A/N: KNOCK KNOCK, okay, I know this isn't the best I've ever written. But it already took me long enough to come back to this storyat all. The new chapter of TCD is kind of a struggle. Meanwhile the ideas for my newest story seem to be endless.

So while I'll keep writing for this, my main focus will probably be there.

As always, I hope you like it anyway.

KTF CLM

Steve's pale blue eyes were searching through the room in panic. But his concentration kept leaving him. Wandering back to Claudia.

A pale, shaking Claudia. He hesitated. He knew he'd have to leave her side to look for the artifact, but he couldn't just leave her alone like this. Not now.

The redhead could barely recognize her partner sitting right in front of her. She hadn't caught much from his conversation with Artie. Just smaller pieces. He'd been talking about Livi. And Cash. And dia-something. She knew that his sister had diabetes, so she guessed that was what they were talking about. But that was all she could process.

But if they had a clue, what was he still doing here? Shouldn't he be snagging an artifact?

Was he still here to keep her company?

"Steve?"

"Listen Claude, I'm not gonna leave... "

"Go."

It was just a small word. She couldn't manage so much more. But it shocked them. Both.

Claudia didn't want to be alone now. But she tried to use what little parts of her brain were still active rationally. If he wouldn't leave, he wouldn't neutralize the artifact. If he wouldn't neutralize the artifact...

Neither of them was ready to follow this thought any further. Not until they absolutely and necessarily had to.

"Claudia, I can't just... "

"Go.", she repeated in a weak voice. "Please."

Steve nodded. He knew that she was right. But it didn't feel right. It felt wrong to leave her behind. But they both knew that he had go.

The man slowly stood up. He couldn't help but turn back to his partner one more time. And his eyes got stuck on her.

He hadn't just faced death several times, damn it! He had already been dead for a few days!

But this felt so much worse than dying. It was the fear to lose her. The fear that this time, she could be the one who died. And he wouldn't be able to bring her back.

"Go. Now."

He had to smile a little at her determination. Even now his senior agent was still giving him orders. That was a good sign. Definitely.

"I'll be back soon, Claude. Hold on."

He ran across the room. The only equipment that they had actually used, besides the guitars, was still on stage. Of course he had tried her guitar first. But it didn't give the slightest spark.

He ran to the reception and told the woman from earlier that they had to stop the contest now.

"I don't understand. Is something wrong?"

"Is something wrong? Is something wrong? Listen up: my... wife is behind the stage and she's severely ill. And whatever caused this is still on your damn stage! So what do you think? Is something wrong?"

Right now he couldn't care less about his Feng Shui or his karma. Right now the only thing that mattered was Claudia.

"But that's impossible! There's nothing here that could make your wife ill. It's all clean, I swear!"

The blonde was half talking to him, half to the people behind him who seemed to find this conversation very interesting.

"Are you deaf or just dumb? I don't care about how this makes you look! All I care about is the fact that Claudia's dying back there!"

"Who's Claudia? I thought your wife's name was Donna."

"Really? Out of everything I told you that's what you heard?"

"I... I'm sorry but... "

"Oh, you will be! But how about you start using what little brain you've got and stop this before anyone else gets infected?"

The audience behind him was whispering. They were nervous. Then they started asking questions.

"Did he say infected? Is this place making us sick?"

"Oh my god! I was up there on stage just fifteen minutes ago!"

"Should I call an ambulance?"

"Maybe they'll have to lock us up in here. What if the decease is in the air?"

This wasn't what Steve had planned, but it emptied the floor and it scared the receptionist. So the effect was the one he wanted.

Meanwhile behind the stage Claudia had trouble to breath properly. She tried to focus her eyes on one single point, but her focus was fading more and more.

Suddenly she was doubting her decision to send Steve away. What if she'd die?

She would die alone. And Steve would blame himself. No, that couldn't happen!

That's when the realization sunk in.

She could die. And he'd never know.

He'd never know how he kept haunting her dreams. He'd never know how much she secretly admired his thoughtful attitude. He'd never know, what she just realized herself.

That she had fallen in love. She fell in love with Steve, and she fell deeper than ever before.

She had been too afraid to hit the ground. She couldn't even admit it to herself, not till right now.

Because it seemed the moment she truly realized that she needed him, was the moment she lost him back when he died for her.

And the moment she recognized her own true feelings for him, was the moment when she couldn't feel anything else anymore.

She felt her rational thinking fading. She felt her eyes falling shut. And then, she didn't feel anything.

Steve sprinted onto the stage and looked around. He bagged the microphone, nothing. He bagged the top of the microphone stand, nothing. The only things left ungooed on stage were the stools. But he couldn't just bag these.

Then he remembered the spray can of goo that Claudia had in her bag.

He ran backstage, secretly grateful for the opportunity to check on his partner.

But when he caught sight of her, all the color that was left on his face disappeared.

Claudia was lying on the floor, even paler than when he left her. But now she wasn't breathing heavily. She wasn't shaking.

No, even worse. The redhead wasn't moving at all.

For a moment he just stood there, frozen in shock.

He needed a few seconds to collect his thoughts. Once he could move again, he ran over to the woman on the ground. He placed one hand on her inner wrist and the other one on her forehead.

She still had high fever. It worried him, but at least she wasn't cold yet.

At the beginning he didn't feel anything on her wrist.

His heart skipped a beat, just when he felt that hers was still beating.

It was a weak pulse, but it was there. He let out a relieved breath and shoved a streak of fiery red hair out of her pale face.

He quickly ran over to her bag and snatched the spray can out.

"It'll be over soon, Claude. I promise."