Thank you so much to reviewers, followers, favouriters and for the PMs! Burned innocence9, some hints buried here and there to go with your theory, but you'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out how right you were ;-)
I could've written many scenes for the Thanksgiving celebration, but time and inspiration refused to cohere so this is what you're getting. I hope it's still enjoyable. Mostly our OTP and Tracy's visit.
Chapter Twelve
Three days passed before Myka could coherently discuss the visit to her parents without feeling anger surrounding her thoughts. Helena was suitably indignant on her behalf and suggested a few old fashioned punishments to enact upon the undeserving pair, which brought a reluctant smile to her girlfriend's expression whenever her scheming began to go a little overboard.
Thanksgiving had come and gone, with the entire crew, including Artie and Vanessa, spending their celebration at the Bering and Wells household. All praised HG's efforts in the kitchen, though there was some discussion about the possibility of robots having done the bulk of the work. Since it was an idea that had crossed her mind and she considered it a compliment that her friends thought her capable of such a feat, the inventor took the good natured teasing in her stride, even going so far as to dress Christina in a hastily made costume to act the part of the mechanical humanoid.
Everyone, except Artie and Vanessa, agreed to extend their stay over a couple of nights, giving Helena the chance to gloat to her girlfriend that five bedrooms wasn't excessive after all. The following morning, Pete and Leena took over kitchen duty, cooking up a pile of pancakes and bacon large enough to feed an army, though since Pete took it upon himself to taste test each batch, it was probably a good thing.
The holiday weekend passed with little drama, bar the occasional sugar crash from Pete and Christina. By Saturday, the young girl had learned her lesson and started to go easy on the sweet treats, proving to her mothers that she definitely had more sense than Agent Lattimer, who would still be gorging on syrup come Monday morning.
After another monster breakfast on Sunday, Myka sprawled out on the couch, half asleep by the time Helena finished seeing the last of their guests out. Christina lay in her own semi-comatose state, cuddled up to her mama while they watched an early rerun of 'It's A Wonderful Life'.
HG wandered back into the room, relieved at having their home to themselves again, but with a self-satisfied glint in her eyes. It didn't take much to encourage her girlfriend to shuffle around to make room for her and soon enough, she was snug behind the taller woman, her arm wrapped possessively around the brunette and a hand stroking her daughter's wavy hair.
For once, neither adult reached for the remote to turn off the TV in favour of a game, puzzle or book. They were content to bask in the aftermath of a lovely holiday celebration spent with their chosen family.
Other than feeling a little queasy after three days of overindulging, the only other thing that had dampened Myka's spirits was when she accepted a brief call from her father on Thanksgiving Day.
Shrill ringing catching her keen ears, Myka stepped out of the noisy living room to answer the phone, leaving Steve in the middle of his charade. Recognising the caller ID, she took a calming breath before picking up the receiver and bringing it cautiously to her ear.
"Hello?"
"Er hello, am I speaking to Myka?" Warren's voice was gruff as usual, but Myka could swear that she detected a hint of nervousness.
"It's me, Dad."
His breath came out in a long exhale and the hint of nerves faded. "Ah, good. I wasn't sure if the erm... if your... if she sounded like you," he stumbled over the right way to verbalise his thoughts.
The agent rolled her eyes. "She's English, so no. You would know the difference if you heard her." She didn't really want to spend time wading through this conversation but as her father seemed to be trying to make an effort, she willed forth a little patience. "How is everyone?"
"Well, your mother is insisting that you should know better than to abandon us during a family holiday. She's told everyone that you're staying with friends." His tone had switched to 'disgruntled', which meant that he didn't necessarily agree with his wife but he was having to listen to her so he needed someone to blame.
Gritting her teeth to keep the worst of her thoughts in, Myka nevertheless stood her ground. "I'd have been happy to bring Helena and Christina for a visit if I thought we'd be welcome. Or even have you stay with us for a couple of days; we have plenty of room. As it is though, I'm not prepared to subject my family to your backwards views. They deserve better than that."
"Darling, who are you talking to?" Helena stepped out into the hallway and sidled up next to her girlfriend to kiss her briefly. "Christina's up next; I didn't think you'd want to miss it."
Myka felt a moment of panic but quickly suppressed it; this was her home and she had every right to kiss her partner without being concerned with her father's prejudice. "I'll be right there, Helena. It's my dad."
HG felt a spike of irritation hit her and deliberately leant closer to the receiver as she wound an arm around Myka's waist. "If he has not called to apologise for his atrocious behaviour, then he has no right to keep you away from your family's celebrations."
The taller agent's eyebrows shot up and a surprised smile found its way to her lips. She stole a quick kiss, assuring her that she'd be along in a moment. "That was her," she continued into the phone.
Mr Bering cleared his throat and continued to grumble. "Well, you're right; she doesn't sound a bit like you. Got some of your fire though, hasn't she."
Myka couldn't tell whether he approved or not, but she didn't have time to figure it out at that moment. "Dad, I have to go. Have a good holiday." She allowed him a second to return the sentiment before hanging up and rejoining the chaos in the living room.
Walking straight into Helena's embrace, Myka pulled strong arms tighter around her waist and tilted her head far enough to meet HG's warm mouth with her own. Surrounded by love and laughter, Agent Bering settled in for the first Thanksgiving where she felt truly thankful for the people around her.
After the phone call, she felt something inside flip and suddenly her house appeared brighter, her friends more endearing, Christina cuddlier and Helena more stunning than ever. Let her mother stew in her homophobia if she wanted; let her father be his usual disapproving self; the people they were hurting the most were themselves; Myka felt blessed and intended to appreciate every second of that foreign emotion.
Agent Bering's deep breaths filled the silence as the film ended and Christina flicked the standby button on the TV remote. Both of the Wells females glanced at the American with fond expressions and with careful movements, managed to extract themselves from the tangle of limbs and left Myka covered with a thick blanket.
In Christina's room, Helena agreed to look at the girl's plans for the tree house and, after some tweaking, they began construction of a miniature replica. They used half dowels in place of the sawn logs and cellophane where HG planned to purchase plexi-glass for windows. From the eight-year-old's junior science kit, they wired up some lights, and a motor for the ceiling fan when it got too hot in the summer.
Almost two hours passed before the inventor returned to check on her girlfriend and found her still sleeping. She took a seat on the edge of the couch and gazed down on her slumbering partner, her hands unable to stay at her side as they gave into temptation and began playing with wild curls. She thought about all that had happened in the last two weeks and understood why her lover was so tired.
Myka's last artefact grab had taken her and Claudia to Kentucky while Pete and Steve hopped over the pond to Rome. The girls had needed all their wits about them as they chased down a pair of Usain Bolt's trainers; the ones he'd worn during the Beijing Summer Olympics when he'd broken the world record to begin his reputation as world's fasted person. Originally having been sold to charity, the runner's stylish and sought after footwear soon became the property of a business mogul who it seemed, was happy to use them to outrun his debtors after he declared himself bankrupt. It took all of their combined genius to figure out a trap simple and agile enough to capture their assailant, but three days later, they made it back home.
After a few days of inventory and a lot of debate over the subject at home, the field agent left again, this time for Colorado. Each time, Helena would grit her teeth, anticipating the constant worry that sat in the back of her mind when Myka was gone.
Why should she feel this way when her lover's job had taken her away from home many times before without experiencing such negative reactions? It reminded her of the total panic and desperation she'd felt the day she'd returned to her home in London to be told what had happened to her daughter. She had been blinded by the emotions building up inside her and incapable of seeing the consequences of her actions. The intensity of her current predicament wasn't the same, but the similarities were there and the reminder was not at all pleasant.
Looking over her lover now, Helena tried to hold onto this feeling of peace. The reality of their profession never left the back of her mind, but she was determined not to let the fear of what could happen ruin the here and now. Ever mindful of the past, she still tried to push her thoughts to the present and future.
Imagine that hair in a veil, she heard her inner voice muse, and then, imagine the light in her eyes as you ride through London on a horse and trap, knowing that you've just promised to the world that you'll be together forever. A reverent smile crept unnoticed onto her face as her mind continued to open up to the idea. Imagine waking up to her face every day for the rest of your life in the knowledge that you belong to her and she to you.
The institute of marriage had always been a bothersome notion to the rebellious Victorian so the idea that she could so readily accept belonging to another human came as a surprise, and yet not so much. No one, in either of her lifetimes, had ever made her feel like gravity kept her constantly orbiting a brilliant star. Christina was her only exception, but even that comparison didn't compute; the maternal instincts that eternally bound her to her child made perfect sense, but not even the girl's father had convinced her that her life would be better spent in the arms of one lover... Her soul mate... Not until Myka.
Having no idea how long she'd sat there, philosophising about the concept of love and marriage, she was startled when forest-green eyes opened and a sleepy smile lit up the American's unique features.
"A penny for your thoughts?" Myka enquired as she yawned and stretched before glancing at the clock, her eyes immediately going wide. "God, is that the time? How long ago did the movie finish?"
HG chuckled. "A couple of hours ago. I came down to see if you were ready for lunch; you said you weren't feeling well after breakfast."
The sleepy agent nodded. "And the staring?" She continued with a knowing smirk.
"How could I resist? I so rarely have an opportunity to watch you sleep. You really have to stop waking up so early." Running her fingers along an exposed arm, she thought carefully. "Or stay home and take more afternoon naps."
Myka lifted the blanket and shuffled further into the couch to make room, not needing to voice her intention to get her girlfriend to lie next to her and snuggle. "What would you do with me all day long?"
Helena's hands sought out soft skin as her lips explored the long length of her lover's neck. "Darling, do you really have to ask?"
Feeling her face flush and other parts of her body wake up, Myka turned slightly to face the researcher. "I don't believe that you would leave Christina alone so you could spend hours naked with me. I can only conclude that you would tease me mercilessly until I cracked and dragged you off for a quickie." Her own hands refused to behave and even as her tone suggested disapproval, her actions told a different tale.
"Would I do something so tawdry?" Myka didn't answer, she simply raised an eyebrow as her fingers halted in their exploration of her lover's torso. "I don't believe you should answer that," HG added with a devious smirk.
"I think it best that I don't," the brunette agreed with her own teasing smile.
"Hmm, after all, why guess when I could just as easily show you what I have in mind?" On the word 'show' HG's wandering fingertips tiptoed their way under Myka's shirt and ran the length of her stomach to edge around the underside of her bra.
Myka had no words to cover the sudden need that rose within her. Instead, she wrapped her hands around the back of Helena's skull and pulled her down to meet her lips in a passionate kiss. Tongues dancing a frenzied tango, their bodies pushed impossibly closer. What began as innocent flirting quickly spiralled out of control until they began to lose all sense of where they were.
Rapid footfalls descended the stairs, breaking the heated moment like a bucket of cold water being tipped on the lovers. HG barely managed to retrieve a wayward hand from exploring a hardening nipple before Christina ran into the room.
Seeing the adults' flushed faces, the young girl's head canted to the side and she frowned at them curiously. "Mummy, what are you doing?"
HG rolled onto her back and tugged distractedly at Myka's curls. "Kissing," she replied to her daughter simply.
Christina pulled a face, exacting an expression of disgust. "Yuck. Why are grownups always kissing? Uncle Pete is always kissing Lila too."
Having surreptitiously managed to readjust her underwear, Myka pulled back the blanket and sat up, exchanging a look with her girlfriend. "Sometimes grownups kiss more because they want to remember how much they love each other."
"Do you have to?" The miniature HG continued with her face still scrunched up.
"No."
"Yes!"
Helena glanced at Myka with a raised eyebrow. Her bashful American was always more embarrassed than she whenever they were caught making out, but she suspected that it was her mother's words coming back to her that made her hesitate now.
"Yes, darling; we do have to kiss. We love each other very much and there is nothing wrong with two grownups being in love." She wanted Myka as much as Christina to believe this and not let her parents' views taint her thoughts. "We make each other happy. Would you rather have a very cranky Mummy in the house?"
The girl shook her head violently, making Myka laugh at the seriousness of her expression. "I don't believe we would survive even an hour," the quick-witted child declared. She giggled and squealed as her mother's mouth fell open and a hand made a quick grab for her.
"Insolent child!" Helena feigned shock and jumped up to chase the swift-footed youngster from the room, leaving Myka to chuckle to herself in their wake.
With a lengthy sigh, the lanky agent stretched out her stiff limbs and began to fold the blanket, her thoughts considering what Helena had just said.
A week ago, she wouldn't have concerned herself so much with how her actions appeared to others, especially Christina, who had never shown any signs of being distressed by her and Helena's relationship. In fact, the young girl had been their staunchest supporter, even before they had actually declared themselves a couple. She had assumed that all eight year olds pulled a face when they witnessed mushy moments between their elders, Helena certainly seemed to think it was normal behaviour for a child, but what if it wasn't? What if they were causing the young girl some form of psychological damage?
Jeanie's words wormed their way through her thoughts like a virus, infecting her memories and dulling the bliss she usually found in them until she felt the pricking of tears behind her eyes. She forced her thoughts back into the presence so that the sounds of giggles and hurried footsteps filled her mind again.
Shaking her head, she cursed her lingering insecurity, wiped away any residual tears and moved to join her girls upstairs.
Following the chaos of the holiday weekend, the Warehouse crew was grateful to be faced with a fairly slow week, as artefact hunting generally went. The only out of state ping was handled efficiently by The Second A-Team so the rest of the week was spent catching up on inventory and for Myka, generally keeping Pete out of trouble.
Alongside their usual tasks however, there was still the issue of Pete and HG's odd behaviour that appeared to be triggered by Myka's distant absences. Helena spent her time reading through old cases of artefact effects, comparing her symptoms to those she came across, while Christina worked on several ongoing projects to further her home studies and Myka left daily to see to her responsibilities at the Warehouse.
In between the heavy research though, life continued to plod along and while Agent Bering was spending less time flying all over the world to bag dangerous objects, a pleasant routine began to form in the Bering and Wells house.
Early Saturday morning, Myka woke with an unpleasant churning in her stomach. Since agreeing to have her sister and her husband over to stay the weekend, she'd been feeling these sporadic moments of nausea and the occasional headache.
Helena was always quick to remind her that Tracy had no problem with their relationship, but in Myka's mind, she still held onto those years of rivalry and conflict that coloured their childhood. Even as adults, they'd never really grown close and barely spent more than a few hours in each other's company. The uptight agent was willing to give her sister a chance however and so on the day of Tracy's arrival, was up at the crack of dawn cleaning and fussing over every cushion and ornament.
Every now and then, HG would wake from her pleasant doze and crack an eye open to gaze across the room at the mad woman who'd taken possession of her girlfriend. "Love, come back to bed for a while. It's too early even for you."
"They'll be here soon," Myka's irritated and worried tone reached back to the inventor.
Helena glanced at the clock with a frown. How soon was soon? "They're not due until mid-day. That's six hours darling, hardly worthy of all this fuss."
"But there's so much to do," Myka insisted as she disappeared from the room again, leaving HG to fall back into the covers.
Giving up on sleeping in, as her girlfriend breezed in and out collecting laundry to re-iron, Helena dragged herself out of bed, jumped in the shower, took her time drying her hair and dressed before creeping across the hall to wake her daughter.
Sitting at the breakfast bar an hour later, the inventor fought a losing battle to try to coax her partner into eating something.
"Darling, you're wearing yourself out before they've even arrived. We cleaned the house from top to bottom yesterday at your insistence; please do not spend all morning working yourself into a frenzy." She watched, feeling useless as her girlfriend hovered uncertainly by the door.
"Mummy, I've finished," Christina declared the moment the last of her poached egg disappeared. "May I get down?"
HG let her focus drift momentarily away from the lanky agent. "Yes love, of course. Put your plates by the sink please." She saw Myka's eyes flicker to the few dishes that needed washing and stood to intercept the compulsive intention.
"Helena?" Myka frowned, suddenly finding the Victorian's behaviour mildly irritating.
"Myka, this is ridiculous. I hate seeing you like this. You are going to put something warm on while I wash these plates, and then the three of us are going to get some fresh air."
"But..."
"There will still be plenty of time to fret if you wish when we return, but I think we would all benefit from the exercise and it might even prevent the two of us from driving each other to madness."
Myka tried to protest but the inventor was having none of it. There was absolutely nothing else to do around the house and she knew it, but her busy mind refused to settle while waiting for her younger sibling to arrive.
A bitter, early December breeze forced the two women to walk closer together and with Helena's arm around her, Myka finally began to relax. A pale blue sky stretched before them, no evidence yet of the snow that was forecast for the following week.
As had become habitual, Christina skipped the footpath ahead and stopped every now and then to pick up a fallen leaf or write her name in the snow. Helena watched the dizzying dance with amused exasperation.
"Christina love," she called a few yards ahead. "Must you use every inch of the pavement when we go out walking? By now you've surely discovered a path to your liking."
The girl in question sighed dramatically, lending a contrasting accompaniment to Myka's short chuckle. With a deliberate twirl, Christina pranced back to her parents and made a show of trudging along beside them.
"Oh yes, Mummy; this is much more fun... not!" The girl giggled and jogged a few steps ahead to continue what she was doing.
Myka's eyebrows shot up and she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing at her girlfriend's expression. "Oh Helena, you should see your face."
HG's slack-jaw closed with a snap. "Did that really just come out of my daughter's mouth?"
"She had been spending a fair amount of time with Claudia and honestly? You did kind of ask for it. Kids are incapable of walking in a straight line when left to their own devices."
"If she begins punctuating her conversations with 'like' and 'dude' then, I'm sorry darling, but we'll be moving to London in a heartbeat." Helena's indignation continued to show on her face, her expression turning sullen.
The field agent watched this play of emotion with great interest and felt a longing to 'poke the bear'. "Where she can learn all about 'apples and pears' and a 'dog and bone'?"
The inventor's expression quickly became haughty at the suggestion. "You know very well that I have no intention of teaching her the common language of the street."
Myka laughed a rare belly-laugh and shoved her lover gently. "Helena, you really are such a snob sometimes!"
HG rolled her eyes. "It is just so tiresome listening to people who speak without all of the vowels and consonants that are so essential to language. Just the idea of it gives me a headache."
"I don't think you have anything to worry about as far as Chrissie's concerned. Though she'll undoubtedly pick up plenty of slang, she can still quote Shakespeare and Keats and reads fluently when she's orating. She loves her books and that will give her an everlasting knowledge and understanding of speech and grammar." Helena turned to give her a thankful look and Myka tilted her head slightly to lay a quick kiss on tempting lips. Their cool cheeks brushed together, reminding them of the need to keep moving.
The moment the trio stepped back in to their house, Helena felt her girlfriend tense up again. They had managed to walk for over an hour, leaving them with just two hours to wait on their guests' arrival. Not wanting to let Myka dwell on her anxieties again, HG suggested that they should help their daughter with her adventure story for their Arctic exploration.
While Myka and Christina settled in the library, Helena made toast and tea, placing both in front of her lover, accompanied by a stern look that told the agent it would be useless to argue.
Time passed by much swifter while they were occupied and even Myka stopped worrying as they fleshed out a storyboard and watched the excited girl act out all the speaking and action parts.
The doorbell rang just as they were tidying away and Helena placed a reassuring kiss on her lover's head before retreating into the kitchen to refill the teapot. As Myka stood to answer the door, Christina hurriedly stacked her work on her desk and scurried after her Mama.
Myka smiled down at the anticipatory expression beside her and placed a gentle hand on her daughter's head, glad of the child's comforting presence. "Ready?" she asked. At the firm nod of a head, she opened the door.
For the first five minutes of the younger Bering's arrival, there was chaos. Kevin gave his sister-in-law an awkward hug as he struggled past her with their luggage, following Myka's instructions as he hefted them up to the guest bedroom. Tracy complained about her back and feet as she tried to hug her sister passed her bump and bent as much as she could to greet her new niece. Finally corralling everyone into the living room, where the noise level rose again as Helena made her delayed appearance, the last introductions were made.
"Helena, this is my sister Tracy and her husband Kevin. Guys, my girlfriend, Helena." Myka's actions felt forced and awkward to her, but true to form, her partner was all grace and ease, charming their visitors without hesitation.
"It's so lovely to have you here." HG told their guest as she shook their hands and gestured for them to sit down. "Christina and I have been dying to meet you both. We had a science project all set with garish lights and music to greet you, but we had a rather spectacular disaster with it when it exploded and then melted."
"You set the power too high, Mummy," Christina accused her mother as she climbed on top of Myka's lap on the couch and wrapped an arm around the brunette's neck.
Helena perched on the arm beside her family, leaving their guests with the majority of the three-seater. She noticed the questioning expression on Kevin's face and smiled mischievously. "I was distracted." She looked directly at Tracy as she added, "Your sister was walking around in nothing but a towel."
"Helena!" Myka's indignant tone had never been higher and HG immediately adopted her most innocent expression even as Tracy Bering chuckled at her sister's embarrassment. "I was looking for my robe, which you stole."
"Borrowed, love." The inventor insisted gently. "Stole is such a strong word." With a casual wave of her hand, protests were conveniently forgotten. "Regardless, we surmised that the utter destruction of our project was likely a blessing in disguise; I doubt it would have endeared us to our neighbours. You may of course see the remnants, if you wish?"
Myka rolled her eyes, while Tracy and Kevin exchanged a look that said 'is she serious?' "Helena, I don't think they'll find much interest in a pile of burnt out plastic with bits of wire sticking out of it. You could start a gallery with the number of similar projects that met the same disastrous end in the basement." The fond gaze she gave the Victorian extinguished any offence that might have been taken from those words and HG met it with a cocky grin.
"Most of my inventive dabblings end up on the rubbish heap it's true. Though you have to admit darling, when I do get it right, I am rather fabulous."
Forgetting for a moment about the people watching, Myka stretched an extra inch to catch her lover's lips in a gentle kiss. "You certainly don't lack for confidence," she commented quietly.
HG's desire filled gaze slipped easily back into a polite smile as she re-focussed on the two new adults. "Right then! Would anyone like tea?"
The weekend flew by and dragged in sporadic turns. One moment Myka was wishing that she didn't have to hear any more about pregnancy aches and baby preparations, and the next it seemed, they had reached Monday morning and she and her sister were having a farewell chat in the library while Helena supervised Christina as she played scrabble with uncle Kevin.
Myka couldn't help but feel surprised by how well the whole visit had gone. Though Tracy still teased her at every opportunity (and Helena had certainly provided the young mother-to-be with plenty of material), the agent found it much less irritating than she once had. The sibling banter didn't make her feel worthless as it had done and Myka began to look back on their early interactions in a new light.
Their father had always put pressure on them to be better and do better, but more so with his elder daughter. Had Tracy resented that? Had she somehow seen her sister's braininess and addiction to books as the link to their father that she would never have? Was it simply jealousy that had fuelled her hurtful comments about her lack of friends and the likeliness that she would end up an old spinster, surrounded by books and cats?
Whatever the reason, recent events had changed her opinion of her younger sibling and Agent Bering found herself imagining a future where her sister featured much more frequently in her life.
Tracy sat in the upright armchair, which for her size, posed an easier challenge to stand from. She sipped her tea and glanced over at the floor to ceiling shelves of books. "Some things never change I see." She smiled and looked over at Myka, who had her feet tucked under her on the small couch, also with a mug of tea in hand. "I'm glad you found someone who gets the whole book obsession. She certainly knows her tea too, but I guess that's not surprising considering she's English."
Rolling her eyes, Myka offered her sister a sardonic look. "Trace, that's a stereotype. There are plenty of people in England who don't drink tea, who wouldn't know a good tea from a bad one."
Tracy smirked. "But HG does. She's even got you drinking it. I didn't think I'd ever see the day you gave up coffee. The things we do for love."
The agent shook her head emphatically. "I still drink coffee... Or well, I did, but recently it just smells and tastes all wrong. That's the only reason I stopped drinking it, not because I want to impress my girlfriend."
"Whatever you say sis. Maybe it tastes and smells all wrong because you know she doesn't like it. You know, psychosomatic or whatever." She grinned into her mug, watching Myka over the rim. "That or you're secretly pregnant." Myka coughed as she gulped too fast and felt her beverage enter her windpipe. She glared at her sister the moment she could breathe again. Tracy shrugged. "The tea is good anyway and I've heard good things about this red leaf raspberry tea. HG said it helped her with Christina's birth, so I'm hoping it works for this little one. We'll have to come visit you again." She placed a hand on her protruding stomach and rubbed in a clockwise motion.
"We'll come to you next time," Myka told her sister with a tone that brooked no argument. "I don't want you travelling so far when you look like you're going to pop already."
"Wyoming isn't that far from you. In fact, sitting in the car is sometimes more comfortable than being in the house. The seat is shaped better and I can incline it the way I like. The only struggle is getting in and out."
"Well regardless," the older Bering sibling continued in her mother-hen tone. "You'll be that much closer to your due date and I don't want my niece or nephew to be born on the side of a road somewhere between Cheyenne and Univille."
"Yeah-yeah," Tracy smiled indulgently at her sister as she continued to sip her tea and rub her belly like a genie would sprout out of it at any moment. They sat in a companionable silence for a few minutes until the younger woman's musings turned more serious. "Myka, I'm sorry about what mom said. I didn't get it all, but they gave me the highlights, and she preached enough when I was there last Saturday for me to be glad you weren't there to hear it."
Myka pursed her lips and stared down at the floor. "I expected them to be resistant, but I admit I wasn't quite prepared for that level of prejudice, particularly from Mom."
"Yeah... Dad didn't say much, but I got the impression that he didn't really disapprove," Tracy added in an attempt to find a bright side.
"Other than to tell me I'm unnatural," Myka interjected bitterly.
Tracy cringed. "It's not true Myka. You know that. Look, he'll come around eventually; you always were his favourite, and hopefully Mom will mellow out in time. Meanwhile, you have your perfect partner and an adorable kid. Plus, I really don't live that far away; you can bring the fam over whenever you like." She glanced at her bump again. "I'd like this little one to know its aunties and cousin."
Feeling tears building up, Myka hid behind her mug for a few seconds to recover before risking a glance at her sister. "I'm glad you're here Trace. I could have worked through this with just Helena's help, but it means more than you'll even know to have your support."
Tracy and Kevin drove away from the Bering and Wells household shortly before midday, with lots of hugs and kisses, and a few tears to see them off.
Myka stood with her arms wrapped around Helena from behind, her head resting on her lover's shoulder as they watched the car pull away and chuckled fondly at their daughter's frantic waving.
Christina skipped passed them on their way back into the house, her ponytail swinging wildly back and forth. "Can we play another game?" She asked, already heading in the direction of the living room, leaving her mothers to trail after her.
Eyes narrowed slightly with fixed intent, Myka closed the door without a backward glance, her gaze following the Victorian inventor. "Soon Sweetheart," she told the young girl. "First, Mummy and I are going to have a little chat about the topics she may and may not discuss with my sister."
HG grinned at the challenge in her lover's gaze and strolled into the kitchen, seemingly without a care in the world, her expression entirely unrepentant.