CHAPTER THREE

Well, last night's episode was a bit of a disappointment. No Helena again, but have no fear fan-fiction is here! :P

Last chapter; here goes:

"Well don't you all look like someone's dying," Myka laughed at her feeble attempt at lightening up the mood "Seriously people?"

Helena smiled apologetically, "Darling, why don't we leave the jokes to Pete and Claudia, yes?"

Myka stuck out her tongue at the woman but was thankful. Helena was the only one who made her feel like herself anymore. Myka had been reduced to a mere shadow of herself and she was trying her best to hold on, everyone walking on egg shells around her didn't make that any easier. She was losing Agent Bering too fast too soon.

In the month that followed her confession to Helena things had progressed at an alarming rate. Helena, as promised, didn't tell anyone at the warehouse but they found out anyway. Only days after they met up in Denver Pete and Claudia found them in a bit of a compromising situation which they laughed about for a while. Steve and Artie followed as soon as the news reached them.

She remembered the flash of fury across Pete's face when she told him.

"You should have told me sooner" he said.

"I thought you were my best friend" he said.

Myka calmly accepted his outburst. He was losing a friend, she would have felt the same had the roles been reversed.

Helena had done her best to contain the situation but when all six people were crammed into one small bookshop Myka knew there was no way to keep them from answers, real answers.

She remembered the expectant eyes, all looking at her intently. All expect Helena's. Helena stood beside Myka, her hand rubbing circles against Myka's back. Had Helena not been there Myka would have broken into sobs. She realized she needed the woman by her side more than she ever thought she would.

Cancer, the word still seemed like a lie to Pete. He was hoping someone would jump out with cameras and scream; we got you! But no one laughed. And there were no cameras. This was as real as it got; his best friend lying in bed doing her best to put on good show but he could see. He could see how much it took out of her just to sit and laugh at breakfast, or go for a short walk. Myka was getting worse at much faster rate than any of them begun to grasp.

Everyone had formed a new routine. Artie, Helena, Pete, Claudia spent their days and the better parts of their nights hunched over books, computers and artifact manifests trying to find a cure, Steve took care of the pings all on his own. Often one of them would fly across the world to get something only to be disappointed, leaving all hope shattered.

Even Mrs. Fredrick dropped by one evening and even though she said they should all go back to the warehouse and let Myka have some peace, the uncharacteristic emotion behind her eyes betrayed her. She had grown rather fond of the agent. She wanted to help her just as much as the others did, which is why she left them to their own devices lending Steve a hand every now and then.

Myka lay in the hospital bed exactly a month after she had left the warehouse.

She smiled at Artie, "My vacation's up, sorry can't make it to work"

Artie patted her, it took everything in him not to break down in tears.

She looked at everyone around her. She never thought she would find this many people who loved her so much and she loved them back just as much. "You should all go back, there are people that can be saved"

Pete shook his head, slammed his fist against the door and left the room.

Myka's voice had become weaker, much like everything else about her. She did her best to look stronger but as everyone but Helena left the room she let the pieces of her façade fall.

Tears rolled down her cheeks. Helena cupped her face and kissed her. She moved Myka to side of the hospital bed and got in beside her. She hugged the crying woman doing her best to hold it all in. She would be no good to anyone if she fell apart. She didn't realize when, but Myka fell asleep.

Helena checked her pulse to make sure… she had to make sure. She did that more often now; every time she found Myka asleep. She had to check to know. The frail young woman could go at any time and Helena didn't want her to be alone what it happened. It was unfair. Myka was young, she had so much left to do, so much life in her. If she could Helena would trade places with her in a heartbeat.

Helena paced across the room, her nails digging into her flesh. Pain was good. Pain kept her grounded.

Myka looked up at Helena, in her eyes tears mixed with confusion and desperation; something Helena had never seen there before. She held her hand up for Helena to see the clump of hair in her fist.

"And here I was hoping I'd at least look pretty when dead"

Helena bit her lip as tears threatened to spill out. She kissed Myka on her cold damp cheek.

"You'll always be gorgeous to me, love"

The days that followed were the worst. Chemo sucked the life out of the once vivacious woman. Myka felt hollow. Everyone did their best to keep it together; sometimes they daren't breathe too loud in fear. Myka hated that. She hated being treated as fragile.

It had been 38 days since she came to Denver, 9 since they were in the hospital. The place that had begun to feel like a home, only in the most twisted sense. Helena could almost feel the mocking irony of the situation.

Everyone was out getting coffee, thier sustenance. Everyone but Helena, she never left Myka's side anymore. She was too afraid of letting to woman take her last breathe alone or surrounded by strangers.

"I love you," Myka whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek.

A sudden shock passed through her body and then she stiffened. The light in her eyes vanished replaced by hollowness and Helena felt everything inside her fall to dust.

She was gone.

Myka was gone.

Dead.

Helena was caught between a violent sob and a heart wrenching scream and tears cascaded down her pale skin. This wasn't happening again. She wasn't going to lose her. She refused to go through that pain again.

Helena pushed her hands against Myka's still chest trying to shove life into the woman. She pushed harder, she punched, she hit. Helena had lost all form of composure she had held on to for far too long as everything came charging at her all at once, all the emotions she had so skillfully kept at bay.

Artie and Claudia came rushing in and pulled her away from the body.

Claudia tried to soothe the hysteric woman but she didn't know how. She was at a loss for words. Myka was like her big sister. Myka was dead. This had to be a dream. And yet the almost colorless body that lay before her proved it was anything but.

Artie close Myka's eyes and stood staring at her for a moment. It was true, at Warehouse 13 there was no way to leave unscathed. Though he had always imagined going out first leaving Myka in his stead.

Helena chuckled in between sobs. "Cancer," she scoffed "Artie-"

She wanted to say so much. She could say so much. But the relentless tears pouring out caused her to choke on her words. This is an artifact yes, what artifact makes you go through the worst kind of pain you can imagine? She wondered. Or maybe, I've just fallen into a dream. She clenched her fists till she felt her nails break through skin and warm blood pool out. No, that is unlikely. Think Helena, think, you old fool! She wanted to hit her head against a wall. This was not real. Even Pete wasn't there; surely Pete would want to see his best friend. But he wasn't there, so there was no way this could be real. Right?

And then Pete came in. He looked like a mess. Only worse. "You promised we'd go out together," he whispered, "You lied, Mykes" He hesitated. He didn't look at the body. That wasn't Myka, he couldn't, wouldn't let that be the last image he had of her. The body lying in that hospital bed was a mere shadow of the woman he used to know.

"No!" Helena screamed as she ran out the room.

She refused to believe this was real.

Helena. G. Wells knew how to defy the very laws of nature and yet she was utterly helpless and more alone than ever before.

Well, this was fun. Might start another W13 fic soon.