Hi All!

Disclaimer: I do not own Warehouse 13 or any of these characters. Just the individual story lines.

Please review, enjoy, and don't forget to check out my other story: Serendipity, which is also about Claudia! s/8527203/1/Serendipity

-SLAM-

The door shuts into Claudia and Steve's faces as they are thrown violently out of the club and onto the dirty streets of New York.

As Steve extends a hand to help Claudia off the ground, he looks back frustrated at the glaring club.

"Well, what now, Claude?"

"Call Artie," Claudia suggests, dusting the snow off her jacket, "That was our last idea to get in."


" – why WE USE CREATIVE SNAGGING." Arties harsh baritone voice thunders out of the Farnsworth.

"Now, Pete and Myka are using my artifacts to break into the museum on their case but I expected the pair of you to NOT ACT LIKE IDIOTS. Find a way to get in there and retrieve the artifact, even if it kills you!"

Steve closed the Farnsworth and looked at his partner.

"Thanks for nothing, Artie. What are we going to do, Claude? People keep dying and they definitely won't let us in now."

Claudia adjusts her shoulder pack and looks up the world famous strip club in front of her that was emanating all sorts of loud music and neon light. Steve just about registers a strange look that flash in her eyes.

"Let's head back to the hotel, Jinksy, we'll think of something tonight."

Back in the hotel laden by piles of takeout Thai food, the two agents seemed dejected and out of ideas.

"Okay." Claudia says brandishing a chopstick to get Steve's attention, " Here's what we know. Somehow, Somewhere in this upper class strip club, there's an artifact that's making the women who work there go crazy. We know who, but not what or how."

Claudia took a gulp of Coke and stabbed at her pad Thai. Steve nods thoughtfully before responding.

"Why don't we go visit the first victim's mother again." Steve says, recalling a frail doe-eyed woman they visited earlier who seemed personally affronted by the idea her only daughter was a stripper, " maybe we missed something."

"Yeah." Says Claudia, with a faraway look in her eyes. "Let's do that."

Steve shoots her a weird look but all she does is throw her food in the trash and say. "Let's go."


On the road back from the mother's house (the distraught woman didn't even let them come in) Jinsky and Claudia sit in comfortable silence until Claudia spots a mall.

"Wait Jinsky, stop. I have an idea."

Steve pulls into the main entrance of the mall and Claudia jumps out.

"Just wait here. Give me 5 minutes."

Bewildered, he starts to protest but in the blink of an instant she is gone. The sky falls dark and the clock rolls over to eight p.m before she finally returns.

He's turning the car on as he turns his head to protest her jumping out of the car like a maniac, but the words die in his throat as he gets a good look at her for the first time and his jaw drops to the floor.

"Cl-Claudia?" Steve clears his throat, his voice an octave higher "What the hell?"

Claudia struggles as she opens the car door. She is dressed in a short black bandage dress and a push up bra with sky rocket high heels. As for her face, she had put on blood red lipstick and had smoky eyes.

Claudia trained her determined black-rimmed eyes on Jinks, a slight blush gracing her features. "We're getting into that club, Jinsky. And I know how."


Steve is still in mild disbelief when they walk towards the entrance of the club, people lined outside waiting to get in. But instead of heading towards the line of young beautiful people, Claudia walks right up to the bouncer and opens her mouth.

"I'm here to apply for a job."

The huge burlesque of a man says nothing as he looks her over, nods and gestures her to follow him inside the club. Ignoring Steve's confused expression and noise of protest, she grabs him tightly by the arm and pulls him inside the club where the bartender hands her an application and tells her to wait for the manager.

Steve looks around in disbelief, then back at his partner.

"Claudia," Steve begins, "you can't seriously be thinking about doing this."

Claudia shoots him a –shut-up-now- look and sits down at the bar to fill out the application.

"We don't have time to argue. Artie says it was the best way to get in, and here I am all pre-packaged and prepared for the job. We can get in, and get out. Easy." She looks up at him

Struggling with the fact that his surrogate sister was about to take this job, he looked down at the application she was filling out.

"How many felonies have you committed?" Steve reads the application question aloud. "Sure." He snorts and raises his eyebrows at the red-headed girl beside him. "Nice place. "

Claudia stoutly ignores him and signs the bottom with a flourish of her hand.

"Well, technically" Claudia grimaces, "I HAVE committed many federal felonies, but as I'm not going by my own name and Mrs. Fredric fixing it all anyways, I shouldn't come up on the radar."

She finishes filling out the application and stands up as a man in a tweed suit comes toward her. The overwhelming scent of cologne mixed with alcohol assaults her senses as he looks her over with a fake grin plastered all over his face. Meanwhile, Steve's frown deepens at the sight of the man and the hardening of Claudia's posture.

"Sweetheart! Come into my office. Let's talk." The new man's voice is surprisingly deep for his short stature, and wraps his arm around Claudia and escorts her into his office.

I'll be updating with a new chapter shortly. Thanks! :)

PLEASE REVIEW! I love any feedback.