I, I was standing
(Don't ask me)
(You know it's true)
You were there
(Worlds collided)
Two worlds collided
(We're shining through)
And they could never tear us apart
-Never Tear Us Apart; by Paloma Faith
On the twelfth hour of the first day of October 1989, forty three women around the world gave birth. This was unusual only in the fact that none of these women had been pregnant when the day first began.
Sir Reginald Hargreeves, eccentric billionaire and adventurer, resolved to locate and adopt as many of the children as possible.
He got eight of them.
Rosaleen Hargreeves liked to pride herself in being a patient person. She could easily handle whatever situation was thrown her way, going about it with little to no trouble whatsoever. But she had to keep in mind she wasn't perfect. There were those rare moments where her patience ran out very fast, and there was no telling what she'd do after that. And today seemed to be one of those days. Rosaleen's friends had decided to go about a nightly adventure, one that usually brought a heavy sigh from the young woman's mouth. While initially those little endeavors were fun, giving the young woman something to do during her free time, as time went on, however, she realized just how frustrating the trips truly were. Rosaleen had a life — finally — and she wanted to live it without having to put everything on hold. Hell, most of her childhood and teenage years were spent having no power over her thoughts, behaviors, or actions. And now that she's free, the young woman wanted to do things her way. She wanted to live.
But God, today was proving to test every bit of Rosaleen's limits.*
"Hey Rose, are you doing okay?"
Turning her head slightly, Rosaleen felt her emotions starting to bubble over. Frustration was the strongest one, slowly suffocating every part of her body. Without even realizing it, black mist started weaving between her fingers, moving with practiced grace.
"I'm fine," Rosaleen said, trying her hardest to keep her voice calm. "Why?"
"You've been in there for a while. I'm getting a little concerned."
"You don't need to worry, Darcy. I'll be out in a few minutes."
There was a long pause before Darcy murmured something and walked away. Rosaleen couldn't help but close her eyes and set her jaw. While she appreciated her friend's concern, it only added to the overwhelming emotions she currently felt. The two women had known each other for a little over a year, thanks to a mutual friend from college. Darcy was by all means the calm and laid back one, the kind of person people seemed to naturally gravitate to. Rosaleen was the quieter one, the kind of person who only spoke to others when absolutely necessary. It was only by chance the two had a shared friend, and it was a complete shock when the two hit it off upon introduction.
Feeling her shoulders sag, Rosaleen felt her jaw set and her lips purse. She had to get out before she lost herself completely. Letting out a huff, she did just that. For the last half hour, Rosaleen had barricaded herself in the bathroom in hopes of getting ready, both physically and mentally. The nightly adventures were one of the few things she hated about knowing her friends. While she could simply refuse the chance to go, deep down, Rosaleen knew it wasn't an option. It was kind of expected of her to attend in some fashion.
Opening the bathroom door, Rosaleen shuffled out, a scowl on her face and a slouch in her shoulders.
"Hey, you alright?" Darcy's voice made the young Hargreeves snap out of her thoughts. Looking down the hall, Rosaleen saw her friend standing at the entrance of the dining room, arms crossed and brows furrowed.
"I said I was fine, Darcy."
"But you don't look fine. And you don't sound fine, either."
"Look, why does it even matter?" Rosaleen exclaimed. "I'm going with you guys on the trip, and. . ."*
"Rose."
Stopping her rambling, Rosaleen took a deep breath and tried calming herself down. She couldn't afford to get herself worked up. "I'm sorry," she sighed.
Walking over, Darcy put a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder. "You don't have to go if you don't want to," she said. "If you need a night to yourself, I'll tell Jane and maybe she'll let it go this once."
"I dunno." Rosaleen shrugged. "I don't want to be an inconvenience to you guys."
"Look, obviously there's something wrong," Darcy stated. "I don't want you feeling obligated to help us. You've done more than enough to help us out."
With a sigh, the young Hargreeves ran a hand through her hair. She did owe Darcy and the others. They helped her out when she needed it most, and it made her feel like shit when she had to bail out for whatever reason.
"I can call Jane right now." The firm yet soft tone of Darcy's voice had Rosaleen let out an airy chuckle.
"I'll go. It's fine." Throwing her hands up in the air, the young Hargreeves tried for a smile. "I owe you guys, after everything you've done for me."
-the infinity series-
Rosaleen Hargreeves arrived in New Mexico just months after her eighteenth birthday. After leaving the Academy, after leaving the only life she ever knew, it became apparent just how unprepared she was for the real world. From infancy to adolescence, Rosaleen only knew life within the Academy, with her parents and Pogo and her siblings. She only knew of the strict "lessons" Reginald had for everyone, the kindness her mother gave, and the comfort Pogo could provide. It was all of that that made Rosaleen leave. In the end, Luther, the Academy's Number One, was the only one who stayed behind. He was too naïve.
And maybe the ones who left, they were naïve for trying. They understood there'd be hardships in the outside world, in the life outside Umbrella Academy, and it took a lot of courage and even a little stupidity to try and embrace it. But they did their best. And for Rosaleen, she found herself embracing new friends in her new home. Erik Selvig and Jane Foster, the two people who essentially gave her a healthy foundation.* God only knows what would've happened if she hadn't met them. It had been Erik's suggestion that Rosaleen attend college, and that was where the young Hargreeves' social circle began expanding, going further beyond the two people she met in New Mexico. And then Darcy came into the picture, and suddenly life didn't feel so hard or terrifying.
In the years that followed, Rosaleen earned a degree in nursing and managed to land a job at a hospital near the edge of town.
It took Rosaleen Hargreeves seventeen years to work up the courage to leave her father. It took her months to find a home for herself, and not even a few days to make friends. In the years it took Rosaleen to settle into her new home, finish school and get a real job, it took even longer to try and work through the programming her father instilled in her mind. Reginald was stubborn, extremely, painfully stubborn. Needless to say, even at twenty-two years old, Rosaleen still had a lot to overcome. There were layers to her father's "lessons" that still haunted her in adulthood. They were too traumatizing to just ignore.*
Rosaleen herself found it difficult to work through those hauntings. She tried her best to figure something out, but she just couldn't. Nothing ever seemed to hold them back for long. And so, much to her disappointment, she had to figure out how to live with them.
(A/N):
First off, I'd like to apologize for making you guys wait for this chapter. It may not be the best, but I hope you guys at least tolerate it. If you see things that could use improvement, don't hesitate to let me know, okay? I'd appreciate it.*
Do I own anything in these fandoms? No. No I don't. All I own are my OCs, my subplots, and the laptop I'm typing on. If you've got ideas for OCs or subplots, be sure to PM me or leave a review. I'll add them in as soon as possible.
In case you're wondering why I'm doing an MCU and Umbrella Academy-ish story, it's because I saw Umbrella Academy on Netflix and then watched Infinity War after that and I got inspired. Part of me felt like writing a crossover-like story with the two. So I guess I did. I don't know entirely if I'll do any future stories that might follow Umbrella Academy, at least the Netflix version, since the main focus will be on Marvel movies. I could do that, maybe as a spin-off or something. PM me your thoughts, I suppose.
Also, before I wrap this up, if you go onto my "profile" or whatever it's called, I have description(s)/fact(s) on Rosaleen there. I thought, since I may not do a good enough job giving detailed or otherwise useful descriptions, I could have a place that might do her some mercy. So go there if you're at all curious.
And with that, I thank you all immensely.
Vanya Itzkowitz