Wednesday, November 11th, 2015. Leena's Bed & Breakfast – Univille, South Dakota.

Night has fallen, warm light spilling from the windows of the Bed & Breakfast and it's deceiving, Artie thinks as he pulls into the driveway. Gravel crunching and popping under the car's tires, he almost parks behind Claudia, but remembers the ping she and Steve are about to be sent on and swings left to a stop. Letting out a sigh, he scrubs his beard before reaching for the keys. It's been a long day and he wishes returning to Leena's wasn't synonymous with stepping into pandemonium. But he knows the wish would only earn him a ferret and really, it isn't that bad because it's his family and he loves them.

Even if it pains him to admit it, sometimes.

Sure enough, as he hurries through the cold, the wind shifts and a raised voice carries from the residence. Claudia, undoubtedly. Her voice is muffled, but Artie catches the end of it as he steps inside.

"-if you swallow one every time you put another one in!"

"What is going on?" Artie tries to sound angry, he really does, but it comes out as more of an exasperated sigh than anything.

It's almost comical how fast the four "adults" freeze and look to their boss. Pete's cheeks are oddly engorged and his chin is shiny with drool – not that he seems to notice. Claudia's annoyed, but she hasn't reached pissed level yet, thankfully. In her hand is a glob of white and Artie can see marshmallows littering the ground from Steve and Myka's failed attempts to land the fluffy treats in each other's mouths.

"Again," Artie asks. "What is going on?"

With an impatient sigh, Claudia explains. "We were playing Chubby Bunny, except this one," Pete yelps as she pokes him hard in the chest, "kept cheating by swallowing the marshmallows."

"What on earth is…?" Artie begins to question, but instead opts for a shake of his head. "Never mind, we have a ping. Claudia and Steve, wheels up in three hours."

"Where're we going? Steve asks, accepting his folder. Claudia reaches for hers, but Artie jerks it out of reach, glaring at her sticky mess of a hand.

"Flagstaff, Arizona. English professor at the university started acting strange a few days ago, went off the deep end in a lecture earlier this afternoon. Now, be gone."

Claudia is up the stairs in a flash, Steve on her heels, and Artie gives his two senior agents a long look.

"Both of you, clean this up. And as punishment, you get to make dinner."

He trudges from the room and Pete mimics him as best he can with fifteen marshmallows in his mouth. "Kee di uh. Ooo et oo ay inner. Wa wa wa."

"I heard that!"

Thursday, November 12th, 2015. Sky Harbor Airport – Phoenix, Arizona.

After the almost two hour drive to the airport, plus the five and a half hours on the plane, it literally takes every ounce of will in Steve to get behind the wheel of their rental SUV and start on the road to Flagstaff. The flight was fun – the volume on their TV was broken, so the two 'lip read' the entirety of Despicable Me and Men Who Stare at Goats. But at almost three in the morning, Claudia can feel her attitude growing sour.

"Man, why couldn't we just stay in Phoenix for the night?" she complains, squirming in her seat. "I'm tired and uncomfortable, you're tired and uncomfortable. It's like Artie wants us to die."

"Number 42 on the list," Steve quips, and he isn't joking, but it makes Claudia laugh.

"17 on mine. Wouldn't that just be great?"

The lightness in her voice fades to what can only be described as sardonic and Steve throws several quick glances at his best friend.

"What's going on, Claudster? You upset about something?"

As she fiddles with one of her many bracelets, Claudia shrugs and sighs. She's never been very good at the whole "talking about her feelings" thing.

"It's just…I, I know that I'm going to be Caretaker one day, right? So the Regents have no reason or will to kill me off. At least…I hope not."

Steve furrows his brows, unable to see yet exactly what is upsetting her. "Then what's the problem? Your immortality is practically guaranteed."

His confusion is met with silence as Claudia worries her lip between her teeth. She's struggling to find the exact words to express herself and failing and it's just…so frustrating.

"I'm…not afraid of my life, you know, ending. Like dying. I just want to have a life before it ends." Giving a little irksome laugh, Claudia mutters, "And I don't mean dying."

Understanding washes over Steve and he literally feels his heart ache.

"Claudia, becoming Caretaker isn't the end game. You can have the same things as everyone else," he assures.

"But what if I can't?" she's practically radiating with agitation at this point. "The last thing I want to be is half the Caretaker the Warehouse needs because I'm too consumed with other parts of my life. But I don't want to be half a friend…or wife," she whispers the final word, almost like she isn't even sure she's allowed to say it, "because I'm too consumed with the Warehouse."

Listening to the confused and scared young woman next to him, Steve tries to choose his next words carefully – not because he thinks they'll upset Claudia, but because he wants to imbue as much hope as possible in them.

"Your life," he begins, voice low, "does not stop when you become Caretaker. Literally, figuratively. If you want to get married after, or if you're already married when the time comes? Well, you'll be Claudia: a loving, attentive, albeit slightly annoying wife to a very lucky guy. If you two have kids, you'll be Claudia: a caring, doting mother who loves fiercely and protects beyond measure. And just like you are now, you'll be Claudia: hilarious friend, playful little sister, doting daughter, genius tech-whiz-music-lover-with-an-amazing-voice, and the most selfless person I know. It just so happens that alongside being all of those things, you'll also be Claudia: strong, dedicated, kick-ass Caretaker of Warehouse 13."

Long gone are the days when Claudia would have tried to mask the tears dripping from her cheeks, or cracked a joke to lighten the gravity of the situation. Instead, she simply reaches for Steve's hand and gives it a strong squeeze.

"Thank you."