"Well I thank you for it. The smile and engaging my mind are most certainly needed now." It was certainly something she needed to at least temporarily take her mind off of trying to put herself back together.
The kiss was unexpected and served as a shock to her. Helena found herself frozen there for a moment trying to absorb the shock. And pairing the kiss with his words which came before it, she found it to be too much to absorb in the moment. It brought up too many emotions that she didn't want to feel, and memories she didn't want to think about. Considering the last person she'd kissed had been Irene, whom Moriarty had murdered. So while Bruce skipped down the hall, Helena closed her eyes and drew in a slow, very deep breath to try to center herself for a moment before following Bruce down the hall. As quickly as the life had been coming back, it was gone again, leaving her reeling for something to cling to.
"It has been many years since I have been able to do as much for someone, so I am grateful that you are able to be stimulated in such a way." There was a curve to her lips, but she was not one to take so well to compliments in such a way right now. Not for the first time, she wondered how she could hold such a place for someone when she couldn't even keep herself together. She followed him into the kitchen and blinked upon seeing the number of cherry pies.
"You have most certainly been busy in here," she commented, a bit awed by the sight before her as Bruce started cutting pieces.