Warehouse 13 Fic
Bering X Wells eventual pairing
Rating: M – just to be safe because I know I tend to swear a lot, and I have no idea where this story is going to take me. (EDIT RATING CHANGED TO T. because i finished the outline and it's not that bad)
Summary: College AU. Our five agents all attend the same college, they all meet when an artifact ends up on campus, after handling it on their own, they begin to wonder if other such objects exist, and consider if they should track them down before they hurt anyone. The current Warehouse takes notice of the young philanthropists.
Disclaimer: I have nothing to do with Syfy, and I do not own Warehouse 13 or any of the characters.
AN: This is my second attempt at fanfiction, but my first AU. I've picked a totally made up college in a totally made up town in northern California. (this one won't be as dark as my last, I promise, but it'll also be longer.) Review so I know if you like something, or if I should change tactics. And you can thank/blame my beta, Phantom Rosabelle, for this actually making it onto the sight.
Chapter One: First Impressions
"I imagine that one of the biggest troubles with colleges is there are too many distractions…"
-Malcom X
College: where you spend four or more years and thousands of dollars you don't have for a degree you most likely won't end up using. They don't warn you in high school that you'll be on your own, fighting to keep your spot in an over-crowded class that you ultimately get cut from only to have half the students drop before the midterm. They don't warn you about the stress of finals or how you suddenly become solely responsible for your well-being.
Maybe it wouldn't matter if they did, because we've lived the last four years in a school we couldn't stand with people we hate in hopes of being able to leave your home town and study whatever we want, experiment and have fun and create new memories.
Yeah, maybe college would be perfect, if not for the constant fear of failing, because as far as Myka Bering could tell, there was always some midterm or final to study for, some fourteen page paper on the history of the paper clip that needed to be in APA format with thirty sources due in the morning when it felt like the professor just brought it up the day before.
She had a type a personality, and the thought of having to go home because she couldn't pass a class, having to explain to her perpetually disappointed father that she had failed, see that look in his eye as she let him down again, that thought kept her studying for long hours every night, double checking and triple checking every assignment, reading the text book three chapters in advance.
This annoyed her best friend and roommate, Pete Lattimer to no end. She was the one who convinced him to attend college in the first place, and now she never had the time to hang out with her. The only time he saw her was on the car ride to school in the morning to the campus, and at dinner. He had gotten lucky the last two semesters and they ended up in the same Criminology classes together, but even then, she took meticulous notes and shushed him when he tried to talk to her.
Pete had no trouble making friends, easy going, quick to smile and an all-around good guy, and this was proved his first semester of college when he met Steve Jinks.
They sat near each other in all three Crim classes they shared, each picking the same seat every hour. Pete had this uncanny ability. He got feelings, he called them vibes while Myka called it bullshit conjecture, about situations and people. So when Steve entered the class room the first day of Crim 101, Pete took notice of him, and was genuinely happy he decided to sit one chair over from him. He was quiet and reserved, but smart and quick to answer any questions Professor Taylor tried to trip them up with.
So one day, when Steve was ten minutes late, Pete got a vibe. It wasn't overly bad, he figured, nothing really to panic about, but he felt obligated to act on it. So he stopped Steve after class and started talking to him, asking if everything was all right because Steve looked as if he was trying to decide whether he wanted to hit something or cry.
It turned out that Steve's boyfriend, a junior named Liam Napier, who was also a Criminology major, had ended things with him. He hadn't given a reason, but Steve noted that Liam had seemed distant the last few weeks, and Steve suspected cheating.
Pete felt bad for the guy, just before starting college, his long-time girlfriend had ended things without giving him a reason as to why. So, he invited Steve to meet him and his best friend up for lunch after his noon class.
When Pete told Myka he had a friend from class who was tagging along with him, she accused Pete of trying to set her up with one of his friends again.
"Please, Myka." he rolled his eyes, trying not to smile, "Steve just broke up with his boyfriend, I'm sure he's not ready to start looking again."
The look on Myka's face was priceless, and Pete had wished he had a camera so he could remember it better. He and Myka differed in many ways; a photographic memory was one of the things she had and he didn't.
He was glad when Myka and Steve seemed to hit it off quickly. Myka wasn't a people person, relating better to men who had been dead for a century than the people trying to talk to her in real life. But, Pete supposed, that was bound to happen with someone like Myka. Intelligent, head strong, and a bibliophile, but incredibly shy and unsure of herself.
That was nearly a year and a half ago. Now they all split the rent on a three bedroom apartment that was a reasonable distance from the campus. Myka and Pete bickered like siblings and Steve often played as referee, but they all enjoyed it immensely.
But that wasn't the point, the point was Pete missed his best friend. And he was going to get her out of her room tonight if it was the last thing he did. It was the Friday before midterm week, and he knew several floor parties going on simultaneously on the campus that evening, and he had convinced Steve to go with him, stating it had been over a year and he really needed to start playing the field again. Now he just had to get Myka to agree.
Ten miles away in the dorms, Claudia Donovan was having much the same issue with her dorm mate.
She was begging that she leave the room for one night and just have fun with her, to stop reading and writing so much, complaining that she lived too much in her head for her own good.
"HG," she exasperated, "Please, I am begging you, this week has been hell on my nerves and I just want to go out there and have fun."
Helena Wells turned in her office chair, away from the mess of wires and chips that looked as if they had been ripped apart by wild animals, to stare at her roommate and closest friend, "Claudia, you act as if this shin dig isn't in our dormitory. You can walk out the door and be bombarded by all the ruckus and alcohol you wish. So, why then, must I accompany you?"
"Because," the red head rolled her eyes, "You're my wingman-er woman." Claudia shook her head, "Anyway, you're supposed to hit on the hot guy so I can get at his desperate friend."
"Why you set your standards so low is beyond me," HG mumbled before turning back to her current pet project.
Helena was a tinkerer, that much Claudia discovered their first semester living together. It had caught her off guard when she first met her. There weren't many Engineering majors who were girls, so they ended up assigned to the same dorm room. The woman was gorgeous, not that Claudia swung that way but damn if Helena Wells did not make her question it a little bit, and female engineering students were rare enough, but an unbelievably hot female engineering student had thrown Claudia for a loop.
"Hello," HG had greeted with an extended hand and a lilting English accent, "I'm Helena Wells, and you must be Claudia." She smiled.
"Uh," Claudia racked her brain for the proper response and finally after a long awkward second, she gripped the Brit's hand in her own, feeling the familiar calluses of an inventor on her fingertips, "Yeah, yes, I am Claudia Donovan, I'm an Engineering Major." She left out the bit that she was actually double majored in Computer Sciences as well, not wanting to sound like a total geek on her first impression to the intimidating woman.
"Aces," Helena's smile widened on the news, "I too will be studying engineering. I fancy myself an inventor, and thought it would be best to stick to what I know."
They talked as they set up their shared space, and for a long time after. Discussing ideas they'd had to create new things, to improve old things. Theoretical applications for things they didn't even have the technology to invent yet, and how they could go about inventing said technology.
Each woman was secretly thrilled to finally have someone they could talk to about all the things that went through their minds at a million miles an hour without having to dumb it down, or worry about the glazed look appearing in the other person's eye because they couldn't give a shit about what you were saying.
Their first winter living in the dorms, they were one of the few who had stayed during the three week hiatus. The administration only allowing them to do so because, well Claudia didn't have a home to return to, and Helena's home was in London. When their radiator broke, and left them shivering in layers, there was no one around to fix it, so HG and Claudia did it themselves.
"It's not supposed to get this cold in California," Claudia complained as she passed Helena the tool she requested with a shivering hand.
"We are at a higher elevation, my dear," she said before putting the screwdriver in her mouth to free up her hands, "Cold, and yes even snow, is to be expected." She mumbled around the obstruction.
Claudia's grumbling turned to a squeal of delight as the radiator kicked on and warm air began to wash over her.
It was after that one of them had the great idea to fix things for their fellow students at a fairer price than the computer stores in town. After a few fixed laptops that ran faster and better than new, more and more students, and even some of the college admin, began coming to them to fix different things. Everything from computers, cellphones and projectors to the washing machine in the basement of the dormitory. Their business was quite popular with the co-ed's, even more so around midterms and finals weeks.
They made enough money that, when their freshman year ended as well as the extent of Claudia's scholarship, they were able to keep her in school. Helena insisted on helping pay for her schooling.
"With a mind like yours," she explained, "It would be criminal not to have you working towards your full potential."
They became very close to one another, working hard to be sure they were placed in the same dorm their second year of college. But Claudia knew there were things Helena kept hidden from her. She could see it in the moments HG thought she wasn't looking. Helena's eyes would become unfocused, and a look of pure sadness or darkness would wash over her.
Claudia didn't pester her about it though, she figured it wasn't her place to ask and HG would share with her if and when she felt like it.
With midterms around the corner, even though she and Helena never really had to study very hard, she knew they would soon be busy with a bunch of crashed computers and recovering lost files. She needed to blow off steam before the impending increase in pressure. And Helena's distance had seemed to increase since the spring semester started, it worried Claudia and she wanted her to come enjoy the evening with her.
"I like to keep my standards low," Claudia huffed as she moved to spin the Brit back around, "because I found it decreases my chances of striking out."
If Claudia were honest with herself, she did it because flirting was awkward and hard for her. She never really had a boyfriend, and desperate boys were more generous with their complements which resulted in a self-esteem boost for the redhead without him actually expecting her to put out.
HG looked into her friend's pleading eyes, and Claudia could see the moment she had won, "Fine, if I say I shall accompany you this evening, will you let me finish this rebuild in peace?"
Claudia kept her stern, bargaining face intact for a few more moments, "Only if you agree to help me get all dressed up and you do the same."
HG threw her head back with a groan, "Why? Half the people in this building see us before we have a chance to get out of our pajamas and brush our teeth."
"Because," Claudia smiled innocently, "Dressing up is half the fun. Come on HG." Claudia stuck her lower lip out.
Helena kept her resolve for about three more seconds before she sighed, "Alright, alright, we shall get all dressed up and make our rounds at this party."
The red head jumped up and down, clapping her hands like a little girl, "I knew you would say yes."
"Now, you sit at that desk and study for your physics exam while I finish this order." She said sternly, reminding Claudia of the mother she could barely remember anymore.
As Claudia sat at her own desk, Pete opened the door to Myka's room, despite the warning against his life if he bothered her.
"It's called knocking, Pete," Myka said from her sitting position the floor, fixing her glasses that she hated wearing outside the apartment because she thought they made her look dorky as she stared at the books and binders encircling her, "You should really consider trying it sometime."
"You would have just said, 'Go away, I'm busy'," he said by way of explanation as he tilted his read to try and read what she was scribbling so madly away on.
"That's because I'm studying Pete," she finally looked up at him, "We do have midterms next week that we have to pass."
"Like you've ever failed a test in your life," Pete teased, "Wait, are you reading War of the Worlds, again?"
"Yes, Pete, I have an in class essay on popular science fiction," She closed the book, marking her place with a sticky note as she did so, "I wanted to brush up on it."
"Mykes, you've read that thing a hundred and one times, you have it memorized I bet!" he argued, "Look, you don't have to study tonight. You can go to the dorms with Steve and I and chill out."
"A party, Pete?" Myka raised an eye brow at him, "Really? That's what you're bothering me for? I have studying to do!"
"Go with us tonight, Myka, one night of fun. I promise you won't regret it," he put his hands together to indicate begging, "I'll even help you study tomorrow and Sunday."
Pete never really helped Myka study for anything. It was really a chance for her to try and cram some material in his head before his tests, but when he couldn't handle anymore, he would leave her alone in the peace of the library to actually get studying done.
"And if you don't come with us, I will make this weekend extremely difficult for you," He tried threats when the promises didn't appear to be working, "I'll also go see your parents over spring break, and when they tell me they thought you were caught up working on some project, I'll tell them you really gave up going to see them for Cancun."
"Pete, that's ridiculous, I'm not going to Cancun for spring break," she shook her head, some of her curls falling lose from where she had pulled them back with a hair tie, "And more than a little cliché if you ask me."
"Yeah, but who do you think they're gonna believe?"
Pete had her there. Myka's parents loved Pete, he was like the son they never had, and her mother always seemed to try and get them together. But Pete and Myka had always only ever been friends. He never used the fact that her own parents liked him better as a weapon, and it hurt a little that he would do it now, but Myka didn't show the hurt, she buried it away with the other things she hid inside herself.
"So is she going?" Steve asked as he poked his head around the threshold of Myka's door.
Myka looked from one hopeful face to the other before sighing, throwing her note book back to the ground, "Fine, I'll go with you." She agreed.
Pete and Steve high-fived and began a roshambo match to see which of them got the shower first. Pete let out a cry of victory as his rock smashed Steve's scissors with a little too much gusto, "Man I am on fire!" he declared before claiming the bathroom the boys shared.
"Why does nobody ever close the damn door?" she asked the air as she stacked her books and papers together neatly, she rose on legs slightly wobbly from disuse, and slammed the door with perhaps more force than necessary.