Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Warehouse 13 and honestly, I really don't want to. It's much more fun to play with the toys and put them back to play with later.

A/N: Thanks for everyone's feedback. This has been a difficult journey. Interestingly, sometimes I work backwards and then forwards and back again. Hopefully, the blanks get filled. Sorry it's on the longish side. I wasn't happy with any break.

"Hey, there's Claud." Myka pointed to the single body sitting at a table, daypack at her feet. She chuckled at the sight. "I can't get used to her with a daypack at her feet instead of a computer in front of her."

"Well, I am starving, thanks to you." Helena walked ahead to take a seat at the table, putting one arm around the young woman quickly before sitting. "Good morning, Claudia. How are you? What is on the menu for this morning?"

"Oh hey, guys. You're back earlier than I thought." She poured two more glasses of fresh orange juice as Myka took the seat across from Helena. "How was it over there?"

Myka instantly regretted her choice of seats the minute Helena opened her mouth. "Oh, very stimulating and more than satisfying, dear. Myka has proven herself very nimble, well focused, enthusiastic and rather creative."

"Well, yeah. She usually is. Kind of a requirement for the field, isn't it?"

Myka instantly shot out of her chair to sit beside Helena, kicking her as she sat down. "Hiking, Claud. There are a lot of really nice trails over there. Nice and quiet. Peaceful. If you get a chance, you should take a day in the preserve."

"So that's why you look so tired. Steve and I are on our way to see how far up Mt. Teide we can get. The weather hasn't been very cooperative, so we're going to give it another try. We've had a lot of fun in the park though and we've just kind of explored in the afternoons since he still won't go hang gliding."

Myka yawned, putting her chin in her hand listening to their adventures of the two days.

"Dude, you really need to go take a nap. Those must have been some long trails."

Helena had already slid down in the chair, her head held up by the edge of the back. "Oh, some of them were rather extensive. I would even…"

Myka kicked her before she got any further and plastered a fake, bright smile on her face. "Some of them are pretty rugged. So, you guys are off for the day, then?"

"Yeah, I'm just waiting for Steve to come back for breakfast. It's his day to do the shopping, so it'll be a while. Seriously, I'm out of here. Go take a nap." Claudia insisted. She laughed at them. "You're both falling asleep in your chairs."

"You're probably right, Claudia. Come on, Helena. I need sleep." Helena had already dragged herself out of her chair, picking up their bag, and was half way to the stairs. "I think she meant to say good-bye and have a good time."

Claudia laughed. "She looks like something the cat dragged in. See you guys for dinner?"

"Maybe. Have fun."

Helena dropped the bag on the floor, changed and sprawled out on the bed before Myka finished changing.

"Move over, your sharing now remember? You can do that when we get home." Helena moved just enough for Myka to wiggle some room before pushing the smaller body over. "Are you even still awake?" Helena mumbled something unintelligible before snuggling into Myka's side, using her shoulder as a pillow. With her right arm she made a halfhearted attempt to stroke Myka's other shoulder before her hand went limp, finally succumbing to her fatigue. Myka smiled as she rested her head against the one on her shoulder, drifting off just as quickly as her companion.

She sensed more than felt the shift from under her before the tingling started up her spine, a light scrape of a finger nail slowly passing over each vertebrae. Helena managed to stretch her leaden arms, still heavy with sleep, above her head unsure yet if she was awake or dreaming in a half state of consciousness.

Her mind fought the inner battle between the desire to sleep and enjoy the dream or waking up to the possibility of an empty reality. The bed shifted before warm air danced at her ear. "Are you awake yet?" She moaned in response, desperately fighting off sleep. Soft kisses traveled down her neck and across her shoulders as the fog of sleep dissipated.

Dark hair was pushed aside as teeth nibbled on the tender skin, softened by warm kisses. Groaning loudly into the pillow, she bent her head forward, small shivers extending down her spine. "You know what that does to me," she groaned louder into the pillow.

"I know very well what this does to you." Myka chuckled softly against her neck. "I plan to use it to my advantage, just as soon as we get this shirt off." Warm hands traveled up her sides as they pulled at the hem sliding it off over her head. Warm lips returned to the base of Helena's spine, feathering a path back to her neck as she lay powerless, melting into the mattress.

"This is going to be used against me for the rest of my life, isn't it?" Helena mumbled.

Myka lightly bit down on the back of her neck. Leaning over her, she whispered into Helena's ear, "Oh, you can count on it. You have no idea how much I enjoy doing this, but I plan on you finding out."

She never had a chance to say anything before coming to a screeching halt at the end of the entry hall, dropping her pack. Frozen in place, her eyes uncontrollably focused on the scene in front of her, like a zoom lens at a sporting event.

Myka had one arm grappled around Helena's shoulder and back as the other hand disappeared between her legs, an attentive mouth eliciting deep groans between the heavy panting resonating beneath her. Hands braced against the headboard, heels digging into the mattress, and dark hair spread across the pillow, Helena threw her head back, face strained. Arching her back, she choked out a loud cry, "Oh God…" and crashed back on the bed, shuddering with aftershocks. Her hands fell limply to her sides; one landing on Myka's back following the movement of the body above her, powerless. Myka chuckled as she continued a wet trail of kisses down the woman's damp, flushed body, following an uncharted journey downwards along her ribs. Stopping at her navel momentarily, she continued her exploration towards the abandoned warmth now free of her hand.

Helena lay motionless, gasping for air, eyes closed to the light surrounding them. She turned her head to the side with a silly smile on her face, giggling, opening her eyes to watch Myka's lingering journey. "Oh my God," she husked, seeing Claudia standing frozen in shock.

"So I've heard, numerous times," Myka murmured on her way to more endless wonders.

Trying to formulate coherent thoughts between the forever failing attempts to regain her breath, she managed once again, more seriously, "No… Myka…Oh God…stop...Claudia…"

"I know you don't want me to stop."

"No, stop." More sobered, gaining some control, "Claudia…here. No…Myka, stop." Still panting, she managed to capture the Myka's head nearly at its destination, burying her hands in her hair, turning Myka's head to face the horrified, unsuspecting guest. She threw one of her arms over her eyes.

"Oh, my God….Claudia…" Myka choked out reaching for the wayward sheet for some semblance of coverage.

"Uh," Claudia, gulping loudly, roused herself from the unexpected shock and brain freeze, rushing out the door.

"Shit!" Myka exclaimed, throwing herself on her back beside Helena, throwing her arm across her face as well. "Shit, shit, shit." Myka started to get up to go after the poor girl.

Sitting up, Helena grabbed her forearm, pulling her back on the bed. "She's gone, Myka. You'll never find her. Let her go." She wrapped her arms around her knees, resting her forehead on them. "I think Claudia may have just had the biggest shock in her life," she mumbled.

"What am I supposed to say to her now? Assuming I ever see her again." Kneeling in front of her, Myka rested her own forehead against the other woman's head.

"I believe you mean us, darling. Last I knew there were two parties in this bed and I don't make a habit of three."

"Really, Helena? Was that comment even necessary?" Myka jumped out of the bed.

Lifting her head from her knees, she looked seriously at the now open mouthed woman staring at her. "Well, it has been known to happen…"

"I really did not need to know that. I'm going to try to find Claudia." Myka went into the bathroom, turning on the shower as Helena fell back on the bed with a heavy sigh, covering her face with both hands.

"You do realize you won't find her until she wants to be found!" Helena yelled at the woman in the bathroom.

Myka came around the corner and stared at the still flushed body laying across the bed, obviously in her own deep thoughts. "I need to try."

Steve answered the loud pounding on the door. Opening it, he looked into wide, blank eyes.

"Claudia, what's the matter?" He pulled her into the room quickly.

"It's not just make-out sessions and holding hands. Steve, I walked in on them. I mean, I really walked in on them while they were…you know…in the middle of…Oh, God. I think I'm going to be sick. I'm so embarrassed."

"Hold on, let me get you some water. Go sit down." He grabbed a bottle of water and sat down next to her on the bed. "Now, start from the beginning."

"I went back to the room, the room I share with Myka and HG, to get the stuff I forgot for our hike, and they were…you know… doing it. Dude, I walked in on them right in the middle..." She shuddered. "They were supposed to be taking a nap. I'm so embarrassed. I'll never be able to look them in the face again. Did you know?"

Trying to keep a straight face, he put his arm around her. "Nope. I guess this place has a way of speeding things along in the romance department." Claudia groaned, face red. "I'm sorry, Claud. That had to be really...awkward. Think how they feel, though."

"Couldn't they have put a tie on the door, at least? They were supposed to be napping! How was I supposed to know 'Do not disturb' really meant 'DO NOT DISTURB'?"

Steve laughed. "I'm kind of guessing they really were not expecting things to go this fast, so they didn't think of packing a tie. And sometimes a nap unexpectedly progresses into, um...'Do not disturb' when you least expect it to."

Claudia buried her head in his arm. "Can I stay here? There is no way I can sleep there now. I'm so glad I took the roll out."

"Yeah, you can stay here. You are going to have to face them at some point you know. It's going to be just as hard for them as it is you, if not more so."

"I know. Can we just go somewhere else for now? Do some touristy things. We can't go hiking... my stuff is still in the room."

"Yeah, come on. Let's go exploring. I heard about a great little bistro and there are some great churches, too."

"No nude beaches!"

"No nude beaches."

No one met up for dinner together that night. Steve decided to go out for a walk and study the night life on his own thanks to the bar manager. Claudia wanted to clear the air with Myka and HG before it got too thick to bare and she wanted to collect her belongings to give the women space. She just didn't feel comfortable staying after the unexpected interruption earlier in the day.

When she got to the room it was empty, so she started gathering her things, throwing them in her bag. She had just gathered the last of her toiletries from the bathroom when Myka entered the room. Claudia turned to see her leaning against the bathroom door, arms protectively wrapped around herself.

"Hey, Claudia…"

"Myka…I was just getting my stuff. I'm gonna go bunk in with Steve, no offense."

"You don't have to, but I completely understand. I'm really, really sorry you walked in on…that. We were not being very respectful of you at all. It just kind of..." Myka blushed remembering the horrific event. Staring at the floor now, she traced the cracks in the tiles with her eyes for a moment before rushing forward. "You said you were going for a hike with Steve and you had your bag with you when we saw you and then one thing led to another and…well. I am so, so sorry. God, I can't even imagine what it was like for you."

"I forgot some stuff for the hike and came back. You said you were going to take a nap. I was just trying to sneak in and grab it quick without disturbing you. Kind of a big shock. I didn't mean to stare, and I wasn't there that long, I just couldn't move. I'm really sorry. You probably think I'm some kind of pervert." Claudia rambled on quickly before sitting on the edge of the counter not looking at the older woman. "How was I supposed to know you really meant Do Not Disturb?"

"It wasn't really our intentions. We really did take a nap, but then we sort of woke up, and well...And no, you are not a perv. If it had been Pete, then maybe." She smiled at the redhead. "Are you okay?"

"Well, I'm really, really embarrassed, but yeah, I'm mostly okay. Like I said before, I'm really happy for you guys. I just didn't expect, well, you know…that." She made an expansive motion with her hand chuckling now.

Feeling a release in the tension, Myka laughed too. "Well, I have to tell you, Claud, that it was certainly the last thing we expected." Sobering, she added, "Helena wanted to be part of this conversation, too, but I have no idea where she is. I went looking for you and she wasn't here when I got back."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure, why not, you've pretty much witnessed everything you possibly can by now."

"When did you guys, like, take the big plunge?"

"It wasn't the first time, if that's what you're asking." She stared at the ceiling. "Not that it is really any of your business, but shortly after arriving." She slid down the edge of the door and leaned her head back against it.

"La Palma?" Myka stared up at another spot on the ceiling. "Yup, that answers that question. No wonder you were so tired. Hiking trails…that's a good one. Oh, man. HG and her frakking word games. Now I feel really stupid."

"We did actually go hiking. And why are we talking about my sex life?!" Claudia just looked at her dumbfounded. "Yeah, right. Look, Claudia, I know I, or rather we, haven't been the most up front about all of this and I should have said something before we got here. It didn't work out the way it should have. It's just kind of new and really, really different. For both of us. And I don't mean because she's a she. It's something else and I don't think we know what IT is exactly. It's scary. Look, I should have tried harder to talk to you. There really isn't much of an excuse except I've been a little preoccupied."

"She can be a little preoccupying, I'll give you that."

"I didn't expect things to work out like they did on La Palma. We were going day by day and then…things kind of moved a little faster than we expected." She stared at the corner of the door frame, examining the dings in the wood, arms resting on her drawn up knees. "Maybe too fast. But for crying out loud, this place is a paradise. I don't expect you to understand. Honestly, I'm not sure that I do. Helena and I have danced around ourselves for so long, and now that we've, or more accurately, I've finally addressed the whole thing, it just feels like we've been together forever. Everything has fallen into place."

Claudia dropped down on the cold, white tiled floor to kneel by her friend. Placing a hand on one of the arms on her knees, Myka turned to look at her. "Myka, do you love her?"

Myka stared at her. No one had actually asked her that one important question. "Yes, I really do."

Claudia smiled at her squeezing her arm. "Then it makes sense to me. You guys are in sync now. It took HG over a century to regain her footing and find her place in time. You're a part of that." The girl wrinkled her nose. "I just really don't need to be that close to it."

"And three is a crowd?" Myka asked smiling now, trying not to remember Helena's earlier, if unintentional admission.

"Yeah, I think right now it is. You need me out of here as much as I need not to be here, because I really don't need a repeat performance."

"Can't say I do either." Myka stood up, pulling Claudia up off the floor. "When did you turn into the grown up?"

"I have my moments."

Claudia finished throwing her stuff together as Myka watched. "Claudia, I'm starving, how about you? It looks like our twins have ditched us."

"I can eat. Guess all that exercise works up an appetite, huh?" She smirked.

"Claudia…" Myka warned, opening the door. "You have no idea," she mumbled at the door under her breath as she locked it behind them.

"Hey, Helena, what are you doing here alone?" Steve saw her sitting outside the bar on his evening walk.

She lifted a glass in greeting. "Ron Miel." He gave her a strange look. "Honey rum. Would you like some?" Not waiting for an answer she went in for another glass and a bottle, while he sat down.

"I guess my answer is, yes."

"You will not be disappointed." Refilling her own glass, she pushed his over to him, smiling at his surprised pleasure, and then proceeded to top it off.

"So, why are you here alone? Where's Myka?"

"Ah, searching for our lovely Claudia. I'm sure you've heard all about this afternoon's excitement."

"Oh, did I ever. We ended up playing tourists. I think she's still in a little shock. That must have been some surprise for you guys."

"It was indeed. I would say the high point was rather short-lived. Not quite the same after that. I admit to having been in more compromising situations before. Myka is taking it rather hard. I'm afraid she may be in just as much shock as poor Claudia. I've tried to convince her that when Claudia is ready to be found, Myka will find her. Until then, here I am." She filled her glass again.

"HG, just how much of this have you had?" Steve filled his glass again.

"Oh, quite a bit. It is good, isn't it?" She filled her glass again.

"Claudia moved in with me. She feels a little uncomfortable, for obvious reasons, and to prevent any further accidental interruptions. She kind of got the idea it wasn't a one-time thing." He took a sip of his drink.

"No, that it was not and I pray it was not the last. Further precautions can certainly be made, but I can understand that she would likely want to stay elsewhere." She released a deep breath, looking off into the plaza watching happy people stroll by, a smile of her own appearing on her face recalling the past few days.

"Not that it's any of my business, but were you guys, you know, back home?"

"Oh, no! We were hardly ready for that. I'm not entirely sure we were when we arrived in this paradise, but it seems to have had that effect. These things do happen. Yet it's so much more. La Palma is a wonderful place." She frowned now, wondering if they had been too hasty in succumbing to their own desires.

"This thing with Myka is pretty serious then? Not that I thought otherwise…but, obviously you've taken the next step."

"Hmm. The next step. Is that what it's called? I hadn't really thought about it that way before. I've never actually pursued a serious relationship before now. I've never thought of myself in such a way. Simply enjoyed the generally, selective, quiet indiscretion here and there. At least until Christina was born. By then, my attractions were fairly well determined after that." She sat thinking, staring at the glass in her hand. With quickly glazing eyes, she tilted her head looking up at him. "Steve, I've never felt this way about anyone. I love Myka. I'm not entirely sure what I'm supposed to be doing and I don't want to...screw it up. I've waited so long for her. I feel like I'm stumbling around, and not because of this wonderful beverage." She smiled at him.

"HG, I don't think anyone ever does, at least not when it matters the most. Have you asked Myka how she feels? There are two of you in this, you know. I'm guessing she's feeling a little overwhelmed, too. You should probably ask. Hey, is the bottle empty?" Looking at it closely he expressed his disappointment.

"Where were you headed, Steve?"

"Oh, just off to this place I was told about. A, uh, mixed bar."

"What is that?" HG asked curiously.

"Oh, just a place that caters to a mixed variety of clientele. Gay, straight, guys, girls..."

"That sounds marvelous. Do they have wine as well?"

Steve looked at her oddly. "I suppose. Do you want to go dancing, HG?"

"What are we waiting for?" Standing up, she wrapped her arm around his. "Lead the way."

Myka could hear the singing coming down the hall. Rolling her eyes, she opened the door before Steve had a chance to knock.

"Hi, Myka. Look what I found for you. I came across a stray pet on the streets with its head half way down a bottle of honey rum. Thought you might want it back."

"What is she singing?" she asked incredulous, but thankful it was more of a murmur as opposed to the full voice she'd heard coming down the hallway.

"Best I could come up with is an old Victorian dirty ditty. I gave up trying to shut her up and I couldn't find anything to use as a gag. Where do you want her?"

"Just drop it on the bed. I'll deal with it later." She shook her head, speechless at the sight.

Steve had a goofy face of his own as he let Helena fall on the bed face forward. At least the singing was muffled.

Myka looked at the usually stolid man and crossed her arms across her chest, eyebrows creeping up her forehead. "Do I want to know?"

Obviously tipsy himself, he started explaining. "Probably not, but I'm sure you'll want to remind her because I'm pretty sure she won't remember tomorrow. I'm not really sure I will. I found her in the plaza on my way to a, uh, mixed bar. We had some Ron Meil, or rather I helped her finish her bottle…really good stuff by the way, and then we went dancing and she made a lot of friends. I'm still wondering how she learned to dance like that, but she's really good." Myka glared at him. "Umm, not those sort of friends…though, her hands were a little free, uh, was that my outside voice? Oops. No, everything is cool, not so free." He took a big breath before rushing on. "ANYway…had some wine when we were there, and kind of stumbled home. She started singing half way back. Ouch!" Myka punched him. "Hey, I'm not Pete."

"Pete would have brought her back, not out dancing!" She looked at the heap on the bed, finally quiet. "Sooo…basically, what you're saying is the two of you went partying?"

"Huh, I guess when you put it that way…It's a really good bar. You should come out with us next time." He stood there still with a goofy grin then laughed out loud. "Ha, ha…come out with us…get it? Ouch! Yeah, I guess you got it."

"There isn't going to be a next time! Claudia is waiting for you. Good night."

"Oh, she caught up with you? Yeah, right. We talked this afternoon before becoming tourists, then I came across the singing Victorian. Everything go okay with Claud? I'm glad she found you. Poor Claud…I can't even imagine…not that I am…Ouch…I'm not Pete!" He rubbed his progressively bruising arm. "If it makes you feel better, Helena was pretty upset. From what I gather, for more reasons than just a certain someone interrupting a, uh, pretty intimate moment. Not that you're asking or anything, but I think you need to tell her what's going on in your head. Things have moved a lot faster for you than for her…gotta be overwhelming."

"Good night, Steve."

"Yeah, right, okay. Well, Claudia's staying with me now, I guess, so you two have fun." They heard a loud snore from the bed. Laughing for no reason, he stumbled out the door. "Have fun with that one." He laughed again and began singing to himself, "There's friggin' in the riggin', There's …"

With very little help from Helena, Myka stripped her down, fed her some aspirin with a few glasses of water and threw the covers over her drunken Victorian. Laying down on the short roll out Claudia had slept on, she shook her head staring at the snoring form on the other bed. "Is this some sort of test?" She asked the ceiling and then pulled a pillow over her head to block out the noise.

Myka came out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel from her shower when she heard the groan from the bed. She went to the windows and opened the drapes wide, allowing the bright sun to shine right in the middle of the bed. The lump groaned again, pulling the sheet up over her head. Not satisfied in the least, Myka took a flying leap, landing next to her lovely lump, on her knees. Yanking the sheet away, she brightly greeted Helena. "Good morning there, Champ! Want to explain to me what exactly the Hell happened to you last night? I'm kind of guessing, you don't remember. Oh, but someone filled in some of the details for me. Nice song by the way. Did you learn that from one of your, what did Artie say, less respectable indiscretions? Or was it a three way?!" Helena tried to grab a pillow for her head, but Myka was too quick, throwing it across the room. "I hear you have some fancy free hands. Now, I personally am very familiar with how fancy those hands can be, far beyond the whole introductory handcuff escape 101. Exactly how free were those hands last night?"

"Oh, shit."

"Is that, 'Oh, shit, I'm in trouble' or 'Oh, shit, I feel like it?' I'm going to guess a little of both." She smacked Helena on her butt.

Helena attempted to jump out of bed, but ended up on her now stinging bare ass. Myka stared her down with the coldest stare Helena had ever seen come from the face in front of her. "Care to start explaining? Oh, thanks for the chat with Claudia WE were supposed to have. Everything is mostly okay. Have fun with Steve last night?"

Helena just fell back on the floor. "Myka, could we please hold off on this until I can actually get up off the floor?"

Myka went into the bathroom and came back, throwing a cold glass of water in the woman's face on the floor.

"Bloody Hell!" she sputtered, jumping up trying to rub the water out of her eyes.

"Looks like you're off the floor. Now out with it." She picked up the clothes from the floor, throwing them at her. "Put these on, please. I'm not having this discussion while you're naked. For the first time in my experience, though I admit limited, you didn't help a lot getting them off last night."

Helena smirked at her. "Helena, do not piss me off anymore than I already am."

Helena semi-dressed, sat on the bed leaning heavily against the headboard. Drawing up her knees, she set her head in her hand, resting an elbow on one knee. Myka went back to the bathroom grabbing a robe for herself, returning with a full glass of water and more aspirin.

"Thank you," Helena whispered.

"Now talk," Myka asked more calmly.

Not getting any response, Myka forced her point. "I understand your hands were rather distracted last night. Why were you out…partying, with Steve last night only to return singing what can only be described as dirty ditties? Management is not happy."

"Oh my. Did I really?"

"Oh, yes, with Steve's help. I'm pretending he wasn't partly responsible now, but what happened to trust, Helena. You were the one offended by Artie's assumptions. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe Artie was right, and I can't trust you. Is that the case Helena? Because if it is, we have a huge problem here. Now, start talking!"

"Those are harsh words, though rightfully deserved it appears," Helena croaked out. Drinking more water, she tried to ease the scratch in her throat from the previous evening. "Dirty ditties? Really?" She scrunched up her face looking at Myka's disapproving face. "Well then, I am sorry. As far as 'free hands' are concerned there may have been a bit of exaggeration on Steven's part. His were well enough occupied to notice what mine were doing."

"Hmmm. He seemed a bit surprised he let it slip…exactly how free were those hands, dear? I'm losing my patience."

"Well, you are sadly mistaken if you call this patience…"

"Helena…" She'd never heard that voice uttered from Myka's mouth before and hoped she never would again.

"Perhaps, just a little." Helena dropped her head on her knees speaking into her legs. "There was no groping if that is what you are asking, and there was certainly nothing as appealing or desirable as you, nor did I seek it out. It was nothing more than a little flirtation that was willingly returned!" She turned her head, resting her cheek on one knee, eyes pleading with her. "Myka, I am truly sorry. Perhaps Artie is right after all and I am nothing more than a common whore."

Feeling overcome, she dragged herself out of bed. She turned towards Myka with tired, sad eyes. "I'm going to take a shower. If you wish to continue this conversation, and I very much do, please stay. I will understand if you are not here when I come out. If it matters at all, I have waited for only you since the day you tried to handcuff me. I may have played Pete, but, for whatever unknown reason I don't understand, I could not resist you." She dropped her head down in defeat. Lifting it again, she took a deep breath, briefly closing her eyes before looking straight at the furious woman before her. "Myka, I do love you, beyond a doubt, with all of who I am; all of the good and all of the bad. That is all of me. I've never been able to say that to anyone. Ever. Not once in my whole existence, in this century or another, and that terrifies me." She stripped off what little clothing she wore on her way to the bathroom, dropping it behind in her wake before quietly latching the door.

Myka stared at the trail of clothing thinking through those final words. She couldn't remember a single moment in all the time she had known her that Helena Wells had ever admitted to being scared. She had seen it on her face, but never once had she ever verbalized it.

What a new world of surprises and unknowns they had entered. H.G Wells, the strong, smart and charming woman she fell for, now shy, anxious and scared over a four letter word. Love. Could Myka hold that against her? Was she herself not just as overwhelmed? Had she not thrown herself feet first into something she denied until three weeks ago?

Deep in these thoughts, Myka finished dressing just as she heard the shower turn off. Wanting nothing more than to walk out the door, her heart told her she had always been in this for the long run, from the day she watched this woman walk away from her handcuffs. What a bizarre courtship this had been. She smiled at that thought. She sat down by the window waiting.

Helena walked out of the bathroom in a towel, dark wet hair dripping down her back. Seeing Myka sitting in the chair waiting, she momentarily froze before a hesitant smile, yet to reach her eyes, appeared on her face. She came before Myka and kneeled down in front of her, placing her wet head on her lap. "Helena, I would think at your age you would have at least learned to dry your hair or didn't they believe in that in the 19th century?" Myka placed a hand on the wet head.

Not moving, Myka felt the smile before the soft voice spoke. "Someone else already used the remaining towels, I assume for her own wet head."

Myka was able to reach a towel she had discarded earlier and placed it over the dripping head. "Turn around." She started to gently rub the long hair dry with the towel while they sat in silence. "Do you have a comb?" Helena got up to retrieve the item from the bathroom, returning dressed in a robe, to sit in front of her as Myka started the tedious task of combing out the dark hair.

"I'm scared too, Helena," Myka started

"I am…" Helena started to turn around.

"Hush." Myka turned her head back and continued her task. "Let me speak, please. You need to know how I feel. I'm scared, too. But I'm in this for the long haul. I accept and love all of who you are, except for hands that take liberties when they shouldn't, regardless of how exaggerated that incident may have been. Are we clear on that?" Helena quickly nodded her head. "We have probably moved a lot faster than we would have had we been home in lovely South Dakota now. A lot has happened to me in the last three weeks. I've gone from denial to lover in that span of time with someone I've essentially been courting for years, one of which you weren't really around for! Can't change that now, and I'm not sure that I would want to. You are rather irresistible and quite endearing in a way when you get yourself into trouble. I'm never going to deny those very beautiful and skilled hands any freedom when it comes to me, but only me. You can't just run away anymore from emotional issues Helena. You've never verbalized fear to me before. You can still trust me. So what happened yesterday?"

Helena leaned back against Myka's shins resting her cheek on her knees. Tipping her head she looked into Myka's eyes for a moment. "I am sorry, Myka. It was not intentional. I would say a great deal of honey rum was a factor in my latter actions and that is not an excuse, merely a fact. You'd been gone quite some time looking for Claudia. I waited in the front lobby before finally giving up. I assume from what you said earlier that you did catch up with her?"

"Yes. I wished you'd been there too, and I think Claudia would have appreciated it, but she's okay. Just don't expect her to look you in the face for a while. You were after all the main attraction." They both laughed.

"Oh, you are wicked sometimes. Sadly, it is not the first time I was the main attraction, but I certainly hope it is the last."

"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. Actually, can we just say that you lived a, what do we refer to it as...Ah, yes, 'a less than conventional life' and I don't need to know the details of your paramours beyond that?" Myka pleaded.

"Quite possibly. I've already acknowledged it is not something I am proud of now, but it is the reality of my past. Myka, you are not a game to me nor a passing pleasure." As Myka started running her fingers through the damp hair to dry it more quickly, Helena leaned deeper between her legs up against the chair. "The whole incident made me wonder if maybe we had rushed forward more quickly than was prudent, but it seems affairs of the heart are rarely rational, especially when one finds herself in a new age of such sexual freedom. Myka, dear, I'm sure I've said this before, but you must believe me when I say that I've never had nor wanted a true relationship with another person, and I'm not entirely sure I am adequately prepared for one. Yes, I am scared. I fear I will lose you one more time and this time I will not be so lucky in getting you back."

"Helena, look at me." Turning, she kneeled in front of Myka sitting on the bottoms of her bare feet looking up at her. "Do you think I don't have those same fears? I don't know that anyone is ever ready. We just stumble through the best we can. Together."

She stood up, pulling Helena up with her. With a surprised squeal, Helena quickly found herself quickly stripped of her robe and pushed back on the bed. Myka fell next to her with a sly grin on her face. "Now about those hands you are so free with…"