Pete sat at the table at the B&B, reading the latest issue of Sports Illustrated and eating Artie's oatmeal cookies like a chain-smoker goes through cigarettes. He punctuated his snacking with the occasional chug of milk directly from the carton. Myka would normally have wrinkled her nose at such an action, but today she was preoccupied with her own anxiety. Nervously wringing her hands, she slowly approached the table and slipped into the chair across from Pete.

"Hi," she said.

"Hey, Mykes," Pete replied, nodding but not looking up from his magazine. Myka cleared her throat to try to get his attention, but he remained engrossed in his reading and snacking.

"Um, Pete?" she said tentatively. "I wanted to talk to you about something."

"Shoot," Pete said, taking a bite of another cookie and flipping the page.

"Well, it's just that there's something I wanted to tell you." She paused and studied Pete, who was still absorbed in Sports Illustrated. "It's about HG…"

Pete didn't even register her words.

Myka slammed her hand down on the magazine, ripping it from Pete's hands. He looked up, startled, and stared into Myka's frantic eyes.

"Pete, I really need you to listen to this because it's really important and I'm not sure how many times I'll be able to say it," she said. Pete's eyes widened as he nodded and settled his attention on his partner.

"Okay, good." Myka took a deep breath. "Well, as I was saying, it's about HG…"

"Is she up to something?" Pete's facial expression suddenly became aggressive. "I knew it, I've been vibing out on her like crazy lately! I knew she was hiding something, Myka–"

"No!" Myka interrupted. "Seriously, Pete, it's nothing like that. It's just that… Well, what I'm trying to say is that we're kind of–" she stopped, searching her mind for the appropriate words. "Helena and I are together."

Pete looked at Myka askance, not understanding. "You're together on what?"

"God, Pete!" Myka's voice was desperate and exasperated. Tears of frustration and anxiety glistened in her eyes. "We're together! Like romantically!" She put her head in her hands and released a shaky sigh. "Why is that so hard to say…"

"What? No. Myka…" Pete stood up and walked around to the other end of the table, kneeling beside her. "It's all good, don't worry. Calm down..."

Myka lifted her face and wiped away her tears, embarrassed. "So you're okay with this?"

"That depends," he said, his face serious. Myka's stomach clenched in terror, but Pete just awkwardly rested his hand on her shoulder.

"Do you love her?"

Myka's heart skipped a beat. An endless moment passed before her as she considered the answer to Pete's question, even though in her heart she already knew the answer.

"Yes, Pete," she finally said with a watery smile. "I love her very much."

"Well, whoever makes you happy is good with me," he assured her. When the tears continued to spill down Myka's cheeks, though, Pete's brow furrowed. "Why are you so upset?" he questioned gently.

"I don't know," Myka said, sniffing. "I was just scared, I guess. It's stressful– I've never had to do this before."

"What, the– oh, what's it called– the whole coming out thing?" Pete asked. Myka winced.

"I didn't even think about it that way," she said with a defeated groan. "I didn't know I had to put this all in the context of something…"

"You don't," Pete said. "If HG's what matters to you right now, you can save the rest for later. It's no big deal, really."

Myka looked gratefully at Pete, sniffing one last time before throwing her arms around him and giving him a long hug. He patted her on the back softly before they broke apart.

"Thank you, Pete," Myka said, smiling with relief. Pete nodded.

"No problem, Mykes. Just one question… Exactly how long have you known that you swing both ways?"

Myka sneered and threw a playful punch at Pete's arm as she stood up to leave. Pete moaned in pain and rubbed the tender spot, muttering something about how unnecessary the gesture was.

"Oh, like that even hurt," Myka called over her shoulder as she left Pete to his cookies and sports literature. She couldn't stop her face from splitting into a grin as she made her way upstairs. Knowing that Helena waited for her filled her with joy and pride.

She wanted the whole world to know.