A/N: "Hear You Me" by Jimmy Eats World is a malicious song. Every time I listen to it I cry. I've been going through all the stuff that's piled up over the last few weeks and realized I had a ton of stuff to post. Soooo yay influx.
I may not have seen anything but a loony bin since Joshua disappeared, but there was always one place I knew. Always one thing to hold on, cling to until my hands bled. You were it. You have been here since the beginning, forever. Or so I thought. Warehouse 13 has been my lifeline so much longer than my time as an agent.
My hand passed over rusted metal, flakes stuck to my skin, little hugs from my dear friend. Ash stuck to my throat, clogging what little room was left by tears. Chokings sobs were the only sounds that could force themselves out to be judged by the world. Why should I care? I'm just a kid, and it's not a big deal. It's just a building. That's what they would say.
It's not.
It is house, home, hearth. Sanctuary. Heart of my heart, and friend to my friends. Though the years had passed quickly, the pain did not. How could it? This crumbling ruin was all I had. All that this world meant to me was stored in the disintegrating remains of my dearest companion for the last century.
I had seen it coming, I knew it was inevitable. The wars brewing had threatened everyone, not just the warehouse. More artifacts had been created in the last year than in the previous decade combined. The facility had struggled to stretch for the new inhabitants, and I could feel it in my gut every day. My bravado over the situation however was entirely gone. After so many attempts to destroy it, I never really believed we would need a new warehouse.
A hand touched my shoulder. I knew who it was, and what they wanted. "It's not over." I whispered. "We'll move, evolve, survive." I took my hand back from the ruins, and dusted off the metal flakes.
"I know. We've organized the new building for Warehouse 14, artifacts have already started appearing." The Essex county accent rang in my ear with the same melodious tones of Helena's voice.
I turned with teary eyes, "I understand Ms. Bering-Wells. I'll visit the site tonight to ensure everything is there, and ensure the bond is still strong. I just need a moment." So much like her mothers, she kissed my head and returned to the cars, and shooed off the agents. So young and proud. The whole lot of them were geniuses, and brilliant agents, but it was hard to think of them as family. Not with my first family gone.
All of them gone. No one knew, no one understood, and no one could. I wouldn't wish it on anyone, and yet…
With each horrible memory, there were five good ones. For each device of war, there was a child sharing his lunch with a stranger. I took a deep breath, and finally let it out. Let out the grief, and hoisted the casket under my arm. The box was safe, and the smell of apples would follow me until the world ended. We survived Sykes, and Paracelsus, and every other beast that had attempted to take down the warehouse. We would survive this, and be all the stronger for it.
It would be a long, sleepless road, but with the ghostlike touch of a hand on my shoulder, I knew that our angels would keep watch over us. They all had gone ahead, but not one had left me behind.
With another tear in my heart, I turned my back on my first home. Onwards to the next.
