Spoilers: thru Warehouse 13: 3.06 (Don't Hate the Player) - and - Eureka: 4.16 (Of Mites and Men)
Summary: The green-eyed monster joins Claudia and Parrish and Holly and Fargo for dinner at Cafe Diem.
Note: Found this sitting in my drafts. It's at least 2-3 years old. I don't even think this chapter is complete, but what the hell. Inspired by warehouse13confessions' desire for fic (see this post) for the crack ship of Claudia/Parrish, with the two of them plotting, and jealous Fargo. So completely AU.
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters nor anything else related to either show.
Part 1 | Part 2
"Well, don't you clean up nicely, Princess," Parrish says as Claudia walks out to meet him.
She scowls slightly. All she did was shower, change clothes, still her normal casual attire, and pull her hair into a ponytail. And put on a little make-up...which she always does. Whatever. "Thanks."
"You sure this isn't a date?" he asks and she can hear the humor in his voice.
"Sure as can be."
"Because you look like you're ready for a date," he says, opening the car door for her.
"No, I look like I'm ready for a social outing," Claudia says, getting into the passenger seat. "Besides, you're all hot and bothered for someone else. Why would I put myself through the pointlessness of going out with someone that I know is going to be wishing that they were with someone else the entire time?"
"Not the entire time." Parrish starts the car. "I know we haven't actually known each other that long, but I do enjoy your company, Princess. You're smart as a whip, you've got a wonderfully snarky sense of humor, and you're rather easy on the eyes. I have to say, you would be quite the catch and if I wasn't so invested in Holly, I'd snatch you up for myself."
Claudia tenses and frowns. "I don't...what?"
He shrugs. "I'm just saying. Fargo's a fool."
She narrows her eyes. She so does not trust him and everything inside of her is screaming that this was a bad idea. "What are you up to?"
"Perhaps I'm preparing to make concessions in the future. You and I would make a phenomenal pair, don't you agree?"
Her eyes widen, because, seriously, this 180 of his is freaking her the hell out. "I do not know you or like you well enough to agree with that."
Parrish chuckles. "Oh, come on, Princess. I can feel the charge between us, and I am never wrong about things like this; I'm pretty sure that you at least sense it too."
Claudia just stares at him for a moment before she can even respond. "And here I was thinking that was indigestion." She snorts, shaking her head. "I don't know if it's confidence or arrogance, either way, your level of whichever is unbelievable."
"I will take that as a compliment."
He flashes her a smile and there's something about it and his eyes, maybe his tone as well, that sends a spark shooting through her that disconcerts her even more because he cannot possibly be making a genuine play for her...can he?
Parrish focuses on the road once again, the grin still on his face. He's not lying. Not really. He's not blind; Claudia is gorgeous, intelligent, and witty, and she is willing to tolerate him even though she doesn't have to. If he didn't care about Holly, he'd drop her in a heartbeat to pursue Claudia. Unlike Fargo, though, he knows what--who--he really wants and he's not going to use someone else to fill the emptiness and while away the time with. If Fargo were any sort of man, he would've fought to be with Claudia just like Parrish is going to fight to be with Holly. Dirty and underhanded. Sometimes, the end does justify the means. Parrish intends for this to be one of those times. They will all be better off and happier.
Parrish parks the car and looks at Claudia. "I am really looking forward to dinner."
He looks and sounds a little too pleased. He is up to something. He has to be. Dammit! Where is Jinksy and his lie detecting when Claudia needs him? Not that her bullshit detector is broken but for all his other faults, Isaac does have some of the smooth and slippery charm of a snake oil salesman. Claudia knows better than to trust or believe him but she'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt. Why? She has no clue.
"Ladies first," Parrish says, ushering her into Cafe Diem.
Claudia steps inside and her eyes sweep over the room, stopping when she catches sight of Doug and Holly deep in conversation in a table tucked in the corner and she can feel a wave of disappointment and heartache washing over her. Despite the distance, she can see the way that Doug's gazing at Holly and her heart tightens in her chest because that's they way that he looked at her at the Warehouse and when she visited last year. And it had led her to believe that she was special. That she meant something to him.
"Well, would you look at that?" Parrish says behind her. "Fargo and Holly are here. We can go somewhere else if you're uncomfortable eating here."
Claudia tears her eyes away from Doug and Holly; she looks at Parrish and shakes her head, shrugging a little. "No. I mean, why would I be uncomfortable? I told you, Doug and I are friends and if he's happy then I am--"
"Happy for him, yes yes. You keep telling yourself that, Princess, and maybe you'll start to believe it. You're no happier seeing him with Holly than I am."
"You knew they were going to be here." Her eyes and voice are accusing. "You set me up!"
He shrugs, looking nonplussed. "Yes, I did."
"Why would you--"
"I play to win, Claudia," he says, completely serious. "Now, where would you like to sit? Probably not too close to them?"
She shakes her head. His audacity...how does he...whatever. "It doesn't matter. I've pretty much lost my appetite."
Parrish lightly places his hand on the small of her back and she stiffens. He gives her a gentle push towards a booth along the wall. "You're in love with him, aren't you?" he asks as they slide into the booth.
She looks like a deer caught in the headlights. "What? No, I'm not."
He smirks. "Oh, I think that you are."
******
Around the same time that Claudia realized that Parrish had planned this little run in, Holly noticed the twosome.
"Oh," she says, sitting up straighter after their order is taken. "Isaac's here with someone. A very pretty someone."
"Good for him," Fargo said with a smile, his eyes glued to Holly. He adds, softer, sounding like it's an attempt at good-natured ribbing, "It's about time he conceded defeat and moved on."
"I wonder who she is. I've never seen her before. Does she work at GD?"
"Beats me," Fargo says, glancing in the direction of Holly's attention. He does a double take. "Claudia? What is she doing with him?"
"Huh. Looks like they're on a date," Holly says, watching them walk towards a booth.
"That's impossible. Claudia would never go out with Parrish. They barely know each other."
"Isaac can be rather sweet and charming when he wants to be, Doug."
Fargo scoffs, "Even so, that doesn't explain why Claudia is here. With him."
Holly looks down, frowning, and clears her throat. "How do you know her, Doug?"
"Oh. Well, Claudia and I...we're...you know, we're friends. I, uh, I upgraded the computer's operating system at the...her job," he manages to stutter out."
I was tagged by warehouse13confessions
Rule 1 always post the rules
Rule 2 answer all the questions and write 10 new ones
Rule 3 tag 11 people
Rule 4 tell them you tagged them
Questions Asked:
1. What should be the next big horror fantasy craze and why? (ie: vampires, zombies, etc) None of them because I really just don't care. But not zombies. I've never been a fan of zombies.
2. Favorite show that started before 2008? I've had a lot of favorite shows, most of which started before 2008. But I'll go with Wonderfalls or Psych.
3. Click 5 or Boys Like Girls? Neither.
4. Saddest Warehouse 13 moment? The one that saddened me the most was Steve's death, from Pete coming down the stairs, despondent to the shot of Claudia teary-eyed, staring at Steve's dead body.
5. Cardigans or Pull-Overs? Pull-overs.
6. Did you ever need glasses and/or braces? I've been wearing glasses since I was 11
7. Dwayne, Fargo, or Todd as Claudia’s love interest? All of them? Fargo.
8. What song makes you feel hopeful? Ingrid Michaelson's "Everybody"
9. Have you ever RPd? Yep. Started in AOL chatrooms in 1998; started on tumblr in December 2012. Been mainly active on an indie OC for the past several months.
10. Are you a nerdfighter? I don't know what that is and I don't feel like Googling it, so I'm gonna have to say no.
Tagging:
xbitchcraft
outoftimetraveler
crazycat9449
lunadove
blaineandsamevanderson
spvcepvssy
mewiet
madderthanaboxoffrogs
propertyofwarehouse13
shanhammer
webuiltthepyramids
Questions:
1. If you could live in any other era, which would you choose and why?
2. Sweet tea or lemonade?
3. What's the meaning behind your current URL?
4. What was your first OTP?
5. What's your favorite quote?
6. Who are your top 5 celebrity crushes?
7. What's your favorite song by your favorite band/musician/singer?
8. Do you know how to play any musical instruments?
Title: Candy is Dandy
Characters/Pairings: Claudia/Parrish
Rating: T/PG-13
Spoilers/Timeline: nothing specific spoiler-wise; post Warehouse 13 4.10 (We All Fall Down) and Eureka 5.13 (Just Another Day...). Future fic.
Summary: filling warehouse13confessions' prompt of Clarrish passing out candy in Eureka.
How I feel about this character: She's my favorite; Claudia was the first character I fell in love with on Warehouse 13. She is my precious baby and I will always love her.
All the people I ship romantically with this character: Fargo, Jinks, Todd, Parrish (Eureka), Pete (it's a guilty pleasure and only in fanon), The 11th Doctor (even though I don't watch Doctor Who), Dr. Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds), Greg Sanders (CSI), Jensen (The Losers)
My non-romantic OTP for this character: Artie/Claudia father-daughter feels forever and ever
My unpopular opinion about this character: She is my precious baby but, good Lord, sometime I get so irritated when she cries a lot.
One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: I wish that she would talk about her parents. I want to know how old she was when they died, how they died, if they died together/in the same incident, if she even remembers them, and how much time had passed between their deaths and when Joshua was lost in the inter-dimensional space.
my het ship: All of the ones I already listed above.
my fem/slash ship: If I slash shipped Claudia w/ anyone it would be Megan (from the episode Shadows). Or maybe even Jane Lattimer. Yeah, that's right. I like my crackships fantastically crackalicious and sometimes even disturbing. :-P
my OTP: Right now, Claudia/Jinks is narrowly beating out Claudia/Fargo for this honor.
my OT3: None because Claudia would not be down with that unless an artifact was involved.
my cross over ship: Claudia/Fargo
my kink: Claudia is not opposed to sexy times in the Warehouse or using artifacts.
a head cannon fact: After having doubted her own sanity for so long and all the medical treatments she endured when she was committed, Claudia doesn't do any drugs and refuses to take any medications that alter her level of consciousness unless absolutely necessary. And once she does start drinking, once she finds out what her limit is, she makes it a habit to never ever exceed it.
prompt: Clarrish, the morning after their first time
Claudia dresses as quickly and quietly as possible while Parrish still sleeps. Geek talk, tech talk, and music are her weaknesses (turn-ons) which Parrish honed in on when they met during Doug and Holly's reception; he knows exactly how and when to play them to his advantage and sometimes, like last night, she lets him.
It's not like she wasn't ready or that she regrets it, it's just that she always expected to fall for the kind of guy that didn't occasionally come across as a complete tool and make her wonder what the hell she's doing with him but he has his moments of sweetness and charm and sincerity; he always puts forth the effort to woo her and make her feel special.
Claudia slips out, believing that Parrish is still asleep. He opens his eyes; if he wasn't confident that she'd be back, he'd be bothered by her sneaking out.
