Myka followed a cheerful Claudia across the Warehouse, mindful of her precious burden. They crossed quickly, watching carefully for roving static—though there was none in sight. The Warehouse seemed to have calmed down, Myka thought. Leena must have been working her magic somewhere deep in the back.

She glanced at her companion, trying to read her demeanor from the back of her head. When that tactic unsurprisingly failed, she couldn't help but to ask, "Hey Claud, is everything okay?"

Claudia slowed down to walk beside her, smiling. "Everything's peachy keen."

"Did Doctor Magnus catch up to you earlier? I saw her leave the lab to find you, so I wondered…"

"Yeah, she did. Seriously cool lady. Weirdly comforting, in her own special way."

"What did she say to you?" Myka pressed. She still wasn't quite sure what to make of the mysterious doctor, who at one turn helped them and at the next seemed dangerous. She had saved Myka and the world from Worth, which of course Myka was grateful for. But her powers were strange and easily abused and Myka really didn't know anything about her at all. Helena liked her, obviously they were friends, but Myka wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad one…

"Oh it was just like, telling me how the others were using my designs, even though they kinda blew me off. Just super genius egos being jerks and not to take it personally." Claudia shrugged.

Myka decided to let it go for now as they reached the lab.

They walked in; Myka placed her part on the only clear spot she could find, exchanging a nod with Griffin, while Claudia handed hers to Tesla with a cheerful, "Here ya go!"

Watson remained on the table, but the changes were rather startling. His hands, wrists, elbows and shoulders now had flat silver reinforcements; Watson stared down at his limbs in wonder, moving and flexing his fingers almost constantly. His skin was veined with silver microfilaments; millimeters wide and just enough to flash in the light against his still unnaturally pale skin.

"Thank you kindly," Tesla said, turning back to Watson and raising his eyebrows speculatively. "We're going to have to remove your trousers old man."

Watson had been wearing his usual three-piece suit (the same ensemble he'd been wearing when he died) but as work on his body had progressed, the pile of clothes strewn carelessly on the floor next to his table grew until he sat only clad in his pants.

Watson looked only a little outraged. "Really?"

"We need to place this joint and we can't do it over your trousers. Ergo, pants off."

"Nikolai, there are ladies present!"

Griffin chortled. "Buck up. Some of us 'ave to go starkers for a living."

Watson still cast a rather skeptical eye at the ladies and Myka thought it was time to go. "Come on Claud, let's get back to your cave."

Tesla blinked and looked behind her, as if trying to find someone. "Wait, is HG not with you?"

Myka shook her head, confused. "No?"

"Hmm," Tesla said, a wicked smirk twisted his lips. He paused a moment, as if weighing his next move. "That's interesting. You left them alone together."

"Nikolai," Griffin groaned, putting his forehead in his hand. Watson just shook his head.

"What?" Myka demanded, her eyes flashing. This conversation had turned rather quickly for her taste and there was an undercurrent here that she didn't particularly like.

"Oh nothing." Tesla shrugged.

"Tesla," Claudia said firmly. "You can't just drop little hints like that and let it go. Spill the beans."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea—" Griffin was cut off by the vampire shushing him. Tesla looked back at Myka, his eyes twinkling with something that was either mischief or malevolence.

"Ask Helena what she was doing in the summer of 1878," Tesla said, wiggling his eyebrows. Myka blinked at him as Watson sighed.

"Well that was deliberately unhelpful," Claudia said, crossing her arms.

"Well, it's not really my business." Tesla drawled. "Just don't say I didn't try to warn you. Now shoo."

Watson shot her a look that was almost pity and Myka resisted the urge to stomp her foot in frustration. She turned on her heel, walking out, Claudia in tow.

"I'm sure they're just pulling your chain Myka," Claudia said, bobbing along beside her. Myka nodded, not really listening.

The way Tesla had spoken—the veiled references, the eyebrows. It was almost like he was trying to insinuate that there was something going on with Helena and Doctor Magnus. But there couldn't be, could there? Doctor Magnus hadn't even known she was alive…

Except that Doctor Magnus recognized her straight off the video surveillance and hadn't reacted in shock, only sadness. And the way they had greeted one another… Myka jutted out her chin.

She was just going to have to get to the bottom of what happened in the summer of 1878, now wasn't she.

She walked faster and Claudia had to jog to keep up as they crossed the Warehouse once more.

It was the longest and most awkward elevator ride of Pete's life. He'd always thought that he was a people person, but Will… Pete didn't know, he was just kinda creepy. Didn't say much but was always looking around like he could see right through you. Pete didn't really care for him.

But, as long years of service to his country had proved, sometimes you had to work with people you didn't like. And hey, sometimes it worked out for the best: he and Mykes had hated each other at first glance and now they were best friends.

"So…" Pete said, trailing off awkwardly as the lights on the elevator ticked ever upward. "How about them Colts?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"The Colts. You know, like the football team?"

"Sorry man," Will shrugged. "I'm from Canada. We don't really do football."

Pete tried not to sigh too loudly. Even Myka knew about football—if only because her father was a die-hard Broncos fan.

The door pinged and opened: the 40th floor at last. Pete pulled his Tesla and crept forward, Will right behind him.

The door had opened into a large conference room with a wide table in the middle. Clusters of chairs surround the table but all were empty save for one: a man sat at the end of the table, flanked on his left by another, burly man in a suit and a woman who was not facing the elevator but rather the windows behind the seated man.

"Welcome Agent Lattimer and Doctor Zimmerman!" The seated man said, smiling at them.

"Who are you?" Pete demanded.

"My name is Philip Petrov and I—" The man to his left cut him off.

"Sir, I don't believe it's appropriate to tell them exactly who you are."

"No Jackson, its alright. They can know," The woman spoke, still not facing Pete and Will.

At the sound of her voice, Pete felt like he'd had a bucket of ice water dumped over his head. He didn't need her to turn around to know who she was—he'd known that voice his whole life. It was the voice that had woken him up for school, that had read him bedtime stories, that had cheered him on at his wrestling matches. This was the voice that had scolded him for breaking the neighbor's window with his football and the voice that had grounded him for breaking curfew in high school after he wanted one last kiss from his girlfriend.

The woman turned and faced them for the first time, smiling ruefully. "Hello Peter."

Pete regained his breath.

"Mom?"

In Myka's defense, the door was open. She could hear their voices echoing down the aisles are she walked briskly toward Claudia's hide out, Claudia bobbing behind her in her wake.

Myka paused outside the door, unsure of how to proceed. She peered around the corner surreptitiously, raising an eyebrow at what she saw. Doctor Magnus and Helena were standing very close together, talking more softly now. Helena reached up and cupped Magnus's cheek, then leaned in and kissed the other woman's forehead.

Myka had never really been the jealous type but in that moment she felt hot and cold simultaneously, burning with envy. Clearing her throat conspicuously, she strode in the room, her face frozen in a frown as she surveyed the other women, glaring at Magnus pointedly. Helena smiled at her, but it faded as she saw the look on Myka's face. She stepped back from Magnus with a frown, her lovely face wrinkled in confusion as she tried to assess Myka's shift in mood.

Magnus looked at Myka as well and Myka couldn't help but to note the other woman's reddened and puffy eyes. She'd been crying, Myka thought and she felt a small twinge of sympathy, but she muffled it as she crossed her arms and tried not to outright scowl.

Magnus seemed to catch her drift as she stepped away from Helena and stretched. "Agent Bering," she said, rather formally. "Is there somewhere I could perhaps rest? This day has been rather trying, as I'm sure you can attest."

"I can drive you back to the inn, Doc—I mean Helen," Claudia piped up from behind Myka.

Myka turned and raised an eyebrow at Claudia for her familiarity, but Claudia merely shrugged.

"Thank you Claudia, that would be wonderful." Magnus walked toward them and Myka turned to let her pass.

"Helen," Helena called after her, "Are you quite certain…" she trailed off.

"I will be fine Helena," Magnus said firmly. "After a brief respite, I will be much recovered." She smiled and followed Claudia, disappearing out the door. Myka closed it behind them.

"Hello darling," Helena purred, leaning on a table. "Now that we're alone whatever could we occupy ourselves with?"

"Answers," Myka said shortly, not making a move toward the other woman.

"Answers to what?" Helena asked innocently.

"What's going on with you and Magnus?" Myka demanded, trying and failing to remain calm.

Helena looked coy for a moment, but seemed to reconsider. Good, Myka thought, the events of the past several days had been hell on her patience and she didn't want to have to decode Helena. She just wanted to know, to feel more secure in her relationship with this volatile and fascinating woman.

"There's nothing 'going on', as you so delicately put it, with Helen and myself."

"Was there?"

Helena leveled a stare at her. "Yes," she stated, her tone carefully neutral.

Myka put her hands on her hips, her eyes wide. "And you didn't feel the need to share this with me?"

"Myka darling. I'm over 150 years old. I've had a rather, er, active social life and we have been rather busy of late." Myka rolled her eyes. Wasn't that just the mother of all understatements. Helena stepped closer to her, looking a little shakey. Myka sighed and reached out reluctantly, holding the other woman at arm's length to steady her.

"Believe me, I was not deliberately withholding from you. There has simply been no time for me to mention it." Helena said, smiling winningly. "And darling it was so long ago, even for us."

Myka sighed. "It's just… awkward that your ex-girlfriend and all your old friends have been running around, knowing all this, while I've been in the dark." She tried not to sound whiny, but she knew she was failing. She wasn't this person, she thought. At least, she didn't want to be. She felt small and left out—a leftover insecurity from being that shy, nerdy girl that everyone else had always laughed at. She knew it was petty; but there was something about Helena that brought ought the worst in her.

"Myka." She jolted out of her reveries and met Helena's dark eyes. "Darling, It was a brief, torrid thing that lasted but a month before it flamed out and we parted the best of friends. We both have long since moved on."

Myka bit her lips, nervous. Helena was so sincere; Myka couldn't help but to believe her. Myka's cheeks became to flame in embarrassment. How foolish she must look, how immature. She looked down, unable to meet Helena's gaze anymore.

"Myka? Please say something." Helena sounded worried but Myka just shook her head. "Are you angry with me?"

"No!" Myka gasped. "I just- just. Oh Helena." She stepped forward and swept the other woman into an embrace. "I'm sorry. Jealousy isn't very attractive is it?"

Helena chuckled dryly. "I don't know about that. It is rather adorable on you."

Myka smiled into Helena's hair, then placed a kiss on her neck. Helena twisted her head and gave Myka a gentle kiss on her lips, smiling.

"Fret not my love," Helena murmured. "There is no one who holds my heart but you."

Myka couldn't do anything then but kiss her once more.

A/N: Thank you for reading and all the lovely reviews I've been getting! I usually like to pm people back in response, but there have been a couple of you who have left guest reviews, so I have to thank you here. Your time and attention are wonderful and I appreciate it with all my heart.