"You wanted to see me, Arthur?"

Artie, leaning over an ancient scroll, looked up and smiled. "Yes, Mrs. Frederic, I did. Won't you sit down?"

She remained standing. "I haven't got all day. What was so important that you summoned me all the way from Belgium?"

Artie steeled his courage. "I asked Claudia to marry me." An unreadable look passed over Mrs. Frederic's face, but it happened so fast Artie wasn't entirely sure it had happened at all.

"Arthur, you knew that was forbidden. Claudia is next in line to be the Warehouse caretaker."

Artie tapped a thick finger on the ancient scroll he had been studying earlier. "But it wasn't always that way, was it?"

Mrs. Frederic stepped forward menacingly, her eyes glaring furiously. Artie jumped back, unprepared for the sudden vehemence of her glare. "Agent Nielson, all that matters is that it's forbidden now. I suggest you put that scroll away and be grateful that I have permitted your dalliance with Miss Donovan to occur at all." Mrs. Frederic paused and stepped back, her composure resettling upon her. "Now," she said, her tone back to a very controlled normal, "if you will excuse me, Arthur, I have to return to an important meeting." She turned and walked away.

Over the years, Artie had begun to count Mrs. Frederic as one of his friends, or at least a very close acquaintance, so he had no wish to hurt her, but for the sake of his and Claudia's future together, he had no choice. Artie composed himself and picked up the ancient scroll he had been studying. In a clear voice, he asked, "Who was Alexander Frederic?"

Mrs. Frederic stopped, stunned by his tenacity. She had not anticipated Artie's question, nor allowed herself to think about Alexander Frederic in a long time, so she took a moment to compose herself before she sighed and turned around. "Take a seat, Arthur." Artie found the nearest chair, his attention focused on the ebony woman walking towards him.

Mrs. Frederic clasped her hands together, clamping down on all the emotions that threatened to rupture her cool facade. "Alexander Frederic was my husband. He and I were married years before I inherited the Warehouse from Evelyn Turner. He was my One." A soft look spread over her face, her features uncomfortable with such a pose.

Artie almost hated himself for having to break her out of such a tender reverie, but he had to guide her memories if he and Claudia were to have a chance. "What happened to him?"

Mrs. Frederic did something she seldom, if ever, did: she pulled up a chair and sat down beside Artie. She sighed once more. "I killed him."

That wasn't quite the answer Artie was expecting. He sat back, stunned. After a moment, Artie sat up and did something that he seldom, if ever, did: he placed his hand on Mrs. Frederic's to comfort her. She looked up, startled, but she accepted his comfort as it was offered, in friendship. She smiled sadly. "It was an accident. I had just been attuned to the Warehouse's defenses but didn't have complete control. When he startled me with a kiss one morning, I turned on him, and it was all over in a flash, literally." She paused to gain her composure. "The Regents gave me another opportunity because I was so new, allowed me to have another One, but I could never take that chance." She looked at Artie, deep sorrow in her eyes. "The ban isn't to protect Claudia, it's to protect you."

Artie squeezed her hand. "Mrs. Frederic, please. Claudia means more to me than anyone ever has, and I desperately want to share my life with her as her husband. I'm willing to take that chance."

Mrs. Frederic shook her head. "Arthur, if something happens and she hurts or even kills you, she will never forgive herself. Do you really want her to live with that for a millennium?"

Artie put his other hand over hers. "Were there no good times, Mrs. Frederic? Would you rather you never married Alexander at all?" She looked into Artie's eyes, at how he implored her to let Claudia and him have this, to let them be together as husband and wife. Mrs. Frederic smiled, knowing full well what Alexander would have told her at this moment. C'mon, Irene, why the hell not? Just because something bad happened to us doesn't mean it will happen to them. Let them be happy.

Mrs. Frederic patted Artie's hand and smiled. "Alright, I'll allow it. Just be careful, Arthur. No replacement has surfaced for you."

Claudia, Myka, and Pete were at Bells and Bows, Univille's only wedding boutique. Myka thought back to how much it had hurt when she found out Artie and Claudia were getting married, but even she had to admit that them being together had a rightness to it. She never said a word, not a whisper, about how she felt, and eventually Claudia's enthusiasm and joy were contagious enough for even Myka to be happy for them.

She was shaken back to the present when Pete impatiently banged on the changing room door. "Come on, Claud, let's see how it looks!"

"But I hate pink!" Claudia wailed.

"Well you can't wear a white one!" Pete shot back.

Myka laughed behind her hand. She knew nothing about weddings, had not the first clue, but Pete had helped his sister with hers, so he had volunteered himself as Claudia's wedding planner.

Claudia's voice was muffled through the door. "And why the hell not?"

"Because white's for virgins," Pete snarked mercilessly.

After an indignant roar from Claudia, the changing room door burst open and she came out in pink ball gown with bows and ruffles everywhere. She marched up to Pete and punched him on the shoulder. "At least I'm getting some!"

Myka jumped up when she saw that Claudia had hit a nerve. Pete's face was red, and he was moving his mouth like a fish. "Okay, guys, let's just relax a little bit here, shall we?" She stepped between them and broke into mediator mode. "Pete, you want Claudia to wear something beautiful, right?"

Pete took a deep breath, his face returning to its normal shade. "Yes. The bride is the centerpiece of the wedding party, so she has to look her best."

Myka turned to Claudia, who had just begun to protest how much she hated pink. "Claudia, you want to look beautiful, just not in pink, correct?"

Claudia nodded. "I don't want to be a decoration at my own wedding. I want to look nice but not like a cake topper."

"The cake!" Pete shouted, looking down at his watch. "We're due at Cake-alicious in twenty minutes! We have to get this dress off you."

Claudia raised an eyebrow in disbelief as Pete shuffled her towards the changing room. "Is that seriously the name of the cake place?"

Myka laughed to herself, shaking her head. This wedding is gonna be wild.