Myka woke up the same way she had fallen asleep, with the touch of Helena on her lips. She smiled into the kiss and brushed her fingers through the hair at the crown of Helena's head.

"I have to go. I'll see you later." Myka's eyes were too heavy to open, and though the smile had faded from her face, she accepted a final kiss from Helena, who added a peck to her nose as she walked away from the bed.

When Myka awoke for the second time that morning, she felt a sense of wholeness that she had not experience before. She took a deep breath, ready to do some processing.

She knew she felt more herself with Helena than she felt when she was alone. That was good. She also knew something deeper than that. She knew that this was that ephemeral feeling that everyone was always desperate to explain. This was the whisper that people tried to hold onto without suffocating it. This was the expression of life's greatest complexities and simplest details. This was love.

She was going to have to keep the knowledge to herself for the time being. There was no reason to overwhelm Helena with it. And she didn't need to shout it from the rooftops, either. The knowledge that the good things like this could exist and could be a part of Myka's life was enough.

When it got late enough in the morning that Myka could assume Pete and Steve would be awake, she carried her books down the hall to have some company while she got her work done.

When Pete answered the door, he looked like hell. He pushed the door open for her to catch and barely stumbled back to his bed.

"Where's Steve?"

"Dunno. Probably with Liam." Pete muttered through his comforter which he had put over his face to block out the light.

"Sorry if I woke you." Myka took her stuff over to Steve's desk. If he wasn't going to use it, she would.

"You didn't. Hey, where's the girl?"

Myka had gotten out her computer to work on some research, but was instead investigating some of her other degree options. What was the point in doing her genetics homework if she was just going to switch her major anyway? … Probably so she could keep her scholarship… but she'd do it later.

"Mykaaaa. Where's your girl?" Pete asked more insistently this time, sticking his head over the comforter.

"Oh, she's at work."

"Of course." He threw his head back down. "You wouldn't want my company if she was available."

"No… probably not." Myka retorted absent-mindedly.

"So. Is she a good kisser? Because she looks like a good kisser?" Now he was actually sitting up.

"She is, Pete." Myka was currently making a spreadsheet and compiling a list of all of her possible study options. Classics, history, world literature was only available through the classics department, so she would have to write that down, Russian! She could finally read Anna Karenina the way Tolstoy intended!

"What happens if you guys decide that you don't want to make out anymore and you're still living in the same room?" Myka hadn't even noticed Pete move to the couch and get himself a bowl of cereal while turning on the television. But she noticed when he asked that question.

"I don't know, Pete, but I'm not worried about it." And she wasn't.

"But people break up, Mykes. And you'd still be living together."

"Not everyone breaks up, Pete. I mean you and Kelly…"

"Broke up." Pete stated flatly, going back to his cartoons.

"What?" This finally got enough of Myka's attention that she joined him on the couch.

"But you were going to a movie last night. What happened?"

"I don't know. I think she freaked out because I told her I loved her." Well, if that wasn't the perfect example of why Myka needed to keep her feelings about Helena to herself… maybe now wasn't the time to think about her own happiness.

"I'm sorry, Pete." was all Myka could think of to say. She didn't know how to handle breakups. She'd never gone through one, she'd never had a friend go through one, all of this dating stuff was foreign to her.

"It's alright… I mean, the thing is, though, I don't even know if I loved her. It just felt like the right time to say it." Myka's eyebrows scrunched together, but she quickly realized that that wasn't the most compassionate way to react, so she did her best to restore to a blank slate.

"Anyway…" Pete went back to eating his cereal and watching television.

"Hey Pete, you know I'm just down the hallway if you want someone to hang out with, right?" Myka was at a loss. How do guys do this? Should she fist bump him or try to find him a date or leave him alone completely… or what?

"Yeah," Pete smiled genuinely at her, "Thanks, Mykes."

She gave his leg a reaffirming squeeze, then went back to the desk to work, but before she began, she stopped herself to notice her own feeling of total calm. She was shocked that she hadn't started to unspool the moment that Pete asked what she and Helena would do if they, for lack of a better term, "broke up." She would usually have gone through a long list of how that could play out badly. And even now, trying to think about it, she couldn't picture it happening. And she was content.

Though Helena arrived late that night, Myka waited up for her and they got ready for bed together.

They shared the events of their days with one another. Helena said she wasn't surprised that Pete and Kelly had broken up, but that she was sorry. She also said that she had talked to her mother who had supported her decision to stay at school, though sounded very sad to do it. Helena didn't go into anything further about her family, and Myka didn't push it. Myka also let Helena know that they were invited for Thanksgiving, which was only a few weeks away, at Mrs. Lattimer's house.

"Darling, you do know that's an American holiday, right? I thought this accent of mine did give me away…" Helena smirked as she pulled back the covers for Myka to get in first.

"I do know that, but I assume that you're going to be here and I'm not going to leave you at the dorm just because you don't celebrate tryptophan and football and all things American."

"I'm actually working…" Helena trailed off and Myka tried not to be disappointed, but it was hard not to be.

"But it's a holiday." Myka protested.

"Yes, which means I can make even more money babysitting children whose parents don't want to be chasing their toddlers around while they have the fine china out." Helena climbed into the bed smiling and straddled Myka's waist, assuming they would pick up where they left off.

Myka wasn't sure she wanted the answer to the next question, especially because the angle of Helena's torso left her in a rather revealing spot. "Will you have any days off?"

Helena was certain she didn't want to answer the question. "I won't… I'm sorry, Myka."

There was a tense silence. Myka wasn't angry at Helena, she was just sad. Though Myka had looked forward to more possibility of physical exploration tonight, she wasn't quite in the mood any longer and Helena could tell, so she laid down next to Myka and let her cuddle into the crook of her arm.

"You know wherever you are is the place I want to be, right?" Helena whispered it into Myka's curls before kissing her forehead.

Myka answered by kissing Helena's lips, then her nose, as Helena had that morning, and nodding her head "yes." Even still, the ache was there.

First thing Monday morning, Myka appeared at Professor Nielsen's door with a plan. She knocked and heard a gruff "Come in!" behind the closed door. She entered the postage-stamp of an office, walls lined with bookshelves, all stuffed with layers of books. When the shelves had become too full to hold anymore, the teacher had started making piles that leaned against every piece of furniture. He was scribbling away at something behind his desk and Myka cleared her throat to get his attention.

He finally gazed up and a knowing look appeared on his face. "I remember you…" he squinted his eyes behind his wire-rimmed glasses, "I remember a particularly unfunny joke…" Myka didn't even flinch when he mentioned their first encounter. She expected it. He continued looking at her quizzically, about to speak. "… Is it Mika?"

"It's Myka. Hello Professor Nielsen, it's nice to officially meet you." She stuck out her hand for him to shake, which he did quickly, before returning to his work.

"I don't have office hours right now."

"I know that, sir, but I needed to come speak to you today. I want to change my major and you're the chair of the department… I want to study Classics, I want to study with you. Do research. Your publications on literary symbolism of the Renaissance are beyond fascinating." Once Myka had started exploring his work, she had gotten swept up in it and had even printed some off to highlight her favorite passages, which she began to take out of her file folder when Professor Nielsen stopped her.

"Current classics majors have already scheduled their classes, everything is full for next semester. Finish your pre-requisites and maybe you can look into it for next fall." He never even looked up from his paper.

"Sir, I understand that, but I don't think that one more person…"

"I'm not going to make an exception for you, Ms…"

"Bering." Myka bit back.

"Ms. Bering. If I make an exception for you, I have to make an exception for someone else."

"No, sir, I don't think you do. I think you make an exception for me because I'm going to be worth your time." Myka stared at Professor Nielsen who peered back at her through slitted eyes.

"Ms. Bering, with all due respect, exactly what makes you think that you are more worthwhile than any other student at this school?"

"I didn't say I'm more worthwhile than anyone else at this school, sir. I'm worth your time because I'm smart, I'm capable, I work hard, and I don't apologize for what I want." Myka was lying through her teeth on that one, but Professor Nielsen didn't have to know that. And she had a feeling that the more she practiced it, the more truthful it would become. "Maybe that could also be said for other students, but I don't see any of them standing in your office telling you that."

Professor Nielsen took a breath in to retort, but came up with nothing.

Myka placed her file folder on Professor Nielsen's desk. "I've taken the liberty of making some notes on your paper. I think you missed some big opportunities. My contact information is on the inside of the file folder. I look forward to hearing from you." And with that Myka walked out of his office.

Professor Nielsen was intrigued. He opened and started scanning the articles. They were scattered with notes and questions to examine including more than one about the difference between fact and truth.

By the time Myka got back to her dorm room, there was an e-mail from Professor Nielsen waiting for her.

"Guess what I did this morning?" Myka took Helena's bag from her as soon as she came in the dorm and handed her the dinner she had picked up from the dining hall.

Helena gave Myka a kiss on the cheek in thanks and sat down to eat while she wrote out some flash cards.

"What did you do this morning?"

"Guess!"

"Myka, there is absolutely no way I can guess what you did, nor do I intend to, but I am very interested, so please tell me."

"Has anyone ever told you you're no fun?" Myka questioned while she danced around Helena's chair.

"Pete has mentioned it a few times, yes."

Myka couldn't keep the grin off of her face. "Alright, well. I went down to Professor Nielsen's office and I asserted so much self-confidence that he's letting me enroll in classes in his department and is going to help me set everything up so I still graduate on time!"

Helena stopped all of her work and looked up at Myka, face beaming. "That's wonderful, darling!" She gave Myka an enormous hug.

"You would have been so proud."

Helena cupped her face, "I am so proud!" She stopped for the first second since she got back to really notice the change apparent in Myka.

"Now, Helena, I am going to assert some more of my self-confidence and insist that you put away your work for the time being because I want to finally get some second base action."

Helena looked quizzically back at her. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Right. England. What's the equivalent to second base in cricket?" She rolled her eyes, "Never mind."

Myka pulled Helena into her tightly as she pressed their lips together and guided her back to the bed until she could lay her down and climb on top.

"Well, this is new." Helena had pushed herself up on her elbows and was smirking at the girl on top of her.

"I know." Myka grinned as she leaned in to continue kissing Helena and laced one of her hands in Helena's hair while the other lifted the edge of Helena's shirt, fingertips grazing the skin on her lower back. Before she guided Helena all the way back, she unsnapped the clasp of her bra and Helena gasped in surprise.

When Myka moved to kiss Helena below her jawline, Helena caught her breath and panted out, "Are you sure you've never done this before?"

"Yes." The aspiration of the "s" on the word tickled Helena's neck and she giggled, causing Myka to freeze.

"Do you want me to stop?" Myka looked suddenly very concerned that she had done something wrong.

"Myka," Helena tucked Myka's curls behind her ears as they had begun to hide her face, "I'd like it if you never stopped."

"Have you…" Myka looked down, "Has anyone ever done this with you before?" Helena wished that she had just kept her mouth shut instead of getting Myka all worked up.

"Once or twice," Myka started to retract, but Helena grabbed her and kept her in place. "But it's never gone much farther than this. I've never wanted it to before."

"And you want it to now?"

Helena slipped her hand up the back of Myka's shirt and unclasped her bra with a pinch and a smirk. "Very much so."