A/N: KNOCK KNOCK. Here we go again. So, this is basically what happened at the Donovan household with Claudia and Artie while Irene had her fun with the Regents. As always, I hope you'll like it.

KTF CLM

12.09.1999, The Donovan Household. Parallel to the Regent Meeting

After Mrs. Frederic had left and the ambulance had taken Claire with them, Artie was alone with Claudia.

He slowly knelt down in front of the kid. The man hesitated. He had no idea how far she understood everything that was happening around her. But the most important thing for was to get the artifact now.

"Hello. I'm Artie. I'm here to... "

"You're here to get the box."

Her statement surprised the agent. How could she know that? Did it have something to do with his boss's interest in her? He knew that the chances to get a helpful answer from a seven year old freshly orphaned girl were pretty much low to nothing. But he at least had to ask.

"How do you know that I want a box?"

The tiny brunette shook her head.

"You don't just want a box. You want Claire's music box. The one that caused all of this. That's why you're here. I just know it."

The agent could barely believe how easily she could say all of this. It was like she did this every day. She seemed to think of artifacts like air, water and food.

"Let's say I've got what you want. Could you help Clary if you had it?"

Her question sounded almost as if she was trying to deal with him. A pact: The artifact for her sister's life.

She crossed her small arms in front of her chest, impatiently waiting for his answer.

"That's how it usually works. We neutralize the artifact and the effects disappear. I can't change what already happened. But I could help your sister."

The girl gave a quick nod, then she ran upstairs. He hesitantly followed her. By the time he reached her room, she was already pulling the crates out from under her bed. He thought about helping her, but he figured she wouldn't want him to touch her things.

The man had a lot of questions for and about the girl. He had no idea how far she actually knew the answers. Or how far Mrs. Frederic or the Regents knew them. But he knew that he had to start somewhere.

"Why did you even hide the box?"

"Because it is bad. Clary didn't notice what it did to her."

"But you did?"

"I can feel it. I felt that it wasn't good for us from the very first day she picked it up."

He thought about her words for a moment. How much could and should he tell her? And how would he say it the most comfortable way for the kid?

He nervously cleared his throat. "You know. That's very rare. I only know one other person who can do that."

She nodded, still moving the crates. "I know that too. The woman you came here with, Irene. She didn't tell me. But her presence felt slightly similar to the presence of that stupid box."

She stopped to look at him. "You're not talking to children very often, do you?"

That child kept surprising him with her questions. He cautiously shook his head. "N...no. Not really. Can you feel that too?"

She shrugged. "Everybody with a low level knowledge in psychology or even everyone who's ever been in therapy could see that. But it's okay. I'm not talking much to children either. I'm rather talking with people who understand what I'm saying. You don't have to try to talk childproof or something. I'm not just some kid."

He had to smile a bit. He didn't know many people of her age. But he was pretty sure that she was a special kid.

"No, you're definitely not."

He wasn't usually a child person, but this one had something. She almost made him forget that she even was a kid. She seemed to be more like a little adult.

While he was deep in his thoughts, the tiny brunette had made her way to the wanted object. She pulled it into the light of the day and looked at it with an expression that could described as a it's-all-your-fault face.

Claudia slowly placed it on her bed and took two steps back.

"Take it."

Artie snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her, then the box.

"Take it and do whatever is necessary to save my sister."

She had said it in a matter of fact, strict and straight forward. But even though he wasn't good with social stuff he could see the fear in her eyes.

She pretended that she was fine. That she already moved on, started a new chapter of her young life. But deep down Artie knew that she didn't. How could she?

He opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again shortly afterwards, deciding there was nothing to say right now. He stepped forward while he pulled out his purple gloves.

The girl watched the scene with curiosity. The gloves. The shiny bag he took out next. How he pulled the gloves over his hands.

The man looked up and found her staring at his hands. There was no question that she was observing what he was doing. It looked like she mentally wrote down everything that he did. She was trying to learn the neutralizing process of an artifact.

He hesitated. Should she know all of this? Should a seven year old girl study the job of a Warehouse agent? Would she be a Warehouse agent one day? Or maybe even more?

Was this the first time she saw this? Would it be the last?

Suddenly he noticed that her eyes found his, silently asking him to continue. To continue teaching her something she shouldn't even see. Shouldn't even believe.

The agent quickly took the box and dropped it into the neutralizer bag. There were a lot of bright sparks. Claudia thought it looked like a little firework.

Watching the stranger's work in awe, the child found herself calm.

He was helping people. He was doing a dangerous and complicated job. A job that fascinated her like nothing else ever did.

She wanted to help people too. She wanted to save victims of things like the one her sister brought home. She didn't want this to happen to people. And she felt that she could do something against it.

She wanted to be a Warehouse agent.