A/N Please keep in mind, this is only one interpretation of what might happen.

Maiden Name (Philip Larkin)

Irene Frederic was feeling good about her efforts to help Helena and Myka. She was feeling less thrilled about having to dog-proof the house, but she knew she would manage. She stopped by the communal coffee room, made herself a cup of coffee, and went back to her office. She didn't realize it, but she was actually humming a song when she sat down at her desk and went to check off two more things from her list. In spite of the short amount of time they had, things were moving along swimmingly.

Then, her door flew open and in came trouble.

It had taken Helena all that time, but she had finally put together what was going on.

"Oh you think you're clever, don't you?" Helena greeted her friend as the door slammed shut behind her and people outside stopped in their tracks.

"I think we both know that I am," Irene said, suppressing a laugh and looking at her paper work on her desk. There was simply never a time Irene wasn't ready for Helena and it annoyed Helena to no end.

"I know what you did," Helena said, walking to the desk, but not sitting down.

"That makes two of us," Irene confirmed, still not looking her way.

"Having Miss Sullivan come in after you left…and bearing tea! As if I didn't know that you sent her as a messenger," Helena said her hands on her hips.

"Well, she does share your name," Irene pointed out as she looked up to measure how upset Helena was. One glance at the dark eyes said it all. Helena was about to lash out at the world.

"Pffft! Shares my name. The woman shared only an initial up until a short time ago. She had no idea she was a Wells. Some days I wonder if she still knows it," Helena ranted annoyed at the world.

Sometimes that was easier for Helena than to be annoyed at herself.

"She knows it," Irene said of the youth. Helena was just carrying on now and would get to the point soon.

"We have completely different situations," Helena pointed out.

"That's true," Irene said. She had offered Eileen as input, not influence.

"My name means something to me. I do not question what it is. I know what my name is. She gained her name. I had it taken from me. I cannot simply decide to dilute it," Helena said now pacing. Irene knew Helena's choice of words would get her into trouble had anyone else been in the room.

"Dilute?" Irene asked, pointing out the woman's choice of words. "Dilution is the process of making a liquid thinner or weaker by adding water or a solvent to it."

Helena stopped long enough to roll her eyes. "I know what dilution is, madam," the scientist said condescendingly. "How I muster the patience for you sometimes."

"It must be hard. I just can't imagine you think of your last name as something fluid. I think you think it's quite solid," the HR Director accurately corrected her boss who now stood over her desk wide-eyed with fury.

She knew exactly where and how much to push Helena to get her to stop. Irene had just learned that with Myka, slight nudging in the right direction worked. With Helena – it was push and pull - the whole way.

"What the bloody hell am I supposed to do?" Helena said, getting on track. "Do you know what Ms. Donovan is doing right now?"

Irene thought for a minute. Helena would take a scientific approach to this and that meant uncovering data to support her hypothesis. Her IT Director was excellent at finding data.

"Oh Helena!" Irene said – quickly putting together that Claudia was tracing the Bering Family tree.

"Oh don't be so dismissive, my dear friend. Of the eleven Berings who fought in the Civil War, four were on the Confederate side," Helena huffed as if the HR Director would find that fact particularly interesting.

It was a weak attempt at best, and the last straw. "Sit down," Irene commanded more than asked. When Helena was spinning out of control, there could be nothing subtle in her attempt.

"Oh that got your attention!" Helena misinterpreted and sat down because she thought the woman finally was going to see the light of day. Helena sat down gingerly, frowning just a little when she made contact. It was getting better.

"Oh how I wish I could give Myka credit for that pain on your face," Irene said, but Helena waved her off. "What will your research show you? That not every Bering was a saint? That they may have been from a different class than the Wells family? Is that important to you now?"

"Oh so now nothing is important. Why don't we just change the name of the company to Frederic Corp and see if anyone notices!" Helena said, pushing back in the chair, unable to comprehend how stubborn Irene was being about this. "We can change the slogan to 'We think we know everything!'.

They were going from the sublime to the ridiculous in record time – even for Helena.

"You don't have to change the name of the company, Helena," Irene said, trying to make her voice calmer.

"Do you know that some undetermined branches of the Berings family may have come from …..other European countries," Helena said, running on fumes now. "I think the wedding plans are perhaps too much for you," Helena flung the accusation across the desk, but it never reached her intended target.

"Helena, let's not scrap the bottom of the barrel looking for excuses. You want to keep your name. Anyone who knows you will understand that," Irene pointed out.

"They would?" Helena asked, finally slowing down. Irene knew they were both talking about Myka.

"Anyone who knows your history, especially. As for the rest of the world, Helena, do you care?" Irene asked.

"The only one whom matters is Myka," Helena said, finally calming down.

"And you," Irene added. "It's important that this decision be a collaboration, Helena. Not a sacrifice or you might regret it later."

"Suppose Myka is upset with me," Helena questioned after a long moment of silence.

"Suppose she is?" Irene asked back.

"Perhaps …," Helena thought out loud, "….there is a compromise."

"That's my girl," Irene said, encouraging Helena.

"I'll talk with Myka and we'll come to the best solution," Helena affirmed and stood up. Just thinking about Myka had a calming effect on her.

"I have every confidence that you will. Just do it before you go to City Hall to get your license," Irene reminded her.

She would go to Myka next, Helena decided, mustering up her courage to discuss the delicate subject. Irene almost crossed it off her list and then decided to wait.

"I may settle this issue with my name, but one thing I will never get accustomed to is you being right," Helena said, taking her parting shot.

"And to think how much practice you get at it," Irene retorted before Helena got the door closed.

"That woman is insufferable," Helena said to anyone who would listen.

"You don't mean that," Eileen boldly shared because she was standing there, waiting to go in.

It was the rare person who would openly confront the CEO, even if they were speaking the truth.

"You really are a Wells, aren't you?" Helena said confidently.

"Of course," Eileen said, knocking on Irene's door.

Before she knew it, Helena was outside Myka's door. She put her hand on the doorknob, took it off, turned around, and seemed to be muttering to herself. Millie stood there with the phone in her hand, unsure if she should announce her. Helena turned back just as Myka opened the door.

"Oh! Hello you," Myka said in a tone that Helena swore could soothe wounds.

"Hello you," Helena said back, smiling.

They both heard Millie's audible sound of 'aww' as she sat back down.

"I was just coming to see you," Myka said, opening her door so Helena could step in.

"You were? I was coming to see you. What did you want to see me about?" Helena asked, stalling as she walked in the office and Myka closed the door. The two women sat on the couch near one another.

"I was thinking…wait, what did you want to see me about?" Myka asked, being polite.

"No, it's okay," Helena said, cautiously. She felt pretty sure of herself in Irene's office because she could remain annoyed at the woman. Here in Myka's office, where all she felt was the warm feeling of bathing in green eyes, her confidence waned a bit.

"Okay, well I was talking to Irene before….," Myka started.

"Irene? Did she tell you already?" Helena said, worried the woman had given Myka a heads up before they had spoken. "That woman!"

"No, Helena she didn't really tell me …..she suggested that…," Myka tried, but the Brit was upset.

"She never suggests. Oh you might think she's suggesting…," Helena said, getting up from the couch. "…..but she's really just directing you exactly where she wants you to go. What did she say? ..'Oh Myka, isn't it odd that Helena hasn't yet confirmed what her name is going to be? ' Oh she is devious," Helena ranted and Myka repressed a laugh at Helena's American accented imitation of Irene.

"Helena, no …she really was here suggesting….," Myka said, patting the cushion for Helena to take her seat. "Wait, you don't know what your name is going to be?" Myka asked, finally getting the gist of Helena's accusations.

"Is that what she told you?" Helena asked, sitting back down.

"No, she said perhaps it was too much…," Myka tried to explain, but Helena wouldn't allow her to finish a thought.

"See what she does?" Helena said, pushing her hand through her hair and back. " With me it's – 'oh, Helena – you must decide by three o'clock' - without so much as a blink about even the Confederate Berings, but with you she's gentle and says – 'Oh perhaps Bering-Wells is too much."

Myka sat there, sure now they were on two different subjects, but still trying to make sense of what Helena was livid about. It took a minute, but Myka pieced it together.

"Helena?" Myka said, trying to get her fiancée's attention. "I don't think Irene talked to us about the same thing."

That made Helena focus instantly. "Pardon?" she asked slowly, trying to recall everything she had just spilled. "Irene didn't talk to you about that?" Helena asked gently, wishing she could back up a little on the couch.

"No, she never mentioned it. Why haven't you mentioned it?" Myka asked, concerned.

"How the bloody hell does she do it?" Helena said, of the trouble Irene was causing.

"Helena, do you want to tell me something?" Myka asked, trying to get Helena on track by taking her hand in hers. Myka's touch was the catalyst. Helena looked over at Myka's soft expression.

"Yes," Helena said, but was too busy staring at Myka's lips. Myka knew that look well. Helena's lips parted, but no words came out. She watched Helena's chest rise and fall with deep breaths.

"And does it have to do with your name?" Myka surmised correctly.

"Yes," Helena said, wishing she could just stay in that spot for hours.

"Is that what you wanted to talk about?" Myka asked.

This time Helena confirmed that she did, but the guilt was rising inside. "Myka, I don't believe I gave much thought to this and now I've been informed by that woman that they will ask me at City Hall what I want my name to be," Helena said all in one breath.

"Yes, they will," her Chief Counselor said.

"You said you wanted yours to be Bering-Wells and I loved the sound of it, but when questioned, I couldn't say what I wanted." Helena looked somberly over at Myka; her own dark eyes reflecting the rare look of hesitation.

"Helena," Myka said, pulling the Brit's hands up to her mouth and kissing them. "No one knows better than I how you feel about your name, but even I don't know how hard that was for you. Not being able to be who you were – having your name attributed to someone else? I can't imagine how hard that was. So I understand," Myka said.

Helena eyes filled with tears at how wonderful this woman was sitting before her.

"I was considering the very same thing myself," Myka confessed and squeezed Helena's hands. Helena was still smiling until it sunk in.

"Pardon?" Helena asked.

"I was thinking that perhaps we should keep our own names for business purposes…," Myka shared and felt Helena pull back a little, releasing Myka's hold on her hands.

"You …. don't want to take my name?" Helena's amygdalae asked. The emotional response bypassed her cognitive brain completely.

"No, I do …wait….isn't this the same thing you were saying?" Myka tried to explain.

"Don't be ridiculous! My name is Wells…and yours is…..," and finally Helena's own ears joined the discussion and she heard what she was saying. It was as if the appendages forced Helena to look at Myka who sat there with crossed arms and raised eyebrows. "That isn't what I meant…"

"Aha. What did you mean exactly?" Myka asked, her chin down and her eyes locked on Helena. Inside the lawyer was the eternal battle of being rational versus reacting emotionally.

"I….that isn't …..I ….," Helena tried, but each sentence that completed in her head, didn't do it justice.

"There's a part of you Helena, which was born in the 19th century, bred on propriety and surname importance. Combine that with a genuine case of identity theft and I think it explains all of this," Myka said, the ends of her lips curling slightly.

"I am sorry, Myka," Helena said, because everything Myka said was true.

"Come here," Myka said, moving closer to Helena, and taking her hands again. "Helena, you and I are about to be joined in marriage. What is really important is that so much of us in joined in our Oneness already. We are One, heart and soul. And we are women who have spent a long time becoming who we are. We have both made names for ourselves in business. So, I suggest that we keep our surnames, but use our combined names socially."

"I like that. Are you upset with me?" Helena asked, this now becoming the most important issue.

"Of course not, Helena," Myka said, embracing her hands. "I know we have a lot going on, but we need to talk to each other – always," Myka said.

"It wasn't until Irene said ….wait, if she wasn't here to talk about this, what was she here for?" Helena asked.

"She is going to take Bandit while we're on our honeymoon. Longer if we want," Myka said slowly.

"She wants your dog? Why doesn't she get her own dog?" Helena said, some annoyance still left over.

"Helena, she's doing us a favor. She wants to train him – and will return him when he's trained," Myka explained.

"Ha! She wants to train him! That will take forever. She's a wonderful executive, Myka, but not very disciplined," Helena huffed.

"Yes, very ineffective," Myka mused and grinned.

"Are you okay with this? I mean, Irene taking Bandit? She'll bring him back when you want him?" Helena asked, making sure Myka was okay.

"Yes, I think she had a good idea. She's very good with him. She says she's had a lot of experience with …discipline," Myka said, biting her lip.

"She probably was a tough parent all those years ago," Helena surmised.

"Hmm," Myka replied. "So, shall we go to City Hall, Helena G. Wells?" Myka smiled.

"Yes, Myka Ophelia Bering," Helena said, relieved the issue was settled.

A short time later, as the two sat in front of the clerk who asked for their official documents and filled in the marriage certificate, Helena leaned over and kissed Myka on the lips. "Thank you for marrying me," she whispered.

"Thank you for doing the same," Myka said, squeezing Helena's hand when he handed back the paper.

"Ms. Wells, Ms. Bering, congratulations. You're on your way to getting married."

Thunderous applause broke out in the office as the other applicants and office workers looked at the happiest couple in the room.

The press was waiting outside and rushed at the couple. "What's the new name going to be?" one shouted. "Bering-Wells or Wells-Bering?" they called out.

Helena turned and looked at Myka. "Ms. Bering will always come first," she said and kissed Myka as the collective sound of cameras clicking erupted.

Please share what you think - it's only one take and not the typical one I know.

Cheers.