Claudia saves the warehouse, and for 10 minutes she revels in the fact that she single handedly kicked Paracalsus' ass. And then Pete tells them the truth.

Claudia insists that she's fine, just a little banged up, and so she, Pete, and Artie rush to the hospital. But Myka has insisted on no visitors, and Pete's attempt to sneak in to Myka's room ended in being escorted back to the waiting room by a nurse. They stay for a while, until it becomes clear that Myka has no intention of seeing any of them.

Claudia stares at her phone for an hour that night, and in the end when she finally dials the number that she found for Emily Lake, Claudia doesn't know whether she's doing it for Helena, Myka, or herself.

The voice that picks up the phone is so familiar and yet so foreign. There is giggling in the background, and it reminds Claudia of some of the better foster homes she lived in.

"H.G.," Claudia whispers.

"Claudia?"

"H.G."

"What's wrong?"

"We need you," Claudia says before she can stop herself. She feels like a child begging for someone to come home and take care of her, not like the brave woman who had stood before Paracalsus. "Myka needs you."

"What's happened?" Helena asks, panic creeping in.

"Myka's sick. She has ovarian cancer."

There's silence on the line for a minute before Helena finally replies. "I'll be there as soon as possible."

"Myka's still in the hospital. She went in for a biopsy, maybe a hysterectomy depending on what they found. We don't know yet. They won't tell us anything, and she doesn't want to see us."

"I assume she doesn't know you're calling me."

"No, but she'll want you here. You know Myka, she doesn't like to ask for help, but she needs you."

"I doubt that."

"You two are such idiots."

"Pardon me?"

"I'm not blind. It's obvious that you and Myka love each other." Helena's head is spinning. She can't bring herself to deny loving Myka, even after so long apart, even as Helena has tried to build a life in Wisconsin. "She'll want you here H.G."

"Of course I'll come darling."

"I don't think that Myka will be out of the hospital for another day," Claudia says, though she aches for H.G. to come home sooner.

"I'll book the first flight I can. Let me call you back when my plans are set."

Helena's embrace is tight and comforting when Claudia meets her at the airport. It's 2 a.m., but Claudia wouldn't be asleep anyway. "It's so good to see you darling," Helena says, looking Claudia over.

"I missed you," Claudia says before she can stop the words from leaving her mouth.

"And I you."

"Did you check luggage?" Claudia asks, seeing only Helena's purse and a small duffel bag.

"No. I only have these." Helena sees Claudia's confusion and worry that perhaps this trip is only intended to be a short one. "I ended up leaving under less than ideal circumstances I'm afraid."

"What happened?"

"It seems that my feelings for Myka are apparent to more than just you. Nate will be sending my things whenever I have an address for him to send them too."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. It's probably for the best. I just regret hurting Adelaide."

"Well, you can have Nate send your stuff to the B&B. Everyone will be happy to have you home."

"I think it would be wise to wait and see how other people feel about me coming back."

"By other people do you mean Myka? She was devastated when she got home from Wisconsin, H.G. She totally loves you."

"Claudia."

"Ok, ok," Claudia says putting her hands up in surrender. "We can pretend that I'm not going to secretly play matchmaker."

"Claudia!"

"Come on, let's go home."

Thinking of Myka being sick makes Helena nauseous, so she spends the drive back to Univille catching up on Claudia's life. "The warehouse needs a caretaker like you," Helena says. "Warehouse 12 had a terribly stuffy old man for a caretaker." She scrunches her nose up in distaste making Claudia laugh; it chases away the doubts that had reemerged once the high of her victory wore off. "You are going to be a brilliant caretaker darling."

"Thanks H.G."

"You were very brave to embrace this role like you have. Certainly, it couldn't have been easily."

Claudia shrugs, but it feels good to have someone understand that her life too has changed radically in the last day.

"Why apples?" Claudia asks out of nowhere.

"Pardon."

"You smell them too right? No one else seems to."

"I didn't smell them when I first came back, when I was planning to use the trident. The warehouse knew."

"But you do again now?"

"I suppose we'll find that out soon. I did after the incident with Sykes. I never worked out the reason behind the apples. Or the fudge for that matter."

"The warehouse must like tech nerds, huh?"

"It would appear that way."

Everything hurts. Even with the pain medications they sent Myka home on, just walking from the taxi to the front door of the B&B is excruciating. Myka wants to sneak up to her room so that she can change out of the scrubs they had given her to leave the hospital in; her jeans were no longer suitable with the incision across her abdomen. Stairs have never seemed more daunting, and so Myka sits down on the couch for a moment, grateful that the team appears to all be out on a mission.

Myka takes deep breaths, waits for the pain to diminish. She heads footsteps behind her and hates that someone is about to see her like this.

"Myka."

Of course Myka would know that voice anywhere, but it can't be possible. And then Helena is next to her in an instant. "Helena?" Myka wonders if she is still in the hospital, because she had this dream. An amazing dream in which Helena was at her bedside, and Myka had cried when she woke up alone in a hospital bed.

"Can I get you anything? Are you alright?" Helena asks seeing how pale and weak Myka appears.

"What are you doing here?"

"Claudia called and told me that you were ill."

Myka stares at Helena, just trying to grasp what's happening through the fog of codeine.

"If you don't want me here," Helena begins, "I can leave."

Myka has wanted Helena here desperately every day since she left with the astrolabe. Since seeing Helena in Wisconsin, Myka has fought the urge to call Helena and tell her that she was making a mistake. But Myka stepped aside, because Helena chose to stay with Nate.

"How long are you staying?"

"As long as you'll have me."

Myka wonders if Helena is saying what she thinks she is. "Nate?"

Helena shakes her head. "I would like it if you were willing to forgive me one more mistake."

"You don't want to be here Helena."

"I do. I've been terribly foolish yet again Myka. But I very much want to be here for you."

"I'm dying." The words feel surreal to say aloud.

Helena reaches out and takes Myka's hand, so very relieved when she is permitted to do so. "What stage is the cancer?"

"Three. They want to start chemo right away, but…"

"Surely you aren't thinking of refusing treatment."

"It's my choice," Myka says, folding her arms across her chest and preparing for a fight.

"Why don't we talk about this later? You must be exhausted."

Claudia squeals in delight when she gets home and finds Myka and Helena sharing a bed. Myka is sleeping, and Helena is sitting beside her writing in a notebook. Helena catches Claudia's eyes and rises from the bed, careful not to wake Myka.

"I knew it! I knew you two would get together in no time!"

"Claudia," Helena says, and the devastation on her face sobers Claudia instantly.

"What happened?"

"They found cancer throughout Myka's abdomen. They want to start treatment right away, but Myka is insisting that she doesn't want that."

"But she's Myka. She has to fight."

"Not this time," Helena says decisively. "This time I intend to fight for her. I need you to do something for me."

"What?"

"Bring me Mary Mallon's knife."

"You know that Myka wouldn't want you to use it."

"I have to Claudia. You were right; I love her."

"There has to be another way to help her."

"There's always a price to pay with artifacts, and I must ensure that I am the only one to pay it this time." Helena thinks of Wooly and Christina, and vows that for once she won't be the cause of anyone else's pain. "Please Claudia. I need you to go now so that I can use it before Myka awakens."

"H.G." Every time this woman comes into Claudia's life she leaves again just as quickly. And Claudia can't bare the thought that she might have set into motion the events that will cause H.G.'s death.

Helena wraps her arms around Claudia. "Don't worry about me. Please."

"Ok, I'll be back soon."

"Are you sure?" Claudia asks, the knife weighing heavily in her hand.

"More sure than I have been for a very long time."

"Promise me that you plan to fight," Claudia says as Helena reaches for the knife. "When you do this, you have to fight."

"I promise darling," Helena says and Claudia relinquishes her hold on the artifact.

"If you die, I am going to be totally pissed, you hear me?"

"Loud and clear."

When Myka wakes up she feels better than she can remember feeling in months. The pain from her surgery is gone, and when she looks at the space next to her in bed, she realizes that Helena is gone too. Myka springs from the bed, the lack of shooting pain shocking as she runs down stairs frantically in search of Helena.

Myka finds Helena on the couch, leaning slightly against Claudia and looking pale and weak. Myka's sees the bottle of her painkillers on the coffee table. "What did you do?" Myka demands.

"Myka," Claudia warns, her arm wrapping around Helena.

"Tell me what you did Helena."

"How are you feeling?" Helena asks Myka.

"Me? I'm fine Helena. I feel wonderful, because you did something. You used an artifact."

Helena smiles as she looks at Myka, at the woman who looks the picture of perfect health.

"She used Mary Mallon's butcher knife," Claudia tells Myka.

"How could you?"

"I couldn't bare to see you in pain," Helena says, as Myka walks over to the couch.

"Claudia, could you leave us alone for a minute?" Myka asks.

"You won't yell at her again?" Claudia asks, making Myka and Helena both smile at the young woman's protectiveness.

"Thank you Claudia. I believe I can fend for myself," Helena says, but the way her voice catches with pain makes Myka wonder whether Helena has any strength left in her at all.

Myka takes Claudia's place on the couch next to Helena. "Helena," Myka whispers, overcome by the sight in front of her. Her eyes fill with tears as she stares at Helena. "I can't believe you used Mary Mallon's knife."

"It was an easy decision Myka."

"You never should have done this. Look at you."

"I'm ok. Claudia forged my medical records so that it will appear that I had surgery a few days ago. She's setting an appointment up for me with an oncologist so I can begin chemotherapy soon."

"Absolutely not. We are going to find a way to reverse this."

"You know that isn't possible."

Tears stream down Myka's cheeks, and she shakes her head in despair. Watching Helena suffer for her is the very last thing that Myka wants.

Helena smiles at Myka. "Don't cry darling. I am so happy that it worked."

"I'm so sorry."

"I'm not. You shouldn't feel guilty Myka. This was my choice, a choice that I would make again in an instant."

"I promise that I'll find a way to help you."

Helena shakes her head. "You don't owe me anything."

"I owe you my life."

"I don't want you to feel responsible for me now. I never wished to force my way back into your life."

"You have always been welcome in my life."

"Righty-ho then," Helena says, too tired and in pain to have this conversation right now.

Myka tries to force herself to smile at Helena. "We'll figure this out Helena. Wells and Bering solving puzzles and saving the day, right?"

"Wasn't it you who insisted on Bering and Wells?"

"I can make an exception just this once."