It had taken Artie far longer than he would have preferred to get to a sufficient level of health.

(It had taken even longer for everyone to ease up on the mother-henning).

Pete was always popping out of nowhere to help with anything for days after the agent had been cleared for work.

Myka kept a sharp eye on him - and would be doing so for weeks - long before he'd taken his first step out of bed.

Leena and Vanessa combined forces to make sure he wasn't sneaking any sort of treats into his diet. And even roped Myka into helping their efforts by having random food inspections of his pockets and office drawers.

(Pete had only tried to help him once with said inspections, and they would never speak of the incidence again).

Claudia found any and every excuse to trail after him. Inventory suddenly became something she loved to do - but only if he were also doing inventory. And, instead of pushing him away to make new friends in Univille or to go to concerts, he found himself being asked to come along on many of her more laid back adventures.

Now, when Mrs. Frederic had shown up in the Warehouse without a reason, that's when he realized that they all were actually afraid of him having some sort of relapse.

...

"Okay. Why don't I explain what the violin did and why it's not going to happen again?"

They froze like skunks caught in the garage, and he really had to resist the urge to chuckle at this.

"Well, it seemed like the artifact was coma-inducing." Myka started, but soon faltered. He smiled at this, letting her have a few more moments to add any additional thoughts.

He would never admit it aloud, but once he realized the extent of the artifact's influence... he had been horrified at how close he'd been to dea- to not always being around. While death and insanity always haunted the doorstep of the Warehouse, it was still shocking to be moments away from it.

And so, he researched the artifact. He dug further into that particular violin's history than even he normally would have. Much to his frustration, there wasn't much recorded - at least, much from the agents who originally retrieved it.

Nonetheless, discovering that knowledge was probably one of the main reasons he was able to calmly speak about the subject today.

"Any other theories?"

He gave them another few moments, before a faint smile appeared. Ah, yes, it was time for another teachable moment.

"For once, I won't bore you with the details of the history," The typical sarcastic response didn't come, but the lack of it didn't give him reason to pause. "Essentially, whoever touched the violin would have their energy drained to a point where they passed away. In this last case, it induced a coma. Sometimes it didn't. In fact, there had been one case in Cremona, Italy - a place known for violin-making, in fact - around 1854-"

"And, thank you, Professor Nielsen. I do believe you said you weren't going to bore us today?" But the snark was lacking any real bite.

"Moving on to why it's not going to happen again," Artie continued on, as though uninterrupted. "We have now all learned not to underestimate that section of the Warehouse. In fact," He paused, knowing what he was going to say next was going to surprise them. Hell, it had surprised him when he first thought of it.

"I had some ideas for constructing earplugs that neutralize artifact vibrations and therefore the effects. It's a little dangerous to try to use Neutralizer in such a fashion, but it may have its uses - if we can reduce the potential risks. If that is possible, then when we have to take inventory of that section again, the music won't have such a strong effect - if any." Claudia perked up at this, about to speak again.

"And, yes, I would appreciate your help on this, kiddo." She beamed.

…

Months later, and that whole episode seemed to be behind them.

Oh, the diet still remained - much to Artie's clear frustration.

And, the worried glances sometimes poked their way into a scene or two.

And, yes, there was still the occasional "let's treat Artie like he's glass" moment.

But, at least-

"Achoo!"

He sniffled, hardly believing his luck. It was one of the rare moments where he was actually alone in the office that he sneezed.

Now, Artie knew that sneezing was going to be making an unfortunate comeback over the course of the next few days. Especially because, even though it was not the flu, it wasn't "just allergies".

And he also knew that he'd eventually be firmly ushered out of the Warehouse if he didn't willingly walk out first.

He waited another moment, before allowing a sigh of relief to escape into the air. Nobody had been in earshot, there was no immediate concern that he'd have to deal with. All was actually well for once.

"I presume you will be calling it an early day, Arthur?" Artie did not shriek or jolt in his chair, as much as he may have wanted to.

How does she do that?

She was still waiting for a response.

"Well, actually-"

He sneezed again.

And then proceeded to sigh in defeat.

"I'm glad to hear it."

Fin

….

A/N: This was definitely a fun little treat to put together. I hope you've all enjoyed the adventure. Have a nice day!