A/N - This chapter was a bit difficult to write, hope you like it as much as the other chapters! This has been stamped and approved by Hope the Singer, My awesome new Beta! Only one more chapter after this, look for it Thursday!
Intermission
Day One
Myka, Steve and Claudia were staring silently at Pete, puffy cheeks and all, in wide-eyed astonishment. "Pete, that really is quite disturbing," Myka said in disbelief. "How did you manage to get six croissants in there anyway?"
"Mmmhff mmhhnn nnhh," Pete mumbled around half a dozen bakery goods with a shrug.
Claudia and Steve got a confused look on their faces, glancing at one another. She shrugged and Steve shook his head before they turned their attention back to Pete.
"What do you mean you don't know?" Myka asked incredulously. "How could you not know how you did it?"
"Mmmmhhhhh, Mmmhff mmhhnnn mmm mmhhhh mmuuhh mmh smmhhmm mmm mmhhn," Pete mumbled, making gestures with his hands as he spoke.
"You rolled them into little balls first," Myka said, slowly nodding her head up and down. "Good idea. You even beat your old record of five," she said with a small smile.
Pete beamed proudly at the praise while Claudia and Steve looked back and forth between Myka and Pete in disbelief.
"Okay, how did you even understand that massive amount of Pete Gibberish?" Claudia asked loudly, to which Myka replied with a curt nod, "Practice. And a lot of it." Myka looked curiously at Pete for a second before she added with a teasing smile, "You know you look like a chipmunk, right?"
Claudia and Steve exchanged a knowing look as Pete mock glared at Myka. There was a short silence before Steve brought the conversation back to what they were talking about prior to Pete stuffing his mouth with a record-breaking number of croissants.
Later that day, Claudia and Steve were both down in the warehouse doing inventory, lost in their own thoughts. Neither was talking to the other, and this continued for over an hour when Claudia finally whispered, "How do they not see how perfect they are for each other?" She shook her head slowly and added, "Seriously, she can translate for him better than any of us, and he can act like a child and sometimes she even enjoys it!"
"I know, but we've already been over this, we can't push," Steve said quietly. He didn't know where Pete and Myka were, and even though the warehouse was enormous, it was better not to take any chances and say something loudly that they might overhear. "If we do, it could pull them apart and keep anything from happening between them."
"I know Jinksy," Claudia complained with a roll of her eyes. "But it's really difficult to keep my mouth shut when they do things that make me want to say 'awww'."
"I thought it was kinda difficult for you to keep your mouth shut at all," Steve teased with a smile, bumping her shoulder with his gently.
Claudia just glared at him.
Day Two
Pete and Myka walked out of the Univille post office late in the afternoon, bickering as usual about Pete's things not being delivered yet. Pete did get some mail though, which was a first. He was carrying a long package from his grandfather's estate tucked under his arm. He and his grandfather hadn't really spent much time together since he was a small child, but he was always the favorite with his curiosity and exuberance. They got in Myka's vehicle and drove back to the B&B, bickering and teasing each other the whole way.
It continued all the way inside and into the open dining area, where Pete set the package on the table and started opening it, ripping the paper off the box like a child on Christmas morning tearing into his presents. He opened the box quickly and pulled out an expensive looking black walking stick with an intricate silver head.
Myka looked at it curiously for a second before asking, "Why did he send that to you?"
Pete turned it over in his hands as he said, " I have no idea. I didn't even know he had something like this." He was silent for a second before he started for the stairs. "I'm going to go put this up. Want to go for ice cream later?" he called out from the steps.
"I don't eat sugar!" Myka yelled up after him.
Day Three
Pete woke up late in the day and stretched with a groan. He sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, shuddering and recoiling slightly as his feet hit the cold floor. Pete braced himself and stood up quickly, hoping he'd get over the icy floor under his feet, and fast. Moving quickly around the room, he gathered a fresh change of clothes and headed off to take a nice, hot shower.
Ten minutes later, Pete walked out of the bathroom, running a towel over his hair vigorously. He walked through the B&B, looking for someone to talk to. After half an hour of searching inside and out, he stood in the den and wondered where everyone went. Usually they at least tried to wake him up, and if they were all going to be gone, Myka or Claudia would at least leave a note. Usually. Okay, sometimes. Alright, they usually forgot more than they remembered, but if there was an emergency, someone would have physically dragged him out of bed.
He looked around the room for something to do, immediately ignoring the massive amount of books all along one wall. He really wasn't much of a reader, that was more Myka's area. He spotted the piano in the corner, and took a cautious step toward it. It had been a long time since he played, and he wasn't sure he still remembered how. He looked around the room to make sure no one was around, and eased himself down on to the bench carefully. Pete lifted the lid from over the keys gingerly and pressed softly on one. The sound echoed around the room, and Pete looked around quickly, ensuring there was still no one present to listen. He sighed and sat up a little straighter, moving his fingers in to place over the keys.
Pete started playing slowly, gently pressing the keys and filling the room with a piano version of Wild Horses by The Rolling Stones, complete with him singing the lyrics. After a few bars, he started playing louder, more naturally and less cautiously. He lost track of his surroundings while he was playing, and with his back to the rest of the room, he never heard the door open, and took no notice of the audience he was slowly but surely gathering behind him.
Myka, Claudia, Steve, Artie, and Leena were all scattered around the room in a stunned silence. Myka was the only one who knew he used to play the piano, but none of them knew he could sing like that.
The song choice however, was not lost on Claudia and Steve. They both glanced at each other quickly with matching sly smiles before turning their attention back to the concert they all stumbled upon.
As Pete finished playing and silence pervaded the room once more, his audience started clapping, even Artie. Pete spun around quickly and tripped over the bench, falling to the floor with a hard thud that shook the table next to where he landed. He jumped up quickly and looked around the room in surprise and no small amount of shock and embarrassment. He really didn't think he was all that good, and definitely not good enough to receive applause.
"Where did you learn to play like that," Steve asked curiously.
Pete thought about how to respond for a second before saying, "My house," and rushing past the group to the safety and privacy of his room. With Steve present he would not be able to fudge the details of when and why he started playing. What he said was the truth in a sense though, he started teaching himself how to play after his dad died. His mom was gone a lot trying to keep herself busy and with his sister getting ready to go off to college, he had a lot more free time than he really knew what to do with. After that it didn't really feel like a home any more, it was just a place to sleep, store stuff, and visit with family when they were around. It was just another house.
Claudia, Steve, Artie, and Leena all looked around at each other in confusion while Myka walked silently in to the kitchen. Pete was usually the first to brag about being able to do something, and he played well. Very well, and that just added to the confusion.
While the rest of the group was in the den trying to guess when and why Pete learned to play the piano, Myka padded up the stairs to Pete's room, carrying a plateful of cookies and two glasses of milk. It was like an all-access pass to Pete's room almost all the time, and Myka was going to make use of that to make sure everything was really okay.
And Claudia most definitely noticed.
Day Six
Myka and Pete trudged back into the B&B covered in dirt and grime and smelling like a swamp. Myka's hair was frizzy and sticking out at odd angles, jacket ripped at the shoulder and a small cut on her cheek. She sighed heavily and walked into the den, dropping down onto the couch with a groan.
Pete followed her into the den, slumped over and limping, one arm holding his chest tightly. His jacket was in tatters, barely holding together, much like he felt at the moment. He eased himself down onto the couch next to Myka with a grimace and sighed as he leaned back against the cushions. They were both silent for a while, thinking about this last mission. As far as they were concerned, if they ever saw the city of New Orleans again, it would be far too soon.
They both looked at each other in silence before breaking out into uncontrollable laughter. Myka leaned heavily on Pete, winding her arm through his and dropping her head onto his shoulder. They both continued to chuckle sporadically before the events of the last few days caught up with them and they feel into a heavy, dreamless sleep on the couch.
A few hours later, Steve and Claudia walked into the den, talking loudly. They both stopped and froze when they spotted Pete and Myka on the couch. Somehow they had gone from sitting up and leaning against each other to stretched out across the couch. They two younger agents stared slackjawed for a moment at the sight of Myka with her head on Pete's chest, one arm wrapped around his neck and the other tucked under her. One of Pete's arms was wrapped around Myka's waist and the other around her shoulders, their legs tangled together, both sleeping soundly.
Claudia grinned maniacally at Steve and pulled her phone out of her pocket, quickly snapping a few candid shots of the two on the couch. They both jumped slightly and froze in fear when Myka made a small noise and shifted on the couch. They stood silently, waiting for the inevitable explosion from Myka that never came. Instead, she just shifted up a bit and buried her face into Pete's neck, causing him to pull her closer to him in his sleep.
They stood in the same position for a few moments after they settled before Claudia snapped a few more pictures and they both backed out of the room, shutting the door quietly behind them.
Once they were away from the door, Claudia looked at Steve with a wide smile and said, "Oh, we are so done waiting."
A few moments after the door closed, Myka sat up a little bit and said, "So, do you think they know we talked while we were gone?"
Pete eased his eyes open and looked at Myka and smiled. "I doubt it, but we'll find out soon. I don't think Claudia will leave this alone," he said, gesturing between the two of them. "The question is, what are we going to do if she doesn't?"
Myka thought for a second before replying. "Well, if she's trying to get us together, then why don't we make her think her plan backfired?"
Pete smiled a bit and asked, "What did you have in mind?"
