Please, no one tell AsgardianBlade's Once Upon a Time fanfiction readers that I am keeping her busy with helping me as they anxiously await her next installment.

Thank you to all who posted their thoughts. I do appreciate your encouraging words, insights and brilliant ideas. There's a part of each in you in this series somewhere indeed.

A Force to be Reckoned With

Pete's text to Steve explained that the team was handling something of a very sensitive business nature and that they would not be in until tomorrow. The carefully worded message would not have been a cause for concern except for the part that Pete added at the end.

"Don't Tell Mrs. F "– it read.

That caught Steve's attention. When he asked Pete why not, Pete explained it their trip North had to do with Helena's former employer and he didn't want to alarm Irene. Pete was proud that he had thought of everything and returned to helping Claudia with the security issues.

Back in Manhattan, that directive kept gnawing at Steve. Although the man possessed an uncanny knack for detecting lies, he struggled with even the thinnest veil of deception. In reality, he was no match for the woman who possessed the remarkable talent for getting people to confess openly and willingly.

"This is very odd," is all Irene said when she received notices that several of the directors were out with the CEO and Chief Counsel. Irene meant odd that she didn't know about the meeting; she didn't think it was odd for them to be together.

Steve was nearby and started pacing as thoughts tossed in his head. He could have used that energy to escape, but it was as if his feet kept turning him in the direction of the woman who now stared at him. While she was wondering what was going on – he wondered if in fact she was reading his mind.

The worst thing Steve could have said - came right out of his mouth - "They told me not to tell you!"

Irene rarely dabbled in human drama unnecessarily when Helena wasn't there, and today was no exception. "Then you shan't," she said as she kept walking.

That should have been Steve's cue to walk away, but the unexpected response confused him even more. It was almost too easy, Irene thought. She turned back slowly and said; "Unless of course, you want to…."

"They're at a meeting of a sensitive business nature…..," the man blurted wondering how the woman possessed the power to get him to talk.

This only made Irene wonder if Steve's vacation request had been approved because it was obvious he was in dire need of one. Irene trusted that if Helena wanted her to know, she would have told her. So, she nodded her head and started to walk away.

"…..with her former employer," he added, and exhaled a huge sigh of relief that it was all out.

That caught Irene's attention and made her stop in her tracks. In an instant, she was back at Steve's side, asking him if they called from South Dakota.

"They're in South Dakota?" Steve asked.

"Get the location of that call," she barked in an usually loud tone. She then instructed her assistant, Sandy, to ready whatever mode of transportation would get them to the meeting the fastest. Twenty minutes later, she was in a helicopter on its way to the coordinates of the cell phone ping.

In spite of the speed at which things were happening, Myka was aware that Helena seemed to appear to be at home in this strange place. Myka had prepared herself for Helena's fury, but now she felt as if she was watching her wife be cooperative. Trusting Helena didn't mean she trusted what was going on. It seemed the Warehouse was in charge. It had just separated her from Helena, albeit momentarily. When Helena realized Myka was not directly behind her, she returned to the office – just as Myka was coming through the door. "

Everything okay?" she asked Myka.

"Yes," Myka said, wishing she could ask whatever or whoever was talking to her what that last statement meant. They started walking back to the group when the question finally came to Myka.

"Helena," she finally said and pulled Helena's hand to stop walking. "….this place is the epitome of ….smoke and mirrors" Myka whispered, afraid of agitating something or someone. "How do we know?" she asked looking around, but raising her eyebrows to finish her thought.

It was a valid question. After all, the Warehouse was in this bind due to the ineptness of its caretakers. Maybe this was all a ploy by them to get their brightest agent to return and help.

"I can only tell you that it is a sense I have," Helena said and that didn't satisfy Myka.

"No," Myka said flatly, looking around as if she were talking to someone else now. "Not good enough. Eileen had been taken against her will – willingly – due to their mumbo jumbo."

"Myka, she read to me…," Helena said and she could tell Helena wanted to believe it.

Myka felt terrible that she was testing what Helena so easily trusted, but she had to be sure. "Give her back her things," Myka said, turning around as if speaking to someone nearby.

"Myka!" Helena said, almost chastising her. That tone was enough to convince Myka that her wife so wanted to believe that the Warehouse was speaking to her, that she wasn't questioning it.

"If you are …what you say you are…..give her back her things," Myka stated again, more sternly this time. Dead silence befell the area as Myka turned from side to side, waiting for something to happen.

What little Myka knew of these people, she knew they had held onto the items that belonged to their former agent. Whenever Myka asked Helena about her belongings, other than the journals, letters and locket she took with her, Helena explained that they were now property of the Warehouse.

Not anymore.

"If they are returned, will you trust that this is what Helena believes it to be?" the voice asked.

Myka looked at Helena and read in those dark eyes her longing to believe that the Warehouse had a soul, a voice, and a heart that once cared for her. Even if Myka were demanding this test for Helena's benefit, she couldn't bear to take that away from Helena.

"Yes," Myka said and saw Helena's expression soften as she let out a sigh.

Helena appreciated that Myka was questioning the validity of the situation and was very relieved when Myka agreed to the terms of the test.

"She's protective," Helena whispered and the response – "She's not the only one," came back to Helena's ear.

The Warehouse was wise not to share every thought with Myka.

Claudia and Pete had laid out all the issues that they saw in keeping the facility safe. Then the techie went back to the three men, still attached to chairs, to ask Henry how he had infiltrated Wells Corp.

"Administrative Assistants' Day," Henry said, wishing he could work with someone as bright as Claudia.

"Excuse me?" Claudia asked, having calmed down a great deal.

"We had flowers sent to the assistants. The deliveries were made and placed on the desks. Inside each was a device that could pick up on sensitive information and passwords," Henry explained. On such short notice, it was the only plan the three agents could come up with.

"You mean you didn't break though our firewall? You didn't get through to our systems?" Claudia asked.

"Are you kidding? I tried for hours! I've never seen a system where there wasn't some kind of crack you could get through," Henry said. And then in case there was any doubt, he added: "I graduated top of my class."

Claudia smiled from ear to ear at that news. All this time, she worried the Wells Corp system – her system – had allowed these bozos to gain access.

"I guess we'll have to be more careful about deliveries, " the techie said.

Pete hadn't eaten in hours and started to roam the aisles, looking for a vending machine. How could an office space this big expect its workers not to have snacks? He reached for the first edition Betty Crocker cookbook and when he touched a page with a picture of a hamburger on it, one appeared! Rather than be totally surprised by this occurrence, Pete devoured the food and kept poking his finger at the pictures – until he returned with a cart full of food.

"Breakfast!" he yelled as he wheeled the cart down the aisle.

"Coffee?" Jane asked, having gone too long without her elixir.

"Irish coffee," Pete said, because it seemed only the pictures produced the food.

"Today is one day I think I can drink on the job," Jane said, grabbing the mug and drinking the warm liquid.

"Where did you get this?" Eileen asked suspiciously.

"Beddy Cwocker," Pete said, his mouth full of food. Jane looked at him, but he shrugged his shoulders as if to ask what the big deal was.

"I love this guy," Jane admitted openly and leaned over and kissed him.

Myka and Helena returned to the group and stared at Pete's food card. "Have some," he offered, but there was no time.

There was a large jolt in the electrical charge that surrounded the portal from South Dakota. Everyone ran to the opening in time to see the tall, well-dressed man step through and stand there. "I wanted to thank all of you in person," Adwin said as if he had just walked through a door.

"Oh, thank God. I thought he was from the cafeteria or something," Pete said.

"Agen….Ms. Wells," the head Regent said, walking over to the group.

"I'm so glad I don't have to write up a report on this," Jane said, trying not to be fazed by the man's appearance.

"I am Mrs. Bering-Wells now," Helena said, and accepted the man's extended hand.

"I heard. Congratulations," he said, but he was looking at Myka now.

If the group thought the electrical current that the man had come through was loud, it was nothing compared to the storm that had found its way from the dust blown yard outside and through the front door.

"Get – away – from – her," came the booming voice and startled everyone, but Adwin Kosan.

"Oh, now you're in trouble," Jane said as she backed away from the oncoming woman.

Irene Frederic marched down the aisle with Steve behind her. The sheepish expression on his face told them that he had revealed exactly what he was asked not to.

"Dude!" Pete said as they passed.

"She used this …," Steve said, waving his hands around, "…Jedi Mind Trick thing, I think." This only confirmed Pete's declaration that her secret code name should be 'Yoda'.

Myka and Helena were surprised to see the HR Director there, and only slightly more stunned when she passed them right by and stood right in front of the head Regent, whom she recognized as the man in charge.

"Mr. Kosan, you were told not to contact Helena. I don't know how you got her to agree to come here, but you're not keeping her," the woman who rarely raised her voice yelled up at him.

"They kidnapped Eileen," Claudia said, afraid of the woman, even though she wasn't being yelled at.

Irene turned to look at Helena who went to speak. Then Irene noticed the three men securely tied in the chair. "You sent your people to kidnap her? You lured Helena here?" she asked, taking a step closer to the man who stood there silently.

"Irene," Helena tried, but Mr. Kosan put his hand out to allow Irene to rant.

"Did they have you ….," Irene stammered to find the right word. "Warehoused?" she finally chose to see if Helena was under any influence.

"I would have said abracadabra'd," Jane said.

"No, Irene it was all in an effort to get me to help," Helena explained calmly, but that didn't help.

"You manipulated her?" she shouted back at the man who understood where she was coming from.

"We were under pressure to gain Ms. Wells' help. She was the only one that could be trusted," Adwin finally explained.

"She saved like the whole place," Jane shouted, the whiskey in the coffee hitting her empty stomach. "Well, we helped, but they had rogue agents and crackling walls and things flying through. OH! And a smuggling ring. Don't forget the smuggling ring in Australia," Jane shouted now and Pete tried to take the coffee cup out of her hand.

"I've never seen her drunk," Myka whispered.

"I've never seen her more entertaining," Helena remarked.

It was all too confusing for Irene who was there to make sure no one was messing with her friends. "What did you do to her?" she asked of the detective.

"Alas, Mrs. Frederic, we cannot take credit for any of that," Adwin explained. "I assure you that we acted under duress and could not reach out through the agreed upon channels."

"Are you okay?" Irene finally asked Helena who assured her that they all were. Irene stared at Helena as if scanning her to notice if there was a hair out of place. "You're okay with what is going on?" she asked Myka. It took Myka a few seconds longer to say that she was.

Irene stared hard at the couple before she turned back to face the man in charge. And then the woman who never said a bad thing about anyone extended her neck and said - "I really don't like you people." Then she turned around to check on Eileen and Claudia.

Adwin raised an eyebrow and nodded to Helena. Even he acknowledged a force to be reckoned with when he met one. "Your former One still serves you well, I see," he smiled to Helena. "We owe you a debt of gratitude," he finally said to everyone. "This will be the new location and a new team is being assembled as we speak. A new, more vigorous vetting system is being implemented," he assured them.

"Good, because spin the wheel and pick an agent didn't really work for you guys," Claudia said.

"We had to make sure that Agent Wells was impulsive enough to save her own," the voice said and everyone looked at Kosan, but he wasn't the speaker. In spite of the rarity of this happening, the man never blinked. He knew if the Warehouse spoke, it was necessary.

"We would be happy to help your team secure this new location," Helena said. "I work with the best."

"We would appreciate that," Adwin admitted openly. He was the first to concede where they had failed. "And Helena? Thank you for not harming …," he said, looking over at the three agents that had been put to sleep. Adwin didn't even need the cuff links.

"I'm glad that we could help," Helena said and shook his hand. Myka didn't go near him. Irene just stared him down as they took their leave.

Helena told the group that she and Myka would catch up with them. Then, when the others were far down the tubal entrance, she took Myka's hand and went into the Warehouse.

"I am glad that we could help you. But you must understand that my devotion is outside these walls now. My life is with Myka and she will always come first in my heart and mind. I cannot do anything that she would not approve of or join me in," Helena spoke truthfully.

Tears welled in Myka's eyes upon hearing Helena's words.

"I hope you can forgive the drastic measures, Myka," the Warehouse said. "We will wait for your decision on a more direct line of communication should the need arise in the future." Myka knew she was being reminded.

"Helena and I will talk," is all Myka would say. She wasn't about to be pressured by something she wasn't entirely sure she trusted just yet.

Helena leaned over and kissed Myka and they started to walk outside.

"Oh, and congratulations, Helena," the Warehouse whispered in her ear.

Helena thought she was being congratulated on having the most wonderful One in the world.

That wasn't it at all.

When the couple joined their friends outside, everyone was trying to decide on how they would go back. People were talking over one another when Claudia put her hand in her pocket and felt the box.

"I'll take Helena and Myka back," Pete was saying.

"I want to go in the helicopter," Jane was saying in a sing song voice, the Irish coffee cup drained of its contents.

"Everyone! Wait!" Claudia said as everyone gathered to see what she wanted.

She had been so afraid that something had happened to Eileen and was filled with a fear she had never known. She took Eileen's hands in hers and stared into the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. She cleared her throat and pulled on her jacket as the words formed in her head.

"Eileen, in the last twenty four hours, I went from planning our date to planning your rescue. Thinking that something happened to you, filled me with a fear I never want to feel again. I just can't imagine existing a single minute without you in my life," the techie said and a lump appeared in her throat.

Then in front of the people who meant the most to her, Claudia Donovan knelt on one knee, and opened the ring box and said;

"Eileen Wells Sullivan, you deserve someone who will be there for you always, love you without end, and treasure you always. I want to be that person if you let me."

Tears were already falling down Eileen's cheeks as she said - "Yes, yes, I will."

Claudia stood up as their friends cheered and Eileen pulled her fiancée in for a kiss.

The friends offered their congratulations and hugs as tears flowed for the young couple. It was suggested that the newest engaged couple take the helicopter back to Manhattan so they could tell Eileen's family.

"Splendid job," Helena said to Claudia. "I couldn't have done better myself." The techie beamed at the compliment before returning to her fiancee's side.

Steve said he would go back with Irene after finding the keys in Damien's rental car. "I'll return it for them," Steve said. Irene joined him, but not before she had a moment alone with Helena.

"You are okay? Nothing else going on here?" Irene asked, worried about her friend.

"You charged in there like a bull in a china shop," Helena tried to chastise her friend so the feelings wouldn't over take her.

"While I don't care for the visual comparison, I won't refute that my entrance was less than graceful," Irene conceded. "I would do it again."

Helena smiled at the woman who saw right through her. "And I would be counting on it."

Two hours later, Pete pulled up in front of the Townhouse and gently woke his bosses up. "Back home," he said softly, his fiancée asleep as well in the front seat.

"Thank you, Pete, for everything," Myka said and hugged him.

"We couldn't have done this without you," Helena said, hugging him and making the man blush.

Helena had no sooner stepped onto the sidewalk when Pete called out to her. "Boss? Where do you want me to put all of this?" he asked, peering into the opened trunk that had opened of its own accord.

"All of what?" Helena asked, unaware that the space was inhabited.

"All of these things?" Pete said and the couple walked over to the car and looked down at the objects in question.

There, in the trunk, were several items that had been carefully wrapped in bubble paper or packed in boxes – all labeled. Helena reached her hand in and took one of them in her hand.

'Property of HG Wells - Time Machine Crystal'.

In the first installment "A Certain Heir" - Helena is unable to make the Time Machine work because of the missing crystal key. She always intended to get it back, but now it has been returned - as promised.