Warehouse 13
High School AU
Eventual Bering and Wells
TW: Mentions past abuse

This is a really long chapter, about 2,000 words longer than the last. Hope you're up for it.
Shoutout to Massivenerdywarehouse on tumblr for betaing

Chapter Ten

Myka was pleased to discover that Pete was right. While she wasn't amazing, she didn't utterly suck either. She could at least keep up with the others.

They played for nearly an hour before Pete's stomach protested loudly. He declared it 'food time' and marched to the kitchen. By the time the girls reacted and followed him, he had already covered the counter in bags of chips and packs of cookies.

"Ya know," Claudia said. "I don't think there's quite enough."

"You think?" Pete questioned.

"No," Myka said. She picked up a case of Oreos and crinkled her nose. "Do you know what's in this stuff?"

"Don't care," he drawled as he took the cookies from her. "Is there anything you actually eat?"

"Real food."

Pete scoffed. "There's fruit in the fridge... I think."

Myka rolled her eyes and opened the fridge. Leena walked up behind her and they both started to search.

"Second to bottom drawer," Pete absently told them as he and Claudia gathered up the food on the counter.

"Just hurry up so we can watch a movie," Claudia said as they walked back into the living room.

"That food is going to kill them one day," Myka muttered.

"They'll be fine," Leena chuckled.

Myka huffed and passed Leena a bag of apples. "You want some pears or…mangos? They have mangos. Who has mangos?"

"Just bring it all, they may eat it if it's there."

Myka cocked her head to the side and pulled the rest of the fruit from the fridge. "You really think that'll work?"

Leena shrugged as she took the food. "Maybe."

They walked back to the living room to find Pete and Claudia already digging into their food.

"You two are missing out," Claudia said through a mouthful of Doritos.

Leena smiled at her as she put the fruit in her arms on the table, grabbed a bag of Ruffles, and settled on the couch next to Claudia.

Pete raised another bag out for Myka. She just rolled her eyes, took a few apples and returned to the armchair. He shrugged and sat on the floor so he was facing them.

"What do you wanna do now?" Leena asked.

Pete turned to Myka. "No more studying."

She narrowed her eyes but relented. She reached down to the floor and picked up her book.

"And no reading for you, either," he continued.

"Why not?"

"Cause you gotta socialize."

"I just played a video game with you for an hour."

"C'mon, Myka," Claudia cut in.

Myka groaned and put the book back down. "Fine."

"Oh, so you'll do it for her," Pete teased.

"Don't push me, Lattimer," Myka said, jabbing her finger in his direction.

He raised his hands in surrender, then pointed at all of them.

"Alright, middle names," he said.

"What?" Claudia questioned.

"Middle names, what are they?" he pressed.

"Why?" Myka asked.

He shrugged. "Does it matter why?"

"Glenn," Claudia blurted.

Pete's head fell to the side. "Glenn. Claudia Glenn Donovan. It works."

"I'm guessing that's why my parents chose it."

He dipped his head in acknowledgement and turned to the other two. "C'mon, giv'em up."

"I don't have a middle name," Leena said.

"Me neither," Myka quickly added.

Pete pointed at her. "You are lying."

"I am not."

"It starts with an O," Claudia cut in.

Myka stared at her. "How do you know that?"

Claudia just shrugged.

"O…O…O," Pete muttered. "Olivia?"

"What? No."

"Olive? Olive…Oil?"

"No, stop it."

"C'mon," he whined.

"No. How bout we watch a movie?"

"That sounds like a good idea," Leena said. "What do you have?"

"They're in the cabinets," Pete said as he stood up. "This isn't over," he told Myka.

"It is," she replied.

"You wish, Olga."

Her nose crinkled. "Olga? Really."

"It's not like there are many O names."

She rolled her eyes. "Go pick a movie."

She leaned back into the armchair as he went to join Claudia and Leena.

It was odd how something as small and unimportant as a middle name made her stop and think. Nobody had ever cared about her middle name before.

"Hey, Myka, Nightmare on Elm Street?" Pete asked.

"Whatever you guys want."

"You're not gunna get scared?"

She scoffed. "I'll be fine."

Pete shrugged and walked to the TV to put the movie in. He quickly set it up and returned to his spot on the floor. He leaned back against the couch and started the movie.

Freddy was in the middle of killing the first girl – the one who went off to have sex, naturally – when Myka slid off of the chair. She grabbed a pillow from the couch and clenched it to her chest as she scooted to Pete's side.

"I thought you said you weren't gunna get scared," he whispered.

"Shut up," she hissed. She buried her face in the pillow as the girl was dragged up the wall. Pete didn't say anything else when her hand found his and squeezed tightly.

-oOo-

Jane figured that she was going to find Pete and Myka passed out quite often now that they were friends.

Still, she hadn't expected to come home to a house full of sleeping teenagers. At least she had known the girls were in the house this time, and they were in the living room, not Pete's room.

She leaned against the entrance to the room and watched them for a moment.

Leena and Claudia were sleeping on the couch. Leena was against the far armrest. One of her legs was stretched along the extended cushion while the other hung to the floor. Claudia had pushed between Leena and the back of the couch. She was curled up with one hand fisting part of Leena's shirt.

Pete and Myka were on the floor beneath them. Pete was reclining on the couch, drool rolling down the side of his chin. Myka was curled with her back against the couch, head resting on a pillow just inches from Pete, and a blanket draped over her.

The room was flashing with light from the TV. Jane stepped into the room and glanced towards the device. The menu screen from Lion King was playing, muted, on the screen.

She walked towards Pete and nudged his foot with hers.

"Pete," she said. He mumbled slightly. "Pete," she repeated, louder and with a harder nudge.

He jolted awake with a gasping "I don't believe in you." Breathing heavy, he looked around until he saw her. His body relaxed. "Mom. You I believe in."

"Well, that's good," she deadpanned. "You need to wake them up." She jerked her head towards the girls.

Pete looked around, confused. "Why?"

"They need to call their parents to ask if they can stay the night. It's almost curfew and I would prefer them not out in this weather."

"What weather?"

The flash of lightning and accompanying thunder answered for her.

"Gotcha."

He got to his feet and stretched as Jane walked to the kitchen. He regarded the three girls, then started to shake Leena's leg.

She woke easily and gave him a questioning look.

"My mom wants you all to call you parents. It's getting late and it's storming, so she thinks it's best if we turn this into a sleepover." He rubbed some sleep from his eye as he yawned through the last few words.

Leena looked at the clock and nodded. "I'll wake Claudia if you wake Myka."

Pete grinned.

"Nicely," Leena quickly added.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he muttered as he crouched next to Myka.

Leena watched him for a moment, and then focused on Claudia. She shifted slightly, trying to move so Claudia wasn't burrowed behind her. Claudia just moved with her and tightened her grip around Leena's shirt.

Leena took a deep breath and focused. The colors around Claudia became clear. Thick tendrils of black marred the darkening colors.

Claudia mumbled under her breath then whined slightly. The colors around her faded as Leena's focus vanished.

Instead, Leena quickly shook Claudia awake. The girl woke almost instantly and, once she regained her bearings, pushed away from Leena until she was on the other end of the couch. Her eyes were wide and her face pale with what looked like fear.

Before Leena could question her, however, a yelp from the floor distracted them. Pete, having either ignored Leena's suggestion or gotten bored of it, had pulled the pillow from beneath Myka's head.

"I swear," Myka growled as she stood up. "I will drop a dictionary on your crotch so many times you won't work properly down there."

"I would prefer you didn't," Jane said from the entrance to the kitchen. Her voice was full of amusement at the pained look on Pete's face. "I would like grandkids one day."

Myka blanched and turned to her.

"Mrs. Lattimer," she stammered. "I didn't…I mean…I just…"

"It's alright," Jane cut her off. "Do any of you need to use the landline?"

"For what?" Myka asked.

"To call your parents?"

Myka raised an eyebrow.

"I didn't explain yet, Mom," Pete said.

"OF course not," Jane replied. "It's raining rather hard right now, and I would feel better if you three stayed here instead of driving home."

Myka grimaced slightly. "I'll need to use the phone," she said.

Jane nodded and gestured for her to follow. Pete tried to follow as well after a few moments, but his mother cut him off as she left the kitchen.

"We need to gather pillows to bring down here," she explained.

He scowled, but went upstairs. Jane turned to Claudia and Leena.

"Will either of you two need the land line?" she asked.

"No, thank you," Leena replied while Claudia just shook her head.

Jane nodded and followed Pete's path.

"Imma go use the bathroom," Claudia muttered before fleeing.

-oOo-

Myka lightly kicked the wall as she listened to the voice. Her fingers twisted in the phone cord and she briefly wondered why the Lattimer's had a corded phone before she decided it was most likely Pete's fault.

"She doesn't want us on the road in this storm," she said again, hoping it would finally stick. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth and slumped against the wall. "It's really bad in this part of town, the roads aren't safe."

She held her breath as she waited for the lie to be accepted. Sure, it wasn't a total lie – Mrs. Lattimer wouldn't let them leave if it was dangerous – but she was smudging what truth she did know, and not for the first time lately. She couldn't let herself fall into that habit.

A small smile crossed her face as she received an affirmative answer. She said good-bye and hung the phone up, making sure the cord hung straight as she did so.

She walked back into the living room, where Pete and Leena were setting up some pillows. She hovered in the entrance until Pete noticed her.

"So?" he pushed.

She smiled and nodded. "I'm allowed to stay."

Pete cheered.

-oOo-

Claudia slipped her phone into her pocket as the cheer came from the other room. That most likely meant Myka would be staying, which made all of them.

She rested her hands on the edge of the sink and leaned heavily on them. She bowed her head and tried to forget the conversation she had just had.

They hadn't even noticed that she wasn't there and hadn't even thought about her trying to get back in the storm. They hadn't even put her number in their cell phones yet. The mom hadn't answered because she 'doesn't pick up for strange numbers after eight pm.'

Claudia screwed her eyes closed and counted how long each breath she took was.

One Mississippi in. One Mississippi out. One Mississippi in. One Mississippi out.

It could be worse, she reminded herself, she could still be at her last house.

She forced her mind away from her bad luck with houses. She was going to spend the night with people she already kinda considered friends.

And Leena.

Her hand still tingled from the way Leena had squeezed it when Claudia had searched for comfort against the movie. She could still feel Leena's arm around her from when she had given into her weakness and hidden. Then she had woken to find herself still curled against Leena, the older girl's everything intense in her senses.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

It was like Diana all over again.

Why did she always have to do this? She was going to fuck everything up again.

All because she couldn't be normal.

Anger coursed through her and she pushed away from the sink. She would just have to try harder.

If she couldn't be normal, she could at least act normal.

Setting her resolve, she left the bathroom and returned to the living room.

Everyone was already gathered again. Myka had returned to her book. Pete was going through the DVDs. Leena was on the couch, going through her phone. She looked up when Claudia entered the room.

"Are you staying?" she asked. Pete flipped around and Myka glanced up.

"Um, yeah, I am."

Pete whooped. Claudia ignored how Leena's smile and the knowledge that she had put it there made her stomach flip. She sat on the couch, curling up against the arm rest and staying as far from Leena as possible.

"So, truth or dare?" Pete asked, rubbing his hands together.

"Really, clichéd much?" Myka scoffed.

"What?" he questioned. "It's classic and you're reading again."

She shrugged. He stepped towards her and made a swipe for the book. She glared at him as she pressed the book to her chest.

"Stop!"

"C'mon," he whined. "You can't read all night."

"Not with you constantly interrupting me, I can't."

"We're having a sleepover; you can't read during a sleepover."

"Watch me."

"Ugggg, Myka."

"At least let me finish this part. It's my favorite."

"Your fav… You've already read this?"

A look of incredulity crossed her face. "Yeah."

He threw his head back and spun around, hands in the air.

"I give up." He turned to the couch. "What do you two wanna do?"

"We could just watch TV," Claudia mumbled.

Pete groaned. "You are all soooo boring." He grabbed the remote, then flopped onto the couch between Claudia and Leena. He turned the TV on and started to scroll through the guide. "Any requests?"

He rolled his eyes when none of them answered.

"Fine, I'll chose," he said in an exaggerated whine.

He quickly navigated through menus until he found something.

"What is this?" Leena asked.

"Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.," he told her. "It branched off from The Avengers."

"Is that Coulson?" Claudia asked.

"Yup."

"He died."

"Yup."

-oOo-

"Here ya go," Pete said as he walked back into the room, a pile of clothes in his arms. He put the clothes onto the table then tossed a shirt and sweatpants to each of the girls. He had gone upstairs to get the clothes after his mom had come down and told them to go to sleep.

Myka raised her eyebrows when she looked at the shirt she had gotten. It was the wrestling one she had worn her last night at Pete's. Pete watched her until she rolled her eyes and the edge of her mouth quirked up slightly.

"So," he drawled. "You can all either use the bathrooms and my room to change and I'll get stuff out for sundaes, or you can all just change in here and …"

"Go, Pete," Myka cut him off.

He stuck his tongue out and walked to the kitchen.

"Taking turns in the bathroom?" Claudia said.

"Or we could just all go up to Pete's room," Myka suggested.

"You know where his room is?" Claudia questioned.

Myka jerked her head noncommittally.

"You sure you two really aren't together?"

Myka's eyes narrowed and she glared at Claudia. "You can use the bathroom if you're going to keep bringing that up."

Claudia just shrugged and left the room. Myka turned to Leena as the bathroom door closed.

"You gunna wait for her to finish in there or come upstairs?" she asked.

"We may as well just go upstairs," Leena said.

Myka led her to Pete's room, the state of which made both of their noses crinkle.

"No wonder this wasn't on his tour," Myka mumbled.

Leena chuckled slightly. "Let's just change quickly and get back downstairs."

Myka nodded.

They were back downstairs within five minutes.

They found Pete and Claudia in the kitchen. Pete was already scooping his ice cream on the island in the middle of the kitchen, moving with an ease that made it obvious he had made the same exact sundae before.

Claudia was watching from her perch on the island and taking bites from an already finished sundae.

"Took you two long enough," Pete said when they walked in. Leena, arms crossed, stood across from where Claudia sat while Myka leaned on the table next to her.

Claudia twisted around to look at them. "The man's got an endless selection of ice cream," she said.

"We see that," Leena said as she grabbed a tub and inspected it.

"What are you two waiting for?" Pete asked Claudia and Leena. He passed them both a bowl and spoon then grabbed the whipped cream and finished his own creation.

"Do you have butter pecan?" Myka asked.

Pete wordlessly slid the tub to her. She and Leena quickly worked. Pete put away everything once they were done using it, claiming that his mom would kill him if he let the stuff go bad.

"Who's sleeping where?" Myka asked as she reached across the island to grab the jar of caramel.

"'E uld uss hame aces."

"How do you not spit food everywhere when you do that?" Claudia asked. Her nose crinkled in disgust.

"Ad hills."

"Those are not mad skills," Myka said.

Pete swallowed and grinned. "You're just jealous you can't do it."

"Actually, I have the decency to not talk to people with my mouth full."

He gave a half shrug and took another bite.

"Could you answer the question again?" Claudia asked. "After you swallow," she quickly added when he went to answer.

He quickly swallowed then scrunched his face up in pain. The girls laughed as he pressed his palms to his forehead.

"You can all sleep in the garage," he muttered.

"Nope," Claudia laughed as she hopped off of the island and left the kitchen. Leena and Myka followed her out.

Pete grumbled as he finished putting the food away, replenishing his bowl as he went. When he finally returned to the living room they were set up. Leena was in the corner of the couch she had been in all night while Claudia had moved to claim the armchair and had discovered the lever that made it lay out. Myka had set up a pseudo-bed on the floor using some blankets. There was another pile of blankets laid out next to her, which he flopped down on.

-oOo-

"You're in the foster system?" Pete exclaimed.

Claudia gave a halfhearted shrug. She stared into her bowl as she dragged her spoon through the thin film of ice cream and chocolate sauce that remained. She could feel them watching her, their pitying looks sending tingles across her skin.

"But you seem so…I dunno…" he trailed off as he failed to find the word.

"Pete," Myka hissed.

He turned to her with a questioning look. She shook her head and mouthed 'don't'.

"It's okay," Claudia mumbled. "I'm used to it."

"So who do you live with?" Pete continued, ignoring Myka's glare.

"The Smollers."

Myka's head snapped towards her. "Kurt Smoller?"

"Yeah."

"Maybe it's time for us to actually go to sleep," Leena cut in. Her eyes were soft as she looked back and forth between Myka and Claudia.

"Yes, let's do that," Pete quickly agreed.

Claudia silently nodded, put her bowl on the floor, and curled up, facing away from them.

Myka watched her for a few moments then turned to Pete. He gave her a lopsided smile and lay down. She took a deep breath and lay down as well.

-oOo-

She stared up at the ceiling as her mind raced.

Was Claudia in danger? Myka knew Kurt could be violent but would he go after Claudia? He seemed pretty fixated on Myka, but if he found out that she knew Claudia…

She lifted an arm and pressed it over her eyes.

It was one thing to have him threatening her. To possibly have Claudia involved as well was something entirely different.

She took her arm off of her eyes and felt around the floor next to her head until she found her glasses. She closed her eyes and just held her glasses for a moment.

The room sounded of sleep. Three rhythms wove in and out of each other. Leena's deep breathing, calming and slow. Claudia's quicker breathes that squeaked slightly. Pete's non-stop snoring right next to her ear.

She didn't know how long they had been asleep but her thoughts prevented her from joining them.

With a soft sigh, she put her glasses on and opened her eyes. Slowly, she stood, arms outstretched slightly to hold her balance as her body adjusted to standing. Once she was sure she wasn't going to fall, she left the room.

She didn't notice the eyes that opened as she went.

-oOo-

Myka connected the stars, drawing line after line until the image was clear.

Scorpio hung low in the sky, just visible between the house directly behind Pete's and the next one over. She sat on the edge of the porch table. She leaned back, her palms flat on the wood.

She breathed in the night air and exhaled a puff of vapor. She shivered as cold wind blew through the yard. She had left the house a while ago, but was unwilling to go back inside just yet.

Sitting beneath the stars her issues – her dad; Kurt; truly accepting that Pete was there – didn't seem as suffocating as they usually did.

"Blanket?"

Myka jumped at the voice. She spun around, hand pressed to her chest. Pete was standing behind her, between the table she was perched on and the house. He was holding out a blanket.

"Don't do that," she gasped.

"Do what?" he questioned.

"Sneak up on me."

"Sorry."

She watched him for a moment then turned back around. Her legs swung in the air and her hair whipped in front of her face. This time, she heard Pete's steps as he walked towards her. He appeared in her peripheral and jumped onto the table edge next to her. He handed the blanket to her.

"Thanks," she mumbled as she draped the fabric around her shoulders. She inspected the fabric for a moment, then turned back to the sky.

"You gunna tell me why you're out here?"

"Do I have to?"

"Nah, but I thought you might want to."

"Have I ever talked freely?"

"Course not. That would be very un-Myka-like."

The corners of her mouth quirked and she shook her head with humor.

"See, that's Myka-like."

She didn't answer. She tightened the blanket around her as a slightly harder gust of wind hit them. He watched her for a moment, then looked up at the stars.

"Myka-like silence it is then," Pete mumbled.

She ignored him and searched for other images she might recognize. Orion jumped out at her, as did the Big Dipper, but nothing else did. She had given up all interest in astronomy after the star sticker incident.

The warmth of Pete next to her dug into her thoughts. She swallowed thickly then took a deep breath. She had no idea why he had decided to leave the warmth of the house to sit with her in his backyard.

"My dad and I," Pete suddenly said, his voice low. "We used to camp in our backyard. We lived in North Canton, Ohio back then. I think it was a little bigger than this place and ya'know, not three hours from nowhere. The stars weren't as clear there, but we would lie back in the grass and he taught me everything he knew about them."

Myka turned her head slightly as he raised an arm and pointed at the sky. His finger moved slightly, as if tracing lines.

"He taught me every constellation, every star that was named. He even taught me how to navigate by the stars." His arm dropped and he sighed heavily. "It's been ages since I've really looked at them."

"What happened to him?" Myka slowly asked. It was relatively known that his dad's death was one of the reasons his family had moved to Jefferson.

His gaze stayed firmly on the sky. "He was a firefighter. He just didn't make it out one day."

Myka turned back to the stars. She made her own pictures as the thoughts ran through her head. Did she really have any right to turn to Pete when hiding from her father? At least she still had her father.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

Pete blinked. He had heard hundreds of apologizes in relation to his dad's death, but none that sounded like that. He looked at Myka. Her face was shadowed but her breathing was heavy through her nose.

"For what?" he pushed.

"Your dad," she instantly replied.

"Myka," he sighed. "For what?"

She shrugged.

"I'm not going to drop this."

Her shoulders slumped and she let out a puff of air. "Please, Pete," she pleaded.

He lifted his leg onto the table and folded it as he turned so his body was facing her. "For what?"

She shook her head slightly. Her voice was thick and he could hear her fighting to keep it steady. "At least I have a dad."

He stilled for a moment, then violently shook his head. "Don't you ever think that," he growled. "Ever."

Her head snapped towards him. Her face, half illuminated by the porch light, was shocked.

"Whatever you're thinking, stop," he told her. "You do not have it better because you have a dad; not when your dad…" he trailed off and ran a hand through his hair.

"It's not as bad as you seem to think it is," she mumbled, head lowered.

He took a deep breath. "I'm scared for you, Myka," he slowly admitted. "Like, legitly scared."

"You don't have to be."

"But I am. I have no idea what he could be doing to you when you're over there."

"He's not doing much now."

"And the only reason I know that is because you haven't shown up at my window again and you never show up to school covered in bruises."

"He's too smart to leave bruises that can be seen at school." She winced as soon as the words left her mouth. She turned back so her face was shadowed again.

"But he does leave bruises?"

She shook her head. "No."

"You just said he did! How can you stay there when he hurts you?"

"He doesn't hurt me. Not anymore, Pete."

"Anymore? He used to?"

"Pete, please drop it."

"No, Mykes. He hurt you. Physically hurt you."

"In the past."

"That doesn't make it okay. What if…" He covered his hand with his mouth. "You didn't fall down the stairs last year, did you?"

She shrunk into herself. "I did," she whispered.

"What, did he push you?"

"No. I tripped, it was my fault."

"Myka."

She turned back to him. Tears were slowly moving down her face. "I tripped," she repeated. "I was trying to get away from him and tripped, alright?"

"No, it's not alright."

Her eyes widened slightly. She looked down at the ground. "It was my fault," she said. "If I hadn't pissed him off… If I hadn't lost my footing…"

"If he hadn't been trying to hurt you in the first place," Pete cut in.

She let out a gasping sob and shook her head. "It was my fault," she insisted.

"No, it wasn't." He kept his voice low and gentle. "None of it is your fault."

Her jaw trembled and she sniffled slightly.

"C'mere," he whispered, spreading his arms out.

She froze for a moment, then leaned into him. He wrapped his arms around her as one of her hands reached out of the blanket and gripped his hoodie.

Her sobs were silent as they shook her body. He clenched his jaw at the thought of her alone in her room, curled up and silent, hoping nobody would notice her tears.

Myka's rational thought vanished as she cried against Pete. Instead, her mind kept reliving the moment she had lost her step. She had been weightless for a moment. She had been free for a moment. Then everything had come crashing down.

Literally.

She had slipped on the third step from the top and fallen all the way down. Her dad had refused to call an ambulance and had instead waited for her mom to get home with the car two hours later. She had come home from the hospital to find a new lock on her door, one that was only operable from inside the room – the only thing she could remember her mother doing to stop her father – and the irrational need to use both feet on that step.

She twisted her hand tighter around Pete's shirt. He responded by tightening his arms around her.

Her tears fell freely, creating two wet spots in his hoodie. She gasped for air and tightened her hold even more.

He was there. He wasn't a stuffed bear with worn fur and a missing eye. He wasn't the creation of another's mind found in the paper and ink of a book.

He was real and human and there for her.

Slowly, her sobs began to recede. Her tears slowed and her shaking stopped.

"Pete," she whispered when she finally calmed down enough to talk.

"Hmm?" She felt the vibrations move through his chest with the hum.

"You're never gunna leave me, right?"

"Never. I promise."

"Really?"

One of his arms let go of her and slipped between their bodies. She let out a stray sob as his pinkie hooked around hers. "Pinkie promise."