Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Note: This chapter showed Claudia using the metronome to bring Steve back to life. Jane tells her she has permission, but later Mr. Kosan reveals that she did it without the consent of the regents. The first part of this chapter takes places immediately after Kosan angrily confronts both Claudia and Jane. I think the two of them could end up being good friends and I have this weird future headcanon that they meet up periodically for coffee after Claudia becomes caretaker. The second part of this chapter is Claudia wrestling with whether or not bringing Steve back was a good idea. As much as she couldn't stand the thought of living without him, I think Kosan's lecture might have made her second guess herself. The third and final part of this chapter is just a brief snippet of HG fulfilling the promise she made in the last chapter. Enjoy!
A Matter of Conviction
The door to the umbilicus slammed loudly behind Mr. Kosan. Suddenly the office was entirely silent. Claudia and Jane stared awkwardly at each other, not quite sure what to say.
"I should be going," Jane said finally. She looked completely exhausted.
"Wait," Claudia interrupted, taking a step toward her. "I, uh... Thank-you. For letting me bring Steve back."
"You were right," Jane said quietly. "The Regents like to talk big. But at the end of the day, that's all we do. We talk and we plan. And then we leave the dirty work to you while we watch from the safety of our hiding places."
She sighed heavily.
"Steve's death rested on my shoulders," she continued. "That means it was my job to make it right. He was willing to go into the fray and risk his life for the Warehouse. That's far more than most of the Regents will ever be asked to do. And Steve wasn't even asked. He volunteered. A man like that deserves a second chance."
Claudia nodded as she mulled over Jane's words.
"I was wrong about you," she admitted. "You're not like the rest of them. You're actually pretty gutsy. For an old lady."
Jane smiled a little as Claudia had intended.
"Thank-you," she said sincerely.
"I'm sorry for what I said the other day," Claudia told her.
"It's already forgotten," Jane assured her.
"Guess we're both in a little bit of trouble, huh?" Claudia said with a wince.
"So it would seem," Jane agreed. "And maybe we deserve it. But Adwin was wrong. It does matter whether this is right. It always matters. And I know in my heart that it is."
"He's kinda scary when he's pissed," Claudia admitted. Jane nodded.
"I felt like I was back in grade school getting called to the principal's office," she said.
"You went to the principal's office?" Claudia asked, sounding mildly impressed.
"All the time," Jane admitted. A devilish gleam entered her eye. "I was quite the rebel in my day."
"Seriously?"
"You think you get in trouble often?" Jane smirked. "I would've made you look like a goody two-shoes."
"Do tell," Claudia said with a grin.
"Some other time," Jane said. There was a smile on her face. She studied the younger girl as if just seeing her for the first time. "Do me a favor. Never lose your conviction."
"Okay," Claudia said. "You don't stop being rebellious."
Jane chuckled.
"You can't teach an old dog new tricks," she said.
"I should get to the B&B," Claudia said, catching sight of the wall clock.
"I should be going as well," Jane said.
Claudia clicked the opener in her pocket and the office door swung open. She headed out into the umbilicus with Jane close behind her.
"You sure I can't hear any Calamity Jane stories?" Claudia asked curiously. Jane laughed.
"Well," she said, relenting, "I remember one time when I was in high school..."
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It was after midnight and everyone except Claudia had already gone up to bed. The young tech wiz had taken up residence on one of the wicker chairs on the back porch, her feet kicked up on another. It was a cool night. The stars were twinkling brightly in the sky. Claudia stared up at them in silence and let her mind wander. Mr. Kosan's words were still ringing loudly in her head.
"What are you doing out here?" a voice asked. Claudia looked over her shoulder to see Leena standing in the doorway in her purple bathrobe with her matching pajamas visible underneath. The set had been a Christmas present from Myka.
"Just thinking," Claudia said.
"Mind if I join you?" Leena asked. In answer, Claudia used her foot to push one of the chairs away from the table. Leena smiled and sat down.
"You can't sleep either?" Claudia asked.
"Not really," Leena told her. "It's just one of those nights."
"Tell me about it," Claudia said drily.
"What are you thinking about?" Leena asked.
"Steve," Claudia admitted. "I got in big trouble with Kosan."
"Are you okay?" Leena asked in concern.
"Yeah," Claudia said automatically. She paused and then amended her answer. "I don't know. Do you think I did the right thing?"
"What do you mean?"
"Kosan went off on me about not knowing the side effects of the metronome," Claudia explained. "About how they might be really bad. I didn't even think about that. And Artie clearly thought it was a bad idea." She turned to look over at Leena. "Did I screw up?"
"No," Leena said immediately. Claudia grinned a little in spite of herself.
"How are you always so sure?" she asked.
"I'm psychic," Leena teased. Claudia chuckled. "But seriously. You didn't screw up. You may have been a little unorthodox. We can't just run around using artifacts. There is always a downside. You know that. We're meant to protect artifacts, not use them. And as much as I wish we could, we can't save everyone. But." She held up her hand to stop Claudia, who was opening her mouth to interrupt. "You could save Steve. And you did. And if it comes to a choice between saving someone or not, the right thing is always to try and save them."
Claudia nodded slowly as she let Leena's words sink in.
"What if saving that one person puts others in danger?" she asked.
"That is a moral quandary for another night," Leena said with a smile. "What matters right now is whether you can live with this regardless of the consequences."
"I know I can't live without him," Claudia told her. She thought about it for a moment before nodding. "Yeah. As long as he's here, I can deal with whatever happens."
"Well, there you go," Leena said simply. Claudia grinned.
"You should've been a therapist," she said.
"I was actually a psychology major in college," Leena told her.
"And suddenly it all makes sense," Claudia said, shaking her head. "It's probably a good thing you didn't tell me that when we met. I have this thing against psychologists."
"I thought it might be better to leave that out," Leena agreed.
"And here I thought you majored in housewifery," Claudia said in mock seriousness. Leena shook her head which made Claudia laugh.
"Speaking of housewifery," Leena said drily. "Are you planning on going to bed anytime soon?"
"Doubtful," Claudia told her. "Why?"
"Are you up for some late-night baking?" Leena asked. Claudia grinned.
"Well, it does happen to be the perfect cure for insomnia," she said gamely.
"Exactly," Leena said with a smile.
The two of them got to their feet, pushing their chairs back toward the table.
"You should know that I charge by the hour," Leena teased as they stepped inside. Claudia laughed.
"Come on, Dr. Freud," she said, heading for the kitchen. "We can discuss your fee over Scotchies."
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Two days later, Claudia was checking her favorite news site when a small headline in the sidebar caught her attention: "Man Finds Signed Wells Novel In Bookstore". Claudia clicked the link and quickly skimmed the story. The short version was that a man in Idaho had purchased an H.G. Wells novel from his local bookstore only to discover upon getting home that the inside cover was signed by the author. The strange part was that the copyright date in the book showed that it had been printed long after the author's death. And yet the signature seemed to be a perfect match.
Claudia didn't bother to read most of the article, which detailed the small town's confusion over the mystery. The important thing was the name of the town. Its citizens might have no idea what had happened, but Claudia certainly did. HG had kept her promise.
A smile crossed Claudia's face.
"Nice work, HG," she told the computer screen. She leaned back in her chair, crossing her arms over her chest. "Righty-ho."
How was it? Leave a review and let me know! Also, feel free to suggest any scenes you would like to see. I can't promise I'll write them, but I'll definitely give it a shot.