Claudia and Jinks wrapped their arms around themselves, bracing against the cold, blustery winds that were thrashing against down town Univille. The pair crossed the street before heading into the Univille Diner and sitting down at the front booth. A waitress stopped at their table and dropped off 2 menus before going to fill a coffee cup.
"So Jinksy-Poo what do you want to do today?" He gives her an amused expression before picking up the menu.
"We have to do inventory, sections XXGHa through XXGI." Claudia sighed, and slumped down in the booth.
"We always have to do inventory, why don't we do something fun?"
"Because Artie asked us to do this and so I think we should." Her eyes narrowed.
"Oh please when have we done what Artie wants?" Jink's eyebrows rose.
"You're the only one who doesn't do what Artie asks." Before Claudia could respond with her don't be a boy scout comment blaring Coldplay music came from her pocket. She pulled out her phone and looked down to see the words Allison Blake displayed on the screen. She gave Jinks a one moment gesture before getting up from the booth and going outside.
"Hey Allison what's up? Did the teslas start shooting people at random again?" Claudia's voice cheerful voice diminished when she heard Allison sigh.
"Well Claudia, Dr. Parrish was working with Zayne and Dr. Fung on some project dealing with projectiles and their ranges. With that combination needless to say it did not end up well, and Parrish was stabbed by fragments of the mechanism they were working on." Claudia felt the blood rushing through her ears.
"No offense Allison, but why are you telling me this?" Claudia started chewing on her bottom lip.
"Well I thought you two were together, I'm sorry that was completely my bad."
"No that's fine, I uh don't really know what we are. So what are you doing then?" Claudia walked backwards to lean up against the building. Jinks stared at her from inside.
"Well one of the shards went in pretty far so we have to surgically remove it. I just wanted to let you know."
"Thanks. I have to go right now I'm sorry." With that Claudia ends the call and sighed, before walking back into the diner. She plopped down as the waitress delivered to pates to the table along with 2 sprites. Jinks looks at her with concern like he wanted to ask what happened.
"So you just ordered for me?" He smiles but it doesn't reach his eyes.
"Well you always order the same thing, so what was that about?"
"Just a call from Eureka." Claudia starts picking at her fries. Why did she want to go to Eureka? It's not like she'd be any help and then she'd have to deal with Parrish mocking her for coming. But what if there were more shards than Allison thought, or what if he got lead poisoning from one. She had to stop doing this to herself. She had tried to stop hooking up with him but that just ended with fighting and fucking. The worst part was that she actually cared about that insensitive douche bag. A voic intruded in on her thoughts.
"Claudia, what's going on you look freaked." She pulls her eye to his.
"Nothing"
"Lie." Sighing she smiles at him.
"God I forgot how annoying that was. There was an accident and Parrish was hurt and has to have surgery." Jinks just stares at her while she took a bite of her sandwich.
"Aren't you going?" She raises her eyebrows and swallows before she speaks again.
"Go where?"
"To Eureka, you're boyfriend-" She points her finger a him.
"He's not my boyfriend, we are friends."
"Bullshit Claude, it doesn't matter what you call yourselves; you were freaked when you came in. And even though I really think you can do way better you like him. You need to go see him." Claudia rolls her eyes.
"I know you feel the need to be Rupert Everett in My Best Friends Girl but it really isn't necessary. I'm a big girl I can make my own decisions." Steve put his fork down and stared at her with big eyes.
"Dude are you kidding me? You're trying to give me puppy dog eyes." Claudia starts shifting in her seat when he didn't stop after a minute.
"Fine, I'm making plan reservations now. Pete's been a bad influence on you Poopy-Pants." Jinks throws his fist in the air with a quiet whoop.
"Good, now are you going to eat your tomatoes?" Her response was pulling the plate closer to her.
Claudia's lip was now numb after chewing on it the entire 2 hour plane ride to Eureka. This was a terrible idea, he was probably already awake and now she has to make up some excuse to Artie when he found out. She flashes the guards her badge before entering the bustling halls of GD. She had made it to the medical center rather quickly only stopping to nod at Henry and Carter on her way here. She paused at the entrance considering just going to the lab in order to have an excuse but Allison had already seen her. She beckoned Claudia over to a bed where a sleeping Parrish laid.
"So how did everything go?" Allison gave her a reassuring smile.
"It went as planned, a couple more shards then we thought but he made it out fine and should be waking up in a couple hours." Claudia's eyebrows scrunched up.
"Why hours?"
"Oh well I was trying to make sure he was going to be comfortable, also I want to avoid the yelling match that will no doubt happen when the two of them wake up." She pointed over to a bed where Zayne was lying with Jo next to him. Jo looked up and shared a look of why on earth do we associate with these morons with Claudia before turning back to her husband. Allison left to correct one of her interns when Claudia sat down in the chair next to Parrish. She saw the bandages peeking out through the top of the hospital gown, going over his shoulder, and she assumed his back. This was nice, him sleeping, quiet which god knows never happened when he was awake. Sometimes she'd wake up in the middle of the night from some nightmare from her days in the institution, and he'd just shift her around and hold her closer. But you can't have a relationship where the time you like the person the most is during their REM cycle. She checked the time on her phone it was 6, she figured she'd better start trying to work on entering Artifacts and their data into the new system she made. She had 50 cards in her bag so that was something she could use to deflect Artie's annoyance. By 10 Claudia was trying to blink her eyes awake discovering it was no use, she shut her laptop and put it on the ground and then curled up in the chair and fell asleep with her head against her arms.
Parrish woke with a tight feeling on his chest, opening his eyes he figures the medical equipment, and gown he was in meant Donovan had managed to screw something else up; he really needed to stop "assisting" him in his experiments. He moves his hands back and starts to push himself up, failing when the searing pain made him drop back to the bed. Dr. Blake walked over when she saw him fall.
"How are you feeling?" Parrish looked up with a look of pain mixed with annoyance.
"Peachy" She pursed her lips and pointed to Zayne.
"We had to remove the fragments of his oscillator from your chest. We managed to get them all out, but you'll need to stay here over night. And after that I suggest you lay low at home for maybe 2 or 3 days." Parrish moves his hands to hover over to bandages.
"As you can tell from experience your chest will hurt for a couple of weeks." His face contorts with annoyance, as he rolled his eyes he saw the woman curled up in the small chair.
"Why is she here?" Allison smiles as she looks at Claudia.
"I told her, Zayne suggested she might want to know."
"God can he ever shut up? Why would she come?" Allison's usually calm face was turning exasperated.
"You do care about each other, and everyone besides the two of you can see it. Now I have to go check on Dr. Fung." Her heels click as she walks away. His head turned towards Claudia who was still passed out. He had ended up liking this neurotic woman, who incessantly talks, and has these brilliant strokes of genius. Well more than liking and he never thought he'd get a chance with her. The iciness in the lab had turned into teasing and talking. Then the day when the metal was corroding and they had both nearly died she had kissed him and then somehow it escalated and there she was on his bed passed out. Later that morning when he woke up and she was gone, that felt pretty shitty. But she came back and he decided they'd just be friends. And then it had somehow evolved into the clothes tearing, and neck sucking whenever they got the chance, everywhere at his house, and even the lab. Why the hell did he decide on friends, when god knows he wanted, wants more. His sense of self-preservation kicked in and now here they were, two people who can't actually decide what to call themselves. Claudia's head kind of tilted to the side before she dropped her legs down. She had woken up to see Parrish staring at her.
"Well I guess you woke up." He nodded.
"Allison got fed up with within the first 3 sentences I said." Her posture relaxes slightly and she tilts her head back.
"No wonder she drugged you up for as long as she could."
"Well that's great to know." They both smile at each other before looking at Zayne who had finally awoken.
"So why were you helping him?" Parrish turns his head towards her.
"Apparently it was an inconsistency in my memory of how everything Donovan touches ends up crashing or exploding or destroys itself and something else every single time." She shakes her head and looks down at her shoes.
"Hey Claude, why did you come?" Her eyes widen and she straightens her posture looking like she was about to go to war.
"You know what sometimes people do nice things to other people who don't deserv-"
"Thanks." Claudia doesn't finish her sentence, and stares at him through the corner of her eye.
"Did those pain killers mess up your personality, not that I'd mind." Parrish smirks at her, while finally finding the controller for the bed and pushing himself up.
"Aw Princess, you'd miss me, if I stopped all the comments. Besides you totally love it when I talk dirty." Her cheeks flush bright red and her eyes widen.
"Oh my- Why would you- gah you just need to stop talking. I'm getting you more drugs." As she turns Parrish grabs her hand.
"Really though thanks for being here." She tilts her head but walks away.