Two Steps Forward, One Step Back (1/4)
Myka sighed and played with her spoon. Her coffee was getting cold, but she did not really care.
“There you are! I’ve been waiting for ages,” a woman’s voice said with a chuckle behind her. Myka jumped. The voice was eerily familiar. She slowly turned around and tried to spot the owner of the voice. She noticed two women a couple of tables over. The blonde was facing her and the other one had her back to Myka. Myka swallowed when she saw the thick dark hair fall in waves down the woman’s back as she laughed. She closed her eyes and turned back to her coffee. She sipped it, and made a face. It was cold.
“Myka, you’re pathetic,” she mumbled to herself. “Why does every dark haired woman with a British accent make you jump and think it’s her?” She pushed her cup away and got up. She strolled past the two women, refusing to look at them. She just couldn’t. It would just be yet another disappointment when the face did not match the voice.
“Myka?” her name was said so softly it was almost a whisper. She stopped.
“Myka?” the voice repeated a little louder. She closed her eyes. Could it be? She jumped when she felt a hand on her arm. When she opened her eyes, she looked straight into a pair of eyes so dark she felt she could fall into them and keep falling forever.
“Helena,” she whispered.
“My God,” Helena whispered and wrapped her arms around Myka in a fierce hug. “I thought you were gone.” She pulled away when there was no response from Myka and she realized that she was still standing stiffly in front of her. She took Myka’s hand. “Please come and sit down.”
Myka silently followed her to the table and sat down on the empty chair. She nodded at the blonde woman.
“Jaime, I really have to get going. Let’s catch up later,” the blonde said and smiled at them.
Helena nodded and smiled at her. “I’ll call you.”
Myka watched her leave and then turned back at Helena. “Jaime?”
Helena chuckled. “I’m working a case. Undercover.”
“As what?”
“An actress,” Helena said a little embarrassed.
Myka laughed. “Well you should have no problem with that. I bet you excel at it. They might even give you some kind of award. You certainly played me all right.”
Helena put her hand on top of Myka’s resting on the table. “Myka, darling, so many things have happened during the last couple of years.”
“Obviously,” Myka huffed.
“Why didn’t you come back?”
Myka shrugged. “I had no right to. I was a liability.”
Helena caressed her hand. “You know that’s not true.”
“I couldn’t trust myself. How could I ask them to?” Myka said angrily and glared at her. “You took that from me.”
Helena nodded. “I guess I did. Would you believe me if I told you that I did it to save your life?”
Myka shot her a dark look. “No.”
Helena sighed and leaned back in her seat. “We had a rogue regent on our hands back then. Somehow a threat had been leaked.”
“A threat? So what? We deal with that every day.”
“Against your and Pete’s lives,” Helena said softly.
Myka glanced at her, still not convinced that she was telling the truth. “So it’s Pete now, huh? You used to refer to him as Agent Lattimer,” she mumbled, instantly regretting her words since they sounded so childish.
Helena chuckled. “Pete has been my partner for almost two years now, darling. He threatened to sing the Cookie Monster song for 24 hours nonstop unless I stopped calling him Agent Lattimer. I agreed.”
Myka smiled a little lopsided smile and nodded. Yeah, she probably would have conceded too.
“Please come back,” Helena said softly and traced the back of Myka’s hand.
“I can’t,” Myka mumbled. “I have responsibilities here.”
Helena tilted her head. “What kind of responsibilities?”
“None of your business.”
Helena sighed. “Boyfriend?” Myka shook her head. “Girlfriend?” Myka shot her a dark look. Helena smiled sadly. “Do you love her?”
“I don’t know.”
“An honest answer.”
“Look, Helena, the Warehouse is in the past. I loved every minute of it right up until that moment at Warehouse 2 when you shot me. I cherish the memories, but I have moved on.”
Helena gripped her hand a little tighter. She fought the tears that threatened to fall. “What about me? Us?” she whispered.
Myka closed her eyes and sighed. “I loved you Helena. I still do, but I can’t…”
Helena hiccupped as the first tears fell. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am for the pain I caused you,” she said with a sniffle.
“Oh for crying out loud,” Myka mumbled and pulled Helena to her, holding her as she cried, gently stroking her hair.
“Myka?” a surprised voice said behind her. Myka jumped and her eyes got large. Shit! Shit! Shit! She turned her head and looked straight at her girlfriend.
“Janet. What are you doing here?”
The woman’s eyes hardened. “I could ask you the same thing. And why you are holding another woman in your arms,” she said with obvious pain in her voice.
“Janet, it’s not what you think. I had no idea that Helena was here.”
Janet stared at Helena who was dabbing at her eyes. “This is Helena?” she blurted out. “THE Helena?” She leaned closer to Myka and glared at her. “I don’t know what game you are playing Myka, but I don’t want any part of it. I never thought that you would be this cruel.” She straightened up and took a deep breath. “I’ll be home at six. I want you out before then.”
“Janet!” Myka got up and reached for her, but she moved away.
“Don’t touch me. It’s clear that you still care for her. I was stupid to believe that my love could change that,” she spat.
“Please Janet; it’s not what you think.”
Janet stopped and took a step closer to Myka. Her blue eyes looked straight into Myka’s. “Do you love me Myka?” she asked softly. Myka hesitated only for a moment, but before she could open her mouth again Janet spoke. “That’s what I thought. Please, don’t make this harder than it already is. At least show me some respect. I think I’ve earned that.”
Myka nodded and reached up to cup her cheek, but her hand fell away again. “I’m sorry Janet,” she whispered.
“Me too,” she said with a sad smile.
Myka watched her leave and then sat down with a sigh. Helena watched her silently. She knew that there was nothing she could say at this point. Myka had to work through this on her own.
When Myka didn’t speak to her she pulled out a notepad and jotted down her hotel’s name and her cell phone number. “Myka, I’m in town for a couple of days more. Please come and see me. I really think we need to talk,” she said and put the piece of paper on the table. She covered Myka’s hand again and gave it a little squeeze. “I never stopped loving you,” she whispered. Myka did not respond so she got up. With a last glance at the quiet woman she sighed and left.
*** *** ***
Myka looked around the living room. A large suitcase and a box of books were sitting waiting for her by the door. The suitcase held all her meager belongings. She had only taken the few items she had brought with her, and her personal things. Everything else she had left. She noted the items in the room that she and Janet had got together and felt a lump in her throat. She had enjoyed her time with Janet. Shaking off the sadness she put her key on the table by the door and closed the door behind her.
She put the suitcase and the books in the trunk and got in. She sat for a moment with her hands on the steering wheel, remembering a day not too long ago, when she had been sitting just like this in a different car somewhere out in the middle of nowhere in South Dakota. She had felt just as lost then, as she did now. And the reason was the same. With a sigh she finally accepted that Helena was right. They needed to talk about what happened. She needed to get closure so she could move on. She had tried on her own, and Janet had been a huge help, but Myka knew in her heart that she had never really healed from the wound caused by Helena’s betrayal. She pulled out Helena’s note and held it in both her hands as she read Helena’s beautiful handwriting. Not realizing it, she was smiling. She noted the hotel name and the room number. She knew the place. Putting the note back in her pocket she started the car.
*** *** ***
Myka parked in the lot outside the hotel and turned off the ignition. She took a deep breath and got out. After riding the elevator to the seventh floor she exited and slowly walked down the hallway towards Helena’s room. She stopped and just stood there for a moment before she raised her hand to knock. The door opened instantly. She realized that Helena must have been watching her from the other side. She smiled a little embarrassed. Helena took her hand and pulled her inside.
“Come in darling, no reason to stand in the hallway.”
Myka took a seat on the couch and leaned forward with her arms on her knees. She sighed. “You’re right Helena. We do need to talk.”
Helena sat down across from her. “I looked for you everywhere,” she said softly.
Myka nodded. “I didn’t want to be found.”
“Where were you? Not even Claudia could find you. No cell phone, no credit cards. Nothing.”
Myka smiled and looked at her. “An old friend of mine has a cabin close to Lake Tahoe. She let me borrow it.”
Helena nodded. “You withdrew from the world.”
“I needed to make sense of things. I needed peace around me. It hurt so much Helena,” Myka said angrily, her eyes again full of the pain she had tried to deal with all those months ago.
“I’m so sorry darling. I was frantic when I realized that I was too late to get you. It never occurred to me that you would leave. I counted on that Pete would be there for you. He had always been your strength in the past. I was shocked that I didn’t know you better, that I didn’t see it coming. After all, I had just held a gun to your head less than 24 hours prior. I should have paid better attention to your emotional state when we were in the car,” she said trying not to cry.
“Yeah, well you didn’t and what happened, happened,” Myka said tired.
“Darling, the threat to your life was very real. The rogue agent had used Artie, had him under his spell. Apparently he wanted to bring down the Warehouse once and for all. He tried once before with Warehouse 12, but since Warehouse 13 was almost finished, it didn’t matter so much. He had a long time to plan this. I know, because he spoke to me about it now and then.”
Myka frowned. “What do you mean? I thought you didn’t know who it was?”
“I didn’t, but I heard his voice many times over the years when he came to visit me. Apparently he knew that I had something he needed. How he knew that, I don’t know, but it was because of him I was debronzed. Once I was free and McPherson filled me in, I started to understand. I knew they wanted the map so I acquired it. I handed it over to the Regents right before I was reinstated as an agent. Somehow he got his hands on it, and it ended up with those young boys in Egypt.”
“Why did you shoot me, us?” Myka asked softly.
“I had to, in order to keep you safe. He was in there. I needed to be sure that you wouldn’t find him and try to stop him. He would’ve killed you. He can, and he would.”
“Who is he?”
Helena took a deep breath. “Valda.”
“Valda? But he died. I saw it,” Myka exclaimed.
Helena shook her head. “He was wearing the eye of Horus. It’s a very powerful talisman. This particular one was one of the few artifacts that we had from Warehouse 2. He knew it would protect him, and he needed to get away from us.”
“Why didn’t you just tell Pete and me? We are good agents. You could’ve tried trusting us.”
Helena noted Myka’s slip and a little smile played on her lips for a moment. “You forget that he had Artie under his spell. You reported to Artie and would have to do what he said in order not to blow my cover. Even Mrs. Frederic had to play her role, and she was aware of the risks. She told me not to involve the two of you. I’m sorry Myka, but my hands really were tied.”
“I was your girlfriend for God’s sake,” Myka said angrily. “You should not have been allowed to keep something that big from me.” She got up and paced in front of Helena.
“Myka, don’t you think I tried to tell her that?” Helena exclaimed heatedly, but then she sighed and looked sadly at Myka. “I pleaded. I begged. I even threatened her.” She chuckled at her last words. “Though that didn’t get me very far. She spoke to me like I was a petulant child.”
Myka smiled briefly. She knew what Helena was talking about. Mrs. F certainly had the gift of making you feel small. It seemed like she was always able to see through your bluffs, only to give you that look that made you feel like a real idiot.
“Do you remember Yellowstone darling?” Helena asked softly.
Myka laughed. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget Yellowstone. You tried to destroy the world, and oh, now I remember. You held a gun to my head for God’s sake!” Myka yelled.
Helena winced. “Why do you think Artie was there?”
“I don’t know? To stop you perhaps?” Myka said sarcastically.
Helena shook her head. “He was there to take the Trident.”
“What?”
“I was relieved when he tried to shoot me. It saved me the job of having to hurt him. He was too weak to take it, so he hoped that his master would come to his assistance.”
“I remember Artie trying to take it from me and you telling me no. I don’t know why I still trusted you at that point, but I did. There was just something in your eyes that made me believe you,” Myka said softly.
“I love you, Myka, and I only want the best for you, and part of that is keeping you safe. That’s what you felt that day, and that’s why you listened to your heart, darling,” Helena said as she took Myka’s hands.
“I want to believe you, Helena. I really do,” Myka whispered.
Helena pulled her to her. “Then listen to your heart. If you still carry me in your heart, you know that I’m telling you the truth, and perhaps it means that you still love me,” she said softly.
Myka finally gave in to the tears and they fell onto Helena’s shoulder as she cried. She clung to Helena sobbing as her pain finally had an outlet. When Helena led her to the bed she followed willingly. She felt Helena spoon up behind her and she grabbed her hand pulling her arm tighter around her. Finally she fell asleep, exhausted by the emotional events. Helena lay awake long after Myka succumbed to sleep. She kissed Myka’s soft curls and inhaled the scent of her. She had prayed every night for three years to have Myka back in her arms. Even if it was just for this one night, she cherished having her prayer answered. She slowly disentangled herself from Myka and undressed. She glanced at her former lover and colleague sleeping on her bed. She gently removed her shoes and socks, and then carefully removed her jacket and pants. She smiled for a moment as she remembered undressing Christina just the same way a couple of times so many years ago. Just like her sleeping child, Myka was dead to the world. Of course it made it easier to undress her. She rolled her over and finally managed to get both of them under the covers. She sighed and again spooned up behind Myka. She heard her sigh and smiled when she took her hand. At least in sleep Myka still craved her touch and drew comfort from it.
Continued in Part 2
“There you are! I’ve been waiting for ages,” a woman’s voice said with a chuckle behind her. Myka jumped. The voice was eerily familiar. She slowly turned around and tried to spot the owner of the voice. She noticed two women a couple of tables over. The blonde was facing her and the other one had her back to Myka. Myka swallowed when she saw the thick dark hair fall in waves down the woman’s back as she laughed. She closed her eyes and turned back to her coffee. She sipped it, and made a face. It was cold.
“Myka, you’re pathetic,” she mumbled to herself. “Why does every dark haired woman with a British accent make you jump and think it’s her?” She pushed her cup away and got up. She strolled past the two women, refusing to look at them. She just couldn’t. It would just be yet another disappointment when the face did not match the voice.
“Myka?” her name was said so softly it was almost a whisper. She stopped.
“Myka?” the voice repeated a little louder. She closed her eyes. Could it be? She jumped when she felt a hand on her arm. When she opened her eyes, she looked straight into a pair of eyes so dark she felt she could fall into them and keep falling forever.
“Helena,” she whispered.
“My God,” Helena whispered and wrapped her arms around Myka in a fierce hug. “I thought you were gone.” She pulled away when there was no response from Myka and she realized that she was still standing stiffly in front of her. She took Myka’s hand. “Please come and sit down.”
Myka silently followed her to the table and sat down on the empty chair. She nodded at the blonde woman.
“Jaime, I really have to get going. Let’s catch up later,” the blonde said and smiled at them.
Helena nodded and smiled at her. “I’ll call you.”
Myka watched her leave and then turned back at Helena. “Jaime?”
Helena chuckled. “I’m working a case. Undercover.”
“As what?”
“An actress,” Helena said a little embarrassed.
Myka laughed. “Well you should have no problem with that. I bet you excel at it. They might even give you some kind of award. You certainly played me all right.”
Helena put her hand on top of Myka’s resting on the table. “Myka, darling, so many things have happened during the last couple of years.”
“Obviously,” Myka huffed.
“Why didn’t you come back?”
Myka shrugged. “I had no right to. I was a liability.”
Helena caressed her hand. “You know that’s not true.”
“I couldn’t trust myself. How could I ask them to?” Myka said angrily and glared at her. “You took that from me.”
Helena nodded. “I guess I did. Would you believe me if I told you that I did it to save your life?”
Myka shot her a dark look. “No.”
Helena sighed and leaned back in her seat. “We had a rogue regent on our hands back then. Somehow a threat had been leaked.”
“A threat? So what? We deal with that every day.”
“Against your and Pete’s lives,” Helena said softly.
Myka glanced at her, still not convinced that she was telling the truth. “So it’s Pete now, huh? You used to refer to him as Agent Lattimer,” she mumbled, instantly regretting her words since they sounded so childish.
Helena chuckled. “Pete has been my partner for almost two years now, darling. He threatened to sing the Cookie Monster song for 24 hours nonstop unless I stopped calling him Agent Lattimer. I agreed.”
Myka smiled a little lopsided smile and nodded. Yeah, she probably would have conceded too.
“Please come back,” Helena said softly and traced the back of Myka’s hand.
“I can’t,” Myka mumbled. “I have responsibilities here.”
Helena tilted her head. “What kind of responsibilities?”
“None of your business.”
Helena sighed. “Boyfriend?” Myka shook her head. “Girlfriend?” Myka shot her a dark look. Helena smiled sadly. “Do you love her?”
“I don’t know.”
“An honest answer.”
“Look, Helena, the Warehouse is in the past. I loved every minute of it right up until that moment at Warehouse 2 when you shot me. I cherish the memories, but I have moved on.”
Helena gripped her hand a little tighter. She fought the tears that threatened to fall. “What about me? Us?” she whispered.
Myka closed her eyes and sighed. “I loved you Helena. I still do, but I can’t…”
Helena hiccupped as the first tears fell. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am for the pain I caused you,” she said with a sniffle.
“Oh for crying out loud,” Myka mumbled and pulled Helena to her, holding her as she cried, gently stroking her hair.
“Myka?” a surprised voice said behind her. Myka jumped and her eyes got large. Shit! Shit! Shit! She turned her head and looked straight at her girlfriend.
“Janet. What are you doing here?”
The woman’s eyes hardened. “I could ask you the same thing. And why you are holding another woman in your arms,” she said with obvious pain in her voice.
“Janet, it’s not what you think. I had no idea that Helena was here.”
Janet stared at Helena who was dabbing at her eyes. “This is Helena?” she blurted out. “THE Helena?” She leaned closer to Myka and glared at her. “I don’t know what game you are playing Myka, but I don’t want any part of it. I never thought that you would be this cruel.” She straightened up and took a deep breath. “I’ll be home at six. I want you out before then.”
“Janet!” Myka got up and reached for her, but she moved away.
“Don’t touch me. It’s clear that you still care for her. I was stupid to believe that my love could change that,” she spat.
“Please Janet; it’s not what you think.”
Janet stopped and took a step closer to Myka. Her blue eyes looked straight into Myka’s. “Do you love me Myka?” she asked softly. Myka hesitated only for a moment, but before she could open her mouth again Janet spoke. “That’s what I thought. Please, don’t make this harder than it already is. At least show me some respect. I think I’ve earned that.”
Myka nodded and reached up to cup her cheek, but her hand fell away again. “I’m sorry Janet,” she whispered.
“Me too,” she said with a sad smile.
Myka watched her leave and then sat down with a sigh. Helena watched her silently. She knew that there was nothing she could say at this point. Myka had to work through this on her own.
When Myka didn’t speak to her she pulled out a notepad and jotted down her hotel’s name and her cell phone number. “Myka, I’m in town for a couple of days more. Please come and see me. I really think we need to talk,” she said and put the piece of paper on the table. She covered Myka’s hand again and gave it a little squeeze. “I never stopped loving you,” she whispered. Myka did not respond so she got up. With a last glance at the quiet woman she sighed and left.
*** *** ***
Myka looked around the living room. A large suitcase and a box of books were sitting waiting for her by the door. The suitcase held all her meager belongings. She had only taken the few items she had brought with her, and her personal things. Everything else she had left. She noted the items in the room that she and Janet had got together and felt a lump in her throat. She had enjoyed her time with Janet. Shaking off the sadness she put her key on the table by the door and closed the door behind her.
She put the suitcase and the books in the trunk and got in. She sat for a moment with her hands on the steering wheel, remembering a day not too long ago, when she had been sitting just like this in a different car somewhere out in the middle of nowhere in South Dakota. She had felt just as lost then, as she did now. And the reason was the same. With a sigh she finally accepted that Helena was right. They needed to talk about what happened. She needed to get closure so she could move on. She had tried on her own, and Janet had been a huge help, but Myka knew in her heart that she had never really healed from the wound caused by Helena’s betrayal. She pulled out Helena’s note and held it in both her hands as she read Helena’s beautiful handwriting. Not realizing it, she was smiling. She noted the hotel name and the room number. She knew the place. Putting the note back in her pocket she started the car.
*** *** ***
Myka parked in the lot outside the hotel and turned off the ignition. She took a deep breath and got out. After riding the elevator to the seventh floor she exited and slowly walked down the hallway towards Helena’s room. She stopped and just stood there for a moment before she raised her hand to knock. The door opened instantly. She realized that Helena must have been watching her from the other side. She smiled a little embarrassed. Helena took her hand and pulled her inside.
“Come in darling, no reason to stand in the hallway.”
Myka took a seat on the couch and leaned forward with her arms on her knees. She sighed. “You’re right Helena. We do need to talk.”
Helena sat down across from her. “I looked for you everywhere,” she said softly.
Myka nodded. “I didn’t want to be found.”
“Where were you? Not even Claudia could find you. No cell phone, no credit cards. Nothing.”
Myka smiled and looked at her. “An old friend of mine has a cabin close to Lake Tahoe. She let me borrow it.”
Helena nodded. “You withdrew from the world.”
“I needed to make sense of things. I needed peace around me. It hurt so much Helena,” Myka said angrily, her eyes again full of the pain she had tried to deal with all those months ago.
“I’m so sorry darling. I was frantic when I realized that I was too late to get you. It never occurred to me that you would leave. I counted on that Pete would be there for you. He had always been your strength in the past. I was shocked that I didn’t know you better, that I didn’t see it coming. After all, I had just held a gun to your head less than 24 hours prior. I should have paid better attention to your emotional state when we were in the car,” she said trying not to cry.
“Yeah, well you didn’t and what happened, happened,” Myka said tired.
“Darling, the threat to your life was very real. The rogue agent had used Artie, had him under his spell. Apparently he wanted to bring down the Warehouse once and for all. He tried once before with Warehouse 12, but since Warehouse 13 was almost finished, it didn’t matter so much. He had a long time to plan this. I know, because he spoke to me about it now and then.”
Myka frowned. “What do you mean? I thought you didn’t know who it was?”
“I didn’t, but I heard his voice many times over the years when he came to visit me. Apparently he knew that I had something he needed. How he knew that, I don’t know, but it was because of him I was debronzed. Once I was free and McPherson filled me in, I started to understand. I knew they wanted the map so I acquired it. I handed it over to the Regents right before I was reinstated as an agent. Somehow he got his hands on it, and it ended up with those young boys in Egypt.”
“Why did you shoot me, us?” Myka asked softly.
“I had to, in order to keep you safe. He was in there. I needed to be sure that you wouldn’t find him and try to stop him. He would’ve killed you. He can, and he would.”
“Who is he?”
Helena took a deep breath. “Valda.”
“Valda? But he died. I saw it,” Myka exclaimed.
Helena shook her head. “He was wearing the eye of Horus. It’s a very powerful talisman. This particular one was one of the few artifacts that we had from Warehouse 2. He knew it would protect him, and he needed to get away from us.”
“Why didn’t you just tell Pete and me? We are good agents. You could’ve tried trusting us.”
Helena noted Myka’s slip and a little smile played on her lips for a moment. “You forget that he had Artie under his spell. You reported to Artie and would have to do what he said in order not to blow my cover. Even Mrs. Frederic had to play her role, and she was aware of the risks. She told me not to involve the two of you. I’m sorry Myka, but my hands really were tied.”
“I was your girlfriend for God’s sake,” Myka said angrily. “You should not have been allowed to keep something that big from me.” She got up and paced in front of Helena.
“Myka, don’t you think I tried to tell her that?” Helena exclaimed heatedly, but then she sighed and looked sadly at Myka. “I pleaded. I begged. I even threatened her.” She chuckled at her last words. “Though that didn’t get me very far. She spoke to me like I was a petulant child.”
Myka smiled briefly. She knew what Helena was talking about. Mrs. F certainly had the gift of making you feel small. It seemed like she was always able to see through your bluffs, only to give you that look that made you feel like a real idiot.
“Do you remember Yellowstone darling?” Helena asked softly.
Myka laughed. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget Yellowstone. You tried to destroy the world, and oh, now I remember. You held a gun to my head for God’s sake!” Myka yelled.
Helena winced. “Why do you think Artie was there?”
“I don’t know? To stop you perhaps?” Myka said sarcastically.
Helena shook her head. “He was there to take the Trident.”
“What?”
“I was relieved when he tried to shoot me. It saved me the job of having to hurt him. He was too weak to take it, so he hoped that his master would come to his assistance.”
“I remember Artie trying to take it from me and you telling me no. I don’t know why I still trusted you at that point, but I did. There was just something in your eyes that made me believe you,” Myka said softly.
“I love you, Myka, and I only want the best for you, and part of that is keeping you safe. That’s what you felt that day, and that’s why you listened to your heart, darling,” Helena said as she took Myka’s hands.
“I want to believe you, Helena. I really do,” Myka whispered.
Helena pulled her to her. “Then listen to your heart. If you still carry me in your heart, you know that I’m telling you the truth, and perhaps it means that you still love me,” she said softly.
Myka finally gave in to the tears and they fell onto Helena’s shoulder as she cried. She clung to Helena sobbing as her pain finally had an outlet. When Helena led her to the bed she followed willingly. She felt Helena spoon up behind her and she grabbed her hand pulling her arm tighter around her. Finally she fell asleep, exhausted by the emotional events. Helena lay awake long after Myka succumbed to sleep. She kissed Myka’s soft curls and inhaled the scent of her. She had prayed every night for three years to have Myka back in her arms. Even if it was just for this one night, she cherished having her prayer answered. She slowly disentangled herself from Myka and undressed. She glanced at her former lover and colleague sleeping on her bed. She gently removed her shoes and socks, and then carefully removed her jacket and pants. She smiled for a moment as she remembered undressing Christina just the same way a couple of times so many years ago. Just like her sleeping child, Myka was dead to the world. Of course it made it easier to undress her. She rolled her over and finally managed to get both of them under the covers. She sighed and again spooned up behind Myka. She heard her sigh and smiled when she took her hand. At least in sleep Myka still craved her touch and drew comfort from it.
Continued in Part 2