as he opened the door and walked in without either a knock or an invite. "Tell me the details."

Why oh why had her uncle not grounded her at once and placed her in solitary confinement? She sighed. "What details?"

Charles took a seat in her desk chair, his face sporting a large and grating smirk. "How was your first night with Myka?"

"I'm sorry, what part of my evening do you think is actually your business?"

"The part that led to you coming back in her shirt," he said. "It is hers, right? Unless you've joined the local fencing team."

"I borrowed the shirt to sleep in," Helena said. "I didn't exactly leave prepared yesterday."

"And?"

"And what?"

"And what else?" Charles prompted. "There has to be more."

"Nothing I'm inclined to tell you."

"Why not?"

He didn't sound indignant; he sounded genuinely confused. Helena mentally cursed her past self for thinking it was a good idea to share details of her exploits with her brother. Oh, but you could tell each other who to pass on and who was worth it for a snog, and you could hold it over his head that you were better at acquiring partners than he was - bollocks. All of it. She should've known it would only create a precedent of which her brother would be slow to let go.

"What man art thou that, thus bescreened in night, so stumblest on my counsel?" she said.

"If you're quoting Shakespeare after one night, then I weep for the future of your match."

"And if you expect to publicize intimate details after one night, then I weep for yours." She sat up and glared. "Get out, Charles."

"Oh, come on," he said. "I didn't mean the intimate details. I don't want nightmares tonight."

"No, you just want enough to fuel your dreams and fantasies."

"What is with you?" Charles said. "It can't be that different being matched." Then, his head tilted and a small smile grew like he knew something. Which was absurd, Helena knew, but still her jaw clenched in preparation. "No, it isn't that you're matched, it's that nothing happened last night." Charles laughed. "Have you even kissed her, yet?"

Helena couldn't speak for all the murderous thoughts running through her mind.

Charles crossed his arms and sat back in the chair. "Did you frighten her? Has she not forgiven you for that first meeting? I don't know what you said to her, but she fled the cafeteria as quick as she could."

Helena was standing and across the room before he'd finished speaking. She hadn't decided what she meant to do - it was a toss-up between punching him and insulting him further - when her uncle arrived in the doorway and interrupted.

"Charles, I need to speak with Helena. I believe you still have an assignment to finish?"

"It's just a worksheet."

"Due tomorrow?"

Charles sighed. "Yes." He stood up with a roll of his eyes and Helena still staring daggers at him. He left her room, but then made the mistake of halting in the doorway and turning around.

"Oh, but Helena. If you'd like me to speak to Myka for you to suss out the problem, I'd be more than happy to do it."

Helena was tense all over and had to clench her hands to keep from grappling him to the ground.

"Your assignment, Charles," Caturanga said, but Helena wouldn't let this end, now.

"You know, thank you Charles. That'd actually be very helpful." Helena let Charles register the words and wonder if she meant it before adding, "I never imagined I'd have a valid reason to castrate my brother."

Charles took a step back towards her, raging. "You know, I'm -"

"Enough!" Caturanga silenced him. "To your room, now."

Charles was still furious, but he walked out. Helena knew Caturanga was there to discuss her punishment for running off the day before, but at the moment she only felt the dark satisfaction at having the last word with Charles.

"What was that about?" Caturanga asked.

"He threatened to speak to Myka. I threatened him back."

"Any reason why you felt the need to threaten him?"

Helena flicked her eyes over to her uncle and felt her fury build towards him as well. "Because Myka's not his concern, and he won't let the matter drop."

"I see."

Caturanga might have changed topics there, but Helena was enraged and wanted to finish explaining exactly why before he grounded her and walked away. "He told our parents all about her. He knew I didn't want them to know anything, yet still he blabbed as soon as he could."

"I don't believe he told them much. Your parents still seem rather in the dark to me."

"He told them her name!"

"To be fair, I'm aware of her name."

"Because he told you, too," Helena said. "He said it as soon as you picked us up that day."

"Possibly because he was excited for you. As I understand it, meeting your One is quite a big deal."

Helena inhaled sharply and crossed her arms. Just what was he playing devil's advocate for? "Look, I don't need a lecture. Just tell me my punishment and let me be."

"Pardon?"

"My punishment, what is it?" Helena asked. "An extra list of chores to do? Am I to be confined to my room, unable to leave except for school? What?"

Caturanga peered at her, examining her without saying anything. Helena suspected she'd crossed a line, but hadn't that line been crossed yesterday when she'd run off? Then, Caturanga removed his glasses and looked down at them like he was checking for smudges or bent frames.

"You know, a good scientist does not jump to conclusions. He's patient with his work and allows all data to be collected before judging the result." His words were patient, spoken in an ordinary tone that clashed awkwardly with the violence still flinging through Helena's chest. He put back on his glasses and met her eye. "You might find this a useful philosophy in all matters of your life."

This was utterly baffling. Helena wasn't a scientist. She was an untamed teenager with wild ideas and a penchant for disobeying rules.

"Now," Caturanga said, "perhaps I may explain why I am up here?"

Helena hadn't found her voice again and simply nodded. Caturanga accepted the response and handed over a professionally printed booklet stapled at the spine. Helena scanned the cover. It had the title "Rules of the Road" centered over an image of a freeway.

"What's this?"

"New material to study," he said. "You'll have to pass a written exam before the driving test, and you'll need to present your passport and visa, but it shouldn't be too difficult for you seeing as you have already driven successfully around a U.S. city. Still, read through that booklet carefully. They may ask about some of the more obscure rules."

Helena stared at him. "What driving test?"

"To obtain your Colorado driver's license," Caturanga said. "We can't have you driving around unlicensed anymore. It is illegal, you know."

There was almost a teasing light in his eyes. He was getting cheeky with her. She'd swiped his car and run off, and here he was giving her some cheek. "Yes, that was pointed out to me." Helena glanced at the booklet again. "You're helping me to get a U.S. driver's license?"

"Well, I have been in this country longer than you, I am your guardian - it seems only natural I provide you with assistance."

Natural? Helena was stunned. What in this response was natural? She should be shouted at and grounded. Why wasn't he punishing her?

"If you can be ready," Caturanga continued, "I have Wednesday afternoons free of classes. I can take you over to the Secretary of State's office to get your license, and then you'll be free to drive anywhere you may need to next weekend." He took a step to leave, but stopped and looked back.

"And Helena, do ask the next time you wish to borrow the car, alright?"

"Yes, sir," she managed. She thought she might be gaping as he left her room. She flipped through the booklet he'd given her and found the pages were filled with two columns of tiny print. Apparently, there were more rules and laws they could quiz her on than she'd imagined. Still easily manageable. She stared out into the hall again, trying to fathom why her uncle had done this. No answers came to mind.

She shut her door and walked over to her desk. Might as well study. She wouldn't want to fail this driver's exam.

-/-

At 7:50 exactly on Thursday morning, Helena left the library and walked the high school's halls to Myka's locker. Myka sat alone on the ground in front of it, head bent low, absorbed in Northern Lights. She'd started reading the book a couple of days ago per Helena's suggestion, and Helena hadn't seen her put it down since. She thought she had something that would tear Myka away, though.

"Busy, Pete," Myka said as Helena came to a stop beside her.

"Not Pete."

Myka looked up and broke into a wonderful smile. "Hey. I wasn't sure where you were this morning."

"In the library." Helena sat down also. "Where else?"

Myka's smile fell away into a frown. "I looked in the library."

Helena felt a twinge of guilt at being thought a liar, but shrugged and rolled her eyes to be self-deprecating. "I might have been tucked away in a corner. I got caught up in cataloging all the ways the encyclopedias were outdated." More like purposely hiding to get the timing right, but that was no reason to feel guilty.

"Okay," Myka said with a laugh.

"Anyway, I've brought you something."

Myka's eyes brightened. "What is it?"

Helena handed over the folded note she'd worked on the evening before. "There's something for you to see and something for you to read."

Myka's eyes searched hers for a moment, and then she turned her attention to the note. After opening the first fold, a plastic ID card slid out. Myka picked it up and looked closer. "Is this real?"

"Of course, it's real," Helena said. "My uncle took me in to get it last night."

Myka was smiling again and looked back up at Helena. "You have an official driver's license."

"Well, I told you I was a good driver, but you apparently required proof."

"As does the state and federal laws," Myka said and handed back the license.

"Those." Helena rolled her eyes in actual annoyance this time.

"And this is for me to read?" Myka held up the letter.

"It is."

Myka unfolded it the rest of the way and stared at the block of jumbled up text written across the page. Helena couldn't fight down the smile.

"This is in code."

"Yes."

"You wrote me a note in code."

"Yes." Helena's smile grew larger. Myka looked a mix of amused and pleased, and Helena was thrilled to see she'd read her right. "I thought it'd be good practice for my new cryptography skills."

Myka grinned at her. "Three classes and you think you're an expert now, don't you?"

The bell for class rang, just like Helena had planned. She leaned in close to Myka as the hall grew noisier with slamming lockers and moving people. "You'll have to tell me. Let's see if you can decode it. No hints." She stood up and began walking away.

"I'll have it decoded by lunch," Myka called after her. Helena glanced back to see Myka standing, books and note pressed to her chest, and the spark of challenge on her face.

"See that you do," Helena smirked and turned forwards. Best of luck, Myka. Best of luck.