The air began to crackle with unseen electricity as the neutralizing goo filled the canister housing Orson Welles' radio. Claudia and Doug's eyes were both glued to the purple goo filling every nook and cranny, completely encasing the radio with an almost inaudible pop. It was followed by silence as a small puff of smoke curled in soft purple tendrils above the goo before dissipating.

"Well that was a little anti-climatic, don't you think?" Claudia eyed the canister on the floor between them with disdain. As she turned to grab a pair of elongated plastic tongs, a sensation that made her stomach drop and her heart catch in her throat caused her to stumble and crash into the work table. Swiveling back towards Fargo, she gaped as magenta pulse waves burst from the canister, propelling outwards in a ripple-like effect. The waves continued to swell upwards, becoming shimmering transparent walls of energy rapidly expanding away from its' point of origin.

Attempting to scramble away, but finding no way to avoid the pulses of energy, Claudia shuddered as they washed over her in waves that left her skin tingling. She locked eyes with Fargo as the last of the waves passed through him.

"I'm adding that to my top 5 things I don't ever want to feel again," he grimaced, running his hands over his arms as if he could wipe off the after effects.

A step towards him turned into a hop as she made a face, "Pins and needles! Pins and needles!" Tentatively putting weight on her foot, her face lit up in realization that her ankle was pain free, "Now that's more like it!"

Skipping over to Doug, she looped her arm through his and tugged him out of the silo room and towards the stairs, "We should probably see what those things are doing to my Warehouse."

As they exited the Goo-ery, they watched in disbelief as the purple waves slowly made their way towards the front of the Warehouse, coating everything in its' path with a glittering violet sheen. In their wake, they left utter anarchy in slow motion as artifacts, debris and metal shelving righted, repaired, and organized themselves. The pair walked down the main corridor, their faces upturned in awe as the contents of the Warehouse lazily swirled around them to return to where they belonged. Without looking at him, Claudia sought out Doug's hand as she slowed to a stop in the middle of maelström that currently was the Warehouse. Turning towards her, his question died in his throat as he took in the sight of her. Eyes sparkling, copper hair shining with amethyst highlights, softly smiling as a look of wonder graced her features. She met his gaze as a gleeful laugh escaped her lips. His body acted before his thoughts could catch up, pulling her close and gently cupping her face in his hands. Wrapping her arms around his middle, she tilted her head up in an invitation that was not ignored as he bridged the gap between them. The kiss was sweet but full of emotion as the couple clung to each other amidst the chaos.

Breaking apart, Doug rested his forehead against hers before opening his eyes and beaming at her. Neither of them said a word as they resumed their journey hand in hand through the walkways. By the time they reached the stairwell up to the office, the waves had dispersed and the Warehouse was settled and quiet once more. Claudia stepped up onto the first stair, then twirled around to face him just below her. Mimicking his earlier actions, she placed her hands on either side of his face and bent slightly to trail kisses down from his forehead, over his nose and cheeks, and lingered upon reaching his mouth.

"In spite of everything, I have to say this has been one bitchin' birthday," resting her hands on his shoulders, she looked down at him, "And I don't want it to end."

Doug cocked his head to the side, "Why's that?"

"Well, because.." Claudia hesitated, "I'll be here, and you'll be gone.. in Eureka.."

"Oh," he nodded slowly, his eyes widening as her words sunk in, "Oh! Um, well, we can figure something out. If you want to, that is."

"I'd like that," her face brightened with a relieved smile, "But for now, we should probably check in with Artie and figure out how to get you home."

Fargo followed Claudia up the wooden stairs and into the main office of the Warehouse. They hadn't taken more than 2 steps in when Pete and Myka tumbled into the room at the same time, shoulder checking each other in attempts to stay ahead of the other.

"Claudia!" The agents rushed to envelope the girl into a group hug.

"Hey, woah, guys!" Claudia wrangled her way out of the embrace, a light flush creeping into her cheeks, "What happened to Georgia?"

"Oh, false alarm," Myka explained, "Turns out someone actually did eat a bad batch of mushrooms. And we wanted to get back for your birthday."

Pete spotted Fargo shuffling uncomfortably by the doorway, and, glancing between the two young people with brows furrowed, took a breath to inquire but was interrupted by a column of multicolored shining balloons entering the room.

"Where's Claudia?" Artie's voice emerged from behind the balloons, and he attempted to wrestle them into submission, "I saw the car out front and -"

He froze as he managed to defeat the balloons, and saw the head of Global Dynamics standing in his office.

"What the hell is he doing here?" Artie pointed a finger while glaring at Claudia, who sheepishly shrugged.

"And why is he wearing my clothes?" Pete chimed in, but waggled his eyebrows in her direction, causing the fading pink in her cheeks to flourish.

Ignoring Pete, Claudia addressed Artie's question, "Ah, I may have had something to do with that, but! -" she raised a hand when he started to protest, "it was an accident, and I was just going to call you to ask, but I'm taking it as a birthday gift from the Warehouse."

The older man narrowed his eyes at her and grumbled,"He better not have touched anything." Fargo's ears burned as he crossed his arms in front of himself, trying his hardest to blend into the wall behind him. With that, Artie turned his attention to the contents of his black leather bag and produced a small box wrapped in black and white striped paper. He stiffly held it out towards her, "Happy birthday, Claudia."

Taking the gift from him, she wrapped herself around Artie in a quick hug as Pete and Myka voiced their birthday wishes behind them.

"Guys? Is she there?" Steve's voice echoed from the umbilicus, before he entered the office carefully balancing a large sheet cake with an over sized candles shaped in the number 21. Claudia's gasp of delight alerted Steve that she was indeed in the room, and he quickly scanned the room to find her. "I brought cake!"

The noise level of the office rose considerably as Steve set the cake down and dug a box of matches out of his pockets. Pete and Myka animatedly described their short trip to Georgia while Artie interjected when their tales got too tall. Fargo stayed by the wall, watching the group as he grew increasingly more uneasy until Claudia appeared at his side and pulled him forward to join everyone as they gathered around the cake. Pete clapped him on the back while Myka gave him a knowing smile from across the table. As the gang belted out a chorus of 'Happy Birthday,' Claudia took in the sight of her make shift family and smiled warmly. Snaking an arm around Fargo's waist, she leaned against him as he pulled her close and kissed her temple.

Best birthday ever.

Well, that's it folks. Thank you to those who followed along as I posted, your words of encouragement helped me get through some bouts of writer's block. To those of you reading after it's been completed, I hope you enjoyed and reviews are always welcome. I'm tossing around an idea for a sequel, so keep an eye out :)