So we've reached the final chapter for The Bridge. I hope this chapter answers some of those lingering questions and concerns, while also planting some more seeds for the future of this story. This chapter was supposed to be much shorter, but there was no way I could have done it justice in fewer words.
Later update than usual; I was very annoyed by missing my self-imposed deadline, but gastroenteritis is no fun and set me back too many days!
A huge, huge thanks to everyone who's taken the time to let me know what you think. Before I started posting here, I never could have appreciated just what it means to get a little 'ping' in the middle of the day and find that someone is enjoying the fruits of my labour. I love you all for keeping me going when sometimes I feel like I've bitten off more than I can chew!
Anyway, onto the 'end'... And yes, I know I'm a tease ;-)
*Edited 16/4/16
Epilogue
Warehouse 13, 2015
Hair tied back in a messy pony-tail, sporting jeans, trainers, a t-shirt and sweater, Myka exuded an aura that repelled anything work related. She was here on personal matters and woes betide anyone who tried to pull her into anything artefacty today.
Midday had come and gone; a lazy morning spent making breakfast, eating in front of the television and cuddling on the sofa while Christina lay on the carpet singing along with seven Austrian children and their governess. The eight-year-old had been distracted enough for her parents to have a whispered conversation, giving Myka the highlights of their teenaged daughter's visit. Many things brought a smile to her lips but the mention of the bronzer gave her pause. She immediately pictured Helena in her struggle after being de-bronzed. That was not an experience she wanted her little girl to have. She had to learn more about Claudia's invention.
First though, she needed to see her daughter.
Artie surprised her with a hug as she stepped through the umbilicus and her lips twitched fondly at his instant embarrassment. "Welcome back, Agent Bering. I trust you're here to bring that child of yours under control?"
Myka felt taken aback by his suggestion until he cracked a smile and nodded towards the corner of the room. The little hairs on the back of her neck tingled and she forgot the director's presence as she turned, her gaze landing on a young woman who resembled her fiancée so closely that she felt her breath catch in her throat. A tentative grin tugged at the corner of the teen's mouth and the agent's legs carried her forward of their own volition.
Her hands rose to either side of Christina's face and she felt a fresh wave of tears gather on her lower lids.
"Hey Ma," CJ greeted her mother in a hushed tone.
Myka threw her arms around the girl's neck and pulled her close. "My baby," she whispered into the closest ear. It was a strange sensation; mere days ago, this person had been growing inside her, a part of her body. Now, that tiny being was a grown woman.
The teen tilted her head to rest it on her mother's shoulder and closed her eyes. She had been worried that her Mama would be angry with her. "I'm sorry about the package and for not warning you about any of this."
"Don't be," Myka shook her head and leant back far enough to look into familiar dark eyes. "I have you and this little one..." she touched a hand to her round belly. "Because of that. So no apologies, ok?"
"Ok," the young woman nodded happily. "So, I'm guessing Mum told you about my plans? Is that why you're here?"
"To talk you out of it?" the agent asked, watching for the defiance she expected. "Not if it's what you feel you have to do," she explained carefully. "But you didn't really expect either of us not to try to find an alternative, did you? I need to know more."
"Parents are meddlesome like that," Christina chuckled.
Boston, 1897
After many days of being at sea, the ground under their feet seemed to pitch and sway as the couple walked through the busy Boston harbour. The crossing had been fairly uneventful, with only one day stuck in their cabin while the wind and rain hammered at the port holes and threw the ship roughly back and forth. The majority of their journey had afforded them the rare opportunity to enjoy parts of the world that they would likely never see again.
A melancholy air had followed them from London. It had been difficult to leave their lives behind, lying to their family, letting everybody believe erroneously that they had every intention of returning. Only when they stood together, arm in arm, looking over the bow of the ship at the most magnificent sunsets, did they let their woes drift off into the endless stretch of sea and sky.
It had to be done. No matter how much they hadn't wanted to leave Helena or darling Christina while knowing that their granddaughter was moving ever closer to disaster, they couldn't risk their close proximity. As much as they knew that events of the future must remain unchanged, they couldn't envision sitting by while their loved ones suffered. Their removal from the situation was necessary. The Warehouse was preparing to move and thanks to Agent Bering's information, they knew where to start looking for their new site. It had seemed like the best option for them to go and they were not leaving without their own agenda.
Eleanor leant contentedly against her husband as they wandered through the busy streets. She was glad of his company; there was no one else she wanted by her side as they journeyed towards the end of this life. It would take time to establish the foundation for the future protection of all they loved and it was fitting that they, who had overseen the beginnings of a new generation of agent, should be the ones to architect a portion of the next phase of the Warehouse's existence.
While waiting for their luggage to be ported from the ship to their carriage, the couple spent an hour stretching their legs. Most of their belongings included clothing and they did not feel the need to oversee the transfer. However, hidden inside Rupert's long coat was their insurance policy. A small pouch containing something precious, stolen over the ocean with them.
A curiosity that would allow their descendants to call for help when it was needed.
And it would be needed.
Warehouse 13, 2015
It was time.
No alternative had arisen to replace the surety of the bronzer and Claudia's invention. Myka had joined the search for a day, putting her extensive knowledge of the Warehouse's inventory to the test but to no avail. Helena had held out tentative hope that her fiancée would succeed where she hadn't but neither of them were devastated by the outcome; they were resigned to their daughter's fate and harboured a combined hopefulness that everything would be fine. Pete had suggested they look at it as if they were putting their child to bed for a ten-year nap and although his comment had been off the cuff, both concerned parents were holding onto that peaceful idea.
"Mama, Mum, I'll be ok. I promise," Christina tried to reassure her mothers as she hugged them both a final time before stepping into the dreaded machine. She could feel her nerves overwhelming her each time she looked between her parents and her destination but she was determined to do this. She was confident that it would work. She had to put her faith in the entity that had triggered her creation.
Artie stood, ready next to the controls as his agents said their goodbyes. Mrs Fredrick had appeared to offer her stoic support and Claudia rocked back and forth by the caretaker's side, feeling her own nerves building as it came to crunch time. Vanessa was waiting in the medical room to begin her own tasks, while all of the others, including Steve and Jason who had returned from their hunt, had agreed to hold a casual group gathering at the bed and breakfast to entertain the youngest time traveller while her parents were occupied.
Everything was set. It was time.
"I'm sure you will be, Sweetheart, but you can hardly blame us for worrying," Myka smiled as she watched her daughter climb into the vertical tube. Her right hand held tightly to Helena's left and her other lay flat against the shell of the machine, preventing her from reaching out to fuss at the young woman's clothing. She wanted to appear supportive, not overbearing. "Any requests before we do this?"
"Yeah," the teen frowned. "Please don't let Mum go all devil–may-care when I bring boyfriends home." She winked at the American but turned an irritated stare on the Brit.
"Boyfriends? Plural?" HG frowned too. "How many do you intend to have?"
"Less than you did!" Christina countered as an amused grin appeared through her projected annoyance.
Myka squeezed her fiancée's hand. "I'll do my best," she assured the teen as Helena huffed beside her. "Sleep well."
CJ nodded, her mouth closed for a moment while she pushed down a wave of emotion that threatened to blast through her control. "Mum?" she finally found the strength to ask.
"Yes, my love?"
"Remember what I said about Adelaide," the teen requested casually.
HG looked puzzled. "I don't recall..."
"You will," Christina replied, kissing her mother on the cheek one last time. She shook out her limbs and took a steadying breath. "I'm ready," she announced with determination.
As agreed, Myka and Helena stepped back from the bronzer, close enough that they felt a part of what they were witnessing, but not close enough to interfere should either of them feel an uncontrollable urge.
Artie snapped on a pair of purple gloves, pulled Marquis d'Hervey's notebook from a static bag and approached the tubular construction. Without words, he passed it into the young adventurer's hands. Almost instantly, those gathered witnessed the teen's expression relax and droop into that of a person on the edge of slumber.
Myka felt her lover lean weightlessly into her body and wrapped her arms securely around Helena's waist to keep her upright. She heard and felt her emotions echoed by the loaded whimper that fell from the inventor as a serene expression infused their daughter's features and her eyes finally closed under the guise of sleep. Flash freezing would keep the teen looking peaceful for the next ten years.
No sooner had the bronzer finished its job and the sliding door opened to reveal the newly made statue, than Claudia whipped her hidden jacket from a box and skipped forward to help her idol fit the invention to Christina's immobile form. After securing it in place and attaching all the sensors that were needed to the teen's body, the red head booted up her programme and stood back to watch. A tense few moments passed as Claudia, Helena and Myka studied the information that passed across the screen. Artie and Mrs Fredrick had quietly wandered off to converse in private, which left the trio in anticipatory silence.
The moment the analysis was complete and the flashing lights turned into scrolling electrical impulses, Claudia fist pumped the air and turned to meet her friends' reactions. "Well? Do I totally rock or what?"
It was clear from the little happy icons that the techie had programmed into her app that everything in Christina's world was humming along nicely. Myka, overwhelmed with relief and gratitude, threw herself at the young agent and pulled her into a hug, lifting her three inches off the ground.
"You rock, Claude," the brunette agreed enthusiastically. "I love you."
"Ok, Myka," the red head squeaked, sucked in a breath of air the moment she was free and then gasped a second time when HG followed suit. "Right… Ok… Oxygen, becoming an issue," she panted.
With an air of wishing to be alone to tinker with her invention, Claudia assured each of her friends several times that she had everything under control before insisting that she would have a report for them when they returned from their next point of call and Myka's mom-to-be appointment with Dr. Calder.
Hands linked, the couple dragged themselves from the bronze area and retreated to where Mrs Fredrick had arranged for the mnemosyne bowl to be brought. This felt like the final hurdle, the last hoop to jump through before they could go home, begin to enjoy their present and start planning for the future. After a long discussion the night before, they had agreed to listen to their daughter's wish for them to make her childhood a thing to be envied and to honour the courage she'd showed in ensuring that their family existed. Both of them were eager to make that happy future a reality.
Helena stepped nervously into the room and nodded stiffly at the caretaker. She felt Myka's hand guide her towards a pedestal where the bowl sat and then leant back into her fiancee's comforting embrace.
With a deep breath, she gathered herself. "What precisely must I do?"
"Simply drink the contents. Your memories will return to you before the night is over," Irene gestured unassumingly with one hand before leaving the agents to it.
"Why do I feel so anxious?" HG muttered half to herself once she was along with her partner.
Myka hesitated as she considered the question. "Are you worried that you might not have been the perfect gentlewoman?' she teased, half-heartedly.
Helena smirked. "You have satisfied my curiosity on that subject already."
"Then what are you waiting for?" the American whispered into the shell of an ear.
"Very well, darling. Here's goes…"
2025, location redacted.
"Mum, seriously; I'm fine."
Christina rolled her eyes at her mother but couldn't prevent the affectionate smile that pulled her mouth up at the corners. Still, the gracefully ageing inventor hovered in the doorway and while she appreciated the older woman's concerns, even expected it, that didn't mean that she found it any less irritating.
A high-pitched, indignant squeal tore through the house, followed by instant and voluminous declarations of denial, drawing the attention of both women.
It sounded like her siblings were killing each other again.
Helena angled her head to try and catch the cause of the commotion but only managed to glean enough to know that her wife was reaching the end of her tether. "You're sure you don't need anything?"
Keeping her expression warm, the young woman nodded. "Positive. Give me a couple of hours to myself and call me down for dinner would you?"
"Of course, love." HG kissed her daughter on the forehead and then started towards the door. "I had better..." she gestured toward the sounds of chaos.
"Go," CJ insisted and watched as her mother left.
Feeling the weight of her relief pass over her, Christina pushed her bedroom door softly to and stood for a moment to take in her surroundings.
"I'm back," she whispered to herself as a teary smile brightened her tired features.
Sleeping for ten years should perhaps have fulfilled her energy requirements for a while but the emotional reunion with her family, the realisation that she had succeeded in her mission, and the lengthy flight back home with her temperamental little sister in tow, had sapped what vigour she had woken with.
Being back in her own bedroom was a huge comfort. She wandered around for a few minutes, picking up various treasures just to feel their weight and solidity in her hands to test that they were real. Once satisfied, she wandered over to her bed and laid widthways across it, enjoying the familiar comfort.
Christina reflected on her time in the bronze, picking apart her dreams, her emotions and the rare occasion when she had felt brief moments of anxiety. Images of people and places; concepts of time and space; philosophies surrounding existence and purpose, all collided to create a surety she had never before experienced. She was a tool and there was one reason she had been given life. Far from feeling resentful for the interference, Christina held onto the peace and confidence she had experienced in her dreams. She had the freedom to choose what she would make of her life but when the time came to give back, she knew where her loyalties lay.
It was as she considered the underlying theme of her sleep state that she developed a theory that her clever plan to take control of her dreams in the bronze had been tampered with. Even though she had chosen it with the idea of making her journey somewhat bearable, somehow the whole situation had turned out much easier than anticipated. Though she suspected that the Warehouse had had something to do with that, parental interference also seemed high on the list of possibilities.
She shook her head; they just couldn't help themselves.
Night came on rapidly, eating into their dinner and bringing the hungry onset of bedtime with it. The youngest members of the household were given no quarter after the stress of the long day spent travelling and the house fell into a sleepy quiet, with the young adult bidding her parents goodnight shortly after.
Wanting to return swiftly to a sense of normalcy, she ignored their expressions of concern and curiosity, instead promising that she would share her experiences with them when she felt that she had had enough time to reflect. Their never-ending thirst for knowledge would make them both persistent but she was well versed in how to handle the two ex-agents.
Across the landing, the curious mothers were themselves preparing for sleep.
"Do you think she really is ok?" Myka wondered aloud as she pulled back the covers of their king-size bed and crawled into its welcoming softness.
Helena paused in the middle of removing her bra and considered the question. Eventually, she shrugged. "I suppose we shall have to take her word for it until she informs us otherwise." Returning to her task, she barely noticed the eyes that habitually watched her every move. Almost eight years they had been married and feeling her wife's constant gaze, particularly while undressing, was something that was just expected, but though they had both reached a point where a warm glance no longer sparked an instant need to touch, the gesture was far from unappreciated. The inventor pulled her sleep shorts on to compliment her t-shirt and slid into bed beside her wife, leaning over to meet the ever-awaiting kiss and snuggle down into still toned arms. "For the most part, I believe that she is telling the truth."
"You think she'll ever tell us what she dreamt of?" The brunette asked curiously.
HG slung an arm around her love's waist and settled into the crook of Myka's neck. "Given time, I imagine so."
They were quiet for some time, both thinking about the vicissitudes of the day and contemplating what tomorrow might bring. Myka though back to the day that she and her fiancée had watched their first-born step into that damned machine and become frozen in time. She remembered thinking how brave her daughter was and how proud she was to be Christina's mother. She reflected on the days after, when their frozen child had been almost constantly on her mind, to the years following when life had taken up the brunt of her conscious thought and the bronzed figure had somehow turned into a shadow that took up residence in the back of her mind. Fortune had smiled on them often over the last decade but she was more than happy to think that this trial was finally over with.
Before either could drift off, Helena's voice whispered softly through the dark, echoing her partner's thoughts. "I know we have lived the last ten years, for the most part, trusting that she was at peace, but I'm gratified to have this issue of being bronzed over with. It will be nice not to have the image of her immobile figure at the back of my mind."
"I look forward to being able to move on from it," Myka agreed. "I know we're still not really sure what lies ahead, but I'll sleep easier knowing that all three of our kids are with us on the same plain of existence now."
"No matter how difficult they are at times," HG chuckled into her lover's neck.
Myka smiled into raven hair, appreciating the sentiment.
Sleep eventually overcame them and the midnight hour passed, walls talking of bodies rolling in synchronisation, limbs always reaching to hold what belonged to them. Through the dark, a restless figure emerged, creeping bare-footed across thick-piled carpet to enter the couple's room and wander along to the head of the bed. A hesitant hand reached out to tap the younger woman on the shoulder.
"Ma," Christina whispered in the dark. The figure in the bed grumbled but woke and rolled over after a couple more pokes.
"Christina?" Myka shuffled up onto her elbows and peered up at her eldest child. "Sweetheart, is something wrong?"
The teen shifted from one foot to the other. "I can't sleep." She glanced across the bed and to the door and back, looking embarrassed as her next words came out in a rush, "Can I get in with you?"
Smiling, not quite in understanding, but at least with an expression that said the young woman was always welcome when she really needed the comfort, Myka threw back the covers and made way for Christina to climb over her.
The sudden gust of cold air hit Helena's back, bringing the inventor out of her deep slumber. "Bloody-hell, Myka," she complained grumpily.
"Sorry, hun," the American apologised through an amused grin. "Our baby girl is joining us."
With a frown, HG began to push up onto her elbows. "I thought we agreed that Catherine is to sleep in her own bed," she mumbled, sounding miffed. "Darling, there are no monsters under your bed, but I'm more than happy to come and check," she added, already beginning to pull back the covers.
"The other baby girl," Myka clarified, already wrapping herself around said baby.
"Oh," the inventor acquiesced before flopping back into her pillow. "Hello, love."
"Hey, Mum," Christina felt her body relaxing already and the thoughts that had been plaguing her the last few hours quieten. "Sorry I woke you up."
"No harm. It's usually your sister," she complained affectionately.
"Why isn't Cat allowed in your bed?" the teen wondered aloud.
"Besides the fact that she is old enough to stay in her own bed if there's nothing terribly wrong? I don't believe you want me to answer that question." A slight smirk played at the corners of her mouth but it was hidden in the dark.
"Helena," Myka's voice warned from across the bed.
"Ok," CJ responded quickly. "I don't need more reasons not to sleep." They were silent after the chuckles died down but she could feel both of her parents' brains working at a mile a second. "I think my body has forgotten how to fall asleep on its own. I just thought the extra comfort would help," she declared, hoping her answer would put their minds at ease.
Whatever worked, within a few short minutes, both ex-agents were half way back to slumber land and Christina finally felt her own mind seeking the same path. It wasn't until the sound of thumping feet and shouting reached the three of them that they realised the night had passed them by.
Opening with a bang, the door admitted a small, pyjama-clad figure of almost seven years, who charged into the room at full speed and leaped up onto the foot of the bed. Christina groaned while her parents gave identical sighs of resignation and began to sit up. The energetic figure crawled over her sister's tired form and crawled into HG's lap.
"No fair, Mummy," she complained loudly. "Why is Chrissy allowed to sleep in your bed?"
Following on the small girl's heels came a boy of about ten years, rubbing his eyes as he casually climbed on top of the covers and flopped between his Mama and older sister. "When will Cat learn how to lie in?" he grumbled into Myka's neck.
"Give it six or seven years," the brunette declared in a whisper.
"Ok," the boy replied unhappily. "Just so you know, I'm moving out with Tina when she goes."
"What makes you think I'm going anywhere, little brother?" Christina asked from beneath the covers.
"You will when you want to spend more time kissing Tommy," he teased and then squealed when deft fingers found his ticklish spots through the duvet.
"Mummy!" Catherine complained plaintively, drawing her parents' attention back to the most important question - hers.
"Love, any one of you may sleep in our bed when you are truly in need, but for the most part, you must sleep in your own beds; that is what they are there for," Helena explained with strained patience for what felt like the thousandth time. "Christina sleeps in her own bed every other night," she reminded her youngest. "Last night was an exception."
Feeling sorry for her mothers for being the cause of her sister's complaints, Christina crawled out from under the covers and climbed down off the bed. "Hey, squirts. Why don't we leave Mum and Ma alone for a while and I'll whip up some bacon and eggs?" She ran her hands through her unkempt hair, trying to tame it as she turned towards the door. Barely a second passed before the sound of shuffling and the thumps of feet followed her. Food got her siblings moving faster than lightning. She paused at the door as the pair ran passed her, looking back to wink at the adults. "Enjoy."
Grinning, Helena threw the covers back over herself and her wife, shuffled across the middle of the bed and entwined her limbs with Myka's. "Thank goodness we took the time to teach her how to cook," she mumbled into a long neck.
Myka wrapped her arms around the inventor's back and basked in the rare moment they had to enjoy a morning snuggle. "It was good foresight." She managed to turn her head enough to meet welcoming lips and for several minutes, the couple indulged themselves with tender, drawn-out kisses.
The sound of small feet pounding the stairs pulled them out of their cocoon before things could heat up between them and Myka lifted the duvet from over their head to listen for the cause. A moment of ominous silence passed before a second pair of heavier feet followed and Christina's long-suffering voice filled the landing.
"Catherine Eleanor Wells-Bering, there won't be any breakfast unless you put some pants on!"
Helena groaned while her wife sniggered into her shoulder. Delighted giggling ricocheted beyond their bedroom door, rapid footfalls ping-ponged along the landing, and a muttered expletive crept passed the hinges, until the teen obviously couldn't take it anymore.
"Mum!"
Myka threw back the covers and held her hand out for her wife to take. "Come on, Helena. Let's go and see to our hell-spawn."
The next addition to this story will take some time to put together but when it does make its way from my brain onto paper, it will be mainly focussed on family life and will be called 'The Birth'.
Thank you all for reading. I hope you're enjoying this journey as much as I am. If you feel like dropping me a note, go for it, don't be shy!