Hello. Nothing much to comment on today. Just thanks for reading and a special thanks for commenting if you decide to share your thoughts with me :-)
Chapter Three
Sitting in the cafe opposite the dance and drama school, Myka ignored her cooling drink and gazed adoringly at her fiancée's animated features. Chin resting in one hand, she once again took no notice of the onlookers as she listened to her lover's story and rubbed circles around her belly.
As April had finally arrived and the weather was improving, they had decided that a short trip was in order soon. A cabin in the woods perhaps or an apartment by the sea? Somewhere they could get away together for their first family holiday.
Since opening up the topic of moving house, Myka found herself considering the possibility more often. Not too long ago, she had fought the idea of early retirement and she still wasn't sure that she wanted to give up hunting artefacts entirely but the more she and Helena talked, the more interested she became in alternatives.
What was stopping them from taking on some freelance work from time to time? Or checking out Artie's less pressing leads when the other agents were busy? Helena had even suggested that between them, they had a good chance at cracking some of the cold-cases and more elusive targets.
For the next year at least, they had agreed to stay put and simply take more time to travel. Not only would this give Christina a chance to experience the modern world and see what it had to offer but it would also give the adults a taste of where they would be best suited.
Whatever they decided to do, they needed to be happy doing it and they needed to stick together as a family.
The one issue neither of them had approached yet though was the bronzed figure they would have to leave behind. Their brave teen had made them promise to live without constant concern for her wellbeing, but it was easier said than done. They had also promised to give her the best life possible and that wasn't best accomplished while allowing themselves to be shackled to the Warehouse. It was one thing or the other and they both knew what they had to do, no matter how difficult it was to loosen the reins.
All of these thoughts turned like a record on repeat through Myka's mind. Some days they filled her with excitement and anticipation. Other days she would panic and feel overwhelmed. In either case, she made herself talk to Helena on the matter.
Watching the inventor's features light up with the retelling of one of her adventures, Myka sighed and fell in love just a little bit more. Some days it was just enough to know that they were planning to live the rest of their lives together.
Myka eventually sipped her cold tea and then pushed it back to one side. There was no time to order another drink so she reached across the table while gazing from under her lashes at her partner and finished the remaining mouthful of Helena's lemon-water.
HG shook her head playfully as she stood up and shrugged into her jacket. "Is this a taste of how married life will be? Nevermore to finish another drink?"
Myka followed suit, linking an arm through her lover's as they made their way from the cafe and across the street. Her unrepentant grin spoke volumes. "Well, since you only have yourself to blame for being so distracting, I think you should forgive me and perhaps congratulate me on my ability to continue functioning instead."
"I distract you?" Helena asked, trying to appear shocked. "I had no idea," she lied in a whisper as they entered the classroom and automatically searched the room for their child. The inventor felt more than heard her partner's amusement against her side and knew that Myka was already thinking of ways to return the distraction later.
Later couldn't come soon enough.
Christina's eyes caught her parents across the room and she smiled to herself with something like relief. Ebony and Britney, the two girls she had befriended in her first few classes, stood either side of her and she was very much ready to leave their company.
What had begun, in those early days, as excitement over being accepted into this new social group, had very quickly turned sour. Having expected to meet with the same sort of camaraderie she had found with Adelaide, she was disappointed to find that they had very little in common. She was beginning to understand that her appearance in the group had been somewhat of a novelty and coupled with her (apparently) adorable accent, there had been a minor battle over her 'friendship'. Now that the novelty had worn off somewhat, the two girls were beginning to show their true colours and in the last few weeks, some of their off-hand remarks hit a little too close to home.
She looked over at her parents again and saw the usual long gazes that passed between them, their hands linked in a way that always brought comfort to the youth. From the corner of her eye, she saw a critical glance pass between her fellow students and felt an unpleasant churning sensation settle in her stomach.
Needing to get away, Christina slunk passed the two girls and approached her mothers. She slipped a hand into the inventor's and pulled her towards the coat racks. They passed other parents and she chanced a glance up to see similar expression of censure on their faces. She grabbed her coat roughly and tried to ram her arms into the sleeves.
Seeing the drastic change in behaviour, the agents exchanged their own look. Myka took her eyes off her fiancée long enough to see what her daughter had seen and stared down the culprits while Helena knelt down to Christina's level.
"Here," Helena said softly as she ran her hands soothingly down tense arms and caught the coat. She had sensed enough of the tension around them on previous visits to guess what had happened and come to the right conclusion. "Not everyone is as brave as you are, love," she began to explain, not troubling to keep her voice low. "Many people are afraid of things they do not understand, and fear sometimes begets anger. It takes strength of character to treat others with respect in the face of that fear." She zipped up the coat and took Christina's hands in her own. "Okay?"
Looking into kind eyes, the eight-year-old felt the warmth of her mother's words fill her and lifted her head with returning confidence. "They're afraid of you and Mama?" she queried to check that she understood. At the Brit's nod, she looked quizzically up at the surrounding adults, most of whom were awkwardly avoiding the scene. She turned to her Mama who gazed down at her with nothing but love. "That's daft," she scoffed and reached up to grasp her Mama's hand. "May we leave now?"
"Yes, Sweetheart, we can leave," Myka answered in relief.
The car journey home was fairly quiet, with the adults attempting sporadically to make conversation and Christina giving distracted one or two word answers. As they entered the house and began to take their coats off, the eight-year-old found a sudden burst of energy. She kicked her shoes off, threw her coat on a hook and took off up the stairs.
Helena exchanged a worried look with her fiancée and called up the stairs after their daughter, "Christina!?"
"I'll be back in a minute, Mummy!" came the hurried reply.
Myka shrugged when dark eyes fixed on her. "Your guess is as good as mine," she muttered as they stood waiting. "I know that avoiding people won't get rid of their prejudices, but I really hope she doesn't want to go back there after this."
"Hmm, we can but hope," Helena agreed and then, hearing returning footsteps, turned back towards the stairs.
Two pairs of eyebrows rose as Christina reappeared, wearing a hard hat and carrying several objects. The eight-year-old wandered carefully down the stairs and off-loaded most of her bundle into the Brit's arms.
"Do you want to explain now?" HG asked in confusion.
Christina ignored the question for a moment and reached into her pocket. She pulled out the fake-moustache she'd won from a Christmas cracker and a rubber nose. Approaching the inventor first, she giggled at the expression of horror watching her. "Hold still, Mummy."
HG did her best not to turn at the snicker that came from behind her or flinch as the plastic pinched sensitive flesh. "And the nose?" she wondered aloud.
"Nope, that's for Mama," the girl announced and waited as the curly-haired agent obligingly leant forward. "Ta-da!" she announced as she finished.
"Are these to be our disguises from now on?" Helena wondered as she tried to twitch her accessory into a more comfortable position, to no avail.
"They're funny," Christina explained patiently. "People can't be scared if they're busy laughing."
Myka laughed at that, the sound of her amusement filling the house and drawing the inventor's appreciative gaze. Much of it was relief that her daughter was taking the situation so well but the rest was genuine mirth as her lover turned toward her with her new look. It was so rare to see Helena's goofy side. "And the hard-hat?" she enquired.
"If Mummy's not too busy, I'd like to start on the tree-house," the young girl pleaded, her face falling automatically into the hint of a pout.
"I have time," HG assured her. "Get together anything else you need and fetch the shed key please. I will meet you back here in ten minutes." She watched the girl disappear and reached for her partner. "Go ahead," she grumbled. "You know you're bursting to say it, darling."
Chuckling more, Agent Bering faced her lover and stoked along the edge of the plastic. "Now you can provide the moustache too."
Helena exaggerated an eye-roll. "Feel better now?"she asked, letting the sarcasm roll off her tongue.
"Yes. I have HG Wells in my arms. 'Tash and all. So sexy," she teased as she tilted her head to the left and brought their lips together amidst the soft clack of their meeting accessories. She snickered again and tried to deepen the kiss but it was no use. She couldn't keep her eyes closed or her mind on the task with the inventor looking so ridiculous. Her giggles bubbled forth, halting their embrace and she felt Helena move to grin against her neck. "That tickles," she complained and squirmed. Pushing the inventor off gently, she retreated toward the kitchen, her voice following behind her as she warned her lover, "You had better get going before you get into trouble with the foreman for being late. I don't want you to have to work overtime tonight!"
Still juggling the items she'd been given, HG appeared torn between several decisions. She watched Myka disappear from view and found her thoughts become temporarily clearer. She's not even trying to distract you yet, HG. She grinned, felt the moustache move and remembered what she was supposed to be doing.
Much later, with oncoming dark halting construction and sustenance consumed, they sat curled on the couch watching the end credits to Finding Nemo.
Christina found herself once more thinking about that morning. "Mama, is it alright if I don't go to my class anymore?" she asked, unaware of how much her parents had wanted to hear her say those words. "It's not cowardly to give up, is it?"
"Under the circumstances, Christina it's not cowardly. Life is too precious to surround yourself with people who don't appreciate you," Myka reassured the girl. "You're smarter that many people to realise that now."
The adults waited for the questions that were sure to follow. Since the drive home, they had both been formulating possible responses to anything they thought their daughter might ask. It was a tricky subject and would likely rear its ugly head on many more occasions. It was important that Christina knew how to deal with any bigotry she might face.
"Do many people behave like that?" the child continued after a brief pause. "Is that why Aunt Tracy was cross at the Reptile Gardens?"
"Unfortunately, yes," Myka answered as she ran her fingers through wavy hair.
"Humans are obstinate creatures in general and it takes time to change opinions," HG added. "We are far from the only people who live this way though, love. You are not alone in having two mothers."
"Is that why your Mummy and Daddy don't come to see us? Don't they miss you?" Christina asked her Mama.
Myka sighed. She paused in her ministrations as she thought carefully about her answer. "I imagine they miss the person they thought I was. I think my dad is happy for me, in his own way, but he's never been very good at showing affection." She felt Helena's fingers stroking the back of her neck and leant into the gesture. "I hope someday my mother might take a moment to really think about how she feels instead of just reacting. I know she would love you both if she could just get to know you."
"What's wrong with being two mothers together?"
"Absolutely nothing, my love," HG insisted over the girl's frown. "No matter what anyone says, there is nothing wrong with two consenting adults being in love."
"What do you do when people stare and whisper?" Christina wondered, thinking back to the girls and their parents. "I didn't like it when Ebony and Britney were looking at you."
The agents heard the tone of their daughter's voice rise with residual distress. The two of them had lived their individual lives with varying degrees of acceptance and ridicule. Experience had moulded them into resilient adults and their love for each other distracted them from much of the critical looks of late. Perhaps they needed to be more aware of their surroundings while out with their child, or children as the case would be before too long.
Myka, who had spent a good portion of her youth worrying about other people's opinions, felt that Christina needed more advice that just 'ignore them'. "Sweetheart, you will meet many people in your lifetime who might want to spend time with you. You will learn, over time, which sort of people you prefer to spend your time with. Some... friendships might be brief, like with the girls at your dance and drama class, others might last a lifetime."
"Like Addy?" Christina asked hopefully.
"Possibly," the American answered cautiously. Helena's hand continued to rub circles around her neck and shoulders, and Myka knew that she was listening closely too. "What you have to remember is that this is your life to live and not everyone will approve of your choices, or agree with your opinion. Some people will even try to tell you what to choose or believe." She paused to assess how the girl was coping with her speech and found an expression of thoughtful curiosity in dark eyes. "You can listen to advice and try new things but at the end of the day you have to choose for yourself. Not everybody and everything will be worth your time."
"Which means that there will be times when you must simply let the ignorance of others drift over you," the inventor concluded. "It can be difficult to control your responses when others attempt to ridicule you or those you love."
"So I should walk away?" Christina frowned. "But I don't want people to say awful things about you."
"I know, Sweetie. It's hard to let it go. There may be times when you do need to stick up for others, but your mother and I have learnt not to give simpleminded people much thought."
Helena met her lover's gaze and smiled. Myka was so much better than her at controlling her emotions in response to the looks and remarks but it was getting easier. She wasn't sure how well either of them would do if one of those idiots decided to release their prejudice on their children but they would cross that bridge when they came to it. "You just keep us informed if you ever meet with that ignorance again though. Different situations call for different measures."
Christina remained quiet for a while. She lifted the American's t-shirt up slightly so she could place a hand over her bump and rested her head across the top. Her parents had given her much to think about but there were still questions she wanted to ask. She was tired of talking through and tired of listening. She wondered if maybe Abigail would have some further insight and made a mental note to ask later in the week.
She fell asleep sometime later to the last chapter of The Silver Chair and immediately began wondering what her life would be like in Narnia, her adolescent subconscious apparently deciding that reality could wait until tomorrow.
Myka tapped a fingernail anxiously against her thigh as she sat in the study nursing a cup of tea, waiting for the doorbell to chime.
Helena was at the bed and breakfast with Christina, having escorted her to her last session with Abigail this week and she'd just texted to say that their daughter still had not finished. Lately, all of her sessions finished on time or even a few minutes early. But not today.
Not the day when they were expecting surprise guests and needed to be home on time. Not the day when one of her Mama's least favourite people was about to make an appearance and Christina's presence was desperately needed as a buffer.
The sound of a car pulling up outside drew the agent's attention and she sighed. Craning her head, she glanced out of the window and saw Nate and Adelaide jumping out of their vehicle. At least she can act as a distraction, she thought to herself as she sent her prepared 'They're here! xxx' to her fiancée's phone and pushed herself from the office chair. She reached the front door as soon as the bell rang and opened it with a practised smile.
"Hi, Myka," the young girl greeted shyly.
Myka held an arm out to invite her visitor into a hug. "Hello, Adelaide. Did you have a good journey?"
"It was ok. Dad vetoed listening to the Frozen soundtrack again so I had to put up with Elvis the whole way," she grumbled. "Is she here?" she asked, excitedly looking around.
Chuckling, Myka shook her head. "They're running a bit late, but they should be back in a few minutes. Why don't you take your things up to Christina's room?" Adelaide thanked the brunette and followed the suggestion, only briefly eyeing the agent's rounded tummy. The agent watched the girl run up the stairs and as an afterthought, called after her, "And don't knock the king!" Turning back to the door, her expression fell slightly. "Hello, Nate."
"Agent Bering," he greeted as he stepped into the entrance hall.
She watched him scrutinise the hallway as she imagined he had the last time he was there. She tried hard not to roll her eyes. "You should probably start calling me Myka. I have a feeling our girls are going to be friends long enough to do away with formalities."
Nate huffed. "You know, you're starting to sound like her a bit Agent... Myka. Me and you, we've never really had time to talk, have we?" He didn't elaborate on his meaning but gestured toward her stomach. Myka didn't need clarification to know who he meant by 'her'. "Congratulations by the way. Addy told me you were expecting. I didn't know that she was thinking of having more kids. Do you think it'll be different, having your own?"
Myka bit the inside of her cheek as the underhand comments kept coming. She wasn't even sure that he meant half of them to be as insulting as they were. It seemed like he was just off-loading anything that had occurred to him about the reality of his ex's feelings for her. Regardless of his intent, she wasn't about to be his verbal punching bag. "Christina is my own," she assured him, confident in the knowledge that she would say precisely the same thing without recent revelations.
Before he could add anything, his daughter reappeared at the top of the stairs and began her descent. Outside, they heard two distinctive voices and all tuned toward the door.
Smiling in an attempt to be amiable, Myka remembered why this man was standing in her house again and decided to take pity on him. "Get ready to cover your ears," she warned and saw a spark of amused understanding in his gaze.
The scraping of feet on the mat and the turning of a key in the lock drew their attention.
"... It should be green, like the forest," a young voice came muffled through the door.
"We will visit the hardware store and look at swatches as soon as construction if complete." HG's voice followed. "Now, may we please escape into the warm? It is rather nippy out here, darling."
Christina bounced passed her mother and then stopped dead when she spotted the two adults standing in the hallway. She saw her Mama's smile and looked to the tall man with a quizzical expression. Then she recognised him and put the pieces together. Her head swivelled like a spinning-top every which way as the door closed behind her.
"Addy?" the eight-year-old called, ignoring all of the adults in the room. She spotted an extra set of feet behind her Mama before a grinning face appeared and her squeal filled the entrance hall.
Three pairs of hands covers ears, the adults chuckling to themselves as hugging, jumping and further squealing ensued all around them. Both girls attempted to talk over each other and then in a flurry of limbs, they disappeared up the stairs.
"You weren't kidding," Nate commented in response to the brunette's warning. "I wonder if she would even notice if I just left?" He muttered under his breath, feeling a little bit dumped by his pride and joy.
Helena wound an arm around Myka's waist and leant in for a kiss. "Hello, love. It seems our scheming was successful."
"Was there any doubt?" Myka grinned as most of her previous tension drained from her body.
HG grinned at her fiancée and nodded. "Of course... Wells and Bering..." she chuckled as Myka's eyes narrowed. "Would you like something to drink, Nate, or do you intend to get back on the road in a jiffy?"
Trying not to look directly at the couple, he deliberated for a moment. "Maybe on the journey back," he allowed, edging toward the exit.
Helena nodded and moved toward the stairs. "Darling, would you mind putting the kettle on while I fetch the girls?"
Myka nodded and disappeared into the kitchen, glad to escape. HG jogged lightly up the stairs and made her way to her daughter's bedroom. She looked inside to find them both cross-legged on the bed, stuffed animals between them and all of the faux-food from Christina's Victorian tea-set laid out. They sure hadn't wasted any time in getting stuck in.
"This looks very civilised," HG commented as she entered. Christina looked up at her with a huge grin while Adelaide blushed slightly.
"We're having a tea party," Christina announced. "Mummy, could we have a real one tomorrow?"
"I don't see why not." The inventor saw the excitement her answer inspired and felt warmth spread through her body. "Adelaide, your father intends to leave shortly. I'm sure you want to wish him a pleasant journey before he goes." The blue-eyed girl rolled off the bed, disturbing the plate in front of her but not noticing. HG met her at the door and knelt to eye-level, whispering, "I think he might be a little nervous about meeting his new friend. Why don't you give him an extra big hug?"
Adelaide nodded. "Ok," she agreed before disappearing again.
HG wandered over to the bed and hovered close by, "You do know that manners are irreplaceable, don't you love?" she teased.
Christina cocked her head to one side and slowly adopted an expression of contrition. "I should say thank you to our guest?" she guessed.
"He was kind enough to bring Adelaide over for the weekend," Helena pointed out patiently.
"Ok," Christina echoed her friend, kissed her mother on the cheek and held out her hands to hop down.
Helena shook her head as she followed. "And so it begins."