Title: It's Complicated [1/?]
Author: definitely-scissory (on tumblr), ismellapplesx3 (on /AO3)
Pairing: Bering & Wells
Rating: M (for future chapters)
Spoilers: 4x01 (does not take into account events post-4x01)
Summary: Helena's fate has been decided by the Regents. Myka has been assigned the difficult task of making sure she's "settled in." What does that mean for team Bering and Wells?
Disclaimer: I own nothing. All characters and Warehouse 13 concepts belong to their rightful owners. This story is for entertainment purposes ONLY. I do not profit in any way. Any similarities to real life people, places, or situations is purely coincidental.
A/N: This is the story that crazycat9449 (tumblr) requested as the winner of my fic raffle. Enjoy! :)

The first thing Claudia noticed as she and Steve entered the B&B was the smell of the roast cooking in the kitchen. Her stomach rumbled. She glanced at her watch and noted that dinner was still an hour away. Drat!

The second thing Claudia noticed was Myka sitting on the stairs, staring at what appeared to be a letter. It didn't seem that she'd even heard them enter the house. Claudia stopped in her tracks, noting the anxious look on her face. Steve stopped alongside her, looking over at his redheaded companion, a questioning expression on his own face. Claudia ignored him.

"Hey Mykes," Claudia said, moving to lean against the banister. "Whatcha got there?"

Myka jumped slightly at Claudia's greeting. She hadn't even noticed she was no longer alone. Of course, sitting on the stairs of the full B&B, she should have known better. It was just that, well, when Leena had handed her the envelope as she'd just gotten to the bottom of the stairs, all she could do was stare at the single word written on the outside.

Myka.

The handwriting obviously belonged to a certain dark-haired Victorian writer. Her heart had sunk. Why would she write her a letter? The only answer Myka could come up with is that the regents had decided to re-bronze her or send her back to the sphere, her mind erased once again. Was Emily Lake back to teaching somewhere? Either way, Myka just knew the letter was some sort of "goodbye" letter. Why else would she write to her? She'd had to sit down on the stairs, her knees threatening to give out. So, that's why she was sitting on the third step from the bottom, as she had been for the last ten minutes, holding the letter, staring at it, but refusing to read it.

Myka realized that Claudia and Steve were just staring at her. She quickly refolded the still unread letter and stuffed it back into the envelope as she stood. "Nothing," she murmured, staring right into Steve's eyes, daring him to call her on her lie. He said nothing.

Claudia glanced up at Steve and he shrugged. Claudia rolled her eyes slightly, but also shrugged. "Whatever, I'm starving. Come on, Steve. Let's go see if we can sneak some roast before dinner."

"I heard that," Leena said as she walked by them, unperturbed. "You'll wait until dinnertime."

Claudia groaned and clutched her groaning stomach. "But I'm hungry now," she whined, her stomach growling loudly. She grinned at the perfect timing.

Leena rolled her eyes. "Come on, I'll fix you a snack."

Claudia whooped and grabbed Steve's hand, pulling him into the kitchen. Leena glanced at Myka, noting the trepidation in her aura. She noted the envelope in her hand. "You should read it," she said, then turned to follow Claudia and Steve.

Myka didn't even question how Leena had known she hadn't read it yet. Thinking that she should read this in private, she made her way upstairs to her room. She shut the door behind her and sat in the plush armchair in the corner. Her hands were shaking as she reopened the envelope and pulled out the single sheet of textured paper. Helena's elegant handwriting covered the page.

Darling Myka,

I suppose you are wondering why I am writing to you instead of calling you on the telephone or coming to see you in person. Let us just say that I miss the days of taking pen to paper to express one's self. Furthermore, I find it easier to gather my words on paper. It is rather a creature comfort of mine. (Claudia taught me that phrase some time ago. I am ever so grateful to her for helping me blend into today's society. What a sweet girl she is.)

Myka, I am writing in order to explain my extended absence. You see, I was forbidden by the Regents to tell you, or anyone else, for that matter, where I was and what I was doing. But now that things have been settled, I can finally reveal my secrets. Well, most of them, at least.

Understandably, the Regents are reluctant to see me reinstated as an agent of the Warehouse. I cannot say that I blame them given my past actions as an agent. However, whatever Artie said to them about me caused them to rethink returning my consciousness to the Janus Coin, for which I am incredibly grateful. It really was horrid being near you but not being able to feel your presence.

I suppose the Regents' next dilemma was what to do with me. Releasing me out to the world on my own recognisance was apparently out of the question. Besides, I do think they knew that I would not be able to stay away from the Warehouse or you, for that matter. They briefly considered making me a Regent, to which I was reluctant, but it seems that idea was quickly scrapped. It was Jane who finally came up with a solution: I will be acting as a consultant to the Warehouse from now on, a sort of Regent resource, if you will. It appears that I will be working closely alongside a Mr. Keeler in Elk Ridge. I think the Regents just wanted me to be fairly close to the Warehouse in the event that my services were needed, but Mr. Keeler is going to act as my handler of sorts. Either way, I am grateful to exist outside of my mind once again.

I do hope that you and I will be able to communicate soon and often, dearest Myka. I missed your mind most of all during my stint in the sphere.

It is safe to reveal my whereabouts to the others, as well, if you wish. I daresay that Artie is awaiting to hear of my whereabouts nearly as much as you were. From what I hear, he spoke quite highly in favor of my return to the Warehouse. I do not know what exactly I did to manage to gain his trust, but nevertheless, I am indebted to him now. I am confident that he would like to now this fact.

I cannot wait to see you again, Myka. I owe you my life. And my sanity. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Until I am able to see you again,

Helena

Myka continued to stare at the letter long after she'd finished reading it. Then she read it again to ensure that her eyes weren't playing tricks on her. The Regents hadn't put her back in that blasted ball? Or rebronzed her? Or done something equally horrible?

She slowly refolded the letter and slid it back into the envelope, unsure if she actually believed the words printed on the paper. She'd been so sure that Helena would be somehow imprisoned once more. And they'd never see on another again except for the occasional allowance for Helena to help on a case in her holographic (or similar) state.

Myka wasn't sure what to do with the information. She decided then and there that she needed to see Helena as soon as she could.

I wonder where she's living, Myka thought to herself. She sat there, lost in her thoughts, for quite a while.

A soft knock on her door pulled Myka out of her thoughts. "Myka? Dinner will be ready in five minutes," Leena called out.

"Thanks, Leena," Myka replied, standing. "I'll be right there."

She reached down and slid the drawer of her nightstand open. She placed the letter carefully inside for safe keeping, then slid the drawer shut. She took one last calming breath before making her way to the dining room, where Pete, Claudia, Steve, and Artie were already gathered, and Leena was placing the last of the food on the table before she took her own seat. Leena had been forced to obtain a larger table now there were six of them. Myka took her usual spot between next to Pete, her mood greatly improved compared to an hour earlier.

Claudia noticed the change and wondered what had been in that letter. Never a fan of subtlety, she decided to ask her outright. "So, Mykes, what was that letter all about? Who was it from?"

"Claud, can't you let anyone have any privacy?" Steve butted in with a brotherly admonishment.

Myka chuckled. "It's okay, Steve," she said. "I was going to tell you all about it anyway." She glanced at Artie and noted his disinterest in anything other than the food on his plate. "It was a letter from HG."

That got his attention, alright.

"The Regents have made their decision?"

Myka looked at him in confusion. She'd thought for sure that someone—perhaps Mrs. Frederic-would have kept him in the loop. "Yeah," she started slowly. "They denied her return as an agent, but decided that she was too valuable a resource to lock away again. She'll be working alongside Mr. Keeler in Elk Ridge."

"Elk Ridge?" Pete questioned. "Is that where the Janus Coin was stored? In that grocery store?"

Myka nodded. "And Mr. Keeler was the grocery store manager."

"It makes sense," Artie said. "He's the history buff of the Regents, and HG will have access to a vast library of historical literature."

Myka nodded. "And it's only an hour away." They all looked at her. Oops. She hadn't meant to say that aloud. She felt her cheeks redden and willed someone to say something else. She brought a bite of mashed potatoes to her mouth, looking down.

Steve, bless him, noted her unease. "So, HG Wells, huh? I mean, I kind of met her, but we didn't really have a change to chat before I, well, you know, died. When can I be properly introduced?"

"Is she allowed in the Warehouse?" Claudia piped in. "I could really use her help with some projects I'm working on."

Myka shook her head. "I don't know. She didn't say in the letter."

"Ms. Wells' access to the Warehouse is prohibited for the time being."

Everyone jumped and turned to face the sudden voice of Mrs. Frederic in the doorway. She was a regal as ever, dressed in a light blue tweed suit that looked like it was right out of the fifties.

"When will she be allowed back?" Claudia asked.

Mrs. Frederic regarded her with careful scrutiny. "When the Regents decide she is ready, Ms. Donovan."

Claudia sunk back in her chair with a slight pout. She'd really been looking forward to enlisting HG's help with those projects.

Mrs. Frederic turned to Myka. "Agent Bering, your presence has been requested by the Regents in Elk Ridge. Ms. Wells has expressed her interest in seeing you the most. Therefore, you have been charged with assuring that she gets settled in Elk Ridge." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a slip of paper, then handed it to Myka. "On this, you'll find the coordinates of where you are to be at 8AM."

Myka, unable to find her voice, just nodded, clutching the piece of paper tightly.

"Road trip!" Pete called out, pumping one fist into the air.

"Myka will be traveling alone," Artie said. "Isn't that right, Mrs.—" he stopped short when he noticed she was gone.

"How does she do that?" Claudia asked rhetorically.

The dinner conversation resumed, but Myka just stared at the piece of paper in her hand. It seemed that she would be in Helena's presence a lot sooner than she'd thought.

Myka didn't notice Pete studying her closely. As dense as he could be at times, he'd come to know Myka, and her moods, fairly well over the last three and a half years.

Later that evening, Myka laid sideways on her bed, booted feet still planted firmly on the ground, thinking. She should go ahead and pack for her trip in the morning. To see Helena, Myka thought to herself, unable to stop the smile from forming.

A soft knock on her door pulled her from her thoughts. "Hey, Mykes?" It was Pete. "You decent?"

Myka rolled her eyes and lifted herself to rest on her elbows. "Come in," she said. The door opened and Pete poked his head in.

"Awe, I was hoping you weren't decent," he said with a grin. He just barely avoided the pillow that suddenly came flying towards his head. "I'm just kidding, jeez." He chuckled and picked up the errant pillow, chucking it back at Myka who caught it with ease and tossed it back to the head of the bed. Pete closed the door behind him and leaned against Myka's dresser, staring down at her as he thought about what to say.

"What?" Myka asked after a moment, feeling self-conscious

"I don't know, Mykes," he started. "You just seem… weird and I wanted to make sure you're okay."

"Weird?" Myka repeated. "Well, thanks."

"I don't mean weird, like, weird weird," Pete tried to clarify. Myka just gave him a puzzled look. He sighed and walked to the chair, plopping down in it. Myka sat up fully to face him. "I just mean, you got really quiet after Mrs. Frederic left. I could tell that something was on your mind. I didn't want to ask in front of the others, because, well, you know…" He trailed off.

"I know what?" Myka asked.

He chuckled. "Come on, Myka. You're leaving tomorrow to go see HG."

"And?"

Pete raised an eyebrow. "Myka, I may be dense sometimes, but I know there was something going on between you two. You know, like a scissor-y something."

"What?!" Myka exclaimed. "Pete—"

"Hey, I'm down with the lady love," Pete hurried to say. "And I mean in more than a porn-y way."

Myka sent him a chilling look. "Pete, there's nothing more than friendship between Helena and me," she said.

Pete gave her a disbelieving look. "Myka, it's me. You know you can talk to me about anything."

"And if there was anything to talk about, I'd tell you. Helena and I are just friends." It wasn't technically a lie.

Pete studied her for a moment, then shrugged. "If you say so," he said.

"I do."

"Okay." Pete stood to leave.

"Hey, Pete?" Myka called out just before he opened the door. He turned back to face her. "Did you really think there was something going on between Helena and me?"

"Well, yeah," he said with a slight shrug.

"Because I'm not… I mean, there was Sam and I've had other boyfriends…" she trailed off, staring at her fingers as she picked at a loose thread of the comforter beneath her, unable to look her partner in the eye.

She heard Pete move towards her. "Just because you had boyfriends in the past doesn't mean you can't fall for a woman."

Myka looked up at him in wonder. "When did you become so insightful?"

He shrugged. "I saw it on Oprah."

Myka laughed. "Honestly, Pete, there was never anything more than friendship between us."

He hesitated.

"What?" Myka asked.

"Did you want there to be something between the two of you?"

Myka briefly considered lying, but pushed that thought away. "I… don't know," she answered truthfully.

"Because the way you two looked at each other… I thought for sure you were sneaking off to dark corners of the Warehouse to bump uglies."

"Pete!" Myka admonished. "I would never do that in the Warehouse! We work there."

Pete grinned at her inadvertent admission. "But you'd do it elsewhere?"

Myka turned beet red. "Pete, that's not what I meant and you know it," she said between her gritted teeth.

Pete laughed. "Okay, okay," he said, holding up both hands in front of him in surrender. Then he dropped his hands and his laughter turned into a caring expression. "I just care about you, Mykes. I want to see you happy. And if that means being with possibly the world's most dangerous villain, then I say go for it."

"She's not dangerous anymore, Pete," Myka defended.

Pete raised an eyebrow. "Oh, she's dangerous. She still has the potential to kill us all. But thanks to you, she won't."

"Me?"

"Yeah, I mean, you were the one who talked her down at Yellowstone."

Myka shrugged. "I just did what any of us would have."

"But it worked because it was you talking her down. She sees the good in you, Myka. That's what restored her faith in humanity."

Myka stared at him, utterly perplexed as to where this insightfulness was coming from. "And where did that come from?"

"What? Pete can't be a smarty pants with words?"

Myka gave him her best 'yeah, right' look.

Finally, he shrugged. "Okay, fine," he said. "I heard it from Claudia."

"Claudia? Why would Claudia say that?"

Pete shrugged. "It was before you came back after Yellowstone. We were brainstorming ways to get you back. Who knew that all we had to do was send a holographic HG to convince you to return?"

Myka chuckled. "I'd have come back eventually anyway," she murmured.

"Really?"

Myka nodded. "It would have taken a lot longer, but, hell, I can't stay away! You guys are my family. I mean, I have my family-family, but… you know what I mean."

Pete sat next to her on the bed and wrapped an arm around her. "I know what you mean." He gave her a brief hug, then pulled back. "You hated me at first."

"I didn't hate you," Myka insisted. "I just… didn't particularly understand why you had to be so…" She trailed off at Pete's incredulous look. "Okay, fine, I didn't care for you, alright? But that was because I only knew the you that you presented to the world. I didn't know you any deeper than that. And you have to admit, surface you is a lot different than deeper you."

Pete laughed. "I could say the same thing about you, you know."

Myka shrugged. "I suppose. Anyway, I should pack for tomorrow."

Pete stood, but only after giving his partner another hug. "Any idea how long you'll be gone?"

Myka shook her head. "Which is why I have no idea what to pack."

Pete laughed and started to leave.

"Hey Pete," Myka stopped him once again. She waited until he turned to face her. "Thanks."

He just nodded. "Anytime," he said, then left her alone with her thoughts. She'd always known there was something… different with her relationship with Helena. Something deeper than the average friendship. But was Pete right? Was that difference actually not-so-platonic affection? She thought back over their time together, however brief it was.

Myka gasped and sat up with a start. How could she have missed it?! The seemingly innocent touches, the sitting closer than necessary, the amount of "darlings" Myka got compared to others... And then there was that "many of my lovers were men" comment just before Egypt. And it wasn't just Helena. Myka had been the instigator of many of those "innocent" touches herself.

She'd always been a supporter of LGBT rights and gay marriage (or, as she liked to think of it, marriage). Though she'd never thought of herself as anything other than heterosexual, it wasn't the fact that she was obviously attracted to a woman (yes, she finally admitted it) that threw her off. It was H.G. Wells, for crying out loud! She'd once tried to destroy the world.

Oh, yeah. She had a lot more to think about.

Sighing, Myka stood and rubbed her face with her hands in attempt to clear it of her current thoughts. She quickly showered and dressed for bed, then pulled a mid-sized suitcase out of her closet. Since she had no idea how long she'd be gone, she was at a loss at how much to pack. She opted to plan for a week, just in case. She figured there was no way she'd be gone that long, anyway. She packed pairs of jeans, trousers, shirts, sweaters, bras, panties, socks, and pajamas, then her travel toiletries and other necessities.

She'd just zipped the case closed when she thought about the thing that was residing in her nightstand, just under the letter she'd placed in there earlier. Myka walked over to the other side of the bed and sat as she pulled open the drawer. Inside lay the envelope holding Helena's letter. She pushed the envelope aside and picked up the item underneath, clutching it gently in her hand, feeling the cool metal against her palm. She'd never admit it to anyone, save maybe Helena sometime in the future, but Myka had often sat in that very position over the last few weeks as she awaited news of Helena.

She opened her hand and stared down at the locket that lay in her palm. She'd forgotten that she'd slipped it into her pocket after finding it in the Regent's Sanctum in Hong Kong. Then everything with Sykes had gone down. They'd used Gandhi's Dhoti to neutralize Sykes and the bomb. Then the regents had arrived to sweep Helena away once again. They hadn't even gotten a change to say goodbye, let alone a private moment to allow her to give it back to the rightful owner.

She caressed the locket, opening it to study the photo of Christina inside. All at once, she felt immense sadness for Helena's loss. She couldn't even imagine how it felt to lose a child, let alone to lose one to such a senseless action.

Blinking back tears, Myka stood and walked to her dresser where she'd already laid out her outfit for the following day. She laid the locket on top of the cream colored shirt so she wouldn't forget it. She planned on giving it back to Helena as soon as possible. She was sure that she missed the feeling of it around her neck greatly.

Myka just missed Helena.

A/N: What do you think is going to happen when Myka and Helena are reunited? :)