The day that followed was exhausting. They talked, all of them, about what had happened when they were apart. Pete told Helena over breakfast about Myka taking on his mother, the Regent, when she said that Claudia couldn't use the metronome to revive Steve.
"She was like a tiger, HG. My mom is terrifying, but she backed down. I've never seen her back down, not once. Myka said that Claudia deserved to bring Steve back, that Sykes had used the metronome for evil, but bringing Steve back was for good. She told my mom that we would all help work out whatever the downside was. She told her that the Regents have been running roughshod over agents for too long, and that it was time to collaborate and be open and honest. She actually said the word roughshod." He chewed thoughtfully on a mouthful of pancakes and sausage that he had drenched with syrup and butter.
"I was damn impressed, HG. She has never, not once, opened her mouth to complain about her orders. She was, like, the most obedient agent ever. I think even my mom was impressed. She just said it was okay, and that she would help Claudia use the metronome, and she would deal with the other Regents. I couldn't believe my eyes."
"That is…impressive, Peter. What do you think brought on the change in Myka?"
He smiled at her.
"You, HG. You. You made her open up. I love Mykes, and I know she's changed a lot since she met me and we started working here, but meeting you – that's changed her way more. I think it's awesome."
He beamed at her, a stray piece of pancake falling from his mouth. Helena suppressed a sigh at his dreadful table manners, but she couldn't help smiling in return. He was such a good man. She hoped that he was right about the changes he perceived in Myka; namely, that they were good changes and not bad. Myka caught her eye then from across the table and smiled, her face open and filled with love. Helena smiled back, her face almost aching. She knew her expression must look the same – open, honest, loving. She hoped she was doing the right thing by staying.
After breakfast they cleared the table and Helena helped Leena to make tea and coffee. They spoke about what had happened when they were apart. Leena and Mrs Frederic had dealt with Marcus Diamond, the man who had apparently kidnapped her, but whose face she had never seen. He was a former policeman who had been killed, and was only alive because of the effects of the metronome that Claudia was now planning to use to revive Agent Jinks. Mrs Frederic had managed to stop Mr Diamond from hurting anyone else by stilling the metronome. But he had already activated the other part of Sykes' plan – Helena hadn't entirely been listening to that part, but she knew that he had somehow caused the force field to be initiated around the entire Warehouse, which also allowed a link between the Regent Sanctum and the Warehouse. Sykes' plan was simple – he would retrieve his bracelet and then leave through the portal to the Regent Sanctum, leaving them all behind to perish in the bomb, along with the Warehouse itself. He had never reached the bracelet because of Artie's intervention. Helena silently thanked whatever deities might be listening. Had the bomb gone off, the world would have destroyed itself slowly and painfully. She knew from her time at Warehouse 12 that Pandora's Box was contained within the Warehouse, and if it had been destroyed, hope would have died with it. She understood why Arthur had taken the actions he had, because the consequences of not turning back time were too grave. She hoped that the down sides of whatever artefact he had used were not too serious. She caught his eye when the conversation died down, gesturing towards the library. He nodded and got up from the table slowly. Helena pushed her chair back with a small sigh. She was so tired. She smiled and kissed Myka's temple before she followed Arthur.
What he told her was…horrifying, in a word. The worst had happened in the original timeline – everything had been destroyed. And the reason for his change in attitude towards her was astonishing. She had apparently gone through with her plan to incapacitate Myka and had left her in the Sanctum in Hong Kong, and, after discovering the bomb and that they had no way to disarm it, had sacrificed her own life to save Artie, Peter and his mother. She stared at him, open-mouthed, when he told her that.
"You asked Pete to tell Myka that you loved her, and that you were sorry. That's when I knew that you weren't the villain James had painted you to be. He wrote to me, you know, and sent me the pocketwatch that I used to locate Magellan's Astrolabe."
Helena raised a questioning eyebrow.
"The artefact I used to go back in time. James told me that you would try to destroy the world, but that eventually you would save us. I believed the first part, but not the second. Clearly I should have. Myka wouldn't have fallen in love with someone who was beyond redemption. I am sorry, Helena. I misjudged you, harshly."
He astonished her by enveloping her in a brief but crushing hug. They were standing opposite one another on the rug in front of the fireplace, both feeling too restless to sit, apparently.
"In the interests of being honest, Arthur, I should say that I did indeed plan to end the world when I re-entered it. But Myka – she saved me. I could never destroy a world that contained a woman like her." She turned, leaning with one palm against the fireplace, pinching the bridge of her nose. She was waiting for an outburst, another threat to return her to the Bronze sector. It never came.
His voice was low and sympathetic.
"I can't imagine what you went through, Helena. The loss of a child…it is unimaginable. I am so sorry."
Myka's friends – no, her family – they were a constant source of astonishment to her. Even when she confessed to madness and deeds so despicable that they shamed her to the bone, they seemed to see through her to the pain beneath.
"Thank you, Arthur. It is indeed one of the most painful things a person can experience. But it is in the past, and my daughter would want me to live. Myka reminded me of that."
She straightened and turned to Artie.
"This artefact that you used, the astrolabe. Do you know what the down side is?"
Artie furrowed his impressive eyebrows.
"I had to take the astrolabe from a group of monks known as the Brotherhood of the Black Diamond. One of their number, a Brother Adrian, told me that in using it, I would create an evil of my own making. He also told me that anyone who knew would be at risk, but since you already knew, I couldn't very well lie to you. That's all I know."
Helena frowned.
"I do wish he'd been more specific. That doesn't give us much to go on." She was already in research mode, searching her memory for any references to Magellan, an astrolabe, or an evil of one's own making. Artie interrupted.
"I did want to ask for your help with something, Helena. I had a…well, a vision, I suppose. When I used the astrolabe. It was of a dagger. Francesco Borgia's dagger, to be precise. In the vision, Claudia was stabbing me with it. I think…I think it might be her, this evil. I know she's not my daughter, but I like to think that I've had some effect on her life, and I suppose that she could be considered my daughter in some way. Do you think that it's possible that she could be the evil, since she is, in a way, of my own making?"
Helena considered. Artie was babbling. She didn't know the man well, but he didn't seem like a babbler. He was obviously very frightened and it made her uneasy.
"I will, of course, research the dagger. But Claudia? I don't believe that young lady is capable of any such thing. We will keep a very close eye on her in the meantime, of course."
He looked relieved, but began to pace the room after a moment, unsettling Helena yet again.
"Arthur?"
"Hmm."
"I think you should tell Mrs Frederic what you've told me. She needs to be fully informed about what's happening."
He stopped pacing with a wince.
"Really? Do you think that's a good idea?"
"I don't see how it can be avoided, myself. She is the Caretaker. She needs to be aware of what has happened in her warehouse. If nothing else, perhaps your story will provide reassurance to her that her faith in me has not been misplaced. Rather a selfish reason, I appreciate, but I believe it would do Myka the world of good to know that you and Mrs Frederic trust me."
Artie nodded at that, waving an arm irritably.
"Fine, fine. I will contact her and let you know. We can tell her together."
Helena took that as a dismissal, and returned to the table with Pete, Myka and Leena. Leena got up to make tea and pointedly offered Helena her seat, which was next to Myka's. Helena smiled gently.
Myka smiled at Helena as she sat next to her. She leaned over and kissed Helena softly.
"Whoa, Mykes. Keep it PG, okay? Claudia will be home soon!" Pete shouted playfully, pretending to hide when Myka glared at him.
Myka punched him in the arm. It seemed to be a frequent response of hers to Pete's teasing. Helena chuckled. Myka moved her chair a little closer and slipped her arm round Helena's waist. Helena leaned in to the contact, enjoying the warmth.
"You okay, honey?"
Helena smiled. "Yes, love. I'm fine."
"You look like you've seen a ghost."
"I suppose I have had some rather unsettling news," Helena murmured. "Can we talk about it later, in private?"
Myka pulled her a little closer. "Of course." She kissed Helena's hair and then returned her attention to Pete, who was engaging Leena in a debate about who was cooler, pirates or astronauts. Helena settled in to enjoy the show. Leena teased Pete mercilessly, and Helena found the woman's sly humour endlessly amusing. They finally decided that pirates beat astronauts, but that space cowboys were cooler than pirates. Helena couldn't work out, initially, what the relative temperatures of astronauts or pirates had to do with anything, but she finally realised that coolness was in fact a measure of their popularity or some such nonsense. She enjoyed their banter very much. She had been a social butterfly of sorts in London, in her own time, but the way that this particular group of people related to one another was warm and loving and endearing, different from the stiff-upper lip forced jollity of her time. It filled her with something she couldn't quite name – something akin to hope but also like love. She didn't care to define it, however. She simply let herself enjoy being part of it, being here with Myka. It was wonderful and she felt a peace in that moment that she thought would make her daughter happy to see.
A few hours later, they had exhausted the possibilities of conversation about astronauts, space cowboys and even the escapades (sexual and otherwise) of Victorian time travellers, and they all retired to their separate rooms. No-one seemed to want to be alone, particularly, but they were rambling and tired. Arthur had locked himself in one of the other rooms in the B&B, and the distant sound of a piano had accompanied their conversation for a while. Leena had lifted her head at the first note and smiled fondly.
"He always plays when he needs to think," she murmured softly.
Finally, Helena and Myka found themselves alone. They sat side by side on Myka's bed.
"Are you going to tell me what's happening? What happened yesterday?"
Myka's voice was soft, but she seemed a little withdrawn. Helena didn't know if she should explain all of it. She didn't know how Myka would react to news that she had died in an alternate timeline.
"Don't you think I deserve the truth, Helena?" Helena looked at her, searching her face.
"Oh course I do, love. I am just concerned about how you will react."
"Are you leaving, Helena?"
The question came out of nowhere. Helena gaped.
"What do you mean? Leaving?"
"You know what I mean, Helena. Since yesterday, since I saw you in the Regent Sanctum. You've been different, keeping yourself apart from me. I can read you well enough to see that." Myka's mouth was tight, her eyes full of pain.
"I'm not leaving, Myka. I'm here."
"For how long, Helena? Until you get scared again? Until you decide that I'm better off without you? Is that how it's going to be? Because I would rather you just did it than stay here with me, making me happy, and then pulling the rug out from under me later."
"You…want me to leave?" Helena's heart constricted. This was not what she had expected, and the pain of it made her head spin.
Myka laughed, but there was bitterness and pain in her eyes.
"Are you crazy? Of course I don't want you to. I thought I had made that clear to you in every way possible. But you keep looking at me, giving me those eyes, and I can see what you're thinking – that you're bad for me. And you're withdrawing from me, getting ready to run. I can see it."
Helena sighed, leaning forward and putting her head in her hands.
"I wish you didn't know me so well, Myka."
Myka pulled Helena's hands away from her face and used them to turn her body so that she was facing Myka.
"I do know you, Helena. As well as anyone can be expected to in this length of time. I love you, and I want you here, with me, forever. Why are you pulling away? I thought we'd dealt with this."
"We did, Myka. I meant what I said, I promised you I wouldn't run. But Sykes – he…" She gritted her teeth in frustration.
"What did he do, Helena? Did he hurt you?"
"No, love. The only way he could possibly hurt me is by hurting you. And we managed to avoid that, thankfully. But…well, I should start at the beginning, I suppose. The TiMER."
Myka looked at her quizzically.
"What does the TiMER have to do with anything?"
"Sykes had a soulmate, and because of her, the darkness that filled him as a result of his early contact with the Collodi bracelet was held at bay. But she was killed in an accident, and he went entirely mad, I think, as a result. He blamed the Warehouse for everything, and he investigated the TiMER device too, much as we have been doing. He suspected artefact involvement, and he found it."
"It is an artefact? Which one? The mask or the goblet? Who is using it?"
Helena filed her own questions away for later – a mask?
"I believe that the Warehouse – the Regents – are the ones who decided to use the artefact. Even Leena was involved, by all accounts. The downside of the artefact – Anthony and Cleopatra's goblet – is an intense desire to be with your soulmate for the first few weeks after meeting. Not the worst downside, in my opinion." Helena winked at Myka.
"In any case, Mr Sykes decided to taint the goblet, using another artefact that would identify and select the worst possible match for a person – the one person in the world for whom one would have a strong attraction, even love - but the love would ruin both partners."
Myka's eyes widened.
"And you think – you think that applies to us? Are you crazy?" she asked, incredulously.
"Perhaps I am. But it makes sense, Myka. Because you are such a wonderful person, and I am…who I am. I wanted to end the world, love."
"Helena…" Myka's tone was gentle, chastising.
"I know. I love you so much, Myka, that the thought of hurting you – the thought of being the reason you were hurt – it kills me. Leena came to me last night, however, and we talked. She believes very strongly that Sykes tainted the goblet after we were matched."
Myka huffed out a sigh of relief.
"Then we have nothing to worry about, Helena. Leena can read our auras, she would know if something was wrong with our bond."
Helena ran her hand through her hair again. Myka watched its progress with fascination. It made Helena smile. Myka was mesmerised by her hair, it was adorable.
"I trust Leena, my love. But I don't trust myself, I know you understand that. Mrs Frederic is investigating the matter. There have been a cluster of murders related to the TiMER, thanks to Mr Sykes. Now that they know why, they can fix it, and hopefully pinpoint the date it was tampered with. Which will hopefully clear matters up and ease my mind."
Myka pulled Helena to her, whispering in her ear.
"You are my soulmate, Helena. I love you. I have no doubts, none at all."
Helena shivered. Myka had the ability to reduce her to a quivering wreck with a whisper. It was embarrassing. But she was addicted. Myka kissed her softly just below her ear, letting her tongue trail along Helena's jaw.
"If you don't stop that, Myka, we're not going to get to finish this conversation…" Helena whispered.
"And do you want to finish this conversation?" She bit Helena's neck gently.
"Not really…" the woman was driving her wild with just kisses and whispers.
"But we should."
Myka sighed in resignation, leaving a trail of goosebumps on Helena's neck.
"So, tell me the rest."
Helena scooted up on the bed, removing her shoes and throwing them on the floor in a careless way that would have earned her filthy looks from her father. She smiled at the thought. She settled her back against the headboard and Myka moved to put her head in Helena's lap, stretching her long body out on the bed. Helena took a moment to enjoy the sight. Myka, even in sweatpants and a t-shirt, was magnificent.
She told Myka about the alternate timeline, receiving a glare of incredible intensity when she confessed to using a Tesla on Myka.
"It wasn't me, Myka. Well, it was, but you can't possibly blame me for something that happened in an alternative timeline!"
From the look that Myka gave her then, apparently she could very easily blame Helena for it. Helena ploughed on, in the hope that Myka might not focus on that tiny detail.
"You killed him?"
Helena nodded, ashamed.
"We'll talk about that later."
Finally, she explained that she had re-routed the barrier to save Artie, Pete and Jane Lattimer. Myka sat up and turned, staring at her.
"You died?"
Helena shrugged.
"Apparently."
Myka stood up and started pacing, her fists clenching and unclenching.
"You can't keep dying on me, Helena!"
"Well, it was hardly my fault, love," Helena protested mildly.
"You could have brought me with you. I might have come up with a way to disarm the bomb."
Helena winced. Apparently Myka wasn't going to overlook that tiny detail.
"But I did – in this timeline!"
"Only because Artie told you to! You were going to do it otherwise, weren't you?"
Helena threw her hands up in the air in frustration. "Well excuse me for wanting to keep you safe, Myka!"
"I don't want to be safe if it means you dying, Helena!" Myka was livid.
"I will never make a different choice, Myka. I will always choose to save you. You might as well get used to that, because it will never change. And if it means I have to be a monster to protect the people I love, I will be the monster." She was almost growling.
"Helena…" Myka had tears in her eyes.
"No, Myka. Don't 'Helena' me. I love you and I will protect you with my last breath. You are my world; without you I would not exist. Do not ask me to make a promise I can't keep."
Myka cut off any further conversation with her mouth on Helena's. She kissed Helena fiercely and deeply, making her head spin.
"You have got to stop dying, Helena."
Helena thought about that afterwards, because she thought at more than one point that she might die from what Myka was doing to her – in the best possible way.