Steve barely had time to drop his bags when he entered the B&B before a squealing blur of blue and pink hurtled down the entry hall towards him and launched into his arms.
"Uncle Jinks!" Scout shrieked, wrapping her arms Steve's neck. "You came back!"
"Hey, short stuff," Steve chuckled, reaching up to straighten the fluffy cat ears that had been knocked askew by Scout's enthusiasm. Scout grinned at him as she giggled. Steve raised an eyebrow at her.
"What's with this 'Uncle Jinks' nonsense?" he questioned. "What happened to 'Steeb'?"
"Uncle Jinks, I'm four and a half now," Scout informed him authoritatively. "I'm not a baby anymore."
"Jinks, Jinks, Jinks!"
It was a cacophony of sound as the Lattimer twins chanted Steve's name as they barrelled down the hallway. Steve couldn't help but laugh as George and Holden latched onto his ankles.
"Aw come on!" he laughed teasingly. "Not them too!"
"Guys, at least let him through the door!" Pete called as he appeared, trailing behind his children. The smile on his face was a mile wide.
"Welcome home buddy!" he grinned. Steve had to set Scout down with her brothers so that he could accept Pete's welcoming hug. Steve couldn't deny the elated feeling that flowed through him as he stood surrounded by Lattimers. He'd tried to fight it the entire time he'd been away, but the B&B, and the Warehouse, was home.
"So you finally talked Myka into marrying you," Steve joked, warmed all over by the way that Pete's eyes lit up.
"I knew if I got her pregnant enough times, she'd finally give in," Pete quipped cheekily. "And now you're back, which is awesome, because I am in need of a best man."
"What, me?" Steve asked in shock, watching as the Lattimer kids, clearly bored with the adult conversation, thundered off into the living room. "Shouldn't that be Artie's job?"
"Artie's performing the ceremony," Pete grinned. "We're having a Warehouse wedding." He wrapped an arm around Steve's shoulders to steer him the way that the kids had headed off.
"Well, as long as you're sure," Steve said, and Pete gave him a playful punch on the arm as he nodded. Feeling his face flush with pride, Steve surveyed the living room, bedecked in Christmas decorations, and his eyes fell on Myka, who was adjusting ornaments on the tree that stood in the corner. When she turned to the side to survey her work, pressing a finger to her lips, Steve was able to observe in her profile the already generous curve of her current pregnancy, and he also caught the glint of the engagement ring that rested on her fourth finger. Myka must have felt Steve's eyes studying her, because she turned her head to meet his gaze, and an elated smile immediately lit up her features. The enthusiastic hug that she gave Steve was almost as unbridled as the ones he'd received from her children.
"You're back," she murmured warmly, resting her hands on Steve's cheeks. Steve flicked his eyes towards Myka's rounded stomach, and gave her a rueful look.
"Tell me you didn't do this on purpose," he challenged her playfully, and Myka rolled her eyes as she took a step back.
"Definitely not planned," she muttered, a wry grin plastered on her face as she glanced over to where Pete was dancing with his children to Chipmunk Christmas carols. "Then again, when has anything in my life with Pete gone to plan?"
Steve chuckled under his breath as he glanced around the room. He had just opened his mouth to enquire after Claudia when a young woman stumbled out of the kitchen, a streak of flour smeared across her pretty Asian features.
"Myka, I just finished making the chocolate tarts, but I think..." the girl trailed off as her eyes fell on Steve, and her eyes widened.
"Oh my God, it's you!" she squeaked, letting out a strangled giggle. Steve turned to raise an eyebrow at Myka, who gave him a bemused smirk in reply.
"Steve, this is Melody Kwan," Myka said, gesturing towards the young agent, who seemed to suddenly be aware of the flour on her face, and was scrubbing at her cheek with her sleeve. "Melody's our newest agent. She's done a lot of research on you."
"On all of the agents, really," Melody spoke at a million words a minute, and she tripped over a pile of discarded toys as she stepped forward to greet Steve. Steve put out a hand to steady her, and Melody blushed as she found her footing.
"It's nice to meet you," she murmured dumbly, and Steve offered her an amused grin.
"Melody, why don't you go clean up?" Myka offered gently. "I'll deal with the kitchen. What's wrong with the tarts?"
"I was just wondering where I could put them so Pete doesn't eat them," Melody said sheepishly, and Myka chuffed out a laugh.
"Got it," she winked, and Melody blushed again as she scurried away. Steve watched her go, and then followed Myka into the kitchen.
"Melody's actually a very bright young woman," Myka told Steve, rummaging around in one of the kitchen cabinets and emerging with a stack of storage containers.
"Her grandfather was the curator of the National Museum of Korea," Myka continued as she started to transfer the aforementioned chocolate tarts into the containers. "She's a wealth of knowledge when it comes to Asian history, which is why the Regents were drawn to her in the first place. She's been very enthusiastic about joining the Warehouse."
"Clearly," Steve chuckled, helping Myka as she loaded her now full containers into the refrigerator, but he frowned in confusion when Myka turned to the dry erase board on the fridge door and drew on a number.
"What's that for?"
"This refrigerator is full of food for the wedding," Myka explained with a grin as she recapped her pen. "And this board shows the number of days Pete will go without sex after the wedding if he eats anything in this here. The threat seems to be holding so far."
Steve chuckled again as he slid onto a kitchen stool. Myka joined him, reaching for the open bag of Oreos on the counter. Steve glanced towards his friend.
"Where's Claudia?" He tried to make his question sound as nonchalant as possible, but he knew he'd failed miserably when Myka smirked at him.
"She's at the Warehouse," Myka informed Steve, splitting open a cookie. "Honestly, she's spent most of her time there since Colton left." She slid the cookie bag towards Steve, but he ignored the gesture as he studied Myka's face.
"Myka, are Claudia and Colton still together?" Steve asked, and Myka's eyes widened.
"She didn't tell you what happened?" she asked breathlessly, clearly startled. Steve's chest tightened at the worry that crossed Myka's face. Myka huffed out a breath.
"God, Steve, I honestly don't know if I should tell you any of this without Claudia's consent," she murmured, dropping her Oreo on the counter, appetite clearly lost.
"Ok, now you really have to tell me," Steve shot back as he sat up straight, and Myka sighed again, showing Steve the pained look in her eyes.
"You were right about Colton, Steve," Myka murmured hesitantly, chewing on her lower lip. "Claud was miserable after you left, but instead of consoling her, Colton just got mean, and it was like, without you here, Claudia lost the will to fight back. She just folded in on herself. Colton was like her keeper, and she just let him treat her like a captive. We tried to talk to her, Steve, but she shut us all out."
"And none of you thought to tell me this?" Steve asked incredulously. "Why didn't anyone call me?"
"Artie threatened to," Myka admitted, shifting uncomfortably in her seat, "and it was the one time that Claudia came out of her shell. She made it abundantly clear that you had made your choice to leave, that you'd walked away from her, and that you were not welcome back in her life. Honestly, it's been a long time since I saw her that worked up about anything."
"But I thought she wanted me gone!" Steve squeaked out, his stomach churning as tears formed in his eyes. "Honestly, she thought that I abandoned her?"
Myka had a distressed look on her face.
"Claudia would show up at the Warehouse with bruises all over her, but she'd never point the finger at Colton," Myka continued, watching as Steve's fingers curled into a fist. "She claimed clumsiness, and we knew it wasn't the case, but he clearly had her under his control. Every time she'd try to speak up, he squashed her back down. We couldn't break through." Myka paused to let out a pained breath.
"Myka," Steve pressed, and Myka slid her hands over her swollen abdomen as she turned her face towards the ceiling.
"Colton was cheating on Claudia, with any girl he could find really, and Claudia finally called him on it," Myka told Steve as she glanced at him sadly. "They started fighting in their room, but Claudia obviously tried to leave, and they ended up in the upstairs hallway. I don't know, I guess Claudia had found her confidence again, and Colton didn't like that, and he... he hit her, hard. She fell down the stairs, and hit her head hard enough to lose consciousness."
All of the colour had drained from Steve's face. He genuinely felt like he might be sick. He gripped the side of the kitchen counter as he tried to steady his breathing.
"Pete saw it happen," Myka continued, her voice wavering. "Steve, I honestly believe that he would have given Colton a beating of his own right there and then, but Claudia... Pete saw that Claudia was bleeding."
"From hitting her head?" Steve gasped out, and Myka's whole face screwed up in distress as she wrapped her arms around herself.
"She was pregnant, Steve," Myka said softly, her voice cracking. "It was only early; honestly, I'm not even sure that Claudia knew. The fall caused her to miscarry. She was in hospital for a few days."
Steve was actually wheezing and stammering. He'd gone positively pale. He pushed himself off of his stool and started pacing the kitchen.
"She... and he... and... and you!" he spluttered out. "Myka, why didn't you call me? I should have been here!"
"Steve, she was broken," Myka murmured unhappily. "What she needed was a friend, not a fighter. Once upon a time, you were the former, but the way you feel about Claud now... Claudia just wanted Colton gone, with as little fuss as possible. So we organised his transfer, and got him out of here before Claudia even got out of hospital."
Steve gave Myka a glowering glare, and Myka huffed out a breath in reply.
"Steve, believe me, we all wanted to beat the living pulp out of Colton, but what good would it have done, really?" she stressed. "Claudia's recovery was what was important, so we respected her wishes."
"Which meant not telling me," Steve grunted dejectedly. Myka slid off her stool, hand still absently stroking her stomach.
"I'm so sorry, Steve," Myka murmured. Steve wiped at his eyes with the back of his hand. He still felt like he was going to be sick.
"Can I offer some advice, for right now?" Myka asked, and Steve leaned back against the refrigerator door, sticking his hands in his pockets. He looked at Myka expectantly, though for some reason he felt like he already knew what she was going to say.
"I know you came back here thinking you were finally going to win Claudia's heart," Myka said softly. "But what she really needs right now is her best friend back. She's still fragile, and this is a massive change. Just be there for her, and let her come to you. Anything else, and you'll only drive her away all over again."
Steve dragged a hand over his face as he let out a despondent sigh. Myka slowly made her way across the kitchen until she was side by side with Steve, and she reached out to take Steve's hand.
"You're the best friend any of us ever had, Steve," she told him. "It's been rotten here without you. We all missed you, so much, but she missed you most of all, even if she would never say it. You're the one who always told Claudia to keep the faith, but now I'm telling you, have a little faith in her."
Steve studied Myka's face for a while, and then gave her a wry grin.
"I can't believe you're leaving, just as I get back," he rasped, hand grazing Myka's abdomen. "How am I supposed to be Uncle Steeb to this one if you're halfway across the country?"
"You'll always be Uncle Steeb, no matter where we are," Myka smiled, resting her hand over Steve's. As if their conversation had been heard, a chorus of little voices shouting Steve's name echoed in from the living room, and sharing a chuckle between them, Myka and Steve let go of each other, and hurried to answer the call of the family they shared and loved in equal measure.
It wasn't until after the wedding that Steve finally found Claudia alone. She was leaning against the railing of the mezzanine, which was decorated with filmy cream-coloured tulle and winking fairy lights, observing the celebrations below with a whimsical expression on her face. There was a paper plate holding a slice of the red velvet wedding cake in her hand, and every once in a while she would absently stab her plastic fork into the dessert and break off a piece to stick in her mouth. Steve watched her from his perch beside the makeshift dance floor for a while, before slowly climbing the stairs to join her. Claudia looked up at the sound of his footsteps, and she blinked at him for a moment before looking back out towards the Warehouse floor.
"Nice penguin suit," she quipped, a grin playing faintly on her lips. Steve chuffed out a laugh as he adjusted the white bow tie Pete had insisted he wear. In fitting with the Warehouse, the wedding had taken on a vintage theme, with Pete and Steve wearing dinner suits fashioned towards the Titanic era. Myka's gown was a 1920s inspired bead and lace creation, and Claudia herself wore a pretty Grecian-style dress in a deep shade of purple. Steve had barely been able to keep his eyes off her as she'd walked down the aisle ahead of Myka. Claudia nonchalantly held out her plate towards Steve.
"Cake?" she offered. Steve grinned as he took the plate from her hand.
"You ate all of the frosting," he commented, placing the plate on Artie's chess table before joining Claudia at the railing. Claudia smirked.
"Not even sorry," she murmured. She let out a soft sigh as she observed the small group of people gathered below, grinning to herself as she spied George and Holden taking turns to stick their fingers into the wedding cake.
"You did a great job with the ceremony," Steve told Claudia, who smiled her appreciation at the compliment. Steve's heart was doing the fluttery thing it always did when Claudia was around, and his hands were getting clammy. He folded his arms and gripped his biceps to try and hide the sweating. So much for following Myka's advice and playing it cool. It was all Steve could do not to blurt out everything he was feeling right in that moment. Letting out a shaky breath, Steve glanced at Claudia out of the corner of his eye and watched as she attempted to tuck her bangs behind her ear. Underneath her carefully applied makeup, Steve could still make out the troubled unhappiness that seemed permanently etched on her face. Steve was deliberating on what he could say to put a smile on her face when the first strains of a pretty song that Steve recognised but didn't know the words to filtered up from the floor below. Watching as Pete led Myka out to the makeshift dance floor, Steve swallowed hard and then turned towards Claudia.
"Would you like to dance?" he asked tentatively. Claudia turned her head towards him, narrowed her eyes for a moment, and then let out a shaky breath of her own.
"Ok," she murmured, and Steve had to fight to keep his mouth from dropping open in surprise. He held out his hands, and Claudia stepped forward and slid her arms over Steve's shoulders, linking her fingers behind his neck. Steve rested his hands lightly on her waist, and together they started to sway slowly to the music. Claudia glanced up at Steve from under her bangs, a blush creeping over her cheeks. Steve offered her a hesitant smile in return, and after a moment, he felt Claudia relax into his touch. Steve's heart started to pound all over again, and after contemplating the action for a moment, he gently lifted his hand to push Claudia's hair away from her eyes.
"You look beautiful tonight," he murmured gruffly, his voice catching in his throat. "I've really missed you, Claud."
There was trepidation in Claudia's eyes, and Steve could feel her trembling slightly, but when he gently used his thumb to stroke her cheekbone, Claudia's whole body went rigid as panic flashed across her face.
"I have to go," she stammered, pulling away from Steve's touch and hurrying towards the stairs that led back to the Warehouse floor. Steve was already kicking himself as he watched her go.
"Stupid," he muttered to himself as he sank down onto one of Artie's chairs. "You, sir, are very, very stupid."
Picking up the plastic fork Claudia had left behind, Steve broke off a piece of cake and despondently stuck it in his mouth. Laughter echoed up from the Warehouse floor, but Steve could barely hear it over the static roar that filled his head.
A/N: Ugh, guys, I wish I had a way to show you the dresses I picked out for Myka and Claudia - my friend actually squealed when I showed her.
Let me know what you think of this chapter xo