Chapter One

Claudia Donovan was a woman on a mission. The mission she had chosen to accept was finding her errant partner and best friend, Steven Jinks. The past few weeks Steve had been more "contemplative" than usual. Claudia had been trying to give him his seemingly needed space, especially in light of the news he had shared with her before going into extreme reflective mode. Steve had admitted to her he had come to realize he was bisexual, not merely gay. Claudia had teasingly tried to pry out of him if interest in someone had brought about the realization, but, for once, Steve was hard for her to read. Then, shortly after that, he had started spending much of his free time with Dr. Abigail Cho, the Warehouse's resident therapist, and Keeper. If he wasn't with Abigail, he could be found meditating. At first, Claudia had not thought too much of all the time Steve was spending with Abigail since she figured he needed to talk through his recent discovery with someone. Yes, it hurt that he hadn't come to her, but as long as he was getting any help he might need, she would deal with her feelings. However, when Steve started to spend SO much time with Abigail, a tinge of jealousy began to take hold. It exponentially grew when she spotted Abigail walking out of Steve's room that very morning. The two had seemed awfully chummy, so much so that neither one had even noticed her presence. She had tried to think of several reasons Abigail had been in Steve's room so early in the morning, but, in light of his recent admission, only one came to mind. Then, at lunch that day, Steve had asked her to meet up with him that evening as he needed to talk to her. Claudia was glad it appeared her best friend was finally ready to open up.

Turning the corner of the stairs, Claudia headed toward the patio. As of late, that seemed to be the place Steve had chosen to meditate, and she was hoping to catch up with him, figuring now was as good time as any for their talk. When she got to the door of the dining room, however, she stopped cold. Steve was indeed on the patio, but he was not alone. Abigail was out there with him, standing beside the patio table that was all decked out with candles, roses, and two place settings. Steve suddenly moved closer to Abigail and handed her what appeared to be a white, square box, the kind of box in which you presented jewelry. Abigail opened the box, looked at it's contents, and then reached out to give Steve a hug. When he returned the hug, Claudia felt she had been punched in the stomach. In one single instant, her entire world suddenly came crashing down around her. Feeling like she was going to be sick, Claudia ran up to her room.

The moment Claudia closed the door to her room, she suddenly felt like the walls were closing in on her and she had a hard time breathing. How could Steve have kept the fact he was dating Abigail from her? How had she missed all the clear cut signs? What did this mean for their friendship?

Looking across the room, Claudia spotted the picture she and Steve had taken at the Civil War reenactment they had attended for a case. She had always loved the photo because, though it had been taken during one of their first cases together, it showed the two of them enjoying their growing friendship. But now she noticed something she had never truly realized before. In the photo, she was facing Steve, but he was facing away from her. How fitting, she thought, realizing how it reflected the current status of her relationship with Steve.

Sighing, Claudia walked across the room and picked up the photo. She noticed that she was looking at Steve with sheer delight and an openness she knew she did not let anyone else but him see. He was the one person who she let see the person she was behind all the masks she tended to wear as armor. And, then, as she looked at herself in the photo, everything became clear as to why that was. She was in love with Steve.

Claudia sank to the floor in shock at her realization. She had known for a long time she adored Steve, but she had apparently fooled herself into thinking she loved him in a strictly platonic way. She always told herself it was incredible enough to be his best friend. But, without her even realizing it, she had fallen deeply in love with him. And now when she had the possibility of being an option for him, he had turned away from her and toward someone else. She was slowly being replaced. She should have realized it when Steve began to distance himself from her. His request to talk to her that night must have been a setup for the final rejection. Well, maybe she just wouldn't be there for him to do that.

Claudia was throwing clothes into her duffel bag when she was startled by a knock on her door. Thinking it was Steve trying to find her for their 'talk,' she yelled, "Come back, I'm busy."

There was a brief pause and then Myka's voice answered, "Sorry to bother you, but Steve wanted me to tell you to meet him on the patio in about an hour."

Yeah, like I am going to make it as easy for him to abandon me as it seems to be for everyone else, Claudia thought to herself as she lunged for the door. Yanking it open, she grabbed Myka's arm and pulled her into the room. "Myka, I need your help," she said as she closed the door behind her.

As Myka took in the half packed bag sitting on the bed, she inquired, "Did we get a ping?"

Claudia shook her head. "No, it's not about a Ping. I need you to cover for me. I need to get away for a little bit, and I don't want to have to clear anything with Artie because it's about something I NEVER want to discuss with him."

A look of concern crossed Myka's face. "What's going on?"

The caring tone in Myka's voice broke through the anger Claudia had been feeling and caused her to look down at the floor to keep the tears she has been fighting to come to the surface. Softly, she said, "I've lost him, Myka."

"Lost who?"

"Steve."

Myka's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. "Claudia, Steve is downstairs. Didn't you hear me tell you he wanted to talk to you later?"

"No, not physically lost, emotionally lost. I've been replaced, Myka, or I am going to be soon."

"There is NO way anyone could ever replace you in Steve's life," Myka pointed out.

"Really? Because it has already started to happen. On cases, he barely says two words to me that does not pertain to the case. When we are home, he is either meditating or spending time with Abigail. I usually wouldn't think anything of that because I know she has traveled to a lot of Buddhist temples, and it's nice for Steve to have someone here who shares that interest. However, just this morning I saw Abigail coming out of his room, and I mean EARLY this morning. However, the topper is that right now there appears to be a romantic dinner for two set out on the patio and guess which two people were out there with it. Even more damning, he handed her a jewelry box. He must have good taste in jewelry because a hug followed. I was NOT about to stick around to witness any kissing that most likely was going to occur," Claudia said as she plopped down on her bed.

This garnered another look of confusion from Myka. "Okay, I can see where typically all those things might indicate a possible relationship, but why would Steve be interested in Abigail? I mean, not to point out what you already know, but he's gay."

Claudia snorted. "Turns out he recently realized he's bi."

"Oh," Myka replied as she sat down next to Claudia. "I guess that does change things a bit, huh?"

"Uh, yeah, you could say that." Claudia was quiet for a moment, twisting the t-shirt she was holding into a knot. Sighing, she finally said, "I want Steve to be happy, Myka. I really do. And Abigail, I very reluctantly admit, is a good match for him in many ways. But if they are a couple, and signs indicate they are, where does that leave me? I know that sounds extremely selfish, but no woman wants their man's best friend to be another woman. As close as Steve and I are or, rather, were, I am going to be seen as competition for his time and affection, even if that affection is only brotherly on his end."

Myka paused thoughtfully and then said quietly, "And that is the worst part to deal with, isn't it? That gut-wrenching moment when you realize they don't return the feelings you have for them. Because you not only love Steve, but you are also in love with him, aren't you?"

A tear slowly fell down Claudia's cheek. "Hard not to be, but a fat lot of good it does me. I always knew the day would come when Steve would fall in love with someone, but since I thought it would be with someone of his gender, I could accept it. Then today I realized I had secretly hoped he was telling me he was bi because he had the same feelings for me that I have for him. Knowing my gender is now a possibility, but I personally am not, that hurts deeper than almost any pain I have ever felt, Myka."

When Myka answered, the ghost of remembered pain was all over her face. "I know it does. You can't help who you fall in love with. You can tell yourself all you want that it will most likely end in heartbreak and tears, but your heart wants what it wants. And, despite all odds, you hold on to the hope that, one day, the person you want will want you, too. Then, when you are faced with the realization that person has indeed decided to build the life you dreamed of having with them, but have chosen to share it with someone else other than you, it can almost destroy you. But, if you truly love them, you have to be willing to let them go."

"And if they come back, then they are yours, right?" Claudia sarcastically replied.

"No. Sometimes they come back, but they still aren't yours." Myka paused again, and then said, "I had to process my feelings while on a case. I refuse to let you have to do the same. Go and do what you need to do. I'll handle Artie."

Claudia reached over and hugged Myka. "Thank you."

Smiling, although a bit sadly, Myka responded, "Anytime."

As Myka stood up to leave, Claudia called her name. Myka turned to face her. "HG was a fool not to see what she had in you."

Myka shrugged. "Steve, too." A look of understanding passed between the women. "Let me know when you arrive at wherever you go. You don't have to tell me where you are, just that you got there safely." At Claudia's nod, Myka left the room.

Author's Note:

I want first to thank you for giving my story a chance. As an author, that means the world to me. To me, writing is the food I eat and the air I breathe. If I have entertained you even in the slightest, that has made me a supremely happy person.

I found Warehouse 13 through my parents. If you knew my parents, that would be the weirdest statement ever. (My parents are NOT sci-fi fans.) But my dad told me that Claudia reminds him of me, so I had to watch to make sure I was being portrayed accurately. ;D Then on the screen came one Aaron Ashmore. Sigh. I have been a fan of the Ashmore brothers for years, so, needless to say, I was hooked from that moment on.

Steve and Claudia's relationship, for me, is the entire reason I watch the show. I mean no disrespect to the other characters when I say that, but Steve and Claudia are the ones I am just drawn to. I love how they interact with and totally support each other, but still maintain who they are as individuals. I wrote this story as an exploration of that. I am coming off a LONG bout of writer's block, so I kept writing and rewriting this story hoping to get my groove back. I am my worst critic, but I hope you find it even mildly entertaining and enjoyable. It will be several chapters long, and I have the first two and most of the third written. I am hoping to get all three of those posted today. One word of warning, the chapters will vary in length considerably as I stopped them in the place where I felt it made most sense. I will try to get the others written and posted as quickly as I can, but I don't have the internet at home besides on my phone, so it will depend on when I get to someplace where I can type things up. (I know, the no internet at home thing is a shocker in this day and age and for the age I am. But it saves me money. Lol) I promise never to abandon my stories, they just sometimes take a bit longer for me to write than they used to. I also promise to stay as true to character as I can. That is a big pet peeve of mine, so if you feel I am getting something wrong, please constructively let me know. If I have made the artistic decision to do something, I will explain it in an author's note to give you a glimpse into my thought process, but it will also not be wildly out of character. Example: Steve's "discovery" will be explained in the next chapter and I promise, to me, remains true to character.