Disclaimer: I don't own these characters or the awesome world in which they live.
A/N: Still rolling them out. Totally borrowed a little Eureka magic for this one, Hope they don't mind sharing! Don't forget to let me know what you think! Thanks!
Aftermath
Chapter 10: I Became Awake
"Myka!" Claudia bellowed as she banged down the hallway, skidding to a stop in front of her friend's closed door. "Jesus, Myka," she barged, unceremoniously, into the room, only to behold an exhausted agent sprawled out, asleep, on the still-made bed. The woman she loved like a sister had been pushed to her limits over the last few days. She hadn't slept at all. Not since the warehouse almost – no Claudia corrected herself – not since Helena.
She crossed delicately toward the bed and leaned in to brush a stray curl from Myka's face. Claudia knew exactly how Myka felt. The hollow defeat of death as it overcomes your senses. The evaporation of all the love and care you had poured into one single person as they slip from this world. Claudia was almost tempted to let Myka sleep, but the alternative was well worth the waking and they'd already let her sleep more than they should have.
She whispered the woman's name, eliciting little response. Claudia cocked her head and then shrugged. She sat on the bed and shook Myka's shoulders, perhaps more violently than strictly necessary.
"Who? Wha- Claudia!" She woke with a start, "Really, Claud? I had just fallen asleep!"
Claudia simply stilled herself on the bed and allowed her face to break into a wide grin, something that had become a rarity over the last few days. The smile sat oddly on Claudia's pointed face, but it's meaning became evident as Myka allowed realization to wash over her.
"Really?" Myka's face, tired and sunken as it was, pulled into a grin as Claudia nodded emphatically. She rose pulling the young agent up into a bone-crushing hug.
"Hey!" Claudia wheezed, "Don't waste it all on me!"
They clamored off the bed and Claudia could barely keep pace with Myka s they darted down the hall. Myka stopped short in the doorway to the room she had only recently vacated. For three days she had spent every moment in this room amid equipment that beeped and whirred, pressed against the railing of a what could only be described as a hospital bed, the origin point for what seemed like hundreds of wires. In face it was more like an incubator or, if she had to be crude, a warming tray, the dormant body within shielded by some sort of metal webbing that flashed and bathed it in an eerie light.
None of this was currently present, however. The webbing had retracted, and instead of a prostrate body, there sat a living, breathing woman.
Myka pushed past the threshold and beheld the most beautiful sight she had ever seen: Helena Wells. Upright. Eyes open and alert. Her breath hitched as she struggled in vain to choke back a sob.
Helena smiled weakly and opened shaky arms to receive a desperately overjoyed Myka. She hissed out a slightly pained breath as Myka gingerly pulled back to take her in.
"You're awake." Myka managed. Anxious hands went to Helena's pale face, tracing her jaw and weaving through sleep slick, raven hair. "Awake and alive. You, living breathing, beautiful woman, are alive and awake." She struggled for words, failing to come up with any other than those currently tumbling from her grateful mouth. The tears followed her sentiment, sneaking from the corners of her olive eyes.
Helena's smile broadened, "So it would seem, though I'm not quite sure how." She hastily added, "not that I'm complaining, mind you. Quite the opposite, in fact."
Myka laughed and thought back over the last few days. Artie had managed to keep Helena with them on some sort of "artifact life-support" while Claudia made numerous phone calls. Then, like bees to a hive, the B & B was flooded with people. Suits and lab coats flashed as a small medical team set up camp in Helena's Spartan bedroom. Regents, scientists, even Mr. Kosan filtered through their little inn. Then Dr. Calder showed up with some aluminum cases emblazoned with the Global Dynamics insignia, trailed closely by a very familiar bespectacled face.
"Apparently the damage was quite severe, but Mr. Fargo has been trying to explain the means by which he was able to heal the burns and rebuild my legs. I'll admit, it's a bit technical." Helena pulled Myka's focus back to the present.
"If it's a challenge for you, you must still be really out of it," Myka teased, skirting the comment regarding the severity of Helena's injuries. The burns to her body were indeed deep and covered 75% of her person. Myka could barely contain herself during those dark days but she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind, choosing instead to flood her memory with visions of this beautiful, whole, woman before her.
"Agent Wells is being modest." A voice cut in as a very familiar young man in thick glasses sidled around the bed to check the equipment. Myka sighed and greeted Douglas Fargo with a crooked smile. She reached across to him with an open palm and firmly grasped his hand in her own. She attempted, during this short exchange, to convey the depth of her gratitude, and he nodded, a warm, though awkward grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.
"I had hoped this would, I don't know, make us even-steven after that whole gaming-tea-Beatrix Potter-almost-killing-you debacle." He shrugged.
Myka simply laughed. "Fargo, I will never be able to repay you for what you, all of you, have done for us over the last few days." Fargo moved to speak and she quickly interrupted, "That doesn't mean that you can use any artifacts housed here," He motioned and she again cut him off, "And that doesn't mean you should go looking for trouble. I'm grateful, but I'm not above letting Claud beat the snot out of you if you do something stupid."
This seemed to quiet Fargo and he nervously went back to inspecting the stasis-contraption.
"I daresay you're frightened the poor thing," Helena laughed through a pinch in her side, wincing slightly. "Now, as I've been led to understand, Mr. Fargo's company has developed a rather ingenious organic skin wrap;" Myka wrinkled her nose out at this, Helena smiled and continued, "the wrap lays over damaged skin and reacts with the tissue, repairing it. It was, if I remember correctly, developed specifically to treat burns. Am I correct, Mr. Fargo?"
"It's doctor Fargo, and yes." Myka snorted at this, she knew that Helena was well aware of Fargo's status, but failed to address him as such purposefully. She wondered over the reasoning behind this and guessed that it was either that she felt him beneath her, or simply because she knew it would irk the young man. Either indicated that she was truly getting back to her old self.
"Now Agent Wells, still has some of the wrap attached as some of her burns were incredibly severe and deep, and the wrap is still creating muscle and tissue around the new hybrid-steel architecture in her legs, but she should be fine within the next few days." Fargo addressed Myka, pulling her from Helena's side to stand near the door. He motioned for Myka to keep her voice down and looked back at Helena over his shoulder. The Brit gave a cheeky wave.
"Okay, Myka. I need to ask you something, and I need you to give me an honest answer." Myka knit her brow, worrying over Fargo's tone. "Now, I have that woman's chart. I've been working on her for the last three days." Myka nodded.
"Get to the point, Fargo."
"Right." He presented the chart. "HG Wells? Like the writer? Seriously?" His voice cracked unceremoniously, and Myka glanced back at Helena, obviously tickled by this interchange. "But she's a girl! A woman. A – well, you know! And it says here she's 145 years old!"
"One hundred and forty-six, actually!" Helena's flutey voice called over. "Just had a birthday not so long ago. Course I was out-of-body at the time, but that seems neither here nor there, wouldn't you agree?" Fargo shot an annoyed look back at Myka.
"This place is weird." Fargo stormed from the room, passing Claudia on his way.
"Nice to meet you pot, call me kettle!" the redhead called after him. She turned to Myka and HG, "When I visited him, trees, a fighter plane, and a mine field materialized in the middle of his town, but a nineteenth century author gets his knickers in a twist?" she shook her head and stood smiling at HG and Myka.
"What?" Myka asked after a moment of silence.
Claudia rushed Myka and hugged her, taking HG's hand as she did. "You two!" She released Myka and stepped back again. "I'm just so freaking stoked, is all. I mean, HG totally twigged me, and I knew you totally dug her, Myka, but," Claudia took a breath from her explanations, "It's just... y'know. Awesome."
HG looked slightly bewildered. "I twigged you? Should I apologize?"
"You twigged. You pinged?" HG shook her head. Claudia clenched her fists in mock frustration. "I knew you liked girls!" Myka blushed and Helena let escape a light, lyrical chuckle. "And I knew Myka liked you. It was freaking obvious to anyone with eyes. Or ears. Or a pulse." She reasoned.
Myka and Helena just grinned at one another.
"Okay, now you're just being disgustingly adorable and if there's one thing I can't stand, its that." Claudia cut between them and faced HG. "H, I know you're like battling death still, or whatever, but I want to talk to you about our research – which totally saved the day, B T Dub. And I have another little problem I've been going over with Doug, er, Fargo that we could use your help on. No rush." Helena nodded.
"Of course. You know I will always be there for anything you might need." Helena ducked her head affectionately and took the young agent's hand. "Apparently, not even death can stop me from doing my utmost."
Claudia shifted, then carefully wrapped her arms around Helena's neck in a gentle embrace. "Thanks. I mean it." she whispered.
"My pleasure." Helena returned as she was released.
"Okay, now you lovebirds don't go too crazy, she's still, like, partly dead and stuff."
The two women laughed and Claudia turned from the room.
"She's right you know." Myka crossed back to Helena and took her hand, gently turning it palm up and tracing her lifeline with delicate fingers. "I love you. I have, for a long time." Helena caught Myka's hand and pulled her close. She found herself in Myka's eyes and stretched just enough to brush her lips lightly against the other woman's. She traced Myka's hairline noting the curl and bend of her hair that had returned after days without straightening. Myka could feel the smile push against her lips.
"What?"
"Your hair, darling." Helena smiled up at the younger woman, "It's curling. I've missed it."
Myka caught a strand and threaded it, self-consciously through her fingers. "I don't even know why I started straightening it. It was easier, I guess." Helena eyed her suspiciously, "Okay, I think I did it because it reminded me of you."
Helena positively beamed and Myka's cheeks burned crimson.
"You should stop. I'm here now, no reminder needed." Helena pulled her in, kissing her quickly, "And it's one of the first things that drew me to you, your beautiful curls. They were the rabbit-hole of my love for you and I have yet to stop falling."
Myka let escape a staccato laugh.
"That was –" she stopped short, deciding instead to punctuate her sentiment with a kiss. Helena's silver tongue had quite a reputation and Myka found the mix of her charisma and her sleep-and-medication addled head to be fairly adorable. She drew Helena close, letting her tongue dance on the edge of the almost deepening kiss. She sighed into their intimate embrace, however, allowing the previous interruption from Claudia to derail her intent.
Helena, recognizing the shift in mood drew back and motioned for Myka to join her on the bed, making room as the younger woman slid in. Myka reclined, allowing Helena to shift and lay with her head resting in the valley of her chest. The Victorian sighed as she took in the dull rhythm of Myka's heart and felt instantly more settled than she had in over one hundred years.
"I'm sorry." Myka didn't want the weight of their recent circumstance to intrude, but she couldn't seem to help it.
"Darling there's no need. We have he rest of our lives to be in love with one another. Lives full of embraces and intimate moments." Myka nodded almost imperceptibly and Helena noted a slight pick up in her heart rate. She turned and kissed Myka's sternum, "But we are still recovering from a great tragedy. A tragedy which some of you were made to suffer twice."
"How did– "
"Mrs. Fredrick. But there's time for that later as well." Helena felt Myka's chest rise and fall, the breath a sighing hiss rattling in her chest. "I know what Claudia is going to ask. I remember my visits to the warehouse while separated from my body. She loved that young man like a brother and a best friend. He gave his life to save you all. To try and save you from me."
"Helena. You couldn't have known."
"I know. But she is going to come back in here and ask me to help her use an artifact to bring him back. And I just– "
"I know." Myka stroked her love's inky hair, careful to avoid causing pain. She knew that Helena was struggling. She had read the woman's files from warehouse 12, of her endless search for a way to undo the death of her daughter, the lives that were spent in the process. She knew that Helena should not be made to bear this, but Myka also knew that it was pointless to try and talk Helena out of helping Claudia. Even if it tore her apart, Helena had made up her mind to be of assistance.
Now it was Helena's turn to sigh.
"Where is Claudia now, do you suppose?" She asked of Myka.
"Probably trying to take Andy apart, if I know her."
"Andy?" Helena sat up slowly.
"Yeah, he's this robocop that came with Fargo." Myka shrugged.
"Wait, that young man in uniform, the deputy, he's an automaton?"
"A robot, yeah. Why?" Myka let her last question drawl lazily. She caught it, just for a moment, that spark in Helena's eye. It was the same look she got before deciding to dismantle the toaster. "Oh no, Helena. What are you thinking."
"I'm thinking that I need to get out of this bed and packed. I have an idea, and we have a road trip to take."