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fiveisnumber1 · 2 years

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Timeless - Five Hargreeves X Reader

Main story parts:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33

Hello! After a long bit of work the first chapter in the season 3 arc is finally here! This part of the story takes place right after the end of Pt 33 - Demolition Lovers so for clarity you may want to go back and just skim the ending of that but you don’t have to. I am so happy to be posting it and sharing it with you all and I hope you enjoy!

Warnings: Very long chapter and pre-transition canon-specific deadnaming

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Pt 34 - Welcome...Home?

"Oh hi (Y/N)! " Dot replied cheerfully

"Hey, can we talk?" You questioned

Dot furrowed her brows in confusion as she looked toward Herb. Shrugging his shoulders, Dot looked back at you questioning in an upbeat tone,

"Oh, sure. What about?"

You looked around to see where everyone was on the farm trying to make sure that no one was close enough to hear. Diego and Five were off in the distance arguing over what briefcase they should use to get home while the rest of the family was off by the house trying to relax after the events that had just occurred. Taking a step closer, you leaned in towards the two of them as you quietly asked,

"Are things going to be okay? Y'know, when we get back home?"

Dot and Herb looked at each other for a moment before turning their attention back toward you. Their faces reflected a mix of confusion and optimism, two emotions that you wouldn't really correlate with each other.

"I don't see why they wouldn't be." Herb replies "Time is complicated but I don't think there have been any catalyst incidents."

"And you're positive in that judgment?" You pressed

"As positive as you can be when it comes to the intricacies of time-space," Herb answered

You stayed silent for a moment as you looked at them processing Herb's words. They were nice, and you didn't feel like they were tricking you, but Herb himself said that he was JUST appointed to lead the commission. It's not that you didn't want to trust them but there was a part of you that sincerely subscribed to the butterfly effect and worried that your actions here in the 60s changed the future you would return to. But you had never worked for the commission and if they said it was okay then who were you to really question them? You took in a deep breath before nodding your head and accepting what Herb had told you. They seemed confident in their answer so you tried to push your skepticism aside and just be happy that it was all over. As you stood there quietly for a moment you could hear Diego shout from afar,

"Herbie! Come here real quick!"

"I'll be right back," Herb said to you and Dot as he walked away

You watched as Herb walked away for a moment before looking back to Dot. She stared at you with a nervous look on her face before her eyes began to shift back and forth to make sure no one was around, just like you had only a few months ago. Reaching into her pocket, you saw as she pulled out some type of pouch and secretly extended it towards you.

"What is this?" You asked quietly

"I trust my dear Herb with his calculations but this is in case things go sideways." She replies softly "It won't help everyone but I know it can help you."

"Okay, but what does it do?" You inquired

"I can't go into details now but there's instructions inside. Only open it when you feel desperate for someone to listen. Now hide it in your pocket before Herb gets back." Dot instructed

You were confused and highly caught off guard but you did as you were told and hid the pouch in your pocket. Right as you had managed to get it in there, Herb returned to Dot's side.

"Well it was good seeing you, but we've got to get back to work!" Herb stated excitedly

You nodded your head as you gave the two of them an awkward smile before watching as they flashed away. With the two of them gone, you pulled the pouch you were handed out of your pocket and took a look at it. You couldn't see through the fabric of the material but besides the folded-up paper, the rest of the items felt round and they made a plastic clicking noise when you shook the bag. You could feel your curiosity growing and part of you wanted to open it but Dot gave you clear instructions so you were going to follow them. Placing the pouch back in your pocket you slowly made your way back over to the house. Looking up at the sky, you were hopeful at the idea of going back home with the Hargreeves. Everyone that you cared about was alive or would be alive soon and nothing mattered more.

Remembering the duffle bag Charlie had given you was still in the car you decided to change directions to go grab it. Opening the passenger side door, you opened the bag before placing the little pouch you were given into it, surrounding it with the rest of your stuff for extra safety. Zipping the bag back up you threw it over your shoulder and brought it over towards the house since it seemed like Sissy and Harlan would be taking the car to get out of Dallas. Entering the house you saw as Klaus sitting on the floor in front of the couch staring at the dog tags he held in his hand. You didn't say anything as you saw the look on his face and knew whom they symbolized. It was the same look you would give the necklace around your neck on the days that Five was gone. A look of pain and yet at the same time so much love. As you continued to walk past him you caught your reflection in the fragments of what was once a decorative mirror in the living room. Dried blood and dirt covered your face and there was a small cut on your temple. Deciding that it would be best to clean that all up you placed your bag on the kitchen table and went into the bathroom to fix yourself.

After finding a decent briefcase within the field of dead agents, Five and Diego started to walk back towards the house and the rest of the group. Everyone was obviously tired and just wanted to go home but it seemed like most of the group was still processing. Deciding it would be best to let everyone somewhat recover before jumping back to the future, Five decided to go look for you. Not seeing you outside, Five entered the house. As he entered he saw Klaus sitting on the floor staring at his dog tags. Five didn't dare look at him too long or else he would start to remember when he was in his position. Noticing your duffle bag on the kitchen table, he walked towards it taking a look around for a moment before hearing the sound of humming coming down the hall from the bathroom. The door wasn't shut but deciding to knock anyway Five called,

"(Y/N)?"

Hearing the sound of your beloved's voice you finished putting the band-aid on your cut before calling back,

"Come in!"

Pushing open the door, Five stepped in before closing it behind him. Turning around you saw him standing there with his hands in his pockets, a curious look on his face as he inquired,

"What are you doing in here?"

"Cleaning up my face. Fixing some of the lesser injuries." You answered tapping the band-aid on your temple

Five nodded his head before walking over towards you. As he stood in front of you, you looked up at him with love in your eyes. All you wanted was to be with him and now maybe, just maybe, you two would get that chance. A burst of joyful energy came over you at the thought of getting to be a happy little couple as you wrapped your arms around his waist bringing him into a hug. But as you held him tighter and tighter you heard as he sucked in his breath. Quickly pulling back, you asked concerned,

"Are you okay?"

Five placed his hand over his side where he had gotten hit with shrapnel about a week ago. It mostly didn't bother him anymore and it was healed to the point where he could move around just fine. But when you held him tight it put a pressure on it that sent a quick jab of pain through him. The jab didn't even hurt that much it was more so just the shock of it that made him suck in his breath. He knew none of this mattered though as you already had a worried look on your face.

"It's just the shrapnel wound." Five tried to reassure "Don't worry, it's almost gone."

As much as he tried to reassure you, it did not matter. He had made a sound like he was injured and now that was all you could think about. Gently placing a hand over where you knew the wound to be, you looked up towards Five and asked,

"Can I check it real quick?"

Although Five knew that he was fine, he saw the concern in your eyes and knew that you wouldn't feel better until you made sure he was better. A small smile came to his face as he nodded his head yes, allowing you to get right to work. Carefully, you untucked the side of his shirt that covered the injury and lifted it up to see the bandages. You made a tiny grimace as you saw how gross they were. They were yellowed from sweat and dried blood. These wouldn't do at all. Grabbing the first aid kit from the bathroom cabinet you kneeled down in front of him, pulling some fresh bandages and hydrogen peroxide out of the kit you found.

As Five watched you kneel in front of him, he could feel the pace of his heart begin to rise. Your fingers brushed against his skin as you undid his old bandages, causing him to tense up. With the threat of the apocalypse finally behind him, it seemed as if his mind had been cleared enough to think of other things. But being so preoccupied with saving the world for so long he seemed to have forgotten the feelings he experienced and the thoughts he had the last time he was in a young adult body. Internally he begged his brain to stop changing the meaning of the situation at hand. This was nothing more than just helping to take care of his injuries. That was all. And yet, adrenaline still coursed through his blood and you were the most beautiful person he had ever seen. Looking at the ceiling, Five took slow, steady breaths trying to level himself out hoping that his blood would stay in the upper half of his body and you hadn't noticed the way he was acting.

After finishing the new bandages, you put the materials you used back before you stood up from the ground. Placing your hands on his cheeks you turned his head to look at you. As you did so, you felt the warmth of his flush on your hands. His cheeks were slightly red and his skin was burning up.

"Five, are you feeling okay? You look hot." You asked

Five looked at you shocked. Was he hearing you correctly? Did you think he was hot? Did you like him that much in the schoolboy uniform? He wasn't a fan of it but if you thought he looked that good in it he would keep wearing it. Trying to make sure he heard you correctly though Five asked flustered,

"I uh- I look what?"

"Hot. Warm. Flush." You responded, "Are you okay?"

Realizing what you had meant Five started to regain his composure. Readjusting his jacket and pushing his hair back over to the side he parts it on, Five stated,

"Oh. I- yeah. I'm fine."

As he continued to calm himself down and get back to his normal self Five noticed something on your neck. Pushing your hair away he saw the bruises on your neck. He had noticed them before in the barn but they had gotten slightly darker since then. Tilting his head to the side curiously he asked,

"What happened here?"

"Ah yeah, Lila tried to choke me." You explained

Five's eyes snapped towards yours. A mix of rage and concern built within him as he realized it was Lila who had done this to you. Granted, he wasn't surprised it was her but he wasn't happy that it happened either.

"She what?" Five asked harshly

"It's fine, I almost killed her." You tried to comfort

Your words didn't do much to comfort him but his concern was less about Lila and more so about you. Raising his hand he gently traced his fingers over the scattered bruises.

"Do they hurt?" He asked softly

"They're a little sensitive." You replied back

There wasn't any medicine or bandages that he had at his disposal to try and make the bruises go away but he could at least try to make them feel better. Leaning in towards you he quietly stated,

"Here, let me help."

Five placed his lips on your neck softly kissing each bruise one by one. Slowly he worked his way down your neck making sure that none of your bruises were left untouched. But between the sensitivity of your bruises and the feeling of his lips on your skin you unconsciously tilted your head giving him more access as you let out a blissful little hum.

Five stopped for a moment, his hot breath lingering on your neck as he noticed what you had just done. He could feel as his heart began to race again. The hormones he thought he had suppressed only a moment ago starting to make a return. He wondered if maybe there was a chance you were feeling the way he did too. Liking the way you had sounded, he wanted to hear you again. His lips trailed down your skin before finding the crook of your neck and pressing firmly against it.

You let out a more audible hum delighted by his loving action. You had come across depictions of a moment like this in fiction before. A moment so tender and sweet with two lovers finally getting a true moment alone together and yet none of those depictions could've accurately predicted the way you felt right now. Your skin felt hot and your stomach churned with anticipation of something more but then he stopped.

Pulling back, Five looked at you slightly nervous. He wanted to keep kissing you, keep hearing the way that sighed so sweetly for him, but he didn't want to move forward just because he wanted to, especially if all you thought he was doing was trying to make your bruises feel better. Carefully he asked,

"How do you feel?"

You looked towards him as Five's gaze met your own. Slowly you snaked your arms around his neck pulling him closer to you as you said,

"A little better but..."

You paused. Leaning in towards him you brought your lips up to his ear as you whispered,

"Can you help me again?"

A shiver ran down Five's spine as your words ran through his system. Pulling back to look at you he saw the toying smirk on your face and the way you batted your eyelashes so innocently at him. He knew this delicate little act was just a facade for the true intentions he could see in your eyes, intentions that lit a fire within him. You could feel as Five's hands slid down towards your waist and gripped onto them tighter. Taking a small step back you leaned your body against the bathroom counter as Five took a step forward pinning you between the counter and himself. You knew you had nowhere to go, but it didn't matter because you didn't want to be anywhere else. You slowly tilted your head to the side, exposing the bruised skin to him once more. But as he leaned back in ready to possibly leave a few bruises of his own on your neck, the door to the bathroom quickly swung open, causing both of your gazes to rush towards the door.

"Where's that-" The person questioned

From the doorway you could see Klaus standing there, his body frozen in place and his eyes growing wider by the second as he took in the slightly compromising situation the two of you had initiated.

"Oh shit." Klaus exclaimed, "Hey kids!"

"Klaus!" You shouted embarrassed as you used one of your hands to shield your reddening face

"Get! Out! GET! OUT!" Five yelled angrily

Five's blood began to boil as he stared his brother down. Stupid fucking Klaus. Always ruining everything. He didn't even knock on the door. Who doesn't knock on the door!? It's common courtesy to knock. Especially a bathroom door! How could he be so careless to just barge in? And more so, how come he had to barge in NOW? The world wasn't actively in peril and this was the first time Five had caught an actual break in the last 20 days. All he wanted to do was spend some time alone with you and Klaus had to come in and ruin it like the dumb lanky cockblock he is. Letting go of your waist Five turned around, keeping his eyes locked on Klaus. The anger on his face only displayed a fraction of the rage that coursed through his blood along with the surplus of adrenaline and testosterone.

"What are you still doing here!" Five demanded

"I didn't mean to inter-" Klaus starts to explain

"Get out!" Five emphasized once more

"Can I just grab-" Klaus tried to interject

"LEAVE!" Five shouted once more

Seeing that he was not going to be getting what he came in for Klaus put his hands up innocently before slowly backing out the bathroom door. Carefully he grabbed the doorknob and shut the door behind him leaving you and Five alone once more. Silence fell over the room as you both dealt with the embarrassment and annoyance from the interruption. Any feelings of intimacy that you were experiencing only moments ago had dissipated just as quickly as they came. Five looked at the now closed door

"God, can't get one moment away from my stupid siblings..." Five complained

Walking up to him, you wrapped your arms around his waist from behind, resting your head against his back. Five was still annoyed but your embrace was warm and your presence was comforting and he couldn't help but relax at your touch. With his tension melting away he looked over his shoulder back towards you.

"Do you think they're ever going to leave us alone?" He asked

"With this family? No way..." You answer

Pausing for a moment you let go of Five allowing him to turn around and face you. His arms find their way around your waist once more as you wrap your arms around his neck. Leaning his head down your noses gently brush against each other for a moment before you look into his eyes. A smile coming to your face as you look at him and further explain,

"But our home is the size of a block, has 42 bedrooms, 19 bathrooms, multiple attic spaces, an extensive basement, an abandoned planetarium, plus some hidden rooms that I found. So I have a feeling we might be able to get away for a bit even if they won't leave us alone themselves."

"You are correct. The house does have all those options." Five remarked playfully

"It does." You reply "But if worst comes to worst, and we can't stay at the house then we go stay at a hotel."

"Well, maybe it's time to go home then?" Five suggests

You stopped for a second thinking about his statement. You didn't want to go home just yet. Once you returned you would be thrown back into the daily grind of life. School, activities, and social life, on top of readjusting back to life in the 21st century. You'd have to resume them all right after dealing with your second apocalypse, on top of about 4 years of trying to exist in a time that was not your own. You just wanted a moment to yourself. A moment to exist without expectation. Finally acknowledging your boyfriend's suggestion, you answered,

"No."

"No?" Five asked quizzically

"No," You restated "Now that we have it, can we just take some time to ourselves and do nothing for a bit?"

The corners of Five's lips turned up into a small smile as he heard your request. After going and going and going the thought of just doing nothing sounded nice. There was no rush to go home. No rush to move on to the next task. Everyone else on this abandoned farm was already taking time to themselves so why not do the same?

"Yeah. Let's do nothing." Five responded

Stepping out of the embrace, you took his hand in your own as you walked towards the side wall of the bathroom pulling him excitedly behind you. Before he could even say something about it you had already phased yourself through the wall using your abilities to phase him through too.

"That felt weird." He commented, rolling back his shoulders as if to shake off the feeling

"I could say the same about your powers." You remarked, "Now c'mon before someone sees us."

Pulling him behind you, you ran off towards the barn. With the handler's body having been cleared out by the commission, and the place a relative mess from all the stuff that happened with Harlan, it was unlikely anyone would come here to stay. Which made it the perfect place for you two to be. Taking a look about you made sure no one was around before walking in and heading over to one of the large piles of hay. Letting go of Five's hand you plopped yourself down into it. Five looked at you for a moment as you just laid in the hay but before he could move to sit down you were already encouraging him to, saying,

"Come on. You gonna do nothing with me or not?"

Without a word, Five sat down before laying in the hay with you. You moved towards him, your head resting on his right shoulder and your right hand finding a place over his heart. Five's right arm found its way around your waist pulling you closer as his left hand took hold of the one you had placed on his chest. Resting his head atop of yours, he took in the silence. It wasn't like the silence he was accustomed to. It was neither the deafening silence of the apocalypse nor the isolating silence of his life as a commission agent. This silence was peaceful. It was comforting. It was safe. And for a while, that was all either of you needed, peaceful nothingness and each other's embrace.

You didn't know how long it had been with you laying there but that didn't matter either. Moving your head to look up towards him you softly called,

"Five?"

"Yes, love?" He responded, looking back at you

"What do you want to do when we get back?" You asked

"Ah, that's easy. I want to retire, I want to buy a 1970s Corvette Stingray and I want to spend time with you." Five answered

You let out a small laugh at his response. There was nothing wrong with his answer, truly it made sense for him that those would be his choices but you found him explicitly stating he wanted to retire both funny and cute.

"What's so funny?" Five questions amused

"You saying you want to retire." You explain "Like I get it and you totally deserve it. Sometimes I just forget there's still an old man in here."

To him the thought of forgetting his actual age and how many years he lived sounded so nice. And yet it seemed so foreign. He could only dream of a day when he forgot the fact that his age was not equivalent to his appearance.

"Well, I hope one day I can get to the point where I forget that too." Five mused before asking "What do you want to do when we get back?"

"I want to finish out school with my friends, I want to go to college with them, and I want to spend time with you." You respond

"Hmm." Five hummed at your response

"What?" You inquired

"Going to college doesn't sound too bad." He stated, "You think I could go?"

"You already look like you should be getting into an argument in a philosophy class, so I'd say so." You joked

"Ha. Ha. Very funny." He replied flatly, although there was a smirk on his face

"It is funny. But being serious, I can help you with it. There's still time to get some applications in if we really work on it and then we could go together." You suggested

"I'd like that." He states

"Me too." You respond

The corners of your lips upturn into small smiles as you think about the plans you have for the future. And as you looked into each others' eyes you hoped that your life together would be just as bright as the images painted in your minds. After everything you deserved the life you always wanted together, both with the things you discussed and the life goals that you each wanted but wouldn't say at this time. Staying in that moment you could hear the sounds of crickets and when you looked up you saw fireflies dance above your head. Looking outside the sky had gone from a soft blue hue to a deep dark night. The stars outside shone above indicating that a significant amount of time had passed.

"Oh shit. How long did we lay here?" You exclaimed

"I don't know, I was too busy doing nothing to worry about time." Five remarked, "You think it's time to go home?"

"Yeah," You answered, "Let's go home."

Getting up from the stack of hay Five extended his hand out to you to help you up. Together you helped each other brush off the leftover hay strands that stuck to your clothes before heading towards the door that led out of the barn. Taking each other's hands you stepped out into the dark night and made your way toward your future together.

Returning to the house Five rounded everyone up while you grabbed the briefcase and your bag of stuff from inside the house. Throwing the strap of your bag over your shoulder you headed back outside, meeting the rest of the group on the porch, and handed the briefcase to Five. Together group walked off the porch, standing in a circle similar to how they all did when you all jumped together the first time. Finishing setting up the briefcase Five looks up and asks,

"Everyone ready?"

"Let's do it, yeah." Luther responds

With a nod of acknowledgment from Five, everyone wraps their arms around each other or holds hands with the person next to them. The night is quiet but as Five takes one last look around at the group Klaus shouts,

"Wait!"

Everyone looks at Klaus confused as he gives a sad pleading face before running back over towards the house and grabbing a cowboy hat that was left on the porch. Leaning over to Five, Diego whispers

"Fifty bucks if we leave him here."

But before Five can respond Klaus trotted back to his spot in the circle, the hat now on his head as he grabbed his siblings' hands once more. As you all held each other you watched in silence as Five clicked down the latches of the briefcase and the energy within it started to build. You could feel as the energy grew and grew until you all were consumed in a flash of blue. In a matter of seconds, the energy stopped as you all now stood around a table in the middle of the academy foyer. As you all caught your breath trying to regain your composure from time travel you looked about the place. The academy was standing in one piece, the sun was shining outside, and things were as you remembered them to be but you had seen the academy in the 60s. It was unchanged, filled with its outdated decor that you had grown up with your whole post-time-jump life.

"Oh, good God. Wh-what day is it?" Allison asked

"April 2, 2019. Day after the apocalypse." Five stated looking at a newspaper on the table

"Wait, so we stopped it?" Luther questioned

"My God, it's over? Did we...actually succeed at something? That's incredible!" Klaus exclaimed

You smiled at the fact that you all may have actually succeeded at something but as nice as it was to be back in the academy, this wasn't the building you needed to see right now. There was one right across the way that you hadn't stepped foot into since the day that you had arrived in the future the first time you time traveled. Whether it was the fact that just seconds ago you were exactly 50 years from being dropped into 2013 or the deja vu of traveling to the future again something in that moment was calling you home, even if you knew there was no home to be found there. Carefully you started to wander toward the front door while the rest of the group continued to celebrate behind you.

"I don't know about you guys, but I need a drink." Klaus exclaims

"Yes." Luther agrees

"In fact, I need several." Klaus adds

"I'm in. I'm in." Vanya replies

As most of the group starts to wander into the parlor, Allison looks towards the front door where you were standing aimlessly. She wanted to be with her siblings but her daughter was out there somewhere. Hopefully at home tucked safely in her bed. Feeling the need to get back to her Allison stated,

"I should go find Claire."

Luther however in a celebratory mood grabbed at Allison's wrist pulling her behind him as he requested,

"Oh, come on, one drink."

Letting him pull her along Allison made her way into the parlor with the rest of the group, except for one member that lingered behind.

"Ma chérie, you coming?" Five questioned

Almost as if you were pulled out of a trance you looked behind you and saw Five standing there. His hands were in his pockets as he leaned against one of the decorative columns that led into the parlor.

"Huh? Oh." You answered, "In a bit, I just need to go check something..."

Your eyes moved away from him to look back at the front doors and that's when he started to realize your intentions. You wanted to go back home, to your first home. Your true home. He didn't know your reasons for doing so but he didn't need to know. Whatever the reason, it was important to you to do so. Not wanting you to be alone though, he inquired,

"Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, I need to do this alone." You replied looking back at him once more "I'll be back soon."

Without another word, Five gave you a nod and turned into the parlor. And with that, you walked out the doors and across the street. You stood at the bottom of your front steps looking up at the building. The curtains were closed but you could tell the rooms behind them were still dark. Taking a deep breath, you made your way up the few stairs leading to the front door as you checked around to see if anyone was looking at you. Seeing that no one was focusing on you, you let out your breath as you phased yourself through the door. Just as you expected the house was dark and from what you could make out the house was still completely empty. And although you knew there was no one here to respond you still quite stated,

"Mom, Dad...I'm home..."

As you began to explore the home you had left behind, so did Five and the others in the parlor. The group sauntered around the room looking at all the items and furniture that filled it. It was all just as it was. Except for one thing out of place.

"Why is there a painting of Ben over the mantelpiece?" Diego asked concerned

Quickly the rest of the group made their way over to Diego and saw the same portrait hanging where Five's should've been. Five's eyes went wide as a shot of nerves ran through him. That shouldn't be up there. The shitty portrait of him, the one you hated so much, should be what's there. Something was very wrong, but that thought only became worse as a familiar old voice said,

"I knew you'd show up eventually."

The group turned towards one side of the room, as from behind a chair someone stood up and turned to look at the group. Standing before them was their father, Reginald Hargreeves. Alive.

"Dad." Diego said quietly

"You're alive." Luther mentioned surprised

"Why shouldn't I be?" Reginald questioned

"Yeah, you're right. I'm...I'm just happy that we're home and...together again." Luther fumbled

"Home? This isn't your home." Reginald retorted

"What are you talking about? This is the Umbrella Academy." Allison replied

"Wrong again." Reginald stated, his eyes turning up towards the balcony above, "This is the Sparrow Academy."

The sound of footsteps could be heard behind the Umbrellas as they all turned to look towards the sound. On the balcony above stood five unfamiliar figures and a floating cube, all of which looked down at them with confusion. As the two groups looked at each other another figure approached from below the balcony. Standing in front of the Umbrellas with a nasty scowl on his face he demanded,

"Dad, who the hell are these assholes?"

Shock and disbelief washed over the faces of the Umbrellas as they tried to process what they were seeing because the person who stood before them all was their brother Ben. Also alive again. Not knowing any other way to react, the group stated simultaneously,

"Shit."

"Ben," Klaus called softly, a smile upon his face

Ben's attention turned to look towards Klaus as he looked at him with confusion and disgust. Who was this lanky wannabe cowboy intruder that seemed to know him already? The rest of the group continued to look at him with awe and bewilderment as Luther stepped towards the front of the group asking quietly,

"Is that really you?"

"And who are the weirdos on the balcony?" Diego shouted

"They are the Sparrows." Reginald answered "My children."

The eyes of the Umbrella Academy went wide as they looked between the Sparrows and their father. None of this was supposed to be happening when they got back. The world was in one piece but everything else was starting to feel like it was in shambles. The group looked back toward Reginald, Five taking the initiative to step forward as he frustratedly remarked,

"I'm sorry. What do you mean, your children? That's not possible, old man."

"Of course, it is! I think I'd know, wouldn't I?" Reginald replied

Coming down from the balcony the rest of the Sparrows stood in a structured formation opposite the Umbrellas in the parlor. They looked on quietly as the situation developed trying to understand what was going on. While most of the Umbrellas continued to look at their father, Klaus excitedly looked at Ben. Using both hands to point at him he asked,

"Everybody else can see Ben, right?"

"Cute hat, Sundance." Ben insulted

Klaus tipped his hat back in response as Reginald began to speak, explaining to the Sparrows who the intruders in their house were,

"They call themselves the Umbrella Academy, a group of scheming, perfidious malcontents who accosted me in the fall of 1963 when I was away on business in Dallas."

As everyone else focused on Reginald's word, five focused on the briefcase on the table in the foyer. If he could just get back to it then maybe they could try to find a solution to fix this. But he couldn't just flash away, the Sparrows seemed on edge and any movement could possibly lead to a larger issue than other people living in their house.

"Be warned, they claim to be my spawn." Reginald adds

"Claim? Look, Five, what the hell is going on?" Allison asks in an unamused tone

"I don't know yet, but it's concerning." Five replies

"Is he telling the truth?" What seemed to be the leader of the Sparrows asked

The Umbrellas looked back over at the Sparrows. All of them still rigidly standing there waiting for some type of answer or explanation.

"Not the part about us being perfidious." Vanya stated

"No, we're amateur-fidious, at best." Klaus chimes in

"But we are his children. This is our house." Vanya continued

"Yeah, yeah. We, uh... We grew up here." Luther adds

The Sparrows all look around at each other before the one who looked serious injured mocked,

"Yeah, we grew up here."

"I kind of think we would have noticed you." The one with the long brown hair commented

Luther looked over towards the one who had just made the comment and stared blankly for a second. It was as if his brain had to catch up upon seeing him. Snapping back to reality a smile appeared on Luther's face as he reached out his hand and greeted,

"Hi. I'm Luther."

The welcoming gesture did not last long though as Allison quickly stepped forward shouting,

"Okay. None of you belong here."

"Oh! Well, then. I guess we'll just pack our bags and move out." The one with glasses snapped back

The ominous glowing floating cube then started to make some garbled noises in which it seemed like the Sparrows could understand what they meant. When the cube finished "speaking" the Sparrows began to snicker at what was said as Ben loudly replied,

"You slay me, Chris."

Before any more comments could be made a familiar blonde woman walked into the room. The Umbrellas slowly turned to look at her as she stood there with a plate of cookies in her hands.

"I wasn't expecting company. This is the best I could do on shor-shor-short notice." The woman said, her voice and body glitching at the end of her statement

"Mom." Diego said softly

"Mom? She's a robot, you perv." The dark-haired girl remarked

The Umbrellas looked at her angrily. How dare she disrespect both their mother and their brother. The tension in the room started to build up as all the Hargreeves started speaking over each other. A cacophony of taunts, insults, and pleas to calm down filtered through the air.

"Hey, don't you call him that." Luther chastised

"Or what?" Ben pressed

"Come closer and find out." Luther firmly stated taking a step toward Ben

"Luther! Guys, chill!" Vanya tried to interject

"Think I'm afraid?" Ben questioned stepping toward Luther

"Stand down, Ben." The tall one in front commanded

"Look at that! She's got a voice!" Luther spat

"How about I hide that big Rubik's Cube up your ass?" Diego shouted

"Enough!" The tall one yelled

The room became quiet as all eyes turned to him. He stood there solidly, with his shoulders as straight as can be. He spoke with authority as he stated firmly,

"I don't know what circus you escaped from or how you got past our security, but we're done here. You got 30 seconds to get out of our house."

"And if we don't?" Allison shot back

"Then we'll have to settle this the old-fashioned way." He replied

Trying to get in between the brewing conflict before it boiled over into something worse Vanya stepped forward trying to calmly explain,

"Look, we just fought a literal army. Okay? This doesn't need to get ugly. Let's all just calm down, and let's talk."

The room quieted down for a moment as everyone settled. Perhaps there was no reason to fight. Maybe they could just it out. As everyone paused though Klaus continued to get excited. Ben was there and he was alive! He didn't have to be without his brother like he thought he would.

"Psst. Benerino." Klaus said grabbing his attention "You look so much better alive than you do dead. Am I right? Except that haircut."

"What the hell did you just say?" Ben shouted angrily

The rest of the Umbrellas watched cautiously as Klaus approached Ben from across the room babbling out whatever words his brain managed to form. Five could see as Luther reached out his hand to grab Klaus' shoulder as Klaus rambled on,

"Come on, come on. Stop with all the hostility, Mr. Grumpy Pants. Oh wow. Nice scar. Muy macho."

"Shut your mouth!" Ben demanded

"You shut your mouth and just hug your brother-" Klaus started to say, his arms raised high and wide for a hug

But that hug never came. Instead Ben swiftly punched him in the face sending him stumbling backward past the group and over a coffee table. The Umbrellas looked on with shock and anger at what had just occurred. Sure Klaus was well...Klaus...but that didn't mean he deserved to get punched in the face. Stepping in to defend Klaus, Luther approached Ben as he shouted,

"Hey! What the hell? You didn't have to do that!"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure I did!" Ben shouted back

"That's right, he did!" The seriously injured one chimed in

"Luther, hey!" Vanya called trying to get Luther to step down

But it wasn't working as Luther stepped closer to Ben once more. Putting himself slightly between Luther and Ben the tallest of the Sparrows shouted,

"Back off!"

That threat, however, did nothing and as Luther pushed the tallest Sparrow away he was immediately pushed back. Pulling his hand back into a fist, Luther swung at him hoping to nail him in the jaw but before his fist could make contact the Sparrow had ducked down dodging the hit. Quickly, standing back up the Sparrow kicked Luther in the chest with immense force sending him flying back across the room. The Umbrellas attention snapped towards Luther as they watched almost in slow motion him slam into Klaus, who had just stood up from getting punched, and crash over the couch across the room.

"Bad touch, Luther! Bad touch!" Klaus groaned, hitting his brother's shoulder

"Sorry." Luther apologized as he got off of Klaus

Whatever hope for a lack of conflict went out the window at that moment though as the Sparrows started pursuing the Umbrellas. Trying to get the upper hand Five rushed towards Ben and began to fight him near the bar. Punch for punch they went back and forth with each other. Ben kicked Five in the shin but Five went back with a blow to Ben's face. Ben nailed Five in the jaw and when Five swung his arm back to hit Ben, he ducked down dodging the attack. Back and forth they blocked each other's next attacks but then Ben nailed a punch right to Ben's gut catching Five off guard and giving Ben the upper hand. Wrapping his arm around Five's neck Ben tried to choke him but before he could do any real damage Five had already blinked from his grasp. Reappearing, Five looked at Ben trying to start putting the pieces together in his head on how this was possible.

"You're alive. That's great. Or possibly horrible. I'm not really sure yet." Five commented

"Is that some kind of weird smack talk?" Ben remarked

"It's more of an existential problem, really, Ben." Five explained

"Awesome. Well, here's your next problem." Ben retorted

Immediately, a tentacle shot from Ben's chest and over towards Five. Before the tentacle could grab onto him though, Five had already flashed up to the balcony above the bar. With his hand in his pockets, he looked down at Ben who had spotted him on the balcony.

"You know, even though you're a total asshat now," Five started to say

The fact that he was speaking didn't matter though as two tentacles shot from Ben's chest once more in his direction. Doing what he had done before, Five jumped away. Appearing behind Ben he placed one hand on his shoulder turning him back towards him and punching him in the face knocking him down.

"It's nice to see you again, really." Five finishes

As Ben laid on the ground from being punched, Five turned around to see the cube, apparently called Chris, floating aggressively in the air as it had a stand-off with Diego. Five watched as Diego jumped on top of the cube. His eyes went wide with shock as Diego began to punch one of the cube's sides yelling,

"Who's your daddy? I'm your daddy! Who's... your... daddy?"

Five watched as the cube lifted Diego higher into the air, spinning him around at high speeds before throwing him off onto the balcony above. Five considered getting involved to help Diego but from where he stood he could see Allison fall to the ground and the extremely injured Sparrow about to stomp her. Flashing to her, he quickly grabbed her before flashing away once more. Arriving safely on the ground upstairs the two took a moment to get themselves up again.

"Thanks." Allison said

"No problem." Five replied

From behind the two of them, a voice called,

"Hey, short pants. What's up?"

Allison and Five stood there for a moment as the snarky dark-haired girl approached them. Five looked at the scene below him and seeing the chaos, and the fact that his siblings were not doing well in this fight, Five instructed,

"Go help the others. I'll handle this one."

"Okay." Allison replied as she made her way to the stairs

The dark-haired girl took a few steps closer before stopping. As Five and her stood opposite each other the dark-haired girl mockingly asked,

"What are you, their mascot?"

Five didn't say a word. Instead, a smirk came to his face as he jumped behind her. Turning to face him, Five punched her straight in the face causing her to fall to the ground and groan in pain.

"More like their ringer." Five mocked back

The dark-haired girl sat up on the ground and looked up at Five with anger in her eyes. Hissing at him she spat a black goo from her mouth and onto his face. Five's face filled with disgust as he touched the goo on his head before looking at it. Looking at the dark-haired girl he ridiculed,

"Ugh. Hey, gross, all right?"

But as he looked up from her something about the world changed. The lighting became softer, things became more peaceful and from down the balcony walkway, he saw a vision of perfection. There you stood, looking absolutely radiant. The world glowed around you as you held a bouquet of flowers in your hand and wore the most stunning white dress. Five looked at you in awe and as you started to walk towards him, a wide smile on your face, Five carefully moved towards you meeting you in the middle.

"Hi mon chéri." You greeted softly

"Wow. You look beautiful." Five complimented breathlessly before asking "Why are you wearing this?"

"Well, I think it would be odd not to wear a wedding dress to our wedding." You joked

Five's eyes went wide with wonder and his heart skipped a beat as he heard you say those words. He had always dreamed of being able to get married to you. He had spent countless times throughout his life thinking about how he would ask you to be his forever, what type of wedding you two would have if given the opportunity, and who would be there to share the celebration of your love for one another. The thought of marrying you was one of his greatest dreams. Not being able to fathom that this was actually happening Five asked tenderly,

"We're getting married?"

"Well that's why you asked isn't it?" You replied holding out your hand

Five looked and there on your hand was a stunning ring. He didn't remember getting it for you but it looked like the type he always imagined getting you. And with the smile on your face, it seemed to indicate you were happy with it as well. You were happy with him. A smile appeared on his face as he took the hand you had extended out to him in his. Looking up at you from the ring, he stated delicately,

"I never thought I'd get a chance to do this."

The smile on your face widened as your eyes filled with immense amounts of love. Five let out a peaceful sigh as he took all of this in. After his time in the apocalypse, he didn't want much but this? This he wanted more than anything.

"Well you have your chance now," You told him "So are you going kiss me and make me your wife or not?"

Five nodded his head before closing his eyes and slowly leaning into you. His one hand let go of yours as he placed it on your waist, the other of his stroking your hair as your lips pressed against each other. His heart felt like it was doing flips knowing that you were now his wife but as Five continued to kiss you something knocked into his head and the next thing he knew he was rolling down the main foyer staircase. Hitting the tile on the ground floor, he groaned in pain both at the physical pain of the injuries he probably sustained and the emotional pain of his dream being just that. A dream. As he forced himself to get up Five could see the Sparrows surrounding Luther, the tallest of them continuing to beat him bloody. Five tried to get up but after the fall down the staircase, it was difficult. As he tried to force himself to his feet he could hear the sound of Vanya yelling,

"Luther go, get out!"

Five got up on his hands and knees, his body aching with every move he made but he needed to keep going. As he continued to try and get to his feet he saw as Allison rushed down the foyer stairs and over to him. Extending a hand out to him she helped him up to his feet.

"Thanks," Five said

"No problem." Allison replied, "You okay?"

"I've been better." Five answered

The two of them took a moment to breathe but it didn't last long as the Sparrow with glasses began approaching. At this point it was evident their best chance at survival was to get out and leave. Quickly, Five and Allison ran down a side hall away from the Sparrow that was heading their way. As they ran down the hall, Five could see Luther up ahead crouched down over another Sparrow. Running past him Five shouted,

"Luther, we're leaving!"

Five took the lead running ahead of the two of them, and after a moment he could hear footsteps catching up behind. As the three of them ran together away from the squawking of birds that came from behind him, Five remembered that the briefcase was still on the table. Turning on his heel, he ran in the opposite direction past his siblings before spatial jumping downstairs to the foyer. Looking at the table he saw that it was nowhere to be found.

"Where's the briefcase? shit, it's gone!" He exclaimed

Looking up from the table he then saw Vanya laying on the broken remains of a table struggling to get up and groaning in pain. The Sparrows in the room stepped closer and closer beginning to surround Vanya.

"Vanya, get out of there!" He shouted

His statement didn't do much to help though and instead, he saw as Vanya began to glow. A resonating sound filled the air as Five realized what was going to happen next. With wide eyes, Five stepped away from the entrance to the parlor and jumped out of the house before anything worse could happen.

As the Hargreeves had been battling across the street you however were exploring your old home. Carefully you walked from empty room to empty room, memories coming back of a time long gone from the moment you were in now. There was the kitchen you would eat in with your family, there was the living room where you would run around and play, and there was the game room where your favorite game was just your dad lifting you up and spinning you around.

These rooms were easier to be in, the bittersweet nostalgia didn't hurt as bad as you made your way upstairs that feeling grew. You entered your parents' bedroom, the one you would run to when you had a nightmare and have your mother sing you back to sleep. The one where you and your parents would watch a movie together on their TV. The one where you would hide many times when playing hide and seek. You could feel the love and warmth of your memories but at the same time, there was a cold emptiness. Your past still haunted you like ghosts of a time gone by but you couldn't let it drag you down. You may not have learned to move on but as always you needed to keep moving forward and just take life as it came your way. For better or for worse.

Turning out of your parents' room you walked down the hall towards the room you dreaded the most. Your own. You knew that on the other side of this door was a room frozen in time. It would look the exact same way it did when you left it in 2002 and the exact same way you last saw it when you arrived on November 22, 2013. As you reached for the doorknob your hand shook slightly but you pushed past the nervousness you were feeling. Closing your eyes you grabbed the doorknob and slowly turned it open. Placing your hand on the door you pushed it fully open and took a step inside. Taking a deep breath you readied yourself to open your eyes and when you let out your breath, you did. Your eyes opened, but immediately they went wide with shock. The room was...empty. This didn't make sense. The room should've been untouched. Filled with all the items from your childhood. Toys on the floor, books on the desk, posters on the wall, and your big fancy canopy bed over where it should've been. But none of it was there. The room looked as if it was never lived in. Your heart raced as you wondered what this meant but as that happened you could feel a familiar knot build in your stomach. Following the feeling, you rushed over to the window and actually looked across the street at the academy. Your wide-eyed look grew as you saw giant banners of many people who you had never seen and one face that you recognized instantly. And then above the banners on the roof, you saw one more sign that read Crime's The Problem. We're The Solution. Sparrow Academy. A sinking feeling settled within you as you said aloud,

"Shit."

As you continued to stare in disbelief at the signs before you that may or may not have signified that you had messed up the timeline, the feeling in your stomach grew but before you could react to it, a burst of energy came from across the street knocking you down. Your arms wrapped tightly around your waist as you cried out in pain. Whatever was happening over at the house was not good. You took steady breaths, trying to redirect the pain, and after a few minutes of doing so, both the disturbed energy and your pain had vanished. Carefully you got up from the floor but once you were standing steadily you immediately knew you had to get back across the street. Transporting your molecules from your old bedroom over to the foyer of the academy you looked into the parlor that everyone had entered when you left only to see the place in complete disarray. Slowly, you walked into the room looking down at all the broken wood and glass on the ground.

"Jesus...what happened here?" You asked yourself quietly

As you looked at the mess you heard an unfamiliar woman's voice snap sarcastically,

"Oh great, we've got another one."

Your head whipped over to see a group of six people and a floating cube looking at you angrily. The same group that you had seen advertised on the banners outside, The Sparrow Academy. You had no time to care nor fucks to spare for the people standing in front of you. In what can only be described as one of the most stressful days of your life, you time traveled to 1982, killed a bunch of people, time traveled back to the 1960s, got kidnapped, killed a bunch of other people, went back to the 60s AGAIN, had to keep your boyfriend from fighting and killing his past self, and then was attacked by a literal army on top of being in extreme pain every time a massive disturbance occurred. Straightening your shoulders back you demanded,

"Where are the people I came with?"

"We kicked their asses and sent them running home." The seriously injured one jabbed

"Well this is their home so either you're playing a really shitty game of hide and seek or you suck at comebacks." You retorted "My guess is the latter though."

"We're not here to play games. You either get out of our house or we will force you out." The tallest one commanded

If there was one thing you hated more than anything else, it was being told what to do. No one was going to tell you what to do and especially not in this house. The academy had always been your little rebel's playground. You consistently lived directly in spite of Reginald and his dumb academy structure and today was not the day that this was going to change.

"Okay well first of all, I lived here in the 60s so this was my house first." You remarked back "And second of all, you must have the wrong bitch because I don't take orders from anyone."

You watched as they geared themselves up ready for a fight. A fight you were willing to take on because unless one of them had powers similar to Vanya, you were obviously going to win. Slowly the group of them started approaching but you stood your ground. You watched as Ben stepped forward quickly, pushing his way in front of the rest of the group. There was a look of pure malice on his face, one that you had never seen on him before, but with that look, you instantly knew this was not the Ben you had known. This was someone completely different and you should treat him as such. Standing in front of everyone else he shouted cockily,

"I got this."

And just like that two tentacles flew out of his chest and towards you, but you didn't move. You didn't even flinch. Instead, you kept your eyes trained on Ben as his tentacles went swiftly through you. You watched his cocky expression turn into confused anger as his tentacles continued to swat at you to no avail. As the tentacles came back towards you, your hands shot up grabbing one in each hand and quickly burning the slimy flesh. Ben shouted in pain as he retracted his tentacles back inside himself. A vile smirk came to your face as you mocked,

"You missed Benjamin."

You watched his face contort into anger but you couldn't care. It was your turn now. Closing your eyes you ignored your actual sight and instead using your abilities you felt for all the shards of shattered glass in the room. Once you had found them all you began to raise them in the air so that they surrounded the Sparrows. Opening your eyes you looked dead at them all, their confidence and anger had now turned into a state of poorly hidden panic. Slowly and in a steady tone, you spoke your next words to them,

"But I won't."

And just like that, you flung the glass their way. You watched as they spread out running in different directions but you could still hear their shouts and cries of pain as glass sliced them. You winced though as what felt like a piece of glass sliced your cheek over your cheekbone. None of the glass should've hit you, you were directing it away. And then from across the room, you saw the seriously injured one holding his hand over a cut in the same place. Putting the pieces together you concluded that his power was injury replication. His pain was his attacker's pain.

"Well then." You said to yourself "Better avoid contact combat."

As you took a moment to yourself you could feel the energy of someone trying to sneak up behind you. As they rushed to sneak attack, you phased yourself through them and saw it was the largest member of the group. With his back still turned to you, you kicked him in the back of the leg making him collapse to his knees before roundhouse kicking his head and increasing the density of your foot on impact for extra damage. You watched as he fell forward to the ground but before he could get back up you placed a paperweight on his back and increased the density to the point that it was impossible for him to get up. You watched as he struggled to get off the ground to no avail. This was one of your easiest tricks, you were doing this before you turned double digits, and yet this big guy was effectively down for the count. Proud of your work you saw as a group of sparrows congregated together most likely trying to figure out their next plan of attack. Rolling your shoulders back a few times you turned yourself invisible before jumping over to them. You saw the way they frantically looked around for you.

"Where did she go?" Ben shouted

Without a word, you decided to answer him. Punching him in the gut, he doubled over allowing you to elbow him in the head and push him to the ground. The Sparrow with glasses and the one with long brown hair looked on with concern as their heads whipped around trying to find you. You watched as they wandered away for a moment before shouting,

"Colder."

Quickly they snapped back around towards the sound of your voice. As they slowly approached you continued to talk them through the game of hot and cold just waiting for them to get to you.

"Warm. Warmer. Hot. Hotter!" You instructed

It was when they were right in front of you that you revealed yourself and said,

"You two are on fire!"

The one with the glasses immediately went to grab you but before she could the other girl screamed,

"Oh my god, Fei! Look! Look!"

The one with glasses looked down at herself only to see that both she and the girl who had shouted at her were indeed on fire.

"I told you two you were on fire." You commented

The two of them began to panic as you refused to let the flames go out. The funny part was that you weren't actually burning them or their clothing, the flames just existed there as a distraction. Each girl tried to pat out their own flames and that of each other but nothing was working. This was too easy. These people thought they were going to kick your ass and force you out of the house? Yeah right. They were amateurs compared to you. Flashing up to the balcony above, you leaned against one of the columns, crossing your arms over your chest and taunting,

"C'mon is that really all you guys got? I assumed you'd at least be somewhat of a challenge."

You were unimpressed by them. These were supposed to be the Umbrellas replacements? Sure they were very good at presenting themselves as a united front, something the Umbrellas were...working on. But these guys hadn't even landed a hit on you yet. Granted, that was a difficult task to do, but even your friends back when you did your vigilante thing were able to get you sometimes. And they didn't even have powers. They were just skilled at working together. It wasn't surprising given their upbringing but it seemed like every Hargreeves was deeply rooted in the "everyone for themselves" mentality. As you stood there watching your minimal havoc cause its discord downstairs, a Sparrow with long dark hair began to approach you. You raised a curious eyebrow at her but didn't make any attempt to move from your current position. You watched as she pressed her tongue between her teeth, black veins popping up on her neck as she made a hissing sound before shooting some type of liquid from her mouth. Becoming permeable, the liquid flew right through you and landed on the column behind you. Turning to look at what was just spat at you, you saw a stain of black goop splattered on the column. Your face morphed into disgust as you looked back at the girl.

"Is that shit black? Gross." You grimaced "What's your power? Sucking off the tar monster from Scooby-Doo?"

You watched her face turn to anger as she repeated the process from earlier, spitting at you once more. Once again she missed as the liquid flew right past you. Finally deciding to move, you walked over and stood in front of her. With your eyes locked, you stated firmly,

"Keep your kinks to yourself you perv."

Before kicking her in the chest and sending her down the foyer stairs. You watched as she tumbled to the main floor hitting each step along the way before stopping completely at the bottom. Slowly, you walked down the stairs after her and looked down at the body at your feet. Tapping the girl in the side with your foot you could hear a small groan but didn't see any sign of movement. Oh well, it was one less Sparrow to worry about.

"This is pathetic. I need a drink." You said to yourself

Stepping over the body you headed back into the parlor, seeing your chaos. Glasses girl and long brown hair girl were still trying to stop themselves from being on fire. Still, neither of them realized that they weren't actually being burned even with the flames growing. Ben was still on the ground trying to recover and the first guy you attacked was yelling for assistance from the injury replication guy.

"Alphonso get this thing off of me!" He shouted

"I'm trying Marcus!" Alphonso replied trying his best to lift the paperweight

As you started to walk past the pair you commented nonchalantly,

"You're wasting your time y'know. It's not gonna budge."

Immediately, Alphonso turned on his heel to face you and you could see the extent of his injuries. It looked very bad. His body was covered with what appeared to be years of scar tissue that all piled up on each other. And for a moment you couldn't help but feel slightly sad for the guy. That went away though as he exclaimed,

"Hit me!"

You already knew that was a bad idea and were not going to be attempting any attacks that dealt with physical contact. It was only going to do damage to you. You however did have another idea.

"Yeah, no. I'm not gonna listen to the guy who looks like The Appetizer from Spongebob" you replied before saying in an upbeat tone "But I will piss your pants though!"

"You'll wha-"

Before he could even finish his statement though you rushed a bunch of water from his body into his bladder before continuing to use your abilities and compress it. You laughed as the guy, against his will, pissed his pants.

"Oh what the fuck!" He shouted

"As an added bonus how about you puke on him too." You added

Using your powers you turned Alphonso back around to face Marcus who still lay trapped on the floor under the paperweight. And without a moment to recover from pissing his pants, you compressed his stomach making him puke onto the back of Marcus' jacket. You could hear Marcus groan in disgust as Alphonso fell to his knees and started having a coughing fit. With a shrug of your shoulders, you moved on towards the bar. Stepping behind the bar you grabbed a glass and a bottle and started to pour the random liquor you chose in but you had not realized that your lack of care had lost your grip on the fake fire you had created. Before you could reach for your glass you heard the overwhelming sounds of dozens of birds squawking. Looking up you saw a swarm of birds appear out of the back of the one with glasses. High into the air, they flew like a dark storm above. They shrieked loudly as they circled but quickly their attention landed on you. In one giant mass, they flew directly towards you. Reacting on instinct you threw the bottle of alcohol that was still in your hand before summoning one of your knives to the other one. Setting it on fire you threw it after the bottle letting the two of them collide in the air, an explosion of flames and glass shot through the swarm of birds making them cry out in pain. The Sparrow who summoned them screamed as she placed her hands over her eyes and collapsed to the ground causing the other Sparrow you had set on fire to look in your direction. She raised her hand, blue energy starting to glow causing you to lift up from the ground but before you could get too far you lifted your own hand and made a swatting motion in the air sending her flying off to the side and into the bookcase.

Grabbing your glass you took a swig of your drink letting it go down smooth. After everything that had happened today, you deserved this. Walking out from behind the bar you stepped into the center of the room and looked at the bodies that were lying around. They weren't dead but they probably were starting to wish they were. But then from above, you saw as the floating cube appeared. It pulsed with angry red light as it insulted you through some garbled language.

"Easy there enderman. No need to get hostile." You retorted

The room was silent except for the groans of the defeated Sparrows as you and the cube stood off. Neither of you making a move, waiting for the other to take the initiative to attack. As you stared each other down, the rest of the Sparrows got up, stumbling over to surround you. You looked around at them, cuts, bruises, and blood littered their uniforms and bodies. You admired their resilience, the fact that even after all you had done so far they still would get up to fight was impressive. You could see the blade you had thrown earlier on the ground behind the cube and an idea came to mind. You knew the cube was a dense solid but if you made the blade phase into it then maybe it would do some damage. Carefully, you side-eyed the knife trying not to draw attention to it as you raised it in the air, but after a moment you flung it at the cube phasing it through its hard exterior and hitting the inside. You watched proudly as the cube wobbled a bit but before you could react a beam of red energy shot towards you hitting you in the head. You dropped to one knee as you cried out in pain. The energy wasn't like that of Vanya's, it wasn't a direct counter to your ability, but it flowed through you so rapidly it was difficult to think straight. With wicked grins on their faces, the Sparrows closed in and you knew you needed to do something or else you were screwed. You tried to fight against the energy that moved through you but it accomplished nothing. And that's when you heard Charlie's voice in your head.

Feel it, don't fight it.

You weren't going to stop this energy but maybe you could redirect it back. You moved your right hand in front of your head so that the energy beam hit there first and felt the way it coursed through you. Although your teeth were gritted, your breath became steady and as the Sparrows closed in on you, you raised your left hand up with two fingers pointed and completed the circuit. The energy that had rushed into you flowed out of you and connected with the blade you had lodged in the cube. You watched as it vibrated violently making a sound of what you could only assume was distress. Regaining your footing you stood up tall as you moved closer to the cube forcing more of its own energy into it. Quickly, the rest of the Sparrows moved towards you to make you stop, but before they could even get close you took in a slow deep breath taking in oxygen. Specifically the oxygen from the Sparrows' bodies. You watched as they grabbed at their necks all of them beginning to choke on nothing. Their faces turned blue as they tried to move forward to get to you but they couldn't. Blood began to drip from their noses and their eyes began to roll back into their head as you continued to suck every molecule of oxygen from their system. You could tell they were on their last breaths but before you could finish them off a familiar voice called from behind you,

"(Y/N)! Welcome home! I always knew you'd come back."

Hearing that voice you stopped what you were doing and turned right around. All the Sparrows collapsed to the ground, the cube going completely colorless and the humans gasping for the air they so desperately needed. You looked up towards the balcony and saw a man you were not expecting to see standing there. Reginald.

"What the fuck? Reggie? Why are you alive?" You shouted

"Why shouldn't I be?" He questioned back

"I don't know it's been like fifty fucking years." You argued before gesturing to the Sparrows behind you on the ground "And who are the 30-year-old losers I almost killed? Why do you have them?"

"These are my children, the Sparrow Academy. Just like the name you chose!" Reginald explained "And they are here because after the awful display those Umbrella malcontents put on at dinner in 1963 I decided to pick a different academy. A better one."

You let out a sigh of relief as you heard his explanation. It wasn't your fault that things had changed. You were still more put together than a Hargreeves. The only input into this timeline you truly caused was the name of the academy. You were in the clear.

"Are you impressed Number Zero?" Reginald inquired

"No. Of course not. I kicked their asses." You ridiculed "And don't call me that."

"Wait. You're Number Zero?" A voice behind you asked

You turned to look at the Sparrow Academy as they got up from the ground. Brushing themselves off they looked at you in shock waiting for some type of response.

"No. I'm (Y/N)." You reprimanded angrily "And if you disrespect me by calling me a number again I'm gonna turn your head into a fucking Pollock painting."

The tall one in the front, Marcus, put his hands up innocently as he apologized,

"I'm sorry I meant no disrespect."

"Whatever." You replied, "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

The Sparrow with the bird power stepped forward as she replied,

"It's just an honor to meet you."

"Yeah, we've been waiting on your return." Alphonso chimed in

You grimaced at them. Their responses were weird and unsettling. It was giving off cult-like vibes and you didn't like it one bit.

"That's not creepy at all." You remarked sarcastically

You had no clue what Reginald told them about you or your abilities. You looked back up towards the balcony for some type of explanation but he was nowhere to be found. You could only assume whatever he said was some type of warped truth. A positive light so grand that now they saw you as above them in some way. You knew though that Reginald wasn't to be trusted. He had a reason for everything, including shaping your image like this to them. It was a means to some type of end that you didn't know about. You watched as Marcus stepped forward, a sincere look on his face as he asked,

"Is there anything we can do for you?"

"First of all, you could stop treating me like some type of god. It's weird and makes me very uncomfortable." You explained "And second...I could use some medical attention, a shower, and some food so if that's not an issue that would be highly appreciated."

"Of course." He nodded "Sloane will take you to the medical room."

You watched as the girl with long brown hair stepped forward. A sweet smile on her face as she extended her hand out to shake yours.

"Hi, I'm Sloane." She greeted

Taking her hand in yours you gave it a polite shake as you replied,

"(Y/N)."

"Nice to meet you. Should we get going?" She asked

You nodded your head and with that, you followed her away from the rest of the Sparrows and towards the medical room. But as you settled in the house after a great victory, the Hargreeves however were forced to deal with their major loss in the middle of a park. The group hobbled their way over to various benches and tables that sat next to a small pond. Taking a seat on one of the benches in the shade Luther mumbled,

"Just gonna sit. I'm just gonna sit for a minute."

"That didn't go well." Diego commented as he leaned against the fence that blocked off the pond

"No, not our best work." Five replied sitting down at a picnic table

Five couldn't remember the last time he had gotten his ass kicked like that. He could barely think of an example. Really, he could barely think at all. His head was pounding like crazy, his vision was slightly blurry and he couldn't shake the feeling that he was forgetting something. He tried concentrating on remembering what it was he forgot, but the light of the sun hurt his head and the aching of his body was too great a distraction that he couldn't focus. All he knew at that moment was how much everything hurt. Five watched as Klaus walked over to the other picnic table and laid atop it. Twisting his spine, loud popping sounds could be heard as he tried to fix his joints.

"Oh, I'm cracking." He said

Looking across the way Five saw Allison and Luther sitting next to each other on separate benches. Allison's nose was bleeding and Luther's face was bloody and bruised. Neither of them looked good. No one here looked good.

"You all right?" Allison asked Luther

"I don't know yet. I've just never had my ass handed to me like that before. It's like...Here you go. It's your ass." Luther responded, his hands held out as if they were holding something

"Okay, I think Luther's concussed." Allison commented placing a hand on his shoulder

Climbing off the table Klaus sat down on the picnic table's bench and raised his hand towards Luther. Holding up what could've been three or four fingers Klaus asked,

"Luther, how many fingers?"

Before he could respond though Vanya came down the path they had taken to get to where they sat looking in as rough condition as everyone else.

"Oh. Thank God you're alive." Vanya called stumbling over to an open bench

"Apparently, so is Ben." Klaus commented

"Yeah. And he's a complete dickhead." Allison added

"They're all dickheads." Diego stated

"Dickheads who can fight." Luther remarked

Five's head continued to pound as he listened to his siblings say the word dickhead over and over again. It didn't make things better and detracted him from thinking about what might be going on. This was obviously not right and he needed to figure things out. Trying to get them to give him some quiet for just a few moments Five threatened,

"Okay, next person to say dickhead is getting a punch to the throat."

"Dickhead." Luther said

"Dickhead." Allison followed

"Dickhead." Klaus added

"Dickhead." Diego finished

Five rolled his eyes, shaking his head slightly in disappointment. He still wanted to punch his siblings in the throat but that would take energy away from the ideas that were starting to form in his head.

"Hey, did Dad tell you why he was calling them his kids?" Diego asked

"He sure did! You ready?" Klaus laughed "Dad was so repulsed by us back in Texas, that he adopted an entirely different group of children just so that he didn't have to raise us."

"That's just peak Dad." Diego commented

"Isn't it?" Luther complained

"So he just didn't want us anymore?" Vanya asked

"Did he ever?" Allison responded

"See? I told you we shouldn't have asked him for help in '63." Luther added gesturing toward Five

Like a lightbulb finally getting electricity after a power outage, Five's brain began to work again. Slowly but surely the gears started turning as he thought about the situation at hand. If their dad decided against adopting them, then obviously, the Umbrella Academy never existed. And if the Umbrella Academy never existed it means their lives as they knew them were completely altered. The entire reality they were now in could be filled with alterations.

"I think you're all missing the big picture here." Five chimed in "If Dad didn't adopt us as kids, he changed the timeline. So who knows what else is different now."

"Shouldn't you know?" Allison questioned, attitude lacing her tone

Five knew that Allison was probably upset about getting kicked out of the Academy. Everyone was. That was their home and now most of the group had nowhere to go. And on top of it, she was antsy to go and get back to Claire, if she even existed in this timeline. With the fact that the Umbrella Academy was no longer around, there was a decent chance that neither was Claire. He wasn't going to bring that up though because he was already starting to get annoyed by her. Trying to get her to back off Five remarked,

"Sorry, Allison, but it might take me more than 20 minutes and a traumatic brain injury to figure this all out. Is that okay with you?"

"No, actually, it's not." Allison replied annoyed

"Guys, look, it's fine. We still have the Commission's briefcase, so worst case, we can just go back in time and fix it." Vanya interjected

That was not true though. There were two main problems with what was just said and Five knew he needed to address them before his siblings got out of hand with ideas that would not work. Standing up from his spot on the bench Five began to explain,

"Okay. There are two problems with that statement. First off--"

"Here we go." Klaus lamented

"Time travel is complicated, people." Five stated

"Yeah, we get it. Your job is so hard. Just...what?" Diego complained

"And secondly..." Five continued "I no longer have the briefcase."

Five saw as his siblings faces changed from their mildly disgruntled expressions to ones of shock and annoyance. At this point, Five was used to them reacting like this. He tried to do his best but it just never held up with them. Fortunately, most of them actually kept their mouths shut and just slouched in their seats rather than going on a tirade. Except for Allison, who stood up from her seat on the bench and aggressively asked,

"Five, where the hell is the briefcase?"

"Back at home most likely." Five answered

Home. The word echoed in his mind. There was something about it that felt so important to recall. And then it hit him. You went home. They left home. You didn't know that the academy was not your home. They left you behind. HE LEFT YOU BEHIND!

"Oh shit! (Y/N)!" Five shouted frantically "She doesn't know we left the house!"

"Where was she? We could've used some help from her in that fight." Luther remarked

Five hands started to shake, as he rapidly paced back and forth. He had to go back. They all needed to go back. They barely made it out alive but if it was you by yourself who knew what could happen? Trying to elaborate on the situation Five explained panicked,

"She left the academy to go look at her old house across the street. She doesn't know we left. We've gotta go back."

"What and get our asses kicked again?" Allison protested "No thanks. I'd like to live to see my daughter again."

With the realization that you could be in danger sinking in, Diego quickly walked over to Five. He had almost lost you once today, he wasn't going to let a chance for it to happen again occur. His worst fear was losing you, and he especially wasn't going to lose you to those Sparrows. Standing by Five's side he pulled out one of his knives as he stated,

"No he's right we have to go back for her."

"Yeah, (Y/N) is family. We can't just leave her behind." Klaus chimed in as he walked over towards the two of them

"(Y/N) can blow people up with her mind, I think she'll be okay." Allison retorted

Five's frustration grew as he stopped pacing and turned on his heel to face her. Just some time ago everyone was all "kumbaya" and "we're all family" on the farm and yet now, barely anytime later, Allison was just ready to leave you behind? Why? So she could go see her daughter? IF, Claire existed she was in California while you were only a few blocks away! Currently, you needed them all more than Claire needed Allison. Sure, she was right. You could blow people up with your mind but you had been through enough today. If you did fight them, you couldn't do it forever. They were powerful, capable, and dangerous.

"I am NOT leaving my girlfriend to deal with the Sparrows herself!" Five yelled at her "I know she's not defenseless but she is injured and it can get worse if we don't go back."

"Yeah, and I'm not letting my little girl get hurt by those psychos." Diego added "Let's go. Maybe if we're lucky she's still at her house."

the res of the siblings nodded their heads in agreement as they got up from their seats. You were family, and they weren't going to leave you behind. Allison watched as the rest of the family started to head back to the academy. Back to the academy where they had just gotten beaten to a pulp. Were they really just gonna barge back in there for round two? No. Absolutely not. There was no time for this. She had to get to her daughter. She couldn't just go back and attempt to deal with the Sparrows again just because you decided to take a little trip down memory lane. She needed to do something to get them to stay.

"Hey!" She called out

The rest of the Hargreeves stopped in their tracks as they all turned around to look at Allison. Without missing a beat, seeing as she had all their attention Allison spoke,

"I heard a rumor you all forgot about (Y/N) until dinner tonight."

Allison watched as the eyes of her siblings all went blank white for a moment, her rumor settling into their minds before their eyes returned to their normal colors. The Hargreeves blinked around in confusion, forgetting why they had all stood up.

"Where were we going?" Five asked

"Away from here." Allison stated firmly

The rest of the group looked at each other giving various shrugs and confused glances. But nevertheless, they started to walk off in the direction away from the academy. For the most part, the group walked down the park paths and sidewalks in silence. None of them really had anything to say and most of them were still trying to remember what their plan was. As they walked down the sidewalks the other park-goers stared at them with long judgmental glances as they passed by. It was an unusual situation all around.

"What are we doing?" Allison complained

"Ruminating." Five replied simply

"Why is everyone staring at us?" Klaus questioned

"Because we look like the damn Village People just lost a fight." Diego snapped as he took Klaus' hat from him

Jumping at Diego, Klaus tried to get his hat back while Diego continued to hold it away.

"Gimme that." Klaus shouted before getting elbowed in the ribs by Diego and saying "Hey. Ow!"

Allison couldn't deal with this. Her siblings didn't have the care or the urgency that she did. What needed to be done right now was that she needed to get to Claire as soon as possible and it seemed like everyone else was holding her back. Getting fed up, Allison started to walk away as she called back,

"You know what? I need to go find Claire. I will catch up with you guys later."

"Hey, Allison, no." Vanya called stopping Allison in her tracks "First, let's get somewhere safe, clean up those cuts, and then we'll go find her."

The rest of the group stopped in the tracks taking in the city skyline. Massive billboards of the Sparrow Academy hung off of buildings, their expressions serious and authoritative. The Umbrella Academy sure was mismanaged circus filled with a bunch of clowns compared to them.

"Well, what are we doing then? We can't stand here bleeding out in this park." Allison retorted

"I don't know, but we better gear up fast before they come for round two." Diego stated

"What makes you think they'll come after us?" Vanya questioned

"Because I would." Diego responded

"Yeah, we did break into their house." Klaus added

"Our house." Allison corrected

"...bust up all their nice antiques and shit." Klaus continued

"Yeah. I don't think the crime-fighting... super nerds are gonna let that go." Luther commented

Trying to get everyone to some type of safety Five suggested,

"Let's just think of someplace off the radar where we can lie low and not draw attention."

"What kind of a weird-ass place are we not gonna draw attention?" Diego replied

The group all looked at each other for a moment before their attention turned to Klaus. They watched as he spun in circles for a moment before stopping. Looking back at them he furrowed his eyebrows, trying very hard to think of a place where they could lie low and not draw attention to themselves. And then it hit him. He knew the perfect place they could go.

"I've got it! Follow me!" Klaus exclaimed as he started to walk off

The rest of the siblings looked at each other for a moment before deciding to follow Klaus. If anyone was going to know a place they could stay it was probably going to be him. And so off they went following their eccentric brother in hopes of being able to take care of themselves. You however already had your care underway.

Sloane had guided you through the house pointing out many things that were different from how you remember. There was an in-home movie theater, a dojo, a home gym connected to a full modern kitchen, plus many other things. But the thing that was most foreign to you was the woman standing in front of you taking care of your injuries. Your mom. Well, what should've been your mom. She had the same hair, face, mannerisms, and voice but this wasn't her. The love and care that you used to see in her eyes was replaced with an empty void. You watched as she hummed softly while she cleaned and fixed some of your minor injuries. With a cloth in her hand she reached up to clean off the fresh cut on your cheek and yet something about that action felt different. It was like the gentle touch of a concerned mother was gone, as if it never existed at all. You stared off at the wall in front of you as she continue her work. You had no clue how much time had passed when you felt a tap on your shoulder. Coming back into focus you saw Grace standing before you a basic smile on her face as she stated,

"All your wounds have been attended to and should heal relatively fast."

"Thanks, Mom." You responded

You didn't mean to say Mom. It was a force of habit given the woman she looked like, but as the word came out of your mouth there was part of you that hoped it would trigger something in her. A spark of recognition, even just a flash of the woman you once knew. Something to bandage the pain that was growing in your heart.

"Mom?" Grace questioned, "Why do people keep calling me that."

And with those words that tiny bit of hope you had gone away. As much as you wanted it to not be true, you knew that this wasn't your mom, nor was it even Grace. The woman you knew was lost to the past just like everyone else in your life that you loved. All you had left were the six Hargreeves you arrived with. Getting off the exam table you didn't let your eyes meet her own. If you looked at her face right now you were sure you would start crying from the fact that you had lost a parent again. Walking towards the curtain that separated the kitchen and the med room you quietly responded,

"I don't know. Sorry."

Taking a deep breath you put on a strong face before opening the curtain and walking out of the room. As you stepped out you saw all the Sparrows in workout gear, except for Marcus and Ben who were only in shorts and sneakers, approaching the treadmills in the gym that was on the other side of the kitchen. You stopped in your tracks and looked at them confused.

"(Y/N), glad to see you're doing better." Marcus states "Would you like to join us on our run? I'd be happy to lend you my treadmill."

"You guys run...together?" You asked confused

"We're a team." The one with bird powers said, "We do everything together."

You furrowed your eyebrows as you only became more confused. part of you wanted to ask how far the term everything went in terms of doing everything together, but something in you held you back from doing so. These people were so weird. Were there any Hargreeves that were normal?

"I think...I'm okay for now." You answered, "I've had a very long and physically intense day already so I'm just gonna go take a hot shower."

You turned away from the group and started to head out of the combination gym kitchen but before you could you heard Ben comment mockingly,

"Wow. A little run is too much for the amazing Number Zero."

Before he even fully finished his comment though a blade had already flung past his face leaving a cut similar to your own on his cheek. Slowly you looked over your shoulder, the eyes of all the Sparrows trained on you. Your eyes locked with Ben's as you stated in a slow, low tone,

"I told you not to call me that."

"Yeah dude what are you doing?" The spit girl questioned

"I just don't get how she outranks us and yet she can't be bothered to run a bit." Ben complains

"I told you. I've had a long and physically intense day." You explain steadily as you turned back around "In less than 24 hours, I traveled through time, killed a boardroom filled with extra-temporal corporate executives, was kidnapped, broke free, blew up part of a building, killed another 50 plus people, most of which by blowing them up and one of them-"

You paused for a moment and you flashed over towards Ben and phasing your hand through his chest and grabbing on to his heart tighter and tighter as you spoke,

"By wrapping my hand around his beating heart and pulling it out of his chest while watching the life drain from his eyes. I could go on about the fact that I fought a literal army, had my abilities try to rip me apart from the inside out and yet was still able to kick your ass, but I think this is enough."

"If you want to fight again then let's fight." Ben taunted

Rolling your eyes, you let go of his heart and pulled your hand from his chest. He obviously was a real piece of work in this timeline.

"Calm your man tits, Cuntacles. It's not much of a fight if I can kill you." You remarked, "Anyway, you're not worth much, let alone worth killing and you've got bigger problems to deal with."

"Oh yeah, like what?" Ben questioned

"Like the fact that your patchy gas station attendant mustache doesn't match with those sorority bitch booty shorts." You replied a smirk coming to your face "You should fix that."

You watched as Ben slowly reached up to touch his mustache while he looked down at the shorts he was wearing. Looking past him you could see the smiles and hear the snickers and stifled laughter coming from the other Sparrows. They obviously found your comments entertaining and maybe this was exactly the type of treatment this Ben needed. A good knock off that high horse he was riding. You stared at him blankly and waited for some type of snarky response but none came.

Ben's heart raced at the way you had threatened him and the way you spoke to him. All he could do was stare back at you unsure of what to do or how to respond. No one had ever threatened him in a way that mattered nor had anyone talked to him the way you just had. He had never met anyone before that put themselves on an equal footing to him. For everyone else, he was above them on his heroic pedestal, a god amongst other men. But you, it was as if you had just always been there on equal footing. He didn't like this feeling. You made his stomach feel uneasy by just being you. And with no snarky remark to come back with he let out an annoyed huff and turned off to walk towards his treadmill.

Seeing his retreat, a proud smile came to your face as you said,

"Alrighty then. Well, I'm off to take a shower. Enjoy your run y'all."

And with that, you turned off towards the bedroom hall of the house where the bathroom with the best water pressure was located. You felt a little bad for being so harsh towards Ben but just like with Grace, it wasn't the person you knew. He wasn't the boy you would read literature and write stories with, nor the ghost that was there to comfort you when you were all alone. You knew Ben could be snappy and rude with Klaus but from your view, he was never this level of such. But just because he looked like Ben didn't mean he was. This was an entirely different person you were going to treat him like a stranger because that's who he was to you, and you wouldn't let a stranger treat you the way he attempted to.

Making it to the bathroom, you stripped off your dirty clothes and threw them down the hamper shoot before hopping into the shower. You let the hot water run over you for a while taking in the feeling as you tried to push past the pain that came from seeing the faces of people you loved and knowing that they were gone. You couldn't tell if tears were falling from your eyes or if it was just the water rolling down your face but either way you could feel your chest clench from it all. You stood there silently for a while before reaching for the soap and finally washing off the dirt and dried blood that was left over from earlier events in the day. It was nice to feel clean, to wash all that stuff down the drain. All you had to do now was pick yourself up off the ground and try to start your life over again. For a third time.

Turning the water off, you stepped out of the shower and dried off before putting on a robe from the linen closet. It was at that point you realized the mistake you had made. You had thrown your dirty clothes down the laundry shoot out of habit and now you had no clothes to put on. Opening the bathroom door you looked out into the hall to see if anyone was there. Luckily enough you saw Sloane at the end of the hallway entering what you assumed to be her room. Trying to get her attention you called out to her,

"Sloane. Sloane!"

You watched as she turned around and looked towards you, a smile coming to her face as she approached the bathroom door.

"Hey (Y/N), what's up?" She asked politely

"Hey, so I threw my dirty clothes down the laundry shoot totally forgetting the fact that I did not bring any other clothes with me into the bathroom and I was just wondering if there were any clothes I could use." You asked

"Oh, yeah! You can just take from my closet." She responded cheerfully

"Are you sure?" You questioned

"Yeah! Come follow me." She said

You watched as she turned away and walked back towards her room and slowly but surely you followed her there. Entering the room, you saw posters and postcards of places around the world taped to the walls and multiple travel books littering her desk and dresser. You couldn't be sure but you were getting the feeling that she didn't want to be here. Walking over to the closet, Sloane opened it up and grabbed some things for herself before gesturing to all the clothes inside.

"Since you're done, I'm actually going to go take a shower now so don't worry about rushing to pick something. You have the full range of my closet and can take your time deciding!" She explained

"Thanks, I really appreciate it." You replied

And with that, Sloane gave you a quick nod and walked out of the room with some clothes in hand. Closing the door behind her, you walked over to her closet and started to look through what was available. Sifting through the options you saw a lot of florals, jeans, and deep V-cut long sleeve crop tops. Her closet was very light, romantic, and floaty and you could only assume that it was a reflection of who she was as a person. It took a few minutes to find pieces that you liked but you settled on one of her crop tops, a light blue one with a few pink flowers scattered over it that laced up in the front, and a pair of high-waisted jeans. Looking at yourself in the mirror you felt odd but in a good way. You felt more like yourself, like the person you were before heading to the 1960s. The 60s were alright but the modesty standards were annoying at best and infuriating at worst. No profanity, no "immodest" clothing, minimal affection. You hated it. It was nice to be back in the present day where the rules were laxer. You could speak your mind, dress how you wanted and kiss your boyfriend in public without it being a severe violation of the times. Unsure of what to do next given that your home wasn't really your home anymore, you decided to just chill out on your favorite spot, the ceiling. You had liked sitting on the ceiling ever since you figured out how to do so. It was calming and helped you think because no one could really get to you. Settling into your spot you heard the door to the room open and a voice say,

"Whoa. Didn't expect to see you up there."

Looking down at the door you saw Sloane standing there looking up at you surprised. She was in an outfit somewhat similar to yours but it made sense since you had picked from her closet.

"Oh sorry. I like sitting on the ceiling I feel like it gives me-" You started to explain yourself but were cut off

"A different view of the world?" Sloane questioned

You were taken back by her statement. She had pulled the words right out of your mouth. A small smile came to your face as you said quietly,

"Yeah."

You watched as slowly she raised herself up in the air before sitting on the ceiling across from you.

"Me too." She replied

Your small smile became wider as you looked at her impressed. This was so cool, you had never met anyone else who could do this as naturally as you could. And as much as you liked being on the ceiling to somewhat get away from people, there was something comforting about having someone else sit up there with you. It was like a camaraderie that you weren't expecting to find but nevertheless enjoyed.

"I've never met anyone else who could sit on the ceiling before." You commented

"Neither have I. I thought me and my gravity manipulation was the only way to do so until right now of course." Sloane stated, "How do you do it?"

"Oh, I just make myself light enough that I float to the ceiling and obviously it blocks me from going any higher so I just kind of sit there. Like a balloon." You explained

"Make yourself?" Sloane questioned

"Oh right. My power is also manipulation, but it's not gravitational. It's molecular. I can do a lot because I control the most basic part of existence." You elaborated

Sloane's eyes went wide with shock. Molecular manipulation? What a power! It sure explained how you were able to do so many things when they had fought you earlier and it proved everything that her dad said right. Although you hated being called so you truly were worthy of being in the spot that came before one.

"Oh my god, that's so cool. No wonder you have such versatile abilities." Sloane exclaimed, "How often did you have to train with your siblings to get to this level of control?"

Your head tilted to the side as you looked at her confused. What did she mean by train with your siblings? You were pretty sure that she had never met Dean and while Diego tended to ramble about you as his little sister that would only be one person not multiple.

"Um...I'm an only child." You corrected "I've trained alone for most of my life."

"Oh, you're not one of those Umbrellas?" She commented

Ah, that's what she had meant. She thought you were part of the Umbrella Academy. They all probably did but that wasn't entirely true. Trying to set the record straight you stated,

"I mean they're like family to me, but no. I was never part of the Umbrella Academy. I'm not a Hargreeves."

You looked off to the side for a moment as you thought about that statement. You weren't a Hargreeves but there was one way you could become one. A way that you would happily become one. A way in which you wanted to become one. Your thoughts caused a blush to rise to your face as you mumbled,

"Well not yet..."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sloane asked

You turned your attention back to Sloane as you looked at her in shock and she looked at you with curiosity. You didn't realize you had spoken aloud but you didn't mind that she had heard them. There was something about Sloane that you liked. She seemed genuine and sweet and didn't make you feel weird like some of the other Sparrows did. Deciding to be honest you answered,

"Well one of them is my boyfriend."

"Which one?" Sloane inquired

Sloane had a guess at which one it was. Obviously, there was an option that made the most sense but she couldn't be sure. And for her own personal reasons she really wanted to be sure.

"The one who looks like he should be getting into an argument in a private school philosophy course." You joked

Sloane let out a quiet breath of relief as she heard your answer before laughing at your joke. She knew exactly which one you were referring to, which was the one she expected to be your boyfriend.

"Ah, the jumpy guy," Sloane stated jokingly

"Yeah, that's the one." You mused smiling "Five Hargreeves. Mon cœur, mon amour, ma raison d'être."

"I get it now. You're not a Hargreeves yet because you're not married to him." Sloane mentioned

"Yeah. But I'd like to be one day." You replied "He's my best friend. There's no one else I'd rather be with."

Sloane saw the smile on your face and the love in your eyes as you said those words. You seemed so happy, so smitten with your dear Five and she could only hope that she could find something similar. Sloane couldn't help that she was a hopeless romantic looking for her grand adventure in love but seeing you mention yours gave her a bit of hope.

"Aww. That's so romantic." Sloane cooed "What's he like?"

"He's sweet and caring and extremely protective of those he holds dear. He'd do anything for me and his family. He has done everything for us, and I absolutely love him." You gushed happily before adding "I just wish the rest of his siblings could recognize how much he loves them and how sweet he is."

Sloane furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. What did you mean by that? Trying to find the answer she asked,

"Why don't they?"

"Because they're stupid and don't listen. And when they don't listen, he gets frustrated, so they all think he's an asshole when all he's trying to do, all he's ever tried to do, is keep them safe." You complained

It sounded harsh but it was true. All Five ever wanted to do was to make sure that his family would live. He forced himself through 45 years of isolation knowing everyone he loved was dead, a shitty job working as an assassin for the commission as a means to get back to his family, and now twice he has tirelessly worked against fighting an apocalypse just to save them all. And yet even when he apologizes and asks for help they turn him away and make him out to be the bad guy. It frustrated you immensely because it seemed like you were the only one who realized this.

"That's unfortunate." Sloane mentioned "They can't all be bad though, right? The really tall one seemed kind of sweet..."

"Oh, Luther?" You asked

"Yeah..." Sloane said happily "Luther."

You could see the coy smile on her face and the blush that was rising to her cheeks. She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear as she looked off to the side almost as if she was reminiscing. You were by no means an expert when it came to love, you couldn't even tell your best friend had feelings for you until he explicitly shouted it. But you had seen enough dumb teen crushes over your time in school that you were able to pinpoint them with ease. And by the looks of it, Sloane was just the next victim of Cupid's arrow.

"Sloane," You questioned, "Do you have a crush on Luther?"

Sloane's eyes went wide with shock as her head snapped back to look at you. How could you know? Could it even be qualified as a crush? She had only met him earlier today. They spoke like twice and yet he seemed so sweet and gentle after he had accidentally hit her. His eyes were sweet and his smile was bright and just the thought of him made her stomach do flips. But no. No she didn't have a crush. Did she? No. Trying to deny it, Sloane stuttered out,

"What no- I mean- what are you- you're crazy-"

You were unmoved though. You stared at Sloane, unimpressed by her attempt at denial, and instead gave her a look that said "Really? You're going to tell me I'm wrong? ". Sloane looked back at you biting her bottom lip nervously. She had no clue how you saw through her so well but it was obvious she wasn't hiding anything from you. Letting out a sigh, she asked,

"Is it that obvious?"

"Just a little." You replied

Letting out another sigh, Sloane tried to pull herself together. Her crush on Luther was something she could deal with later as another thought came to her head.

"Wait. I have a question. If you were never part of their academy then why are you even with them now?"

"Do you have time for a story?" You asked

She looked at you curiously before nodding her head yes. And with that confirmation, you started off on the long story that was your life and the winding road that led you to the current moment. Meeting Five, becoming his friend, meeting the rest of the Hargreeves and becoming their friend, accidentally time traveling, starting over, apocalypse one, purposely time traveling, starting over again, apocalypse two, purposely time traveling again, and now starting over AGAIN. You explained everything to her and watched as slowly throughout your story her jaw dropped more and more. The past nine years of your life were a mess of short bursts of the most traumatic things you had ever experienced mixed with long bouts of relative stability and god did you hope after fending off the 1963 apocalypse you would have a very very long time of stability. After finishing the tale of your life you waited for Sloane to say something but all she could manage to get out was,

"Wow. That's...a lot."

"Sure is." You remarked "Now let me ask you a question. You give me the feeling that you want to leave, so why do you stay?"

Sloane blinked a couple of times as she snapped out from the trance of hearing one of the most back-and-forth stories she ever heard. She didn't know whether to try and comfort you through all your loss and pain or commend you for being so strong and staying hopeful for a good life. But seeing as you asked her a question the answer to whether she should do something about that story right now was probably no. Taking a moment to think, she mulled over the question you had asked. It wasn't that hard of an answer, she already knew what it was but she had never vocalized it to anyone before and was nervous about doing so.

"It's safe here." Sloane explained, "I have a roof over my head, the people that I know best, enough money to get anything I want all in exchange for being a Sparrow."

"But do you want to be a Sparrow?" You followed up

"I don't really know..." Sloane replied in a low voice looking out her bedroom window "This is all I've ever known."

And for the first time that day, you truly felt bad for the Sparrows. These people, just like the Umbrellas, were traumatized by Reginald Hargreeves. Once again he had failed as a father and ruined even more children. Except this time, they didn't have a person like you to fight back against him. They didn't have people to show them love and that there was more to the world. Wherever Reginald Hargreeves went misery followed and the Sparrows were, unfortunately, a long-term target of that misery, so much so that their whole identities were wrapped up in this academy. It hurt to see Sloane suffering in silence, stifled by the expectation of the Sparrow Academy and feeling like she couldn't leave both because you found her to be nice and liked her and because it was like looking at what the Umbrellas could've become if you were never there. Sure they had their issues but seeing what you were seeing now, you realized it could've been a whole lot worse. Reaching out you placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder but as you did so you heard a voice yell down the hall,

"Food's ready!"

"Thanks, Jayme! Be there soon!" Sloane yelled back

The two of you quietly got down from the ceiling. Sloane gracefully flipped through the air and back onto the floor while you let yourself drop from the ceiling, landing in a hero's pose on the floor before standing back up straight. Heading towards the door you open and take a step out of the room before looking back at Sloane behind you.

"Y'know Sloane, if you're always following someone else, all you'll ever see is the back of their head. Sometimes you need to step out of line to truly see what the world has to offer you." You suggested, "You deserve more than this because you are more than just this."

With that, you walked back off towards the kitchen. And as Sloane watched you walk away she thought about all the times her Dad had talked you up, praised you for how amazing you were, to her and her siblings throughout their lives. You were the vision of perfection, the exact person that he wanted them to be and they would have to work hard as a team to even compare to you. It motivated all of them because not only did they want to make their dad proud but they wanted you to like their abilities. And yet finally meeting, you were nothing like the way her dad had described. You weren't this larger-than-life entity, you were as you put it, a person. A lovely person who treated her just the same. It wasn't her powers or her ability to work with the Sparrows that you cared about like her father said you would. You cared about her not what she could do. You were nothing like she was expected to believe you were, but it was like a breath of fresh air that she didn't know she needed. There was a world outside the wall of the academy and you were her first glimpse into that. You were right, you weren't Number Zero, you weren't a ranking that they should aspire to be. You were a person just like her and you were the friend that she never expected to have. And as Sloane exited her door following you to the kitchen, the Hargreeves had just arrived at the destination they followed Klaus too.

Towering before them was an old building only identified by the name on the awning and the sign atop the building as Hotel Obsidian. The group looked around outside as Klaus led the way to the revolving doors using his arms to gesture his siblings in. One by one, each Hargreeves filed into the revolving door. The same side of the revolving door. Squeezing in together rather than splitting up they thudded into the side walls as they tried to push their way forward into the building.

Oh. Okay. Honestly? Okay." Allison complained, "We don't all need to be squeezed-"

But before she could finish her statement, the door had finally moved far enough that they all could shuffle into the building.

"There were two entrances, by the way." Five commented

Five looked around at the interior of the hotel. It was old and outdated. The people that scattered the lobby, none of whom looked like they belonged here, all seemed to stare at him and his siblings. Five could feel that there was something off about this hotel but he couldn't place it at the moment.

"Oh, Hotel Obsidian. I missed you, you slutty old dame." Klaus greeted before turning towards his siblings and explaining "Absorb her. Absorb her into your bosom. You know, 'cause back in her heyday, she played host to world leaders. Roosevelt, Gandhi, Stalin, Gorbachev, Castro, King Olaf of Norway, one of the Kim Jongs, Tito, Dalai Lama, Elvis, and not one but two Kardashians, allegedly."

Unlike her siblings, who had all the time in the world to listen to Klaus ramble on about whatever, Allison was on a mission to get back to her daughter. Not wanting to wait around for Klaus to finish his speech Allison walked off past him.

"Wouldn't that-- Where you going?" Klaus asked

"I gotta make a call." Allison stated

Letter her walk off, Klaus turned his attention back to his siblings as he continued,

"Nowadays, she's just a flophouse, a party house for those of us not looking to be judged by society's rules and norms."

"You mean, a place to hide?" Luther asked

"Exactly! It's perfect! And the best part of it is, she's gonna look after us, no questions asked. Never ever. Right?" Klaus answered

The group took another look around the place. All of them got the feeling that there was more to this place than what they could see, but it was also their only option at the moment of a place to stay.

"Come on." Klaus called walking towards the check-in

The remaining siblings looked at each other for confirmation that this was what they were doing, and with multiple shrugs of the shoulders, they decided to follow behind. The siblings followed Klaus over to the check-in desk and watched as he rang the bell sitting upon it. From behind the desk a man showed up to attend to them. He was older, with gray hair that was formally slicked back and he wore a green Hotel Obsidian uniform.

"Chet! Mon frère! It's so great to see you. I'd like my usual suite, por favor." Klaus exclaimed

"I've never seen you before." Chet replied confused

"See? Told you. Discreet." Klaus reminded

"We need some rooms, please." Vanya stated

"Super. And how will we be paying today?" Chet questioned placing a Cash Up Front sign on the desk

Seeing the sign, the siblings all looked at each other as they tapped at their pockets. Did any of them have cash to pay for the rooms?

"Ah," Luther said aloud

"Oh," Klaus mumbled

"Fine. Empty your pockets." Luther directed

Reaching into all of their pockets the siblings pulled out the items they could find and presented them. What they held out before them were some crumbled-up candy wrappers, exactly three peppermints, a handful of condoms and a knife.

"Come on. Something. Cоndоms?" Luther said before pushing Diego's hand back scolding "Put the knife away!"

"Can't exchange those for cash." Klaus lamented

"Why do I have a hairnet?" Luther commented before frustratedly taking off his watch and asking "Oh. All right. What does this get us?"

Handing over the watch he was wearing on his wrist, Chet takes it before picking up a jeweler's loupe and examining the watch. Giving a small nod Chet places the watch and the loupe down behind the desk before turning around and walking to a walk of hooks. Picking up two keys Chet turns back towards the group and places the keys on the desk saying,

"Two rooms. Mazel tov."

Everyone watches as Klaus grabs one set of keys while Allison, who had just returned, stepped in and grabbed the other saying,

"All right. Well, let's Brady Bunch this bitch."

Together the group walked away from the desk and towards the elevator to head to their rooms. As they walked though, Five knew that they would need to discuss this new reality there were in. Something about it right now felt wrong. Like something was missing and they needed to figure out what it was. Wanting them to put their heads together on what this new reality meant Five suggested,

"Uh, meet back in the bar in two hours so we can make a plan."

"I have a plan." Diego exclaimed running up the stairs in front of everyone "We attack the Sparrows, and we take back our house, and then we punch Dad a bit until he admits that we're better and he loves us more. Boom! Done!"

One by one the rest of the siblings ignored his statement and filed into the elevator. Frustrated at their lack of response Diego turned towards them and exclaimed once more,

"We're wasting time!"

"Relax. Don't sweat it, man." Klaus said pulling Diego into the elevator "Those shit birds are staying put for a while. I bet they're as wiped as we are."

"Really?" Diego asked

"Yeah. I mean, kicking our asses looked exhausting." Klaus commented

Relenting, Diego stepped into the elevator as they all headed upstairs to their rooms. Stepping out of the elevator the group split up with Luther, Diego, Klaus, and Five heading towards one room and Allison and Vanya heading towards the other. Getting to their room, Klaus stuck the key in the lock unlocking the door before stepping inside.

"Oh! See? It's paradise. High ceilings, sense of space. Aromatic." Klaus praised

"What the hell? Where's the bathroom?" Diego complained

"Down the hall, or..." Klaus said opening the room's window "Nature's bathroom!"

"You're disgusting." Diego commented

"But consistent," Klaus remarked

As Klaus unzipped his pants to piss out the window, Five closed the door to the room and looked around. It was pretty awful, but it was better than some of the motels he stayed in and definitely better than the apocalypse so it was acceptable accommodations. There was a set of bunk beds, a couch, and an extra bed to sleep on. Trying to claim one of the decent beds before anyone else could, Five made his way over towards the bunks, taking his jacket off and hanging on one of the posts as he suggested,

"Let's unpack. Settle in."

"Unpack? Unpack what? We don't own anything anymore." Luther reminded

"Yes, Luther. Isn't that liberating?" Five remarked as he laid down on the bottom bunk

"What are you, a commie?" Diego complained "If I wanted bunk beds and group showers, I would've stayed in the Texas nuthouse. At least they had free Jell-O..and Lila."

"Jell-O!" Klaus exclaimed as he climbed to the top bunk

Luther and Klaus both vigorously bounced up and down on their beds, the sounds of squeaking mattresses filling the room. Five could feel as the entire bedframe for the bunk beds shook above him and he wondered how bad it would be if the top bunk came crashing down on top of him, killing him instantly. At least then he wouldn't have to deal with these three, but especially Diego with his complaints. Sitting back up, Five stared down at Diego as he explained,

"Hey, Diego. I just spent the past 20 straight days saving the world. Twice. Can I get five minutes to relax before figuring all the new kinks out? Please and thank you."

Five saw as Diego turned away from him and went over to a nearby wall to bang his head on. If it was someone else Five may have stopped them since it could damage their brain but with Diego, it didn't really matter since there wasn't a brain in there to damage.

"And Dad said I'd never go to summer camp." Luther chuckled laying back on his bed "This is great."

"All right, I'm bored. Cocktail, anyone? Five?" Klaus asked

"I'll take a scotch if you have one." Five answered

Five laid back down on his bed and closed his eyes. He could hear the sounds of Klaus climbing down the latter at the foot of the bed and heading over to the mini-bar that was in the room. Five tried his best to relax but something kept him from fully doing so. There was this nagging in his brain that something was missing. Something that he needed to feel completely at peace and yet no matter how hard he tried to think about what it was, no answer came to him.

"Here you go buddy," Klaus said

Opening his eyes, Five saw Klaus holding out a glass of a golden-colored liquid to him. Sitting up once more, Five took the glass from him and downed what was most definitely scotch. At least he knew Klaus was reliable when it came to alcohol. Setting the empty glass down on the ground next to him, Five laid back down and closed his eyes once more. With his nerves calmed and his body starting to actually relax he could feel himself drifting off to sleep. As he did so though he could see an image form in his mind of something. No. Someone. But before he could figure it out though he drifted off to sleep. But while Five took a very needed nap, you were about to eat a meal with the Sparrows.

Walking back into the kitchen you saw as all the Sparrows minus Sloane were all sitting at the table together already. No food was on their plates though as if they were waiting for something, or more so someone, and you had a strong guess that someone was you. You looked about the place wondering if you should sit down or not when the one with bird powers extended a hand out towards one of the empty seats encouraging,

"Please sit down, join us."

Nodding your head you walked over to the table taking a seat at it, with Sloane right behind taking the seat to your side. You looked around at everyone for a moment before starting to grab food and load up your plate. And with you initiating, everyone else started to pick up food as well.

"So," Marcus began breaking the silence

You looked up from your plate and across the table at him as he continued,

"Given the circumstances of our first meeting we never got properly introduced. I'm Marcus, Number One."

You nodded your head at him. The way you were first introduced to each other wasn't quite conducive to a normal introduction. The only reason you knew his name was Marcus was because Alphonso had yelled it when trying to get that paperweight off him.

"I'm Ben. Number Two." Ben stated

For a moment your eyes went wide with surprise. Last you had known, Ben was number six, not two. Diego was two. But this new placement made sense given his new attitude. Being up so high but not being in charge gave him this air of superiority and the need to act like he should be in charge. It was kind of similar to how Diego used to be especially in contrast to Luther. But also like Diego, you could tell Ben was hiding his insecurity of not being good enough behind this tough and argumentative exterior. He needed to feel useful, important, wanted. It was something that every Hargreeves seemed to do.

"Huh." You said aloud "Interesting."

"Why?" Ben asked annoyed

"Oh, it's just that back in my timeline you were Number Six" You explained " That and also realizing being number two leads to having both superiority and inferiority complex."

"What'd you say to me?!" Ben shouted jumping up from his seat and slamming his hands on the table

"Sit down." You replied using your powers to force him back into his seat "No need to get your Bentacles in a twist."

You could hear as he mumbled something under his breath but you didn't know exactly what he said nor did you care to respond to it. You hated the ranking system, but if he was going to continue to act above you then you were going to continue to humble him and put him in his place beneath you. Until he started treating you with respect you were going to give back the same energy he put out. Turning to look at the group you asked,

Now, what about the rest of you?"

"I'm Fei. Number Three." Fei greeted

"My name's Alphonso. I'm Numero Cuatro." Alphonso followed

"Well you know me already," Sloane added cheerfully "but I'm Sloane. Number Five."

A small smile came to your face at her introduction. Yes, you did already know Sloane and she was very fun to be around from your experience so far. What you hadn't known was she was number five in this group. How interesting it was that something always seemed to draw you to befriend the number fives. There must've been something about them that you just really liked.

"Jayme. Six." Jayme stated flatly

"And that's Christopher, our Number Seven." Marcus added

You looked up at the floating cube across the table and you had a lot of questions about him. Was he one of you guys just born out of nowhere or was he like an extraterrestrial type thing? If he was born out of nowhere did he start out as a person or was he always a cube? If he was a cube was he a baby cube or was he always this size? If he was part of the sparrow academy did he have specific fans? Wait.....Did people want to fuck the cube? So many questions ran through your mind as you stared at him in silence and as much as you tried to keep them all to yourself one intrusive question managed to slip out.

"If I forced you to watch me play Minecraft would you cry?"

The rest of the table looked at you with confusion and concern. What did you mean by that and why would it make Christopher potentially cry if he had to watch you play it? Looking for some clarity Alphonso asked,

"What's Minecraft?"

"Oh right, you guys are old and sheltered. It's a computer game where one of the main mechanics is forcefully breaking cubes." You explained bluntly before changing the subject "Anyway it's nice to meet you all. As you know I'm (Y/N), but I gotta be honest with you guys. I don't care about your numbers."

The Sparrows, minus Sloane who had already learned this truth about you, looked at each other, their confusion only growing. With wide eyes they looked at each other for some type of clarity, only finding bewildered looks back. What did you mean you didn't care about their numbers? Their dad had told them for years that you were Number Zero and they had to work hard to prove their worth to you only to find out you hate being called Zero and you could care less about their numbers. Maybe they were misunderstanding. They had to be. Right?

"I'm sorry, what do you mean you don't care about our numbers?" Fei inquired

"Oh yeah, I don't know what you've been told about me but it's most likely wrong. I don't care about your number or your ranking. I really only want to know you as people." You elaborated "Regular people not your superhero work to be specific."

Slack-jawed expressions littered the faces around the table. You were nothing like their dad said you would be. Besides your power level of course. When he explained how powerful you could be, he was right about that, but so far everything else was wrong. You just outright stated you didn't care for the academy structure, the rankings, or any of the work they did to get to where they were today. If you weren't like how their dad explained you to be, then who were you really? Trying to ease the shock her siblings were going through Sloane asked,

"(Y/N), why don't you tell everyone a little about yourself first before we discuss ourselves?"

"Sure, what do you guys want to know?" You replied looking at the group

"What's your power?" Alphonso questioned

"Molecular manipulation. I can see, feel and control the molecules of myself and other things in the world." You explained "I typically would give a demonstration but...I don't think it's necessary today."

"So you just control everything?" Alphonso inquired intrigued

"I mean with a few limitations but yeah." You responded

"Limitations?" Fei asked, "Like what?"

"If something is broken I can't put it back together to the way it originally was and larger molecular disturbances cause me to have reactions ranging from nausea to physical damage depending on their severity." You answered, "Besides that everything is free game."

The Sparrows nodded at your explanation as you all ate your meals together. No wonder your abilities were so strong and versatile, you could really do whatever you wanted with them. With your admission that you did not like the academy structure, convincing you to join them would be a challenge but perhaps if they could get you to train with them they could be even better as an academy. You had an association with the Umbrellas though, so making any attempt at bringing you to their side could be complicated. Trying to figure out where you stood with them, Marcus questioned,

"What is your relation to the Umbrella Academy?"

Looking up from your meal you finished chewing your food and swallowed before replying,

"They were my original childhood friends."

"They're not your siblings?" Marcus followed up

Ah. Once again a Sparrow thought that you were related to the Umbrellas. Obviously, Sloane didn't get a chance to tell the rest of them, she was with you the whole time. But still having to explain to them that you were not a part of an academy was annoying. You thought just from the way you acted and carried yourself that might've been obvious but apparently not.

"Nope, I was an only child who had very loving parents and a comfortable non-superhero life." You explained before adding "They are my boyfriend's siblings though. But I myself am not a Hargreeves."

"Not yet!" Sloane exclaimed happily

A smile came to your face and a blush rose to your cheeks at her statement. You appreciated her excitement over your relationship. It was nice to have someone actively rooting for you and Five even though she most likely didn't know him at all and had only gotten to know you a little while ago. Playfully shoving her arm, you remarked,

"Sloane, shush."

"Which one's your boyfriend?" Fei asked

"The little jumpy guy! His name is Five!" Sloane exulted

"Sloane, I can talk about him myself." you teased, jokingly rolling your eyes

"Sorry, I'm just excited." Sloane replied, "He makes you happy and that makes me happy."

It was true that she was excited. Sloane was a hopeless romantic. She loved the concept of love itself, and just the thought of how happy you are with him, even if she barely knew the two of you, was enough to make her giddy.

"Oh, so he's not a perv, he's just in love." Jayme commented

"Huh?" You commented looking towards her "What's that supposed to mean."

"My spit makes people hallucinate their dreams. When I was fighting him earlier I used my spit against him and he started kissing the air. I thought he was a perv turns out he just really loves you." Jayme explained, "I did kick him down the stairs mid-kiss though."

"He'll be okay, he's very resilient." You quipped "Anyway, I kicked you down the stairs so we'll call it even. Right?"

You saw as a smirk came to Jayme's face. She didn't seem the most expressive type but neither did most of the Sparrows. But to see that bit of a smile felt like an accomplishment to you. There were regular people underneath the staunch superhero figures and you were starting to bring them out.

"Right." Jayme quipped back

"I'm sorry." Ben interjected, "YOU have a boyfriend?"

"Yeah, why?" You questioned before remarking sarcastically "Were you hoping I was single Benjamin?"

"No!" Ben shouted before stating "I just can't believe someone would actually want to date you with how bitchy you act."

"I could say the same thing about you." You taunted "I mean does your dick get hard from being a jackass or are you just this insufferable?"

The room was silent for a moment before the sound of laughter filled the air as all the Sparrows, besides Ben, reacted to your remark. Even Christopher emitted a garbled sound which you assumed to be a laugh. Ben's face scrunched up in anger and annoyance causing you to laugh at him like the rest of the Sparrows.

Ben could feel his hands shake in frustration and his heart picking up once more as he watched you laugh at him. How could you just mock him so easily? He didn't let his guard down around you so how come you pushed his buttons in a way no one else had? He hated it. But even so he kept his eyes locked on you. Maybe if he kept watching he could anticipate your next move towards him, right?

"Nice one." Alphonso praised sticking out his hand for a fist bump

Reaching back out you completed the fist bump, smirking at Ben as you took the obviously deserved praise. You received a scowl back which did nothing but make you laugh harder. He tried so hard to be this strong, intimidating individual when really he was kind of whiny. You didn't remember old Ben being like this but he did complain a lot about Five in his journal as a kid before the whole time travel incident happened, so maybe it was always in there. Either way, it was a little funny to subvert the image this Ben tried to paint of himself.

"Shut up!" Ben yelled at everyone

"Careful Benjamin, if you become too much of a prick you'll get too hard and your dick might explode." You commented

The Sparrows began to laugh harder as Ben angrily started shoving food down his throat, obviously unamused and frustrated by the way you were acting. It didn't matter how grumpy he was though since everyone else was having a good time. You knew that the Sparrows could be just like anyone else if you just gave them the chance. Like the Umbrellas, they were just a bunch of traumatized kids that just grew up in an even more rigid environment. Trying to get to know them more you asked,

"So what do you guys do for fun outside of all this Sparrow Academy stuff?"

"Working out mostly." Marcus answered

"I like trying new snacks and hanging out with Jayme." Alphonso responded

"Same as him." Jayme added

"I go rock climbing and bird watching a lot." Fei stated

So far everyone's interests seemed pretty normal and made sense for what you knew about them so far. Obviously, you weren't going to get to the bottom of their life stories and actually learn more about them over one dinner but bit by bit you would get past that trauma defense wall all Hargreeves seemed to build and help them to realize their dad sucked and there was more to life than this academy. Looking at the few who didn't answer your question, you waited for more responses. Ben turned his head away from you prompting Sloane to chime in

"I like to read about places around the world. Although occasionally I will sew myself some clothes."

"Well, you do an amazing job." You complimented "Your closet is gorgeous and I'm honored to be borrowing from it."

You then looked up towards Christopher who floated silently above the table, a soft blue light being emitted from inside of him, and asked,

"What about you Super Rubiks? Got any hobbies?"

You listened as Christopher spoke in his janky cube language telling you all about how he loves to go out to clubs and parties.

"Clubbing? Well, I'm sure you get all the ladies with your cubish appeal." You commented before adding "Y'know, I've been to a club once. Albeit illegally, but still."

The Sparrows stopped eating their meals as they looked towards you. What did you mean by that?

"Illegally? How?" Jayme asked

"I was underage." You explained, "I snuck me and my friends in for our one friend's 16th birthday two years ago."

"Wait. 16th? Two years ago?" Alphonso questioned, "How old are you?"

"Currently? Twenty-two, twenty-nine, and thirty-three. All at once." You answered

Once again you had confused them all greatly. How could you be three ages at once? And how did that factor into a 16th birthday celebration two years ago? Trying to get more clarity, Marcus inquired,

"Can you elaborate on that?"

"I sure can!" You exclaimed excitedly as you geared up to tell the tale of your life once more "Pack your plates with food now, cuz you're in for a hell of a ride."

And just like you had done with Sloane not too long ago, you ran the rest of the Sparrows through the story of the last decade of your life. The time travel, the people you lost, the people you gained, the people you loved, the apocalypses you fought, and of course every major event in between. You spared no expense to detail as you told them your life story and just like with Sloane their eyes became wider and their jaws slowly dropped more and more as you went on. What the fresh hell was your life? How were you in front of them so upbeat given everything you went through in the span of nine years? You were either the strongest person on this planet or there was something very wrong with you and given what they knew about you so far they could not decide which it was.

After they adjusted to the facts of your story though things moved on relatively well. Ben finished his plate and walked out of the room without a word to anyone while everyone else traded stories, chatting, laughing and having a good time. The Sparrows weren't that bad, at least to you. You knew the Hargreeves wouldn't feel the same. From what the Sparrows informed you they really kicked the Umbrellas' asses. They even showed you the video footage to prove it. And while you were not happy that they were beaten so intensely, it was understandable. While the Hagreeves loved each other deep down, getting them to work together was like trying to wrangle six toddlers in a McDonald's Play Place. So their defeat was not the biggest surprise. The past couldn't be changed now but maybe moving forward you could help all the daddy-issue-ridden Hargreeves children come together. As you all sat together you saw as Marcus looked towards a clock on the wall before standing up and stating,

"This has been great but I need to get going."

"Where?" Fei questioned

"I just have some personal business to take care of." Marcus responded bluntly before quickly leaving the room

That was odd but looking at the time and how dark it was outside you knew that you needed to leave as well. While it was nice to be back in the academy, it wasn't quite the home you were accustomed to. You typically lived alone with only a few people to sparingly interact with so having to share a space with so many was not an adjustment you wanted to make right now. Also, Five must be manic at this point with how many hours you had been separated. You wondered why he nor the other Umbrellas came back for you but with the possibility of getting another ass beating from the Sparrows, you could maybe understand. Standing up from the table you added,

"Yeah, I should get going too."

"No! You should stay, this is your home." Sloane explained grabbing your wrist "Your room is available to use, no one ever went in there."

"We weren't allowed to." Jayme commented

"While I appreciate the offer, and I can guarantee I'll be back soon, I've been through a lot today and could use a night or two on my own to decompress." You responded calmly "Also my boyfriend is probably freaking out that he doesn't know where I am."

With a small nod of her head to show her understanding Sloane stood up and added,

"At least let us provide you some amenities before you go."

"Of course, I'd appreciate it. Thank you." You replied

Walking from the kitchen, you and the leftover Sparrows made your way to the foyer. Picking up the duffle bag of your stuff that you had dropped off at the beginning of the day. Turning around you gave Jayme and Alphonso fist bumps goodbye and Christopher and Fei polite farewells. As you did so Sloane came down the stairs with a small bag in her hand.

"Here's a few more days of clothes to borrow, some bathroom amenities you might need, and a good chunk of cash to get you by until you decide to come back." Sloane explained holding the bag out "I'll- we'll be here for you though if you need us."

"Thank you, Sloane," You responded taking the bag from her

You placed the bag she gave you in your duffle bag before hugging her. You could feel the strength of her hold around you and as you looked at the group standing behind her you could see on Alphonso and Jayme's faces that they really didn't want you to go. You felt a little bad leaving them, who knew the last time they had an interaction with someone who treated them like a person rather than a celebrity, but you knew you had to go. For now. Separating from the hug, Sloane looked at you as she said,

"Promise you'll come back soon."

"I will." You responded

As you looked up you saw Ben at the top of the stairs looking down at you. He made no attempt to come down the stairs towards you nor said anything. Your eyes stayed locked on each other only for a moment before he went and turned away. And with that, you said your final goodbyes to the Sparrows as you headed out of the academy and to the one place in town you knew you would already have a spot to stay, Hotel Obsidian. What you did not know was that the Hargreeves were already there and finally settled in after a long day.

After Five awoke from his nap he felt mentally refreshed, although his body still ached from the tumble he took down the main foyer's staircase. He couldn't recall what had caused him to get so distracted that he was able to be kicked down the stairs though. He could feel the reasoning in the back of his mind but he just couldn't get it to come forward. As he climbed out of his bed he saw that the room was empty, with none of his brothers to be found. Walking about the place he noticed a pamphlet of services provided by the hotel on the coffee table. Picking it up, he read it, seeing what they had to offer. Barber, tailor, dry cleaning, salon, sauna. Five stopped reading the pamphlet when he got to sauna. A little time spent in a sauna didn't sound too bad, it could probably get rid of the soreness he felt and maybe even clear his mind up enough to let him remember what he was forgetting.

Changing out of his academy uniform and into a robe he was about to head to the sauna when something caught his eye in a nearby mirror. Around his neck, he saw a gold heart-shaped locket. He knew it was his, he knew it was a birthday gift when he was younger, and he knew it was important to him but he couldn't place who had given it to him. Opening the locket, he looked inside and saw a photo in one of the two available locket slots but he didn't know who it was. As he continued to look at it he could feel a strong dissonance in his mind. It was like someone was pounding on the wall of his psyche, muffledly screaming on the other side. Not getting any answers, Five took the necklace off and placed it in his robe pocket. He didn't want to get burned by wearing it in the sauna but he wanted to keep it with him since he had never let it out of his sight. And with nothing else to do Five headed to the sauna and stayed in there for a while. Sitting there he thought about their latest time troubles and thought over every single possibility of if this timeline was viable for their existence, but after much contemplation and debate with himself, he felt it was safe enough for them not to worry about it. And by the time he was ready to get out the steam had loosened his muscles and eased his joints, but unfortunately, it did nothing to quell the nagging in his brain that he was forgetting something very important. But no matter how much it bothered him, he wasn't going to let it ruin the fact that he could finally rest after so much running around.

Heading out of the sauna, he pulled his locket out from his pocket and placed it back around his neck once more. The metal was warm from the heat but not hot enough to feel like it was burning. After readjusting the chain so the clasp was in the back he made his way back to the bar area where he had told his siblings he would meet them to discuss. With a content smile on his face, Five approached the area and saw his three brothers sitting at a high-top table chowing down on some Chinese takeout. As Five walked over to the table to take a seat, Luther looked up from his food and asked confused,

"What's wrong? You look happy."

"I am plenty happy. Had a nap and a shvitz. What else does a man need?" Five remarked back taking a seat

"Brothers who don't eat like barn animals?" Klaus commented annoyed

Five looked over at Luther and Diego, both of who were hunched over their boxes of takeout noodles hanging from their mouths as they looked at him. Electing to ignore the unfortunate eating habits of his brothers, Five took the opportunity to tell them the positive conclusion he had come to.

"So I've been thinking through our little timeline snafu, and I'm pleased to report that in my professional, expert opinion, we are totally in the clear." Five stated

"Awesome!" Klaus exclaimed

"Huh! Great. So everything's totally fine?" Luther questioned

"More or less. I mean, there is one...small thing. It's nothing we can't manage." Five added

The excited expressions on his siblings' faces dropped as disappointment and annoyance set in. What could it be this time? What new issue did they now have to deal with because of god knows what cause? Klaus, Luther, and Diego waited for Five to explain what the small issue was only to be met by him quietly opening his takeout food. Forcing him to explain, Diego demanded,

"So spit it out, Boomer!"

"Fine, Diego, it's like this." Five said placing down his chopsticks and explaining "Dad didn't adopt us as babies, but those babies still existed here. We just grew up in different places with different people."

"So? Diego asked, his mouth stuffed with noodles

"So where are they now?" Five asked rhetorically before answering his own question "Odds are, we each have identical versions of ourselves walking around out there, living completely different lives."

As he listened, Luther's eyes got wider and wider. The wheels turned in his head for a moment before Luther loudly gasped and exclaimed,

"Our doppelgängers!"

"That's a made-up word." Klaus remarked

"No, no! I learned all about this in Texas. Tell him about the paranoid psychosis, Five." Luther encouraged

"Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa! I thought you said this wasn't a problem." Diego complained

"Okay, yes, technically, if you're near your doppel for long, you'll go insane." Five elaborated "So if you see your other self-"

"Kill them." Diego cut off

"Sleep with them." Klaus added

Five looked at his idiot brothers with confusion, annoyance, and disappointment all mixed together on his face. He could barely take a bite out of his food without his siblings saying something stupid. Their critical thinking skills had to be in the negatives given the fact that he said you'll go insane if you're near your doppel and they still both came up with ideas that involved getting close to them. Trying to course correct, Five reprimanded,

"Avoid them."

"What is wrong with you?" Luther criticized

"Come on. As if you wouldn't climb Luther Mountain." Klaus suggested

"Wait. How are we supposed to guarantee we don't cross paths with ourselves?" Diego questioned

"Easy. We're the Benetton ad of superheroes, born all around the world until Dad brought us here, which he no longer did." Five replied, "Doppels probably aren't even in the same time zone as us."

"That's true," Luther stated

"I don't know. Doesn't it seem kind of rude that Dad un-adopting us didn't change anything? I'm offended." Klaus remarked

"I never said that, Klaus." Five corrected

"Hold up. I'll be right back." Diego said placing his food down

The three other brothers watched as Diego left the table running off before turning back to their own food. But as Diego ran past the front desk down a side hall, you had just arrived at the hotel. You took a look at the place from the outside and it sure looked like it hadn't changed since it opened in the 60s. When Charlie came up north from Texas to stay with you in the city he would typically get himself a room at the Hotel Obsidian. It was Reginald's hotel and because Charlie's dad worked with Reggie and you were his close friend Charlie typically got to stay in the hotel for free. You even had a room reserved just for you on the nights you wanted to sleep in the hotel rather than the academy. This hotel was one of the places you are Charlie used to hang out doing dumb shit like racing luggage carts down the halls, throwing eggs off the roof at people below, or sneaking alcohol from the bars because Reggie wouldn't let you drink. You even taught Charlie the lyrics to Hotel California by The Eagles so every time you arrived you two could sing it and replace Hotel California with Hotel Obsidian. But this time you were, unfortunately, going to have to sing it alone. As you walked up to the doors of the hotel you sang softly to yourself,

"Welcome to the Hotel Obsidian. What a lovely place, what a lovely face. Plenty of room at the Hotel Obsidian. Any time of year, you can find her here."

You continued to sing the lyrics to yourself but just as you were about to enter one of the revolving doors you felt a burst of unexpected energy rush through you. Stumbling to the side you leaned yourself against the wall in between the two doors as you tried to catch your breath.

"What the fuck was that." You asked yourself as you looked about the place for the cause

It felt like you had just been punched in the gut and had the wind knocked out of you but you couldn't see anything that might have caused it and the energy that was once there was now completely gone so you couldn't even try to use your powers to decipher where it came from. Was something wrong? No, there couldn't be anything wrong. It was April 2nd, the apocalypse had passed. You had taken a lot of major hits today, maybe your powers were overreacting from the damage. Yeah, that was probably it. You just needed to rest, that was all. Standing back up straight you took one more deep breath before finally entering the hotel. Looking around the inside you could confirm the fact that this place had not changed since it opened. It was the exact same except older and dingier. You just hoped that your room or whatever room you got was at least tolerable. Walking up to the front desk you rang the bell only to be met with a familiar yet older face.

"Chet?" You questioned

"Miss (Y/N)? Is that you?" He asked surprised

"It sure is." You responded, "Do you still have my room?"

You watched as his surprise faded away rather quickly as he nodded and turned around towards the rack of keys hanging behind him. Grabbing one of the keys you watched as he smacked and blew on them a bit causing what seemed to be decades of dust to fly off of them. Well, at least you knew no one else had stayed in your room for a while. Turning back around he brought the key to the room back to you and placed it on top of the check-in desk as he announced,

"Here is the key to your room. As always floor five, room twenty-nine."

Grabbing the key off of the desk, you started to turn away as you said,

"Thanks, Chet. Good to see you again."

"One more thing Miss (Y/N)," Chet called out

Turning back around you watched as Chet pulled out a key and unlocked a cabinet behind the desk, pulling out some type of package and placing it on top of the desk. Reading the label you saw it had no return address but it was addressed to you and your room here at the hotel.

"This was delivered about 3 years ago for you. I was hesitant to keep it but did just in case a day like this arrived." Chet explained

At first you were unsure if you even wanted to take the box but then you noticed something written on the side. Taking a closer look at it, you saw the words Open Privately written on the side of the box in very familiar handwriting. Charlie's handwriting. Carefully grabbing the box you opened up your duffle bag and with the little amount of space left you managed to fit it in there.

"Thanks." You replied quietly

Slowly you began to walk away from the front desk and at that exact same time, Five explained to the brothers that were still left at the table the situation they were in.

"The point is, we did it. We saved the world. We stopped the apocalypse. And made it home safe in time for dinner." Five stated "So whatever Dad changed, whatever timeline we're in now we can handle it. We won."

Luther looked towards Klaus slightly shocked but just the relief of knowing that they were finally okay was enough to bring his spirits up. Lifting his beer, Luther cheered,

"We won."

"Yeah, all right! Let's enjoy this victory dinner then!" Klaus exclaimed raising his drink

Along with his brother's Five lifted his glass and the three of them cheered to the fact that the world was theirs for the taking. But right as their glasses clinked something in their minds shifted. Immediately, the mental block that had been looming in Five's kind since the park came tumbling down as a billion thoughts of you rushed to the front of his mind. You were the thing that his mind had been trying to remember. This whole time his head was screaming for you but for some reason, he couldn't bring you to the front of his mind. It was as if your memory was locked away. Five's glass slipped from his hand and shattered on the table as he began to frantically look around for you.

"(Y/N)! Where's (Y/N)? Why am I here? I should be looking for her!" Five yelled panicked "We all were supposed to go looking for her."

"Why didn't we?" Klaus asked concerned

"Yeah, how the hell did get here without her?" Luther questioned, "You and Diego should've been yelling at us the whole time."

"I don't know! The last thing I remember about her was when I was arguing with Allison about going to find her and then just now I remember her again." Five ranted

"You don't think Allison-" Klaus began to suggest

"No, she wouldn't do that..." Luther stated before questioning "Would she?"

"I don't know but I have to go find (Y/N)." Five stated as he got up from his seat

Five couldn't believe he had forgotten about you. How could he do so? You were always at the front of his mind. He was always thinking about you and yet he forgot you even existed. Could Allison have rumored him to forget you? Could she have rumored everyone? And if she did, why in the world would she do so? No. He didn't have time for the hypotheticals he needed to leave to find you. You could be injured. You could be dead. Oh god, he really hoped you weren't dead. He'd never forgive himself if you were. Five was just about ready to blink away when Klaus grabbed onto his shoulder and pointed past the bar into the lobby, exclaiming,

"No need your girlfriend found us. Look!"

Five's eyes went wide as he saw you and his heart began to race. Klaus was right, there you were, alive and seemingly unscathed. Not knowing quite how else to react he called out to you yelling,

"(Y/N)!" Hearing your name be called you stopped in your tracks and turned around only to spot what looked like your boyfriend across the room. Making your way over you saw that it was him and with that confirmation, you sped over to him before carefully dropping your bag and wrapping your arms around him. Five wrapped his arms back around you as he held you tightly, he was so relieved to have you here with him rather than wondering where you could be. Pulling back to look at you he asked still slightly worried,

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." You responded

As Five quickly looked over you and saw that you were fine he started to calm down, but then he noticed the faint scar of a cut on your cheek. Bringing his hand up to cup your cheek he gently ran his thumb over it as he questioned,

"What happened here?"

"It's just a small cut from the fight I had earlier with the Sparrows." You answered, "It's not a big deal."

You tried your best to downplay the severity of what happened. Granted the answer was pretty much nothing and you were fine just as you said, but you knew Five's mind must be racing with the worst-case scenarios given his repeated experience with worst-case scenarios. And you would be right, as Five worried about what kind of fight you could've had with them. How bad was it? Did they gang up on you? Did hurt you more than just that cut? Trying to get some answers Five questioned concerned,

"You fought them? Yourself?"

"Yeah, I did. But don't worry I almost killed them all." You explained

Five breathed out a slight sigh of relief. Of course, he was going to be worried about bad things happening to you, he had already experienced the worst that could happen, but he also knew that you were very capable of taking care of yourself and he trusted you when you said that you almost killed them. Like Allison had mentioned, you blew up a person when you were 13 and just hours ago you had helped him kill the board of directors. Five tried to relax a bit more, forget the laundry list of bad thoughts and settle into the fact that you were here and you were okay. But while Five was taking comfort in the fact that you had almost killed the Sparrows a spike of anxiety coursed through Luther at the thought.

"But you didn't right? You didn't kill any of them?" Luther questioned slightly panicked

Five and Klaus looked at Luther confused. Why did he care so much if they were alive? You however already knew why he would ask about that. Just as Sloane liked Luther, Luther liked Sloane too.

"No Luther, I didn't kill any of the Sparrows." You replied trying to ease his worry before switching the subject and saying "I heard you had your asses handed to you though. Actually, they showed me the security of the footage of your fight."

"Why would they show you the footage of us losing that fight?" Klaus questioned

"Ah, because they really like me." You answered simply "They gave me a tour of the house, medical attention, shower, food, offered for me to live in the house and Sloane even let me borrow these clothes from her closet."

You gestured to the outfit you were wearing allowing everyone to take a look at the fashionable clothes you selected from Sloane's wardrobe. While Luther's mind seemed to become preoccupied when you mentioned Sloane's name, and Klaus took a quick lookover it, Five couldn't help but stare. He didn't notice it when you first arrived because he was so worried about you, but holy shit did you look good in that outfit. His jaw dropped slightly and his eyes glazed over as he took it all in. The way the tight jeans hugged your figure, the extra skin showing on your midriff, and the lower than usual cut on the top you wore. It wasn't your usual outfit but he sure as hell didn't mind it. In fact, he liked it. He liked it A LOT. And one of his two brothers at the table could tell how much he liked it.

"Well, the crop top looks great on you. The color, the low v-cut, the corset lacing in the front. You look fantastic." Klaus complimented before pointedly asking "Right Five?"

Five said nothing though as he looked at the heart of your locket, the bottom point guiding his eyes like an arrow downwards. Not following his line of sight and only concerning yourself with the fact that Five had zoned out you called,

"Five?"

Slightly snapping out of it, Five's eyes looked up towards you as you caught the direction of where they came from. You wouldn't say anything about it, because it was nice that your boyfriend found you so appealing, but a small smirk came to your face as you watched him attempt to respond.

"Yeah, uh...amazing." He stuttered out before changing the subject asking "So um- they just let you have all those things?"

"Yeah, they did. Honestly, I'm sure you'll disagree but they're not that bad actually. They're just another group of traumatized superhero kids in adult bodies who haven't taken the time to deal with their pain and adjust to normal society." You explained "They're all pretty good to be around except for Not-Our-Ben who is a major dickhead. Although making fun of him and pissing him off is very amusing to me."

"Yeah, new Ben sucks." Klaus chimed in

"Hey, if they offered for you to stay at the house why are you here then?" Luther asked

"Well for one, I never lived with that many people before and I wasn't ready to share a space. Two, I could have my own room here. And three, I was worried about my darling Five and wanted a place to drop off my stuff before I went looking for him." You responded

The three Hargreeves boys present nodded their heads understanding your reasoning and as much as you didn't want to leave the Hargreeves, especially your boyfriend, you did want to head to your room to drop off your bag and open the mystery box from Charlie. Perhaps you could get Five to come along with you so you could have your cake and eat it too.

"So...I was about to head to my room to settle in." You mentioned to Five, "You can come if you want."

"Oh, I'm sure he'd love to come," Klaus remarked

Hearing his comment, Five's head immediately snapped towards Klaus as he looked at him with murder in his eyes. He was still pissed at Klaus getting in the way earlier and now he was pissed at Klaus' inappropriate comment and interference. He couldn't just say things like that and even if they were true, which they obviously weren't, it still wasn't right. But as Five thought more about Klaus's comment a problem began to arise and an embarrassed blush rose slightly to Five's face as he tried to keep his composure. Putting his hands in the pockets of his robe he grabbed at the inside fabric of the pockets pulling the robe slightly away from his body and putting more space between him and the fabric. He needed to get out of this situation.

"Oh well, I um- I uh- I have something I need to check on in my room." Five stuttered out

"Our room. All the guys are bunking together." Luther commented excitedly, "Just like summer camp!"

While it seemed that Luther was very happy to be bunking with all of his brothers, it seemed like a less than ideal situation for Five having to share with them. You didn't know what he needed to check on but if he had to do so, then he had to do so and you weren't going to stop him.

"Oh. Well if you want to stop by at any point you can just blink on over. Okay?" You explained, "It's floor five room twenty-nine."

"Okay." Five said quickly

Picking up your bag from the ground, you threw it over your shoulder before taking Five's face in your hands and placing a soft kiss to his lips. Five adored the feeling of lips against his and he would never deny a kiss from you, but at the same time you were making some things a little hard right now. Pulling out of the kiss, you gave him a smile before commenting,

"Y'know it's nice to see you out of that school uniform. Hopefully I'll see you later."

And with that you began to walk away, your hand gently sliding off his cheek tilting his head to follow you as you left. Five's eyes trailed you as you walked away and when you were out of sight he let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding in. You were going to drive him insane. With no apocalypse to distract his mind, the hormones that he had kept at bay were starting to take over, had already taken over, and he needed to fix them.

Seeing his older brother face a young man's dilemma, Klaus couldn't help but smirk. After running around with back to back apocalypses, there was finally the time of day to notice his girlfriend and boy was it hilarious to see him notice. Seeing the way he continued to stare in your direction even though you had disappeared from sight Klaus decided to try to get a reaction out of him.

"Hey, Five. What color was (Y/N)'s shirt?" Klaus jokingly asked

Five looked back at Klaus. He didn't have time for his questions. Five was trying to get out of the bar area as quickly as possible. He closed his eyes for a moment trying to remember the color of your shirt but doing so proved less than helpful at the moment because different images came to his mind. Trying to get Klaus off his back, Five blurted out,

"Red."

"Blue." Klaus stated, a teasing smile on his face

Five's frustration began to build more and more at the situation. He didn't want to be here anymore. He couldn't be here anymore. He needed to go. Turning on his heel away from the table, Five stated firmly,

"I'm leaving. Don't follow me."

Quickly he walked away from his brothers, only stopping once as he made the rash decision of stealing a napkin dispenser of one of the nearby tables, before heading towards the elevator to go back to his room. Klaus let out a small laugh at the situation as he and Luther watched Five speed away.

"Aw man, he took that whole napkin dispenser with him." Luther commented, his mouth full of food "I can't believe you made him cry because he got the color of her shirt wrong."

Klaus looked over at his big dumb brother, with his wide eyes and noodles once again hanging from his mouth.

"Oh, Luther..." Klaus sighed patting his shoulder "Just eat your food, you barn animal."

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fiveisnumber1 · 2 years

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Timeless - Five Hargreeves X Reader

Main story parts:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33

E3 - I Think We’re Together Now

A/N: Hi everyone, this is the final part of the season 2 alternate ending I created. Please stay tuned for when season 3 comes out tomorrow as I will be going back for the alternate timeline in which everyone jumps to 2019 and will follow the season 3 storyline! Thank you all for reading so far and I can’t wait to continue with season 3!

The morning light filtered through the curtains as the sound of birds chirped outside. It was truly the dawn of a new day. As you began to wake, everything started coming into focus. The trees swaying in the breeze outside, the silence of the house you were staying in, and as you blinked the sleep out of your eyes you saw the sweetest boy you had ever seen finally resting the way he should. Five's arms were wrapped around your waist as he held you close to him. Even in his sleep, he refused to let you go. Smiling at him, you snuggled into him more, hoping that you could fall back asleep again. This was exactly the life you were supposed to live. One with no worries like an apocalypse, assassins, or time travel. Just you and him getting to have your happily ever after one day at a time. As you started to doze back off you thought about all the things you two would get to do now. You could dance more, you could go on dates, and you could even introduce him to your friends properly.

Oh no. Your friends.

Your eyes shot open wide and worried energy started coursing through your system as you looked around for the nearest clock. Seeing the digital clock across the room you saw the time listed on it. 10:26 AM.

"Shit." You said under your breath

You had almost forgotten in the peace of being with Five but you had promised your friends that you would show up to school the next day if the apocalypse was stopped. If it was 10:26 that meant your friends had already been in school for almost 3 hours probably wondering where you were or worrying that an apocalypse was still upon the world. This wasn't good. You needed to get to them NOW. Carefully, you tried to slide out of Five's grasp but he held you tighter pulling you in closer to him. And unfortunately, what you thought was cute only moments ago was now a barrier to your plan because even in his sleep he refused to let you go. You knew there was only one way you were getting out of this, you needed to phase through his arms. You didn't know how much your powers had been restored by sleeping but you still needed to try. Taking a deep breath you rolled yourself out of bed and through his arms but your reaction time was not great and instead of gracefully getting up you rolled onto the floor.

"ow..." You groaned quietly

Sitting up you held your breath as you saw Five move a bit. The last thing you wanted was for him to wake up after all of his sleepless nights trying to stop the apocalypse. He shifted around a bit more but then you saw as he settled, his arms wrapping around the pillow you were laying on before. Letting go of your breath you quietly got up from the floor and made your way out of the room. Rushing into the bathroom, you brushed your teeth and hair before noticing you were still wearing a majority of the clothes from last night's events. They were covered in ash and blood and there was no way you could walk into school with them on and not get some type of social service called on you. You had clean clothes but they were back in your bedroom. And heading back in there would run the risk of waking up Five, or anyone else for that matter. You did have one option though. Quietly, heading downstairs you saw Luther and Diego sleeping on couches while Klaus was sprawled out on the air mattress. Carefully, you made your way past them and towards the duffle bag that Charlie had provided you with. Looking in the bag you pulled out some of your clothes from the 60s. It wasn't a perfect solution but at least they weren't dirty. Heading into the downstairs bathroom you quickly changed before sneaking towards the back door.

"Where are you going?" You heard a voice call

You jumped a little bit at hearing someone's voice. Turning on your heel you saw Ben standing there with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Jeez Ben, give me a heart attack why don't you? It's not like I didn't already die once yesterday." You whisper yell at him

"That's is exactly why you shouldn't be leaving. You are in no condition to go anywhere." Ben points out

"Listen, I'm just heading out to school. It's no big deal." You argue

"Why do you need to head there anyway?" Ben questions firmly

You paused for a moment. Arguing was going to do no good and if you got too worked up it might honestly cause someone to wake up. Instead of being defensive about it, you calmed down and decided to be honest. Taking a deep breath you quietly answered,

"This family is not the only group of people that cares about me. They need to know I'm okay too."

It didn't take Ben long to realize you were talking about your friends, the ones he had seen at the bowling alley. They obviously cared for you too and they were the only other people to know that the apocalypse was going to happen. He still didn't think it was okay for you to leave especially since you weren't in the greatest condition, but he knew nothing he said was going to stop you from going to them because you had always put your friends first. Reluctantly, Ben began to nod his head in agreement.

"Fine," He replied, "But I'm waking everyone up in 30 minutes."

"Fifty." You shot back

"Forty." Ben countered

"Deal." You said as you started to head out the door

"And (Y/N)?" Ben called

You paused as you turned to look back at him, wondering what else the ghost boy needed to say.

"At least leave a note," Ben added

That was probably a good idea. Grabbing a stack of post-its you wrote "Going to school. Be back later." a few times over and placed them on spots you would expect people to see them. One on the table, one on the fridge, one on the door, and for good measure one on Luther's forehead since he was so tall. You gave Ben one last look before rushing out of the house, the door shutting behind you.

Looking out the kitchen window, Ben watched as you grabbed your bike from the side of the house and rode off towards wherever your school was. The time on the kitchen clock was 10:48 and in 40 minutes he would wake his siblings to tell them what had happened. He only hoped they could understand why you did it the way he did.

And as you rode down the sidewalks, you peddled as if your life depended on it, trying to get to your friends as quickly as you could.

While you peddled onward though, your friends sat in their classes anxious and unfocused. At a certain point the night before they had all passed out from exhaustion waiting for something to occur. But nothing did. They woke up the next morning and everything was just as it was. No cataclysmic apocalypse, no end of the world, nothing. The group had managed to pull themselves together and go to school just like you requested but when they arrived you weren't anywhere to be found. You all didn't share the same class schedule but you were always in a class with at least one of your friends and yet with each passing period, there was still no sign of you. Your friends would congregate by your locker during the time when students were switching classes hoping that out of nowhere you'd just appear. But still nothing. And so they'd all have to leave and move on to the next lesson of the day that they wouldn't pay attention to.

Currently, Lucas was in civics, Addison in advanced placement psychology, Viktoria in band, and Kenny and Bren in English. And then there was Dean, who sat in his world history class staring at the empty desk before him. The one that you were supposed to be sitting in. Anxiously, he bounced his leg up and down hoping for you to come in. He needed you to.

Ever since he had gotten to school that day, only to find you weren't there, he started regretting letting you go off to try and stop the apocalypse. He did what he promised he'd do and kept all of the group together but it all seemed like bullshit now since the group wasn't a group without you. Addison had even protested leaving you behind last night and seeing the way things were now, Dean knew she was right for doing so. You guys were a team, a family, and there was no reason that you should've split up no matter the danger. You had all been in dangerous situations together before, so why did you convince him that last night was different?

As he sat wondering about what he could've done differently though, you had finally pulled up to the school. Getting off your bike you almost fell over as you struggled to lock it up on the bike rack. Your head felt light and your legs wobbled underneath you as you walked away from your bike and into the halls of the school. Stumbling around, you used the walls on either side to hold you up, but as you banged into lockers trying to get to your own you realized Ben was right. You were in no condition to leave the house, but it was too late now and your physical health seemingly always came second to the well-being of your friends. While difficult, you had finally made it to your locker. As you leaned against the cool metal of the lockers for support, trying to take a moment to yourself, your legs gave out below you and you quickly slid down to the floor. You needed to take a moment to yourself but hopefully, you could find your friends soon.

But at that moment when you had collapsed to the floor by your locker, Dean felt his twin brother-sense go off. You were close. He didn't know how he knew, but he did. His head whipped back and forth as he quickly looked out the window of the classroom and then out of the window on the classroom door. He didn't see you there, but he needed to go and find you. Trying to think of a way to get out of class he did the only plan that came to his mind. Jumping up from his seat and slamming his hands on the desk Dean loudly exclaimed,

"I NEED TO GO TO THE BATHROOM!"

The rest of the students in the class quietly turned to look at Dean but he did not notice as he instead stared down at his teacher waiting for a response. Stopping his lesson, the teacher Mr. McNally turned from the whiteboard towards Dean only to see him staring back, his gaze unwavering. Trying to get back to his lesson, Mr. McNally stated,

"Mr. Hernandez, while I appreciate your openness with the class you should've gone during lunch. Please sit back down."

That was not a sufficient response though. Dean needed to leave and he needed to leave now. Stepping out from behind his desk he stood firm as he continued to look his teacher in the eye and demanded,

"If you do not let me go to the bathroom right now, I will stand in front of the class and piss my pants on purpose."

"What?" Mr. McNally asked shocked

"Not only that I'll piss YOUR PANTS!" Dean emphasized

"I-what does that-"

Mr. McNally looked at Dean utterly confused. What the hell did that even mean? Piss his pants? It did not make any sense and honestly, he did not get paid enough for this type of stuff to happen. Not wanting to deal with this any further nor risk Dean keeping his word he relented,

"Just leave."

Dean froze for a second as he processed the response of his teacher. Once he had acknowledged what he said though, a wave of energy burst through him. Quickly, he picked his backpack up off the ground, throwing it over his shoulder before rushing out of the classroom without another word. Racing down the hallways he frantically looked around for you, zooming past classrooms and calling out your name hoping for some type of response.

Your name rang through the classrooms he passed by. Most of the students treated it like a minor distraction, but for the rest of your friends, hearing him yell your name snapped them back to reality. All of them had wandered off in their minds, their thoughts wracked with the worry and guilt that Dean had felt only a few minutes ago. But hearing your name forced them into action with all of them, in one way or another, running out of their classrooms and following the sound of Dean's voice.

Hearing the sound of footsteps echoing down the hall you forced yourself from the ground. You had to look normal, at least as best as you could so you wouldn't get in trouble. The hall monitors in this school were ruthless after all. Standing up once more you felt your legs shaking below you as you pressed against the lockers for some type of support again. It wasn't much but as you stood, you listened to the sounds of the footsteps as they got closer and closer and closer until they came to a complete stop. You could hear the sound of someone panting as if they were out of breath. Slowly, you turned your head to look at the person, preparing to explain yourself, but when you finally saw who they were, a bittersweet smile started to form on your face.

Dean. Your brother. Standing there alive.

The last you had heard, he and the rest of your friends had died in the wake of the apocalypse, but that was over now. Immediately, you pushed yourself off the lockers you were using for support and used the momentum to stumble over to him. Wrapping your arms around him, you used him for support as you hugged him for the first time in years.

Tears started to form in Dean's eyes as he held you in his arms. It had been less than 24 hours since he had last seen you but not knowing where you were or if you were okay made it feel like an eternity. It was difficult to find the words to express how happy he was to see you again but he managed to choke out,

"You're alive..."

"Yeah. I am." You replied quietly before joking "You wouldn't believe what it took to get here though."

Before you could start to explain more to him through you heard the pounding of footsteps heading your way. You and Dean looked at each other confused as you waited in silence for whatever was coming down the hall. Dean attempted to move the two of you off to the side of the hall but just as he was about to do so, one by one, the rest of your friends rounded the corner of the hall. Freezing in place for a moment, smiles came to their faces, and for some tears pricked their eyes as they saw you there leaning against Dean. Your presence was like a weight off their chests and it was hard to contain as they ran over to you excitedly shouting,

"(Y/N)!"

One by one they threw their arms around you and Dean, piling on into a group hug. Kenny wrapped his arms around you and Dean first, with Bren quickly following suit, followed by Viktoria and then Addison not far behind. And then lastly Lucas, who wrapped his arms excitedly around the group and hugged as tight as he could. But for a normal boy, he was still abnormally strong and with you being in the direct center of the group hug, you were being crushed by the love of your friends. As your body was being squished by the power of friendship you managed to choke out,

"Don't. crush. me. please."

Realizing what they were doing the group quickly pulled away giving you your space to breathe again. They thought they had lost you once so they were going to make sure that they weren't the reason it actually happened. Finally taking a good look at you, Kenny commented,

"You're severely injured. How are you even alive?"

"That's a great question and a very funny story because last night I uh...died." You explain nervously

"You what?!" Dean exclaimed

"Died." You reply once more

Your friends looked at you in shock. What did you mean you died? What happened at that theatre that caused your death? And how did you get back to life? There were a lot of unanswered questions that needed an explanation as soon as possible if this group was going to be able to move forward with their day. Being the first to speak up after your admission Bren states flatly,

"We're gonna need more context than that."

You looked at them all with an awkward expression on your face. You had no clue where to start. Hoping that if you started talking the words would just find themselves you began,

"Well-"

Before you could even get another word out though a voice yelled from behind you,

"Hey what are you kids doing out of class!"

Down the hall was one of the school security monitors. They were ruthless and took no excuses for people being out of class. You all watched as they started walking their way down the hall towards the seven of you.

"Oh shit! Security!" Kenny exclaimed

"What do we do?" Viktoria asks panicked

"Run!" Dean yelled

Grabbing your hand, Dean started to run down the hallway pulling you behind him with what he assumed to be all your friends in tow, but as he looked back he saw Lucas still standing by your locker frozen.

"Lucas c'mon!" Dean called out

"But I'm the student body president! I can't break the rules!" Lucas shouted back as the security guard got closer

"LUCAS ANDREW KLEIN. RUN." Addison commanded firmly

Lucas looked between the security guard and his friends and although he didn't want to break the school rules, his girlfriend yelling at him licked him into action and he took off sprinting down the hall to catch up with the rest of his friends. Together you weaved through the halls trying to make it to the front door that would lead to the parking lot of cars the security guard running behind you all trying to catch someone. As you ran down one hall you could see Kenny stop for a moment.

"Kenny, what are you doing?" You questioned

Instead of responding to the question, you watched as he opened the janitor's closet, grabbed a bottle of floor cleaner, and poured it all over the ground before throwing the empty container at the security guard causing him to slip and fall.

"Get fucked!" Kenny shouted

As he turned around and kept running with the rest of you all, you saw from behind as the security guard struggled to get off the ground and kept slipping on the floor cleaner. There was no time to focus on that though and you rounded a corner and made it to the front door. Lucas opened it up allowing everyone to run out of the building and into the parking lot towards Dean's car. Making it to the car, Dean slid across the front hood to the driver's side before putting the key in the door and unlocking the car for everyone to get in. From behind you could hear the familiar sound of the security guard shouting,

"Hey! Stop!"

Piling into the car, Dean revved the engine before whipping out of his parking spot and racing out of the parking lot. For a moment the security guard tried to run behind the car, only to be flipped off by Kenny leaning out the back window as Dean sped you all away from the school and off somewhere else.

As you and your friends went off on your journey of ditching school, however, the forty minutes Ben had allotted you to do what you did had finally run out. Approaching Klaus who lay asleep on one of the living room couches, he shook his shoulder and called,

"Klaus wake up,"

"Go away," Klaus mumbled sleepily

"Klaus wake up!" Ben calls louder

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Klaus shot up from his seat

"You know you would think that after saving the world TWICE apparently you would give me a day off!" Klaus shouted annoyed "What do you want!"

"(Y/N) left." Ben states flatly

"What!?" Klaus yelled

Through all his yelling, the rest of the house was abruptly woken up from their slumbers. Making their way into the living room they glared at Klaus through sleep-filled eyes as they waited for some kind of explanation.

"God, what is with all the yelling Klaus?" Five asked annoyed

"(Y/N)'s gone!" Klaus exclaims

Hearing those two words, any feeling of tiredness that Five may have had in his body immediately went away as he shouted,

"WHAT!"

Five started to pace around anxiously. You were severely injured after the events of yesterday. The fact that you were even able to walk up the stairs to head to bed last night was a miracle but that didn't mean you were in okay shape to leave.

"Do you know where she went?" Five asked frantically

"Uh, I know where she went." Luther said as he held out a post-it note "I pulled this off my forehead."

Snatching the note from his hands Five looked over the basic message you wrote that read, Going to school. Five let out a disappointed sigh at the fact that there was no more information but this was probably a little bit of payback for the note he left you only saying Going out. Honestly, your note was better than his because at least this had a location.

"So where is she?" Diego asked in a worried tone

"She went to school..." Five replied

"I appreciate her commitment to her education but why would she leave in the condition she was in?" Diego questioned aloud

"Because she made a promise to her friends that she would meet up with them there if the world was saved." Ben explained

Minus Klaus, the rest of the group turned and looked at Ben in shock. They knew he was there but it was the seeing and especially hearing him part that was still something they needed to get used to.

"I'll have you all know, I tried to stop her, but when she has a plan in mind there's really nothing that can do so." Ben continued "All I could do is make a deal with her that I'd wake all of you up forty minutes after she left. And I did."

"Ugh, why does she have to love her friends so much?" Klaus complained

"Because that's who she is." Luther responds

"We've gotta go find her." Five interjected "We don't even know if she even made it to the school. She might just be lying on the side of the road."

"Five's right, we at least need to know she made it to the school and not passed out on some street." Diego added

The group of siblings looked around at each other for any other comments but all that was presented were nods in agreement at the idea. Given the fact that everyone pretty much slept in their clothes from the night before the group rushed to put their shoes on before making their way towards the van they stole and heading off to make sure you were fine.

As the Umbrellas were driving towards your school though, you and your friends had already driven away. Taking back roads to pass the time and make sure that you didn't get caught by anyone you relayed the story of all that had happened after you left them at the bowling alley. The 2019 apocalypse, the time travel to the 60s and your time there, the people you met, the things you did, apocalypse 2 electric boogaloo, your plan that successfully saved the world and the events that followed said plan. You told them everything from beginning to end as best as you could and they all seemed to understand what happened and why you did what you had done. There was a mix of emotions in the car as the story you had told held many highs and lows but with a little bit of time to process the mood shifted to joy at the fact that everything had worked out in the end, but right as your group of friends started to talk and interact like normal again Dean had pulled back onto city streets and you recognized a sight that for a while was only in your memory.

"Dean stop the car." You stated

"What?" He asked confused

"Stop the car!" You exclaimed this time

Immediately hitting the breaks, the car came to a harsh stop as you got out from the passenger seat and looked at the crumbled remains of the old Umbrella Academy. Walking away from the car, you approached the mess of concrete and ash that used to be your home. The front gate was still there, although one of the doors had fallen off one of its hinges and now hung at an angle. You stood outside the gate looking up at the sky where the academy once loomed over you, like that first day you decided to cross the street to see what was hiding inside. Taking a deep breath you stepped past the gate and into what remained of the old building. Looking around it was as if you saw the present day and glimpses of the past all at once. To your right was the parlor where you would spend your days playing with the Hargreeves or later on reading books and playing the piano. To your left was the dining room in which you had shared a few meals with the Umbrella Academy and many more with Reginald himself. And then up ahead was where many of the rooms were. Up the stairs to the left were the bedrooms of the academy members and your former bedroom. All of which you had spent memorable times in. And upstairs to the right was where Reginald's office was located. Many times were spent going in there to bother him for money, for pure entertainment at his annoyance, or on the rare occasion a genuine inquiry. This was your home and although the dust had settled, your memories of this place still hung around.

From behind you, your friends got out of Dean's car and slowly approached the gates the same way you had done only a few moments ago. Looking at the mess in front of them they stared in disbelief. A place that they had been so intrigued by for practically their entire lives was reduced to nothing.

"Holy shit. It's really gone." Lucas stated quietly

"I can't believe it either." Viktoria adds

Hearing the quiet mumblings of your friends far behind you turn around to look their way. You could see their shock at the once-mighty academy now being nothing but a pile of rocks and broken items and their hesitancy to enter the premises. Wanting to get them to come along you mention,

"You can come in."

Hearing your reassurance, they slowly all began to cross the threshold of what remained and make their way over to you.

"I always thought one day when I figured out how to explain everything I would show you guys around and give you the academy grand tour but unfortunately this is all that's left." You explain to them

"It's alright. A little shocking that it's actually gone but it's not something to worry over." Dean replies "I'd rather have you still standing over this old building."

You saw as the rest of your friends nodded in agreement with Dean's statement before looking around the place once more.

"You guys can look around the place if you want, I'm going to find somewhere to just sit for a bit though." You state

Nodding their heads everyone starts to walk off in their own directions just looking at the crumbled walls and destroyed items of what once used to be. It was quiet, almost as if in reverence of the history and memories this place held for you. As you wandered around looking for a place to sit you saw something that caught your eye. Your head tilted to the side in disbelief as you wondered if you were hallucinating or not. Carefully, you made your way through the pieces of the house towards what you saw and were pleasantly surprised to see that you weren't seeing things. Almost as if the house decided to avoid it, the bench from the courtyard that Five had first pushed you over all those years ago still stood in one piece, completely untouched by the mess surrounding it. A small smile came to your face as you went over to it, brushing off some of the dust and taking a seat on the side you always sat on. To others it might've just looked like some bench, but to you, this bench was the beginning of a very interesting story, and to still have that piece of the story meant more than words could express. Gently you used your pointer finger to draw a heart in the dust that still littered Five's side of the bench. He wasn't there with you now but having that little heart was close enough for the time being. As you stared at the drawing you just made you could hear the sounds of footsteps running your way and Bren's voice calling out,

"(Y/N)! (Y/N)! (Y/N)!"

Looking up towards where his voice came from you saw Bren run and stop in front of you with something in his hands. Holding it out he enthusiastically asked,

"CAN I KEEP HIM?"

It took you a moment to realize what he was holding but when you did, You asked disappointed,

"Why do you have Ben's statue head?"

"Can I keep him? Please." Bren begged

"What? No." You responded baffled

"(Y/N), I'll take care of him I swear." Bren pleaded

"No. This is still my house. You can't just loot my house, Brendon." You explained before commanding "Put him back"

"But-" Bren tried to reply

"Put. Ben. Back." You reemphasized

Letting out a long sigh, Bren gave Statue Ben's head a longing look before reluctantly turning around to head back to where he was found. As you watched him go you gave a small shake of your head unsurprised at the situation that had just played out. Taking a deep breath you tried to sit back and relax on your bench but only a few moments later you could hear Dean scream from across the house.

"What is it?" Addison asked loudly

"Dead person. Dead person. Dead person." Dean repeated over and over again

Quickly, you and the rest of your friends ran over to where Dean was, and as you looked down into the rubble that Dean had just moved you saw a familiar face lying there.

"Mom!" You yelled as you dropped to your knees and started moving rubble out of the way

Seeing your urgency your friends joined in as you all worked together to uncover your mom from the debris she was under. Getting most of it away you all looked over Grace and the state she was in. Given the severity of the collapse, you thought she would be worse for wear but surprisingly she wasn't completely destroyed. For the most part, her form was still intact. Some joints were twisted or out of place, and her synthetic skin was torn in a few areas exposing ripped wires but overall she still looked like her. She wasn't a pile of scraps and metal, she was still your mom.

"I hate to be that person but why are there wires coming out of her?" Viktoria questioned

"She was a robot. That's why there's wires." You answer "But I never saw her as a robot. She was my mom but now she's well...gone."

"She doesn't have to be gone," Bren stated

"What do you mean?" You questioned looking toward him

"Well, why don't we just fix her? Then she won't be gone." Bren explains "Lucas is good at reading schematics, Dean has hands-on mechanical experience, I'm pretty good at programming and Kenny can stitch up people like it's no one's business. If we can find the plans on how she was built we might just be able to put her back together for you."

Your eyes lit up brightly and a smile came to your face at the prospect of getting your mom back. Bren was right about all of your friends' abilities and there was a very real possibility that with their combined efforts you could manage to put her back together. You nodded your head vigorously before looking around the ruins of the house trying to place where things most likely would've been. If Grace's schematics were going to be anywhere it would've been somewhere in Reginald's office. Getting up from where you were kneeling you carefully walked around the rubble towards the general area in which his office was.

"Let's try looking over here!" You called out to your friends

The six of them made their way over to the area in which you stood and carefully you all began to try and look through the wreckage in the hope that you could find her schematics. You all moved about the area looking through papers upon papers that you could pull out from the debris but finding nothing of significant importance. But then as hope started to seem lost Viktoria called out,

"Hey! I found a safe!"

Rushing over you saw that he indeed had found a safe. Although there were a few dents it was relatively untouched and in a decent enough condition that whatever was inside was most likely intact as well. There was a chance that this was a dead-end but it was still worth a shot. Using your powers you phased your hand through the safe grabbing at the papers inside and pulling them out. Carefully you flipped through them. There were plans for something called the Televator, another plan for something called the Levitator, and then at the bottom of the pile, just as you had hoped there were the schematics for how Grace was built. Turning around to your friends, a smile so wide that it hurt on your face, you exclaimed,

"This is it! These are her plans!"

"That's great! Let's go fix your mom!" Lucas shouts excitedly

With the schematics in hand, you and your friends head back over to where your Mom was. Standing around her you take a moment to try and figure out how to go about the next steps of this plan.

"Hey real quick. Where are we gonna put her in my car?" Dean asks

"We can put her in the trunk," Kenny suggests

"Has anyone considered the fact that it will look weird to have seven kids carrying what looks to be a body across the street and shoving it in a trunk?" Bren comments

"That's a very good point." Addison adds

"Guys, guys, don't worry." You explain "I can make her invisible, but we'll still have to carry her."

"Carry her? That's easy, I got this." Lucas states before lifting her up from the ground and into his arms

Taking one last look around the ruined academy you knew that it was time to leave and move on. Stepping next to Lucas you took your mother's hand in your own, turning her invisible as you all crossed the street back to the car. Opening the trunk, Lucas gently placed Grace down and with your friends creating a wall so that the trunk could not be seen by people passing by, you let go of her hand. Slowly, you start to close the trunk to get ready to leave but before you could do so Bren stated,

"Wait! I gotta put something in there."

With a confused look on your face, you saw as Bren placed the head that had broken off from Ben's statue in the trunk next to Grace. Turning to look at him in disbelief you questioned critically,

"Dude, what the fuck. Where did that come from? What did I say about looting my house?"

Staring you down, in a steady, monotone voice, Bren replies curtly,

"I'm not leaving without him."

You stare him back down for a moment but knowing that there was no way he would back down you reluctantly let it go.

"Ugh, fine." You relented before adding "Let's go."

Closing the trunk, you and your friends got back in Dean's car before heading off to the store to get the supplies you would need to help put your mom back together.

As you and your friends headed off once again though, the Umbrellas has just arrived at your school. Along their drive, they took survey of the sidewalks and areas around them trying to make sure that you weren't laying somewhere passed out. Luckily enough they didn't see you anywhere on the way which gave them hope that you had made it to the school alright. As they entered the school parking lot they quickly found a spot before the seven of them all piled out of the van. Approaching the school hastily, they made their way to the front doors passing a rack of bikes.

"Hey hey look." Diego said pointing at the rack "That's (Y/N)'s bike. She must be here."

"Good. Let's just check on her and then we can go home." Five replies

Finally making it to the front door Diego rings the intercom button calling a worker from the front office to come to the front door. Opening the door the worker looks on confused but still continues to greet,

"Welcome to Argyle Public High School. Before I let you in I need to know why you're here. Y'know for safety reasons and all so please state your business."

"I'm here to check that my kid made it to school okay. I haven't heard from them this morning." Diego quickly responded

"Okay," the worker acknowledges before turning their attention to the other 5 visible people "And the rest of you?"

The rest of the group all look around at each other confused waiting for someone to speak up. Taking the initiative Luther steps forward and politely starts to speak,

"Hi." We are uh family-"

Before he could even continue his thought though Klaus quickly interjects,

"Polyamorous family! We all...love each other...a lot."

Luther, Allison, Vanya, and Five all give Klaus looks that range from confusion to utter disbelief at the word vomit that came from his mouth. Looking back at the worker, Luther hesitantly continued,

"Uh yes...a polyamorous family who um"

"Just moved to the area," Vanya adds unsure

"Right. We just moved to the area and we would like to register our son so he can complete his schooling." Luther finally finishes

"What? What are you talking about? We're here to-" Five begins but is cut off

"Now listen son, I know you've been homeschooled most of your life but this will help you finally learn some social skills." Klaus says placing a hand on Five's shoulder "Maybe you can even learn to be nice here."

"Are you fucking-" Five starts to snap only to be cut off by Diego asking

"Can I see if my kid is here now?"

"Yeah sure..." The worker answers confused before adding hesitantly "...Come along."

"A polyamorous family? Really?" Luther complains in a low tone

"Well, how else were we all going to get inside?" Klaus whispers back

The Hargreeves all follow the worker into the school building and into the main office. The room was exactly what you would expect a school office to look like. It had mailboxes for all the teachers, a front desk that people could check into, a bunch of filing cabinets likely filled with student records, and most other things an office would have. The Hargreeves stood together behind the front desk as they waited for what the office worker would do next. The office worker gave an awkward glance at the "polyamorous family" before walking over to a computer. As they looked up from the monitor they looked toward Diego and asked,

"Are you a registered contact for your kid?"

"Yes," Diego responded

"Alright, what's your name?" They followed up

"Diego Hargreeves," Diego answered

The worker typed on the keyboard punching in a few things before responding,

"Alright, gotcha. Is Miss (Y/N) your child?"

"That's her. Is she here?" Diego asked concerned

That's all they really needed to know if you were here and if you were okay. Once they had that sorted out they could all go back to Eudora's place and continue to lay low. Looking up from the monitor once more the worker responded,

"Records are showing she hasn't been here for attendance in any of her classes today."

"What?" Diego asked confused

Your bike was outside how could you not be here?

"I'm not seeing her on record today. Is she missing? Would you like me to inform the police?" The worker asked reaching for the phone

Knowing the police were the last people he wanted involved, especially given the circumstances Diego raised his hand as he replied,

"No, no. That won't be necessary. Maybe I just missed her at home. We've had two important deaths in the family in the past week so things have been flipped upside down."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that." The worker consoled

"I guess I better go back and check." Diego stated, "Hopefully she's there."

"Before you go, I know this is odd but can you take a look at some security footage. We're trying to identify some students who have skipped school today. Maybe your child knows them?" The worker asks

"Oh uh sure," Diego responds

Turning the computer monitor to face out towards the desk the worker pulls up a video as the Hargreeves start to watch. As the footage plays the Hargreeves see as six familiar faces and one VERY familiar face run down the hallways of the school and out the front doors together. The eyes on all of the Hargreeves go wide as they realize the kids that have skipped school are you and your friends.

"So do you recognize any of these children?" The worker asks

"Nope." Diego responds quickly before turning to leave "Well I better get going home then."

"Uh well, I hope you find your kid." The worker responds

As Diego leaves the room, the worker turns towards the rest of the group "Now how can I help you get registered?"

The group looked around confused at each other once more. None of them actually wanted to register Five at the high school, but now that they knew you weren't here they weren't sure what to do.

"Well-" Luther tried to start but was cut off

"Registered? Here? With missing students and children running amuck?" Klaus exclaimed overreacting "This is an inappropriate learning environment for our beloved son. We will NOT be registering him here."

Grabbing Five by the wrist Klaus pulls him towards the door and out of the room as he calls behind,

"C'mon honey one, two, and three. Let's leave."

Allison, Luther, and Vanya all watch as Klaus leaves the room with Five reluctantly in tow. Looking back at the worker who had a baffled look on their face Luther apologized,

"Sorry, he's uh...very particular."

And without another word the three of them walked out of the room and out of the school. As the three of them walked outside they could see Diego from afar loading your bike into the back of the van. As the group walks over to where Diego was, Five turns to Klaus and threatens,

"If you ever drag me by my wrist like that again, you will lose your own."

"Oh don't be so harsh Five. I just want to give you the best I can." Klaus replies jokingly

As they finally get to the van and approach Diego, Five states,

"Whatever Klaus. If she's with her friends then she should be okay. Best thing we can do is just try to get back to Eudora's and wait for her or all of them to get back."

"I guess we go back to square one then." Diego replied

The rest of the group nodded in agreement before getting back into the van once more. And so as the Hargreeves started to head back to the house after the wild goose chase you unknowingly led them on, you had already made it there after going to the store and purchasing the necessary supplies to attempt to fix your mom. Lucas grabbed your mom from the trunk of Dean's car, carrying her inside and gently putting her down on the couch. Taking out all the materials you had gotten you laid them out before handing Lucas the schematics of how your mom was built.

"Alright. It's time to factory reset your mom." Kenny exclaims

"Dude, what the fuck?" Dean asks "Why would you say it like that?"

"I don't know. The words just leave my mouth." Kenny explains "Whatever you hear is what I hear for the first time too."

"Sometimes I wish you couldn't speak." Bren comments

"Wow, that's not even the worst thing I've ever said." Kenny remarks back "Like I could say how Killer Moth from Teen Titans is kind of a DILF."

"Well yeah that's just the dad version of Mothman and Mothman is fuckable too," Addison adds

"Guys!" You exclaim

Your friends all turn their heads from the discussion of hot mothmen to you. With an exasperated look on your face, you ask,

"Can we please just fix my mom?"

Your friends give you apologetic looks before being kicked into gear. With the schematics in hand, Lucas started to read them off in such a way that Dean understood exactly what he is fixing and where. Fusing wires back together, putting Grace's joints back in their proper places, and inserting a new charging port into her, the mechanical aspect of your mom started getting better bit by bit. Once Dean had properly put parts of your mom back together, Bren stepped in to make sure that the programming was intact. It took him a while to figure out exactly how to check it all given that Grace was a more complicated piece of machinery than your average computer, but with some time and effort he managed to crack the code. Going through it all he saw that there were no malfunctions within her programming, meaning that the only issue left to solve was sewing up the open cuts in her synthetic skin and trying to turn her on. As Bren stepped aside, Kenny stepped in, and precisely and carefully, he started to sew up your mom. The stitches he made were practically invisible, just little white lines that signified where the cuts had been. And as Kenny finished his last stitch and stepped away from Grace, you saw her once more completely intact. There was your mom. All that was left was to turn her on. Plugging the charger into your mom you and your friends sat around quietly as you waited, hoping that your work was successful and she would come back to life. It felt like forever but then you saw as a blue light lit up behind her eyes. Her head began to lift up as she sat up straight more. Leaning forward towards her, you called softly,

"Mom?"

You watched as her head turned towards you, her eyes blinking a couple of times before a smile came to her face.

"(Y/N)?" She quietly asked

Your jaw dropped in shock for a moment as you realized it worked. It really worked! Rushing from where you were seated you went to your mom throwing your arms around her and exclaiming,

"Mom!"

Grace wrapped her arms back around you as she held you close. She didn't know what had occurred between the moment the house collapsed and this moment but if you were here hugging her then it had to be okay. A few tears fell from your eyes as the feeling of joy overwhelmed you. Pulling back from the hug, Grace could see the water running down your face and gently wiped away your tears.

"What's wrong sweetie?" She asked

"I'm just happy." You responded, "The world is safe, I have my friends and family and life back, everything is just good."

"Oh, sweetie all these things are good because you make them good." Grace comforted

"Oh, these are my friends. The ones I always tell you about." You say before pointing each one out introducing "This is Lucas, Dean, Addison, Kenny, Bren, and Viktoria. They actually helped put you back together."

"Well thank you. It's nice to finally meet you all." Grace greets "You know you kids look just like the academy when they were younger."

You watched as after your mom made that comment your friends' faces all started going through waves of emotion. From shock to excitement they all started to get up, cheering and celebrating the fact that your mom had said that they looked like their heroes, the Umbrella Academy. You wish your mom hadn't made that comment to them, but the more you thought about it the more she was right. Up until that moment, you had never noticed the almost eerie similarity of your friends to their umbrella counterparts but maybe you just had a type in terms of people you liked being around. Standing up from the couch Grace looks around at the group of you and your friends and asks,

"So are you kids hungry? I can make some cupcakes to celebrate how good things are."

"Cupcakes sound awesome!" Viktoria remarks excitedly

"Well, I'll go get started on some then." Grace replies turning around to find the kitchen

"Oh, Mom!" You called

"Yes, sweetie?" Grace asked turning to look back at you

"Since your dress is all dirty from the house collapse, Addison, Viktoria, and I all went to a vintage store and got you some new clothes." You stated handing a large bag to her "You don't have to put them on now but I just wanted to let you know."

Grace looked down at her attire only to see her dress stained with dirt and concrete dust. This wouldn't do at all. Looking back towards you, she takes the bag from your hand and says,

"Well, I hadn't even noticed my dress was so messy. I'll go put on some of these new clothes and then I'll get right to making those cupcakes. How about you kids go outside in the backyard for now?"

"Okay," Dean replies before tapping Lucas on the shoulder and exclaiming "Tag you're it!"

Dean immediately runs off towards the back of the house and into the backyard with the rest of you and your friends quickly following suit.

"Hey, you can't just play tag without establishing it first!" Lucas yells sprinting to catch up with one of you all

Grace lets out a small laugh as from afar she sees the joy of you and your friends all playing together. For a moment it reminds her of the time when you and the Hargreeves were all young and having fun and she could only hope that with the world saved maybe, just maybe, she'd get to see such a thing again. Heading upstairs Grace went off to change her clothes before making some cupcakes for you and your friends outside. And as you ran around spending time with your friends, the Hargreeves had finally made it back to Eudora's house. After a stop for some fast food since none of them had eaten and an ungodly amount of unexpected traffic they were finally back. As they pulled up on the street near the house, Diego looked out the front window of the van and questioned,

"Why is there a black 67 Impala is parked outside Eudora's house?"

Peering from the back of the van through the front window Five looked at the driveway and saw a car exactly like Diego described. While the sight may have been concerning for the rest of the group Five knew better as he stated,

"That's Veronica."

"I thought her name was Viktoria?" Vanya adds

"The car's name is Veronica. It's what Dean named his car." Five elaborated "And if that's Dean's car, that means (Y/N) and the rest of them are here."

"Why is the car named Veronica though?" Klaus questioned

"Because Addison told him to name the car that." Five answered

"I'm just glad it's a safe car. I was worried it was going to be the feds or something." Luther commented

"We're fine, but we really should get back inside." Five stated, "Things haven't blown over yet."

Five was right. Things were still fresh and it hadn't even been a full day since the events of last night. There was still a lot that could happen and they really needed things to blow over. Exiting the van the group made their way back into the house assuming that you and your friends were already inside, but as they entered there was no one to be seen. From further in the house, Diego could hear the sounds of sing-song humming. Following the sound back towards the kitchen, he entered the room and saw a sight he didn't expect to see. Diego could feel his heart clench as he hesitantly stepped forward, and with a shaky voice asked,

"M-mom?"

Placing down the cupcake she was icing down Grace turned to look at Diego. A smile came to her face as she walked over to him greeting,

"Hi, Diego!"

Diego looked her up and down. He clothes were clean, her hair was perfectly done, and the only thing out of place was little white lines that looked like scars. It was as if the house never came down on her. In disbelief, Diego said quietly,

"You're alive..."

"Well of course I am silly," Grace commented happily

"How though?" He questioned

"(Y/N)'s friends are quite a clever bunch. They all helped to put me back together." Grace explains

As she explained what had occurred the rest of the Hargreeves appeared in the kitchen. Looks of disbelief similar to Diego's appeared on their faces. Looking over Diego's shoulder, Grace saw the rest of the group enter the room. Luther, Allison, Klaus, Five, Vanya, and...Ben. Shock filled her face as she stared him down.

"Hi, mom." Ben greeted kindly

"Hi" Grace replied softly, emotion evident in her voice as she continued "Oh wow, all of my children in one place. I- I never thought this would happen again."

"Oh mom, it's okay." Diego comforted as he wrapped his arms around her

One by one the rest of the Hargreeves went over to where Grace and Diego stood and wrapped their arms around each other in a group hug. As they stood there they waited for one final person to go over and join them as a family.

"C'mon Five." Luther encouraged

Five stared at the group as they all looked at him but before he could even make a decision or say anything Klaus grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the hug. His siblings rearranged themselves so that Five was stuck closer to the center and couldn't leave. Looking toward Klaus, he threatened,

"I'm going to break your wrists."

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up and hug your family old man." Klaus retorted, not caring about what Five had to say

Five shut his mouth as his siblings around him held onto each other, and although he had the ability to jump away something in him didn't really want to. Together the group stood not just as a bunch of different people but as a family. When the hug finally broke, Grace looked around at everyone with immense joy in her eyes as she explained,

"Well, you all came just in time. I was just about to serve the kids some cupcakes."

Heading over towards the cupcake tray, she finished icing the last of the cupcakes before picking the tray up and walking out the back door to the backyard. Following her onto the back porch the Hargreeves watched as you and your friends ran around laughing and screaming. You all seemed so happy and it was in a moment like this that they remembered why the world was worth saving and why they went through all they did. It was for happy moments like these. Stepping down from the back porch, Grace walked towards the picnic table as she called out,

"Cupcake time!"

Immediately, you and your friends stopped on your heels and turned to run towards the picnic as you heard Grace call for cupcakes. Making it to the table you all sat around it as Grace placed the tray of treats down on it. From across the yard, you could see the rest of the Hargreeves standing on the back porch unmoving. Using your hand you waved them over as your friends all called and cheered for them to join. The Hargreeves took a look at each other looking for some type of consensus or instruction to go. Five refused to stand around anymore though and instead opted to flash over to the table before sitting down next to you. Taking your hand in his, he looked around at your friends giving them a small wave. And with Five already settling in the rest of the siblings took that as a reason to walk over. Standing around the table the siblings gave your friends polite smiles and greetings but as their eyes passed over Bren they were slightly confused by the object he was looking down at and holding.

"Is that my head?" Ben asks

"You can't take him from me! I'll kill you!" Bren threatened holding Statue Ben's head tighter

"Well, that would be a little difficult since I'm already dead." Ben comments

Bren looked over towards the voice confused at what they had just said but as they looked they saw a translucent blue figure standing next to them. Bren looked back and forth between the statue head in his hands and the figure before staring at the figure with wide eyes.

"Hi, I'm Ben." Ben greeted

Bren stared at Ben for only a moment before immediately passing out and falling from his seat on the ground. While you and your friends were unsurprised at the reaction, the hargreeves looked on in shock. Allison crouched down on her knees gently shaking Bren trying to wake him up.

"Is he okay?" Ben asked concerned

"Is he dead?" Dean questioned

Taking a look at his friend on the ground, Kenny looks back to the rest of the group and states,

"Nah, he's fine."

"You didn't even check to see if he has a pulse," Diego commented

"It's fine, I got this." Kenny explained before shouting "IT'S FIVE O'CLOCK SOMEWHERE!"

As if it was a reflex Bren shot up from the ground with a fist raised in the air as he exclaimed,

"Don't you fucking dare!"

You and your friends all started to laugh and after a moment of feeling awkward about the situation, the Hargreeves did too. Extending a hand out to Bren to help him back up onto the bench at the table, Kenny said,

"Welcome back prince of darkness it's cupcake time."

And so as things began to get settled everyone together grabbed a cupcake and started to fully enjoy the day. With enthusiastic conversation and the sharing of stories between your two generations of friends, the day after the apocalypse felt like one step forward in a better direction. There were good things in the world, beautiful things, and although there were many open wounds, with time and love they would heal and things would get better one day at a time.

___________________________________

May 15th, 2019:

After the world had been saved, things did not immediately go back to normal. You didn't expect they would, but the amount of clean-up that needed to be done was...a lot. Allison had to go back to California for Claire and her continued custody battle, Diego was still on the line for Eudora's murder, and then there was the whole mess with Vanya at the theatre. And like a cherry on top of the world's worst sundae, you still had to deal with the Hargreeves' interpersonal conflicts with each other along with all their identity crises from learning about their lives in the 1960s. Even your beloved boyfriend was struggling with his identity and what to do next given that he was a young man again and the threat of the apocalypse he had been fighting against for years was now gone. It was overwhelming, to say the least, especially with the fact that you had to resume your life as normal going to school and all.

But, bit by bit, things started to change for the better.

In an odd twist of fate, when Allison returned to California to continue her mandated sessions, seeing that she was rendered mute and therefore could not use her powers until her voice healed, the court surprisingly decided to cut the number of her mandated sessions in half. An agreement was also reached to let her have supervised visitation with a fairly good agreement in the works for Patrick and Claire to move closer to the city so Allison would not have to fly back and forth.

With the guns that Five anonymously sent to Chuck, video footage at the library and boxing gym at the time of Eudora's death, along with a recovered recording of the phone call of Eudora asking Diego to come to meet her at the motel, Diego was cleared of all charges and taken off the suspect list. And shortly after you and Diego attended Eudora's funeral to fully lay her to rest so that you could all start to move forward.

As for Vanya, through a rousing bout of gaslighting and secret use of your powers you were able to fool officials into believing the Icarus Theater was already structurally unsound and had a massive gas leak which caused everyone to mass hallucinate the events of that night. Which both the theater itself and the mayor made press statements following that narrative.

And as all the major loose threats started getting tied up all that was left were the frayed ends of the Hargreeves' own problems. Through consistent encouragement and the occasional threat of bodily harm, you managed to get the Hargreeves siblings to start opening up to each other. It wasn't perfect as many of them were stubborn bastards who held onto their trauma and resentments like a badge of honor but through their honesty, things started evolving into something more cohesive and family-like.

It was even family-like enough that Vanya opened up to the group about being transgender and wanting to use different pronouns and go by the name Viktor. Of course, everyone accepted them with love and respect, and when news of this name got to your friend Viktoria, she flipped with excitement at practically sharing the same name with her idol.

At some point, the group of you came together to execute Reginald's will. It was not unusual that he had one but what was unusual was that he actually left his money, assets, and current investments to people. Specifically as written in his will, All assets of my estate will be evenly dispersed between any and all children who have ever lived under the roof of the Umbrella Academy at the time of my passing. It was a surprisingly kind gesture for a man who for the most part really sucked. But just as written all the assets were dispersed in an eight-way split between the Hargreeves children and yourself. And because of Ben being in fact a ghost and relatively not in need of cash, he offered to use a chunk of his portion from the will to rebuild a new home where the academy once stood for everyone to live in.

And so things started to settle into a routine. You, Five, Klaus, Ben, Luther, and Mom lived in Eudora's house as there really wasn't any other place for you to go. Mom was finally given her own room and stayed in what was formerly Eudora's bedroom. With the spare air mattress, Luther set up his own space in the basement while Klaus and Ben took the couches in the living room. And to Diego's dismay, you and Five continued to share a room and a bed together. Diego and Viktor lived at their respective places from before the apocalypses but would spend time at Eudora's with the rest of the group when they were free. And Allison made her best efforts to come back and forth between the city and California so she could be both with Claire and her family while custody arrangements were still going on.

Five was still Five, but there were little changes here and there that you started to see. He quickly ditched the academy uniform and started wearing a mix of formal and casual attire. It was a little funny to see him look like he was going to a James Bond lookalike convention one day and the conspiracy theorist fishing meetup the next but to you, he looked nice either way. He hadn't quite found his style yet but he was getting more comfortable. There were still the days where he would go around anxious about another apocalypse or something else causing you and his family harm, and there were still the nights where he'd wake up in a cold sweat worried that you were dead or that he was still stuck alone in the apocalypse. But he knew he could rely on you, the same way you could rely on him with your nightmares and anxieties and the two of you slowly started to heal your traumas together. The biggest leap through was the way he was with your friends. Your friends would consistently go over to your place to hang out with you, interact with the Hargreeves, and slowly absorb Five into your chaotic friend group. At first, you could tell their desire to include him in things came on a little too strong and he had a strong pushback against it but as they gave him his space to adjust on his own he slowly started coming around more. Joining for movies and partaking in a few of your sleepovers, but he especially did well with the type of sarcastic nihilistic humor you and your friends shared. And before he could even realize it, your friends were now his friends too.

And although there was still so much chaos, things were good.

Like many other days, you had woken up, gone to school, and met up with your friends. But compared to those other days, today was different. Today was the day that you and your friends would be seeing if you were going to get into college. Specifically, if you guys were going to get into the elite college that you all applied to. Most of your admissions letters had come in but no one had opened theirs yet because you were all waiting on one more to come to your house. But you knew today was the day. When you all had sent in your applications they notified you that all decisions would be received in the mail by this specific date, and so after school ended the seven of you went to Eudora's house to finally see if you were getting in or not. Arriving at the house you opened the mailbox and pulled out the few envelopes in there checking to see if the letter you all had been waiting for had come.

It had.

And with that letter in your hands, you all were ready to see what the future held. Heading towards the front door you grabbed the packages off the porch before heading inside. One by one the group filed into the house, seeing the very familiar sight of all the Hargreeves scattered about the living room and adjoining dining room. Five and Ben, who was now consistently visible and able to interact with objects due to Klaus' practice with his powers and lack of heavy drug usage, were both reading in the living room while Klaus knitted on the floor watching cartoons. Luther and Diego were playing what seemed like a competitive game of UNO at the dining room table and Viktor and Allison were having a conversation in the doorway connecting the two rooms. As you all entered the house there was a chorus of greetings as you and your friends settled in. Placing the letter mail down on the dining room table you passed out the packages stating,

"Klaus your Shein order arrived, Ben here's that literary magazine you submitted to and Luther your book Whoops! I Guess I'm A Parent Now came in."

"Why do you need a parenting book?" Diego questioned confused

"Hi, Luther!" Lucas exclaimed popping up behind him

"Jesus, Lucas. What have we talked about when it comes to personal space?" Luther asks defeated

"Sorry, dad." Lucas apologized

Letting out a defeated sigh, Luther gestures toward Lucas. A smirk comes to Diego's face as he chuckles a bit responding,

"I see, but if I can get the hang of it so can you big guy."

As things started to settle down with everyone getting situated in the house Klaus called out from the living room,

"So is today the big day for you all?"

"It sure is!" Kenny responded excitedly

"Alright then, how about we gather around and watch you open up your letters then?" Viktor suggests

You and your friends nodded opening your backpacks and pulling out the envelopes you had been waiting to open for days now. Everyone gathered around the dining room table, you and your friends standing while most of the Hargreeves sat or leaned up against a wall. Out of all the college applications you had sent out this was the school you were hoping to get into the most. You and all of your friends had applied but the acceptance rate was low and all of the programs each of you applied for were overwhelmingly competitive. You could feel the nerves of anticipation build as you stared at the letter in your hands.

Sensing your nerves, Five took one of your hands in his giving it a reassuring squeeze as he comforted you,

"Hey, you're gonna get in. You have nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, the only ones who need to worry are those admissions people if they don't let you in. I'll kick their asses." Diego stated, pulling out one of his knives

You assumed your brother was trying to be reassuring. It was not helping as much as he probably thought it was though. Seeing the look on your face, Allison rolled her eyes taking the knife from Diego's hand and placing it on the table before gesturing to the group of you holding your letters.

"Alright, alright. I'm just saying." Diego replies

A silence fell over the room as you and your friends all looked at each other.

"Moment of truth." Bren states quietly

"Huh...yeah," Viktoria replies nervously

"Countdown from three?" Lucas suggests

All of you nodded your heads quietly at each other before taking a collective deep breath. Meeting each other's eyes you all start to countdown in unison,

"Three. Two. One."

And with that the seven of you ripped open your envelopes, pulling out the letters inside and unfolding the papers to see what they said. There was a heavy weight in the room as you all started scanning that first sentence for the most important word. And then you all saw it-

Congratulations.

The worry on your faces turned into shock as all of your eyes went wide and the Hargreeves waited quietly for one of you to say something. Tears pricked at your eyes as you looked up from the paper in your hands.

Seeing the tears forming in your eyes Diego and Five leaned in concerned both worriedly asking,

"What happened?"

A small smile started to form on your face as you quietly replied,

"I got into the chemistry program."

As you said those words the worry on their faces started to melt away and an overwhelming feeling of happiness washed over them. After all this time, and everything that had happened to you, it was comforting to see you so happy. Five reached up and grabbed one of your hands placing a kiss on it before looking up at you and saying confidently,

"I told you there was nothing to worry about."

You gently wiped away some of your tears as you looked toward Diego, holding out the acceptance letter for him to take. Gently taking the letter, he started to read through it but the further he got through it the more blurry the words on the page became. Diego blinked his eyes trying to clear his vision as he looked back up towards you. He beamed with pride at all you had accomplished. You had done so much and come so far from where you were back when you were 13. You grew up into such an amazing person and at that moment Diego only had one thought on his mind.

"I wish your parents were here to see you now. They'd be so proud of how you turned out." Diego quietly states

You were taken aback by what Diego had said but it meant so much for you to hear that. In your lived experience it had been a decade since you were last around your parents, and you wondered if they would be proud of who you had become even after disobeying one of their main rules. For him to say that they would be happy with the person you had become was the best reassurance he could've ever given you. Looking back at him you quietly responded,

"Well, they'd have you to thank for that."

And just like he did to you only a moment ago, Diego too was taken aback by what you said. He Had tried his best for so many years not to replace your parents but to fill in the spot they were supposed to be as best as he could. He had help from Eudora and his mom but he did everything he could to give you the best life and it meant everything to him to know that after all that had happened, you still felt that he had done right by your parents. Although he tried holding them back obvious tears fell from Diego's eyes causing Klaus to ask,

"Are you going to cry?"

"No, I'm gonna punch you in the throat." Diego threatens getting choked up

"I was just gonna offer you a tissue if you were," Klaus replies slowly holding out a tissue box

"Oh. I mean- I'm fine. It's just dust." Diego lies taking a bunch of tissues from the box

"But I dusted yesterday," Grace states as she steps into the room

As Diego attempts and fails to conceal the overwhelming wave of emotion he felt, Lucas approaches Luther once more holding up his acceptance letter for him to see.

"Luther look! I got into the political science program and I got a sports scholarship! I'm gonna be playing on the football team!" Lucas proclaims excitedly "I know you don't really like your number but I'm going to ask if I can get the number one on my jersey so you can always have my back. I've never played with any other number except yours."

Lucas looked at Luther with his blue eyes lit up with excitement and a wide smile was plastered on his face as he continued to hold the paper out in front of him. And as Luther looked back at him, processing the words Lucas just said it was like someone shanked him in the heart, but in a good way. Luther's face started to contort weirdly as he tried to process the wave of emotion coming over him.

"Luther, are you okay?" Lucas questions confused

"Yeah, it's just like Diego said...dust." Luther replies getting choked up as well "I'm really proud of you."

"Thanks!" Lucas replies happily

As Lucas turns away to go show Addison his letter, Allison steps forward and begins patting Diego and Luther's backs trying to console the two blubbering strong men with "dust" in their eyes. Wanting to know what other news was around, Ben looks at your friends who hadn't spoken yet and questions,

"Well, what about the rest of you?"

"I'm going to be an English major." Bren states

"Hell yeah, the Master of Death is taking on college with his Edgar Allen Bro," Kenny exclaims throwing an arm around Bren

"So you managed to get into the nursing program then?" Bren questions

"Of course! You didn't believe I could do it?" Kenny retorts, pretending to be shocked

"Just a smidge." Bren jokes sarcastically

"You suck." Kenny replies playfully shoving him away "Anyway I think this calls for a celebration shot. Klaus, you want one?"

"Of course!" Klaus exclaims

"No!" Ben and Bren reprimand at the same time

As Bren And Ben attempt to stop Kenny and Klaus from getting their celebratory shots, Dean raises his acceptance letter over his head and proudly declares,

"Well, I'm going to be getting my criminal justice degree so I can get one step closer to being a public defender."

"Let's just hope you don't fall in love with a girl who wants to be a district attorney." You comment to him

"Like that's gonna happen," Dean remarks back

You sucked in your breath and threw a side glance to Five as you knew your brother's type very well and the chance of him having feelings for someone who wanted to work on the opposite side of the justice system was more likely than he probably thought. Five gave you a look back as he shrugged his shoulders. Well, there was nothing you could do about it except wait for it to happen.

"Okay that's cool and all, but Viktoria and I are going to be in the performance business because we just got into the music and theatre programs!" Addison exclaims

"That's great!" Viktor praises "You'll have to let us know when you're performing in the future so we can go watch."

Allison nods her head agreeing with Viktor's statement as she applauds for the two of them, before pointing at an unopened envelope on the table that was now scattered amongst the other open admission letters. Everyone looked at the extra envelope on the table, the one that you had brought in today. It was the envelope you and your friends were waiting on and you didn't need to look at who the envelope was addressed to because you already knew. Smiles came to your and your friends' faces as the Hargreeves looked around at each other confused.

"Whose letter is that?" Five inquired

"It's yours." You replied picking up the letter and holding it out towards him

Five looked at you confused as he slowly took the letter from your hand. Looking down he saw that it was addressed to him just like you had said. Looking back up Five noticed the excited looks on your faces, and while he was still confused he now was more so intrigued by your reactions.

"Open it! Open it! Open it!" Lucas started to chant as the rest of your friends follow suit

"Uh, okay." Five replied confused

Turning the envelope around Five opens the seal before carefully pulling out a folded-up piece of paper and unfolding it to see what it said just as you all had done moments ago. Five started to read was the paper said but before he could get very far Viktoria encouraged,

"Read it aloud."

Five gave a quick nod of his head before looking back down at the paper and beginning to read aloud,

"Dear Mr. Five Hargreeves, Congratulations on your admission to our physics program..."

Five paused as he looked up from the letter giving you and the group a quizzical look only to be met with seven "go on" looks back at him. Slowly, he looked back down at the paper as he continued,

"...We receive hundreds of applications each year from qualified students across the globe but your application stood out amongst the others. You have demonstrated immense talent and ability that is in alliance with the goals and mission of our school and we are happy to invite you to be part of our incoming class for fall 2019."

Five looked up from the letter once more and saw the looks of anticipation on all of your faces and that was when he realized what you all had done. You all were going to college and didn't want him to feel bad about not being there with you so you made up a letter just for him. It was quite impressive that you managed to make it look so official but nevertheless he appreciated the gesture.

"Sooooo?" Addison inquired

"Thank you." Five replied, "It's really nice that you made a fake admission letter so I could feel included."

You and your friends all looked at each other confused.

"Fake?" Kenny commented, "Damn that would've been a much easier process."

"What do you mean?" Five questioned confused

"Dude, it's a real letter. You're going to college with us." Dean explained

Five looked down at the letter again and then towards his siblings, all of which had the same confused and dumbfounded looks on their faces.

"What?" Five questioned even more unsure of what was going on "I don't understand. I didn't send in an application."

"That's because we did it for you." Lucas elaborated "April 3rd through April 21st was the most stressful three weeks of our lives thanks to your girlfriend."

All the Hargreeves leaned forward waiting for you to actually explain what was going on because nothing about this was making sense at this point.

"What did you do?" Viktor asked

"The real question is what didn't we do?" Bren replied, "(Y/N), you want to elaborate?"

"Sure. It was a pretty involved process but we submitted an application to the university we all applied for." You started to explain "First we had to get you documented, so Dean broke into the city records office and managed to get you a birth certificate saying you were born October 1st, 2000 so it would make sense why you were applying for college this year."

"He did what?" Luther asked shocking out of his emotional state

"Broke into the city records office, keep up." Dean added, "I also got you a bunch of other legal documents you would need and scanned them into the government system so it looks like you were always on the record."

"Nice job, kid. Good for you." Diego complimented

"So then Bren hacked our high school records system and added you in there to make it seem like you were a student." You continued

"Don't worry I gave you the best possible grades I could without putting you in the running for valedictorian or salutatorian," Bren added

"And you remember those interview questions I asked you for a group project I was doing?" Viktoria interjected

"Yeah?" Five replied hesitantly

"Those were the application questions. Reader and I took your responses and turned them into actual writing." Viktoria responds

The jaws of the Hargreeves slowly began to drop more and more as you and your friends continued to elaborate on everything you did to get Five into college with you.

"I helped to get you some letters of recommendation from teachers under the guise that they were writing nomination recommendations for (Y/N) to get into a science program." Lucas stated, "I just downloaded the word documents they sent back and changed her name to yours though."

"And since we're the closest in appearance, I went and got a fake ID so I could take the SAT for you!" Kenny exclaims "Well. Kind of. I just was sitting there filling in the bubbles but (Y/N) was feeding me the answers. Invisibly of course."

"And I called the admissions office pretending to be Allison's press agent saying that a family member of hers was applying to their school but to keep it under wraps because she didn't want them getting hounded with attention. Which obviously put them on high alert for your application." Addison finishes

Quickly pulling out the notebook she carried on her, Allison vigorously wrote down in bold letters "WHAT?" before holding it up to the rest of the group tapping at the word on the page.

"Anyway!" You stated ignoring Allison's concern "All of us threw an application together for you and now you're in. With us!"

Five took a long look at you before looking around at the rest of the people in the room. You and your friends looked at him excitedly while his siblings face beamed with pleasant surprise at what you all had done. It felt unreal that this could be happening. He knew that he was technically young again but the fact that he had the ability to start over hadn't hit him until now when he was actually presented with an opportunity to do so.

"You guys did all of this for me?" He asks

"Of course, you're our friend!" Addison replies

"It would be weird to not have you there with us." Bren chimes in "But you have your girlfriend to thank for keeping us all on track."

Five stood up from the chair he was sitting in and looked down at the paper in his hands before once more directing his attention back to the group of people around him.

"Sooooo, you wanna go to college with us?" Lucas inquires

"We'll have the five boys taking college by storm." Dean encourages

"Is that five boys in the sense that you're his boys or the number of boys?" Viktor asks confused

Lucas, Dean, Kenny, and Bren all direct their attention towards Viktor as they simultaneously state,

"Both."

You couldn't tell exactly what your boyfriend was thinking at that moment but nevertheless, you put a reassuring hand on his shoulder as you softly said,

"You've worked so hard to get where you are right now, and you have a second chance right in front of you. Why don't we make it the best it can be?"

Five looked at your beautiful face and knew that you were right. He did work hard to get here. He does have a second chance. And he was going to make it the best it could be.

"So what do ya say, buddy?" Kenny suggests

"I guess I'm going to college."

As everyone threw their congratulations toward each other and talked about their excitement for the future, Five took your hand and pulled you aside in the living room. Holding your hand a little tighter, he glanced back towards the bustling dining room filled with his friends and family.

"Thank you." He said quietly as he caught your eyes and added "You didn't have to do all of this."

With the hand that was not being held by Five's, you lifted it up towards his face and placed it on his cheek, gently brushing your thumb back and forth.

"I just wanted you to find your purpose again." You replied

Letting go of your hand, Five wrapped his arms around your waist as he pulled you closer to him. He never needed to find a purpose. He had a purpose, it had been his main purpose since the day he first found it and he wanted you to know so.

"Don't worry. I already have one." He stated quietly

"Yeah?" You replied curiously

"Yeah," He responded sincerely "I'm looking at it."

"And I'm looking at mine." You added softly

The two of you held your gaze with each other for a moment before gently pressing your lips against each other. It was soft and sweet and neither of you could help but smile into it. You two were each other's raison d'etre. It had always been that way, and it was the way it would always be.

"Oooooooooooooh! " Your friends teased from the dining room

Pulling away from the kiss you and Five look towards your group of friends as they made kissy faces towards the two of you and playfully mocked your display of affection. Rolling your eyes at them you exclaimed,

"Oh shut up!"

"C'mon love birds, have some cake with us." Klaus remarks

You placed one more kiss on Five's cheek before pulling away. Reaching his hand out, Five took yours in his, and hand in hand the two of you took another step into your future together.

________

June 16th, 2019. 7:30 AM:

After too many years, several attempts on your life, three time jumps, two apocalypses, a death, and a resurrection, you were finally graduating high school. It had been a lot of hard work, probably more work than any other person ever had to do to get to where you were, but you did it. Today was the day, and more so, through all the trials and tribulations you still managed to become valedictorian.

Getting up bright and early, you got ready for the big day ahead of you. You and your friends, long before any of the apocalypse chaos was even a thought in your mind, had planned that on your graduation day you would all go get breakfast at a local diner before heading to the school. You had woken up before most others in the house and gone through your typical morning routine to get ready for the day. Shower, teeth, hair, dressed, etcetera. You accomplished it all but once that was done, you grabbed your valedictorian speech from your room, put it into the pocket of your dress, and grabbed the hanger that was holding your cap and gown before heading downstairs. Hanging the cap and gown on the coat rack by the door, you then turned to head into the kitchen only to find your boyfriend there leaning against one of the counters with a mug of what you assumed to be coffee in his hand. He wore a white button-up, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, along with some black slacks, shoes, and a tie. His hair fell off to the side in its usual style and as you stepped into the kitchen you saw his bright green eyes light up as he looked at you. A smile was on his face as he placed his coffee down on the counter, and walked over to where you stood. Placing his hands on your waist, he looked you up and down as he commented,

"Well don't you look wonderful." He commented

You smiled back at him before taking a step closer and wrapping your arms around his neck.

"You're one to talk." You replied "I mean you're all dressed up. I haven't seen you like this in a few weeks."

It was true that he really hadn't worn more of his formal clothing for a bit, but he really hadn't gone anywhere so it never seemed necessary. Most times your friends would come over to the house after school to hang out so it didn't make sense to put on a more business-type attire. If no one but his friends were going to see him, why stress about it when he could just lounge around in a flannel and jeans.

"No reason to put on my good clothes if I'm not leaving the house." Five remarked

A playful smirk came to your face as you started to run your fingers through the back of his hair. Gently, you started to sway side to side as you moved your face slightly closer to his. Not enough to kiss him yet, but enough for him to notice the change in distance. With your eyes locked on his, you playfully mused,

"I mean I have a reason."

"Oh, you do?" Five inquired taking on the same playful tone as you as he also leaned in a bit more "And what might that reason be?"

"I like seeing you in them." You answered

Slowly, Five brought one of his hands up from your waist, tracing it along your side and neck before using it to tilt your chin up towards him more. A teasing smirk appeared on his face and he knew exactly what he was doing as he asked in a low tone,

"And why is that babe?"

You could feel your stomach do a flip as he called you that. It was a rare occurrence but it made it all the more impactful on the occasions where he did use it. You were the one who had started this cat and mouse though and you were going to be the one to finish it. Gently, one of your hands snaked from behind his neck and over his chest before grabbing onto his tie.

"Because when you wear a tie I can do this."

And with one little pull, you had closed the gap between you and him. Your lips pressed together firmly and you could taste the black coffee he was drinking only moments ago. It was bitter but over the past few months, it had become one of your favorite tastes. Together your lips moved slowly and softly against one another, but it wasn't enough for either of you. Your one hand that was playing with his hair earlier now gently pulled at it while your other was still tightly wrapped around his tie.

Five grabbed at your waist once more pulling you flush against him. Even a centimeter of space between the two of you was too much. His sudden action caused you to part your lips slightly allowing him to deepen the kiss. If there was one thing Five appreciated about his new living arrangements it was the fact that he didn't have Diego breathing down his neck every time he so much as decided to look at you. As Dean affectionately called Diego, he was "el bloque de pollas último" and every second he wasn't around Five relished in the freedom that it brought. The two of you shared a room, a bed, as much privacy as two young adults could want, and the ability to express your love for the other. However, whenever.

Maybe it was the way you liked how the other looked in formal clothes or maybe it was the excitement and anticipation of the day, but whatever the reason was, at that moment there was a neediness that grew. You hummed happily into each other's mouths as your need for more sped up the kiss. You held each other close, melting into each other as your lips refused to part because there was no need for air when you had the other. Both of you were hungry, not for breakfast though, but for each other. But then from behind you, you both heard,

"Must really be a sucking face kinda morning, huh?"

Immediately, the two of you broke from your kiss, your heads snapping towards where the comment came from only to see Klaus leaning against the doorway to the kitchen with a wide smile on his face.

"Good morning lovebirds." He greeted cheerfully

"Jesus Klaus! How long have you been there?" You exclaimed

"How long has this mating ritual been going on?" Klaus questions, his demeanor teasing and upbeat

You and Five both roll your eyes annoyed by the rude interruption Klaus had caused. Obviously upset by this development, Five snaps,

"Don't you have to get ready or something?"

"Don't you have to jack off before Diego gets here or something?" Klaus replies playfully

"Fuck off Klaus." Five retorts irritated

"Listen, I'm just saying if you plan on taking any celebratory actions you should relegate it to behind a door and not in the middle of the kitchen," Klaus commented

"Klaus, no- that's not what we were-." You stuttered out, a blush rising to your face as you added "why do you have to make everything weird..."

"Because he doesn't know how to do anything else." Five remarked

"Okay rude. I'm just trying to help you two," Klaus explains "But also there's a car in the driveway."

"Is it black or green?" You question

"Black," Klaus replies

Hearing his response you let out a disappointed sigh as you state,

"That's Dean's car. They're here."

Giving Five a disappointed look, you walk away from him and back into the living room for a moment to make sure you had all your things to go. As you moved away from the kitchen Five quickly approached Klaus. Displeasure and irritation written all over his face after what had just happened.

"Next time keep your help to yourself." Five chastised under his breath "I just want to kiss my girlfriend. That's all."

Placing a hand on the shoulder of his brother who was definitely frustrated in more ways than one, Klaus whispered back,

"With the way this house goes through tissues, I think you're lying to yourself, buddy."

"Mon chéri." You called as you walked back into the kitchen "Before I go, do you think you can read over my speech one more time?"

Five looked away from Klaus, his displeased expression turning into one of genuine care. You had been making consistent edits to your valedictorian speech since you had first found out you would become valedictorian at the beginning of the month. Trying to be supportive, Five reassures,

"Ma chérie, I've read it 47 times over the past two weeks. 12 of those in the past 36 hours. It is a great speech and you are going to do amazing."

"You think so?" You asked

"I know so." Five stated positively "And you'll have all of us there to support you."

You could hear the sound of a car beeping outside signifying that your friends were all there and they were getting impatient with you not coming out of the house yet. You looked towards the front door before looking back at Five and saying,

"Are you sure you don't want to come with us? I'm sure we can squeeze you into Dean's car."

"This was something you all planned together and that car is already packed as it is." Five explains "Anyway someone has to be here to make sure this family gets there on time."

Another round of beeping could be heard from outside along with the now growing sounds of enthusiastic screaming calling your name. If you didn't get out of the house soon your friends were going to wake the whole neighborhood.

"Alright, the ceremony starts at 10 am so everyone needs to be in their seats no later than 9:45." You stated before asking "Have you printed out the tickets?"

"Not yet, but I will." Five replies "If there's one thing I'm good at, it's getting shit done under time constraints."

"Alright. I love you." You say

"I love you too."

Placing a quick peck on his lips, you rush out of the kitchen, grabbing your cap and gown off the coat hanger before opening the door to head outside. As you go to close the door, you can hear from behind you Five reassuringly exclaim,

"Don't stress, okay? Everything is going to be fine."

June 16th, 2019. 9:15 AM:

Everything was NOT fine.

At this point, Murphy's Law should've changed its name to Hargreeves Law because anything that could go wrong did go wrong. Which was almost incredible because it started out so fine...

After you had left to go to breakfast, Five finished drinking the rest of the coffee trying to improve his mood that was effectively ruined by Klaus. No matter how annoyed he was by Klaus' interference this morning, he knew this day wasn't about that. It was about you graduating and because you were already stressed about it Five tried to stay calm and positive. Keeping on track, Five went over to the house computer and followed the directions that you had shown him plenty of times before he clicked the button to print the tickets to get into your graduation. And as the jarring clunks signifying the printer was starting up could be heard so could the sounds of the rest of the house getting ready.

As Luther got ready in the bathroom and Klaus started making himself some toast for breakfast, Five went upstairs into what was previously Eudora's room to see if Grace was ready. Five entered the room to see Grace sitting in her craft chair in the corner looking down at the cross-stitch in her hands, the lamp Luther had gotten her yesterday still on.

"Good morning Grace." Five greeted

Grace didn't respond though. All she did was look down at the cross-stitch in her hands. Confused, Five slowly approached her calling her name once more,

"Grace?"

Once more she didn't respond. She didn't even more. And as Five finally stood next to her, he saw what the problem was. Grace had requested a new lamp so she could cross-stitch while she charged at night and yesterday Luther had taken the responsibility of getting it for her since everyone else was busy. Leaving that responsibility to him though must've been too much because as Five currently saw, when he had plugged in the lamp he unplugged her charger to do so, meaning that she hadn't charged at all and was not awake.

"Shit." Five said to himself as he quickly unplugged the lamp and plugged in her charger.

He watch anxiously for the little blue light to come on behind her eyes and hoped that soon enough she would wake up and be able to go to your graduation. She had to go. Everyone was going. It was Five's responsibility to make sure that everyone was going. As Five continued to look at Grace he tried to reassure himself that everything would be fine. And then the blue lights signifying she was charging came on. Five let out a sigh of relief, hopefully, she would charge quickly and this problem would be behind him. This was just one little bump in the road this morning. It couldn't get worse right? Right as he thought that though, he could hear Luther yell,

"FIVE!"

Rushing from the bedroom towards the bathroom, he opened the door only to find Luther with a plunger in his hand and the bathtub ready to overflow.

"What happened!" Five shouted

"I was shaving, and the drain got clogged," Luther explains worried

And as he said those words Five actually noticed his brother's appearance. The left side of his upper body was all shaved, while the other side was a bushy mess of thick gorilla hair. A distinct line split down the middle of his chest showed where one side ended and the other began.

"Why didn't you shave last night?!" Five snapped

"I was worried that it would grow back and I wanted to be clean-shaven for (Y/N)'s graduation. I didn't think this would happen!" Luther exclaimed

"You didn't think shaving a bunch of your monkey hair down the drain wouldn't cause it to clog?" Five criticized

"No!" Luther replies panicked "What do we do?!"

"Turn off the water you idiot!" Five yells

"Right!"

Luther quickly reaches down towards the faucet, turning the water off, but right as the drain problem was stopped in its tracks a scream could be heard from downstairs. Running out of the bathroom, with the half-hairy Luther in tow, the two quickly head downstairs only to see Allison and Viktor run into the house.

"Was that you?" Five urgently questions

"No, was that you?" Viktor responds

"Why would it be us if I just asked if it was you?" Five replied exasperated

"I don't know! We just got here." Viktor states with Allison nodding her head in agreement

As Viktor finished his statement another scream could be heard from the kitchen. Rushing in the Hargreeves siblings took in the sight of the toaster on fire and Ben using his tentacles to wave Klaus around in the air. Because he too was on fire. The group froze for a moment, in shock at what they were seeing before them, but after a few seconds of processing, everyone started to gain a sense of urgency.

“What do we do?” Viktor questioned worriedly

“Get the fire extinguisher!” Five directed back “In the closet.”

Viktor nodded his head. Turning on his heel he rushed back towards the hall closet, a loop on his belt getting caught on a nearby door handle. Getting stuck his momentum halted causing him to lose his balance and fall to the ground. And as he fell forward the awful sound of fabric tearing ripped through the air. Ignoring the sound Viktor stood back up and finished making his way to the hall closet. Grabbing the fire extinguisher he wobbled back towards the kitchen, his pants starting to fall to his knees, fiddling with the release valve trying to make sure it would spray at the toaster.

When Viktor had run off towards the hall closet, Allison ran towards the toaster. Avoiding the flames, she unplugged the toaster from its outlet and although it wouldn’t stop the fire itself, it would stop the electric current from running through it. As she started to make her way back from the toaster she saw Viktor come back into the kitchen, his pants ripped and now starting to fall down closer to his knees. Allison stopped in her tracks confused by the sight. Viktor looked up from the extinguisher, his eyes wide with surprise at the sight of his sister but before either of them could change course Viktor had already started to press the release valve letting all the extinguisher foam come out covering the toaster-

...and Allison.

Wiping the foam from Allison looked over at Viktor in shock but that attention was drawn away by Klaus shouting,

"Put me down!"

"I'm trying to help! You're still on fire!" Ben yelled back as he continued to swing Klaus around with his tentacle

"I'd rather you let me burn than make me puke!" Klaus exclaimed, "You're flooding my brain with blood!"

Hearing the word flood, a lightbulb went off in Luther's head as he rushed over to Ben with his arms out and loudly stated,

"Ben! Give him to me I have a solution!"

Letting go of Klaus, Ben drops him into Luther's arms. Turning away from the kitchen Luther starts to rush towards the stairs leading to the top floor. Five watches bewildered as Luther carried the currently on fire Klaus through the house. Spacial jumping in front of Luther, Five asked frustratedly,

"What are you doing?!"

"I have an idea just trust me!" Luther stated as he pushed past Five and headed up the stairs

"NO!" Five yelled as he followed Luther "Why would I do that?"

Quickly, Luther rushed back into the bathroom where the almost overflowing tub was and held Klaus over it.

"Luther what are yo-" Five started to inquire

But before he could finish, Luther dropped Klaus into the tub below. Water splashed from the tub drenching the nearby walls and covering the floor in a solid layer of wetness.

"Why would you do that?!" Five shouted

"Well look, he's not on fire anymore," Luther replied sincerely

"He's completely drenched, you idiot!” Five chastised “And on top of it there's water all over the floor now!"

Standing up, Klaus slowly got out of the tub. The right side of his clothes were black and charred from the fire that was on him, his once curly hair now flopped down in his face, and every time he moved water would rain down from off his clothing like he had gotten caught out in a hurricane. Unable to see with his wet hair in his eyes Klaus reached out and grabbed onto the first fabric he could feel.

"Klaus wait! That's my-" Luther starts to warn

But just like Five unsuccessfully stopped Luther before, Luther unsuccessfully stopped Klaus from using the fabric to dry off his face and hair before dropping it on the floor to sop up some of the water.

"Only dress shirt..." Luther slowly finishes

Five let out an exasperated sigh by all the idiocy that was going on around him. Today was supposed to be a nice day all about you and your accomplishments but just like every other time they needed to work together under time constraints, his siblings found a way to mess it all up. Leaving the bathroom he saw as Grace wobbled out of her room on unsteady legs.

"Goooooood Mooorning" She slurred

Five closed his eyes rubbing at his temples trying to relieve the stress headache that was coming on as he called out,

"Luther!"

Peaking his head around the corner of the bathroom door, Luther looked towards Five waiting to see what he was called for.

"Help get Grace downstairs," Five explained gesturing to her "I'm going to try and find her portable charger."

With a quick nod of his head, Luther lifted Grace up gently in his arms before walking downstairs, Five following closely behind before turning off towards the kitchen. The room was still covered with fire extinguisher foam, the toaster burned and unusable, but at least the printer in the office corner was unharmed. Flashing to the corner to avoid the extinguisher foam, Five grabbed a portable charger for Grace from the cabinet so she wouldn't shut off during the ceremony. Placing the charger in his pocket, Five grabbed the printed tickets from the printer tray but as he tried to lift them up he realized one of them was stuck. He tried pulling on it from the tray a little harder but when that didn't work he knew it was an internal issue. Lifting up the lid where the ink and printer reels were located Five saw the one page caught in the reels. Folding up the papers and placing them in his other pocket, Five carefully tried to get the paper unstuck but when it still wouldn't come loose he became frustrated. None of them could get into the ceremony without these tickets.

"Stupid fucking modern technology." Five mumbled angrily to himself before pulling harshly at the printer and shouting "Just give me the fucking tickets!"

With one more harsh pull the paper came free from the reels along with the reels themselves coming free from the printer and yellow, cyan, and magenta ink splattering from their cartridge onto his dress shirt and tie.

"SHIT!" Five yelled as he pushed the printer onto the ground and started kicking it

And as he beat up the broken and defenseless printer he caught a glimpse of the clock over the stove, and saw that it was 9:15 causing him to sprint into the living room and shout,

"WE NEED TO GO!"

The rest of his siblings looked at him with confused faces. How could they go when they looked like this? But before anyone could open their mouth and address the elephant in the room Diego walked through the door excitedly exclaiming,

"My girl is graduating!"

The messed-up crowd of Hargreeves turned to look at the only missing member of the family who had finally decided to arrive. But the sight they saw was both unexpected and highly unsurprising. Diego wore a hat with "World's Best Brother" embroidered on it and a shirt that said "My kid is valedictorian, not yours" as he held an airhorn in one hand and a bunch of balloons in another. As all the Hargreeves looked around at each other, Diego finally processed the scene before him asking,

"Oh shit- what the fuck happened here?"

And it was with those seven words that Five had finally fully lost it. His siblings watched as his face started to twitch. Malice formed in his eyes as he began to vibrate violently. And like a powder keg whose fuse ran out, Five exploded,

"GRACE DIDN'T CHARGE OVERNIGHT! LUTHER CLOGGED THE SHOWER DRAIN TRYING TO SHAVE AND NOW LOOKS LIKE A WALKING YING-YANG! KLAUS CAUGHT ON FIRE! BEN IS A GHOST! ALLISON IS COVERED IN FIRE EXTINGUISHER FOAM! VIKTOR HAS NO PANTS! AND I'M COVERED IN INK FROM THIS STUPID FUCKING PRINTER! AND WE ALL NEED TO LEAVE NOW !"

Five breathed heavily trying to regain both his composure and the breath he lost from yelling so much. If they didn't leave in the next few minutes they would not be getting to your graduation in time and that could NOT happen. He should've known this would happen though. They could barely organize themselves to get to an alley in Dallas on time. Why would they be able to manage themselves for your graduation? Honestly, Five had hoped that this was important enough to them that they could pull it together but if there was one thing the Hargreeves were good at it was fucking up everything at the most inopportune times. His siblings quietly stared at him for a moment before Viktor raised his hand and stated,

"Uh Five, we can't leave...I don't have any pants."

And it was that comment that unleashed an onslaught of other ones. Allison gestured up and down at herself aggressively as she was still covered with extinguisher foam and Klaus inquired,

"Should I try to change?"

"Is Mom even in condition to leave the house?" Diego questions

"I don't have a shirt anymore." Luther comments

"Hey what does me being a ghost have to do with anything?" Ben asks

Angrily flashing away, Five grabbed a pair of pants and a shirt from the dryer before flashing back to the living room. Tossing the portable charger at clothes at the respective people Five exclaimed,

"Here's Grace's portable charger, here's a shirt, and here's some fucking pants!"

"Five these are Luther's pants," Viktor said holding up the very oversized pair

"And this is Klaus' shirt." Luther holding up a very undersized shirt

" I don't care! Put them on and get in a car! We're leaving!"

Luther and Viktor glanced at each other before reluctantly putting on the clothes that did not fit. Viktor was practically swimming in Luther's pants which came all the way up to his chest level. And Luther was practically hulking in Klaus' shirt which looked like a crop top on him and exposed his half-shaven half-hairy midriff and arms. Diego let go of the balloons in his hand and let them roam free about the living room as he helped Grace up and started bringing her outside to his car. Allison gestured at herself once more but instead of wasting his breath Five just started showing his siblings out the door. It did not matter. Five did not care about how anyone looked at this point. All he knew is that they needed to go and go they would.

By some miracle, the disorganized bunch actually made it into the cars as they sped off towards your high school. And by running both stop signs and red lights they managed to make it there in record time. Parking on some open spots of grass the group rushed out of the cars and over towards the check-in table with Luther carrying Grace on his shoulder since she couldn't really walk let alone run. Out of breath, the messed-up-looking family stood together in front of the check-in table. Slamming the printed-out tickets on the table Five stared down at a volunteer underclassman who looked back at him in fear.

"Eight tickets for Hargreeves. Where are our seats." Five demanded harshly

The underclassmen looked down at a paper in front of him before looking back up at Five who look like he was ready to revert to his assassin ways and kill without hesitation.

"Se-se-section B, r-row K." The underclassman stammered, a hand shakily pointing in the general direction of their seats

Standing up straight, Five takes a deep breath before fixing his hair and readjusting his ink-covered tie.

"Thank you." He replies politely as he walks off in the direction of their seats

The rest of the Hargreeves give the frightened kid apologetic smiles as they quickly follow behind. Ignoring the confused and judgemental looks of other families the Hargreeves made it to their seats and quietly sat down together. Taking a look at his watch Five saw that the clock read 9:45 am. Somehow he had managed to do it. He got all his siblings together and got to your graduation on time and now all they had to do was wait for it to start.

After 15 minutes of ignoring people's stares and people slowly moving to farther away seats from them the sound of pomp and circumstance played by the high school band began. Two by two students started walking into the high school gym and to their respective seats. Families cheered and called out to their graduating kids trying to get them to look as they passed by and the Hargreeves were no different. The minute you stepped into the gym you could hear an excited voice call out,

"That's my little valedictorian!"

Only to be followed by the sound of an airhorn going off a few times. You let out a small laugh knowing that Diego was obviously enthusiastic about your accomplishment today. With a smile you looked toward where the sound came from but when you finally locked eyes on the Hargreeves your smile slowly faded as your jaw dropped in a state of shock. Locking eyes with your boyfriend you mouthed at him,

"What the fuck."

"Don't ask." He mouthed back

You blinked your eyes a few times in confusion and you slowly looked back forward and managed to make your way to your seat at the front. Besides your utter shock at the current state of the Hargreeves, the ceremony went off without a hitch. A commemorative video for the class of 2019 was played followed by a plethora of speeches from members of the school's administration. And then it came time for you to speak. Slowly you rose from your seat at the front and walked over to the podium. Pulling out your speech you unfolded it and looked it over once more before looking out amongst the crowd of people watching you. You could see as your friends gave you supportive smiles and thumbs-ups and the Hargreeves looked on with pride. Locking eyes with your boyfriend you watched as he gave you a smile and a small nod encouraging you to read the speech you had worked so hard on. Taking a deep breath you look at the crowd once more and began to speak,

"I have heard many times in my educational career that you get out what you put into it. And I think that same concept applies to life itself. I have learned a lot over the past few years of my life. And the main thing I've taken away is, if you put in the work to make the life you want then in the end it will be the life you deserve."

Pausing you looked down at your speech for what to say next but as you scanned the following words you decided that what you wrote wasn't what you were going to say. Flipping the paper with your speech over you now look at a blank page. You weren't going to say what you wrote, you were going to say what you felt and what you actually knew. Looking back up once more with a new surge of confidence you continued,

"Life is a series of moments in time and in each moment you have to make a choice. Some choices will be irrelevant, like choosing to have a jelly donut or a glazed one while some will be everlasting like exploring your curiosity against the wishes of others. Some choices may be easy, like deciding to dance with someone while others will be difficult, like fighting against what you know is wrong even if it feels hopeless."

Five's smile widened as you spoke those words. He had read the speech you wrote so many times that he could've recited it himself, but this was not that speech. It wasn't formal, forced, or edited to some arbitrary level of perfection. It was genuine, authentic and most importantly it was you. Five saw as you look into the crowd of students catching each of your friends' eyes before looking back up towards him and his siblings continuing,

"We decide on so many things each and every day. Making new friends, learning new things, becoming role models, finding a family, falling in love, and for some of us even saving the world. We all make these choices and they shape who we are and what we get out of life."

Taking a side glance at his siblings, Five could see Diego beginning to cry and Grace who had finally changed up enough to function properly trying to comfort him while Luther patted Diego on the back. And as Allison and Viktor rested their heads on each other listening to your speech, Klaus threw an arm around Ben who didn't push him away. They might be a dysfunctional family but they were a family nonetheless and every time in the end they would be there for each other. Focusing on you once more he saw the pride in your face as you spoke,

"As you move through your next moments of life, retain the knowledge you have gained from prior experiences, good and bad, and let them motivate you. Surround yourselves with people who support you because even in the midst of conflict and despair they'll be by your side. And keep your heart filled with love because even the most daunting of tasks can be overcome when you love with all your being. Congrats to the graduating class of 2019. We did it!"

_________

September 1st, 2019:

It had been five months since the Umbrella Academy had come crashing down, reduced to piles of rubble and dust. But like a phoenix rising from the ash, something new was reborn in its place. Just like Ben had said, a chunk of his inheritance was put towards financing, not just a new building where the academy once stood, but a new home. A real home for all of you and for anyone else you all decided to bring into your chaotic lives. The relative floor plan of the building was the same but you and the Hargreeves, with the help of a building planner and interior designer that Allison had hired, all worked together to design a space that was to your liking. It had an extensive library, state-of-the-art kitchen, massive home gym, a beautiful outdoor courtyard, and a fully stocked bar, among so many other practical and fun amenities. This house would be everything the academy wasn't. It would be bright, welcoming, and full of life. It had taken multiple construction crews working around the clock for months to build this place for you to live but after all that time the best part had finally arrived as today was move-in day.

Most of the furniture and necessary elements for the house were already in place and so today was just about bringing in everyone's personal stuff and putting final touches on people's bedrooms.

Which included that of your friends.

You and your friends had already planned on trying to get a place together if you all got into the same college. But as the new building was being constructed you thought to yourself why put time and money into finding a place to live together when your college would only be a 40-minute drive from the new building. It certainly had the rooms and empty space to accommodate six more people living in it and the Hargreeves and your friends had all started blending together nicely so why not have them move in? You had pitched the idea to the Hargreeves and without a shadow of a doubt, they were all on board. And so now today everyone would finally be settling into their new home.

Luther and Lucas took on the task of carrying more of the larger and heavier boxes inside with Diego and Dean quickly following suit to prove how strong and capable they were. It was odd that they were taking the stairs though since everyone else, including Luther and Lucas, were using the elevator. Instead of carrying boxes themselves, Kenny and Klaus relegated their belongings to some ghosts haunting the property that Klaus used his powers to control while Ben, who had gained more control of his powers through support and training, used his tentacles to carry Bren's boxes to his room.

And while everyone else was bringing their stuff in, you stood in the parlor with a giant picture frame in your hands as you looked at the empty space above the fireplace. For years that spot was filled with a dismal painting of your beloved Five, but now in this new home, you were going to put something there that matched the joy and vibrancy of this place. Using your powers to hang it above the fireplace, you took a step back and looked at the painting Charlie had made for your birthday of you surrounded by all the people you loved and cared for. It featured everyone living under the roof of this new house and a few who were not around but were still dearly loved. As you looked at the painting you remembered the day you found it. As you were finally looking amongst the items Charlie had packed in the duffle bag he gave you, you found a cardboard tube hiding below some of your clothes. Pulling it out of the bag you opened it up seeing the beautiful work of art that was inside with a note saying,

I hope one day you can finally find a place to hang this up

And find a place you did, in what would be one of the most prominent spots of the house. As you looked at the painting now above the mantelpiece you zoned out as you took in all its little details that Charlie had added in. The colors he used, the smiles on everyone's faces, and the bright tones that filled the painting with warmth and life. It truly was a work of art.

"You know that painting was always my favorite to do." A voice said behind you pulling you from your trance

You paused for a moment. The voice that spoke felt familiar to you. Slowly you turned around. You looked towards the voice that spoke to you and found an older gentleman standing there. Their hair, a light brown color that faded into shades of gray, was styled off to the side. They wore a nice button-up with the sleeves rolled up to their elbows, with a pair of khakis and loafers. They had wrinkles on their face, many of which were smile lines. And then you saw a very distinct feature. A pair of bright green eyes. There were only three people you ever knew with green eyes. Your boyfriend, Kenny, and

"Charlie?" You questioned

A wide smile appeared on the man's face as he replied,

"Hi (Y/N),"

You couldn't believe it. He was here and he knew you. He remembered who you were but how? You had tried looking him up but there were so many Charles Andersons that it was hard to figure out which was the right one. On top of that, you had one memory syringe left and it was the one that contained Charlie's memories but at some point, it had gone missing. It broke your heart because even if you were able to find the right Charlie you couldn't make him remember you because you didn't have his memories anymore. But now he stood before you as if no time had passed.

"I don't- why are you- how do you-" You started to question without actually finishing any of them

"Yeah, I knew this would be quite the shock," Charlie chuckled

"I- I don't understand." You replied confused

"Ha, well now you know how I felt when you came through that wall," Charlie remarked sarcastically

You rolled your eyes at his comment, your face scrunching with displeasure as you asked annoyed,

"Are you gonna keep mocking my confusion or are you going to elaborate?"

"Oh, there's the (Y/N) I know! I just hope you don't yeet anything at me." Charlie exclaimed

You rolled your eyes once more but this time a smile came to your face. He was exactly the way you remembered him. Going over to him you wrapped your arms around him, pulling him into a hug to which he reciprocated. For you, it had only been five months since you had said goodbye but for him, it had been decades. And yet being with your friend again it felt like no time had passed and there was no difference in age between the two of you. You were just Charlie and (Y/N). Pulling back from the hug you looked up at your friend as you requested,

"Alright, now tell me how this happened."

"What happened was a few minutes after you and the Hargreeves had left that electronic's place you were all hiding there was this flash of blue light and then some over-enthusiastic people showed up. A short guy and a tall woman." Charlie begins to explain

You slowly nodded your head knowing full well who those over-enthusiastic people were. Herb and Dot from the Commission.

"Yup, I know them." You stated flatly

"Well, they kidnapped me." He elaborates "Took me to some building for a bit before dropping me back off inside my house in Texas. Said the weirdest thing before they left though."

"What'd they say?" You asked

"Don't worry about any paradox psychosis, we already eliminated that problem for you?" Charlie replied, his tone quizzical

"Oh."

You stared up at your Charlie, the shock on your face evident as you realized what they meant even if he didn't. They had killed the Charlie in this timeline so the one that remembered you could exist in it. It was a kind gesture on their part but also very extreme to do.

"Does that mean something?" Charlie questions curious

"Uh, it doesn't matter. Totally minor. Don't worry about it." You waved off before asking "So, uh what happened after?"

"Well, when I was dropped off back home my dad was on his death bed. He wasn't surprised to see me but I sure was surprised to see him. At least like that, y'know?" Charlie continues "Anyway he gave a half-ass attempt at making up with me and then like a week later died leaving me all of his money and assets."

"You gotta love when they have half-a-heart at the last minute and leave you all their estate." You jokingly commented

"I can assume the same happened to you?" Charlie said gesturing vaguely to the house

"It was an eight-way split but yeah." You replied

"Well, I see you've put your cash to good use. This place is a lot nicer than when I was here the last time." He commented

You raised a curious eyebrow at him as you repeated,

"The last time?"

"When I had to paint the portrait that was hanging there before," Charlie answered

Ah yes. Five's old portrait. You had recalled reading a few of the entries in Ben's journal talking about how Charlie was commissioned to paint it but the dots of him already having met the academy long before they actually knew him didn't connect until now. Unsure of exactly what to say, you only replied with,

"I see."

"God, I hated that painting I had to do of Five, looking nothing like him but I couldn't deviate from Reginald's wishes, and Diego kept yelling at Reginald and me to paint you because you were gone too." Charlie ranted "Took everything in me to look at those younger versions of the Hargreeves and pretend I didn't know what would happen or that you'd both be back one day. But at least some of my better work is up there now"

"It's your best work," You complimented with a smile before saying "So what are you now 78? You look really good for your age."

"Well, that's the other thing! Those over-enthusiastic people dropped me off in the wrong time. Instead of going back home in 63' I was dropped back into 83'." Charlie explains "When you first said time travel is a bitch and you will be immensely confused when you come out the other side I didn't quite get it, but when that happened I sure understood what you meant."

You blinked your eyes in confusion for a moment as you did the math in your head. If Charlie had been dropped back into time 20 years later than when he should have, that means he was 20 years younger than he should be.

"So you're...58 then? Five's age?" You questioned

"Yeah, but your boyfriend definitely looks a lot better at 58 than I do." Charlie joked

"I can assure you, you're pulling off old age better than I did." Another familiar voice comments

Looking at the entrance way, you and Charlie both see Five standing there. A smirk was on his face as he made his way over toward the two of you, before standing at your side and wrapping an arm around your waist. Directing his attention towards Five, Charlie asks,

"So, you've been looking after her, like you promised?"

"I've been trying, but you know how she is." Five remarks playfully

"Oh I sure do," Charlie replies in a similar tone

"Hey! Rude!" You exclaim hitting each of them in the arm

The two of them laugh at you causing you to roll your eyes, but as their laughter subsided you stated,

"The one thing I still don't understand is how did you get here?"

"Your boyfriend found me." Charlie answers

You turned your attention from Charlie to Five, surprise written all over your face as you wondered what in the world Charlie meant by that. Looking at you gently, Five admitted,

"I knew you were having trouble looking for him so all those days while you were at school I was searching for him and then one day I managed to find the right contact information."

"He called me up under the guise of wanting a custom painting but I had already recognized the voice. I just played along for the extra surprise. We met up at a coffee shop nearby and then he stabbed me with a needle which honestly was somehow a great refresher for my memory but hurt. A lot." Charlie added, "But once I recovered from being stabbed unexpectedly we came here."

It took you a moment to realize, but you had never lost the syringe that held Charlie's memories. Five took it so he could give them to Charlie and surprise you. Every day while you were in classes he spent his time looking for Charlie...for you. All this time when you asked what he had done while you were at school and he replied not much, he was hiding all the research he was doing just so at this moment he could make you happy.

"You did all of that for me?" You asked softly

"Look at all you've done for me." Five responded, "It's the least I could do."

You glanced over at Charlie, who was already beaming at the two of you. He had always liked Five even before he had actually met him because you always had talked about him with so much love. He made you happy and that's all he could ever ask for, for you.

Looking back towards Five once more, you placed a kiss on his cheek before saying,

"Thank you, love."

It was things like this that made you fall in love with him over and over again. Gently resting your head on his shoulder, the two of you looked towards Charlie who was waiting patiently for your attention again.

"I see a ring on your finger. You got married?" Five asked

"Yup, 34 years and counting with my Chelly," Charlie stated proudly

"Charlie and Chelly?" You commented, "That's cute."

"It's short for Michelle, but like me, she never really liked her full first name. I've also got a daughter who's 32 now." Charlie added

"What's her name?" You questioned

Charlie's smile widened even more as he answered,

"Amanda (Y/N) Anderson,"

Tears of joy pricked your eyes and you heard him say that he in part named his daughter after you. It wasn't something you expected but the gesture had touched your heart. You mattered so much to him that he used your name for his child's middle name. You didn't know what to say but you looked at him happily as he continued,

"Y'know a funny thing is her husband took our last name because apparently, Thomas Cumming had been giving him some problems throughout his life. But because of him, I've got two grandkids as well! Four-year-old Connor and two-year-old Lacey. I'd love for you guys to meet them sometime."

Reaching into his pocket Charlie pulled out his wallet showing you and Five a recent picture of his whole family. They all looked so happy together and you were so proud of how far Charlie had come since when you first met him.

"I'm really happy for you Charlie." You comment

"Thanks but I wouldn't have all of this if it wasn't for you." Charlie replies to you before adding to Five "And you too."

"Me?" Five ask confused

"Well yeah, if you didn't drop her in the 60s none of this would've ever happened." Charlie replied before posing "Sure it was all kind of a mess to get here but it worked out in the end didn't it?"

A small smile formed on Five's face as he thought over everything that had happened. It was kind of a mess but Charlie was right. He got everything he could've ever wanted when he was stranded in the apocalypse. He got his family back, a future of possibilities ahead of him, and most importantly a second chance at a life with the girl of his dreams. It all worked out in the end.

"Yeah, I guess it did." Five quietly said

Looking off into the main foyer, Five saw as his friends and family continued to bring in boxes of stuff into their new home and as much as he loved being by your side, he wanted to go and be a part of that. And anyway you deserved to be able to catch up with Charlie. Looking between the two of you Five stated,

"Well, I'm going to go bring in our boxes and let you two catch up more."

As he started to walk away, you caught his hand bringing his attention back to you. Locking eyes with him you said once more,

"Thank you mon chéri."

"Anything for you ma chérie." He replied

And as he walked away, you took a few steps to stand side by side next to Charlie. There was a peaceful silence between the two of you before Charlie quietly commented,

"Y'know you've got a bright future ahead of you two."

And as you both looked through the parlor doorway, you watched as your boyfriend carried in a box of your shared things into the new house. A smile on his face as he passed his siblings and joked with his friends. And as you saw the joy on everyone's faces and felt the warmth of this new start in your heart there was only one thing to say,

"Yeah. We finally do."

(Part 3 of 3)

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#The Umbrella Academy #Umbrella Academy #tua #five hargreeves #five hargreeves x reader #timeless fanfic

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