Title: Lady Luck

Author: Janine

Fandom: Warehouse 13

Pairing: Myka/HG

Rating:PG

Disclaimer: I don't own them.

Summary: Myka comes across H.G. on an assignment, but even though she knows she should stay away from her, she just can't.

Note: The story takes place during Season 2, after "For the Team" but before "Vendetta".

xxx

Part One

Myka's eyes drifted around the casino, her face scrunching up to protect her eyeballs from the gaudiness that surrounded her. The walls, the chairs, the floor and an alarming number of the people in the casino were draped in red velvet, and the sight of all of that crimson in conjunction with the binging and beeping and whirring of the slot machines surrounding her began to make Myka feel as if she was going insane.

Sighing irritably, Myka's lips parted to ask Pete if he thought it was possible that the casino itself could be the artifact (because it was certainly having an effect on her), when something across the room caught her eyes. What her eyes detected was nothing more than a flash of a pale profile before a sheet of dark hair was tossed, obscuring the woman's features, but the flash arrested Myka and she found herself staring at the woman's back as she glided across the floor.

Myka knew that gait. She knew that saunter; that swagger. She could feel it in her bones. She knew that woman, she was sure of it, but it wasn't until the woman leaned against a red velvet pillar and looked in Myka's direction that Myka was able to put a name to the vision before her, and that name was Helena Georgina Wells.

Myka's eyes widened and she turned quickly towards Pete to see if he was seeing what she was seeing, but Pete was too busy coveting a bowl of peanuts that was resting unguarded on a nearby table have seen anything.

When Myka turned back to the pillar H.G. was still there, lounging and smiling, and as they regarded each other, H.G. lifted her hand and gave a little wave to Myka. Despite herself, Myka found herself smiling, and H.G. winked at her before placing her index finger in front of her mouth to make the universal 'ssh' gesture. She then tilted her head to the side, silently commanding Myka to follow her.

Myka paused for a moment, considering whether or not to tell Pete that H.G. was there, but, as usual, she quickly dismissed the thought. Pete was still sore at H.G. for playing him when they first met her at her house, and when Myka broached the subject of H.G. rejoining the Warehouse, Artie had shot the suggestion down so completely that Myka was still convinced Pete wouldn't be willing to overlook it and work with the woman.

"I'm going to check over there," Myka said cocking her thumb randomly to the side.

"What?" Pete asked distractedly as he cradled his chin in his hand, studying the bowl of peanuts intensely.

"I'm going to check over there," Myka repeated once again jerking her thumb haphazardly.

"Okay," Pete murmured paying next to no attention to her. "There's nobody sitting there and I haven't seen anyone approach the table in minutes. The peanuts are fair game in that case, right? I mean, they've clearly been abandoned and are just going to go to waste so I should … rescue them. It's sensible, right? Won't somebody please think of the peanuts," he declared in a high-pitched voice that Myka was sure was supposed to make him sound like a lady.

"Sure," Myka said shrugging, not really caring about the peanuts at all. "I'll Farnsworth you if I find anything," she said looking over her shoulder at Pete as she headed towards the spot where she had last seen H.G.

Pete waved his hand at her distractedly. He was already looking around to see if the coast was clear for 'Operation Steal the Peanuts-Eat the Peanuts'.

xxx

"Glad you could make it," H.G. greeted with a smile when Myka fell in step beside her.

"Sorry I'm late. I got stuck babysitting," Myka murmured, her lips curving up in a sly smile as she glanced over at the woman beside her.

"Ah. How is Pete?" H.G. asked playfully.

"He's … well, Pete," Myka said shaking her head though she couldn't disguise the fondness in her voice as she spoke about her partner.

"Enough said," H.G. drawled knowingly. "Now, come along, darling," she sing-songed a moment later, grinning as she grabbed Myka's hand and drew her sharply to the left. "No dawdling."

xxx

When H.G. finally released Myka's hand they had a perfect view of the casino's highest stakes Craps table. Considering the amount of unhappy faces Myka had seen walking away from the table during her time in the casino she was surprised that it was so crowded, but the people gathered around the table made it easier for herself and H.G. to go unnoticed and un-overheard.

"Put these on," H.G. whispered holding out a pair a wire-rimmed glasses to Myka.

"Why?" Myka asked, trying to ignore the slight tremor in her voice, and then the fact that the tremor turned into a shiver when H.G. smiled at her and leaned closer.

"I saw you squinting earlier and thought you might be a touch near-sighted," the Brit drawled teasingly.

Myka frowned and H.G. smiled even brighter.

"The nose may know, but eyes lie," H.G. continued, her voice turning serious as she looked towards the Craps table. "The glasses will help you see the truth."

"Everything looks the same," Myka whispered once the glasses were comfortably situated on her face.

"Just wait," H.G. breathed out, so close that Myka could feel the gentle warmth of her breath caress her skin. "All will reveal itself in time. I promise."

Myka nodded, not trusting her voice to remain steady with H.G. pressed so closely against her, and kept her eyes focused on the table. She watched as bets were placed, as the player had a pretty blonde girl blow on the dice, and she watched as the man drew his hand back and tossed the dice onto the table.

'Lucky,' Myka thought with a touch of jealously as she saw the dice come to a stop on a pair of six's. She'd always had terrible luck at casinos and as a result generally begrudged people with the magic touch. However, before she could wallow too much in memories of past defeats at the hands of Atlantic City casinos, Myka registered disappointed sounds coming from the winning table.

"What …"

"Take off the glasses and look at the table," H.G. whispered.

Myka followed the other woman's instructions and removed the glasses, her eyebrows drawing together in a confused scrunch as she saw a pair of losing number on the dice on the table.

"But he won," Myka said, "I saw …"

"The truth, which is not what everyone else saw," H.G. cut in gently. "The eyes lie," she said pointing to her own eyes and then glancing over at the table. "The glasses show the truth," the Brit she said tapping the wire frame of the glasses that were still clutched loosely in Myka's hand. "The dice …"

"Are the artifact," Myka finished for her.

"Everyone thinks they can beat the odds, and usually one of them is right. Eventually someone has to win … unless, of course, they're playing with an artifact."

Myka nodded grimly. She handed H.G. back her glasses and then reached into the pocket of her blazer to pull out a pair of purple latex gloves.

"Do I get to be Agent Wells, again?" H.G asked happily when Myka handed her a pair of latex gloves as well. "I think I acquitted myself quite admirably the last time I served under you."

Myka smirked, and then drawled, "As long as you remember to do everything I say," before she focused on the casino employee at the end of the table and began to stride purposefully towards him.

xxx

Myka's announcing herself at the Craps table and her subsequent demand for the dice caused a bit of a commotion, enough of a commotion in fact that Pete wandered over – bowl of peanuts in hand.

Myka started to mentally prepare herself for a confrontation with Pete when he arrived at the table, but when she turned her head to mouth an apology to H.G., she discovered that H.G. was no longer standing beside her – or anywhere in Myka's field of vision.

A sigh of relief fell from Myka's lips, but she also felt a pang of regret press upon her heart. She and H.G. worked so well together, and H.G. was so knowledgeable. It was stupid for them to have to sneak off into dark corners, consulting each other in secret when H.G. was such an asset. As Myka stared at the empty space where H.G. had stood moments before, she wished that she and H.G. could work together in the open. She wished that H.G. really could be agent Wells again. She wished that she could see and talk to H.G. for more than a few minutes at a time.

But, without an artifact, wishing amounted to a hill of beans, so Myka focused her attention on Pete as came to a stop beside her, and concentrated on what was instead of what she wished.

"Hey, you found it!" Pete called out as he pushed his way through the security perimeter Myka had set up, gesturing to the neutralizing bag in Myka's hand with the bowl before he popped another handful of peanuts into his mouth with his other hand. "Hwdufwindit?"

"Yeah, I …. I just didn't use my eyes," Myka responded softly, a small smile touching her lips as she remembered H.G. whispering "the eyes lie" into her ear.

"What?" Pete asked, his brow scrunching up in confusion as he squinted at Myka. "Warning: Does not compute, does not compute," Pete continued speaking like a robot who was about ten seconds away from blowing some bolts and going on a killing spree. "I don't understand the words that are coming out of your mouth. Make sense, Myka. You sound like a crazy person."

Myka frowned at him and then turned away to gaze down at the dice in her purple gloved hand.

"They didn't have a reflection in the security dome mirror, okay," Myka muttered, turning her back to the crowd as she quickly dropped the dice into the neutralizing bag so that Pete couldn't grab them and test out the explanation she had just made up.

"Okay, okay," Pete said popping another hand full of nuts into his mouth when the sparks stopped and Myka turned around again. "Whatever. But for the record, you were dropping some hard 'Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra' there. Your words they made-y no sense."

"Okay, Pete. I get it," Myka said snapping her gloves off.

So what she said really hadn't made sense without knowledge of her conversation with H.G., but Myka didn't harp on everything Pete said that didn't make sense – mostly because she didn't have that kind of spare time, but still!

"I mean, if you didn't use your eyes, how'd you see that the dice had no reflection? Stunningly illogical … which, isn't something that I can usually say about you. Hey, are you feeling alright, Mykes?" he asked, staring at her with concern for a moment before popping a few more nuts into his mouth.

"Yeah, Pete," Myka said smiling at him, "I'm fine. I'm just tired. What'dya say we get out of here?"

"Sure thing, partner," Pete said reaching for the car keys.

"Thanks."

"No probs, Myke-stand, I was outta nuts, anyway," Pete replied unceremoniously dropping the bowl on the floor.

"Pete!" Myka exclaimed.

"What?" Pete asked sounding alarmed as he looked over at her innocently.

"You can't just …" Myka began, but partway through her sentence she just sighed and shook her head. "Never mind," she sighed. "Let's get out of here."

"Okay," Pete agreed. "But the difference between me and you, is that I'm going to leave in style," he continued as he slipped his sunglasses out of his pocket and then put them on, even though they were still indoors and beyond the casino walls it was nighttime.

Myka stared at him for a moment in disbelief, and then a smile stretched across her lips. Pete grinned at her and she couldn't help but laugh at his antics as they started towards the exit. However, before they left the main game room completely, Myka couldn't help but turn and look back at the pillar where she had first spotted H.G., and her smile faltered a little as she found herself wishing that H.G. was walking out of the casino beside her.

To be continued …