Prompt: Artie/Claudia family!ship, written for LunaDove on Tumblr. This will be a two-shot.

Disclaimer: I do not own Warehouse 13 or any of the characters depicted...I just play with them for a bit.

oxoxoxoxo

"Please…"

"No."

"Come on!"

"No."

"Artiiiiiie…."

Artie looked up from over his glasses and shook his head. "Do I need to lecture you on what happens when you use artifacts for your own personal satisfaction or are you going to let this go?"

Claudia gave her best pout and stood with her arms crossed, staring at Steve McQueen's motorbike with puppy dog eyes. "Come on, just a quick spin."

"Leena, tell her." Artie grumped and got back to his inventory checklist.

"Woah, I'm staying out of this." The innkeeper held up her hands with a smirk and folded them across her chest as she watched the two bicker. It had been going on for about ten minutes and there was no sign of either party giving in.

"Please…" Claudia begged, getting down on her knees and holding up her hands as if she were praying.

"Claudia," Artie groaned. "No! It's too dangerous and… no! You'll be killed!"

"But what a way to go!" Claudia chortled. Leena stifled a giggle behind her hand, spurring the young agent on. "Come on, old man… live a little. I'll be careful."

Artie sighed and took off his glasses, pointing them at the annoying little genius. "Do you even know how to ride a motorbike?"

"Is the Pope a Buddhist?" Claudia bit her lip.

"No!"

"Ah," she tugged on her chin. "Then nope. But I'm a quick learner, you know that…"

Artie looked down at the tesla attached to his belt and looked up at Leena to give the warning. "Oh umm…" Leena's eyes widened as she let out a splutter and she flung an arm around Claudia's shoulders guiding her away from the explosive middle-aged man. "Enough, I think." she whispered. "You don't want him to burst anything."

"Did I get to the "too far" bit?" Claudia grinned.

"Yep," Leena mirrored the infectious smile and rolled her eyes when Claudia clapped her hands.

"Awesome." The redhead shook her head and combined it with a victorious fistpump. "He really is too easy." She shouldered her bag and took a pair of sunglasses from her pocket, sliding them to rest them on the top of her head. "I'm clocking off. Gotta practice for tonight. You still coming?"

"Absolutely." Leena nodded confidently.

"And the others?" Claudia shuffled on her feet.

"If they get back okay, then sure…" the innkeeper shrugged. "Don't count on it though."

"Okay," Claudia let out a sigh before moving away gradually. "I'll see you later, tell Artie he needs to come too."

"I will," the innkeeper smiled. "I'll sort it out."

"Thanks," Claudia waved and scuttled off, disappearing out of the Warehouse. She opened the door to her car, and eased herself in with a heavy sigh. After a long bout of laryngitis had stopped her performances at the bi-weekly open mic night, Claudia had to admit that her first night back was actually pretty scary.

She'd practiced extra hard, her range had surprisingly improved for some reason, and tonight she'd treat the audience to a bit of Bowie and a Ramones mash-up. It was going to be ace, but she hoped Pete, Myka, HG and Steve would make it back home safe.

Myka and Helena were in Venezuela of all places, retrieving a ring that had once belonged to Alonso de Ojeda, the navigator, and conquistador of Spain. As well as being known for naming Venezuela, the governor captured and enslaved the indigenous people of northern South America and the Caribbean. The artifact was pretty straight forward in itself. Myka and Helena had found that his ring was made of gold and sapphires, and it caused people to fear the wearer immediately and comply with everything they said or commanded. What was most worrying, however, was the sinister implications of what would happen to a community under the artifact's influence and more importantly, the power the wearer obtained. A museum in Caracas had initially housed the ring, but a nosy security guard, having put on the piece of jewelry and realising his newfound hold over people, began to take advantage and was now running as mayor of Caracas. Myka and Helena had managed to snag the artifact, but current tensions between the US and Venezuela had caused them to get held back.

Pete and Steve, on the other hand, were in Canada at an auction to retrieve a John Constable painting that had been lost for a hundred years. The auction had been hugely publicized due to this and the stakes were high. Artie had noticed a blur on the photograph entered in the auction guide and sent the boys out to investigate. Pete had initially thought it was a waste of time, until he noticed the horse in the background galloping about happily on the oil based painted fields. The picture freakin' moved! He had been so excited that he was living in a "real life Harry Potter universe," that he had knocked over a vase dating back to 1902 and had to pay the minimum valuation price estimated by the auctioneer. Luckily they had just about enough money in the budget to purchase the Constable painting, and the damaged vase but the brief visit from a stormy Mrs. Frederic was enough to give Pete nightmares for weeks. He promised to himself that he'd never smash an antique ever again.

Most importantly though, Claudia wanted Artie there tonight. She'd planned a little dedication to the man who was so much like a father to her that every father's day, she spent about an hour in the store, looking at all of the cards with a distant look on her face. Artie would never accept a card, and it would be awkward, and he'd bumble and blush and it would be uncomfortable - but that didn't stop her from daydreaming that one day, he'd accept a father's day card easily and without a fuss and he'd know she was thankful for everything he'd done for her. Step-fathers got cards, right? This wasn't much different, was it?

Claudia turned on her iPod dock and grinned to herself as a cheesy Blondie track warbled through the speakers. She nodded, her confidence building and soon drove off, leaving a cloud of dust behind her as she pondered her return to the stage.

At 8'o clock, Claudia Donovan was close to tears. She propped her head up with a fist and watched the same-old-same-old man and his guitar, strumming out a dodgy rendition of Like A Rolling Stone. "Because that's never been done before…" she grumbled to herself and shook her head. Leena hadn't shown up. Artie hadn't. Pete and Steve's flight had been delayed and god knows where Myka and Helena were. She was so close to leaving when a soft voice next to her made her jump. "You're back."

Claudia turned slowly and saw a dark haired young woman leaning over her with a grin. She had a Pretenders ragged t-shirt on and long chains dangling from her neck. "Do I know you?"

"Nope, don't think so…" The woman chirped and invited herself to sit down next to the agent. She must have been only a few years older than Claudia, maybe twenty-five. "But I know you." She smiled. "You're Claudia."

Claudia's eyebrows rose and she let out a slow smirk. "Officially freaked. Tell me, kind stalker… You know me, how?"

The woman chuckled and took a sip of her drink. "You're kinda famous round here." she said. "That Beyonce/Human League mash up you did a few months back? Anybody who can do that is worth shouting about." The woman's nose was decorated with a ring piercing, her eyes a strange green, much like Myka's. She put out a hand. "Jessica."

Claudia stared at it and cautiously reached out to take it. "Well thanks…Jessica." she rolled the name around her mouth. "I'm not that good though," she tittered nervously. "You umm, you playing tonight?"

"Nope. Just watching." She said in that same creepy but strangely attractive way. "You? Haven't seen you round for a long time."

"Lost my voice," Claudia said, looking around for something…anything to fiddle with.

"Want me to get you a drink?" The woman asked, noticing the redhead's restless fingers.

"No. Thank you… Yes," she winced. "I mean…" Claudia sighed and looked towards the door of the bar. Artie and Leena weren't going to show. "Sure," she huffed.

"What can I get you?" the woman smiled.

"A coke, please."

Jessica laughed and shook her head, touching her arm briefly. "What can I get you?" she said again, throwing a pointed stare Claudia's way.

"A coke…" Claudia frowned. Jessica's eyebrow raised. Fuck it. She could walk home. "…with vodka." she smiled slowly at Jessica's hearty chuckle and watched the dark haired temptress saunter off to the bar.

Claudia leaned back in her chair and groaned, covering her face with her hands. She tried Leena's cell again but there was no answer. Artie's… nope. Nothing. She turned and watched her new friend chatting to the barman and rolled her eyes. She had a feeling this was going to be a messy night.

Leena stomped up to Artie's office and crossed her arms. "Queen Elizabeth I's make-up compact deactivated and dried. Now can we get going?"

"No, no…" Artie shook his head and got up, fussing around the computer before throwing a static bag to the innkeeper. "You re-label these," he handed her a list. "I'm going to flush the gooery."

Leena stamped her foot and threw up her hands. "What is your problem?"

"What are you talking about?" he grumbled, refusing to look her in the eye.

"Claudia is nervous about performing and she really wanted us there tonight!"

"I hate bars." Artie gruffed. He turned and saw Leena was doing her angry starey face, her arms tightly crossed once more.

"Screw this," she cried, turned her back and began to walk away.

"Wh-what…where are you going?" Artie squawked.

"To the open mic." Leena piped. She sounded pissed. Super pissed.

He groaned, "Leena—"

"No, no," she keyed the pass code to the umbilicus and turned to look at the older man with stormy eyes. "You stay here with your beloved gooery." She spat, and with that, the innkeeper was gone.

"Geeze, how have I not met you before?" Claudia slurred slightly. "You have like… the exact same music taste as me," she shook her head in drunken fascination, watching as the dark haired woman swirled her finger around the back of her right hand. "Tickles…" she murmured and took another slurp of her drink with her free hand.

"Oops," Jessica grinned. "Say," she began carefully. "You wanna get out of here? We can jam at my place if you want."

Claudia bit her lip and pondered it for a moment before giving an overemphasised nod of the head. "Sure… this is cool."

"Yeah?"

"Mm," Claudia nodded again, looking a little like a parakeet. She got up on shaky feet and stumbled out of the bar with Jessica trailing closely behind. "Dude, what did you put in that drink?" She slurred uncontrollably now, feeling hands grasp at her back as she was guided to the woman's car. She gave a departing, slightly dumb wave to her own El Camino and sat down heavily with a groan.

"Something special," Jessica replied before slamming the door shut and locking it with her key fob.

Claudia frowned and tried to sit up, or at least release her seatbelt. "Fuck…" That wasn't good. She rolled her head to the side as Jessica sat in the driver's seat next to her. She could easily whack this bitch over the head and escape, right? Her hands fumbled again for the belt but it was no use. Fuck! Her arms were like lead. She tried to panic, but even that was hard. "Who the frak are you, you crazy sonuvabitch?" she closed her eyes and focused passed the pounding headache she'd suddenly developed.

Jessica grinned and leaned over, pinching Claudia's cheek. "I must say, I'm surprised you're gullible enough to let a stranger buy you drinks," she shrugged. "But I guess if they're hot enough…" she looked down at herself and smiled again devilishly.

Claudia began to struggle as soon as she saw Leena's car drive onto the gravel. She wriggled and grunted, her arms lifting slackly in an attempt to at least do some damage to Jessica's face with her nails. The other woman just cackled and started the car. Claudia's head pressed against the window and she prayed to whatever mystical being was out there for Leena to recognised a panicked, scared aura in the distance. "As for your earlier question… Jessica MacPherson," the brunette chirped and she put her foot down as they zoomed out of the car park. "I think you knew my father." she watched dark eyes dampen and turned her eyes back to the road. Claudia closed her eyes and moaned, making a last attempt at her seatbelt but failed miserably. "And you're going to tell me how to get into the Warehouse…" Jessica's eyebrows raised and she bit her lip. The bite turned into a haughty grin. "Well, you will eventually."

TBC.