A/n So this thing just keeps growing. lol. I can't control it anymore. I'll just keep writing and see where it goes. Thank you all so very much for all your comments. I treasure them :)

Keep reading and commenting.

Just a warning, this chapter takes a bit of a more serious tone (as can be guessed from the chapter name) so don't expect the regular light playful fluff. No sexy-times in this one. lol.

Chapter 7: Christina

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"N-n-no...no….no….NO! Please! …..not true!...Please!...NOOOOOO!"

Myka ran out of the bathroom as she heard Helena's screams. She hurried to her lover's side and shook her, trying to rouse her from the nightmare.

"Helena. Baby, please. Open your eyes honey. Hey, it's just a bad dream, baby. Heyyyy, shhhh," Myka held on to the trembling woman. Both their bodies were shaking from the force of Helena's sobs. Myka's t-shirt was soaked with tears, but she didn't mind, she held on to the woman for dear life, hoping that her closeness would calm her some. Helena finally looked up from the crook of Myka's neck, tears still streaming down her face.

"She w...wa...was right there, Myka. So close. A-a-and I couldn't …I couldn't save her!" She cried, burying her head in Myka's lap this time.

"Who, babe? Who couldn't you save in the dream?" Myka whispered soothingly, her hands tracing comforting circles on the woman's back.

Helena looked up again, anchoring herself in those forest green eyes, so full of compassion.

"Not just in the dream, but in real….My daughter, m-my-my Christina," she wept, as Myka pulled her in again, holding the broken woman securely in her arms, letting the tears wash away some of the pain and guilt she had bottled inside. As her sobs finally subsided, her breathing evened out, becoming shallow as she succumbed to sleep again, still holding on tightly to Myka. The younger woman slid down in the bed, never letting go of her lover, and allowed herself to drift off as well.

-o-o-O-o-o-

The next morning Helena awoke first. Her face felt stiff from the tear stains and she could feel the dampness of Myka's t-shirt on her skin. She eased herself out of Myka's hold and made her way quietly to the bathroom. She looked up at the reflection in the mirror and gasped at her appearance. Her hair was mussed up (and not in the good just-had-sex way), her eyes were puffy and her cheeks had those damn tears tracks streaked down them. She turned the tap on and scrubbed at her face with the warm water, knowing it was futile trying to wash the pain away, but trying nonetheless. She looked herself in the eye, her hands slowing to a stop on her cheeks. She had fought so hard to control herself this past year, sealing up everything that had had her teetering dangerously on the threshold of pure madness, and tucking it away in the far recesses of her heart. Yet here she was, box full of hidden emotions wide open, pouring everything out in the arms of a woman who loved her, yes, but who she had only known for barely two weeks. This would surely scare Myka away, she thought. Nobody ever wants to be with someone who has this much baggage. She sighed as she grabbed a towel and wiped her face angrily. She knew what she had to do. She would pack her things quietly and leave before Myka could wake up and tell her it's over. She crept back into the room and looked at the sleeping woman; arms and legs curled comfortably, a single errant lock of dark curls hanging across her forehead. Helena's breath hitched, she couldn't believe she had been so careless; ruining the promise of a great relationship with this angel of a woman.

Myka, sensing someone watching her, stirred, sleepy green eyes opening to meet saddened brown.

"Hey you, you're up early. Come back to bed," she beckoned, holding out her hand for the older woman.

"No Myka, I really can't. It's getting late, I should be going." Helena replied, averting her eyes from Myka's and focusing on the headboard instead.

"Nonsense babe, it's only seven, your flight isn't till five...this evening!" she stressed, reaching out for Helena again.

The troubled woman moved backwards, "No Myka, please, leave me be, you don't have to do this," she insisted.

"Don't have to do what, love? Try to get you back into bed? I'm not sure I'm following. What's going on?" Myka asked, fully awake now but confused as hell.

"Myka, you don't have to pretend that everything's okay. I don't need your pity okay? It's alright for you to want to walk away from this," Helena informed her, eyes still averted.

Myka stood up now, and moved to face Helena directly. She held the stubborn woman's face in her hands and forced those dark brown eyes to look into hers.

"Look. At. Me. Helena. Look me in the eye, and listen to me. Nothing about this is pretend for me okay? And I do not pity you Professor Helena Wells. I love you, completely, wholeheartedly, with every bit of my being, I love you, okay? So don't you ever ever ever tell me to walk away from this, you hear me?" Myka asserted, her voice trembling with emotion.

Helena searched those green orbs, finding nothing but compassion, love and pure adoration. She broke down again, tears retracing their tracks down her cheeks and those violent sobs wracking her entire body. Myka held on to her and lead her to the bed.

"I just thought that...after lastnight...you wouldn't…." she was cut off by the press of Myka's soft lips against hers and four words she would have never dreamt of hearing an hour ago.

"Tell me about her," Myka whispered tentatively, not wanting to upset Helena's fragile state.

-o-oOo-o-

"Christina was…." Helena began, as she accepted the cup of tea from Myka and shifted on the couch to accommodate the younger woman next to her. "...she was a delightful child. And I'm not just saying that because she's mine, she truly was." A sad smile graced Helena's face as she continued, "She had the most inquisitive mind, never giving up on something until she understood it fully. It was often infuriating to her nana and teachers at school, but she was such a lovable child that nobody ever minded." She looked off into the distance, focusing on some invisible point beyond the apartment wall. Myka took her hand and intertwined their fingers, encouraging the woman to continue. "What happened, Helena?" She asked in a small voice.

Helena's expression hardened as she spoke, "I was off on a retrieval; a rare species of cocoa had been discovered in Malaysia, a species previously thought to be extinct. Imperial got the exclusive rights for retrieval and genome sequencing. I was giddy with excitement, eager to share this find with my daughter; she always loved hearing stories of my various conquests around the world. But absolute devastation awaited me on arrival. I was scheduled to return a day earlier, but had opted to spend another night in Malaysia, shopping and enjoying the sights. That night, as I wined and dined with strangers, thieves broke into my home in England and mercilessly murdered my baby." Helena broke down, loud, pained sobs emanating from her. Myka couldn't help the tears streaming down her own face. She pulled Helena into her arms and held her, kissing the top of her head, trying to comfort her lover. Their tears mixed as Myka cried with the woman in her arms, both women grieving for the lost child. "She was only eight…" Helena whispered between her sobs. Myka tightened her hold, silently vowing to do everything in her power to bring as much joy as she possibly could, to this troubled woman in her arms.

They remained tangled in each other for the rest of the morning. Helena regaling her with tales of Christina's childhood, and Myka kissing away the tears as the older woman relived those memories.

The rumbling of Helena's stomach announced that it was lunchtime and both women chuckled lightly at the sound.

"Looks like someone's hungry," Myka teased playfully, disentangling herself from the Helena and pulling the woman up, before heading towards the kitchen.

"Yeah," was Helena's sheepish response as she followed Myka.

"There's leftover ziti and chicken from last night, will that be okay? Or do you have time for us to order something?" Myka asked, opening the fridge and bending to inspect its contents.

Helena glanced at the time on the microwave, "the ziti will do dear. It's already 1:30, I'll have to head out soon," she responded, crossing her arms and leaning on the counter. Myka nodded and busied herself heating up the food. She set the plate of steaming pasta down infront of Helena and instructed her to sit before grabbing her own plate and sitting down at the kitchen table. She reached for Helena's hand and intertwined their fingers, urging the woman to look at her. "Helena, I know it must have been hard, opening up and sharing so much of your past with me this morning. But I'm glad you did. Don't ever feel like you need to hide any part of your past or yourself from me okay? I love you, every single part of you, and nothing is going to change that okay?" She raised the older woman's hand to her lips and place a promising kiss there, never breaking eye contact with those obsidian orbs.

"Thank you," was Helena's simple response, a small smile gracing her face. Both women quietly focused on finishing their meal, knowing that their relationship had crossed into something more that morning.