Myka had spent the past four hours of the evening blustering around the house to prepare for Savannah's arrival. Helena had offered to help, and Myka had gratefully allowed it, but Helena had given up twenty minutes in when Myka began to undo everything that they had done, simply so that she could do it again.
Helena knew that she was anxious, and truly just needed to occupy her hands, so she had trailed behind Myka for an hour, attempting to soothe her lover with soft words of comfort. Myka, however, continued to fret over the bed sheets, and the bathroom towels, and the pillows, and any number of other things that, on another day, she would have cared very little about.
And then Savannah had called.
Their conversation had been relatively short, and didn't touch upon any of the looming subjects that were destined to be discussed, but Savannah had told Myka that she should be pulling up to the bed and breakfast in a few hours.
And with that call, Myka's fraying emotions led her into a more frenzied meticulousness that had simply served to make Helena dizzy. Instead of submitting herself to that, and to help stave off Myka's growing irritation with the cooing shadow that Helena provided, Helena settled herself at the kitchen table with a cup of tea, and caught glances of Myka as she rushed around the inn. She would brush her fingers along Myka's wrist consolingly or tug her down for a brief, loving kiss, eliciting a small, nervous smile from her partner before her harried motions continued.
"She's still running around like that?" Steve frowned his concern, seating himself at the table across from Helena with a mug of coffee.
"Mm," Helena hummed, indulging herself with a sip of hot tea. "Yes. She's rather nervous, I'm afraid. She's quite fond of this Savannah."
"Yeah, Pete said that," Steve nodded thoughtfully. "Should we do something?" He asked quietly, peeking over his shoulder to be sure that Myka wasn't nearby. "I mean, she's been doing this for hours… She's had Claudia and Pete on lookout since nine. Don't you think she's going a little overboard?"
"Actually, in point of fact, Pete and Claudia assigned themselves to sentry duty, in a vain attempt to calm Myka's nerves," Helena replied wryly. "And I'm quite certain that she is, indeed, going a bit overboard, as you say; however, I'm fairly certain that there's nothing to be done about it, and quite honestly, if all this bustling about soothes her, then I'm content to allow it."
"I guess so," Steve agreed half-heartedly. "How much longer until Savannah gets here? It's getting kinda late."
"Myka's expecting her any moment now," Helena informed with a sigh. "Which is just as well, as her fussing has me a bit on edge."
"Yeah," Steve puffed. "I think we're all feeling a little of that. I've never seen her like this before."
"Nor have I," Helena admitted. "Although, I can't say that I'm terribly surprised. She's feeling quite powerless against the situation, and that is not a position that Myka has any preference for."
"No," Steve agreed with a laugh. "No, it's definitely, definitely not."
Helena dragged in another taste of her tea, before Steve inquired, "How are you doing? I mean, meeting the family is a pretty big step…"
Helena pondered over the question, before replying genuinely, "I hadn't thought much on it, I'm afraid. I was a bit too preoccupied with Myka's domestic antics to consider much else."
"Sorry," Steve apologized sheepishly. "I didn't mean to get you worked up about it. It was just a thought that occurred to me, and I really just need to learn to keep my mouth shut," he finished, looking upward and shaking his head to himself.
"I hardly think an introduction is cause for alarm, Agent Jinks," Helena laughed softly.
"Good," Steve mumbled, reassured that he hadn't caused much damage with his remark. "No, that's really good. No use stressing about it, right? Myka seems to have that covered."
"Indeed," Helena replied dryly.
"Do you think – "
But Steve's words were cut off by a loud thump from upstairs, as Claudia shouted out, "Mykes, she's here!"
"Oh, thank God," Helena breathed her relief with a roll of her eyes, taking a last sip of tea before she stood with Steve to place the dishes in the sink.
The former ATF agent cast her a look that clearly read, "Here we go," before the two moved to the staircase, where they narrowly avoided a collision with Pete and Claudia as they raced down the stairs.
"Whatcha waitin' for, Jinksy?" Claudia exclaimed animatedly. "Let's go! Vamoose! Andale, andale!"
"Don't you think we should wait for Myka?" Steve asked, raising his brow at his best friend as he folded his arms over his chest.
"Yeah, where is Myka?" Pete queried, comically shifting his gaze around and leaning forward to take a look around the corner.
"Behind you, Pete," Myka said, smiling affectionately as he leaped into the air, before rounding swiftly to face her.
"Jeez, Mykes! I know you're wiggin' out and stuff, but jeez!" He said again. "That was just freaky!"
"I am not wigging out," Myka argued. "I just… got a little nervous, that's all."
Despite that they were all in clear agreement that Myka had, indeed, been 'wigging out,' no one pressed the subject further.
"Whatevs," Claudia said, tossing a hand out in a who-cares-anyway motion, before she latched onto Myka's arm and began to haul her through the door. "C'mon! Let's go make her all at home and welcomed and stuff!"
Helena snorted softly, but relieved Myka of Claudia's grip to press a quiet kiss against the corner of her mouth. "Don't fret, darling. There's only so much anger your dear cousin could justify; you were only protecting her, love."
Myka nodded, though Helena could discern that she was still rather unconvinced. Helena offered a gentle squeeze to her lover's hand, before she released it to gently encourage Myka through the door.
A navy blue pickup truck was parked outside, a few meters from the door and pulled up beside Myka's vehicle. Against it, Helena could make out a small, brunette woman holding a cell phone up to the air. Myka's cousin didn't shift when the door to the inn leveled to a close, and Helena observed Myka as she rolled her eyes.
"You're in the middle of the desert, Savannah," Myka's voice emerged with a rebuke. "In a place you've never been before, with people you've never met. A little awareness wouldn't kill you."
"Mykey!" Came the ensuing exclamation, and Myka swiftly moved forward to catch the girl as she lunged herself into Myka's arms for a hard embrace with a significant, "Ooph," parting from her lover's lips.
"Hi, bug," Myka smiled, kissing the crown of Savannah's head when the woman tucked it against Myka's shoulder. When Myka pulled away, she cradled her cousin's face in her hands and kissed her cheek. "How was the drive? You should've flown," Myka chided. "It takes a whole day to drive from New York."
"I don't go anywhere without the truck, Mykey," Savannah grinned. "You know that." Savannah then leaned forward to hug Myka again, and sighed, "I missed you," and her voice was small – childlike in its innocence, which seemed rather fitting under Myka's mothering.
"The Regents let you do that?" Claudia spluttered disbelievingly, before she remembered herself and exuberantly added, "Hi there, by the way. Claudia Donovan – resident computer whiz and sometimes-field agent."
Savannah looped her arm around Myka's waist and her face split into a quick grin that belied nothing of her previous emotion. "Well, aren't you just a little ray of lovely sunshine? I'm Savannah, and if The Regents have anything to do with that terrifying black woman who appeared in my apartment," Savannah huffed, "then they weren't thrilled with the idea. At least not until I mentioned having to check that nifty violin bow for the flight; they started singing a pretty different tune after that. A much friendlier one, too," she declared.
"So you met Mrs. Frederic," Pete grinned. "She gets less terrifying. Kinda," he conceded. "She still does that thing where she appears outta nowhere, though, and I guess that's pretty terrifying…"
"You must be Pete," Savannah smiled knowingly.
"How d'you know he's not Pete?" Claudia ribbed, gesturing toward Steve with her thumb.
Savannah turned to Myka, and inquired, "Pete's the frisky one, right?"
"That was your word, not mine," Myka reminded with a laugh. "But yeah, he's that one."
"Frisky?" Pete asked, shuffling his belt around his waist with the compliment. "Aw, shucks, Mykes."
Savannah laughed her appreciation. "Adorable," she murmured, more to herself than anyone else before shifting her pensive, honey brown gaze in Jinks' direction. "You're Steve, then? I have to say, I haven't heard much about any of you."
Steve nodded. "It's nice to meet you," he greeted, reaching his hand out for a formal shake.
Savannah chuckled, but accepted and returned the gesture. "You too," she said warmly. "And how fitting for the silent type to be so proper…" The woman mused.
"How come Jinksy doesn't get any compliments?" Claudia pouted in defense of her friend.
Savannah arched her brow upward, before she disclosed on an exaggerated whisper, "Honey, my compliments are usually nothing but playful flirts, to be honest, and I'm ninety-eight percent confident that your dear friend Jinksy is gay, despite that he's a wonderfully handsome man."
Helena lifted her brows and smirked, eyeing Myka as she tucked her lips between her teeth to stave off a laugh, and shook her head with fond reluctance at her cousin's amusing comment.
"Dude!" Claudia exclaimed, though a touch of pink had nested in her cheeks at Savannah's remark. "How'd you know he's gay?"
"And are you?" Pete couldn't help but ask, shifting his arms near his chest in a protective motion as he shifted away from Myka's ensuing glower.
"I'm an artist, doll," Savannah grinned. "We're pretty…"
"Renowned," Myka offered helpfully, when it was clear that the woman was struggling against her vocabulary to complete the sentence.
"Renowned," Savannah snapped her fingers, nodding. "We're pretty renowned for our diverse preferences in that area," she winked at Pete, who blushed a little and nodded as he looked to the ground, embarrassed.
"So how'd you know Jinksy was gay? That's a neat trick, dude!" Claudia praised. "Unless Myka told you," she added suspiciously.
"Myka didn't," Myka replied.
"Well?" Claudia inquired expectantly, regarding Savannah with rapt attention.
"His gaze doesn't drift downward when she speaks, obviously," Helena chuckled. "Pete has yet to master that particular gift, I'm afraid, love," she shared with Savannah.
"Your voice is heavenly," Savannah spewed in reply, and, in a gesture that purely reeked of Myka's influence, she drew her bottom lip between her teeth before she murmured to herself, "or satanic; I'm not really sure…"
"Thank you," Helena replied gently, though a little uncertainly, brows furrowing downward as she speculatively eyed the girl. She seemed to have lost herself in a bit of a trance.
"Savannah," Myka nudged, exasperation clear in her tone.
"Mm?" The woman acknowledged dazedly, tilting her head toward Myka, but not averting from her visual assessment of Helena.
"She's taken," Myka informed softly, and, though Helena couldn't be sure, it seemed that Myka was familiar with the dreamy state that her cousin had fallen subject to, and Myka seemed bothered by it.
"Pity," Savannah mumbled, her eyes never shifting from Helena's figure. "Though not for you. She's clearly yours," Savannah announced definitively, before her face broke into a wide smile. "And not pleased with the possessive term. Defiant thing, isn't she?" She glanced up at Myka with delight. "My mistake, sweetheart," she amended, "you don't belong to anyone, do you? But I bet you just fold into Myka, huh?"
"You bet she does," Pete grinned excitedly. "Man, that's cool!"
Myka gave Savannah a bit of a shove, before the woman blushed, and said quickly, "I'm sorry. I space out sometimes, and I have very bad timing with it, but that was incredibly rude of me, and I didn't mean to – "
"Savannah," Myka interrupted, troubled. "Take a breath, bug."
Helena observed as Myka's cousin followed the instruction instinctively, though Helena got the distinct impression that adhering to orders was not a habit that Savannah often engaged in, solely to Myka's exclusion.
"How long has it been since you got some sleep?" Myka worried, facing her cousin and drawing her hands through straight, dark hair in a soothing motion that Savannah guiltily shrank into.
Savannah shrugged. "I ran out of the sleep meds a few days ago. I think I got an hour or two on Tuesday, but it was finals week, Mykey," she pleaded for her cousin's understanding. "I didn't have time to refill it; I needed to finish my thesis exhibition piece."
"Savannah," Myka softly admonished, "it's Thursday."
"What happened to Wednesday?" The girl mumbled to herself, though where Helena had expected to hear jest in her tone, she discerned only earnest seriousness.
She could feel Pete and Claudia shifting uncomfortably, surely noting Myka's unease, and remaining silent. Steve simply observed the interaction with a watchful eye, and folded his arms over his chest contemplatively.
"When was the last time you ate, bug?" Myka's voice seemed to rouse her cousin from her thoughts.
"Tanner made me dinner last night," Savannah nodded confidently.
"And you haven't eaten since?" Myka pried gently.
"I don't think so," Savannah confessed, ducking her head into Myka's shoulder. "I'm sorry, Mykey. I can't remember."
"That's okay," Myka reassured with a sigh. "Come on, I'll make you some grilled cheese, okay?"
Savannah nodded weakly, and Pete sought to break the tension with a loud, "Grilled cheese? Mykes, I want one! Please?"
Or he just wants a sandwich, Helena considered wryly.
Author's Note: I'm documenting for the record that Savannah is meant to be difficult to read in this chapter. Let me know what you think! Thanks, guys!