Author's Note: This is the first in a series of "half stories", as I've come to call them, that I'll post for your enjoyment. They're scenes from plot lines that I would like to see played out on a larger scale, but for whatever reason, can't seem to finish. Not short enough to be drabbles, but missing what I feel are key elements to a short story. No chapter will relate to another, unless noted. I've marked the series complete, since for all intents and purposes, it is, but there will be additions here and there.

Feedback, good or bad, is always welcomed. Any scenes I may post remain unbeta'd, except the glance over from my cat, so mistakes are certainly mine. The plot, characters, and general creation of Warehouse 13 remain in the capable (so far) hands of the SyFy network.

Twinge.

Peter Lattimer grimaced and shifted, trying to ignore the ache in his back that was slowly calling him back to reality. He focused on the peaceful breathing he heard next to him, the slight pressure on his right hand, taking deep breaths in and out. He was almost asleep again when –

Twinge. Twinge, twinge.

No. He wanted – he needed – another hour of sleep, at the very least. Non-negotiable. His back was going to lose this argument, damn it. Pete shifted again, stretching his legs out as far as they would go, feeling his muscles in the legs and lower back relax. There, much better. Laying his head against his left shoulder, he curled as much as the arm chair would let him and settled under the warmth of the quilt (which Pete was vaguely certain hadn't been there last night when he'd fallen asleep). Just breathe in and out, in and out, in and –

Twinge. Twinge. Twinge, twinge. Twingetwingetwingetwingetwin—

"Alright!" he whispered harshly. "I'm up, you win, I hear you, I'm up, I'm up!" Pete groaned and shoved the quilt aside with his left hand. Scrubbing at his face, he glanced at the clock. Yup, 5:42 am - didn't even need the alarm clock anymore. He wiggled his way out of the armchair and stood as quietly as possible.

Pete gently dislodged the hand clinging tightly to his own and knelt down next to the bed. There was a small whimper and he made soothing noises. "Hush hush…shhh, you're okay, sweetheart." The figure snuggled deeper under the covers upon hearing his words, settling back into sleep. Pete smiled and brushed a gentle kiss on the crown of her forehead before tucking the duvet tightly around her shoulders and pushing himself into a standing position.

He stretched lithely, hearing his back and neck groan and crack in protest to the armchair he'd be spending his nights in recently. Turning the digital clock on the bedside table to face the bed, he checked to make sure the chart on the wall was straight before heading across the hall to grab his workout clothes and meet Jinksy for their morning run.

Breathing heavily, Pete and Steve jogged their way up the stairs and into the B&B's kitchen. Steve headed upstairs for a quick shower while Pete leaned against the counter and glanced at his watch. 7:28am – right on schedule. He looked at Leena, who was casually cutting strawberries into neat slices. "G'morning," he greeted around a mouthful, crumbs flying every which way.

"Good morning, Pete," Leena answered, one head cocked to the side as she sliced, listening intently to the sounds of the B&B in the morning. Artie mumbling to himself as he made his way down the stairs and outside to the table; Claudia dancing and singing in the her bathroom as she got ready for the day; Jinks rummaging through his drawers to find his favorite shirt; Pete the ferret squeaking from the living room, desperate to be let out of his cage so he could ransack the cookies and bask in the sun. A normal morning. Pete (the human) chewed on his cookie, looking lost in thought, and she studied his aura carefully. Normally a bright, royal blue in color, mixing with pale yellow and deep red in places, Pete's aura had changed drastically in the past few weeks. Now it wavered between his normal positive blue and the dark, muddy blue of his uncertainty. She knew he was trying hard to put on a brave face, most especially for Claudia, but it was clear that the longer the situation persisted, the harder it was becoming.

Pete cleared his throat as he finished the last of his cookie, and Leena saw his aura waver again, back into the peaceful, steady blue she was used to. "Are we having a…good morning?" he ventured cautiously, glancing towards the stairs.

"Mmmm," she hummed, trying not to make a commitment one way or another. "I heard her a few times, and I think she moved rooms again, but there haven't been any major meltdowns, no. I think those charts Claudia made last week have been helping."

Pete nodded his head and inched towards the doorway as Claudia came thumping down the stairs. "Good, good. I'm just gonna…" He trailed off, hitching his thumb upwards. Leena smiled and nodded, leaning over to whisk a cookie out of Claudia's hands and an apple into them instead in one smooth motion, much to the teen's chagrin. "Morning, spazz," Pete welcomed, grabbing her in a quick hug before hurrying out of punching distance and upstairs to the bathroom.

"Ew, sweat! Pete, you are such a disgusting man!" Claudia exclaimed. "I just freaking showered…"

Pete hovered outside the doorway of his room after his quick shower, waiting impatiently for his watch to flip over from 7:48 am to 8:00 am. Routine, it was all about the routine, and one little slip could damage all the progress that they'd made in the past few weeks. He heard small whimpers coming from his room and had to brace himself against the wall to keep from ruining everything. He glanced at his watch again. 7:53 am. It felt like forever.

He peeked around the corner when he heard movement, trying desperately to make sure she was okay without being seen. She was huddling at the head of his bed, clutching the stuffed bunny that Claudia had dredged up from somewhere and comparing his clock to the glittery chart above his bed. She traced the number on the clock and then traced the same number on the chart – the 7, he noticed – and carefully repeated the words printed next to it.

"Pete run. Pete cookie. Pete shower. Pete me. Pete run. Pete cookie. Pete shower. Pete me. Pete run, Pete cookie, Pete shower, Pete me." She slowly settled herself underneath the covers, chanting the phrases over and over. She snuffled once or twice, burying her face into the bunny, rocking herself back and forth under the covers.

Pete caught sight of his watch just in time to see it tick over from 7:59 am to 8:00 am. "Thank God," he thought, the knot in his stomach easing just slightly as he hurried into the room. "Hey, wakey wakey, lemon shaky..." he called quietly, trying not to startle her.

Pulling her face out of the bunny, she lit up at the sight of Pete kneeling by the bed. "Pete! Pete came back!" she cried, launching herself into his arms.

"Oh, sweet, of course I came back. I always come back for you. Remember?" He smoothed his hand over her hair as she buried her face in his shoulder. "Didn't Claud help you make those signs last week?" She nodded slightly, snuggling closer. "Can you tell me what they say?"

She pulled back and looked up at the sign on the wall dubiously. "The whole thing?" she whined, pouting at him.

"No, no. Just – " he stretched towards the wall - "just this part, right here, in the glitter. Did you do that?"

She giggled. "Yeah. Blue, for Pete! Leena says Pete is always, always blue." She ticked off the fingers on her hand, reciting Leena's proclamation by rote. "Pete is blue, pretty blue. Claudia is orange, like the fruit. Artie is deep red, like the rose. Jinksy is yellow, like the sun! And Myka…" She shrank against him as she trailed off, looking troubled as she stared at the poster above Pete's bed.

He nudged her gently. "What color is Myka, sweetheart?"

"I'm green," she murmured, looking up at him with eyes so clear that he could swear the old Myka was right there with him. "Leena says I'm green."

"That's right. You're green. A very pretty, very strong green." He tucked her hair back behind her ears and said, "Now, what does that say there, in the blue?"

Myka took her finger and traced the letters as she read them out loud: "Pete will fix it. Pete will make it better. Pete always comes back for Myka." She turned into him, tears running down her face as she snuggled close.

He gathered her into him, rocking back and forth. "That's right. Pete always comes back for Myka." He kissed the top of her head. "I'll fix it. I'll always come back for you."