Title: Ours
Author: A. Windsor
Fandom: Warehouse 13
Characters: Myka Bering, HG Wells, Pete Lattimer, Max Lattimer, with supporting roles from everyone else.
Pairings: Myka/HG, Claudia/Leena if you're inclined to see it.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. My law degree (holy crap) could allow me to legalese this a little more, but it also tells me it's pretty useless. So please don't sue; it's not mine, I'm just playing! And Max is mine, so please don't steal him!
Summary: Helena allows herself to want.
Author's Note: In honor of The Big Move 2013, here's a chapter before I disappear for a weekend of hauling boxes in the heat.
"Mummy, do I make a pretty bride?"
"Utterly lovely, my Christina."
Christina gives a happy twirl, the linens draped around her fluttering.
Helena used to discourage and disapprove of this behavior, but this isn't real. Christina is dead, and this is a dream, and it's the closest she'll ever get to her again.
"Will you wear a dress, Mummy? When you get married."
"I will not."
"And Myka?"
That's the confirmation that this is a full dream, not a memory. Only in the rarest of dreams is Christina aware of Helena's new life. Hearing Myka's name from Christina's lips is bittersweet.
"I don't know, darling."
"Will I have a little brother or a little sister?" Christina asks again, still twirling.
"I do not know that either, love."
"Mhmm," Christina muses. "I'd love them all the same. A little baby to hug and squeeze."
A smile tugs at Helena's mouth, but she knows she'll never really see that.
"I'd've liked a wedding, Mummy. All the flowers and dancing."
"I know. You married your uncle several times."
"He always was a handsome groom, but a terrible dancer," Christina sighs wistfully. "If you don't wear a dress, Mummy, does that make you the groom?"
"Perhaps."
"Shall you be as handsome as Uncle?"
"Handsomer, I dare say," Helena manages to tease.
Christina giggles, dropping her sheet and approaching her mother. She smiles and reaches for Helena's face, cupping it lightly.
"Yes, much."
"Thank you," Helena tries to say lightly, but her heart is in her throat at her daughter's touch, eyes drifting closed.
"I wish I could see it," Christina says sadly.
The touch disappears, and Helena's eyes pop open. Christina is gone, and her nursery fades into the ceiling of a bedroom in South Dakota.
Helena feels a sob bubble up within her chest, but she fights it back. Myka is asleep beside her, and there's been precious little of that for her, just two days before the wedding. They leave for Featherhead in the morning, somewhere close enough to not put them out too much, but far enough to hopefully shield Myka's family from the Warehouse and its "crazy".
This is in fact, at Pete and Claudia's insistence, their last shared night together before the wedding. Helena is not quite sure how she'll sleep until then.
She remembers the dream this time, and the disquiet remains.
She reaches over and pulls Myka closer to her. Although still asleep, Myka complies, letting Helena easily wrap around her. Helena kisses her shoulder and feels herself relax the slightest bit.
Sleep, she hopes, will return soon.
"I'm gonna be at the kids' table," Deandre says as he waits impatiently on a couch in the lobby for his marching orders.
He looks a little haggard; he and Steve just returned from an artifact retrieval. The actual Rosetta Stone, in fact, and Myka had desperately wanted to be the one to bring it in. The wedding, of course, precluded that, and she has been a tad grumpy about it. After stashing it in the Dark Vault and picking up their suits (and Steve's date, Eliot Graham, the head of Max's security team), they quickly made their way to the hotel in Featherhead, arriving with just enough time to spare before the rehearsal dinner.
"You will not be at the kids' table," HG assures him as his leg bounces, standing beside him.
"I'm the New Guy. That's my thing."
HG chuckles; she likes Dre. He's extremely talented and intuitive, but not nearly as serious as Myka and Steve can be, nor as manically silly as Pete and Claudia. His more casual charm is refreshing.
"You will not be at the children's table," HG repeats, "Even though you are rather acting like you should be."
He takes her teasing with a grin and retaliates: "How would you know? You didn't even plan any of it."
"There aren't any tables, tonight."
Dre laughs, then looks at his watch. "Where is everyone? I, for one, am excited to meet your in-laws."
"That does indeed make one of us."
Dre guffaws.
"We're doing what?!" Tracy demands as the gaggle of Berings enters the lobby.
Warren looks bewildered, and Jeannie (with her infant granddaughter on her hip) looks simply bemused.
"You heard me the first time," Myka says to her dramatic sister. Olivia, about three-and-a-half now, clings to Myka's hand and flutters about. The girl beams when she sees HG, tugging for Myka's attention. Myka follows the pointing and smiles, whispering in Olivia's ear.
"Helena!" Olivia cries as she sets off at a run.
HG gives young Olivia a squeeze as Tracy complains:
"It's your wedding."
"Rehearsal dinner, actually," Myka counters.
HG meets her eyes and gives her an encouraging grin before returning her attention to Olivia and saying:
"This is my friend Deandre. He is rather fun."
Olivia, a little shy, clings to HG's knee as she accepts Dre's extended hand and says a soft hello.
"Wedding, rehearsal, whatever," Tracy continues. "We can't go bowling."
Dre gives HG a meaningful look.
"Nothing conventional with you two, is there?" he asks.
"Isn't getting married conventional enough?" she counters.
"Don't knock bowling," Pete argue as he, Max, Steve, and Graham join the group. "It's Max's favorite thing to do. In his defense, there's not much to do in Univille."
"Claudia and Leena have gone on ahead," Helena tells her bride, now that they're all in one place, taking up much of the left side of the lobby. "Artie and Vanessa will meet us there."
Her in-laws-to-be greet her with varying enthusiasm, though none rival Olivia's excitement. Jeannie, as always, is warm and inviting, and HG takes a moment to say hello to seven-month-old Chloe, smiling softly at her. Chloe's gummy smile steels her for a firm handshake from Warren and Tracy's insistence on a hug. Kevin, Tracy's husband, a rather bland man if she does say so herself but not at all offensive otherwise, offers a hand and a commiserating nod.
Max has wandered over now, and he seems a bit put out that another child has laid a claim to his Agey.
"Hi," he says, a puzzled look on his face.
"Macsen, this is Olivia, Aunt Myka's niece. Olivia, this is Max."
"Hi," Olivia greets, more sincerely than Max, but still very shy.
"You're just worried I'm going to beat you," Myka defuses Tracy's ire and moves in close to HG and the two children.
"You ready for this?" Myka asks her softly as Pete introduces Steve, Dre, and Graham to the Berings.
"I believe, darling, that it is I who should be asking you that question. I've won six out of the last seven."
Myka laughs and beams at her.
"I think it's bad luck to beat your bride in bowling the night before the wedding."
"Then we shall have to pray for a tie."
Myka knows that pizza and beer aren't exactly Helena's idea of a wonderful dinner, but she'd jumped at the chance for a more informal "rehearsal" dinner when Myka suggested it. Also, surprisingly enough, HG Wells loves bowling.
"Isn't it a wonderful invention?" she is currently asking her rapt audience of Max, Olivia, Steve, and Graham. She wrinkles her nose in delight as the ball rattles around in the retriever and then bursts onto the rack. She has an arm around Max and Olivia on either side of her, holding their hands out of the way. About a half an hour into the evening, the children realized it's way more fun to play with each other than to compete for the adults' attention, especially since there are more than enough adults and their attention to go around.
The kids giggle as the ball noisily clanks into place, and Myka knows her own grin is probably completely dopey.
"It's been nice to finally meet Max."
Myka jumps, not expecting her mother behind her, since she's been gazing moonily at her fiancée for the last few minutes.
"I can't believe you haven't yet," Myka smiles.
"I didn't realize you were both so involved in raising him," Jeannie says lightly.
Helena is now helping Max with his very light bowling ball while Pete cheers him on loudly.
"Oh, you know, we all help out," Myka demurs.
Max gives his ball a cringe-inducing launch down the lane, anxiously watching the ball's progress. When the ball makes contact with a couple pins before spinning out into the gutter, Helena sweeps Max up in celebration, quickly depositing the laughing boy in a waiting Leena's lap. There, he immediately begins to recount his victory to his Aunt Leena.
"Tracy told me about Helena's daughter," her mother says softly.
Myka looks back at her sharply.
"Did she?"
"I won't make a to-do of it," Jeannie chides. "I'm very sorry for her loss. It takes a lot of bravery to move on from that. To... try again. I don't know if I..."
Her mother trails off emotionally, and Myka squeezes her shoulder. She's never really thought about her mother that way before, as a mother and not her mother, the quiet, steady counterpart to her father's many moods, always offering safe harbor but never really intervening.
Myka isn't quite sure what to say to her, but Max and Olivia save her, running over with cries of "Grandma!" and "Aunt Mykes!"
"Agey got a strike!" Max tells her.
"Show off," Myka calls over to where Helena is celebrating with Claudia.
"It's simply physics, darling."
"It's simply luck," Myka counters.
Helena shrugs and grins impishly: "Your turn."
Claudia freezes as she approaches the corner, hearing familiar voices. Great, the last people she wanted to bother with this, and she can't even tease them about their own mushy sneaking around when they should be in their own, separate hotel rooms.
"Claud?" comes Myka's concerned voice as she and HG turn the corner.
Dammit. She's been discovered.
"Is everything alright?" Myka asks as HG gives her a curious once over. Dammit.
"Oh yeah, everything's great," Claudia says hastily.
"That's your 'hide an artifact from Artie' voice," Myka accuses, and HG nods. "What did you do?"
"Nothing! Nothing. What are you talking about, you silly brides? Shouldn't you be getting your beauty sleep? Big day tomorrow and-"
"Claudia," HG says warmly. "What did you do?"
"Okay, I'll tell you, but you have to protect me from her," Claudia points with her left hand to Myka, her right hand still firmly clasped around the object in the middle of her chest, at the end of a chain.
"Protect you-" HG starts, confused.
"No!" Myka says with realization. "Claudia, you didn't. I told you, no artifacts!"
"It was a surprise! And you can't rob me of maid of honor status after I'd already walked down the aisle. It was gonna be a pretty surprise!"
"Claudia," HG clucks reproachfully, though she's got a grin spreading across her face. "What have you done?"
Reluctantly, feeling Myka's glare on her the whole time, Claudia removes her hand from the end of the chain. As she does so, an explosion of petals bursts from the sapphire brooch.
"It won't come off," she admits. "I was testing it, down in the event room, and, uh, yeah, not coming off. Works well, though."
"What is it?" HG asks curiously.
"You can ask questions later," Myka rolls her eyes. "I've got a few neutralizer bags in my room."
"Not the neutralizing kind," Claudia grins sheepishly. "Tried that. I was just sneaking on up to my laptop to figure out what does get it off. But, uh. It's your something old. And your something blue. And your something borrowed... from the Warehouse. With dubious permission."
"Stolen. Our something stolen," Myka corrects.
"Seems rather appropriate," HG smirks, which makes Myka's glare turn to her.
"I told you this would happen," she accuses.
"Myka, this is hardly a disaster. At the very worst, Claudia will have a very exciting accessory for the wedding."
"Yay."
"We'll help you get to the bottom of this, Claudia," HG offers.
"Helena..."
"One last time before we're an old married couple? Solving puzzles, saving the day?"
"We're still going to do that after we're married," Myka laughs.
"Oh, I know, darling, but... Indulge me?"
Claudia, still emitting petals, groans. "Oh come on, can we just make me stop flowering?"
HG smiles, "Saving dear Claudia together: it'll be just like our first."
"Gross," Claudia complains, but even through the haze of blossoms, she's grinning.
"You seriously didn't read about it before grabbing it?" Myka asks Claudia, both she and HG leaning over Claudia's shoulder to try to read the laptop screen, while simultaneously dodging orange blossom petals.
"Wedding artifact. Not lethal, not dangerous. Lots of pretty flowers. That's all I needed."
"If you're to be caretaker, Claudia, you should probably be a little more careful with-" HG starts.
"I know, I know," Claudia interjects, fingers flying. She gets a few petals in her mouth and spits them out. "You know, Victoria and Albert had a pretty epic love. The rule the world, kind."
"Mhmm," HG chuckles.
"I'm just saying. Seemed appropriate."
Myka breathes out a soft snort and runs a hand over Claudia's hair. The entry for the artifact settles onto the screen, and Myka reads aloud:
"A sapphire brooch given to Queen Victoria by Prince Albert to wear at their wedding. Worn throughout the service, the brooch became imbued with their love, and would thereafter begin to sprinkle the room with orange blossom petals whenever wedding music is played. Orange blossoms were a central theme of the wedding, worn in Victoria's hair and corsage and decorating the aisle."
"Okay. That was a fun history lesson. Know what that didn't include?" Claudia asks rhetorically. "Why it won't come off now, and how to make it stop."
"Claudia, calm down," HG says gently. "We'll figure it out. Now, you've digitized much of the surviving Warehouse 12 records, yes?"
"Yeah."
"Can you access them from here?" Myka asks.
"Yeah."
"Okay. You go take a shower and relax. HG will look through the records. I'll look into the history a little more, see if I can find a clue."
Claudia takes a while in the shower. Her clothes come off, but the chain the brooch now hands on refuses to follow, and petals continue to swirl. While the collection of wet petals at her feet is less than ideal (and will be difficult to explain to hotel management), the combination of hot water and the orange blossoms has created a soothing aroma that is not yet sickly sweet. An upside of the downside, if you will.
When she emerges from the bathroom in her cloud of petals, HG and Myka are curled up with her laptop on the bed, Myka's head sweetly on HG's shoulder. She almost feels bad that she's going to be the one to separate them tonight. Almost. But they robbed her and Pete of bachelorette parties, and so she is going to insist on some traditions being followed.
"We figured it out," Myka tells her. "We think."
"No way to know for sure until tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?!"
"The agents in Warehouse 12 found the artifact when it was dormant, shortly before the move to Warehouse 13," HG tells her. "But they were made aware of the brooch when it began to produce flowers at a society wedding in London. They could not test the theory, so it was not entered into the official file, but they presumed it was ended once the wedding was complete."
"So it's gonna keep raining down on me until tomorrow?!" Claudia cries.
"Most likely."
"But then it will stop?"
"Probably," Myka chimes in.
"Okay," Claudia sighs. "That's going to be awkward to explain to the Berings, but I'll survive."
"I'm sure you will, Claud. Were you playing music when you were testing it?"
"I hummed a little Pachabel," Claudia shrugs. "Wait. You said when the wedding ended, right?"
"Yeah..." Myka frowns at the request for clarification.
"Not marriage consummated? Because I love you guys, but you're paying for my therapy if I know the exact moment you get it on on your wedding night. No, thank you."
"Anybody want to explain to me why the maid of honor is, y'know, flowering?" Pete asks, leaning against the wall of the hotel room, tossing Max's ring bearer pillow in the air and then catching it.
"Please tell me there aren't any rings on that, yet," Myka sighs, turning to look at him over her shoulder. He grins: she looks beautiful, all dolled up, of course.
"Relax," he smiles, showing her the empty pillow. "No rings until right before he sprints down the aisle. Your ring and its dumb inscription are safe."
"It's not dumb," Myka protests, turning away from the hotel room's mirror and eying the bed like she's trying to figure out if she can sit down without wrinkling her dress.
"'Keep it. You can owe me.' Real romantic, Mykes."
She gives him a soft smile.
"So. About Claudia and the-" He gives a spirit fingers gesture.
"Artifact miscalculation," Myka says. "It'll clear up soon."
"And who's explaining that one to the Berings?" Pete asks.
"I think she managed to convince Leena to."
"Nicely done."
"Aunt Mykes?" Max speaks up, tearing his attention away from the TV, his feet kicking against the side of the bed, where she's finally managed a mostly graceful seat beside him. He's looking pretty snazzy himself in his black suit, purple bow tie and suspenders, and purple Converse high-tops. His dad wishes he were rocking the sneaks, too, but he's at least glad his matching tie is long. He's never really pulled off the bow tie the way Max can.
"What's up, Max?" Myka asks, running a hand over his neatly combed hair.
"Is it time yet?"
"Soon, buddy, soon," Myka laughs.
Pete, who's taken a seat on the other side of Max asks:
"Did you tell Aunt Myka how beautiful she looks?"
"Yes," Max sighs, and Myka laughs again.
"He's a hard crowd to impress."
There's a knock at the door, and Myka, wedding dress and all, somehow beats Pete to her feet and heads to answer it.
"I feel like there is a rule against brides answering their own doors," Pete complains.
"If there is, it's a dumb rule," Myka calls back, opening the door to find a beaming Vanessa and a flustered Artie.
"Oh, Myka, you look absolutely stunning," Vanessa says.
Beside her, Artie looks a little taken aback at the sight of his agent in a wedding gown, curls pinned back, flowers in her hair. Then he recovers and offers a soft smile.
"Are you ready?" Vanessa asks.
"Actually, I thought Max and I'd stay up here and watch another episode of Scooby Doo."
Artie's face flashes with panic, but Vanessa just laughs warmly.
"Irene, Adwin, and Jane just arrived. We've been sent to get you. Everyone else is in place."
"And I'd like to have my agent stop flowering, at some point," Artie grumbles.
Max appears behind Myka, pushing around the layers of fabric of her gown, Pete hurrying behind him, straightening the collar of his son's jacket.
"Hi, Dr. V," the boy says brightly.
"Hello, Max. You look handsome."
Max smiles. "Can I walk with you and Grandpa Artie?"
"Oh, I'd love that," Vanessa says as she gets a nod from Pete.
Max inserts himself between Artie and Vanessa, taking the hand of each and pulling them along.
Out in the hallway now, Pete pulls the door shut behind him, turning to his partner. He takes in the layers of satin flowing down around her to the floor, the slips of lace approximating sleeves falling off her shoulder.
"Lucille was right," he beams approvingly. "It's the perfect dress."
"I still think it's a little girly," Myka protests weakly, but he shakes his head insistently.
"You're gonna blow her away."
Pete remembers being nervous before his wedding. Really nervous, even though he loved Amanda, even though he was sure, but Myka...
"You don't look nervous."
"Nervous?" Myka smiles at him, cocking her head.
"Yeah. People getting married usually are a little nervous."
Her smile widens.
"It's just a party and a piece of paper, Pete. The hard part is everything that came first, and everything that comes after."
tbc