Thank you so much for the feedback this week. I had a hellish week at work and your reviews were beacons of light, guiding me towards the weekend!
Lots of questions about the bad guys lurking in the background. The Birth is still mostly about focussing on family life, while moving the plot along in the background. So, if it's not explicit enough, feel free to assume that every effort is being made by the 'good guys' to find out about these fiends and that they are taking the threat seriously. I don't plan on getting in depth with them for a while yet though.
Hopefully, this chapter will put some minds at ease for our OTP and family's safety.
Chapter Nine
With late spring flowers now in full bloom and the weather allowing everyone to enjoy longer periods of the outdoors, May heralded hope for brighter days ahead. One young girl in particular grew ever more excited as her birthday drew closer.
Even with over a week to go, Christina couldn't help her mind wandering back to her plans; the guest list, the venue, the food and the games. Her unusual lack of focus on her school-work was beginning to test her mother's patience.
"Mummy, what will happen at my party if it rains?"
"We will keep an eye on the weather forecast and if it doesn't look promising then we will arrange for the equipment to be set up inside. The marquee should still suffice for the tables, chairs and food," Helena answered, forcing the irritation out of her tone – these sorts of questions had peppered her and Myka for over a week now.
"What if there's a storm?"
Count to ten, H... The inventor smiled wryly at her brother's voice in her head."Then we will set everything up inside."
"What if it won't fit?"
"Then I suppose we will have to deflate the bouncy castle while we eat and Eric the Enchanter will have to set up his stage at a later time." Or I might just insist that everyone bring an umbrella, just in case.
"What if he won't?"
"I will ensure that he is appropriately compensated for any inconvenience," HG insisted, her tone becoming stern before she added, "We will handle any unforeseen problems as they arise, Christina. At present though, we have work to do."
A petulant shadow passed over innocent looking features for a second and then relented. "Ookay," she answered, drawing out the word as she put pencil back to paper.
"So, you've calculated the amount of timber we need, now you must find out how much it will cost and what will be left in our budget for other materials," Helena explained carefully, shaking her head through a smile and feeling glad to be able to get back to work.
While spending a month in Colorado Springs, their tree-house project had ground to a halt. They were picking it back up with the hope of having it built before Myka went into labour. The inventor knew from experience that they would be much too busy to continue the tricky construction once there was a newborn taking up much of their time, and she was of like mind with her daughter that it was their project and shouldn't be touched by outsiders.
It was nice to be home again, to be surrounded by their own belongings and to feel a sense of relaxation that came from being in their space. They all agreed that they missed Colorado though. During their month-long stay, they had made many wonderful memories and along with Myka's parents' grudging approval, their trip had turned out to be a taste of a potential future.
Helena recalled the expression of joy on her partner's face every morning as they stepped outside to be greeted by mountains and sky. It was not an unfamiliar sight, the road over to the Warehouse boasting similar, if somewhat barren views, but something about the Cheyenne range lifted a peaceful serenity to Myka's features whenever she saw them.
Having considered the possibility of relocating with her family back to her homeland, the inventor began to realise that such an undertaking would pull too much at the bonds of friendship and extended family. Though modern technology could keep them in touch, she knew that a face on a screen wouldn't be enough. Myka and Tracy were already talking about play-dates between Daniel and Freddy, Pete was eager for the girl he and Lila were expecting to know her aunts and cousins too, and now, the Berings-senior were looking forward to spending more time with their children and grandchildren.
England might have to be the mistress they visited annually; often enough to reaffirm her routes while not forcing a wedge between the people she loved.
The plan was still to travel and explore before making any lasting decisions, but Myka had already expressed interest in exploring Colorado's real-estate, and the inventor was equally enthusiastic about the idea of settling in a place that could provide opportunities for them and their children while keeping them within a reasonable distance of their Warehouse family. There were still no certainties but it was definitely an attractive addition to the table.
Myka joined them in the garden for lunch, her hands full as she carried a tray of food awkwardly across the decking. Helena sighed to herself with exasperated fondness as she jumped up to relieve her fiancée of her burden.
"Darling, really?" Helena shook her head even as she continued to smile. "You are allowed to ask for help."
"It's not that heavy," the brunette protested. "Besides, you both looked so studious out here, I didn't want to interrupt." Ignoring the eyes rolling at her, she smiled sweetly and moved around the tray her partner now held to land a kiss on a pale cheek. Christina looked up at her eagerly as she approached. Once she'd managed to place both of her legs under the table, she held out an arm to invite the girl closer.
The nearly-nine-year-old immediately fell under her Mama's wing and snuggled into a comfy shoulder. "Mummy says that we can go to the lumber yard soon, so we can order the materials we need for the tree house," she announced excitedly.
Helena began unloading the plates and bowls from the tray. "If we manage to finalise the plans, we can make the trip before the weekend. It would be convenient to have all of our materials ready to begin construction after a certain someone's birthday celebration."
Myka, playing along with her fiancée's weary tone, feigned ignorance, "Is it someone's birthday this weekend?"
"Mama!" Christina exclaimed indignantly, her head jerking back to glare at her American mother. Seeing the amusement on her parents' faces, she folded her arms across her chest. "Not funny," she mumbled, though a tiny smile pulled at the corner of her mouth.
The weekend eventually arrived, much to the birthday girl's delight and her parents' relief. Despite concerns, the weather leant itself perfectly to an outdoor celebration. Between Eric the Enchanter, the bouncy castle, blind-man's-bluff, stuck in the mud and a whole lot of food, Christina barely had a moment to say a word to either of her mothers. She conducted the changes between activities when she decided it was time to move on and Adelaide was right beside her, deputy to her every command.
Myka sat with her fiancée and all of the other adults who were there for either Christina or accompanying their own child. Though she chatted with her friends and got to know a little more about some of the other parents in the neighbourhood, she kept a surreptitious eye on the inventor.
During the days leading up to Christina's special day, Helena became increasingly introspective. Several times, Agent Bering found her lover standing in doorways, simply gazing at their daughter, arms wrapped around herself and tears gathering in her eyes. When this happened, Myka crept up behind the Brit and embraced her, wordlessly offering her support.
The bittersweet realisation that this day, an agonising impossibility at one point, had arrived; it caught Helena at unexpected moments and tugged at those old wounds. It was a day for celebration, a day for reflecting on their fortunes and a day for finding hope where fear once resided. It was profound joy, and not sadness, that brought the waterworks to the inventor's eyes. It was a feeling that was worth taking the time to appreciate.
The future stretched like a beacon before them and yet life, in the grand scheme of things, was somewhat fleeting. Even her extended existence was a mere spec on the timeline of the universe and it was thoughts like this that reminded the scientist to stop every once in a while to take it all in.
They were atoms packed together, experiencing moments, convergences, events, in which they were rarely master. This reality, that at one time in her life had tortured her, was almost a blissful release for her now. She felt like she was finally learning how to flow with the river rather than fighting against it.
The most recent attempt to disrupt their lives was amateurish at best; a desperate act by an individual to keep them looking over their shoulders, but far from making the agents fearful, their collective resolve and confidence bolstered. Spurred into action, they 'hit the books' the moment they were home. Following Pete and Helena's report, Claudia had already found footage of the culprit and identified her. Now, she was in the process of logging her every move from the past few years, while Mrs Fredrick, Jane and Mr Kosan assured them that they were monitoring the situation just as closely.
They were on form and for once, they felt strong. Whether this was due to an external force, or whether they had subconsciously decided not to be intimidated, they chose not to question. No one was going to stop them from living their lives the way they wanted to, and when the time came for the enemy to finally reveal themselves, Myka and Helena wanted to be able to say with certainty that they had given their family a foundation that would help them weather any storm.
Unforgettable birthday parties were all part of that goal.
Hours after most of the guest bid their farewells and Helena had checked with the venue and entertainers that everything was in order, they drove home with two sugar-energised girls in the back seat and a convoy of family following behind.
"Myka?" a timidly-brave voice spoke up from the back seat.
The brunette smiled into the rear-view mirror. "Yes, Adelaide?"
"Are you swimming with us tomorrow?" the curious girl asked.
"I bought a bathing costume for the occasion. It's the first time I'll have seen either of these two in the water; I definitely don't want to miss it!" she teased with a side-long glance at her partner.
For her part, Helena merely gazed back, enjoying the images her thoughts conjured. "Neither do I," she replied huskily, earning her a suggestive glance.
"Daddy takes me swimming nearly every week and sometimes we go to the skating rink after. Do you skate, Chrissi?"
The young American was beginning to find her feet with the Bering/Wells clan now, displaying more of the chatty child Myka had first met in Boone. The agent reluctantly admitted to herself that her original opinion of the girl as an arrogant know it all was grossly influenced by her feeling of utter devastation at the time.
Shaking her head, Christina began to explain, "Mama wants to take me when I go for the first time. We're going to go in August."
Myka pulled into the driveway of their home and glanced back at the girls. Seeing a flash of disappointment cross over their guest's eyes, Myka turned round in her seat. "That's largely because Helena doesn't skate and I can't until the baby is born."
Adelaide's cool-blue gaze caught green in a hopeful exchange. "Daddy said he would let me have my party at the rink and I was hoping Chrissi could come. We could have a sleepover at my house."
There was a moment where the adults paused in the motion of unbuckling their belts and collecting items to exit the car, the same thought on both their minds - Boone was a long way from home.
"May I, Mama?" Christina asked when neither of her parents answered immediately.
"We'll have a chat with Adelaide's father first, but I don't see there being a problem," Myka finally responded.
Their exit from the car met with excited chatter as the rest of their family and friends began to gather at their front door. Christina took the reins once more and ushered everyone into the back garden where there were already tables and chairs littering the decking and half of the lawn. Pete's requested barbecue stood ready and with an amused eye-roll and a kiss on the cheek from his girlfriend, he leapt at the sack of coals.
In the kitchen, Leena began pulling iced-tea and lemonade from the fridge and pouring them into pitchers for Steve to carry out back. Helena juggled a handful of vegetables while Myka fetched the chopping board and insisted that she still had enough energy to help put a bit of salad into a bowl for later.
"Darling, there's no shame in resting while you can," Helena insisted as she moved behind her fiancée and wrapped both arms around her waist. "I don't think you're incapable of helping, I just want you to take care of yourself," she whispered into soft curls as her chin came to rest against a shoulder. "You've been on your feet most of the morning. If you can tell me honestly that you are not beginning to ache, then I will say no more about it."
Myka turned in the embrace with a coy smile and a slight shake of the head. "Perhaps I'm just looking for an excuse to beg for a massage later?" she suggested with a kiss to the corner of the Brit's mouth. Seeing interest lighting up those dark eyes, she immediately leant back in and drew her partner in for a softer, slower meeting of lips.
They remained that way until a deep sigh and a slightly high-pitched 'aww' interrupted their pocket of bliss. Both turned to find Claudia grinning at them from behind her clenched hands.
"I would ship you two so hard," the red-head declared with a squeak.
Myka chuckled while Helena frowned. "I'm not entirely certain that I want to be part of a scenario where 'ship' is used as a verb. Where would we be going exactly?" Continuing to think on the word, she added, "I'm also unsure as to what solidity or ease have to do with shipping."
Claudia ignored the confusion and explained that she'd been sent to take over food duties so that the couple could join the birthday girl in her revelry.
HG leant closer to her lover. "You will explain this desire Claudia has to deport us?" Myka noted with another chuckle that she would, when they were alone. As they passed through the hallway, the inventor added in a whisper, "I'm still good for that massage later."
"I'll bet," Agent Bering grinned back.
Outside, most of the adults found seats for themselves and were engaged in conversation. With all of the Berings and Littlewoods in earshot, the Warehouse crew were being careful with their topics.
Over on the remaining expanse of lawn, Christina and Adelaide sat on a blanket, accompanied by Angelina, Roquefort and Old-Ted (Myka's childhood bear) but, more importantly, Tracy and Daniel had decided to join them. The girls were pouring 'drinks' and handing out 'cake' to those assembled while the baby sucked on the rim of a plastic saucer and his mother made sure that anything hazardous remained out of his reach.
Myka eyed the blanket for a moment, subconsciously considering how long it would take to stand up once she was sitting on the ground, adding into those calculations the amount of time before her next bathroom break. Deciding that the potential loss of dignity was low in current company, she reached out for Helena's hand and carefully sank down to join the tea party, automatically tightening her pelvic muscles as the baby pressed against her bladder. She was suddenly very glad that she'd kept up with her Kegels exercises throughout her pregnancy. Not only had they renewed her interest in making love since Helena began to help, they had prevented more than one near accident after being caught short for the toilet.
At around thirty weeks now, she was really beginning to feel the strain on her body and annoyingly, the return some of those early pregnancy symptoms to go along with the huge belly! With her fiancée constantly encouraging her to take care of herself - willing to massage her feet and back, rub lotion on her bump, join her with her 'homework' from their childbirth class and generally cater to her every whim – she knew she was in good hands and felt almost ready to have this baby.
Interacting with her nephew now was the icing on the cake. As her breath caught at his gummy-smile, she felt Helena leave her side and glanced back to see her walking toward the rest of their family. Before the end of the summer, their son would be sitting on this blanket with them, albeit with support. The smile that settled on her lips at that thought would take hours to fully fade.
Feeling like she was floating on a gentle breeze, the inventor wandered toward the rest of their guests and sought out her partner in crime for the day. Seeing Steve standing unobtrusively beside Pete, camcorder in hand, the lens fixed continuously on her little girl, Agent Wells grinned. Such a device she had once attempted to invent herself but, though it had worked, it was nothing compared to the modern equivalent. Capturing footage of her family always gave her a giddy feeling of excitement. How nice it would be to have moving pictures of her brother and grandparents. She caught the young man's eye and offered him a nod of thanks.
"HG," Lila greeted the inventor warmly as she joined the group at the table. "Another successful party. I'll have to start hiring your services for any I have coming up; parents, brothers, aunts and uncles, cousins. Pete too of course."
"Pete's would require very little actual planning I expect." Helena half turned to look at the man in question. Still manipulating the barbecue, he was humming to himself and performing a little happy-dance with his bottom half. She shook her head affectionately. "Myka tells me that there is an establishment known as Chucky-Cheese? Supposedly it hosts children's birthday parties. Perhaps start there?"
The blonde snorted her amusement. "I can totally imagine Pete there."
Helena smiled and poured herself a glass of water. "How are thing?" she asked softly. Rarely did they sit and chat like this, and after her talk with Pete some weeks ago, she was curious.
"Things are great, thank you." Lila smiled shyly, her gaze wandering automatically to her boyfriend. "Whatever you said to him before, he seems to have really taken it to heart. I thought we were happy before, but somehow there was always this underlying tension. I don't think either of us realised it was there until it wasn't any more."
"When you can't see the wood for the trees. I know that feeling. I'm glad everything is working out for the two of you. Though he frequently drives me up the wall, I am rather fond of the oaf." HG let her gaze wander round the table and paused when she arrived at her future mother-in-law. Leaning a little closer to the blonde, she lowered her voice. "It appears as if Myka's mother has discovered the benefits to accepting our alternative lifestyle."
Surreptitiously, they watched the Bering matriarch as she gazed tearily over at her children and grandchildren on the lawn. Helena resisted shaking her head at the woman's stubbornness and made a mental note to send Myka's parents a copy of the day's proceedings. However, if the ridiculous number of gifts her daughter received from the couple was any indication, perhaps encouraging them further was not the best idea.
"I have to say, I didn't think she'd ever come around like she has," Lila admitted. At HG's 'go on' expression, she added, "I have a huge extended family and most of them are very conservative. A couple of my distant cousins are gay and I think I heard that my aunt Suzanne is moving to Europe with her partner and that she's pre-op for a sex-change, but no one in the family even acknowledges their existence any more. My Mom caught my brother trying on her high-heels and lipstick once and grounded him for a month. You can imagine what they think of my refusal to get married."
Helena's expression had darkened and she had to physically shake herself to get rid of it. "That is part of the reason you refused Pete?" she asked and watched a blonde head nod. "I can relate. I despised the role I was expected to fill as a girl and a young woman. I fought my mother furiously to be more than simply the product of a mould." Her eyes glazed over as she stared into the middle distance and got lost in memories of a time long past. "I believe I may have based many of my choices on the need to show defiance more than for actual desire. I enjoyed being rebellious but it was only when I met Myka that I realised how empty my life, my heart had been up until then." She gazed longingly at her wife-to-be, feeling an abrupt need to feel her lover's arms around her - an urge to ensure that she was real. "As a young adult, I swore that I would never shackle myself to another. I was married to science and adventure and would end my life happily as a spinster." She smiled ruefully and shook her head slightly. "I thoroughly underestimated the power that true love holds in its grasp. Now I cannot imagine a future where I would not vow to be hers forever."
A lengthy silence followed this short speech, but the inventor appeared not to notice.
Lila stared at the Brit for the longest time before letting out a loud breath. "You're a tough act to follow, you know that?"
Hearing the exasperation in her friend's tone, HG finally turned to look back into blue eyes. She smiled gently and placed a hand on the woman's shoulder. "Don't follow," she advised shortly. "Lead with what suits you."
Exhausted, with two excited girls fighting sleep, Helena closed the door to her daughter's room for the third time and hoped that her stern warning was enough to make them finally settle down. She was very serious about not escorting two cranky children to a venue full of cranky children when she herself was feeling cranky. No amount of pouting could make her live through that hell. Thankfully, the threat had seemed to have the right effect and as she remained at the door a while longer, listening for a resurgence of animated chatter, she blew out a breath of relief and retreated once more to her own bedroom.
Crawling under the covers, HG welcomed the arm that pulled her closer and snuggled up against her lover's back.
"Did you really threaten not to take them swimming tomorrow?" Myka's muffled voice drifted through the dark.
"Yes," Helena replied, her tone holding an edge, as if she was prepared to defend herself against her partner's disapproval. "And I meant it." The quiet stretched on until the inventor began to question her decision. She could tell that Myka wanted to comment but wasn't sure what response to expect. Had she been too harsh? "Do you think I was wrong to suggest it?"
The brunette's hand found Helena's and squeezed in comfort. "No, honey. They need a firm hand sometimes. I guess I just realised how much I'd been looking forward to tomorrow."
HG felt the tension leave her body and smiled into soft curls. "Does this sudden desire to swim have anything to do with the bathing costume you helped me pick out?"
Myka was silent long enough that Helena knew she was trying to think of a way to deny the accusation without lying. The Brit chuckled. "I could model it for you now, if you'd like?" she asked, beginning to feel less tired as she moved up onto her elbow and leaned over to get a clearer view of her partner's face.
Green eyes flashed with interest as the brunette seriously considered the suggestion, but then she realised that Helena would have to leave the bed again and she didn't think either of them really had the energy to make the most of it anyway. Tilting her head to meet dark eyes, she smiled softly and reached up to stroke a pale cheek. "As tempting as that sounds, I'm comfy with you here and I don't want you to have to move again." She hummed contentedly into the kiss that met her lips before snuggling into her human pillow again. "The next time we get away from home though, I think we should seriously consider the beach or a hotel pool."
Helena ran her thumb soothingly over the top of Myka's bump. "I presume that you mean to take another holiday soon?" she thought aloud. "We could take a look at what's available in Wyoming for the duration of Christina's stay with Adelaide?"
"Mm-hm," Myka agreed half-consciously. "Though I was really just thinking that from now on we just take Claudia with us everywhere we go." She grinned with her eyes still shut as she felt her lover pinch her side in admonishment.
Helena appreciated her fiancée's playful side and basked in the moment while they both drifted on the edge of sleep. "I don't think Claudia would fall for that plan, darling."
A yawn followed a short pause. "Then I'll have to bribe her," Myka declared as her words tapered off and her breathing betrayed her descent into sleep.
Helena smiled to herself as her ears caught the remnants of something called a 'pez dispenser'. She assumed it was something that Claudia would be unable to say no to.
Despite the weariness that filled her limbs, Helena's mind continued to whirr with thoughts. Keeping her right hand tangled in her lover's wild locks, she turned slightly onto her back and stared at the ceiling.
Every waking moment of the last twenty-four hours she'd tried to commit to memory. After returning to Univille in the wake of Myka's birthday, she'd taken the time to spend a few sessions with Abigail. They'd discussed her misery in the aftermath of Christina's death and her anger at the realisation that she would never see her little girl's next birthday. They hung around lingering fears of history repeating itself and debated how she might redirect her energies to look upon events of the past as necessary paths to the present rather than monumental failures. It was a feat easier said than done but the mere suggestion of an alternative was enough to remind the inventor that nothing was certain. Trying to exert control over that uncertainty was a useless task.
Recalling her teen and the very solid vision of her family's future, Helena was able to turn her thoughts toward brighter pastures; destiny was on their side. Instead of what could go wrong, she pictured the chance to see her darling daughter grown on a year, the son she would soon hold in her arms, the wedding she and Myka had tentatively date-marked for the spring two years hence. It was time to enjoy life's bounties and accept that she could do very little about the unseen dangers. It was time to decide whether fear was going to continue to dictate the direction of her life or if she was going to take control.
Fear drove you to Nate, she reminded herself bitterly, recalling the expression of abject rejection on her beloved's face as Pete and Myka left her in Boone. Not again.
If her children were to have a chance to be fearless in the face of their unavoidable foes, she had to lead by example.
Latest research from the Warehouse did much to help in this endeavour; Claudia's information on the recent attacker and Mr Kosan's discovery of the meaning behind the graffiti left for them to find, both offering hope.
Rose Ingress was a disgruntled factory worker from some nowhere town in Utah. She had a long history of disciplinary action from employers for her prejudiced attitudes towards colleagues and fellow citizens. No doubt, she had found it difficult to secure work toward the end of her life, which went a way to explaining her interest in misusing an artefact. Claudia had traced her movements to a little known activist group and, after some digging, latched onto some mention of procuring power through magical objects. It was a start.
As for the marks left on the side of the building housing Myka's early foray into the education system, they were astonished to discover that they were protection wards.
Despite the appearance of being newly painted, local history confessed mass bafflement over the 'art'. Many attempts at covering the marks had proved futile and in the end, the local council had simply shrugged and refused to waste further time or money on the useless task. Eventually, it became a quirky feature of the local landscape and people began to ignore its presence, enough that Myka and Tracy had grown up with no knowledge of the story.
The head regent seemed inordinately pleased to inform Helena and Myka that they had evidence of these wards appearing in many places where Agent Bering had chosen to settle, usually in some obscure, out of sight area. After hearing this, Agent Wells insisted on seeing her grandmother's later journals. It did not take much digging on her part to find reference to the extra precautions placed around Myka, and in extension, her loved ones.
It wasn't much yet, but it left them hopeful. The wards would offer them protection and bring them peace of mind for now. Until the time came to fight, their family was safe from mortal harm.
Lying beside her heavily pregnant fiancée, their now nine-year-old daughter sleeping soundly close by, Helena felt finally able to smile despite her concerns for the future.
Fortune smiled on them through the ages. Their story was full of impossibilities and yet here they were. The future was still open to change and she wanted those manipulations to come from her. She wouldn't simply exist as a part of history, she would make history. She would act, not react, and the best place to start was in her own mind.
Myka shuddered in her sleep and drew the inventor's attention. HG pulled the bed covers over her shoulders and rolled once more to settle against her lover's back. She felt the brunette shift closer and stilled until Myka's breathing deepened again.
For us, darling, she promised silently.
Next... Adelaide's birthday and a difficult revelation for Christina.
