Thanks to Aimofdestiny for the beta.


Walking through the narrow aisle in the middle of the plane, Myka followed HG to their seats. The Victorian flung herself into hers, crossing her arms, and then blew her hair out of her face. The younger agent gave her an understanding smile while stuffing her bag into the locker above their heads.

"I'm sorry." Myka mumbled sheepishly, realized she had left their files in the bag and opened the locker again to get them out. The American was responsible for all the things needed for the artifact hunt since HG was still under restriction. So Myka carried the teslas, the gun, the neutralisation bags, the Farnsworths, and even the files.

"That's the first time I've hated this job since I came back." Helena stated, sounding resentful.

In reaction, Myka chewed on her lower lip and took her seat next to the Victorian, handing her a file. "'Hate' is such a strong word." She slowly replied while pondering over a way to deal with the other woman's words. After a few moments of deeper thought, the American considered that Helena might hate the fact that she had to work while Adelaide had come over to be with her. That didn't have to mean that HG hated the work at all, or the Warehouse, or coming back to it.

Helena had chosen to come back. Sometimes, Myka had to tell herself this repeatedly so she would start believing it. Helena had chosen to come back. No one had forced her into it or begged her on their knees. Even though that last part might have come to the younger woman's mind as a real possibility during her desperate episodes while they had their coffee meetings before Helena had come back.

But no, in fact it had been Claudia who had been the catalyst for HG's decision. Decision. It had been the writer's choice to come back to the Warehouse. Which meant that she wouldn't leave so easily again. Or at all.

Helena wouldn't leave again. Myka internally told herself that while opening her file and pretending that she hadn't just had an entire internal pep talk for herself in reaction to one sentence from HG. She has come back to the Warehouse because it's her home. And even though she will struggle, she won't run away from it.

There was a part of Myka which was still mad at Helena for leaving in the first place. Not for needing time to recover, to heal. She had understood the Victorian's need to be in Boone. To play house, to pretend that everything was alright, even though it wasn't. That part of Myka was mad at HG for leaving without telling her. For not trusting her enough to tell her she needed time. It was also the part of Myka that had hurt so much back in Boone when HG had opened the door to introduce Adelaide and Nate to her.

It had also been that same part of her that had told Helena she had been lying to herself back then. She'd said that HG had been lying to herself by living in Boone and normality was not suitable for HG Wells, even though she had known that these words would hurt the other woman.

The rational and loving parts of the American's mind weren't happy with this overly emotional, hurt and angry Myka. But she would have to to deal with it and she hoped that things might sort themselves out in a way that might allow her to forget that part of her; to instead focus on love and rationality.

"Then maybe I should say 'dislike'." HG replied, still in an disgruntled tone of voice. Myka's eyes darted towards her. "Huh?"

"You told me 'hate' was a rather strong word for being mad at Claudia for sending me on artifact hunt while I have Adelaide over." Helena narrowed her eyes ever so slightly while surveying Myka thorougly.

"Oh, right." The younger agent nodded profusely. "I said that. That's right... Well, I'm sorry she did that."

"I don't understand why Steve couldn't have gone with you. Why did it have to be me?" Helena admitted and then opened the file Myka had handed her.

The American pursed her lips. No, she wouldn't overthink that sentence like she had done the other one.

"Uhm, Steve said he was feeling a cold coming on." The curly haired woman replied instead. In fact, Myka suspected there was a different reason Claudia had decided to send the two women on artifact hunt together. The caretaker knew about their problems since Myka had told her and it seemed that Claudia thought that it might be time for them to talk. They would have enough time on the trip and back for that. Still, Myka didn't know how to begin.

"He seemed to be feeling well enough to help Claudia brief us on the artifact." Helena rolled her eyes.

That was in fact true. While Myka and Helena had made it to the airport in Pierce by car, Claudia and Steve had prepared a short portfolio about potential artifacts and sent them to Myka's smartphone via email, so they wouldn't lose any time. The younger agent had printed out the files in the nearest copy shop. She kept asking herself when Claudia would start working digital with them instead of having analogue files.

"That's absolutely right. But maybe there's something different to it." The younger agent said that sentence without knowing how to explain it to Helena.

The Victorian looked at her, a little surprised. Then, her eyes darted briefly to Myka's lips and again up to her eyes. Myka swallowed thickly and looked shyly into the older woman's eyes. But then Helena decided to ruin this short moment they had.

"And... what do you mean by that?" She asked, looking down quickly at her file, browsing through the pages.

Myka watched HG toy with her locket, and ran her fingertips down her own neck. She couldn't handle the simple reality that Helena had decided to ignore the moment that had just passed between them. That she had just decided to avoid Myka again, even though the younger agent had made a step into her direction today. A small step, but a step. It had been quite easy to talk to Helena today while Adelaide had been there. Now it was just... disappointing and frustrating.

Myka leaned back in her chair and fastened her seatbelt while staring at the plane's ceiling, clenching her jaw.

"Nothing in particular." She lied.


Sarah rested her forehead on her forearms on Artie's desk in the Warehouse. No, that was wrong. Sarah rested her forehead on Steve's forearms. This was entirely different and far more complicated than being Claudia as she had expected. Sure, the young woman knew a lot about Steve, but pretending to be him? That was another thing entirely. For now, she had the feeling that she'd managed it quite well so far. In the short time since winding up in this body she had already fought Pete (who lay snoring on one of the couches in the office), and had spent two hours doing artifact research with Claudia for the benefit of her own mothers. Whom she had set up with each other, apparently. It was her who had sent the two women to New York together, where they - as Sarah knew - would finally admit their love to each other. The thought of having set up her own parents with each other was something Sarah needed to get used to. Because that was some life-shattering revelation.

And of course she hadn't had any time to do research on her own artifact problem yet: the emotion element stone she needed to free her parents from being frozen in stone in the future. Claudia had spent the last half hour after HG and Myka had taken off with the plane asking the girl that inhabited Steve's body very strange questions. And due to Paul's voice in her head, Sarah had been able to answer them all without rousing the caretaker's suspicion. Hopefully.

Don't you think you should start with the artifact research? Paul suddenly asked inside her head. This was still one of the strangest experiences Sarah had ever had in her life: her brother being inside of her own mind. "Shut up." The girl whispered as quietly as she could. "I have to adjust myself. I'm Steve, Paul. I'm Steve."

Well, it's not my fault, Ferret. Claudia set up the destination of your time travel. The file was encrypted. She could almost hear him pout.

Claudia appeared from the kitchen back in the office, holding a mug. The time traveller inhaled deeply and sighed in reaction to the scent.

"Is that coffee?" She asked eagerly and rose from her chair to head for the kitchen. Sarah was struggling hard with her coffee addiction at then moment. She was down to four mugs a day, and sometimes, she-

Wait! Wait! Wait! The girl heard again her brother in her mind. Steve doesn't drink coffee. He has never done that, he likes chai tea. Claudia probably knows!

Sarah instantly froze, her hand mid-reach to the coffee machine. "You gotta be kidding me." She whispered, loud enough that Paul would hear her, but not Claudia.

Who cleared her throat right behind her. Slowly, Sarah turned around, meeting the other woman's gaze, her one upraised eyebrow, that slight smirk on her face while the caretaker softly blew over her beverage.

"Coffee?" The redhead asked, sounding faux-innocent.

"Toilet." Sarah replied, almost automatically, and passed her quickly to head for the mentioned room. Hastily, the girl closed and locked the door behind herself and stared for a few seconds into the mirror over the sink. Steve's face.

Well, ferret, we both know Claudia knows you were with her that day. I don't know why you're trying to make such a mystery out of it. She's cleary already suspecting something. Paul commented dryly on his sister's behaviour.

"Shut up." Sarah hissed at Steve's reflection, meaning Paul. "You don't know what telling people about your time travel could cause."

Do I have to remind you again that this form of time travel is a very different one from yours? You cannot change anything. Oh, come on, Sarah! Do we have to have this conversation again?

"Paul-" Sarah began but then shrieked loudly as Claudia appeared out of nowhere right to Sarah's left side.

"Claudia!" The girl yelled at the caretaker. "You do know what one normally does inside a restroom? I could have been without my trousers here!"

"Yeah, nothing I would really be interested in." The redhead told Steve's reflection. "Also: trousers? Since when are you so British?"

Then, she raised her right arm, holding a loading tesla. Sarah eyed the weapon warily.

"I'm just gonna stop pretending I don't see that there's something wrong." Claudia said with a bright but also irate grin. "And then we're going to sit down and you're going to tell me what the frakking hell is going on."

There we go. Paul sighed deeply in Sarah's head. She's pointing a gun at you, isn't she?

"Claudia, I am perfectly fine." The time traveller replied and tried to look casual while she glared into the Tesla's muzzle.

"Shut up." Claudia growled at her, her eyebrows furrowing. "Who the heck are you? And who is Paul?"

"You really don't want to point a weapon at me." The other woman replied and tried to concentrate with a gun held to her head. She had always hated this. Family history.

Of course she is. Sarah: calm! Her brother's voice sounded a little more worried now.

"Aha, so are we getting closer to finding out who you are now? Apparently, you don't like guns held against you?" Claudia concluded and inched closer. Sarah bit her lip as she watched the Tesla inch closer to the tip of her nose.

Just talk her into lowering her weapon. You don't need to kenpo it out of her hand, kettle kid.

"That's very true. I would appreciate it if we could talk without the weapon between us." The time traveller looked deeply into Claudia's eyes.

"Well, I don't know if I can trust you since you still haven't introduced yourself." The caretaker replied, her voice still filled with anger.

"I promise I mean you no harm, Claudia. Don't you think if I wanted to hurt you or any of your friends I wouldn't have done it already?" Sarah forced herself into sounding friendly, even though Claudia still hadn't lowered her Tesla.

"Good argument, but still you have to admit that this could also be some sort of trick to get me into putting my Tesla away so you can attack me freely." The redhead narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"That's a conclusion I could easily have come to myself Claudia, nicely done." Sarah slightly bowed her head.

What's this? Some sort of polite sass battle? The younger Bering-Wells child asked dryly.

"But you have to trust me when I say that none of that is my intention. To the contrary, Claud, I need your help." The writer pleaded carefully.

"My help?" Now the caretaker tilted her head. "Why?"

"Because I'm looking for an artifact and finding it would be easier if I have you helping me." Sarah replied.

Claudia blinked a few times in surprise. "You're looking for an artifact? Do you know what artifact it is?"

Sarah shook her head in confusion, slightly scrunching her nose. "Of course I do. But I'll need your help to find it. If you'd only put that Tesla down, Claud. You're my family, my teacher. You don't need to threaten me with a gun."

"Who are you?" Claudia now asked emphatically.

Sarah carefully cleared her throat. "My name is Sarah Bering-Wells." She said calmly and watched Claudia's eyebrows rise in surprise. "I'm currently sitting in my mother's time machine, searching for an artifact to help her. And for that, I need your help, Claudia."

The caretaker stared at the other woman's - Steve's - face for a few seconds. Then, ever so slowly, she lowered her Tesla. "Frakking hell." She mumbled, sounding utterly astonished.


Helena ran and ran. She couldn't remember why she had started running, but Myka was there, right behind her. The Victorian could almost feel the other woman's breath on her neck while quickly making her way through the impenetrable darkness that was her own dream. A darkness that creeped up her shoulders and her chest, strangling her. Helena struggled to breathe while running like her own life was in danger.

But it wasn't hers. It had never been hers. She knew she would be too late again.

Out of the blue, the scream of a child cut through this darkness and a few yards in front of them, self-illuminating figures appeared. It was Christina and her murderers, of course they were, it was always them.

The child fell to the ground in slow motion, her eyes widened in fear, her mouth opened for another scream she wouldn't be able to voice anymore. Never again.

Instead, Helena screamed for her, in anger, in fear, in desperation. And always, always in realisation and grief over her own daughter's death.

She didn't know what she was screaming, all she knew was that she had now attracted the men's attention towards her and... towards Myka. Who had inched closer and gripped her hand, maybe to comfort her, Helena didn't know.

The men were fast; they made it to the two women quickly. Helena braced herself, she had to fight them, to rescue Myka, like she hadn't been able to for her daughter back then in Paris.

One of those men was holding a knife. HG had seen it a thousand times, when she had travelled into another woman's body with her time machine, trying to rescue Christina. And another thousand times in her dreams, after she had killed the murderers of her daughter with exactly this knife. Before that, she had tortured them for hours, snapping their bones step by step, starting with the delicate ones in their hands and feet.

But the murderers of her daughter payed no mind to Helena, they never did. They easily passed her, Helena wasn't even able to touch them. Instead her attacking hands slid through those men's bodies, Exactly like they had done when she had been only a hologram stored on the Janus coin to keep others safe from her.

Of course Myka fought her attackers, even in Helena's dreams the younger agent was this strong. But who could really fight those untouchable and of course dead men that were haunting Helena's dreams?

Just by a few hits from one of them, Myka went down to her knees and screamed from the top of her lungs. Meanwhile, Helena hadn't stopped trying to attack those men, she was fighting them, but without the tiniest glimpse of success.

The knife cut through the darkness with a frightening glisten, but was stopped by another person. There she was again: the other intruder of Helena's dreams, the familiar face with the green eyes. Her raven black curls sent flying from the force of the motion, while she tackled the owner of the knife.

HG's eyes snapped open and met the grey plastic wall of the plane she was on. While she tried to calm down her own anxious breath, she tasted the salt of her own sweat on her lips. Another nightmare, she concluded, shaking heavily. There was this cold shiver on the back of her neck. For the tiniest part of a second, Helena had problems differentiating between her dream and reality, feeling the panic rise in her chest. She turned her head in her own seat and found Myka's face. The American was sleeping, her head had fallen into the Victorian's direction, close enough that her breath could cool the sweat that had formed on the writer's neck. Close enough that Helena could now feel it on her face as well.

Myka looked calm, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, but still blissful. Safe. There was nothing that could harm her right now, in her oblivious sleep. Except for Helena, maybe.

The Victorian caught herself staring at Myka and the beauty of her face. Which was so close to her own that HG could feel her body warmth.

Still breathing heavily, Helena forced herself to turn away and look out of the plane's window down to the passing landscape.