Two updates in a row. Whew! I wanted to explain why I haven't really included details about their assignment or the artifact. First, I don't really trust myself with handling those elements well and second, it isn't important to the story I am trying to tell. So that is why I'm very general about their mission. I also wanted to say I think it's awesome that everyone is concerned about how I handle the Charlotte situation. It's very cool that readers are attached to an original character who is sort of the conflict to our heroines' relationship. Thank you for reading, favoriting, reviewing. Enjoy!

Chapter 5

The stacks of papers and books piled high on the table in front of Myka seemed never ending. Sighing, she pulled a few sheets from the pile and placed them in front of her. She wondered why she had volunteered to search the town's records for information on their suspect alone. Pete and HG were off doing actual detective work while she had banished herself to the depths of City Hall. She turned her attention to the paper but the words seemed to be a jumbled blur. Running a hand through her curls she forced herself to read more carefully but nothing was sinking in. She might as well have been reading off names in the phone book.

Leaning her head on her hand she gave in and allowed her thoughts to travel where they wanted. Back to the previous evening. With Helena in the bar. Helena wearing that tiny, low cut dress that accentuated her- well everything. She shook her head as if trying to shake the images out of her head. She should definitely not be thinking about that dress. Or the way the conversation had flowed naturally, the way it always had when they were together. Or her smile. Or her contagious laugh that warmed her stomach. Or the way Helena looked at her when she spoke with her intense brown eyes – really, truly looked at her. Or how her breath felt on her ear as her voice swirled around in her brain. Or the way the spot in between her legs burned as she watched Helena's lips curl around her beer bottle. Or how the goosebumps had risen on her arm when Helena placed a gentle hand there. Or the way her stomach had flipped when their legs had inadvertently touched underneath the table, their thighs brushing deliciously past one another's. Or how her hand trembled as it resisted brushing dark brown strands of hair back behind the ears which they had fallen from. Or the way her body tingled when Helena hugged her goodnight in the hotel. Or how her lips ached from want as she leaned back against the closed door to her bedroom leaving Helena on the other side. No, she should definitely not be thinking about any of those things. And yet, here she was.

Groaning, she folded her arms on the table and threw her head into them. This was why she volunteered to go through these records. So she could melt into this pathetic state alone. With those thoughts floating around her head all night, the Secret Service Agent was running on little sleep. Her brain would only push aside the thoughts she was having about Helena away enough to let in the immense guilt she felt at betraying Charlotte. Not that she had done anything wrong physically but there was plenty of wrong going on in her mind.

What should she do? She cared about Charlotte. In the two short months they were together the other woman had become such a support system for her. Besides Pete, she considered Charlotte her best friend. She treated Myka like a goddess. She had the biggest heart of anyone she had ever met. Myka knew that the blonde cared very deeply for her. She showed how much she cared in the smallest of ways. But then there was a huge part of her life that Charlotte didn't know about. Couldn't ever know about. Unless Myka chose her as her one. But was it a choice? Did Myka really have control over who exactly was her one?

And then, of course, there was Helena…

"If I did not already find modern food repulsive, well you would certainly have just ruined eating for me."

"Whuh?" Pete responded, his cheeks puffed out as he tried to chew the entire hot dog he had just stuffed in his mouth.

Helena shook her head in reply and looked away.

After a minute or so Pete had finally chewed and swallowed the remainder of the hot dog. He grabbed the water bottle out of Helena's hand, raised it to his mouth and chugged.

She watched him, appalled. "Well, really!"

He took one last gulp and held the nearly empty bottle out to her.

She glared at him, her arms crossed over her chest. "You are an utterly disgusting human being."

Pete shrugged and finished the rest of the bottle. "Thanks." He smiled. "Myka tells me that on a daily basis."

"Would you at least wipe your mouth?" Pete started to raise his arm toward his mouth and Helena grabbed it, stopping him. "With a napkin, Peter." She pulled one out of her pocket and held it out to him. He took it and cleaned his mouth. "And now you know why I prefer women."

Pete laughed as they began to walk. "Speaking of women, how have you been finding modern women?"

She smirked in response.

"Sexy right?" He elbowed her in the side.

"I must say, modern day women's attire are quite uhm, pleasing to the eye." She replied, shoving her hands in her pockets.

"So in terms of you know, in bed. Today's women versus the women of yesterday, how do they compare?" Pete was sure he would receive a smack for this question and he winced as he braced himself. But the smack never came. And Helena still had not answered. He looked over at the woman who was looking down at her boots as she walked. HG wasn't normally so reserved when it came to discussing sex.

"HG?" He prodded.

"I wouldn't really know." Came the soft reply.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, I really only have one current experience to compare to 'the women of yesterday'."

Pete halted his movement and held out his arm in front of the woman so she would stop as well. "Wait a minute. You haven't been with anyone since-"

HG shook her head and avoided meeting Pete's eyes.

"Well why not? I mean, you're a knockout, HG. I'm sure you could find many women who would want to-" Typically slow on the uptake, it suddenly dawned on him. "Oh. OH!"

Helena's head shot up. "What?"

"You haven't wanted to because-" He paused, not sure if it was his place. "Because of Myka."

Helena did not answer but sighed, giving Pete enough of an answer.

Wanting to be careful with his next question he took a moment. "Do you- do you still love her?"

Helena didn't answer but looked over his shoulder, once again afraid to meet his eyes.

"Pete! There he is!"

"Hoo no. I'm not falling for that trick. You just want me to turn around so you can avoid answering my question."

"No, seriously." Instead of waiting for him to look she took off running.

"Wait-" He turned in the direction she ran and saw that she was right. Their suspect was now taking off down the street, Helena on his heels. He took off after her pulling his Farnsworth out of his pocket as he ran.

Myka pushed her way out of the doors of City Hall and ran towards the street Pete told her the suspect had taken off down. If she was remembering the layout of the city directly, the suspect and her partners would be coming from the opposite direction and she would be able to head him off. She ran for a few blocks, her eyes searching for a running man. Finally, she spotted him. He was about a block away with Helena catching up quickly. She was so focused on running she barely had time to register the way her heart had leapt into her throat at the sight of the other agent.

The man turned down an alley, Helena right at his heels. Myka made it there a moment later and her heart sank at what she saw.

The man scaled the wall at the end of the alley and disappeared from her sight. And Helena was standing there. Just standing there. She had been a second behind him and she let him go. Myka felt old feelings rise into her chest and she fought tears building in her eyes.

"Mykes." A gasping Pete broke her frozen state. "Where did he-"

Myka had her tesla out and was on Helena before Pete even had a chance to finish his thought. With her forearm at her neck, she shoved the shorter woman against the wall. She held the tesla next to the dark haired woman's face.

"Myka, what are you doing!" Pete exclaimed.

"She let him go, Pete!" She yelled. The other woman shrank under her fiercely burning eyes but Myka didn't care. She hoped Helena felt every feeling she was conveying as their eyes locked.

"I'm sure there's a reason-"

Myka snapped her head toward her partner. "No! We trusted her and she betrayed us. Again." Then she turned back to the woman she had been stupid enough to let back into her life dropping her arm and gathering the collar of her shirt in her fist. "You betrayed me again." She spat from clenched teeth.