5 Letters – W-E-L-L-S
In an instant, Helena had changed her plans because she didn't want anything to take away from Myka's proposal. Yet, the noise from the capsule hitting the ground caught Myka's attention. Helena damned the foot that dislodged the rock that the container just hit. The genius' calculations had been so precise, that she could have put her hand out to catch the object that had moments ago, been hurling through the atmosphere. Aerial imaging had shown the spot to be level and debris free – prior to the concert. Now, someone's careless footing had caused the container to strike a rock and make that noise.
"It's …nothing," Helena tried, but Myka could see it was something. The cylinder had its own parachute.
"Is that? Did that come?" Myka looked up at the sky. "Is that safe?" she asked, and instinctively stood in front of Helena to protect her.
Now Helena had to acknowledge that indeed she did know what the object was. "Myka darling, that is what we were coming to procure," Helena explained.
"What is it?" Myka asked quizzically.
Helena took a deep breath. This was not the way she planned it and now if she went forward with it, she was afraid of stealing Myka's thunder.
"I wanted you to have something to remember – always," Helena said, aware now they would soon be over their scheduled time. But Helena didn't move. Since the inception of this plan, Helena did something she had never done – she froze.
Now Myka realized that her spontaneous act had, in fact, disrupted Helena's plan. She had wanted to take advantage of the perfect evening out under the stars alone, and forgot Helena had taken them there for a reason. The old Myka might have crumbled from the angst and apologized profusely, but this was newly engaged Myka, and she wanted Helena to have her moment.
"Please Helena?" Myka said, biting her lip and shrugging her shoulders with excitement. Even in the dim light Helena could see the anticipation in Myka's green eyes.
Helena struggled with the options and in the end, decided this was still Myka's moment because this was Myka's gift.
"OK," Helena relented willingly. "Myka, I wanted to buy Aldebaran for you because I want the heavens to know the most wonderful thing that ever came from stardust. When I was refused, I did the only other thing I could think of - I sent a piece of you in your spacecraft. On board are the usual cameras and computers to send back data. And a picture of you," Helena said and Myka's tears welled in her eyes.
"I want the heavens to know the person who is the world to me," Helena said and took Myka by the hand to the place the cylinder lay.
Helena picked it up and showed Myka the engraving on the outside. "Released from MYKA'S craft after circumnavigating the moon". Helena then turned and put her back to Myka, and twisted open the large tube like cylinder. She laid down the top half that was attached to the parachute and took out the small box inside. She deftly slid the box in her waist band.
"Is there a message inside?" Myka asked and Helena turned back to face her.
"Myka, the message….is in here," Helena said, pointing to her heart. She took both of Myka's hands in hers. "In one sense Myka, I, too, returned to earth when I was released from the Warehouse. I had been bronzed a broken person and emerged much the same," Helena said and the words made Myka flinch to think of that pain. "I came to New York to make up for lost time, to reclaim my name, and do things the way I saw fit. I knew none of those plans would ever really help me get over losing my soul. I was well on my way to creating a life that – at the very least distracted me and it seemed like enough. And then….. You came into my life. I never knew such a force before. Your kindness and your wholeness pulled me toward you as if every cell in my body craved the essence that is you. I foolishly tried to control the feelings, but my heart knew what it yearned for and I followed you. You have been the most wonderful presence in my life, Myka. For the first time in a long time, you helped me to think with my head and not my broken heart*," Helena said, squeezing Myka's hands.
Then Helena closed the space between them and whispered.
"Myka, my love for you is wider than the heavens, deeper than the vastness of space, and will last longer than time itself. When your shuttle reaches Aldebaran, our love will still be in the beginning stages because it will still be present when the heavens are no more," Helena said and wiped a tear off of Myka's face.
"Oh Helena," Myka said and could say no more.
"Myka, I want to be the first voice you hear in the morning, the voice that lulls you to sleep at night. I want to fill your days with opportunities for you to discover all there is to know about yourself. I want to fill your nights with the safety and comfort that comes from knowing someone is watching over you. I want you to realize all of your dreams and share in the joy when they come true. I will always applaud when you soar high, and promise to catch you if you fall. I promise to work hard every day to be the person who deserves to be with you, Myka," Helena said and now the Myka couldn't hold back the tears anymore.
HG Wells, - THE HG Wells – was declaring her love for Myka and it was more than Myka could take in. Myka felt breathless, excited, joyous, and surreal all in the same moment.
Helena slipped her fingers inside her waist and pulled out the box. She stopped and looked deeply into Myka's eyes and then she slowly… knelt…. down…. on one knee.
"Myka Ophelia Bering, will you please do me the honor of marrying me?" Helena asked and slipped the princess cut white solid gold ring onto Myka's left hand.
Myka pulled Helena up quickly because she could no longer tolerate not to be in her embrace. "Yes, Helena, yes. With all my heart, yes," Myka said, crying now with tears of joy.
"I love you, Myka Bering," Helena whispered.
"I love you, Helena Wells," Myka said and pulled Helena's face in so that she could kiss her deeply.
And then it happened.
The crowd was bored and dissipating since there seemed to be nothing to see. Suddenly though, Leena let out a loud gasp and Pete and Jane turned to look at her.
"Oh my God!" Leena said, standing up when she saw it.
"What? What do you see?" Pete and Jane asked in unison.
"What? Oh I thought I saw …. Nothing," Leena chastised herself. Her grandmother had told her she had a rare gift and that others might not appreciate it.
Pete immediately put back his night vision goggles on and looked into the park. "Oh geez, I can see every rat in that park with these….wait," he said as he pulled his head up and saw it. "What the heck?" he asked and turned back to Leena.
"What did you see?" Jane asked, looking over bushes and trying to see what caught their attention.
Pete was in charge of Helena's security and was excellent at it. He could read a person's expression accurately and determine if Helena was in danger. What he read in Leena's face was - pleading. He wasn't sure how the woman could see what he could only see with special glasses, but she could. And he knew she was asking him not to tell anyone.
"Uhm…rats, just more of them," Pete said and smiled at Leena.
Leena let out a sigh of relief. She had never seen anything like it before, but now she knew it was real. Pete had seen the white beam of light emanating from the center of the meadow far away. In all her years of being able to see people's auras, she had never seen anything like this. This time, a white singular beam of light shot straight up to the skies.
It happened the moment the newly engaged couple had declared their love and joined lips. Their energies joined and pierced the heavens – announcing there was no stronger force than their love in the entire universe.
Their Oneness was reaching a new level.
Inside the park, the lovers stood together, foreheads touching as they faced each other.
"I have known you all my life, Helena," Myka said.
"I have been waiting for you all my life, Myka," Helena replied.
* Sarah McLachlan's verse
As many of you guessed, these last two chapters were very challenging. In spite of any errors,
please know I spent a great deal of time on trying to do these particular declarations justice.
As always, I welcome your comments - especially this time. I want Helena to get it right.
Cheers,
NYC