A Wind That Rose (Emily Dickinson)

Mike Calvert stood outside the hotel and waved off the valet who asked if he wanted his car. He gave into the urge for a cigarette and lit one up; telling himself it was for a good reason. A few puffs later, with the stale taste in his mouth, he pushed the butt into the sand in the tray. He was angry. Maybe he wasn't as smart as he thought he was. He took a deep breath and handed the valet the ticket to bring his rental around. If he didn't leave soon, he'd miss his flight back to New York. Minutes later when the car approached, Mike took off his jacket, folded it, and put it in the passenger side of the car, along with his briefcase. He could feel the disappointment in his clenched jaw as he walked to the driver's side. He really played that wrong.

And then it happened. He heard a familiar voice yelling at him.

"You have one hell of a nerve," came the accusation he was dying to hear.

He glanced up and saw her. She had just pushed the revolving door with more force than it could accept and was marching towards his car.

"How dare you suggest that I do my job for…for the glamor?" Myka said in a loud voice, curls flailing around a reddened face. "You know me better than that, or at least I thought you did. I love what I do because I believe it makes a difference and because I'm damn good at it! You told me - whatever I do, I should do with conviction and I'm here to tell you, Pro-fes-sor," Myka said – letting his title take it's time to come off her angry lips, "That is the only way I know how to do my job!"

Then Myka stopped – took a deep breath, put her hands on her hips and looked around, only then noticing that people had stopped to listen to her. She could feel color rise in her cheeks, but she swallowed back any second thoughts she was having.

"That's all I have to say," she announced to the man who was staring at her across the top of the car. Myka thought the silence was deafening before he spoke.

"It took you long enough, Bering," he said, smiling as he got into his car and disappeared from her view.

"Wait! What?" Myka asked surprised by his response. She bent down as he lowered the window on the passenger side.

"If you took any longer, I wouldn't have been here. As it is, I have to go or I'll miss my flight. I'll see you back in New York, Bering and we'll talk about Columbia," he smiled.

"No you don't. You don't get to go until you explain what the hell that was all about," Myka said, holding onto the car door.

"Myka, I could have asked you this in New York, but you were speaking in LA, and I wanted to hear what you had to say. I also knew if I just asked you, you'd be polite and thank me and refuse me because you have a full time job. I needed to know if you really loved what you were doing or were just doing a job. The only way I could be sure of that was to rattle your cage. Nothing exposes our true passion like a little provocation. I'm glad to see you've still got it," Mike said and couldn't keep the smile off his face. He had been right about her!

"So you needed to travel thousands of miles to see me in action to know if I was any good?" Myka said, not letting go of the car.

"Myka, your boss casts a long shadow in New York. I imagine working for her makes it hard not to be standing in it. I couldn't recommend you for this job unless I knew you could take the heat of not being in that shade," he said.

Myka could see how sincere he was being. He had always been her most unorthodox professor, and maybe for that reason alone, her favorite.

"Mike, I thank you. Well, for the recommendation, not for traveling all this way to piss me off," Myka clarified. "But teaching?"

"Myka, you've got a five-hour flight back. Just think about it. We're flexible," Mike said and put the car in drive. "I'll see you back in New York," he shouted as he drove away, leaving Myka standing there.

She watched as he pulled away into traffic and wrestled with whether to be angry with him or not. She turned and saw the valet staring at her. "He wants me to teach…. at Columbia?" she blurted out and walked back in.

Myka's cell rang and she answered it on her way back to her room. "Mom? Is everything okay?" she asked worried about the call.

"Myka, your father and I watched your speech. Oh Myka, you were wonderful! We didn't understand everything of course, but you sounded so professional up there. And all those other lawyers? They really were impressed," Jeannie said.

"Mom, how did you …..?" Myka started to ask, but quickly put it together. The smile widened on her face when she thought about Helena making this happen.

"Oh Warren, hush now," Jeannie said.

"Tell Daddy, I love that Helena is so stubborn," Myka said, having heard her father's comment about her fiancée, and then thanked her parents for calling.

She couldn't wait to get to her room and call Helena. There was a dinner that night and then she was set to return to New York tomorrow. She would think about what Mike said and discuss it with Helena when she got home.

"Hey you," she said when Helena answered her phone in the car on the way to the Mayor's dinner at the Waldorf.

"Hey you," Helena said sweetly back into the phone.

Pete looked into the rear-view mirror and grinned. It was nice to hear his boss have such a calm tone in her voice. What she had been working on before they drove here seemed to aggravate her. Pete's concern was that she had been on the phone with Claudia and whatever request the IT Director had made, Helena was telling her 'absolutely not'… over and over and over.

"That was really sweet of you to arrange for my parents to watch my talk. I'm so glad you didn't tell me before," Myka laughed.

"I know when to keep things a secret from you," Helena said in a syrupy voice.

Pete cleared his throat a little to let Helena know they had arrived. "Do you remember the first time we came to the Waldorf?" Helena asked Myka.

Myka thought back to when she first arrived in New York. She was with Sam and his friend let them into the Mayor's dinner. She didn't know Helena was there, but when they saw each other, sparks flew. "Of course I do. I had every intention of telling you off, but I kissed you instead," Myka reminisced.

A tingling sensation grew inside Helena's core so intensely that she couldn't move. "I will never forget that kiss," she let out in a gasp.

Myka felt it too, and pulled a pillow up to her stomach and grabbed it. She laughed softly and reminded Helena that they were only a few more hours apart. "And Helena?" Myka said as they were about to hang up and Helena was getting out of the car. "Please don't ask the Mayor for any more favors tonight. I want you all to myself when I get home."

It was simple declarations like this that make Helena…. weak in the knees.

"Are you ok?" Pete asked, grabbing Helena before she toppled.

"Myka's coming home," she said and sounded almost giddy over it.

"Yes boss, I know," Pete said as he took Helena's arm on his and walked her into the hotel.

Pete never stopped being amazed by Helena's different personas. He knew the one he walked in with was the real one, but shortly after they were inside, his boss appeared. Helena was charming with children and older people, admiring of wives so they didn't feel threatened as their husbands stared at her. She could be self-deprecating with sincere compliments or go full blast ego if someone was sarcastic. Pete smiled at how she could build people up ….or take them down in one shot.

He didn't mind accompanying Helena tonight. He knew as soon as she could, she would be out the door. This was good because he got a text from Claudia saying the 'package' would be waiting for Helena when she got home. Pete was instructed for his own sake to leave quickly after dropping Helena off at the townhouse.

"Unless you want to take the android home to babysit," – Claudia texted him.

As Helena was arriving home in Manhattan, Myka was sitting down to dinner in Los Angeles with her fellow attendees. Many of the lawyers wanted to ask her about her speech and about how she implemented the things she talked about. Myka was quite comfortable talking about how Wells Corp was all about evolving – not only their products and services, but the company as a whole. She was experienced enough now to know what the question on everyone's mind was, and she was the first to bring it up.

Helena's business reputation as a tiger was often the elephant in the room.

"Now I know many of you might be thinking that I work with a particular type of boss…," Myka said and nervous laughter erupted. "….and maybe you're wondering – what is it like?" Myka continued. "Well, if you ever get the chance, I would encourage you to work…with a genius. It's exhilarating."

The fact that Myka was secure enough to talk about working for her fiancée, made them relax around her.

"Come on Myka," one of her colleagues said after the laughter died down. "….I don't think I could work with my partner all day."

"None of us could do our jobs if we backed away from challenges. Working for and with my fiancée is actually the least difficult challenge I have. Helena and I talk things through and we try never to bring work home with us," Myka said charmingly.

"Myka, Wells Corp is a private firm. You're not held to the same standards for corporate disclosure that some of us in public firms are held to," another shared.

"That's a good point, Tim," Myka said, and everyone wanted to hear how she would respond. "But if you guys ever wish to come up to our standards and need help, I'm a phone call away."

The table broke out in laughter as Myka charmed her fellow attorneys that night. Not only was Myka seated at the cool table, it was her presence that made it the cool table.

Myka smiled on her way back up to her room. Helena had told her many times how accomplished she was, but now she truly felt it – she was at a pinnacle in her career.

It was past midnight in New York and Helena had been home for a couple of hours. "I have one more dinner and then I will have completed my sentence. Please inform my lawyer" – she texted Myka.

"She'll be very proud of you," Myka texted back. "Facetime me."

Myka reached her room and Helena was already calling. "Oh I miss you," Myka said when the Brit's image came into view. "I miss you so much."

"As do I. Can you take an earlier flight? I wish you had used the jet," Helena said because she had expounded on the merits of doing so – over and over – and over.

"And how would the families have gotten to Melody Island?" Myka asked as her way of reminding Helena the practical reason she didn't take her up on her offer.

"A private island and you turned it over to charity groups for vacations," Helena harrumphed.

"Helena!" Myka gently chastised her because they had been over this before the decision was agreed upon. "We only use it for a week here and there. The other times we offer to the Wounded Warrior Project for soldiers returning from active duty," Myka reminded her.

Helena felt appropriately admonished. "I'm sorry. I get very ill-tempered when you're not here," she said annoyed, but truthfully.

Myka found Helena extremely endearing when she revealed her true feelings.

"Me too, Helena," Myka said, although cranky was a less volatile expression on Myka. There was no slamming of books, or pounding of fists on the desks when people didn't cooperate.

In an attempt to soothe Helena further, Myka reminded her - "By this time tomorrow, you and …..." Myka stopped when she heard a large crash behind Helena in the townhouse. "What was that?" Myka asked of the loud noise. Helena didn't move, but her eyes grew wide as she stared back into the phone. "Helena? What was that?"

"That? That was …nothing," Helena lied.

"Do you want to do this? Really?" Myka asked and Helena knew she meant go through the process of Myka asking her questions that would only reduce her to admitting she wasn't telling the truth. "I'm pretty good at this," Myka smiled.

Helena listened to see if the cause of the crash was still operational. "It's… a surprise," Helena said and she really had intended for him to be.

"What kind of surprise makes noise…oh my God, did you get me a dog?" Myka squealed.

"A dog?" Helena asked, perplexed.

"Well, what kind of surprise would cause a crash that you're not startled by?" Myka's asked, going into detective mode.

"A dog?" Helena asked again, trying to remember when the topic had ever come up and why Myka seemed so excited.

"Four legs? Furry? Cold nose?" Myka teased.

"No, no, not a dog, I assure you," Helena said.

"Oh, will I like this surprise?" Myka asked, excited by the possibilities.

"You will be …in awe," Helena said because she believed it.

"OK, but don't let him chew on the furniture," Myka teased.

"He would do no ….," Helena started and stopped, laughing uncomfortably.

"I look forward to it then! I miss you," Myka said, kissing her finger and then pressing the digit to the screen.

"Me too," Helena said, touching the screen before hanging up.

Myka watched the screen go blank. "She is such a romantic," the tired lawyer said out loud of her fiancée.

At that very moment, her romantic was cursing as she raced to the library to find out what that crash was all about.

When Helena arrived home that evening, she found Sui sitting in the front hallway by himself. He stood up and presented Helena with the note that had been given to him.

Claudia apologized for not being able to keep him. "After you were too busy to see Eileen today, I got all the questions," Claudia complained in the note. "She's been asking so many questions and he was trying to answer them all, but I really feared his internal processor would explode. So I am returning him to you. Sorry," was the message handed to Helena. No wonder Pete took off so quickly.

"Miss Sullivan is very concerned about the impact of people finding out about my true nature," he told Helena.

"They should be more concerned about finding out about my true nature. Bloody hell," Helena complained.

"I checked over the events for today and you did not make the announcement to the staff as you had indicated to Mrs. Frederic that you would," Sui said softly.

"Oh bloody hell," Helena said because it was true. "Well, did she tell Ms. Barone you couldn't make it to dinner?" Helena tried.

"Yes, Millie and I talked it over," Sui reported.

Helena just stared at him. Then she told him she was going to call Myka and that he should go into the library. "Absorb all you can," Helena instructed him.

He was doing that very thing when he reached for the books on the top shelf and the shelf gave way. Helena found him under a pile of heavy volumes. He quickly assessed her annoyance and figured out what to do. He said something that softened Helena to the core.

"Tell me about Myka," Sui asked as he got out from under the books, unscathed.

Helena leaned back on her heels and looked out the window. "She is just the most wonderful person in the world," she said, her tone and mannerisms softer now.

Sui watched the transformation come over his Architect's face as her eyes appeared to glisten, her face became slightly flushed, and she bit her lower lip. He accessed the programs and concluded – Helena was deeply in love.

Fortunately for Sui, there was no one better suited to teach him about the subject.

Unfortunately for Helena, he was going to remember everything she said.

NB: I hope I didn't make the professor come off too jerky. He really wants what's best for Myka.