A/N: KNOCK KNOCK.

Here I am again. Since I've got a story set in the present and another one in the future, I thought why not add one set in the past? I had an idea about what could have happened; what could have been done differently. I always loved the dynamic between the Donovan siblings, and we definitely didn't get enough of them on the show.

KTF CLM

03.09.1999, 07:30 am, the Badlands of South Dakota

Arthur Nielsen doubtfully studied the case file in front of him. Just a couple of weeks ago, he'd become the Warehouse's new Special Agent in Charge. Currently, he was the only officially active agent of this place. Mrs. Frederic had told him that she was waiting for the right people to recruit for him, although Artie highly doubted that she'd find anyone he could work with. Since his former partner had betrayed them, he rarely trusted anybody. How should he work with a bunch of strangers? No, Artie definitely didn't have the time or nerves to give some annoying kids the grand tour around his house. He couldn't work with people he didn't trust, and he didn't trust people he didn't know.

And he wasn't exactly interested in getting to know someone. Except maybe...

Last week they hired a former agent as the new doctor for Warehouse personnel. Her name was Dr. Vanessa Calder. The blonde woman was barely younger than himself, obviously very intelligent and had a healthy sense for humor as well as adventure. Vanessa had started working for the Warehouse in her twenties already, which made it easier for Artie to trust her than he was sure was good for him. The grumpy agent also quickly found himself admitting that she was quite pretty. He'd even call her beautiful, if he could gather enough courage to actually say that out loud.

The agent shook his head at the thought. It had been a long time since he had shown this kind of interest in a woman. And back then, it had ended badly.

Suddenly, memories were flooding his mind. He had indeed loved Carol Augustine. And so had his former partner, James MacPherson. James had been more than a co-worker to him. They used to be friends, as close as brothers.

When James had started to tell him about all the things that they could change in this world, if they'd just break a few rules, Artie was almost amused. He'd thought it was a joke. And when he realized that his friend was being serious, he'd assumed it was never going to be more than a little game. MacPherson did like to play around from time to time. But later, he actually considered the idea. He started, like James, to see the positive effects this endless wonder could cause in the world. They could bring rain to the deserts, food to the poor, homes to the homeless. They could end a war, like the one Artie's own family suffered through. However, James had started to forget about the downsides. By saving a single person, he could wipe out a whole nation. With ending one civil war, he could cause a world war. He always claimed he could control it, but Artie knew that he couldn't. Nobody could, and no one was ever meant to.

That's what he had told his partner. It was insane. He had to stop this mess, before it got out of control. But by that point, it was already too late.

Too deep in his thoughts, Artie hadn't even noticed the woman who'd appeared behind him out of nowhere.

"I believe you should focus on your current task, Arthur."

The man jumped slightly in his seat and turned his head, to see his boss standing behind the chair he was sitting on. "Mrs. Frederic, I..."

It was far from the first time she'd stepped up behind or beside him, without ever giving him a hint where she came from or how she moved around. She did that every time he met her, and other agents had the same problem before himself. They never knew when she'd arrive where, because none of them could explain her way of transportation. Artie was willing to bet there was an artifact involved, but he couldn't really figure out which one.

The agent snapped himself out of his thoughts, clearing his throat in an attempt to regain his concentration and act professional.

"Of course. I got an alert. Possible artifact activity in Kenswick, Minnesota. It said that a young woman was having strange outbursts, likely triggered by strong emotions. People say she..." He paused to let his eyes scan the file again and quoted: "She threw objects around without even touching anything. Some witnesses described her as a 'human tornado'."

The woman nodded slowly, a thoughtful look on her usually rather stoic face. "We should pay her a visit as soon as possible. I don't know which artifact is causing this, but I've got a bad feeling about it."

Now the Caretaker got him worried. She'd been with the Warehouse a lot longer than anyone even knew. If such an experienced expert voiced her concerns like this, there was most definitely a good reason to worry. Something about this case was different. He just didn't know what it was. Not yet, anyway.

05.09.1999, 03:15 pm, Kenswick (Minnesota)

Artie parked his dear El Camino in front of the suspect's, or victim's, house. With wide eyes, he recognized the scene unfolding in the garden. There was a yard sale set up. A few people were searching through the objects, utterly unaware that they might be in great danger.

The man glanced towards his temporary partner, but that sight worried him even more. Mrs. Frederic's eyes were glued to one specific point of the yard. She looked as if she had seen a ghost there.

However, all Artie could find when he followed her gaze were two young girls. A redhead in her mid-teens and an even younger brunette, likely her younger sister. It seemed like they were arguing about something. Or at least the little one was. She kept shooting the object in her sister's hands wary looks, sometimes downright glaring. It was almost as if the girl was afraid something would jump out of the delicate box and attack them.

But the thing the sisters seemed so interested in wasn't even like a Jack-in-the-box. No. It appeared to be a music box. A very old music box.

Arthur opened his mouth to say something, but when his eyes landed back on the woman beside him, it seemed like she was trapped in a trance. Her reactions throughout this case were getting more unsettling with every new development, and it was making him nervous. Hesitantly, he cleared his throat to catch her attention.

"Mrs. Frederic? Are... are you alright?"

It took another moment, but eventually she looked at him and nodded firmly.

"Do you think it's the box?" he asked quietly, earning another nod from the Caretaker.

"Yes, I'm fairly certain. But that is not what concerns me the most about this scene. The girl, the younger one. It's like... it feels like I should recognize her. As if she was important."

Nielsen studied the image in front of him. It was rare that his boss said so many words at once. And it was even rarer that she showed fear, but she did sound rather scared now. However, she definitely wasn't scared of the kid. It was more like she was scared for her.

Turning back around, he spotted the girls leaving the sale. The box was clutched tightly to the older one's chest. As soon as the sisters reached the nearest corner, he started the engine of his car again.

He drove up to the corner to see where they were heading. The teenager didn't even seem to notice them, but the brunette suddenly stopped and turned around. Her curious brown eyes began to search their surroundings, when the redhead realized that the other girl was no longer following her. She was visibly annoyed, probably still because of their previous discussion.

Arthur listened to his co-worker for the day, who was reading the sisters' lips out loud now.

"What is it, Dia? We don't have time for your paranoid little ghosts right now. We have to be at home in time for dinner."

"I'm not seeing ghosts, Claire. I'm serious! I don't have imaginary friends anymore, I'm seven years old."

Neither of the agents could help the small smiles that appeared on their faces, as the girls took a habitual turn into the driveway of a homey house. Artie could see how Mrs. Frederic pulled out a leather-bound notebook and wrote the address down.

Suddenly, the woman got out of the car. Nielsen followed her example, but when he found himself outside, she had already disappeared into thin air. He shook his head and climbed back into the driver's seat of the El Camino.

One day he would figure out how she did this all the time.