Surprise!

Feeling satisfied that she finally got Irene back on track, Helena set about to fix things for her other friend. She had Sui contact Joshua Donovan in Switzerland and get him on her private line. The brother of her favorite IT Director was not an easy man to reach. Working in the Hadron Collider facility in Switzerland meant all of his emails, texts and phone messages were monitored. Not to mention an irate supervisor who didn't appreciate someone calling for him during work hours.

But this wasn't 'someone' calling.

"Listen to me carefully," Helena said over the speaker phone to the boss. "I don't care what time it is there. And do not make me call my banker to retract my contribution to your facility." When his answer was delivered in a sarcastic tone, she got his name and emailed it to Irene. 'Have him fired immediately!' the message read. Irene would spend the next hour searching for the staff member in the Wells Corp database.

Finally, Joshua was allowed to speak, but not before he was given a stern warning to keep it short. "Is Claudia okay?" he asked as soon as he got on the line.

"It depends on what you mean by okay," Helena answered, sitting back comfortably in her chair. "If you mean, is she content with enabling you and putting your needs first, then I would say – yes, she's fine."

Joshua knew his sister's boss' reputation, but nothing prepared him for speaking to her on the phone now. "I explained this all to Claudia," he tried. "I feel terrible about this, but the change in the date conflicts with a deadline here."

Helena drew in a deep breath and sighed. Why did everyone have to make things so complicated, she wondered. "What kind of deadline?" she asked, as she crossed her long legs that were adorned in yellow high heels that matched the yellow flowers in her dress with the black belt.

"What?" Joshua asked because he wasn't sure there was enough time to explain this to someone who didn't work there. "I'm not sure…," the young scientist mistakenly attempted, but was promptly cut off.

"You do realize, my dear Mr. Donovan, that I come from a family that wrote an essay in 1881 called "The Universe Rigid; look it up. In this article, HG Wells describes a four dimensional time-space universe, which was then used as the foundation of a little something I like to call, "The Time Machine." You've heard of it?" Helena asked sardonically and Joshua nodded his head which she could not see, but gave him the benefit of the doubt. "This book, darling, was published many years before Albert Einstein published his Special Theory of Relativity, which as you know, introduced the idea of time as a fourth dimension. So, Mr. Donovan, do not hold back on what your deadline is about for I assure you, I could run circles around whatever the topic is."

Joshua felt his mouth drop open. He finally shared the general nature of the deadline only to have Helena suggest a tweak in the calculations that in turn saved him hours of work. As soon as he implemented the change, his computer screen spewed forth data at a rapid rate. "I can't believe you knew to do this!" he said in total amazement.

"Yes, well, I won't hold that against you. Now that you're up and running, I will have the necessary details sent to you so you can be here for your sister's wedding," he was instructed. "Remember, it's a surprise," Helena warned.

"I will need my boss to sign off, but it shouldn't be an issue," Joshua explained.

"Well, you better get him to sign it soon," Helena said, certain the man's termination would be momentary.

With that crossed off her list, Helena then instructed Sui to find the experts in all matters of weddings. Each was sent a copy of what Claudia and Eileen decided they wanted, with instructions that they were to make their proposals to a - Mrs. Kathleen Sullivan of Brooklyn. Then she emailed the engaged couple and updated them. A tray with the perfectly brewed cup of tea soon appeared on her desk in appreciation.

Helena's day was sailing along and she was looking forward to having dinner with Myka, especially since her wife had texted and said she would be late, but they had something fun to discuss.

Irene soon appeared in the CEO's office and explained that she had combed the staff directories and could not find the man she insisted should be fired. "Before I even get to why he should be terminated," Irene began, "I must admit that I can't find him in any department."

"He doesn't work here," Helena clarified.

Irene stopped checking her tablet and looked at her boss. "Where ….does…he work?"

"CERN, near Geneva," Helena stated plainly.

"You do know my jurisdiction stops at around 87th Street, right?" Irene asked.

"I don't expect you to fire him," Helena said, rolling her eyes. "Call the HR Director over there."

"And the reason?" Irene asked just for kicks and giggles.

"He's incompetent," Helena said and then relayed the data on which she based this theory.

"Do you think we could let him off with a stern warning this time? I hear theoretical physicists are hard to find," Irene asked, wondering what she would do if Helena said no.

"I'll leave it in your competent hands," Helena said when she saw the time. She was going to take advantage of getting home first.

Leena opened the front door of the Townhouse and the disbelief immediately registered on her face. "Mr. and Mrs. Bering!" she said, but didn't open the door any wider as she contemplated what to do.

"Leena!" Jeannie Bering said and started to walk forward when she realized the House Director was not budging. "We…came to surprise Myka and Helena," she whispered, as if that were the secret password.

"Could we come in?" Warren said, holding the two suitcases. "There was a shady looking guy over there by the corner," he pleaded because his mistrust of life in New York had not improved much.

"Oh yes, I'm sorry," Leena said and opened the door wider for the couple to step in. "Let me help you," she said, taking one of the bags that Myka's father carried. She struggled to even lift it.

"Heavy, right?" Warren noted. "She brought the whole darn store, I swear," he complained.

"Oh, Warren," Jeannie said, gently slapping his arm. "There weren't too many pregnancy books written when I was pregnant with the girls, so he doesn't understand that I want Myka to have all the latest information."

"From a book?" Leena slipped because it was as if the bibliophile couple never heard of the internet sometimes.

"Now, I don't want the girls to know we're here," Jeanne instructed and said how she and Warren – on a whim – decided to drop everything and come. "Do you think they'll be surprised?" she asked.

"Oh, yes, I'm almost certain of it," Leena smiled uncomfortably. She was also sure Helena was going to outlaw - whims. Especially by her in-laws.

"Look at these stairs," Warren said, walking over to the grand staircase that led to the upper floors. "My grandson will break his neck. They're going to have to put up gates. Do you have a hardware store around here?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm sure they'll …do something," Leena assured him.

"That's true!" Jeannie chimed in. "There's so much glass and…electrical sockets," she said, looking around the imposing entrance. "Get a pack of those plugs for the wall outlets, Warren."

"How about I make you some tea and sandwiches?" Leena said, gently guiding Mrs. Bering into the dining room, her husband following. Then, she raced out of the room, even though they told her not to bother with food.

"I wonder where they put my grandmother's vase," Jeannie said out loud as she looked around the room.

"Gotta access Bering heirloom vase," Leena said as she scrambled to use the program Helena built to put a visitor's wedding gift on display in one of the rooms. The Bering's said not to tell Myka or Helena. They didn't mention Irene. Leena was typing as fast as she could to ask the HR Director what to do when Warren stuck his head through the kitchen door. "Does that daughter-in-law of mine have any tools? Never mind, I'll poke around."

"Contain them!" Irene instructed as she tried to reach Helena, but there was no answer. Considering the device was usually glued to Helena's hand, Irene kept trying. Finally, Pete answered when he found the phone in the back seat. It had slipped out of her coat pocket in the back of the car.

"The Bering's are here," was all Irene said and heard Pete yelp. "Whadda we do?" he panicked.

"Bring her the phone and keep Mr. Bering busy," Irene instructed and Pete turned around in traffic to head back.

Leena found Irene's instruction rather challenging because when she returned to the dining room, the parents had split up. The basement door was opened, and she could hear Mrs. Bering upstairs, trying to choose a bedroom. She decided Myka's father could cause more damage downstairs than his wife could searching for a bedroom upstairs. She looked in the front hallway and was certain no one was home yet because the telltale signs of Helena's discarded bag and coat were not there. They had, in fact, been picked up by her mother- in-law before ascending the staircase. Leena called to Mr. Bering, but he was too busy hammering pieces of wood he found to make a frame for the baby gate. Descending the stairs, she pleaded with him to stop, but he assured her that he could measure space without the use of a tape measure and proceeded to bring the pieces of wood upstairs.

"Helena is very particular about …not adding …..pieces of wood to the walls, Mr. Bering," Leena cried as he continued banging.

Pete rushed through the front door and looked around. "Why did she ever take that chip out?" he asked because finding Helena was harder since the tracking device was removed. He rushed up the stairs and gingerly starting looking around. He gently knocked on the couple's bedroom door, but there was no answer. Then he peeked in the next room – but that was the unfinished nursery. He tiptoed down the other end of the hallway, when he heard the sound of his boss talking on the house phone.

Helena had taken a quick shower and was wearing one of Myka's favorite lingerie outfits; a black lace teddy covered by a black short kimono. Her plan was to greet her wife when she arrived home. A plan she thought was ruined when she heard Myka knock on the door. She rushed to it and whipped the door open, seconds after whipping open her robe and said –

"Welcome home, Darling," in a sultry British voice.

Pete's eyes widened and his heart stopped. A tiny voice inside him screamed to run away, but he was looking at Helena – in lingerie – and nothing computed. Except when he heard Mrs. Bering calling out – "Is that you, Helena?" as she approached.

Finally, Pete sprang into action. Well, he meant to, but it was more like – running into Helena and toppling her over.

Irene came through the back door just in time to hear Leena yelling at Mr. Bering as she pulled the hammer out of his hand as he swung back to strike the first nail. Myka came through the front door to witness the encounter and they all heard Mrs. Bering screaming when she saw a man atop her daughter-in-law.

In the moment one's brain is enveloped in fear and it's trying to decide – fight, flight, or freeze – Pete froze. This then made it impossible for Helena to move.

"Dad?" Myka asked as she rushed up the stairs and down the hallway to see her mother's mouth agape in front of her bedroom.

"Don't look, Myka," her mother said, trying to pull Myka away.

"Would you please be so kind as to get off me?" Helena asked, gasping as the dead weight of her bodyguard pressed down on her. Pete was afraid to move – afraid he might touch something.

"Are you okay?" Myka said to Helena, pulling Pete back by the collar of his jacket. She had remarkable strength for a pregnant woman, he noted.

"Yes, I was afraid to move," Pete said, his head flung back and his eyes cast on the ceiling as if he had whiplash.

"I meant Helena," Myka said and bent down to help her wife up.

"What are you doing in Helena's bedroom?" Mrs. Bering demand and Pete tried to walk, but kept bumping into things with his head bent backwards.

"Mr. Lattimer? Are you okay?" Irene asked from the doorway, sizing up what just transpired.

At the sound of her voice, Pete finally felt it was safe to look forward. "Oh, yes!" he said of her presence and grabbed the HR Director in a bear hug. "Thank you, thank you," he repeated.

Irene arched an eyebrow and looked over at Helena. "Are you okay?" she asked, as she patted Pete's back because he had not let go of her. The man hadn't moved because he was afraid of which of the women that surrounded him was going to cause him bodily harm.

The three women started to all talk at once: Myka surprised by her mother's presence; Helena refuting that Pete was in her room; and Mrs. Bering lamenting that you just can't get good help anymore.

Irene carefully led the poor man down the stairs where their exit was blocked by Mr. Bering and his handiwork. "Oh, hey, Pete; Mrs. Frederic. Pete, give me a hand here, will you?"

"Mister Bering!" Irene said sternly and Leena uttered – "You shoulda listened," because she knew who would be in charge now.

"What was all that screaming about?" Myka's father finally asked.

Pete swallowed hard and said – "I fell," and his voice cracked when he said it.

"Help Mr. Bering take this contraption away before someone builds the rest of the cell and puts him in it," Irene said, turning to Pete.

Upstairs, Myka was still taking in the welcome home outfit Helena was wearing. "Wow," she whispered and Helena smiled. It was the closest they would get to enjoying it because they could hear Irene speaking sternly to Warren downstairs.

"I'll …just put something on," Helena said, disappointed as her wife and mother-in-law went to investigate.

"Daddy? What are you doing?" Myka said from the top of the steps with plenty of surprise left over from seeing her mother.

And then the perfect distraction knocked at the front door. "We should just put a revolving door in," Leena said as she opened it.

"The Bering's?" Bridget said when she saw the couple. She was helping Sarah in with the clothing samples.

"Get the martinis, Leena, this is going to be good."