The next morning, I woke in H.G.'s strong embrace. We fit perfectly together. Snuggling closer, I sighed. "I know you're awake."

A soft chuckle tickled the back of my neck. "For about half an hour, yes. I didn't want you to wake up alone."

"Thank you." Turning, I faced the sleepy author. "This feels…"

"Perfect." A lazy smile tugged at Helena's lips. "Waking up like this is lovely." Leaning in, she kissed me gently. I couldn't stop myself from deepening the kiss. Eventually, H.G. pulled back to rest her forehead against mine. "I don't want to go too fast. Knowing myself, if I keep kissing you like this, you won't make it to work on time. And I don't want to anger Arthur more than he probably already is."

"You're right. And I want to take this slow." Gazing into tender eyes, I continued. "I'll have to get up…" Suddenly, I was interrupted by my alarm. "Soon."

"Yes, you need to shower and get ready for work. I'll make coffee."

Nodding, I kissed H.G. quickly before getting up. I felt Helena watching as I picked out clothing. "What?"

"Seeing you in your night clothes reminds me of our late night talks on the patio drinking tea at the B&B." The author's eyes shined with admiration.

"Those were nice. You could see every star."

"While that is true," H.G. sat up to stretch. "I wasn't paying much attention to the sky." A blush crept up my neck. What am I supposed to say to that? All I can do is smile. "Go get in the shower. Coffee will be ready shortly."

Xxx

While I was in the shower, Helena made a quick breakfast. I was a little nervous leaving the house. I'm afraid that when I come home that I'll realize the last few days have all been some artifact induced haze. If that's the case, I'll have Abigail lock me up. "Myka," turning, I looked towards the soft voice. "I'll be here when you get back. I know that look. You're battling with yourself."

"You know me too well. Hopefully, I'll get home at a decent hour." Closing the door, I joined H.G. at the table.

"If not, I'll wait." Pulling me into a kiss, all worry washed away. "I'm going to see about that job soon. Then I'll come home."

"Hope it goes well. You'd be perfect there." Looking at my watch, I raced to the door. "Damn. I'm going to be late."

I pulled up to the B&B at 8:57. "I'm here and not late!" The chatter from the dining room quieted. "What?"

Pete leaned back with a grin. "You look well rested."

"Shut up Pete. Nothing happened." I took my normal seat and waited for Artie.

"It's good to see you happy." Abigail walked in with a cup of coffee. Before I could reply, Artie came inside.

"Alright! We've got a case in Featherhead." Artie stopped when he saw me. "Good. You're going to be focused again." All I did was laugh. Pete and I were on this case while Artie and Steve were going to California.

On the way to Featherhead, Pete was quiet and it was driving me crazy. "You want to ask questions. Ask already."

"How are you and H.G. doing? Thanks for leaving a note assuring me you were coming back."

"You're welcome. I said I wouldn't leave you like that again. We're good. We talked a lot while we were in London. That's why we stayed a few extra days. She's worried about how angry Artie is."

"He wasn't too happy when he heard what went down. Especially that Claudia helped. I mean, I know she's our boss now but I still see her as my sister and Artie sees her as his daughter. But it doesn't surprise me that she'd help get H.G. and you back together. She was always on team Bering and Wells."

"I can imagine. I still see her as my little sister too. And I see you as my brother. H.G. and I are taking things slow. She wants to prove that she's deserving of me."

"That's good. As long as you're happy and she doesn't hurt you." A comfortable silence fell between us. "Now that she's not an agent, what is she going to do?"

"She's going to get a job at the bookstore in town. It'll be good for her to be around books."

"Yeah, she can geek out on a daily basis." I couldn't help but laugh imagining H.G. Wells geeking out.

Xxx

Pete and I got back to the warehouse around seven. Once I filled out the paperwork it was nearly eight. "Okay, Pete go home to Kelly and Myka go home to H.G." Both of us whipped around at Artie's statement. "What?"

"You want us out of here for a reason." I narrowed my eyes at the older man. "You have a date with Vanessa, don't you?"

"Get out of here. All of you." Steve, Pete, and I shared a laugh at Artie's expense.

"Come on, you guys are a cute couple. Hey, maybe the six of us can go on a…triple date?" Artie and I cocked our heads in confusion. "What? You and Vanessa, me and Kelly, and H.G. and Myka."

"Why don't we just bring Steve and Trevor along too? Have the whole gang there." The irritation in Artie's voice was clear. "It's not going to happen."

"Well, while the two of you debate this, I have a Victorian time traveling author to get home to." Grabbing my coat, I was out the door.

Walking up the steps to the porch, I couldn't help but smile. I was coming home to Helena, my Helena. Classical music and the smell of spaghetti and garlic bread met me as I walked inside. "Wow, it smells amazing in here." After hanging my coat, I kissed H.G. on the cheek.

"Thank you. Taste this." Carefully, Helena dipped a spoon into the sauce and held it out for me.

For a split second I was cautious about tasting something H.G. cooked considering she set the stove on fire at the B&B. Twice. "This tastes fantastic. When did you learn to cook?"

"The classes I took a few years ago. And then the cooking channels."

I couldn't help but laugh. "The great H.G. Wells taking a class to learn something. I figured you knew how to do everything."

"I'm brilliant but I don't know everything. I've set the table so we'll be ready to eat in ten minutes. Could you pour some wine?"

"Sure." Retrieving the wine, I popped the cork and poured us each a glass. "Artie is happy you're back."

There was a hesitation in H.G.'s cooking. "Were those his words?"

"His words were: good. You're going to be focused again." Placing the bottle in the chilling bucket, I took a seat.

"That's as close as I'll probably get. I'm glad he didn't ground you. Here we are." Gracefully, H.G. brought over the sauce and noodles. "I hope you like it."

"I'm sure I'll love it." And I did. Even though it was a simple dish, I could swear it was the best I've ever had. "I see you rented a car. Did you make it into town to see about the job?"

"Yes. I start Monday. The owner remembers seeing us together and hired me right away. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure if he hired me because you're such a good customer or, as far as he knows, if it's because you work for the IRS."

"It's probably a mix of both. But I'm glad you got the job. Being surrounded by books all day will be nice. I know that's why I loved working in my father's bookstore."

Helena dabbed her mouth before speaking. "How are your parents?"

"They're good. So much has happened lately I've not spoken to them in nearly three weeks." I paused biting my lip. "At some point, I'd like to introduce you to them."

H.G. nearly choked on her wine. "That'd be nice." Vulnerability radiated from the brunette. "I've never been in this situation before."

"Since you love literature, they will love you. There's nothing to worry about. They don't know about the warehouse so we'll have to stretch the truth."

"I guess I'll have to ask your father for his permission to court his daughter?" The blood drained from my face quickly. "I'm joking. I know there's no need to do so in this century. Besides, I would court you with or without his permission." A wicked smile played at Helena's lips.

After we cleaned up, I called my parents. Butterflies plagued my stomach as the phone rang on speaker. "Hello Myka. Are you okay? It's been nearly three weeks." My mother was worried.

"Things are okay. I've just been really busy at work. Is dad near you?" H.G. sat beside me and took my hand. Squeezing gently, I leaned into her.

"Yes, he's right here. Let me put you on speaker. Okay." I paused. I'm not ashamed of being with Helena. I just don't know how my parents will react. "Myka, is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything's fine. I wanted to tell you and Dad that I'm seeing someone. She's an amazingly strong woman who loves literature as much as we do." My heart started to pound at my parents' silence.

"Is she good to you?" My mother's voice was stern.

"She is, yes."

"When do we get to meet her?" It was my father's turn.

"I don't have any more vacation time left. But we have a guest room in our house. You're welcome to stay if you'd like." I bit my lip. Shit. They don't know we've known each other for years.

"You're already living together?" My mother was shocked.

"It's not as sudden as you think. We've known each other for five or six years. We finally admitted our feelings for each other a few weeks ago. We've known we loved each other for years but…"

"Myka, darling, if they've not disowned you by now, I doubt they will. Calm down. Hello Mr. and Mrs. Bering. My name is Helena Wells. You have an amazing daughter."

"You're British?" What is my father getting at?

"Yes, I was born in Bromley, England." Helena stayed calm and collected.

"How did the two of you meet?"

"In a museum. After the presentation I realized I had left my notebook so I went back inside." I couldn't help but chuckle silently remembering how we actually met. "We started talking about literature and found that we were a lot alike." H.G. pulled me closer to kiss my hair. "She's a brilliant woman."

"Who's your favorite author?" I glanced towards the brunette with a raised brow.

"I'm not sure. I have so many. But H.G. Wells is my specialty." Helena had to cup her hand over my mouth to muffle my laughter.

"His work is very interesting." My father paused. "You said your name is Helena Wells, correct?"

"Yes Sir. My parents were fans of his so they made sure my initials would be H.G. Wells." A wicked grin tugged at the author's lips. "It's a running joke that H.G. Wells is actually a woman."

This time, Helena couldn't muffle my laughter. "Okay, can we stop? I always get picked on for dating H.G. Wells."

Both of my parents laughed. "Alright. It's been nice speaking with you Helena. Maybe we can meet you soon."

"I would very much enjoy that." We said our goodbyes and ended the call.

"Really? You had to do the 'H.G. Wells is actually a woman' thing, didn't you?" I tried to be serious but Helena's mock innocence killed me.

"I have no idea what you're talking about?"

"Uh-huh. Sure." Rolling my eyes, I leaned back into H.G.'s warm embrace.

"Who picks on you for dating H.G. Wells? And when?" Kissing my hair, Helena leaned back bringing me with her.

"Pete. And it was back when we first met. You always flirted with me. Claudia swore we were having eye sex." Resting my head on H.G.'s chest, I listened to her heartbeat.

"You made it so easy. And you are quite adorable when you blush. Which always happen around me."

I shivered as a gentle finger ran down my arm. "Yeah. Yeah. But Claudia swore you were going to kiss me in the coach's office."

"Well, I did invade your personal space. I wanted to test the waters." A soft chuckle bubbled out of Helena's throat. "And of course once I saved your life, I couldn't help but flirt. I do believe you enjoyed having your arms wrapped around me."

"I was dangling from a grappling hook. I was going to cling to anything to keep from dying." I paused a moment, feeling a blush. "I did enjoy your arm around me though. Even if I didn't want to admit it."

"Interesting. If I remember correctly, I did cause you to shiver after you handcuffed me in my old home."

"You caught that?" Glancing up, I saw a triumphant smirk. "Of course you did. Yes. I shivered."

"That's another reason why I flirted with you in the museum. And it seemed to bother Peter quite a bit." Helena pulled the blanket that laid over the back of the couch over us.

"You really can't help yourself, can you?" I sighed contently.

"When it comes to you darling, no I cannot."