Paris, France
1570
She waited silently. Watching the moon float in the water. Every second she spent there like a life time. Then suddenly the brush starts to move. She holds her breath for a moment. Fearing that someone has found her. Then she sees him emerge. She runs to him flings her arms around him. "Henri. Je commençais à penser que vous n'alliez pas à venir. Je vous ai manqué mon amour." She kisses him with a passion she could only have for him. Then she sees it. She sees the pain in his eyes. "Henri, ce qui est faux?" He just moves them. He sits her on a log that rest by the lake. He kneels in front of her letting a tear slip down his face.
"Ma douce Marguerite. Nous n'avons pas beaucoup de temps. Je crains que votre mère ne nous connaît." He said as he held her hand. He just looked into her sweet eyes as he told her how he felt. He needed her to know that she was going to be the only one for him. "Nous savions tous les deux que cet amour ne serait jamais durer. Je pars demain. Mon père a promis à mon mariage avec Catherine de Clèves. Je ne vous oublierai jamais mon amour. Vous possédez mon cœur jusqu'à ce qu'ils jour il cesse de battre." She was sobbing by the time he finished.
She dropped to the ground and held on to him. "Je ne peux pas vivre en sachant que vous aimer une autre femme. Je veux passer le reste de ma vie avec toi à mes côtés. S'enfuir avec moi. Nous pouvons acheter une ferme, élever une douzaine d'enfants. S'il vous plaît. S'il vous plaît Henri. Ne laissez pas cela être au revoir."
He just pulled her back. She was sitting against the log now. Still crying. He placed his hand in her hair. Touching their foreheads together. "Je ne peux pas faire ça. Marguerite vous allez être reine un jour. Je fais cela à cause de mon amour pour vous. Vous êtes mieux sans moi. Un jour, vous comprendrez mon amour." He then reached into his pocket and pulled out a gold Fleur De Lis pendent. He had it hanging off a ribbon. "Tant que vous portez ce que nous serons ensemble. Il vous donnera tout ce dont vous aurez jamais besoin."He told her as he tied it around her neck. Then they heard the footsteps. He just kissed her forehead. "Briller mon amour. Je vais vous voir dans le ciel." He said before he ran off. Within moments she was being drug up to her room. There her mother and bother took turns punishing her for her sins. Her screams filled the night. By the morning her Henri was gone and she was a completely different person. She looked in her dressing mirror that morning. She covered the bruises and died her tears, brushed out her hair. Before she got up she kissed the pendant that he Henri gave her. She never could explain it, but it glowed for a moment.
Univille, South Dakota
Present Day
He came in just wanting a shower and a full night's sleep. Three days in New Orleans with Artie wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. But, they snagged the Poe Toaster's bottle of Cognac. Personally he did not know why a bottle that refilled itself was of top warehouse importance. Then he learned that every person to drink from it died the next day of apparent alcohol poisoning. The worst part of this assignment was that they missed Claudia's birthday. If it hadn't been hard enough on her since Myka left. Hell, it had been hard on everyone. It was her first birthday with people since she was eight. He picked up a present for her in a pawn shop in New Orleans. A gold Fleur De Lis necklace with a tiny little ruby and a matching brooch. He wrapped it up and left it on her pillow. He was planning on being sound asleep when she got in from the warehouse.
Two Hours Later
"Knock. Knock." She said as she stood in his doorway. He just sat up and threw his pillow towards the door.
"Sleep is good for you. Bed calling me." He mumbled as he looked at her.
"Get up. We have the ping." She said as she looked at him. "And Pete thanks for the present. It's nice someone remembered."
Warehouse 13
Twenty Minutes Later
"Great sleeping beauty has awoken. Now we can do our job." Artie said as he greeted him with a case folder. "A child psychologist in Vegas has Hunter Doherty Adams' Jack-in-the-Box. Your job is to swap it out with this replica." He said as he pointed to the jack-in-the-box sitting on the table. "Go save the world."
"You're sending me by myself?" He asked.
"You are right. Give me five minutes and I can go with you." Artie replied causing Claudia to grab his arm.
"I can go with him." She said as she looked at the older man. He just paused for a moment. He couldn't explain it but in that moment he saw that she was an agent. She needed the field experience.
"Fine. Go both of you." He said as he looked at them.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Midnight
They pulled up to the building in record time. "Alright we need to be quick. Pick the lock, grab the box, and all before the cops show up." He said as he looked over at her.
"Yes because the blue light special alarm system is impossible to crack." She said as she grabbed her bag.
"You already disabled it did you?" He asked her as he opened up the car door.
"Before you put even had the car in park. I can't help it if I am awesome." She answered as she slammed the door behind her. She pulled out the pin that he gave her from her bag. "Hold on a moment." She said before she grabbed his arm. She placed the pin on his jacket. "You are now an official member of team awesome." She said. "Now let's snag, bag, and tag this." He just followed her towards the door.
It wasn't hard to find the jack-in-the-box sitting on a kids table in the waiting room. "Yup I still hate these things." She said as she held the toy up.
"Just throw the thing in the bag before we find out what its downside is." He said as he looked at her. She just did as he said. He saw her eyes turn sad for as they placed the fake it its place. "Claud what's wrong?" She was staring off at something but he couldn't tell what.
"Nothing. It's just…nothing." She said as she looked at him. She just reached to pick up a rag doll. "My sister gave me one of these when I turned six. It was more than a few months before the accident." She explained before she placed the doll back where it was. He just pulled her into a hug.
"You will never be alone again." He said into her hair. "I promise you." He said as he pulled back to look in her eyes. "Je vous promets mon amour." He whispered one more time before their lips met.
Reno, Nevada
3 hours later
She tossed her bags into her car in a hurry. Giving little explanation to her parents and sister. Let's just take a few days off. A family trip would be so much fun. She wished those words never left her mouth. Yet, she had bigger things to worry about right this second. If she made it in time she could catch the last flight to Vegas. It would only take an hour that way. If she had to drive she would be too late. She pulled out her phone and dialed a number she thought she would never have to call again. "Damn it Artie answer your phone!" She yelled as she slammed the door and started the car. There was no answer. She just hung up and dialed her last chance to reach him.
"Leena's Bed and Breakfast." She was relieved when she heard Leena's voice.
"Leena thank god your there. It's Myka. Please tell me that Artie is there." She said into the phone. She knew Artie's schedule pretty well after the last year. She was sure that he was most likely eating dinner at the inn. If not he was probably in town at the diner.
"He just left." Leena answered.
"Alright. I need you to give him a message. I need him to come to Vegas as soon as he can. I am going to try to get on a plane. But, something is wrong with Claudia and Pete. I think they have been effected by some type of artifact." She said simply.
"How can you know for sure?" Leena asked.
"Claudia called. Leena they are planning on eloping tonight." She said as he looked at the highway sign that pointed her towards the airport.
(To BE Continued)