Disclaimer: I own nothing but the imaginary glitter.

Author's Note: Episode five of season two introduced us to Hugo Miller who's consciousness had been split by an artifact and half of which took over the Warehouse through the computers. The episode ended with Todd breaking up with Claudia after she had just realized that she really did love him. This chapter takes place a few minutes after Todd leaves the B&B. I don't have anything against Todd. But I also don't believe that Pete and Myka would have let him get away clean, even if he didn't really do anything wrong. So this chapter came out of that. I feel the need to clarify that I am not officially advocating any of the options put forward in this chapter. I also don't think the team would have enacted most of them. They're just trying to cheer Claudia up. There is one minor inconsistency with the show because in the next episode Pete is surprised by the news of the break-up. But this chapter just worked so much better with him in it. Enjoy!

Vengeance is Shiny

Claudia was still sitting in the middle of the couch when the front door to the B&B opened and closed. Leena appeared in the entryway holding a few grocery bags.

"Hey, Claude," she said, coming into the living room. "Where are Pete and Myka?"

"Upstairs," Claudia said simply.

"Ah," Leena said. "Probably plotting something."

"Maybe," Claudia agreed.

Leena headed into the kitchen and set the grocery bags on the table so she could begin unpacking them.

"I thought Todd was coming by," she called as she put the cereal in the cabinet.

"He did," Claudia told her. Something in her tone worried Leena.

"And?" she asked, coming back into the living room.

"He broke up with me," Claudia said bluntly.

"Oh, Claudia," Leena said sympathetically. She headed over to the couch and sat down beside the younger girl. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Find me a new me?" Claudia offered.

"What's wrong with your you?" Leena asked with an affectionate smile.

"I'm a mess, Leena," Claudia said seriously. "No wonder he didn't want to put up with me."

"You are not a mess," Leena said firmly.

"You sure about that?" Claudia asked, leaning her head back against the back of the couch. "'Cause I feel like one."

"Well, then you, Claudia Donovan, are wrong," Leena said firmly. "Because when I look at you I don't see a mess. I see a young woman who has been through far more than any person deserves. But instead of beating her, it has only made her stronger." Claudia slowly looked up, signaling that Leena had her attention.

"I see exceptional talent and brains that are going to make an incredible agent," Leena continued. "I see someone who loves deeply and will do anything to protect the people she cares about. Someone who knows not to take life too seriously. I see a young woman who has no idea how exceptional she is or how beautiful, inside and out."

Claudia sniffed as her eyes began to water. Leena reached over and took her hand.

"You are amazing, Claudia Donovan," she said firmly. "Don't you ever forget it."

A grateful smile formed on Claudia's face.

"Thanks," she whispered. She reached over and wrapped her arms around Leena's neck. Leena hugged her tightly back.

After a moment Claudia pulled away, wiping at her eyes.

"Are you okay?" Leena asked. Claudia thought about it for a moment.

"I will be," she said finally.

A door opened upstairs and Pete and Myka's voices drifted out. The sound of footsteps signaled that they were heading for the stairs. Claudia quickly wiped her nose as the two agents came down.

"I'm telling you," Pete said as they neared the bottom, "Iron Man would win."

"No, he wouldn't," Myka argued. "Bruce Wayne is way smarter than Tony Stark."

"But Tony Stark has a metal suit," Pete told her. He stopped at the bottom of the stairs and waited for her to catch up. "He's like indestructible."

"Not true," Myka corrected as they entered the living room together. "Besides, Batman doesn't need an armored suit. He relies on his intellect."

"Okay, Claude," Pete said, turning to the younger girl on the couch. "In a fight between Iron Man and Batman, who would win?"

"Batman, obviously," Claudia said without even blinking.

"Hah!" Myka cried. She gave Pete a triumphant smile.

"It's 'cause she's a girl, isn't it?" Pete asked Claudia. "There's some sort of rule that says you have to side with each other."

"No," Claudia said. "I just know Batman would win."

"Only if he had time to plan," Pete argued. "In an impromptu fight, Iron Man would totally destroy him."

"Dude, he's Batman," Claudia pointed out. "He always has a plan."

"Yeah," Pete conceded. "But what if-"

"Alright!" Leena interrupted with a chuckle. "Don't make me separate you two."

"This isn't over," Pete warned as he sank down into a chair. Myka rolled her eyes and sat down on the couch on the other side of Claudia.

"Hey, I thought Todd was here?" she said.

"Yeah," Claudia said, looking down again. Leena gave a subtle shake of her head, signaling that it was a sore subject. Myka's brow furrowed with worry.

"What happened?" she asked.

"He broke up with me," Claudia said. She shrugged as if it wasn't important, but Myka knew better.

"Claude, I'm sorry," she said sympathetically.

"Did you need me to go beat him up?" Pete asked seriously. Claudia shook her head.

"No," she said quietly.

"What about his car?" Myka asked, playing along. "We could always take the Carrie Underwood approach."

"He didn't cheat on me," Claudia pointed out. "He dumped me."

"That's irrevelant," Pete said.

"Irrelevant," Myka corrected.

"That's what I said," Pete told her. He leaned forward in his chair as his brain began spitting out other ideas. "We could egg his car."

"Or shoe polish it," Myka offered.

"Or spray paint it," Pete said.

"Or stick a can of frozen shaving cream in it," Leena offered. "If you punch holes in the can, the shaving cream expands and fills up the whole car." Seeing the strange looks the other three were giving her, she shrugged innocently. "What? I was a college student once too."

"I just never took you for the vindictive type," Claudia told her.

"I prefer to think of it as righteous retribution," Leena said. Claudia grinned at that.

"Doesn't baloney strip car paint?" Myka asked. Her tone was innocent enough, but there was a dangerous gleam in her eyes.

"Yes it does," Pete said with a grin.

"Okay, guys," Claudia interrupted. "I'm touched. I really am. But it's fine."

Pete gave her a look that said he clearly didn't believe her before continuing on.

"We could stuff his air vents with glitter," he offered. "You crank the air all the way up and then when he turns the car on: 'Poof!' all over him. And that stuff is almost impossible to clean up. He'll be a walking glitter monster for the rest of the week."

"Or we could glue tacks to his windshield wipers," Myka said.

"Wow," Claudia said, looking impressed. "You are a dangerous woman."

"Nobody messes with my Claudia," Myka said. She reached over and affectionately ruffled the younger girl's hair. Claudia quickly pulled away, shaking her hair back into place.

"As appealing as it sounds," Leena told them, "I cannot in good conscience condone any act of revenge against Todd or his car. Which, may I remind you, is innocent in all of this."

"Well, what do girls normally do when they go through a break-up?" Pete asked.

"Eat ice-cream and watch sappy movies," Myka told him. Pete made a face.

"Yes to the ice-cream," Claudia said. "But can we watch Alien vs Predator instead? Every time something dies painfully I can pretend it's Todd."

"Alright," Pete said enthusiastically. "We've reached the anger stage. By tomorrow we'll have her at acceptance."

"I'll go see if we still have any ice-cream," Leena said. She stood up and headed for the kitchen. Once she was gone, Pete got up from his seat and moved over to the couch.

"You know what this calls for?" he said, looking over at Myka. "A Claudia sandwich."

The two agents wrapped their arms around Claudia, firmly trapping her in a tight hug.

"Guys!" Claudia called from her squished position. "Guys, I can't breathe!"

"The lady doth protest too much, methinks," Pete said. But he and Myka finally let go. Claudia slumped back against the couch with a large intake of air.

"Look at you, quoting Shakespeare," Myka said, impressed.

"I went to college too," Pete informed her.

"You know," Myka said slowly, "Leena said that she could not condone any acts of revenge."

"Why, Agent Bering," Pete said, trying to look shocked. "Are you suggesting-"

"That it's better to ask forgiveness than permission?" Myka finished. "Yes I am."

"Claudia?" Pete asked. "Thoughts?"

Claudia hesitated for a moment.

"Well..." she conceded, "maybe just a little glitter in his air vents."

"Now we're talking," Pete said, clapping her on the shoulder. "I'll get my keys."

He got to his feet and headed up the stairs to his room. Leena came back into the room then with a strange expression on her face.

"We're out of ice-cream," she said, giving Myka a look.

"That's okay-" Claudia started. Myka quickly cut her off.

"We'll go get more," she said helpfully.

"Good," Leena said. There was a satisfied smile on her face.

"Did I just miss something?" Claudia asked, giving Myka a strange look.

"Plausible deniability," Myka explained. "If Artie asks, Leena can deny all knowledge of our actions."

"Oh!" Claudia said, understanding.

Pete came pounding back down the stairs at that moment. He held up his keys and motioned at the door.

"Let's go," he said. Myka stood to her feet and looked down at Claudia.

"You want to come or no?" she asked.

"Oh, what the hell," Claudia said, getting to her feet. Myka grinned and wrapped an arm around her shoulders as the two of them headed to the door. Pete held it open while they both walked outside. Then he stepped out onto the porch, pulling the door closed behind him.

"Hey, Pete?" Leena called just before the door closed. Pete swung it back open enough that he could stick his head in.

"Yeah?" he asked. Leena's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Make sure it's a lot of glitter."

Pete grinned.

"You got it, boss."

X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X

The next morning, Todd showed up to work completely covered in glitter. He was quite a sight. Word spread fast in Univille, and most of the town found some reason or other to visit the hardware store that day just to get a good look at him. The store got more business in one day than it had in the last month. It took almost an entire week before Todd's hair finally stopped sparkling. Of course, by that point it was too late. The sparkly vampire jokes had already become permanent.

You guys know the drill. Please leave a review!