Author's Note: Serious HG/Claudia bonding up ahead. (Almost said bondage... And wouldn't that just be awkward?) Enjoy! And please, please review!
When Savannah had awoken some hours later, she had marched into Myka's room and demanded to know where the apple juice was stored. Helena had been rather startled, but upon being told that there was no apple juice at the bed and breakfast, Savannah had adamantly insisted that she required it for her survival (which Helena had promptly rolled her eyes at), but Myka quickly promised that she would take Savannah to the store after she'd taken a shower.
Myka then informed Helena that Savannah had favored warmed apple juice since childhood. Helena suspected it was a comfort for the young woman, so despite that it was an odd thing to crave, she was pleased that Myka could offer Savannah something soothing after the countless abrupt turns that her life had taken over the past several days.
Twenty minutes later, Helena had kissed Myka in the driveway and kindly declined the ensuing invitation to join them. Myka hadn't been able to spend much time alone with her cousin thus far, and Helena couldn't quite name why, but she was sure that they both would benefit from each other's company for a while.
In their absence, Helena elected to stop by the Warehouse. She had little else to do, honestly, and she was sure that there was some work to be done at the Warehouse that could occupy her until Myka's return. She passed Artie on her way in, detecting swiftly from the purple bags beneath his eyes that he had not been to sleep the previous night, and that he was most probably headed for a shower and some much needed rest.
With his exit, Helena had expected to find his office to be vacant. Instead, however, she found a suspiciously silent Claudia – and even more suspiciously, she was nearly immobile, staring absently out through the window that opened to the Warehouse aisles from the small couch against the wall.
"Claudia?" Helena drew her attention softly.
The girl leaped into the air and covered a hand over her heart. "Freakin' kill me, why don't ya?" She hissed, startled, and quickly resumed her position at the loveseat – though she opened her laptop and made an enthusiastic attempt to appear as though she'd been quite busy.
Helena arched a brow upward, partly amused, but mostly concerned. "Are you alright, love?"
"Me? Yeah! Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be? Everything's peachy over here. All rainbows and butterflies and… you know, stuff…" Claudia rambled, but she trailed off at the end as though she knew that her reassurance had been less than impressive.
"Indeed," Helena replied dubiously.
Claudia huffed as her fingers stilled. "The Warehouse is acting weird," she confessed quietly, refusing to meet Helena's gaze and focusing on her screen, instead.
"Oh?" Helena inquired, taking a seat beside the redheaded girl and resting her elbows against her knees as she attentively leaned forward.
"Yeah," Claudia confirmed. "Something's wrong. It's been zapping me all morning," she scowled suddenly, and looked at the window again, as though directing her disgruntlement directly to the heart of the temperamental structure. "Not cool, man!" She called out to it agitatedly.
"I presume that the Warehouse has not stooped so low as to guide you to the problem?" Helena queried dryly.
"Does it ever?" Claudia deadpanned.
Helena chuckled. "Rarely," she admitted.
Claudia sighed and ruffled a hand through her hair. "All I know is that it isn't happy. Like, real not happy," she emphasized. "I'm getting all kinds of red emotions. And I don't mean the lovey-dovey passionate kind, I mean Angry Bird red kinds," she attempted to elaborate, but then rolled her eyes at herself. "Not that you know what that means, or anything…"
"I actually have played that one," Helena declared proudly, but then she frowned. "Silly little game, isn't it?"
"Don't knock the Angry Birds, dude," Claudia rebuked.
"The Warehouse is angry, then?" Helena offered, biting her tongue to stifle a rather heated debate against the tiresome 'app' that had occupied so much of Nathan's interest in Wisconsin.
"Big time," Claudia puffed, giving up the pretense of work and collapsing against the back of the sofa. Her head lolled to the side, and Helena observed as she anxiously bit her lip, as though she were trying to search for an answer to an internal dilemma.
Helena remained silent while the girl worked through her thoughts. Fortunately, Claudia decided to share them with her.
"I think it has something to do with Myka," she muttered weakly.
Helena could feel her back grow rigid, powerless against the tension that abruptly stiffened in her muscles.
"No, no!" Claudia was quick to assure. "I don't think she's the problem!"
"What gave you the impression that Myka has anything to do with the Warehouse's anger at all?" Helena asked, though she had to take a moment to be sure that her tone did not reflect the anxiety that had descended upon her at Claudia confession.
Claudia shrugged, embarrassed. "I just know."
"You just – " Helena shorted herself and scraped a hand through her hair, futilely attempting to calm her nerves. "Right. Future Caretaker 'vibes,' as Pete would say, yes?"
"Something like that," Claudia murmured. "The Warehouse has been bringing me her stuff."
"Pardon?" Helena's brow lifted.
"Dude, I don't know how it works, okay?" Claudia exclaimed defensively, throwing her arms up in frustration. "It just gets all windy, and wham! Myka's jacket flies in my face. Then her favorite pen, and her Warehouse manual – which, by the way, was a terrible experience, because… Ow!" She pouted and rubbed the back of her head, where, Helena assumed, Myka's manual had made contact.
"She really oughtn't leave her possessions in the Warehouse," Helena mumbled absently, though her mind raced through various possibilities for why the Warehouse would deem it fit to do such a thing.
"Dude, seriously?" Claudia demanded. "That's the moral you're taking from this story? 'Don't leave your crap in the Warehouse?' Sure. Okay. But, me, personally? I'm pretty sure I'm gonna tack 'wear a freakin' helmet, or perish at your own risk' onto the front door."
"I'm sorry, darling," Helena sighed repentantly, and reached to tenderly tuck Claudia's neck down so that she could get a proper look at her head. "Are you alright?"
"Yes," Claudia frowned, but nodded. "Just really annoyed!" She shouted to the Warehouse again. "Why can't it just tell me what it freakin' wants? I'm not even Caretaker, yet!"
"I imagine it's a bit simpler to interact with you, as you're already here," Helena said, and, after assessing that Claudia's skull was a bit bruised but otherwise unharmed, she lifted the girl's chin from her chest and pressed a brief kiss to her forehead. "I also imagine it's quite stressful," she murmured sympathetically.
"You have no freakin' idea," Claudia conceded. "I just… Myka's got enough to deal with right now, what with the bow, and the manuscript, and Savannah… She's pretty cool, though, right? Savannah, I mean – not Myka. She's already cool," the girl rambled fretfully.
"Savannah is lovely," Helena agreed, and then offered a weak smile before she continued. "And Myka is resilient," she comforted. "She may require our assistance with the artifacts, but emotionally… Myka's heart sees no end. I'm certain that she can handle the pressure. And the feelings which she cannot handle, I shall handle for her."
"It doesn't really work that way, y'know?" Claudia asked, though she proffered a wide smile for the sentiment.
"You might be surprised what a decent intimate encounter can do for one's emotions, darling," Helena grinned audaciously.
"Oh, ew!" Claudia said, dramatically covering her ears. But she swiftly pulled them down, and asserted, "You don't have to share every dirty detail that pops into that genius head of yours, HG."
"I find it serves rather well to diffuse tension," Helena shrugged effortlessly.
"But still…" Claudia whined. "I'm scarred with lesbian thoughts for life, dude."
"I'd hardly consider it an injury," Helena dismissed. "It simply… expands your options."
Claudia blinked once, and then twice, and followed with a nervous laugh. "Dude, I'm straight. I think. I mean, I don't have racy thoughts about any girls that I know about."
"Straight?" Helena frowned.
"Uh… It's what they call people who prefer boys… Well, girls who prefer boys," Claudia stumbled. "Or, you know, heterosexual people or… whatever."
"What a narrow-minded way to think," Helena scoffed. "Claudia, darling, attraction is simply attraction. A person's sex has little influence over chemistry."
"Y'know, I'm getting all twitchy with this topic, so I'm gonna veer us backward and say, 'Hey! The Warehouse wants to have a chat with Mykes! What are we gonna do about that?'" Claudia theatrically cried.
Helena rolled her eyes, but nodded her assent to the subject change, and thoughtfully said, "I find the easiest way to appease the Warehouse is to present to it that which it desires."
"Oh, gee, why couldn't I have thought of a fancy British way to say, 'give it what it wants?'" Claudia replied, her every word saturated with sarcasm.
"Your mockery is ill-received," Helena chided with a minute glare. "I merely mean that it might be best to observe Myka upon her next visit to the Warehouse, and perhaps take a few more precautions than we are accustomed to. In my experience, the Warehouse rarely intends harm, except to those with intent to harm it, love."
"Yeah, but… aren't you a little… y'know, worried?" Claudia asked meekly.
"My concerns for Myka's safety have proven to be infinite in number," Helena acknowledged with a sigh. "But keeping her from the Warehouse simply isn't an option, and you seem quite certain that the Warehouse isn't upset with her. Perhaps the Warehouse wants her help," she speculated.
"Yeah, but why her?" Claudia spewed. "I mean, not that Myka isn't great and all, and I love her tons, but now really isn't the best time to be singling her out."
"No," Helena agreed. "But it seems increasingly likely that whatever the Warehouse wants from her deals with all that's already been set in motion."
"Like, it has to do with Savannah?" Claudia paled. "Dude, Mykes is gonna freak."
"Mm," Helena hummed her consensus, but then stood. "We shan't dwell on the matter any longer. Myka has taken Savannah to Univille, for the time being, so we shall resume this discussion upon her return. Until then, I have a gift for you."
"Finally!" Claudia breathed eagerly. "I've been waiting forever! I mean, I know you and Mykes have been gettin' your groove on or whatever, but, seriously, HG – me and patience? Not close friends. Not even acquaintances. I don't even pass that dude in the hall."
"I suspect, then, that you might wish to control your tongue long enough for me to guide you to it," Helena advised with a pleased smirk.
"I can multitask," Claudia shrugged, but allowed Helena to lead her down the steps and into the Warehouse library, where she had stored Claudia's present for safekeeping while she managed the last several adjustments.
Helena moved to the workbench that had unofficially been named hers, and (with several knocks and twists as a makeshift combination) she slid the bottom drawer open and presented Claudia with a rosewood box.
"So excited!" Claudia exuberantly proclaimed, and proceeded to all but snatch the box from Helena's palms.
"Gentle, darling," Helena cautioned. "It's a bit touchy."
She waited while Claudia peered inside the box, and snorted at the wide-eyed glee that the diminutive woman expressed.
"A gun? Sweet! What's it do?"
Helena lifted her brow imperiously. "It shoots things, love."
"Duh," Claudia rolled her eyes. "But you made it, so that means it's special, right? So… what does it do?" She pressed impatiently.
"It's unique in its kind, yes," Helena verified. "It disassembles."
"Like, breaks stuff down?" Claudia inquired, lifting the off-looking weapon from its case and wielding it with a flourish, directing it toward Helena's desk.
Helena reached out to lower Claudia's arm tolerantly. "Essentially, yes. It has a dial here," she said, gesturing toward the mentioned knob, "that determines how thoroughly it does so. It can break items down to its parts, which I rather thought might be useful in your more creative Warehouse innovations – that's level one, darling," she instructed, demonstrating with a twist of the dial. "Level two is more specific to the individual parts of an object. Something like ah – a car will do, as an example; level two would allow you to disassemble the radio, as opposed to the entire vehicle. The notch on the opposite side," Helena fingered the button as she spoke of it, "dictates the size of the area you wish to focus. And the third level – a personal favorite of mine," she disclosed with a wink and a broad grin, "strips the target to its molecular level. It will work on humans, though, darling, so do be careful, hm?"
"Dude! This is like… the coolest gift ever!" Claudia spluttered. "Seriously, HG, this is amazing, even for you!" And then Claudia lunged forward to hug her, and with a slight, 'ooph' of surprise, Helena laughed and returned the gesture. "Thank you," Claudia whispered sincerely into Helena's ear, before rapidly detaching and fiddling embarrassedly with her new toy.
"Yes, well, I've noticed you often seem to be without a Tesla during your fieldwork. I do worry for your welfare, love, and am of the strong opinion that you have need for some protection. Our work can be quite dangerous in nature," Helena declared gently.
Irritating though the girl made habit to be, she was very dear to Helena's heart.
"HG," Claudia grinned, embarrassment faded as she jibed at the Victorian, "you're such a big softy."
"So I've been told," Helena replied dryly.
She really needed to do some research; that word obviously necessitated a definition.