Early update! :-D

Eek, reading reviews while waiting at the checkout in Sainsbury's - I'm sure my huge smile made me look like an idiot! Sorry, not sorry.

Continues right after the last chapter...


Chapter Twelve

HG smiled and kissed the top of Christina's head. "Very well..."

"Michaela lived and worked in a mystical palace. Aided by her fellow seekers and led by a grumpy ogre, she sought to find lost treasures across the land and return them to the safe confides of the palace's magical walls. She opened her heart to the wandering knight and begged the keepers of the palace to offer the stranger sanctuary. Trusting the enchantress' judgement, they agreed and so it was that the knight came to live with the seekers.

"Time moved strangely for the knight inside those walls. Caught up in her thoughts, plotting and scheming, imagining the day that she would finally be free of her pain - days passed in the blink of an eye, leaving her reeling, dizzy with the knowledge of her evil deeds. Yet, in Michaela's welcome embrace, minutes became hours, time almost seeming to pause as a forgotten sensation pulled at her chest.

"Unbeknownst to Henrietta, the endless time spent in darkness and isolation could not entirely harden her heart and, ever so gradually, the ice around it began to melt.

"Now, you might be thinking that this should be enough for our tragic knight; that she should realise her mistakes, confess all to the beautiful enchantress and beg forgiveness, but life is rarely so kind. Henrietta stubbornly refused to acknowledge that she could salvage anything worth keeping from her soul. Believing herself too damaged and too far gone for redemption, she ignored the soft fluttering in her chest and followed through with her devious plan.

"Grief had blinded her to the world. Beneath the weight of her daughter's absence, she could not see how her presence lit up the world for others. Could not see that her light was the force that put the gold in her beloved's hair or the sparkle in her green eyes. Could not see that her arms made the enchantress feel safe at night or that her kisses pushed the other woman's heart to beat faster... For her.

"Not until it was too late."

As Helena's story continued to unfold, Christina kept her eyes closed against her mother's neck while her fingers bunched through the fabric of a cotton shirt. She was entranced by the tale of the knight and the enchantress but a part of her just really wanted to get to the happy ending. Knowing that her parents had been so sad made her tummy clench in a way that she really didn't like.

Myka's hands played lightly with her daughter's feet, which she'd tucked under a blanket to keep warm. She was keeping an eye on the girl's expression as the story unfolded and so far, she didn't appear to be too distressed. A small crease sat permanently between her eyebrows but the way Helena was telling their story gave it a distance that they all needed.

Both listeners knew where the story would end and they remained fixated on the inventor's words.

"In her madness, the knight sought to destroy the world that kept her in a cycle of pain. Seconds away from plunging all life into her darkness, a figure appeared before her.

"Refusing to believe that Henrietta was beyond feeling compassion, Michaela begged the knight to remember who she really was beneath the hurt. The enchantress looked deep into her dark eyes and found the struggling heart. She wrapped her hands around it and breathed life back into its flesh, crushing anger with her touch, rescuing Henrietta from her madness and bringing her to her knees.

"With the magic of Michaela's good deed thrumming through her veins, Henrietta finally saw her actions in a new light. Horrified by the realisation of what she'd tried to do, she allowed the palace guards to take her without resistance. As the carriage departed, bound for a place unknown, she watched her beloved and knew that instead of ending her own suffering, she had seeded it within another.

"Guilt became the knight's companion for many weeks. From her prison, the guards allowed her the occasional glimpse of life at the palace with the use of a magic mirror. It showed her the people she had betrayed and the woman who continued to hold her heart.

"For the once forgotten organ beat steadily now and she felt its warmth both as a comfort and a means of torture. To feel love again but be unable to hold the one who fuelled its rhythm was a bitter sweetness. Time and again, the enchantress' eyes met hers with anger, with sadness, with sympathy and eventually with acceptance.

"Henrietta knew as she watched, that Michaela, in her infinite kindness, would eventually forgive her. She felt unworthy of the love she still saw in those green eyes and knew that no matter what happened, she could never forgive herself.

"She could never let herself get close enough to hurt her beloved again."

"Mummy," Christina's scratchy voice uttered from beneath the inventor's chin, halting the story. "Henrietta can't be trapped in prison too long. Isn't Michaela going to rescue her? They love each other," she insisted.

Realising that her story was touching uncomfortable emotions for her daughter, Helena swallowed, pulled her into a tighter embrace and pressed her lips to the girl's forehead. "Christina, I'm trying to make this as easy as possible," she began carefully. "You want to know more about what happened before you came back into my life and I understand that thirst for knowledge, but it was a difficult time, for myself and Myka. I, especially, made many decisions that do not appear in the best light in hind sight." She stroked dark locks behind a delicate ear and exchanged a worried glance with her fiancée. "Love, do you want me to stop now and carry on tomorrow night?"

"No!" came the nine-year-old's immediate response before her tone quietened. "No. Please, Mummy, finish the story?"

The elder Brit knew that it was probably best to get it all out in one evening and seeing the pleading expression in her baby's eyes helped to confirm this, but the part of her that wanted to protect the girl from every little hurt began to wish that she'd never started.

Myka's hand on her knee brought her gaze up to meet her lover's and an encouraging smile stared back at her.

"Keep going, Helena. I want to hear the happy ending too."

"Very well. Where was I?"

"Henrietta realised that she loved Michaela but stubbornly decided to keep it to herself," Myka summarised with a slight smirk.

Thankful for the teasing, HG leant over to meet a much-needed kiss, letting their lips linger for a moment before she resumed her position. "Righty-ho then..."

"Months crawled by and Henrietta began to live for the moments when she could use the magic mirror to aid her former friends. Gone were the schemes and plots, the ideas of a world reborn; replaced by a seed of something noble – a desire to share her knowledge and skills for the benefit of the seekers' crusade; a need to be the person Michaela saw in her and the woman her daughter had known many years ago.

"Though she itched to be free once more, to use her new found motivations for a higher purpose, she made time to quiet her mind, develop her patience and hone her skills. One day, she knew, they might need her for more than her mind, and she was determined not to let them down again.

"Before long, that day arrived. Stolen from her cage by an agent of pure evil, she stepped forth boldly, heart beating wildly with fear and anticipation, but ready to fight for what was right.

"Many days of battle commenced, blood spilt on both sides until her captor forced her to re enter the palace walls and brought her face to face with the seekers and her beloved enchantress.

"Bewitched to perform to her captor's wishes, she had no choice but to act on Evil's whims and found herself trading blows with her former friends. However, though her body moved against her will, her mind continued to search for control, waging an inner war against the magic in her veins. With every ounce of strength, powered by her love for Michaela, she broke free at last. Searching through the thick fog that appeared suddenly amidst the fighting and fallen, Henrietta followed her heart and soon found her beloved locked in battle with Evil.

"Joining the fray, the once misguided knight fought hard, every swing of her sword finding a weakness in Evil's armour and breaking it apart. The dark entity recovered swiftly from her onslaught however and immediately sought to exploit her weakness – Michaela.

"Henrietta watched in horror as Evil raised its hand to unleash a deadly spell on the enchantress. She leapt into action. Moving as though through tar, her limbs pushed her into the path of the dark magic and she buckled as its power struck her chest. Knees crashed into the marble floor as a hand gripped the wound and a scream filled the air."

Helena felt Christina shudder in her arms and cursed herself for getting carried away with the tale... again. "Love, are you alright? I'm sorry, I'm making this story too dramatic," she admonished herself.

"It's brilliant," the unexpected reply came as the girl realised that her mother had stopped again. "You're using metaphor, aren't you, Mummy?"

A tiny smile lightened a worried gaze. "Yes," the inventor answered slowly.

"I understand." Christina's head rose to stare intently into her mother's dark eyes. "It's scary and sad and exciting," she admitted. "But that's what makes a really good story. This one's even better because you and Mama are the heroes!"

Helena hesitated and took a deep breath. "You have to promise to stop me if it gets too much."

"I will," the nine-year-old said without preamble and dropped her head back onto the warm shoulder.

"It was Michaela's scream which rent the air and Henrietta felt her beloved's strong arms pull her into a tight embrace, a hand laid over the knight's heart.

"Thinking its foe beaten, evil left the dais upon which it stood and disappeared into the fog. It did not anticipate its victim following behind. Could not appreciate the power of Michaela's devotion to keep Henrietta's heart beating and growing stronger. Strong enough to struggle to her feet, sword in hand. Under cover of the mystical curtain, she raised the weapon above her head, gaze intent on her enemy's neck as she brought the blade down, slicing through the air and severing the head of darkness.

"She let the sword clatter to the ground and stood, panting. As the fog began to clear and the voices of her comrades in arms approached, she recalled the promise she had made to herself to protect her love. Before the air could clear completely, Henrietta was gone.

"Though she reported to her jailers and begged them to incarcerate her once more for her past crimes, they denied her request, informing her that she had served her sentence and proven to them that she was reformed. Instead, they asked for her help. A mission of utmost importance to hide a dangerous treasure from the seekers - they sent her to a land far away. A land from which she intended never to return.

"Forcing herself to forget any link to her palace contacts, the knight pushed her love for Michaela into a tight compartment, deep inside her heart and locked it down. Embracing a false identity, Henrietta settled in her new home and began to assume the life of a commoner.

"As the weeks passed her by, she fell into a routine. With time, it was easier to forget that she missed her former life. Easier to believe that she was not missed and that the enchantress was free to find true happiness now, without her there as a reminder of their time together.

"Eventually, her path crossed with a widower and his daughter. Choosing to believe that his appearance was a sign that leaving the palace had been the right decision, she continued to play her new role and found that his attachment to her grew quickly. It was, however, his daughter who truly drew her into his life and into his home. So much like her own dear child, this motherless girl touched her damaged heart and gave her renewed purpose."

Christina's head lifted gradually from its resting place and she frowned at the inventor. "You wanted to be Addy's mum?" This was the point in the story that she had been initially interested in but now that they had reached it, the nine-year-old wasn't sure how she felt about her mother loving her best friend as a daughter.

Helena searched her little girl's expression and cupped her cheeks. Her insides squirmed with a need to break from this torture and let all of her bottled up anguish out, but she forced it down, refusing to lose it in front of Christina. "I wanted you, love." Her words were tense with the effort it took to hold the tears back. The feel of Myka's hands stroking her knee and the small of her back helped, but it was mostly the complete trust she found in dark eyes that gave her the strength to carry on. "I did not believe that I would see you again. I had lost hope. It seemed natural to give that love to another who needed it."

After a moment, the wavy-haired girl responded, "I'm glad you helped her. Addy does love you, Mummy." The conflict in her tone belayed the battle between her thoughts and feelings; her love for her mother and her love for her friend.

"As I do her, my darling," Helena admitted readily. "Though there is no one who could take your place in my heart, I believe that Adelaide helped to heal a part of me that was broken for a very long time after you and I were separated."

This news brought a smile back to Christina's features again and some of the tension left her small frame. "She told me that Mama and Uncle Pete came to find you. Is that what comes next in the story?"

"You wish for me to continue, still?" HG asked doubtfully.

"Mm-hm," the girl nodded. "I want to get to the best part."

Myka forced a smile too and drew Christina's attention away from her fiancée for a moment so that the inventor could catch her breath. "And what would the 'best part' be exactly? You know it isn't long until dinner time. Mummy has to finish the story soon."

"The happily ever after is the best part of course, Mama," the nine-year-old declared as if there should be no question. "Henrietta and Michaela have to find the knight's lost daughter, kiss and ride off into the sunset."

Helena pursed her lips in thought. "Any suggestions on a name for the knight's demanding daughter?" she asked teasingly.

Christina gave the question serious consideration before resuming her comfy position. "Josephine."

"The knight found contentment in her new position, the task of loving the little girl comforting and enough to persuade her that attempting to love the widower would grow easier with time. All she required was persistence, or so she believed.

"Little did she understand that, to him, she could never open her heart. The part she had locked away with her love for Michaela became a barrier, a means to protect her heart from the effects of her well-intentioned plan. Intelligent as the knight thought herself to be, it was many weeks before this truth became obvious to her.

"Life often throws obstacles in our way when we least expect it to. When we believe ourselves masters of our existence and comfortable in our roles, it spies the changes we require and thinks not of the things we believe we want.

"Henrietta discovered this late one afternoon when there came a knock on the widower's door and she stood to answer it. Believing her location a secret, she did not expect the vision of beauty standing before her and felt her breath catch as the isolated part of her heart struggle to free itself.

"Afraid of bursting the bubble she had carefully constructed around her life, the knight begged Michaela to leave her be. In hiding herself away from the world, she had forgotten much of who she was at the palace and swore that she wanted nothing more to do with the world of treasure and adventure. Disappointed green eyes held pity for her in the wake of her denial but the enchantress adhered to her wishes and left the knight to her self-imposed mediocrity.

"She redoubled her efforts to fit into the widower's home, to be the partner and mother needed, but it was too late; Michaela's arrival proved to be the catalyst to bringing her newest failure to light. The seeker's quest entangled the lives of the widower and his daughter, forcing Henrietta to reveal her true nature in order to protect them.

"Once the danger had passed and the smoke cleared, Michaela left. Her crystal tears belayed the words she used to give her blessing to the knight's union with the widower, and Henrietta knew that her actions had not freed the enchantress from their love after all. Still, they parted once again, each believing that this time it might be for good.

"Events such as these create waves through the sea of life and not every person desires to ride with them. Though she possessed the skill, the knight found that her motivation to continue her life with the widower waned, and his enjoyment of her company soured with the knowledge of her deception.

"Despite her continued love for his daughter, she agreed that they should part ways and moved out of their home into a small cottage some distance away.

"There, in isolation, Henrietta began to reassess her life and her choices.

"Though alone again, her heart felt lighter and freer thanks to her time with her beloved and the widower's daughter. If there ever came a time when her own daughter's existence revealed itself to her, she would leap into action to recover her darling Josephine, but she was no longer consumed by the darkness that had filled her for years and in time, the unthinkable happened; she began to forgive herself.

"Guilt and shame remained constant companions but they faded slowly into the corners of the room until others could worm their way through her subconscious and make themselves known. Reason and hope began to visit regularly, their powerful words eroding the fortress around her love for Michaela, stone by stone.

"Fear joined the voices in the shadow and whispered words of caution and failure, but they were not as convincing as in the aftermath of her battle with Evil and she began to ignore them. In allowing her beloved to re-enter her waking thoughts, she remembered the warmth of the enchantress' embrace and the kisses that had set her on fire. She began to consider a future where they were together and imagined how she might make amends for her unexplained disappearance."

Leaning forward to sip and wince at her now cold tea, Helena took a moment to check on Christina and found the girl staring at Myka. Her warm, brown eyes were filled with compassion and hope while a shy smile touched the corners of her mouth. Equally, Myka's expression held their daughter captive with unconditional love and reassurance.

Knowing that her story threw her fiancée into the best light while her own character floundered in uncertainty, HG realised suddenly that she had created a real life heroine for her daughter. Perhaps this 'fairy tale' hadn't been such a bad idea after all. Christina appeared to be absorbing the changes in the story quite well and the happy conclusion she had asked for was close. The issues raised in the telling would take time to comprehend and the inventor anticipated more sessions with Abigail in the near future. She had managed to keep the true reason for the girl's absence hidden in assumption so far and she took a breath as she prepared to bring her story to its end.

"While Henrietta sat in her cottage, a new plan developing in her mind, the seekers continued their duties in collecting treasures and returning them to the palace.

"One quiet afternoon, as the knight was busy planning, a young seeker arrived at her door with terrible news. While searching for an elusive treasure, her beloved enchantress had mysteriously disappeared. The seekers were at a loss and begged Henrietta to aid them in their quest to find their friend.

"Terrified that she would lose Michaela, just as she was on the brink of returning to the palace, the knight gathered her belongings and joined the seekers. Travelling through the night, she sent a prayer to the heavens and stole herself for the struggle ahead.

"This distant land, far over a vast sea, was not unfamiliar to Henrietta. In fact, it was the very place where she had last heard word of her darling Josephine. Was this mere coincidence or was there more to Michaela's disappearance than met the eye? The knight dared not think the question lest she began to hope, but in the deepest recesses of her mind, the idea persisted.

"Focussing on her given task, Henrietta slept and ate little, choosing to put all of her energy into finding clues. The skills she had buried during her time with the widower came rushing back and before long, she discovered Michaela's location.

"Hidden from the world, a lost treasure lay in obscurity deep inside a dark cave, reachable only through miles of perilous forest. What dangers lay ahead, the knight cared not. Driven by her love, she led the party of seekers through swamp and fire, avoiding deadly traps and solving mind-crushing puzzles until eventually, they drew near.

"Exhausted by their adventure, the seekers set up camp near a river, intending to rest so that they could be battle ready for the following morning. The knight chaffed at the delay but reluctantly agreed to join them and before the moon was high in the sky, the party fell into an uneasy slumber.

"Henrietta knew not what woke her, but crept from camp in the early pre-dawn and wandered to the bank of the river. There, she paused and listened. On the breeze came the sound of oars lapping softly against water, the gentle rise and fall of a bow on strings and the mellifluous laughter of a child. A girl. Out from the morning mist emerged one figure, and then another. Both carried by the boat though neither attended the rowing. Watching in awe, the knight covered a gasp of shock as she recognised the occupants and waited for them to move closer.

"She did not ask how Michaela and Josephine had come to find one another or who had given them the boat. She merely offered her hand to help them onto the land and wordlessly drew them in her arms. Tears of joy ran down her face and she knew that she had no more need to run.

"After all of her struggles, she finally had what she desired most... Her family."

Christina's eyes were closed as Helena came to the end of her story and soft breaths continued to brush against her neck. Running her fingers through her daughter's hair, she kissed the top of her head and whispered her name. "Christina? Are you awake, love?" It was hard to imagine that the girl had fallen asleep after wanting so desperately to hear the whole tale, but it had been a long and eventful weekend.

Brown eyes blinked open in surprise and gazed up at her parents. "That's it? That's the end?" she asked, disappointment clear in her tone.

HG shared a relieved smile with her fiancée and loosened her hold to let her daughter sit up. "The end of the beginning perhaps."

"So, you will make up some more?" Christina wondered hopefully. "Won't you, Mummy? I would like to hear the rest of our story."

"You know the rest, Sweetheart," Myka reminded her, tickling the bottom of her feet.

The nine-year-old squirmed and giggled. "Yes, but I want to hear Mummy tell it!" she protested.

Helena melted at the expression of hope on her daughter's face. It had taken about an hour to think her way through the short story and she was completely drained. Not even a year had passed since their reunion but there had been enough drama during that time to give her pause. Being unable to deny the girl though, she nodded slowly. "Not tonight though," she warned before Christina could make herself comfortable again. "Give me chance to recover my breath, alright?"

The girl wrapped her arms around the inventor's neck. "Thank you, Mummy. I'm ever so happy that you're not sad anymore."

After a few minutes watching Helena hold their daughter, Myka requested Christina's help in the kitchen to start dinner, giving her partner a few minutes to gather herself following the emotional day. They cooked fusilli and smothered it in a pesto sauce (Myka's latest craving), grated courgette into the mix and sprinkled bacon and cheese on top. All the while, Agent Bering kept a surreptitious eye on the girl, searching for any sign that she was upset after hearing of her parents' difficult beginnings. She saw none. Though it was clear that the story had touched a deeply emotional part of her, she appeared to be taking it in her stride, almost bolstered by having the opportunity to make some sense of her arrival in the future.

At bedtime, Christina did the reading, choosing to finish The Railway Children before flopping onto her pillow and almost immediately yawning into semi-consciousness.

Myka had been expecting it - the stark silence from her partner while Helena got ready for bed on autopilot and held the reins of her overwhelmed emotions in a tight grasp. She didn't attempt to say or do anything to force the inventor to share her thoughts, but as they crawled beneath the sheets, a physical distance separating them down the centre of the bed, Myka decided that she wouldn't let it lie.

"I think you should text Abigail in the morning," the brunette whispered into the dark, her fingers reaching farther than usual to brush raven locks from pale shoulders. "See what time she has available this week."

As if she'd been waiting on a knife-edge for an excuse, Helena's sharp response burst forth before she could stop it. "I am not a child, Myka. I am capable of making these decisions for myself."

Myka bit her lip and breathed in with deliberate care. Deciding that anything she said at this point would be taken the wrong way, and not trusting herself to be completely calm, she remained silent and waited. It didn't take long before the inventor's body started shaking with the effort to hold in her sobs and Myka needed very little strength to encourage her lover to turn over.

"I'm sorry," Helena whimpered repeatedly against her fiancée's skin, the words muffled but intelligible enough that the brunette heard and answered each time with a soft 'it's ok'.

Though she couldn't understand her partner's pain completely, Myka had grown close enough to the source, particularly over the past year, to appreciate how difficult retelling their story had been for Helena. Reliving those memories tonight was draining on both of them, especially for the inventor as the events had highlighted her past mistakes quite clearly for their daughter to see. 'Warts and all' was not an easy cross to bear when Helena wanted nothing more than for their little girl to be proud of her.

Sleep came eventually for the both of them, Myka having to admit defeat and be the little spoon when her body protested at being on her back, but HG's arms circled her bulging middle and soft, thankful kisses tiptoed along her neck until muscles relaxed and gentle snores filled the air.


So, I hope this chapter sat well with everyone. Waaay back at the beginning of The Bubble, I stipulated no Walter Sykes or Warehouse explosion/astrolabe and estimated the story beginning around the end of season 4, but that was after only one binge-watch of the entire show, so timelines were very screwy in my head.

Anyway, the point I'm trying to make is that the timeline of this saga doesn't tie in with the show. I've made a vague estimation of two and a half years between HG's arrival in the modern world and the present day with our happy little family. The events that HG mentions in her little tale are meant to refer to similar circumstances on the show, but for the most part, I'm going to leave those events up to your imagination. All that really matters is that Bering and Wells were apart and now they're back together!

I'm beginning to make notes for the last couple of chapters of The Birth. The next story, The Brides, will skip a couple of years, so if there are any particular baby-moments that you want to see in this part, or requests for toddler moments in the next, start getting them in now, and I'll see what I can do!

PS, teasing note ('cause I can't not now); up next, that moment we've all been waiting for...