Hey guys, thanks for your patience. Here's the next installment.
Thank you to Dogshowgirl for her writing/beta reading!
TRIGGER WARNING: for a brief mentions of rape and abuse, and for scenes depicting the aftermath of self harm/blood. Please don't read this if it will trigger you!
Disclaimer: I do not own Warehouse 13 or any of its characters. They are the property of Jack Kenney and the SyFy network. No money has exchanged hands in relation to this story.
One morning about 2 months after she was found in the basement of her captor's home, Claudia approached Artie with a proposition.
"A-artie?"
The man had been reading through a case file, and took a moment to look up. "What?"
"I um… I w-want to g-go to the w-warehouse."
"Oh." The man paused for a moment, thinking about this. "Well, I'm heading over there after a finish reading through this. Do you want to come with me?"
"Yeah!" The woman walked as quickly as she could up to her room to grab her farnsworth, then made her way back downstairs.
"Ready?" Artie could see the excitement in Claudia's eyes.
The woman nodded enthusiastically, and the two made their way to the Warehouse.
When they arrived, Claudia was smiling broadly. Artie punched the code to get into the umbilicus, and as they walked inside, even the bombs looked welcoming to Claudia. She put her eye up to the retina-scanner, and a moment later, the door was opened. Barely limping, Claudia walked around the office, examining the unchanged furniture and machinery.
"Jeez, did you g-get a new air freshener?"
"No, why?"
"The whole room is apple-y fresh."
Artie just shrugged and sat down on one of the computer chairs, patting the other one for Claudia to sit down.
"I made a few adjustments to the databases. Take a look, if you want."
The rest of the day, Claudia happily messed with the computers in the office.
A few days after Claudia was reunited with the Warehouse, she had an appointment with her psychiatrist, Dr. Bahar. After their initial greetings, the doctor sat down and looked at Claudia with determination.
"Claudia, there is something we need to discuss."
"That d-doesn't sound good."
"You've been seeing me for over a month now. We have talked about where you stayed, how you feel, and a lot about your friend Diana. But you have not yet described how the man and the woman treated you. You haven't given me any details. I know it's very difficult, but I feel that this is an important part of your recovery, which shouldn't be overlooked."
"Wh-what the hell do you m-mean by details?" Claudia said, getting herself worked up, her breathing rapidly increasing.
"I'd like you to tell me how the man and woman treated you."
"You want to know d-details?" Claudia's voice was filled with pain. "Do you want to t-talk about how that m-man raped Diana and me what seemed like every damn d-day? Or how about the fact that every time he electrocuted me with those f-fracking wires, I'd crap myself? Is that new information for you? Because I actually knew that before he abducted me. Or how about when he would tie me down and cut me? I'm never going to be able to wear a swimsuit or even a low-cut top without people seeing those scars. Are those good details? Because it is killing me just to think about them!" She broke down in shivering sobs. Her therapist couldn't help but notice how little Claudia was stuttering, but didn't mention it.
"Can we be done for today? P-Please?" The redhead looked pleadingly at her therapist.
"Yes we can."
Claudia lunged up out of the chair and bolted from the room, but slowed down as she approached Joshua, not wanting to make him worry. But she couldn't stop her lip from quivering or her eyes from filling up with tears.
"C-can we go?" Her voice was shaky and quiet.
"Claude, what's wrong?"
"Josh, let's go, p-please."
The man consented and held out his arm for Claudia, whose psychosomatic limp was especially prominent, but she didn't accept his help as they made their way slowly to the car. Claudia pulled herself up, and with very little assistance from Joshua, she swung her leg up and into the floorboard of the SUV. She was gaining her strength back, and was slowly beginning to do everyday tasks independently.
"Do you want to go back to the B&B, or somewhere else?" Claudia could hear the concern in her brother's voice.
"B&B." Her voice was still hesitant, traces of pain shining through.
"Will you tell me what happened?"
"Dr. B-Bahar decided I wasn't being detailed enough about captivity."
"So she asked you to share more?"
The girl nodded, arms wrapped around herself, still feeling sick.
"I'm sorry, Claude. That must have been really hard for you."
"Yeah."
The rest of the drive was passed in silence, Claudia curled into herself, huddling close to the door, and Joshua clenching the steering wheel, trying to keep a tight lid on his emotions.
Once at the B&B, Claudia threw open her door, and jogged up the steps, the car not even completely stopped. Joshua shut off the SUV and slumped back against the seat. He ran his hand through his hair, then shoved open his door. Stepping out of the car, he made his way over to the passenger side. He pulled open the door and reached inside, grabbing Claudia's bag. She was beginning to slip back into old habits; carrying her bag, messing with electronics, making snarky remarks, wearing her signature dark makeup, and was even getting her sense of sarcasm back. Shaking his head, Joshua slammed the door shut and began the short walk to the front door of the B&B.
He entered the living room, promptly setting Claudia's bag on the coffee table. Turning his head, he looked for the tech-genius, but only found Steve and Pete sitting at the kitchen table. He ventured closer to the two agents, who were eating lunch.
"Hey, did you guys happen to see where Claude went?"
Pete, who had his mouth full, nodded and then looked to Steve, silently willing him to explain. Swallowing, Steve pointed at the stairs.
"She stomped through the front door and then disappeared into her room. Didn't even acknowledge us."
Joshua nodded, showing his appreciation, and began the journey to the pissed twentysomething that he knew as his baby sister. Once at the dark mahogany door, he knocked, waiting for a response. When he didn't get one, he twisted the knob, pushing the door open. What he found was exactly what he expected. Claudia had changed from the bossy seven year old. She had grown up too soon, had seen too much. She became bitter and cold, knowing that people couldn't be trusted. She had changed in a lot of ways, but one thing had remained the same over all the years, and that was how she cried. She would always lay on her back, one arm over her face, and one over her stomach, and that was exactly what she was doing.
Joshua gave a half-hearted chuckle as he made his way over to the bed. He sat down next to the sobbing young woman and nudged her, trying to get her to look at him. But he immediately regretted it when her breath hitched and she tensed up.
"What are you doing?" Joshua asked,
Claudia removed her arm from her face, revealing smudged black eyeliner, and running mascara. She sat up, looked at her brother, silently pleading him to do something. He reached out and pulled the girl to him, enveloping her in his arms. He could feel Claudia shake against him, her breath coming in short gasps. He needed to calm her down, and quickly. He pushed Claudia away, holding her at arm's length. He watched as Claudia lifted a shaky hand and ran it upward through her hair, a habit he knew she picked up from him.
"How about I go call HG?"
Claudia looked puzzled for a moment, but quickly nodded, wriggling out of her brother's grip. She got up from the bed, climbing over Joshua, managing to elbow him in the process. She walked shakily across the hall and into the bathroom that she, Myka, Leena, and on occasion HG, all shared. Joshua rose from the mass of purple that Claudia managed to pass off as a bed, and walked back down the stairs, in search of someone who knew how to reach HG. After a moment of searching, he found Myka. She readily agreed, stating that she thought that it would be a good idea.
An hour later, HG was at the front door of the B&B, holding two plastic bags in her hands. The door swung open, and before her stood Pete.
"Hey, Lady Cuckoo. What are you doing here?" he greeted, a joking tone in his voice.
"Oh, Myka called me. She asked me if I would consider coming by to see Claudia. She also mentioned that she may want to color her hair again, so I brought a few things."
Pete nodded, pulling the door open wider, allowing the British woman to enter. HG stepped into the B&B, turning to face Pete. He closed the door and was beginning to turn to walk away, when her accented voice stopped him.
"So, where is Claudia?"
"She should be in her room. It's the same one as before."
HG nodded and began the trek to Claudia's room. Once at the door, she knocked, waiting for a response. She heard shuffling behind the heavy mahogany door, and before she knew what happened, it was swung open to reveal a girl that she barely recognized. The young woman standing before her was thin, had long brown hair, and didn't have the usual cocky air about her. It took a few moments for HG to confirm that the girl standing in front of her, actually was Claudia Donovan, but her suspicions were confirmed when the girl spoke.
"Squeal of delight." Claudia stated, stepping forward to hug the English woman. HG returned the embrace, but quickly pulled away when the bags started slipping.
"I brought something for you, darling." HG said as she lifted the plastic bags hanging from her fingertips.
Claudia looked at her with a curious expression, "What?"
"Why don't you see for yourself?" HG said as she sauntered past Claudia, into the girl's room. She set the bags onto the desk, and moved stand a few feet away.
Claudia looked skeptical, but stepped toward the cherry wood desk. She eyed HG as she opened the first bag. Pulling the plastic away from the two boxes inside, she picked up both, quickly reading the labels. It was red hair dye. She glanced up at HG, looked down, and then looked up again. Setting the boxes down, she threw herself at HG. The black-haired woman returned the hug, glad to see that Claudia was happy. Once Claudia pulled away, HG spoke.
"Why don't we go into the bathroom and do your hair?"
Claudia nodded, picking up the bags. She grabbed HG's arm and pulled her into the bathroom across the hall. Her head was soon under faucet in the bathtub, wetting down her hair. She pulled a shampoo bottle from the metal rack hanging off of the showerhead. Squeezing the blue liquid-which smelled like coconut- into her palm, she worked it into a lather. When her hair was coated in shampoo, she placed her head under the hot water, rinsing away the suds.
Sitting on the edge of the counter, HG held a towel in her hands, waiting for Claudia to finish. Head still hanging over the edge of the tub, Claudia motioned to HG, needing a towel. HG slid off of the counter and onto the floor, stepping closer to the girl, handing her the black towel she knew Claudia was partial to. Claudia gratefully accepted the towel, quickly wringing out her hair. Wrapping the towel around her head, holding her brown locks in place, Claudia turned to HG who was standing next to the door, holding a hair dryer in her hands.
"Sit down," HG instructed, pointing to the stool she had snuck from Myka's room. Claudia hoisted herself onto the seat, careful to not slide off.
HG grabbed the basket containing all of the brushes and combs of the women of the B&B, pulling it closer to her. She selected a large round brush and a wide-tooth comb, and set them by the sink. She opened the cabinet below the sink, rummaging through the drawer containing hair clips and ties. Selecting a large claw-clip, she set it beside the blow dryer. HG closed the cabinet doors and turned back to Claudia, who was patiently waiting. The englishwoman ran the comb through Claudia's thick brown hair, sectioning off a portion of the bottom and clipping up the rest. She clutched the round brush and turned the blow dryer on. Aiming the dryer at Claudia's hair, she pulled the brush through it as she went.
Twenty minutes later, Claudia's hair was completely dry and ready to by dyed. HG opened the boxes and mixed up the solution, pouring it into the dye-safe squeeze bottle she had purchased. She began coloring Claudia's roots, flipping sections of hair back. Once HG was done with the girl's roots, she began dragging the color through to the ends of Claudia's hair. When she had finished saturating the girl's hair in dye, HG gathered Claudia's hair, clipping it up again.
"You're done, darling. All you have to do now is..." HG consulted the dye box, "wait for twenty-five minutes and then wash it out."
Claudia nodded, remembering when she first dyed her hair when she was fifteen. She had dyed it all black and gave herself a choppy haircut, modeling her look after Joan Jett, one of her favorite musicians. Blinking a few times, she pulled herself out of the horrible memories of the foster care system. She slid off the stool and went back to her room, setting a timer on her laptop.
Twenty-five minutes later, Claudia was back in the bathroom washing the dye out of her hair. Rinsing the last of the suds from her now-red hair, she grabbed her towel from the floor beside her, wringing out her hair. She rose from the floor and stepped to the right, coming to stand in front of the mirror. Her hand slid through her newly colored hair and she felt happy to be getting back to her old self. She shook her head, making her hair move. It was too long, and Claudia didn't like it. It was time to get Myka.
After dinner was done, Claudia snuggled up next to Steve and Joshua, turning on an episode of Doctor Who. Halfway through the episode, Claudia was beginning to doze, and Joshua and Steve shared a sinister look. They each reached for Claudia and proceeded to tickle her awake, reducing the tech-genius to a mess of squeals. Claudia managed to get the boys to stop, breathing heavily. She gave the two a dirty look and flopped back against Steve, throwing her feet across Joshua's lap.
Once the episode was over, Claudia announced that she was tired and was going to bed. She swallowed her pills and said goodnight to everyone, and made her way up the stairs and into her room. Once in privacy, she stripped off her skinny jeans and t-shirt, trading them out for a tank top and sweatpants. She pulled back the blankets draped across her bed and climbed in, burrowing under her covers until she could barely be seen. Within minutes, was asleep.
A few hours later, around 12 a.m., Claudia woke screaming. She sat up, clawing at her blankets, when Steve flew through the door and turned on the light.
"Claude, it's okay. Shh.." he tried to lean in to hug her, but she shrunk away from him.
"D-Don't touch me."
"Alright," the man said, backing up. "Are you okay?"
Claudia nodded, not really believing herself.
"I-I'll be fine. J-Just go, okay?"
Steve frowned, Claudia's act was really convincing, but something inside him told him to not listen to her. After a moment's hesitation, Steve complied with the request.
"Alright. If you need anything, let me know."
Claudia nodded and slid down the bed, watching as Steve looked back at her once more before turning off the light. She heard the door click shut, signaling that Steve was now in the hall, on his way back to his own room. Her body curled in on itself as she drew in deep breaths. After a few minutes, she began to relax again, letting her head sink into the pillow. She fell asleep, still breathing irregularly, but it was evening out with every passing second.
Later that night, Claudia woke up again from another nightmare, but this time she stayed quiet. She lay in her bed, hiding beneath the blankets, shivering from the cold sweat that covered her body. Her mind was foggy, and she was becoming increasingly restless. Even though she was awake, she could still hear her captor's voice and feel his hands. She had to do something, anything, to make it stop. She threw back the blankets and silently slid open her bedside drawer. She rummaged around, her hand searching for the bottle. Finally her fingers closed around the cool plastic, bringing the small yellow object into her line of sight. She shakily opened the lid, dipping her fingers into the bottle, fishing for a pill. Her fingers steadily pulled two of the sleeping pills from their captivity, rolling them into her palm. She glanced at the door before throwing the pills into her mouth, swallowing them dry.
Waiting for the pills to kick in, Claudia settled against the bed, playing with her thumbnail. Five minutes later, Claudia was out cold, draped over the pillows.
The next morning, Steve made his way downstairs and into the dining room. He saw Myka looking at old case files, and he remembered that it was her day to stay with Claudia.
"Hey, just so you know, Claudia had a rough day yesterday and a nightmare last night, so I think she might sleep in." Steve told Myka as he grabbed a blueberry muffin from the basket on the table.
"Okay. I'll make sure to check on her."
The agents and Joshua ate their breakfast and made their way to the Warehouse, while Myka started paperwork. Two hours later, around 10 a.m., she decided she should check on Claudia. She made her way up to the girl's room and knocked on the door.
"Claude?"
There was no answer. Myka assumed that the young woman was still asleep, but wanted to be sure.
"Claude, I'm coming in, okay?"
She twisted the knob, pushing the heavy door open. She didn't know what she was expecting, but the sight that met her sure wasn't it. The redhead was huddled on the floor next to her bed, her face buried in her knees, blood seeping from her arms, turning her white sweatpants red. The older agent gently touched the shaking girl's back and Claudia flinched.
"It's okay, Claude, it's okay. It's just me." the brunette murmured soothingly.
"Hey, can I have a look?" she asked, managing to carefully untangle Claudia's arms.
She found cuts running from the crooks of her elbows, all the way down to her wrists. Many of them were deep; too deep.
"Hey, Claudia?" Myka's voice was gentle, not wanting to spook the injured girl.
Claudia looked up at the older woman slowly, eyes bloodshot, droopy, and distant.
"We need to take you to a hospital, okay? You're losing a lot of blood and that's not good."
"No," Claudia mumbled, not sounding as adamant as she did pleading.
"I know you don't want to, but we need to get these cuts stitched up."
"W-What about V-Vanessa?"
"She's at the Warehouse. Do you want to go to her instead?"
The young redhead nodded.
"Okay. I'm going to get a first-aid kit and bandage you up, okay?"
When Myka returned a moment later, Claudia was laying still on hardwood floor.
"Claude?"
The girl gave no response.
"Claude, can you hear me?"
Myka's fingers moved beneath Claudia's jaw, trying to find her pulse. She found it, and it was beating rapidly.
"No, no, no. Come on, Claude, stay with me."
Pulling gauze pads and bandages from the first-aid kit, she quickly wrapped up Claudia's forearms. Her goal was to hold the young woman over until they could get to Vanessa. Although Claudia didn't weigh much, Myka still struggled to pick up the young woman, carry her down the stairs, and out to the car. Once Myka had set Claudia in the passenger seat and secured the seat belt, Myka slid into her own seat and started the car. She didn't waste time throwing the car into drive and flying off to the Warehouse.
Myka dug around in the center console, trying to find her Farnsworth. Her fingers finally touched metal, and she immediately grasped the small machine. She alternated looking at the screen and watching the road, somehow managing to get Vanessa's signal right the first time. She hit the button and waited for Vanessa to answer.
"Oh, hello Myka."
"Hey, Vanessa, I need you to prep the medical room."
"Okay, and why is that?"
"It's Claudia. She... she cut herself. It's bad, and she definitely needs stitches. She fell unconscious a few minutes ago. She has a very rapid pulse and she's breathing quickly, so I think she may be in shock from blood loss. There was... was a lot of blood."
Vanessa's face fell. "Will she need a transfusion?"
"Maybe. Can the Warehouse do that?"
"Yes. Just get here as soon as possible."
"I will. We're about five minutes out."
"I'll have the medical room prepped."
"Okay."
Myka flipped the Farnsworth shut, continuing to race toward the Warehouse, checking Claudia's respiration and pulse as she went. When Myka glanced over at the girl again a few minutes later, blood was seeping through the bandages. Myka drew in a breath and pushed down harder on the accelerator.
Have no fear! I'm posting the next chapter right along with this one, so you don't have to wait.
