Warehouse 13
Set after The Truth Hurts, so spoilers
Angsty.
I own nothing
Myka had a thing, but still wasn't back when the trouble was over.
The first person to reach Claudia after she walked out of the Warehouse was Steve. She gave him an exhausted thumbs up and 'we did it' before he pulled her into his arms.
"You did it," he replied after just holding her for a few moments. He pulled back slightly. "And don't you dare do anything like that again."
"Dude, I'm a caretaker, I gotta caretake."
"Well, maybe a little less life risking next time, okay?"
"I'll do my best."
She grinned, and he quickly returned it before pulling her into another hug.
She turned to Artie next.
"I'm still mad at you," she told him.
"I know," he replied.
She nodded, then threw herself at him. Neither said anything after pulling back.
"You did well, very well," Mrs. Fredric said as she walked up.
Claudia looked over her shoulder, at the door, and shrugged. "I just did what the Warehouse told me."
"That does not diminish your acts."
Claudia blushed. "Thank you," she softly said.
She turned to Myka and Pete, only to find Pete, on his cell phone, facing away from them.
"What's up with him, and where's Myka?" she asked.
"Myka had a thing," Artie replied.
"And Pete knows, but won't tell us," Steve continued. "He's been on that call since we knew you had won."
"Wait, Myka left during a Warehouse emergency?"
"No, she left while Paracelsus was still in stasis," Artie told her.
"Still, why hasn't she come back? I know you guys were locked outside, but wasn't this a 'all hands on deck' type thing?"
Pete suddenly let out a string of curses and shoved his phone into his pocket. He turned around, an aggravated and slightly scared look on his face. He tried to cover the expressions up when he saw Claudia, but failed.
"Hey," he said as he walked up to her. "You did it."
He moved to hug her, but she stepped back, hands up at chest level.
"Wait up, where's Myka?"
"She just… has a thing."
"Then what was the call about?"
"It's nothing."
"You're lying," Steve spoke up.
"Yes, thank you, obviously, it's something, but nothing you need to worry about."
"Still lying."
Pete glared at him.
"Does it have anything to do with Myka?" Claudia pushed.
"No."
"Lie."
"Damn it, Steve."
"Pete, why should we be worried about Myka?" Claudia asked. Her elation over beating Paracelsus had vanished.
Pete shook his head, then turned away from them again.
"Pete," Claudia said, her voice starting to break.
"She's in the hospital," he told them. They could hear the tears in his voice.
Claudia walked up to him. "Why is she in the hospital?"
Pete just shook his head again, then let it drop. His shoulders slumped forward.
"Pete, please tell us it's just a concussion from a car crash, or something," Steve said.
"I wish," Pete replied.
"Okay, I'm officially scared now, and I just took on a crazed, 500 year old super villain, so it takes a lot to scare me. Tell me, now," Claudia ordered.
Pete turned to her. Anger had taken over his face. His neck was strained, and his eyes were wide.
"You don't get it. You had to take him on, cause I let him go, cause he tricked me into believing that he would help her. That bastard played me, and let me think that - just for once - things could go our way. But no, why would anything ever work out the way we want? So, on top of having to worry about Myka dying of cancer, I put you in danger. I put all of you in danger."
They all froze. Only one word stuck.
"Cancer?" Claudia whispered. She let out a laugh and the words started to tumble from her mouth. "Myka does not have cancer, or she would of…she would of told us. We would of known. She can't. have. cancer." She turned to Steve. "Tell him that he's lying. He has to be lying. There's no way Myka has cancer."
Steve just stared at Pete, then slowly started to shake his head.
"No," he moaned.
"Steve. Steve-o. Jinksy, my man. Tell me he's lying. Please tell me he's lying." Her voice was growing frantic. She turned to Artie and Mrs. Fredric. "Tell me he's lying. There's no way Myka has cancer, let alone dying of it. She's…Myka, she can't just… die… of cancer, it doesn't work like that."
"Claudia," Steve quietly broke her tirade. His voice was strained. Her head snapped in his direction.
"No. It can't be true. This is Myka we're talking about. She's too… she can't…"
"He's not lying."
A wave of weakness suddenly washed over her. Steve stepped over to her, and held her tightly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed her face into his chest. Her tears quickly formed a wet spot on his shirt. She could feel his tears in her hair.
They would be strong when they entered Myka's room in the hospital. They wouldn't let her see a single tear. They would be there for her, strong for her. But she wasn't there, in that moment, she couldn't see their tears.
Please, Claudia mentally begged as she clung to Steve. I can't lose anyone else.