Hey, guys! Sorry for the wait, but this weekend marked the end of finals week and the end of the first semester. I've been crammed with school, not to mention, I'm kind of sick. But I managed to finish writing this chapter (and had way too much fun doing so).

I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Warehouse 13 or any of the characters. I do, however, own this masterpiece. :D

The beeping became steady again as the sound of air expelled from his lungs. Claudia was really starting to hate that sound. But she loved it because it meant that he was alive. He was alive.

.

Everything had returned to normal; His heart rate was steady, his breathing was back to its rhythmic euphony – forever in time with hers. And it had been for some time now, but she still couldn't shake off the feeling of loss. She'd experienced it numerous times before, but she had never fully become accustomed to it. When she had found Steve with his head thrown back, his eyes an empty blue, his skin pale and cold to the touch, she had shut herself down and kept everyone out. The feeling of numbness and monotony throughout every second had taken over her life as her whole and the only thing that kept her sane was her intense focus on catching Walter Sykes and trying to resurrect Steve.

So when his heart stopped, so had hers (not literally – they were no longer connected by the metronome) and all of the anger, pain, numbness, and monotony came rushing back as her world crumbled around her once again. The image of his lifeless face thrown back and the feeling of his cold fingers under hers reemerged in her mind. Suddenly, she was back at the hanger, screaming in horror as her heart broke and she found his lifeless body, tears streaking her face.

"Mmm," his mumble harshly jerked her from her thoughts.

"Steve?" she asked, her voice hopeful.

His eyes opened slowly, revealing a sea of blue that had always offered her a sense of safety and warmth.

"Hey, Claud." His voice was gravelly and raw as the nickname tumbled off of his tongue so easily as if it was second nature. She never felt more relieved than in this moment. She had had the nickname since forever, but whenever Steve had used it, she felt a sensation she couldn't quite place that made her feel whole.

He finally took in his surroundings, "How long was I out?"

"Three days." Her voice was small.

"What?" It couldn't have been that long. He pushed himself up on the half-raised hospital bed.

"You died, Jinksy. You died." Her voice broke.

"I know, Claude." He said.

"For three minutes, Steve. You died for three minutes and it was like – wait, what?" She sat up in her seat by his bedside, confusion etching its way onto her features.

"I saw Olivia."

"You saw her."

Steve nodded. "I know it sounds crazy, but I did. We talked. I found closure. You really would've liked her, Claude." When she didn't respond, he stated, "She says 'Hi.'"

"You saw her," she reiterated. "And she told you to tell me that she says 'Hi.'"

Steve nodded.

"I know our artifacts do crazy things, but how hard did that thing whammy you?!" Claudia laid her palm on his forehead and then flipped it over for dramatic effect.

Steve gave a hoarse laugh which Claudia reciprocated with a smile as he reached his hand up to hers. Her movements stilled as he encased his larger hand over hers.

Warm.

That was all that her mind registered.

He saw how her smile fell as her gaze focused in on their joined hands. "You okay, Claude?" He made a move to untangle his hands from hers when he saw tears well up in her eyes.

"Claude?" He shifted closer to her and brushed his thumb over her knuckles. The movement roused her from her trance.

She looked up at him, a tear finally falling down her cheek and looking absolutely broken. "Claudia." His other hand reached to wipe the tear from her cheek.

"I thought," she stopped as she gave him a half-hearted smile. She sniffled. "I – I thought that you left me again."

"Claude…" He trailed off. And suddenly, Steve saw all the underlying fears that she desperately tried to keep hidden. Commitment issues, abandonment issues, insecurities, intimacy issues, her need for approval, etc.

Before Steve could say anything else, the junior agent spoke again, "I thought you were dead, Steve. And all I could think about was how terrible I felt the last time you died. I don't think I can go through that again. I can't lose you, Steve. Not again." Her eyes drifted towards the floor and her voice cracked as she whispered, "Not again."

Steve sat up straighter in his hospital bed and took both of her hands in his, forcing her to look at him. "I will never leave you, Claude. I will always find a way to get back to you, no matter what."

When she didn't respond, he admitted, "When I was saw Olivia again, I never wanted to leave. And then I realized that staying with Olivia meant that I was dead. I fought to get out of there; to get back to you."

"But-"

"I know. I love Olivia; I always will, but if staying with her meant being away from the Warehouse and you and this life, then I didn't want it. She told me that she was my guide back to reality and that I had a choice. I made that choice to be with you."

"This sounds awfully like a Nicholas Sparks novel," she laughed, tears staining her cheeks.

It took all of the courage he could muster to say his next words. "And I hope it ends like one."

"What?" Startled by his response, she pulled her hands from his grasp.

"I mean, with the two people, ya know, getting together, not all of the stuff in between. Well, I guess, our problems are a lot worse than the characters in his books. Like death and mystical artifacts with supernatural powers and people trying to destroy and rule the word and-"

In an attempt to stop him from rambling, she told him to stop in a rather loud voice. She paced in front of him as he moved to sit at the edge of the bed, his feet almost touching the floor. The irony about the situation was not lost on her; him, the one rambling and her, the one trying to make sense of everything.

"You're gay." She stopped to face him. He gave a nod. "That means you like guys." He gave another nod. "I'm not a guy." Nod. "And I never will be." Nod. "But despite all that, you have feelings for me." Nod. "Like, non-platonic romantic feelings where you want me and you to be together." Nod. "Feelings that give you butterflies and weird thoughts and dreams and stuff."

"Well, sometimes."

The tension started to dissipate when she cracked a smile, "So, on our first case together when we were on that stakeout and you denied my advances and naïve assumptions…"

Steve rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but smile himself, "Yeah, yeah. Let it all out. Make fun."

Claudia took a step forward. "I did say in a year if we were both single…" His heart started beating a little faster when she took another step forward.

He let out a sigh of frustration as she spun on her heel and walked farther away from him. Teasing, she said, "It's been almost three years, Steve. If you were only a bit faster."

"Claudia." Exasperation kicked in, but she kept milking this new revelation as usual.

"Now who's gonna be my gay best friend? BFFEWYLION? Are you gonna be my Boyfriend For Ever Whether I Like It Or Not? MY BFEWILION?" Claudia turned back towards him with a wry smile.

"You're enjoying this way too much." A mischievous glint in her eyes made him internally gulp.

"How can't I?! My hot best friend who also happens to be gay just admitted to me – his brilliant partner who's a woman – that he has a crush on me! Oh, I can't wait to tell Pete! He's gonna be so heartbroken. Artie will probably kill you, but you know, that won't change the fact that you have this huge crush on me that makes you straight. Straight? Bi? What's the right word? Hmmm, Jinksy?" She walked towards him.

Despite her poking fun at him, all he could say was, "You just called me hot."

"Yes, I did. It's a fact. Is this a new revelation? Did I just boost up your self-esteem, Jinksy? Damn, I'm going to have to live with your newfound ego. I should've just called you good looking. Dare I say, handsome?"

Steve's heart did a backflip in his chest. The machine monitoring his heartbeat gave him away. Claudia noticed.

"Oooh, look! I just made your heart race!" She rushed over to the monitor's display, tracing her finger along the spikes.

"Let's do a little experiment, shall we?"

Oh, God. Please, no.

She slowly made her way towards him with each sentence.

"What would happen if I told you that you're extremely good looking?"

Beep.

"Ooh, look!" She was getting closer. "If I told you that every time I see you with your shirt off, I can't help but to stare?"

BEEP.

She stood in between his legs. "That your smile is infectious."

Beep. BEEP.

Her eyes searched his. "That I get lost in your eyes."

BEEP. Beep.

Her fingers ran through the tiny strands of hair that had grown out. "That you're the highlight of my day."

BEEP. BEEP.

Her finger ran his way down his cheek. "That I'm so lucky to have you in my life."

BEEPBEEP.

Her thumb brushed his bottom lip. "That I might have a crush on you too." His eyes fluttered closed.

BEEPBEEPBEEP.

She was so close to him now; he could feel her breath skim across his lips. "That I've had one since forever."

BEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEPBEEP.

Her lips finally touched his as he stood up, his feet hitting the cold floor. His arms encased her waist as hers wrapped around his neck. As he kissed her back with equal passion, there was surprisingly no tension. It wasn't weird at all. Strange.

His train of thought was abruptly cut off when her tongue brushed his bottom lip.

Damn.

He pulled her closer towards himself, never wanting to let go. And if he could help it, he wouldn't. But the need for oxygen greatly surpassed his need to want, so reluctantly, he parted from her.

"Wow," was all he could say.

For a moment, the only sounds that could be heard was their heavy breathing and the rapid beeps of his heartrate monitor.

A blush crept its way onto her cheeks as she let out a laugh.

It was beautiful. She was beautiful.

"Guess the experiment was a success." He stated, his ear-to-ear grin making her smile.

"Guess, it was." She responded.

"But you know what they say about experiments, right?" Steve's voice was teasing as his eyes turned to a shade of dark cerulean.

Claudia's breath hitched. The beeps got louder.

"All experiments should have more than one trial to offer the best result." He tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Are you looking for a different result?"

Steve shrugged, his finger tentatively skimming across the thin fabric of her upper arm.

"You know, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity." Her gaze never deterred from his. Her voice was hesitant as if silently asking him if this is what he really wanted, that she wouldn't hold anything against him if he chose to back out, choosing that this was a mistake; that it was insane.

He leaned in and as searched her eyes, he said, "I'm more than content with the result that I have. But maybe I can discover new things along the way." Still seeing a hesitant look in her eyes, he assured her, "Who said insanity was a bad thing?"

Smiling into the kiss, Claudia's arms wrapped around his neck again, accepting his words.

She could hear the beeps of the heart rate monitor grow closer together and louder in the background as they kissed. There was no denying that her heart was beating faster too – forever in time with his.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Virtual scotchies and milk to all that review! :)