I was the one who put Helena's urn in the tomb. How the hell is she standing in front of me?! "What. The. Hell?"

"We have a lot to talk about and I am so sorry Myka. Truly I am." H.G.'s eyes were full of fear and vulnerability. Taking a few steps forward, I cupped Helena's cheek. She flinched but relaxed when I didn't slap her. "I'm real. No hologram."

My brow creased. I'm confused beyond words but slightly offended that she'd think I would hurt her. "I'm slightly offended because you thought I was going to slap you."

"I do deserve it. And you punched Peter quite a bit." Hesitantly, H.G. placed her hand on mine. "I wouldn't blame you."

I missed her touch. Why does she have this power over me? One look or one touch and I'm putty. "Pete's different. He's a brother to me…" My voice trailed off when H.G. slid her fingers between mine. "I'm not going to hurt you. But you do owe me a lot of explanation. First off, how are you here and not in the urn I put in the tomb beside Christina's?"

"Think about it Myka. A healthy woman dies of a heart attack. Her body is cremated before the executor is even called. Who does that sound like?"

"The Regents." I paused, "Pete was getting vibes but I brushed him off because I couldn't listen to it. Why did they do this?"

"Because I asked them to. Emily Lake needed to die so Helena G. Wells could live and try to fix the life she threw away. No one would realize I was The H.G. Wells because no one outside of the warehouse knows he's really a woman. It would just be a coincidence. We would use the same story that we told the bookstore owner when you and I snagged Queen Elizabeth's diary."

Too many questions raced through my brain. I couldn't string a coherent sentence together. Finally, I realized I was still cupping Helena's cheek. Removing it slowly, H.G.'s jaw tightened. Chuckling nervously, I smiled at the memory of the mission. "Your parents were both nineteenth century enthusiasts and wanted you to have the same initials as their favorite author. What life are you talking about?"

"The life I could have had with you. Once Irene told me I could come back, I should have come after you but I got so caught up in the idea of having a normal life that…" Her voice trailed off. "But when I saw you in Boone and saw the love in your eyes…Myka I should have fought for you." It was clear the author's emotions matched mine. Neither of us could complete a single thought.

"Yes, you should have." My voice came out nearly a hiss. H.G. flinched and took a step back. "I'm sorry. That came out…"

"I understand." Helena's voice was soft and she looked away. "I've hurt you deeply; again."

"Never have I seen you timid. Except the time you came to me after I left." I took a step forward and place my hands on the older woman's shoulders; the simple gesture causing her to meet my gaze. "Just making sure you're not a hologram."

A soft smile graced the inventor's lips. "No hologram here. I'm not used to this, being scared. I'm a hundred and fifty years old…."

"But you're still human. Let's sit down before we both freak totally out." H.G. agreed and followed me to the couch. "The guy outside, you hired him?"

"I did."

"How did you know I'd come?" I folded my legs under me so I could face Helena more.

"Because the book I never finished spoke to you. By the way, Myka B. Wells sounds better." Blood drained from my face. "You always did want to come first."

"How….the computer." A mischievous smile met my mortification. "You knew I'd keep it near me at all times. How did you bug it to record whatever went on?"

"Between me and young Claudia, it was quite easy to bug my computer. She and I spoke while I came to see the Regents about this whole plan. It was in her best interest that she act as if she knew nothing. I made sure you were the executor and would get everything. Jezebel saw the picture on my laptop of us at your birthday and confronted me about it. She pointed out that I've never looked at her the way I looked at you."

Trembling, I looked away. "What way is that?"

Gently, H.G. took my hand in hers. "Darling, look at me." I did as she asked. "She said I've never looked at her with such love in my eyes." I searched satin brown eyes for three little words. I knew they were there but I needed to hear them. "Myka, I love you. I hope one day you can forgive me for everything I've done. I know it will take time but I will do whatever it takes for you to trust me again."

"It will take awhile." Biting my lip, I debated my next statement. "But I do think I can forgive you." H.G. nodded. My face burned when I realized she heard everything I've said. "You've heard everything…."

A soft chuckle vibrated the older woman's throat. "Yes."

"That means you heard me say…" H.G. smirked with amusement. My heart started to pound. "To hell with it." Shocking us both, I cupped Helena's face and planted a hard kiss on her soft lips. A low moan escaped my throat when she kissed back. I've dreamt of this for years. It's so much better than I could ever have imagined.

"Feel better now?" Helena let her forehead rest against mine.

I tried catching my breath. "As long as you never kissed Isabelle…"

"Jezebel."

"Whatever. Like that, I will be."

H.G. laughed and kissed me again. "Never. Not with real passion." Another musical laugh escaped the author's throat when I groaned. "What?"

"I can get over Nate kissing and sleeping with you. But I can't handle the idea of Jezebel touching and kissing my Helena." Pulling back quickly, I cupped a hand over my mouth.

H.G.'s brow rose and an amused smirk tugged at her lips. "Your Helena?"

"Oh leave it alone. I know how you made it quite apparent that I was your Myka."

"Peter told you?" All I did was nod. "Of course he did." Helena. leaned her head back.

"Thank you for the house." I was hesitant. "Are you coming back with me?"

"I finally have the ability to have a real life with you. Of course I'm coming back." Helena wrapped an arm around my shoulders to pull me closer.

Xxx

Helena and I spent a few more days in London reconnecting. We picked up where we left off. H.G. truly wanted to prove that she was worthy of my love. I've never been romanced like this before. I'm sure, unlike her past lovers, a night curled up on the couch with take-out and a movie was not a perfect date. Each morning we would wake up, make tea and coffee, read the paper, go out for awhile, and then come back to just be in each other's company.

Once all of my vacation time was up, we went back to the states. "Back to reality?" H.G. took a calming breath as we stood outside our new home.

"Welcome home, Helena." Pushing the door open, I let her enter first. "I'm sure you decorated this somehow?"

"Of course. I knew you'd be living here so I decorated it knowing what you liked." Placing her luggage by the couch, H.G. leaned against the counter. "It turned out beautifully."

"And since you're staying here now, thankfully we have the same taste in decor." I wrapped my arms around the timid brunette. "This is your home and we're finally together. Now stop being so damn timid. Where'd the strong, stubborn, mischievous, brilliant woman I fell in love with?"

Smiling, Helena wrapped her arms around my waist. "She's still here. She was just scared of losing the one tether she has to this world."

"Well, you're not losing me. So you have nothing to worry about."

"Good." Leaning in, H.G. kissed me softly.

I will never get used to this. We both groaned when my Farnsworth rang. "It's Pete. I better answer." Opening the device, I saw Pete's face. "Hey."

"How was London?"

"It was good." I smiled. Helena stepped out of Pete's sight for now.

His brow knitted. "Mykes, what is it? That's the H.G. smile."

Glancing up, I laughed at the confused but proud look Helena had. "I found something in London and brought it home."

"Mykes….what are you talking about?" As if on cue, H.G. came into view. Pete's eyes grew wide. "What the hell?!"

"It's a long, complicated story. To make it short, the Regents. All of this was her idea." The man child was speechless for a moment.

"It's good to see you and Myka together again."

Pete jumped at the sound of Claudia's voice. "You were in on this?"

"Well duh. You know I like H.G. Especially when her and Myka are together." The Caretaker smiled as she came on screen. "I'm glad everything worked out. What are you going to do now?"

"Probably get a job at the bookstore in town. And then do freelance work. I don't want to get mixed up with the warehouse again."

"That's probably for the best. I need to go. The team just got a ping. Jinksy and Pete will handle this one but I want you back to work tomorrow Mykes."

"Will do. Oh how's Artie handling this?" Probably not well.

"He's…torn. You'll see him tomorrow." After saying goodbye, the screen went black.

"I had forgotten about Arthur. He'll be livid; again." Helena walked into the kitchen to put the kettle on.

"I can handle him. I'll probably be grounded."

"Like the time we broke into the H.G. Wells section?" A mischievous brow rose.

I couldn't help but snort. "Yes. Speaking of that, the grappler isn't in the warehouse. Is that your doing?"

"Slightly. Claudia helped. Check under the floorboard in your room."

Stepping into the bedroom, I found the one board that squeaked. Lifting it, I saw the new grappler. "Is this the artifact that set off a ping?"

"It is indeed."

I watched as H.G. moved with ease around the kitchen. "How do you know where everything is?"

"Because I know you. We're alike in many ways, as you know, so our ways of organization are very similar."

"Of course." Placing the grappler on the counter, I joined the brunette. "And it's our bedroom. Not my bedroom." Kissing H.G.'s cheek quickly, I went to put the grappler back. "Don't wrap me up in this one."

"No promises."