Disclaimer: I still don't own any part of Warehouse 13 and honestly, I really don't want to. It's much more fun to play with the toys and put them back to play with later.
A/N: And here we come to an end. Thank you for all of your comments and reviews. They are forever appreciated. A journey never comes to an end; it merely takes detours.
Remember: Keep crying, keep laughing. Without one, you can't have the other.
Myka sauntered across the room running her hand through her hair, fatigued from the mission with Pete. Hearing the rustling at the top of the stairs she glanced up and immediately let go of her bag.
"Holy shit." Her mouth dropped open and she froze.
"Is it that awful?" Helena asked, instantly losing any confidence she'd been able to build. This shouldn't be this hard, she thought. Vanessa claimed if she wasn't nervous it wasn't meant to be.
Myka tried to get her mouth to work. She couldn't remember the last time she saw Helena in a dress let alone one that oozed such restrained sensuality. "Uh…no…it's…uh…really…I mean…you're…it's…damn…you're...you're so...beautiful," she stammered climbing up the stairs slowly, regaining her balance on each step.
"The color is okay? I didn't think white was appropriate, and red is definitely not an appropriate color in my particular case," Helena started to babble, still fidgeting with the dusty rose dress they'd found it in her personal belongings in the warehouse. With Abigail's help, it was redesigned into an understated sleeveless formal gown for a mission a month earlier. Despite its age, Abigail had fitted it into an evening gown that rivaled any other at the occasion, yet retained its original design. Helena refused to reveal the original designer as Abigail sputtered about destroying a piece of history through the whole process and why couldn't they just get something else until Helena reminded her that she herself was a piece of walking history, the damn dress wasn't serving any purpose gathering dust and just make sure she could breath.
"I love that dress," Myka whispered in awe. Halfway up the stairs, she stopped, wary of the behavior at the top of the stairs. "Wait a minute, appropriate for what? Helena, what's going on?" she asked slowly.
"Yes, well, I guess I have gotten a bit ahead of myself." She took a deep breath. "Myka, despite what you may think, I do understand how much that ring means to you, and I do understand what we as a single unit entails. We've been doing it all along."
Myka continued up the stairs, watching each step closely, stopping on the stair just below the nervous wreck babbling in front of her, trying to keep a straight face.
Taking a deep breath, Helena took Myka's hand in her own, rubbing the naked finger. "Myka, do you love me?"
Without missing a step, Myka rubbed what she discovered to be a naked hand. "That's an odd question for you to ask, but yes, of course. I always have. I'd have to to put up with half of your shenanigans." Her tired eyes laughed.
"I've never done this before and I pray you never make me do this again," she swallowed hard over the lump growing in her throat, closing her eyes for a moment to gather herself with a deep breath before looking down into questioning green ones. "If you dare tell anyone how nervous I am…Bloody Hell," she mumbled to herself, choking out a weak, shaky laugh. Flustered, she finally spit her words out, "Myka, will you…NOT marry me, but officially and formally join our lives together?"
Trying not to laugh at the wording, but understanding them completely, Myka stepped up the last stair in front of her anxious partner. She placed her hands softly against the neck she'd marked more times than she probably should have, and hoped to continue to do so in the future, her fingers caressing it softly and her thumbs tracing the jaw back to join her fingers. She smiled into the uncertain brown eyes, bent her head and kissed the parted lips desperately waiting for an answer. She backed away slowly, looking at the confused face, still smiling.
Tilting her head to the side, slightly confused, Helena tentatively asked with great sincerity, "Does that mean…yes?"
"It always has," she answered, bright eyes smiling back. "Yes."
Letting out a long, slow, unsteady breath, Helena slowly smiled, relieved. She raised both her hands to meet the palms of the two hands still holding her face, softly kissing Myka and resting their foreheads together. Suddenly she opened her eyes, looking straight into the still smiling green and hastily begged, "Do you trust me?"
"What?" Myka backed away slightly, trying to focus. "Of course I do. Well, mostly. Helena?" Myka frowned at the sudden change in attitude, backing away further, but never losing contact with the palms against her own.
"Then please, do change out of those ratty clothes," she pleaded, quietly. "You should consider washing up a bit, too. You look like you crossed an entire state, and rather smell like it too," she said under her breath. "Don't be cross with me for making a decision without you. It's supposed to be a surprise, of sorts. A grand gesture of romance, you could say, as unconventional as it is."
Myka looked over her shoulder curiously back at Helena standing in the doorway, shifting from one foot to another, and walked into the bathroom, stripping off the well journeyed clothes to find her own dress hanging on the door. "You're not conventional in any sense of the word." She peeked out the bathroom door. "Helena, please tell me what's going on."
"Well, you see, that's the surprise part, and all the rest. We're getting not-married," Helena blurted out.
"What?! Now?! As in right now? Helena, this isn't how these things normally work!" Myka stepped out shocked, holding a dress. "Black? You picked out black for me?"
"No, actually Vanessa did. She agreed it was the most becoming dress on you. I am sorry, but in case you haven't looked in the closet lately, you'll discover your color scheme is rather lacking in variety! We may want to consider expanding your color choices. The only other dress is red and we both know when that was last worn. Unless you plan to have a play date with Alice, I hardly think that appropriate under the circumstances. I'm not going to endure sarcastic comments from select individuals regarding THAT particular occasion. Since when have we ever been normal? You just became engaged to a woman who is more than one hundred years your senior and she sees no reason to wait any longer! I think it is well established we are far from normal, love. Now, please hurry before I realize I'm not this brave or Mrs. Frederic disappears on us."
"Mrs. Frederic?" She peeked through the bathroom door again, eyes wide. "What about my parents?"
"Oh, they're here, as is Steve's mother and Jane. Your sister was...unavailable. Claudia, Vanessa and Artie have been very busy while you were away. Look, do you want that ring back or not?"
Myka stepped out after the fastest wash and change she'd ever made and kissed Helena again, much more passionately, leaving her breathless. She grabbed the naked hand, jerking Helena off her feet heading out the bedroom door and said, "I've waited long enough to get that ring back. Let's get this show on the road before I chicken out. You and your grand gestures, Wells." She stopped at the door turning to see anxious eyes, so contrary to the first time she ever looked into them. "Just processing. Okay. I'm totally not-marrying HG Wells, like, right now. Holy crap!" She stared at Helena, wide-eyed, shaking her head slightly. "We are so not normal." She pulled her again towards the stairs.
Grumbling behind her Helena groaned, "Oh God, you did have to wear that perfume, didn't you? Now how am I supposed to focus? It's not like I'm not nervous enough, and don't you dare tell anyone!"
Myka inhaled the scent passing her through the door. "Tit for tat. Besides, you said I smelled. Don't look at me like that. I heard you."
Stumbling down the stairs Helena turned abruptly into Myka. "I can't do this…What was I thinking? I've spent my whole life avoiding this very thing." Myka lifted her chin, softly kissing her, reluctant to release her lower lip. Barely audible, with a smile spreading on her face and eyes closed, she said, "Aaahh, yes. Now I remember. Someone tamed me."
"Good. Because I'm not sure I can do this without throwing up," Myka gulped.
"That's my brave girl," Helena shook her head, unable to stop laughing. "Now I know why you chose that perfume. You need some serious lessons in romance. The sooner we get this over with, the sooner we get to your lessons."
"Two more stubborn people I believe I have never met," Mrs. Frederic started. "From the first day they met. Here I am, at Helena's request, and I hope yours, Myka," she looked at the still befuddled woman, "With your agreement, since you are indeed standing here as well." She waited for a shy nod. "Let it be known these two have fought bitterly against what in their mind has been an unnecessary archaic institution, and after great discussion and argument over the insisted upon OXFORD dictionary, let us not refer to this as a marriage but something more. Something we have all bared witness to. They've endured unimaginable obstacles, often life threatening and debilitating. Yet ,here they stand whole, in mind and body, because of each other. In many ways I understand their long kept reluctance for what they are about to do. I once used the following analogy for what I have found to be an indescribable relationship. I thank Phil Pullman and his gift to us in the form of The Golden Compass. For these two women, one cannot live without the other. One is the body, the other the Daemon. Without each other they are empty. The body and the soul. That is just one of many of their connections - one that crosses time itself. To lose one would be to lose the other. We have no control over a force of such incredible power. Why then, would one need to consider a marriage of any sort? It already exists."
"What we witness is a bond that runs deeper than any of us can understand and only the two women before me experience in its truest form. It is my pleasure and my honor to witness what has been and always will be the most profound act between two people."
"Helena, Myka, do you both wish to make this formal bonding in front of these people you consider to be your family?"
"Yes," they said in unison.
"Is it my understanding, Helena, you've humbled yourself to tradition in requesting that one person stands beside you for this ceremony?"
"Yes." She turned around to look for the one face she'd deliberated over. She made eye contact, holding out her hand to be accepted. "Will you do me the honor, Vanessa?"
The woman straightened quickly, visibly surprised. "Me? Are you sure?"
"Without a doubt. If not for you, we may very well still be stuck in the sand and I personally would have been lost long ago, numerous times, without your care and guidance."
Vanessa stood up taking the hand to stand next to her. "I'm honored."
"Myka, do you wish the same? Someone to stand with you?" Mrs. Frederic asked, hiding her unease with the unexpected question.
Myka turned to the family she'd collected over the past years. "Pete?"
"Really? Me?" He pointed to himself, oddly surprised.
"Oh, just shut up and get up there before she changes her mind. Of course you, you big oaf." Artie shoved him, unable to stop the smile on his face.
He jumped up quickly, grabbing her hand, squeezing it firmly. "You sure? I mean, I did kiss her first," he whispered teasing her. "Ouch!" He rubbed his arm. "No violence at the wedding."
"Since there is no precedent for such an occasion as this, and I myself have never witnessed a non-marriage, the rest, ladies, is up to you." Mrs. Frederic stepped back, a rare, genuine smile taking control of her face.
Myka and Helena stood looking at each other, not sure what to do now. Being a spur of the moment on Helena's part, Helena nodded slightly to Myka who in return shook her head and nodded at her.
"Oh, for crying out loud," Vanessa said softly under her breath, rolling her eyes dramatically. "Do I really have to do everything for you two?" She gave Helena a soft shove with her shoulder. "Just tell her what you told me and give it back to her."
Glaring out of the corner of her eye, Helena quickly said under her breath, "I will remind you, it will be you standing here in another month."
Myka tried not to laugh. Vanessa had become a pillar in their lives and they never saw it happen.
Clearing her throat, Helena began with an unusually shaky voice, "Myka, I never knew who I was or what I could become until I met you. You believed in me when no one else did. You showed me what I could be and help me become more every day, even when you want to strangle me. You challenge me to be a better person. You pull me into the light when I fall into the dark. You have always been with me and always will be. Please don't doubt me when you think I don't understand what this ring holds. It never truly belonged to me, but was always intended to find you, as was I. You are my home. I promise I will always come home. Please take this offering as I return it to its final destination. Trust me to love you as I trust you. 'The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.' " Helena bit her bottom lip, hesitantly lifting Myka's hand and slid the ring back on her finger, ignoring the tears she shed with no shame. She stepped forward bringing the hand to her lips, kissing the ring. Looking up into the shining green eyes she whispered, "Thank you."
Myka started to speak finding a warm finger against her lips.
"Hush," she said softly. "I'm not quite done yet, darling, and it would be inappropriate at the moment to hush you in the manner in which I've become accustomed to. As this is a formal union, I felt it necessary we share that symbolically." She took the hand back. "With a reluctant but joyful acceptance to tradition, I concur this is by definition a union of two people and as such I give you this ring as a symbol of my connection to you, mentally, emotionally and physically. My soul is not just my own but is shared with yours." She slid the simple rose gold band next to its companion.
Myka stood dumbfounded and speechless. Pete, standing behind her, cleared his throat and whispered in her ear, "I'm not really an expert here, and I had absolutely nothing to do with this, just so we're clear on that, but I think this is the part you say whatever it is I really hope you thought about that day."
She swung around on him quickly and he prepared for yet another punch in the arm. Instead he felt her hand slide gently down the side of his face. He opened his squinting eyes and saw loving eyes gazing into his. She quietly spoke, "Thank you. Without you, I'd be standing here like an idiot without anything to say."
He spoke just as softly, "Uh, Mykes, right now you kind of are. So maybe you should turn around and face your, yeah, face that future, official wife of yours and tell her what you wanted to say and were always too chicken to." He took her by the shoulders, physically turning her around to face Helena, who stood patiently and unusually nervous.
"Helena, that big buffoon behind me, that I love dearly, once again got annoyed with me, imagine that, and told me I needed to figure out what I would say to you if given the chance. No one, aside from you, knows me better than he does. And no one, without a doubt, knows me as well as you ever will. I have never doubted your love, even when I thought I did, and I trust you to love me. You are my flying buttress of strength and I will always try my best to remember that sometimes they have cracks and are not perfect. But somehow, they continue to carry an unexpected amount of weight under the most surprising conditions. I can only hope that I can carry as much weight as you have."
"'…if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world…if you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life. I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others. Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground. Yours will call me, like music, out of my burrow.'"
"We've never had an easy journey and I doubt we ever will, but you've always taken care of me and allowed me that same honor that you've never allowed another. You've freed me from my own constraints and shown me who I really am, both good and bad. And, yes, you've always come back to me."
She stared into the brown eyes and suddenly got a funny look on her face, eyes searching around her. "Uh, I don't seem to have..."
"Oh, oh, oh." Claudia came running up digging in her pocket, a silly grin on her face. "Sorry. Not really the most organized occasion. Why am I not surprised?" She placed the two rings in Myka's hand, closing the long fingers over them.
She smiled opening her hand. Taking the diamond first, she looked down into the still wet rimmed eyes, her own becoming unfocused with tears. "As you know, this ring holds all that is dear to me. I deliberated over it for a long time. This diamond represents the day we met, despite the ironic circumstances, April 26. That day will always be the beginning of my own second life. I've protected it for you when you needed me to and will continue to do so. I know you know what it holds and I know where it belongs." She slid the ring back on the finger. Taking up the other one she examined it closely in wonderment. "I never once thought I'd ever be doing this. We've belonged together since the day you were born. You chose well. Rose gold represents love. I give you this ring as a symbol of my connection to you, mentally, emotionally and physically. My soul is not just my own but is shared with yours." She slid the ring on the finger, studying it closely, a goofy smile spreading across her face.
She felt a firm poke on her shoulder. Pete broke the awkward silence bending over quietly saying, "You got the girl. Now kiss your wife."
Myka turned around quickly at him. "She's not my…"
"Oh yeah, baby, is she ever. Always has been. Now kiss her already, 'cause she wants to kiss someone and I don't see Mrs. F. here stepping in and I KNOW what your wife will do to me if I try."
Mrs. Frederic glared at Pete. "As much as it pains me to agree with Mr. Lattimer, he is correct."
"Oh, bloody Hell, Myka!" Helena grasped Myka's shoulder turning her around. Cupping the still dumb face gently, she gave her the longest, sweetest kiss she ever gave, returning to brush her lips across them. She brought their palms together on either side and entwined their fingers. Resting her forehead against Myka's and brushing their noses, she said softly for Myka's ears only, "I love you. And yes, darling, I will always be your wife. It's been pointed out to me that I have been for some time now." With one last quick kiss, Helena reluctantly backed away holding both hands, beaming.
Mrs. Frederic stepped forward still smiling. "As the chosen officiate of this union, I get the honor and the greatest pleasure to declare you, Helena Grace Wells and Myka Ophelia Bering, not married but bound together through all that life may grant you. Congratulations to you both. And on behalf of all of us, thank you for finally clarifying your status. I hereby state you are from this moment forward to be referenced as joined and wives, because honestly, your consistent contradictions were getting annoying to say the least."
"It is my understanding that Artie has worked very hard at providing us with…"
Claudia interrupted, jumping up ecstatically, hugging the two women. "Yeah, yeah, yeah…let's par-tay!
"Helena, Myka, before we all lose track of each other, please let me be the first to congratulate you." Mrs. Frederic set a hand on each of their arms. "I know Elizabeth would have loved dearly to be here and she sends her best. Despite whatever circumstances ensued, she loved Grace very much. This was going to be one of her last requests, but she decided this was a more appropriate time considering its involvement in your relationship." She handed them a plain box with a metal latch. "She argued and fought for this for a long time. She wanted you to have the honor to destroy it. Mr. Kosan finally consented." She squeezed their arms. "I know nothing. Now, where is the food?" she said with a happy smile.
"I think you need to open it," Myka whispered. "I have no desire to set eyes on it again."
"Is this what I think it is?" Helena flipped the latch carefully, opening it in a secluded corner. Inside lay the Janus coin, shining brightly, mocking her. She slammed it shut, taking a deep breath. She caught Claudia out of the corner of her eye, waving her over. "How did you know, Myka?"
"It was the only thing that made sense."
"Hey, Mrs. and Mrs. It's your party. Thought I'd warn you, Pete wants to make a speech." Helena shoved the box in Claudia's hands.
"Claudia, listen to me closely. Do not open, do not ask. Go lock this in the most secure location you have. Right now. You'll understand later. You'll be helping us destroy it."
"Uh, sure. That place you made in my room work?"
"Absolutely."
Myka looked at her completely annoyed. "You built her a secret place in her room?"
"Oh honestly, Myka. We got bored one day. This really surprises you? How else is she going to learn?" She quickly found herself enveloped in strong arms, relaxing into the deep kiss.
"Helena Wells, I love you. Never stop surprising me."
"Then you'll still be surprised with mythical twins?"
"Just so we're clear, what the Hell is that all about?"
Helena's eyes widened with disbelief. "You're just asking that now? Now? You surprise me, Myka. You really can be quite dense sometimes. I'd have thought you'd figured this out long ago. Charles and I were twins."
"You said Charles was your older brother," Myka said, clearly confused.
"What? Did you wake up this morning with only half of your mental capacity? If so, I might be forced to question the integrity of your participation in the arrangement we've just finalized." She laughed at the expression on Myka's face and cupped it in her hands. In a soft voice she elucidated, "He was - by ten minutes and he enjoyed reminding me of that fact every chance he had. It really never occurred to you my birthday coincides with his? His biography could not be falsified. I'm not sure if you're worthy of my attentions and may just have to demand a divorce now." With Myka's face still in her hands she laughed, bringing their lips together for a long, tender kiss that contradicted her words, breaking the contact to the whoops and hollers behind them started by Pete. "Have no fear, my love. You are stuck with me for a very, very long time. Twins or no twins. I remind you though, my age is also a contributing factor and we both know I'm not…37." She took Myka's hand and turned towards the crowd, a silly grin on her face. Myka had blanched slightly.
"Why didn't you say anything before? We haven't actually decided yet, right?" She side glanced her new wife, nervously, attempting a social smile, the thought instantly panicking her.
Pulling her into the crowd of their family, a smile frozen on her own face, Helena leaned over whispering, "Honestly, I thought you knew. You did say 'children' on more than one occasion. And, no, we have definitely, absolutely not decided a thing. At the moment I plan on keeping you to myself. Something about the 'honeymoon' period I heard about?"
"I think we've been honeymooning since the day you threw up on your bedroom floor." Myka suddenly made a sharp turn into the adjoining room, Helena tripping slightly with the unexpected jerk. The door shut firmly behind her. "No, Helena, seriously. If we're going to do this…Does Vanessa know?"
"Of course she knows! She's my physician too. We've discussed it at length and it is a valid consideration to take into account. There is a much greater chance of my conceiving twins, and she has concerns, but nothing that she believes is beyond reasonable as of yet. I was very lucky Christina was not a twin. I'm not sure I could have handled that alone. Considering the difficulties of that birth, I most likely would not have survived. Myka, sweetheart, I did honestly think you knew. It was not an intentional oversight. Don't worry about something we have yet to decide and may never pursue. We haven't even been able to sit down with Vanessa together and I anticipate she will be directing us to another. That is essential in our decision. Now," she turned Myka into the corner of the door and wall, leaning her full body against her, her hands drawing slowly down her sides to rest on her hips. "Our entire family is outside this door and I have just changed some rules and gone and not-married you for no other reason than I love you so damn much. It is my understanding that we are obligated to celebrate that miraculous event with them. Surprisingly, that is exactly just what I wish to do, and magnificently we will. The sooner we do that," she pressed harder into her wife, kissing her passionately until they needed air, leaving them both flushed and breathless, "The sooner we can get back to that and you getting those lessons in romance you so desperately seem to need."
Catching her breath, Myka hung onto her, resting their foreheads together. "I love you."
Helena gave her a crooked smile. "How could you not?" She turned around opening the door, an arrogant smile plastered on her face.
"There's that ego. Plan on making good on it."
"Oh, I do, Myka. I do. In more ways than you can possibly imagine."
Stumbling out the door, Pete caught them out of the corner of his eye. "Getting an earlier start I see."
"Be assured, Mr. Lattimer, if I were indeed involved in anything you are implying at the moment, unlike you, we'd still be in there and for a very, very, long time."
She found herself being taken into a big bear hug. Not letting go, Pete whispered into her ear, "Thank you. Thank you for taking care of her and loving her like she deserves and making her the happiest I've ever seen her. And sometimes the angriest."
Relaxing into the hug, she held him close. "I love you too, Pete. I trust you implicitly to bring her back home safe to me."
Myka quickly stepped in between the two. "Okay you two. Break up the mushies before I have to hear another crack about Helena's second first kiss. You're kind of freaking me out." She took Helena's hand and kissed Pete on the cheek. "Just for the record: neither remarkable nor memorable. It was the SECOND kiss that sent her to the moon and back. I love you, Pete." She tugged Helena's hand into the throng of well wishers, Pete close behind with an equally big smile on his face.
"Where are they anyway?" Vanessa asked.
Clearing his throat, Steve turned around pointing with the glass of sparkling cider in his hand. "The corner chair they still think is darker than it really is."
"Or they just don't care right now." Mrs. Frederic laughed. "Helena has totally corrupted her. Myka would have been shocked by such behavior when she first got here."
"No. Not corrupted. Myka was right. She freed her. What finally broke them down anyway? They were so adamant and defensive. I never thought they'd actually do it," Vanessa laughed.
"What breaks everything down; time. I guess she did have a time machine. It just came in the form of Christina. Or her ghost or…I'm not even going to try to figure it out." Artie finally gave up.
"Forgiveness," Abigail said, glancing over in their direction. Her eyes widened and her face contorted. "Oh, they really need to go home before they completely forget where they are."
"Like that's never happened before. I got this," Claudia said going into the kitchen.
They all turned grimacing.
"Oh, no, not the neck, Myka. She's not that quiet," Abigail added. "I really hope you bought a box of ear plugs Steve, even if the windows are closed."
Claudia came back with a bowl of popcorn, smiling profusely. "Hey, it's worked before." She walked into the living room and stood behind the sofa tossing the contents of the bowl at the couple, quickly dropping behind the sofa anticipating an unknown object to sail over her. "Go home!"
Two heads stared down at her from over the sofa, laughing. "Problem?"
"Uh, not really. I mean, it is your party and all, but we think that you have other, uh, more enticing things in mind that might be better accomplished not in that chair, especially with parents around. We really want you to go home -now."
"Why is your phone ringing?" Myka grumbled between the soft kisses she was laying against the nape of her neck.
"What phone? I broke it again," she managed. "Or lost it." She groaned into the pillow arching her back against Myka's full body.
"Good answer." A moist trail led to a soft nip of ear.
Helena stretched her arms above her head as Myka returned to her neck and slid her hands along the extended arms.
"That's yours," Helena whispered rolling underneath, her arms held firmly above her head.
Myka smiled, looking into the soft eyes, mumbling into the opening mouth for a kiss. "I don't hear anything."
Silence prevailed invaded only by the sounds of the two lovers. A loud nondescript sound ripped from Helena's throat as she pressed herself into the wet warmth possessing her hardened nipple, quickly turning into a cry of frustration. She pushed Myka off panting. "I will kill whoever is on the other side of your screen!" She grabbed Myka's Farnsworth from the night stand, kneeling in the middle of the bed, tossing her hair back. "You had to become someone important, didn't you? You do know he has no plan of retiring anytime soon. And why am I always the one answering it for you on these occasions?"
Myka ignored Helena's complaint, wrapping herself around her from behind, hands never leaving the breasts she was presently engrossed in. "Because I lose focus too easily and you're a better actress on these occasions. I'm a little busy."
"Like anyone doesn't know exactly what we are doing. They bloody well sent us home!" she spat opening the offending object. "I will kill you if this is not a life or death situation," she growled into the box, face contorting, swallowing down a groan and struggling to keep her eyes open as Myka found the nape of her neck again.
"You know, I did redesign those things for you with that 'Do Not Disturb' switch, which Artie doesn't know about, as a wedding present." They could hear the music and laughter in the background, evidence of the ongoing celebration.
"Ah, yes. Well…Just got married. A bit preoccupied. Not really a habit." Helena distinctly stated.
"What do you want Claudia and God help anyone that has plans on sending us out." Myka showed up behind Helena, continuing her attentions to the back of her neck, biting the pale shoulder, her hands still exploring.
"Okay, so more of a show than I expected…"
"Claud…Just got married. A little preoccupied." Myka flashed a cold look at the screen.
"I see that, but you are sort of getting sent…"
Helena gasped, shutting her eyes and tilting her head at Myka's unintentional hard bite at Claudia's words. "Oh, God…"
"Can you guys stop for one second?" Claudia squeaked, squeezing her eyes shut tightly.
"At this point, no," Helena's voice cracked, losing focus, her head dropping back on Myka's shoulder when a devious hand traveled lower, beginning a new warmer and very wet exploration. Myka's eyes narrowed into evil slits. Claudia quickly exploded as fast as she could. "You're leaving for Hawaii tomorrow. Getting picked up at six a.m...Compliments of Mrs. Frederic. She doesn't want to scare away the new recruit and we don't want to live through the next ten days no matter how sound proof that room is now. Please don't over sleep or we'll be forced to interrupt again. New guy is terrified of you after that last blow up that sent you to the cage and Sarah? Well, you know and I so don't want to draw the short straw again. Bye. Oh, and she said the airplane rule still applies. Bye, again."
Myka burst out laughing. Helena dropped the device on the floor as Myka pressed her forward, her arms dropping off the end of the bed. "Never. Answering. Your. Farnsworth. Again," Helena said into the bed.
Myka kneaded the muscles beneath her, laying soft, wet kisses down Helena's spine toward the end of the bed. "Is she always going to somehow be a part of our sex life?"
"She does keep calling us a threesome…"
"Not funny." Myka bit her neck again, a nondescript sound escaping up Helena's throat.
"Myka…please…" she begged, adding quickly, "Not allowed in the birthing room."
"Agreed. I thought we hadn't decided?"
"Haven't…she...probably knows…isn't saying…Myka…now….please…God, I'm begging you!"
"Love the begging," she whispered behind her ear.
"So explain to me, if you can, why it is we are always being sent off to volcanic islands?" Helena asked sitting on the porch step, leaning back into Myka's warmth, her arms wrapped around the long legs.
"Maybe it has something to do with that nickname of yours." Myka rested her chin on Helena's shoulder enveloping her with her arms, watching the road in the distance.
"Really? They still call me that?" She was surprised. "I thought I'd mellowed some."
Myka snorted. "Maybe in some ways, but you will always be my little, walking volcano. Or should I call you my begging volcano?"
"Highly explosive if I recall when pressure is properly attained and controlled. Not entirely clear that last time. I passed out again and woke up with my head hanging off the end of the bed. I'm not really sure how we are functioning. Really, if one considers the phenomenon thoroughly you are entirely responsible for that moniker. No matter. Either title will suffice I suppose, preferably in our bed, or anywhere else intriguing we may find hidden elsewhere. Of course, our arguments do still get us thrown in storage and that is sound proof. And why did no one ever tell us the walls were sound proof? We're not that loud. I think we've done a miraculous job in redirecting that wasted energy."
Myka pushed her forward slightly, nuzzling her neck. "I accept full responsibility," she said against the bare skin. "No idea. Probably their secret joke. And absolutely."
"Mmmmm. You are evil. That is going to get us in a great deal of trouble." She bent her head forward. "Are they all still watching out the window?"
"Probably," she breathed against the bare neck. "Did you really have to just twist it up like that?"
"You know I'm a morning person and you didn't really leave me much time this morning, did you? Even your parents?" she asked surprised, bending her head back to look at her, disrupting the attack on her neck.
Myka bent forward, kissing the bruised lips. "Oh, I'm sure." She finally came up for breath. "Definitely my mother, no thanks to you. I think they are still in shock that I actually let someone leash me in to not-marrying them. They love you. And you're so not just a morning person."
"Well, in that case then." Her hand snaked behind the neck bending it over her, returning another kiss. "You didn't happen to pack anything from any other islands did you?"
"No. Security can be a little awkward I discovered. I thought we could expand our horizons when we got there if we wanted."
"Good idea. All this charting stuff…I think we'll be exploring less of the island and more of each other for the next few days, and if I've cross-referenced with your little book I found again correctly...Well, it is our honeymoon after all."
"Really? You're still…never mind, so am I…You've cross-referenced? Right. Of course you have. Always so thorough." Myka thought for a second, nuzzling an ear. "Hmmm. Good to know." Myka nodded her head. "So what now?"
"Hmmm? There's the car." She pointed in the distance. "I suggest we make that appointment with Vanessa."
"So does that mean we've decided?" Myka stopped sitting up suddenly.
"Quite possibly and absolutely not," Helena said slowly.
"You or me?"
"That is an 'us' decision. But I suppose, if given a choice, I'd like to give it a chance. If you're still alright with that plan, then we see what the fates have in store for us. Perhaps we can still change the rules and break a seal or two in the process."
"I think that's what she wanted," Myka said hugging Helena close, wiping away a tear, "For you to know it was okay."
"Me too," Helena said smiling, sinking into the warmth behind her. "Me too."
-THE END-
- "The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart."
- "…if you tame me, then we shall need each other. To me, you will be unique in all the world. To you, I shall be unique in all the world…if you tame me, it will be as if the sun came to shine on my life. I shall know the sound of a step that will be different from all the others. Other steps send me hurrying back underneath the ground. Yours will call me, like music, out of my burrow."
- The Little Prince, Antoine de St. Exupery (as always)
A/N: From here onward, it's your turn to decide their fate. My little world has already decided their future, but I have been known to change the rules more than once. Thanks to all who have helped me in this journey and pushed my out of my comfort zone more than once. Sometimes we all need an Oscar to give us a little nudge.
Enjoy your imagination.