Disclaimer: I still 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: So, the team has loosened up on the beverages of their choice. The sun has helped as well. We're just about to the end I think, unless they have more beans in the pot that they have not shared yet. Thanks to all comments and reviews. Always appreciated and considered. It always helps to know specifics to help me gauge the extent of my success in presenting my thoughts and consider alternative approaches to clarify the less successful attempts. Keep laughing.
She woke up to find the back of her head cradled in the crook of Helena's shoulder and wrapped in the woman's arms, right arm covering her own. The sun fell high from the sky, still shining through the windows creating the private shelter they lay in. Resting in the quiet comfort of the body beside her, Myka memorized the feel of the expanding rib cage with each deep breath. Life. She was absorbing the life of the woman she loved. Smiling with that thought, she carefully shifted slightly onto her side, placing more weight on her shoulder and increasing the contact of her back against Helena's side. The breathing remained calm and deep with no change in rhythm, but she sensed a change, and didn't believe she was still asleep.
Picking up Helena's left hand from her ribs, she began to closely examine the hand and arm with her finger tips; tracing the scars, both old and new, some she'd never noticed before, the fingers and crevices of her hand, and then continued up her arm following the lengths of tendons and purple blue veins. The breathing pattern beneath her shifted, becoming deeper, yet remained calm and even as before.
"I can feel you staring," Myka spoke to the hand in her own.
Helena shifted to her side with a deep sigh, pulling her closer and claiming Myka's legs with her own. She casually stroked Myka's hip and abdomen and wherever else her free hand could reach, enjoying the quite interlude. She cleared her throat, voice still weighed down with sleep. "I thought that was my line."
"Only when I'm doing the staring. How long have you been watching?" Myka continued her inspection.
"I thought you said staring. You seem to enjoy examining my hands. You do it often."
"I didn't think I could move without waking you. You fake sleep well, but not well enough for me."
"I know. So my question…why so fascinated with my hands?"
Myka shrugged as she kissed the wrist in her hand. "They're beautiful; soft, long fingers, fine boned, delicate yet strong, but mostly because they tell a story. I wonder what those stories are. You've earned a lot of scars over the past year. I know nothing about them. The sun has brought more of them to life with what little tan you've gotten here. And don't think I can't tell you've been to that beach with Steve. I'm not sure how comfortable I am, knowing that he has seen as much of you as I have."
She laughed as heartily as the residue of sleep allowed. "I assure you, he has not seen nearly as much of me as you have. You have been granted a much more intimate view than he ever will, or want either." She kissed the top of the head on her shoulder. As Myka's examination continued, her free hand made its own journey higher up the body against her.
"I should smack you for that comment. This one here?" Myka sighed as she leaned into the meandering hand as she traced a faint white line on the meaty part of Helena's palm beneath the thumb.
"That was a small miscalculation on my part. I grasped a pipe with a very sharp burr during a rather acrobatic escape."
"You? A 'miscalculation'? Doing what?" She lay back into her previous position allowing the roving hand greater access.
"I told you, escaping. Sorry, dear, the rest is classified." Helena's hand moved higher to the now exposed collarbone, receiving another sigh for her efforts.
"Hmmm...and this one here?" This time she traced a long, fine line down the inner wrist and forearm near the long purple veins.
"Oh. That one was a little too close for comfort. I certainly do not wish to repeat such a clear view of the internal workings of those particular veins. Again, classified." Sensing a stiffening in Myka's body, and predicting where this conversation was leading, she stopped her own exploration to hold her closer, curling around her now.
"Elbow?"
"I fell off of a horse when I was eight. We didn't quite make the approach to a small hedge at my cousins'. Left hip was a broken gate during Warehouse 12. I know you noticed because you spend a great deal of time there, which I must admit I've enjoyed immensely." She smiled down at Myka. "Oh, yes, and the top of my right foot. I dropped a very hot cup of tea on my bare foot when Christina startled me coming through the door in a rampage when she was...five, I think."
Myka turned in Helena's arms pulling the left shoulder towards her to expose her next query. "I'm going to assume this one here," she kissed the relatively new jagged scar down the length of her scapula, "is also classified?" Helena nodded. Letting go of the shoulder, but circling the scar with her finger tips, Myka squinted at the smaller woman next to her in thought. Helena calmly looked back awaiting the next question; the question she'd anticipated weeks earlier. "Am I always going to be left home alone, worrying for your life every time you do your jobs on the side for them? A lot of good kempo seems to do for you."
Helena rolled over onto Myka kissing her deeply before answering. "Kempo kept me alive. It did not prevent the scars. You have new scars, too. There is one on your lower right back, and don't ask how I know it wasn't there before, as I do not wish to confess at this time." She smiled wickedly at the raised eyebrow before kissing the mark on the side of her neck. "That scar was not there when we worked on Joshua's Trumpet, and the one on your left inner mid-calf is fairly recent from the looks of it and required sutures." Myka looked perplexed at that revelation. Helena explained grinning, "I spent a great deal of time closely examining that spot myself recently and I can still make out the marks from the sutures."
Helena brought her hand up to Myka's face trying to brush the worry away with the backs of her fingers. "Do you honestly think that either one of us will not worry about the other when doing our jobs? We took on that risk of our own free will, and neither of us would ask the other to not do so. As it is, I have worried about you for a very long time and I would probably be accurate in my assessment that you have returned that anxiety as well." Myka smiled back at the face above her, confirming the suspicion. "If it makes you feel any better, I've already discussed with the Regents the future of those side jobs after I was ill. We have scheduled future discussions as well. I have a concrete reason to want to come home more than ever before."
Helena moved in front of Myka, pulling her up into her arms and wrapping her legs tightly around her waist. Staring intently into the eyes before her, she adamantly announced without hesitation, "I love you, Myka Ophelia Bering. I have every intention of coming home to you and you'd best have every intention of coming home to me. It's taken me too damn long to find you."
Before Myka could respond, she forcefully drew her head to her, zealously kissing her, not wanting to let go. Before letting go of her lips, Helena's hands began to diligently familiarize herself again with the body in her arms, stopping to explore more thoroughly those spots that especially reacted to her touch. Her hand having reached its final destination, she latched her mouth onto the neck now bending back exposing its length to her. "I would like to make love to you, Myka Bering," she whispered into the ear of her speechless lover.
Gasping for air, Myka choked out, "We…were supposed…to…meet…the others..."
Helena shook her head. "No. I don't care. We need this." Clasping onto Myka's mouth again, she refused to let go.
Steve raised his hand to get their attention from the pool side table. From the smile on his face, Myka was beginning to wonder how much the canary population had dropped since his arrival. "Thought we'd be seeing you two earlier, but obviously you found other things to occupy your time." Helena returned his smirk, raising an eyebrow.
Claudia turned around to greet them and immediately emulated Steve's face. "Wow, Mykes. Nice hickey. Good thing Pete's not here or you'd never hear the end of it." She couldn't help but snort at Myka's shock. She obviously had no clue.
Steve spoke up still smiling. "Nice work, HG. Anything else we need to know about?" Realizing that was the last thing he should have said he quickly added with great sincerity. "It's not that bad, Myka. Besides, we're in Tenerife. They're all the rage if you look closely enough." He was trying to bend his neck subtly enough to get her attention. At her raised eyebrows he knew she saw his hint. What he didn't expect was her reaction.
"And how old is yours, Steve?"
"Fair enough. Want some lunch? I'm guessing you've got quite an appetite," he said smoothly.
As if on cue, Helena's stomach growled as she sat down. "Well, I for one can attest to her appetite."
"Come on guys, is this all you're going to do now…talk about sex?" Claudia protested.
"Call it a growth spurt, darling. Besides, you did start it," Helena reminded her. "And yes, Steve is right about my handy work."
"No ego there…do I need to kick you?" Myka warned her, but smiled at the same time recalling just how good her handy work really was.
"Can we please change the topic? I thought we were relaxing by the pool today, 'cause I'm going to tell you I think I actually tired myself out playing on this island."
"I think they have, too." Steve snorted looking at the menu.
Desperately trying to ignore him, Claudia continued, "You're not dressed in your suits."
"Ah, well, that would bring us back to the topic that you are doing a fair job of changing," Helena commented.
Claudia sat perplexed for a moment before throwing her menu down. "Fine. I give up. Spill it and get it over with."
"Oh, it's nothing, really. You wanted to know why we were not dressed in our suits. It has to do with someone's appetite."
"HG, just spill it, 'cause it's probably going to embarrass the Hell out of Myka," Claudia insisted wanting to get it over with, but enjoying the game as well.
Everyone turned to Myka who had turned red at the very beginning of the conversation. Myka stared at the menu in her hands ignoring them when the other two turned to HG.
"What?" Helena returned their looks. "Alright then. Apparently, I seem to have fallen in love with a biter and I do not wish to expose the extent of Myka's dental records. A lady does have her standards. If you find me dead, you'll be able to identify me with them."
Steve burst out laughing, drawing the attention of the nearby patrons. Just for fun, he leaned over and picked up her pony tail to confirm the marks on the back of her neck before bursting into laughter again.
"I really didn't need to know that," Claudia moaned.
"You did ask." Helena cocked her head at the young red faced woman across from her.
Not lifting her head from the menu, Myka added dryly with a smirk on her own face. "And in exchange, I got a blood drawing scratcher. Seems like an even trade to me. I might have to take up some scratching myself." She lifted her head as Steve went from a laugh to an outright roar, tears streaming down his face. "Anyone else for a pitcher of sangria to start our lazy afternoon?"
Claudia slid down her chair. "I'm learning way too much about you all on this trip. Make it two pitchers."
"Come on Claudia, we said we'd meet them there half an hour ago." Myka pounded on the door.
The door flung open. "Hold on to your panties, I'm not your Hottie. I'm ready." Myka glared at her as she came out the door. "Uh, did I say Hottie? I mean your girl, uh…your uh…I'm ready. Let's go." She quickly took the lead feeling the continued glare on her back.
"Do you know where we're going?" Myka finally asked.
"Yeah, Steve took me by earlier today. I really can't believe you let her go ahead without you, considering the earlier events of the …"
"Claudia…" came the warning before she could stop herself.
"Sorry. I'm just saying."
"I know what you're saying. It's fine. Let's just have some fun. We'll be back to lovely Univille before we know it."
"Now that's a way to kill an evening before it starts. Not unlike walking in your bedroom to find your friends..."
"Claudia!" Myka stopped short. "You know, we really need to talk about that some more." She put her arm over the woman's shoulder pulling her into a hug.
"Nope. I'm good. Scarred, but I'm good."
"You can't even look Helena in the face, Claud!"
"What do you expect? I saw her in the middle of…Can we just drop this conversation? I really want to forget the whole thing." Myka felt the shudder in the redhead's shoulders, and shook her head. She knew if she wanted to talk she would come find her. Until then she agreed to drop the subject. It wasn't like she wasn't still mortified over the event herself. More annoying was it didn't seem to bother Helena much beyond having upset Claudia.
They heard the music down the street before arriving at the bar. It was busy, but not so crowded to be claustrophobic. They easily located Steve at the bar getting an order of drinks. Seeing them, he turned to the bar to order two more.
"Hey, isn't this place great? So un-Univille! Come on over. I've got a table over there." He pointed to a table over in the corner.
Myka looked to the empty table. Expecting to find Helena she turned to him with a questioning face.
Claudia hit her in the arm before she was able to ask Steve where Helena was. "Uh, Myka? Isn't that HG? Holy shit!"