Your comments have been great especially since I hit you with two chapters so close.
You 'spot on HG' fans will probably not like this chapter :-(
Chapter 10 Myka's Needs and Wants
Claudia was just getting over the sight of ten boys putting their shirts back on in the front yard and now was greeted with this news. Pete had kidded the guys by asking if they were "FOH's" and one shot back that they were all "FOH's".
"How'd they know I meant 'Friends of Helena?' he asked Claudia. But as Pete got closer to the house, his vibe got worse.
Helena sat in the chair. She didn't know what to do now. Myka was so angry at her and things had gone from bad to worse so quickly. Pete was used to Claudia and on occasion, Myka running to him for some brotherly advice. What he had never experienced was Helena coming to him for advice. She leapt from her chair when she saw him.
"Pete, I don't know what to do. Myka is so angry with me and I don't know why," Helena all but cried to him.
"OK, HG. OK let's go over this. What happened?" he asked concerned for both of them.
"I was on special assignment as you know and it made no sense to me, Pete. Do you know the leaves on those trees were not all fallen and …," HG started.
"HG, get to the part where the lacrosse team was half naked on the lawn," Pete said giving HG the speed it up hand signal.
"Oh, yes, well I asked those lovely young men to help me rake the leaves," she said.
"Help you, HG or do it?" Claudia asked because she had trouble imagining HG raking but could easily see her overseeing a team of young guys doing it.
"I made them sandwiches," HG said hoping to point out she wasn't just sitting there while they did all the work.
"I'm not even going to ask how you got them to do the raking but I guessing it didn't take much. OK, so what happened when Myka got home?" Pete asked moving on.
"Well, she pulled me in here. And not gently either I should like to point out. She told me they weren't men, they were boys and that I should hope they were all over eighteen but I have no idea why," HG said truthfully because age meant something else in her day.
"OK, today Helena," Pete said but the expression was lost on her.
"Then she asked me if I touched them! Pete, I would never do that! And I told her but then …," and HG stopped because the hurt of Myka's words was gripping her again. Pete waited but finally waved her on to continue.
"She said that it didn't stop me yesterday," Helena said and tears welled up in her eyes. Pete was not ready for that. He was used to seeing those eyes flash anger or confusion but never tears.
"I told the truth, Pete and now she hates me," HG said and now she buried her head into Pete who stood there with his arms out not quite sure what to do with them. Finally, he patted HG on the back and he felt the wetness on her tears on his shirt.
"OK, Helena, it's OK," Pete said holding onto her. She pulled her head up and said, "And now Artie says I have to go to the prom," and she put her head back down but this time Pete was completely confused.
"What?" Claudia asked because she was certain HG misunderstood.
"Artie is making me go to the prom with the lacrosse captain," she said from Pete's chest and cried again.
Pete looked over at Claudia who gave him the international facial expression for "I have no f***ing idea, dude."
"OK, HG. Let's see if we can't get Myka to …," Pete started but HG was not finished.
"And then she said I treated her like my servant!" HG said and Claudia finally handed her a tissue to wipe her nose.
She sat back down in the chair, exhausted by her confession. Her version of things left much to the imagination but even Pete couldn't figure this out.
"Maybe we should go talk to Myka," Pete finally said.
They walked into the kitchen where Myka sat at the island eating the only thing left in the fridge; Haagen Dazs ice cream right out of the container.
"Hey, Mykes," Pete said trying to be nonchalant until he opened the refrigerator and saw that it was empty.
"Whoa, what happened here? Where's the turkey and ham? Where's the bologna? " he asked changing his number one problem to this.
"Helena fed her new friends," Myka said with the spoon still in her mouth.
"Hey, Mykes, I don't know what happened but she's really upset in there," Pete said and Myka stopped eating.
"She's talking a little more cuckoo than usual," Claudia added.
Myka tried to ignore them but ever since she had yelled at Helena, she was feeling terrible.
"She did this," he said pointing to the wet stain on his shirt.
"She spit on you?" Myka asked horrified.
"No! She was crying," Pete said and Myka was off her seat.
Pete was happy to see Myka willing to patch things up and happier still that she had left so much ice cream. Myka walked into the dining room where Helena still sat in the chair.
"Helena?" Myka asked and HG sat up straight in the chair but she wouldn't look at Myka until she was sure her eyes were dry.
"Yes?" HG asked unsure of what was coming her way even though Myka's voice was calmer.
Myka had no idea what to do next. The thought of HG crying had propelled her to come into the room but once there, she was unsure of where to start. She wanted to apologize to Helena who sat there looking very remorseful. Then she wanted to wring her neck for ….
'For what?' Myka thought. For getting a bunch of guys to rake the yard? No. For almost kissing the gardener? Well, maybe. For telling her the truth? No. For speaking down to her? Well, a little but she always turned to Myka for help. For having a relationship with her ancestors that she didn't know? No.
What was Myka so angry about?
"Go to your room," she said to Helena and took her by surprise. Of all the things HG imagined Myka was doing to say, one of Charles' anthems was not on the list.
"Pardon?" HG said looking up at Myka.
"Go to your room," Myka repeated firmly but calmly. Helena stood up.
Her parents on occasion had sent her to her room to 'give her time to think her actions over' and even once sent her to her room without dinner.
'That must be it,' HG thought. 'She's going to punish me by depriving me of food. She's going to starve me to death,' the dramatic Brit entertained. But she took her thoughts and herself up the stairs and didn't stomp the whole way which is how she used to do it.
Pete came into the dining room. "What did you do with her?" he asked out of concern when he didn't see HG.
"I sent her to her room," Myka confessed not certain even why she had done that. The sight of Helena was making things very fuzzy for Myka and she needed to answer those questions.
"OK, well I guess it's not as bad as no TV for a week but it's effective," Pete said.
"Myka?" Claudia asked because this was not typical behavior for Myka.
"I know, I know Claud, but I can't think when she's right in front of me," Myka explained.
"OK, well while you figure out how to raise the great HG Wells, the rest of us are going out to dinner because she gave everything away. So we're headed into Univille, the French cuisine capital of the world," he said and Claudia looked at him.
"What? They have pretty good fries," he explained. "You want to come or should we bring you something back?" he asked.
"Bring it back. I'm going to stay with Helena," Myka said and off the household went to dine.
Myka wanted to get her thoughts in order before she talked to Helena so she went up to her own room and did what she always does when she's trying to solve something. She took her hairbrush and brushed her hair, slowly, methodically. One hundred strokes should give her enough time.
Helena sat on her bed – waiting. Myka had promised, no - threatened that they were going to talk about this and so she knew Myka would be through the door any minute. She did not expect her to be standing there with a hairbrush. 'Oh, my God she's going to hit me,' Helena panicked.
She shot up from the bed and slowly stated to move to the other side. "Now, Myka I know you're upset with me …," she started and Myka looked at her quizzically. What was Helena so afraid of? Myka knew she appeared calmer because she felt calmer.
"Helena?" she called out to her but by now, HG was on the other side of the bed.
"I want you to think about what you think you want to do, Myka because it's wrong. It's very wrong," HG said nervously.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Myka asked out of frustration and raised her hand with the brush in it and saw HG flinch.
"Helena, did you think I was going to hit you? I would never do that. Don't be ridiculous, Helena. Sit down," Myka said and HG only did when Myka tossed the brush aside.
"You are so confusing to me, do you know that?" Myka asked HG. "You make my emotional pendulum swing all the way every day and I'm usually only good with little fluctuations," Myka started and the Brit looked up attentively but obviously confused.
"I love being with you, Helena but you are like no one I have ever been with. You make me feel wonderful one minute, threatened the next, you invade my space and say suggestive things to me and then you tell me how you really wanted to kiss the gardener. You're all over the place, Hel and I have a hard time keeping up," Myka confessed and HG took in what she was saying.
"But I finally figured out what makes me so attracted to you is that - along with that tender, thoughtful 'tea garden building' sweetness, is a self-confident, take charge, live life to the fullest part that I also adore. And, Helena, I want it all. I want all the parts of you," Myka said and Helena sat there making sure she understood Myka's intention. All the things Myka listed certainly sounded like her and it also sounded like Myka wanted all those things.
"So I am not in trouble?" Helena asked slowly.
"No, Helena. You did your part. You told me the truth. I have to learn how to deal with hearing it better," Myka said smiling.
"So you are not angry with me?" HG needed that clarified.
"No, Helena and I hope you can forgive me for what I said to you before. I was very upset and I said some very harsh things to you," Myka said truthfully.
"Of course I forgive you Myka," Helena said immediately because having Myka with her now was the save for any wound.
"I spent a great deal of time trying to figure out why I was so angry," Myka said and Helena wasn't sure that was a road they should go down.
'All is forgiven, can't we just move on?' was HG's one thought. 'Why does everyone insist on delving into their feelings so much?' she wondered about her modern counterparts.
"And I decided it was because I felt jealous, Helena," Myka said somewhat ashamed but HG grabbed her shoulders.
"I shall be more careful about things I do then so I do not cause you to be jealous," HG said emphatically wanted to wrap this up.
All was forgiven so let's move on.
HG was acting like the stereotypical male not wanted to go near the emotional pool that most women were comfortable swimming in. But she knew in every fiber of her being this was not the time to appear impatient. She would sit there and be quiet and listen and try and grasp what Myka was talking about.
"That is sweet, Helena but I have to deal with the issue. It's about me feeling insecure that you would want me and not someone else – like Collin, or Jake or anyone else. But I have decided what needs to be done," Myka said and HG could not have been happier to hear that the solution and the end of this talk were at hand.
"I need you Helena and I do not want to share you. There, I said it," Myka said revealing her need and want.
"I will share parts of you with the world, Helena – your genius, your work, your inventions and all of that. I will share parts of you with the Warehouse because you're a good agent and have much to offer, and now I will share a small part of you with theUniville lacrosse team because you made ten boys fall hopelessly in love with you, but I want you to be mine, Helena – heart and soul - as I will be yours," Myka said.
The writer never heard more beautiful words. Many people had tried to claim Helena before but no one ever filled her with such joy in doing so.
Myka leaned in and kissed Helena slowly- and the passion that had been held at bay for weeks erupted inside her. Gone was the fear that she was not really what HG wanted. Because in the return kiss, was all the proof for Myka that Helena wanted her more than anything.
They collapsed in each other's arms on the bed. "I do love you, Myka Bering. I always have," Helena said softly. The two women remained there until calmness and darkness filled the room.
"Myka, I do not wish to go to the prom," Helena said regaining her emotional center back.
"I know, Helena. We'll have to figure out a way to get you out of that," Myka said kissing the date's head. 'Or we'll have to go shopping,' she thought to herself.
"He's going to friend my face, Myka," HG shared and Myka broke out in small, soft laughs.
"You mean Friend-you-on-Facebook?" Myka asked laughing.
"Isn't that what I said?" the Brit inquired.
"Yes, you did Helena," Myka said squeezing Helena even closer. This was a part of Helena that melted Myka's heart. "Yes, you did."
Across town, Charlie checked his Facebook page. He changed his status to "In a relationship" and typed in the box indicating with: Helena Wells.
My apologies to those who do not like it when the characters are OOC. I know this pushed it a bit here.
You can tell me if that's the case. I can take it! OK, wait - let me think about that first. :-)