Disclaimer: I do not own any TUA content or characters. Only my ocs.
Summary: #00.00, or otherwise known as Reagan Hargreeves, spent years distancing herself from her father and her past. It's only when her Reginald Hargreeves dies that she's convinced by her brother, Diego, to return home. Her trip was meant to last a couple days at the most, just enough time to bury her father and catch up with her siblings. That was until their long lost brother, Number Five, returns from the future and Reagan gets an unwarranted preview of what the end of the world looks like. Will the Umbrella Academy finally live up to it's legacy and save the world? Or will Reagan have to make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure everyone's survival?
Author's Note: Welcome to my newest obsession. Quick shoutout to my pseudo-beta WildRecklessYouthInMe for helping me make this chapter readable. Please leave a review, favorite, or like if you've enjoyed this chapter and let me know what you think.

1

"Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one."

Sunlight streamed through the curtains as Reagan woke with a headache that pounded to a steady beat. Slowly, she uncovered her face. A heavy sigh escaped her lips when her alarm cut through the peaceful quiet. Her hand lifted weakly to the nightstand and silenced it. She blinked her eyes a few times to adjust to the early morning sun.

Reagan shoved the blankets off and swung her legs over the edge of her bed before she could fall asleep again. Or at least attempt to. The act of falling asleep was a task requiring the aid of several sleeping pills and sedatives. Unfortunately, it was only when Reagan did fall into a drug-induced slumber that the dreams would stop. If she didn't, her illusion-like dreams would continue to swallow her world whole like an infectious virus, making it impossible to sleep.

Pulling on her pants as she stood to face her closet, Reagan staggered back startled when she saw she was no longer alone in her room. "Fuck!"

Standing by her closet was a middle-aged man dressed in a tuxedo two sizes too large for his frame.

"He bought it at a garage sale for ten dollars," Mrs. Castro had told her a few years ago when she and her husband had Reagan over for their weekly dinner. "He was so proud."

At the thought of the older woman, her gaze turned to the ceiling. The Castro's apartment was directly above hers. Rosita was probably still sleeping, having worked another night shift at the local hospital.

Reagan briefly looked back at the man she'd seen nearly every day for two years. Running a hand through her hair, she walked over to her dresser. She rummaged through a couple drawers for some clothes before grabbing a blouse from her closet. Without glancing in Mr. Castro's direction, she made her way to her bathroom and shut the door behind her. She locked it even though it would be useless against Mr. Castro.

"I love you, my darling."

When Reagan looked at the mirror over the sink, she could see Mr. Castro looming behind her, but dove into her morning routine nonetheless. It was always harder to ignore the dreams that touched her reality. Even more so if it was a person she knew or cared about. Unfortunately, Mr. Castro was both for her.

"I'll be back soon, I promise," Mr. Castro said. Reagan lifted her gaze to see him holding a hand in the air, cupped as if to be touching someone's face. That was where Rosita was standing in her own dream, but Reagan only ever saw one side of things. "I already miss you, my love." A pang of sympathy shot through her when she realized that Rosita was dreaming about the last time she said goodbye to her husband.

Leaning over into the shower, Reagan turned the dial until the water was running at full speed, knowing that it would be enough to drown out the sound of the one-sided conversation.

It had been over an hour since her last appointment of the day ended, so when the buzz echoed through her spacious office that night, Reagan didn't know what to expect. She pressed the button on her security system and the feed from the camera outside her door popped up on screen. Reagan dropped her feet from her desk, leaning forward once she realized who was at her door.

Out of all her siblings, he was the one she saw the most. That didn't mean she would ever expect him to show up at her workplace out of the blue. If she were anywhere else, she would've been certain that he wasn't real, that someone dreamt him up.

Reagan stood from her chair and went to the door. She inched it open, half-expecting Diego to be gone in the time it took her to answer. But he was still there, leaning against the door frame as he ran a finger over the edge of a knife. After years of practice, she easily ignored the words and images that appeared in the space above him, which illustrated every thought that ran through his head. She cocked an eyebrow when she noticed his nighttime attire.

"What the hell are you wearing?" She questioned.

He looked up at her with a smirk. "I was working when I saw the news."

"What news?"

Her brother's eyes narrowed and he straightened up. "You haven't heard?"

"I've been working all day," she said with a careless shrug.

"Right…" Diego hummed. Reagan rolled her eyes when he pushed past her to get inside. "Your habit of self-isolation made it really difficult to find this place." He removed his knife holster and dropped it on the coffee table before collapsing onto the couch, making himself at home.

Reagan closed the door and turned to him. "Well, if you were invited, I would've given you specific directions."

"Sorry. I should've called—oh wait," Diego stopped twirling the knife in his hand, tilting his head, "that's impossible since you don't have a phone."

"Actually, I do have one," Reagan corrected as she walked over to her desk. She pulled open the top drawer and took out the cellphone she'd been forced to get so that her clients could get in touch with her. She gave it a quick wave to show her brother. "I just didn't give you the number."

Diego put a hand to his chest, pretending to pout like he did when they were kids. He'd used that exact face every night to manipulate their mother into giving him second servings of dessert. "Ouch, that one hurt, Reg."

"Don't call me that." She dropped the phone back into the drawer and went over to Diego, opting to sit on the coffee table beside his knives. "What news were you talking about before?"

He huffed as he sat up. Leaning forward, he opened his mouth to speak, but it was unnecessary. Reagan raised a hand to stop him and turned her attention to the newest images and words that filled the room. It took only a moment for her to piece it all together. Once it clicked, she looked back at her brother.

"He's dead, isn't he?"

"Yeah," Diego said, relaxing into the couch. His gaze bounced around the room for a moment before settling back on Reagan. "What are you seeing right now?"

She bit her lip as she glanced at the dream occupying the space where her desk had been a few seconds ago. "I think it's the inside of a house. It's dark and there's a family sitting on the floor. They have their mouths and hands tied with duct tape. They look scared." Closing her eyes, she let out a quiet breath and refocused her attention on Diego. "I'm guessing that was your job tonight."

"Part of it," Diego said.

"It's the only part that matters," Reagan responded. She ran a finger over one of his knives. "The violent, bloody parts might be fun for you, but it isn't why you do it. You do it to help people."

Diego pursed his lips as he chuckled softly. He swung the knife in his hand, pointing its sharp blade. "Did you just shrink me?"

Reagan smiled, shaking her head. "I didn't learn that from some psych textbook, Diego. I learned it from being your sister."

"Right, well, as fun as this is, we should get going if we're going to beat traffic."

"It's eight o' clock," Reagan said as she handed his knife holster to him. He gave a dismissive wave of his hand before pulling it on.

Standing from the table, she crossed her arms over her chest. "I appreciate you coming all the way down here to tell me about dad, but I'm not going back there."

Diego cocked an eyebrow. "To the house?"

"To the family." Reagan glanced at the family portrait sitting on one of her bookshelves. "I can handle being around one or two of you, but being there with you all at the same time isn't a good idea."

"You were able to do it when we were kids."

"Yeah and I nearly lost my goddamn mind because of it," Reagan reminded him. "And I'm not talking Klaus' kind of crazy, I mean the lying in a mental hospital so doped up I don't even know what day it is kind of crazy."

"What about the pills?"

"The older I get, the less potent they are. I couldn't exactly ask dad to help me. He'd just want something in return, and I couldn't do that anymore."

Diego sighed. "Why didn't you say something?"

"You don't think I wanted to? I thought about calling you or Allison or Klaus a hundred times, but I know better than that," Reagan said. She continued when her brother raised an eyebrow in question. "We're all fucked up, Diego. We all have our own shit to deal with, and adding another thing to you guys' plates wasn't going to do any good. Besides, it's not like any of you can help me. I'm on my own with this, just like I always have been."

Diego stepped toward her, opening his mouth as if to say something, but he quickly closed it again. Reagan watched him struggle as he did this repeatedly, his brow furrowed in concentration. After a moment, he met her gaze and his usual hard expression softened. "I—I know that Klaus is the only one that ever came close to under—understanding what you're going through, but you were never alone, Reagan. I'm sorry that I made you feel like you were for all these years."

Reagan fought the urge to hug him, knowing he wasn't a fan of displays of affection. Instead, she smiled and let out a breathless laugh. "Shit, Diego. If I didn't know any better I'd say that hole in your chest might've actually sprouted a heart."

Diego rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well if you tell anyone I ever said that, I'll kill you."

"That's more like it," Reagan murmured as she swiveled on her heel and went to her desk. She grabbed her bag and phone from the drawers before facing her brother again. "We'll have to stop by my apartment for some clothes."

"It's on the way," Diego said, a smile turning up the corners of his lips. He looked back at her after opening the door. "I'm glad you're coming, though. You're the only one who can stop me from beating the shit out of Luther when he starts on his 'I'm number one' bullshit."

Reagan smirked. "I think you mean I'm the only one who can stop Luther from crushing your skull between his fingers."

"I'd like to see him try," Diego said. He pulled another knife from his holster and twirled it between his fingers while Reagan locked her office door behind them.

She patted him on the shoulder as she walked past him. "Careful what you wish for, Diego."

17 years ago

"Dad could at least pretend that he thinks my powers are useful," Reagan mumbled as she used a baby wipe to clean the blood off her brother's face. She clamped her hand down on Ben's leg when he began to bounce it again. He mouthed an apology after she shot him a look. Mom wanted him to take a bath, but Ben had a deeply rooted hatred of them ever since his powers first manifested during one. Luckily for him, Reagan happily volunteered to help him clean up.

Diego peered up from the collection of knives he'd laid out on the floor to polish while he kept his siblings company. "He does. He just doesn't want you to get hurt."

Both Reagan and Ben narrowed their eyes at him, the disbelief written plainly on their face. Reagan shook her head before going back to cleaning her brother's face. "He named me Number Zero. That's not even a real number!"

"Yeah it is. Otherwise people wouldn't say it," Diego said, pointing at her with a blade. "And it goes before the number one, so, technically, you should be in charge."

Reagan scoffed, but couldn't help smiling at the idea. "I'd pay to see you try to tell Luther that."

"You wouldn't even have to pay me," Diego retorted. He placed a clean knife into his case that would hold them until their next mission. He began wiping the blood off the next one without pause.

"Diego's right," Ben said, the sound of his voice catching his sibling's attention. Out of the eight of them, he was the least talkative, and almost never spoke unless spoken to. "I thought it was cool when you made that guy shoot his friends."

"Yeah, that was pretty awesome," Diego said before looking to Reagan. "What did you make him see, anyways?"

"The cops coming into the bank. It was kind of sad how fast he was willing to shoot them."

Diego shook his head, a smirk appearing on his lips. "No, it was cool that you were able to think that up so quickly. Dad should have been there to see it. He would've been proud."

"Now, I know you're lying," Reagan said, throwing a pillow at him from Ben's bed. He caught it easily and threw it right back at her. She leaned out of the way just in time so it hit the wall behind her instead of her face.

"We just gotta find a way to show dad that you're just as important as the rest of us," Diego said.

Reagan shot him an incredulous look. "And how do we do that when he spends all day locked in his office?"

"Easy," Diego said. The smile that crept onto his face only worried his sister and brother even more. "You make him dream it."

present day…

"Do you think they're all coming?"

Reagan nodded, her forehead moving against the window of Diego's car. "I don't see why they wouldn't. This is pretty much what we've all been waiting for since we were kids."

Her brother chuckled. "You've wanted him dead that long, huh?"

"Not dead, necessarily. Just… gone." She raised an eyebrow when she glanced over at Diego. "Are you trying to tell me that I am the only one in this car that thought about it?"

"I didn't say anything," Diego said, fixing his gaze to the street ahead.

"You didn't have to," Reagan reminded him. "I know you were doing it on purpose, though. You hated him as much as the rest of us."

"God, I hope Vanya sits this one out," Diego quickly changing the subject. "People still quote that stupid book to me as if it was all accurate."

"Did you even read it?"

"I couldn't get past the third chapter." He slid a glance in her direction. "Did you?"

"Yeah, it was pretty good once you get past the fact that she aired all our family's dirty laundry for a quick buck. And, just so you know, she did portray you pretty accurately." She raised a hand to his face and squeezed his chin between her fingers. "That resting grumpy face and all."

Diego whipped his head out of her grasp as his expression soured. "I'm not grumpy."

"Grumpy, angry, perpetually pissed off. Tomato tomahto."

She smiled when she heard him sigh heavily. He gripped the steering wheel so tight that she would have seen his knuckles turn white if it weren't for his thick black gloves. After a few moments of silence that Diego was obviously using to calm down, he cleared his throat. "My point is that it would be a good idea if she doesn't come back."

"She's still our sister."

"Our sister that aired our family's dirty laundry for a quick buck," Diego reiterated. "Those are your words, not mine."

"Oh, and I'm sure what you have to say is much nicer," Reagan countered. "Besides, it's not like our lives haven't been front page news since we were kids. I didn't really mind that part. I just wish she would've given me a heads up before I saw it sitting on a shelf at the store."

"Well, I wish she hadn't done it all."

Reagan looked at him and dropped her jaw, mimicking disbelief. "Really? I never would've guessed."

Diego sighed. "You're still a smartass, you know that?"

"Yeah, well, you're still a pain in the ass, too," Reagan said, "but I still love you. Just like I still love Vanya even though she did a shitty thing and I still love Luther even though he's a royal dick that had to go to the moon to get away from us."

"What about Klaus and Allison? You still love them?"

Reagan raked her fingers through her hair, leaning her head against her hand. "Diego, I'm cursed to love every single one of you until the day I die. No amount of fights or shitty things that are done and said will ever change that."

Just then, Diego pulled into the back alley behind the large mansion. She peered out the window to take in the sight of the place that held so many memories. It was hard to believe that she let herself come back after spending so many years trying to stay away.

Diego sighed as he shut off the car and turned to look at his sister "Welcome home, Reg."

Everything was exactly the same. It was as if the Academy had remained untouched by time, still acting as a shrine to their so-called glory days. Reagan had been standing in the doorway of her bedroom for several minutes when she heard someone walk up behind her.

She spun on the heels of her boots and and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that it was Luther who'd joined her. His smile was hesitant, but it was easy to assume that he was happy to be home after being millions of miles away for so long.

"Hey, Luther," Reagan said, smiling sweetly. She took a couple of slow steps forward to shorten the distance between them, but made sure not to get too close. It didn't take a psychologist to see that he was still uncomfortable with his new appearance.

He returned her smile. "Hi, Reagan. It's good to see you."

"You, too. You look good. Healthy." Her theory was proven true when he shook his head and dropped his gaze, refusing to accept her compliment. She stepped forward and put a hand on his arm. "I mean it, Luther."

He swallowed hard before pulling out of her reach. "Thank you, Reg."

She sighed at the nickname, but decided not to say anything about it. Her brother already had enough on his mind. "Have you told anyone else about what happened yet?"

Luther shook his head, glancing down the hallway to make sure no one was there to hear them discuss it. "No, I… I don't know if I can."

"Why not?"

"Once they know, it'll change things. They won't be able to look at me the same way."

Reagan smiled sympathetically. "You mean Allison won't be able to look at you the same way."

Her brother pursed his lips at her implication, but could only nod. "Apart from dad and Pogo, you're the only one that knows. I didn't even want to—"

"—tell me," Reagan finished for him when he couldn't bring himself to, pulling the two words out of the air above his head. She shrugged when he looked at her. "I get it, Luther. Some things you want to keep to yourself, and that's hard to do when you have a sister that can literally see everything that goes through your brain. If it makes you feel better, I wish it were different, too. That I was different. But I haven't told anyone if that's what you were thinking, and I never will if that's what you want."

"It is," Luther said. "For now, at least."

"All right, Spaceboy," Reagan said, earning a quick smile from her brother. "This stays between us… on one condition."

Her brother's body tensed and his eyes narrowed as he waited to hear her finish her proposition.

"Let me hug you," Reagan said. She continued before he could argue. "You've been on the moon for four years. That's four years without any real human contact and as the one who's agreed to keep your biggest secret, I think I deserve the spot as the first person to welcome you back. Also, as your sister who hasn't seen or talked to you in four years, I'd just really like to hug you."

Luther only hesitated to answer for a couple seconds, but he eventually nodded. She closed the rest of the distance between them, watching him closely. While she did miss him and only wanted to prove that his new appearance didn't matter to her, she wasn't going to force him to do something he didn't want to.

Reagan halted once she was close enough to touch him and waited for him to initiate the hug. After a second, he smiled down at her and put out his arms. She stepped forward to embrace her brother and slid her hands around his back. Resting her head against his chest, she closed her eyes. While she'd had plenty of ups and downs with her siblings over the years, in the end she always felt the safest when she was around them. At least that hadn't changed since she'd been gone.

"I heard a rumor…" Reagan said as she stepped into Allison's room, "that the one and only Allison Hargreeves has finally graced us with her presence."

Her sister turned to face her, already wearing one of her million dollar smiles. Unlike with Luther or Diego, Allison never had a problem with hugs, so Reagan didn't hesitate to pull her into one.

"God, I've missed you," Reagan mumbled into her curly hair. "There's too much goddamn testosterone in this house."

Allison laughed as she hugged her tightly. "I've missed you, too, Ray."

"And thank you for not calling me Reg." She let go of her sister and stepped back. "I've always hated that nickname."

"Reminds you too much of dad's name," Allison recalled aloud. "The boys only call you that because they know how much you hate it."

"Yeah, well the next one that calls me that is getting kicked in the balls," Reagan said with a smirk making Allison laugh under her breath.

"I don't doubt it."

Reagan walked over to her sister's bed and sat down, running a hand over some of the clothes in the open suitcase beside her. "So, how you been, Al?"

She sighed quietly and joined her sister on the bed. "Uh, it's been hard, but I'm not giving up."

Reagan grabbed her hand, giving it a light squeeze. "I hope you know that I'm proud of you. You made a mistake, but you learned from it and now you're trying to make it right. That's more than dad ever did for us."

"I just hope that I'm not too late," Allison said. She swallowed hard and put her other hand on top of Reagan's. "But I'm glad you're here. I honestly didn't expect you to come."

"Diego talked me into it. It's not every day that we're all in the same place." Reagan shrugged. "Maybe that'll make it worth it the time."

Her sister nodded. "Have you seen Vanya?"

"No, but Diego told me she's here. He wasn't too happy about it."

"Yeah, well, he should suck it up," Allison said, shaking her head. "She's still our sister."

"That's what I said, but you know Diego. He's not going to let anyone tell him what to do. Even after all these years, he's still a stubborn pain in the ass."

"It's almost like nothing's changed. Except for his outfit."

Reagan chuckled as she returned her sister's smile. "Yeah, he showed up at my door wearing it. For a split second I forgot I was alone and I thought I was dreaming it."

Tilting her head, Allison teased, "Well, it would be pretty hard to dream that thing up."

Allison sighed as she rested her head on her sister's shoulder and Reagan replied, "Every part of our lives has been too fucking insane for anyone else to imagine. That's how I've always known it's been real."

Reagan found Vanya sitting alone in the living room. She didn't expect anything else since her sister had always remained separate from the rest of them. Maybe that was their fault or maybe their father's, but Reagan became determined to try harder to bridge the gap between them as she got older. She visited Vanya as often as she could and made sure to call her at least once a week. Their relationship had lagged since the publication of her book, but, unlike her brother, Reagan was more than ready to put it behind her.

"Van."

Her sister spun on the couch. A hesitant smile appeared on her lips when her gaze landed on Reagan. Slowly, she stood up. Her hands remained at her sides, tightening into fists as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

"Ray," she greeted nervously. If her demeanor hadn't already given it away, the way her voice cracked would have.

Reagan gave her a tight-lipped smile when she noticed the book lying on the couch. She pointed to her sister's novel as she stepped toward her. "I know this is going to be hard to believe, but I really did enjoy parts of it."

Vanya's gaze flickered to the book before returning to her sister. Narrowing her eyes, she angled her head toward her. "You read it?"

"Of course I did," Reagan said as she bent to pick it up. Turning it over in her hand, she opened the front cover. "I mean, I'm not going to lie to you. Of course there were parts I didn't necessarily agree with or appreciate—like you comparing me to a schizophrenic—but overall it summed up our childhood pretty well."

"I'm sorry," Vanya murmured, clenching her jaw. "My editor—"

"You don't have to apologize, Vanya. I remember calling you much worse when we fought as kids. I was bitch to you back then. We all were, but I never understood how much it affected you. Your book made me realize just how much everything I did hurt you and how hard I would have to work to fix it."

Vanya shook her head, her expression pinched with confusion. "I thought you were angry at me like the others."

"I was for a while. I thought you owed it to me to at least warn me that you were putting all our family secrets out there for everybody to read," Reagan said. She shrugged, a sigh seeping from her lips. "But then I realized that if I had just been the sister you always deserved, maybe you never would've written that book in the first place."

Vanya held her gaze for a moment, unable to properly articulate her thoughts. Reagan glanced up at the space above her at the few words that did go through her sister's head, but chose to wait and see what she'd actually say.

After a few more seconds, Vanya let out a quiet laugh. "Who knew you becoming a therapist could actually be a good thing?"

Reagan scoffed and dropped onto the couch. "Not dad. He said I was wasting my life, going to school to learn something I already had a natural gift for."

Vanya sat down beside her sister, clasping her hands in her lap, and nodded. "Yeah, that definitely sounds like something dad would say."

"Well, if there's one thing us Hargreeves are good at it's proving people wrong."

"I think you mean it's what the rest of you are good at. I've pretty much proven everybody right," Vanya said as she leaned back beside Reagan.

"No, I don't believe that," she said, shaking her head. Reaching across the space between them, Reagan took her sister's hand. "You might have finished your book, but your story isn't over yet, Vanya. You still have a lot of life left to live and more than enough time to prove every person who has called you ordinary wrong. Including yourself."

Sighing, Reagan folded her arms over her chest as she leaned against her bedroom door. She was hoping to get a minute alone without all of her sibling's thoughts bleeding into her consciousness. Instead, she found her brother rummaging through her bags. It didn't take a genius to know what Klaus was searching for.

"You're not gonna find any scripts in there," Reagan said, stepping into her room. Klaus straightened up suddenly and twirled around to face her. He broke into a wide grin when she raised an eyebrow at him. Putting his arms out, he walked forward and threw them around her.

"It's so good to have you back, Reg," Klaus said as he let her go. Reagan shifted her weight, preparing to knee him between his legs, but her brother protectively clasped his hands in front of his crotch before she could do anything.

"Not so fast," he warned.

Reagan scoffed. "Allison told you, didn't she?"

His head lolling to the side, Klaus said, "Us siblings gotta look out for each other."

"Of course," Reagan said, mimicking his gesture, "which is why I'm going to tell you once again that I don't own any prescription pads. I'm a psychologist, not a psychiatrist."

He stared at her for a moment before shaking his head. "I don't know what either of those words mean."

"It means you won't be getting any drugs from me, Klaus. So, pack it up and move on."

Klaus stepped back, placing a hand over his chest as he gasped. He jutted out his lower lip and angled his head toward her. "Oh, come on, you don't really think that's the only reason I came in here, do you?"

"No," Reagan said as she moved toward him. Smiling, she put a hand on his shoulder and wrapped her fingers around the collar of his jacket. "I also know it was to steal my shit."

With one fluid motion, she yanked off his jacket and flipped it upside down, making all the contents of its pockets spill out onto the floor. Reagan put a hand on her hip and looked up at her brother. "You were saying?"

Pursing his lips, Klaus pointed to the items on the floor. "I have no idea how those got in there."

Reagan rolled her eyes, sighing softly as she knelt down to gather up a necklace, multiple rings, and three pairs of earrings. She paused when she recognized a few small knick knacks that he must have taken before he got to her room.

Peering up at her brother, she cocked her head to the side. "Are these dad's?"

Klaus bit his lip for a moment to keep himself from responding, but his resolve quickly dissolved. "Mayhaps."

"Well, you can keep those," Reagan said as she stood up and threw her jewelry back into her suitcase.

"But you know what I'm going to do with them," Klaus said, his eyes narrowing. He picked their father's stuff up off the floor. "I at least expected a lecture about how I'm slowly killing myself or something morose like that."

"I'm not going to waste my breath or money on it anymore, Klaus. You're not going to stop using until you decide that it's something you actually want. When that happens, I'll be here for you, but until then, do whatever the fuck you want. Just don't pawn my shit to do it."

"Yes, mom," Klaus said, giving her a quick salute. Reagan huffed a breath and handed his jacket back to him.

"Spend it well, asshole."

Klaus winked as he smirked back at her. "Always do, princess."

She grabbed his hand when he started walking past her. Turning her head, she swallowed the lump in her throat. "Can you give us a minute?"

He met her gaze and nodded. "I'll be right outside. Within range."

She squeezed his hand. "Thank you, Klaus."

Sighing, he moved through the doorway. "Anything for my sister."

Reagan waited until he was in the hall to sit on her bed. She wet her lips before pressing them into a thin line. Clearing her throat, she lifted her gaze to the corner of her room where Ben had been standing the whole time.

"Hi, Ben," Reagan said, smiling softly. "Long time, no see."

12 years ago…

"God, what were you thinking, Ray?" Allison asked as she sat down beside her sister.

"You could've died," Luther added, folding his arms over his chest.

Diego nodded feverously. "Or—or worse."

"Please, do tell me what could be worse than dying, Diego?" Reagan retorted. She kept a hand pressed over the gunshot wound in her abdomen as she propped herself up against the pillows behind her.

"Being maimed," Klaus said from his spot behind the bar, "or paralyzed for the rest of your life."

"I know we're all worried, but none of that happened to her, okay? She's alive and mom said she'll be up and running around with us again in a week."

A smile crept onto Reagan's lips as she turned her gaze to Ben. Even though he'd been hovering by the door and hadn't said a word since they got home, she felt better knowing he was there.

"I'm glad you're okay, but you should have checked with me before pulling a stunt like that," Luther said with a shake of his head. "That's why I'm the leader."

Reagan scoffed as she narrowed her eyes at her brother. "Are you honestly telling me that you want me to check with you before I save your life?"

"No," Allison said, shooting Luther a scolding glare. She returned her attention to Reagan when he seemed to understand his mistake. "What he meant to say was thank you."

Clearing his throat, Luther forced a nod. "Thank you, Reagan, for what you did."

The siblings looked to the door when they heard it slide open and they all stiffened at the sight of their father. Even Reagan tried to sit up a little straighter as he strode into the room.

"I have another mission for you," their father announced. Reagan sighed, knowing what he was about to say next. "We leave in ten. Except for Number Zero. You're staying behind."

Reagan tried to mask her frustration as her siblings followed their father out of the room once they said goodbye to her. She knew it wouldn't be fair to ask them to skip missions just because of her, but that didn't change how much she hated not being able to go.

Ben was the only one left after Klaus skipped out into the hall and up the stairs. Reagan smiled when he sat down beside her on the couch and put a hand over hers.

"Don't worry, gummy," Ben said and Reagan's smile widened at the nickname that only he used for her. "We'll be back before you know it."

"You better be," Reagan said as she raised her chin defiantly. "If anything happens to you—to any of you—and I wasn't there to help stop it, I'd never forgive myself."

"Hey," Ben squeezed her hand, "nothing's going to happen to me or anyone else, I promise."

She forced a weak nod, but hung her head to hide that she'd started chewing nervously on her lip. It was one of her many tells that Ben would instantly recognize.

"I'll see you soon, gummy," he murmured after a moment of silence passed between them. Ben pressed his free hand to her cheek as he leaned closer, placing a kiss to the top of her hair.

Standing from the couch, he started toward the door, holding Reagan's hand until it slipped out of his grasp. She tried not to watch him go, but raised her gaze as he turned to close the door behind him. When he caught her staring, he smirked, throwing in a wink right before the door shut.

"He'll be back soon. He'll be back soon and everything will be fine," Reagan said, forcing herself to believe it.

How was she supposed to know that it would turn out to be a lie?

present day…

Most days Reagan wished that her telepathy was only auditory. It was probably a futile hope, but she allowed herself to believe that it would be easier to tune it all out if she could only hear thoughts. Throw on her headphones, turn up the music, and she'd have peace. Instead, she had to settle for when everyone else managed to have peaceful moments.

Luckily one of those moments came when she was lounging in her room. The music echoing through the house met her ears at the same time that her siblings thoughts began to fade from her view. It was even more of a relief since most of her siblings were thinking about their father. Seeing three different versions of Reginald Hargreeves lingering in her bedroom was not how Reagan wanted to spend her alone time.

She smiled when the music was turned up even louder, expelling the remaining daydreams of her father. After thirty seconds or so of just listening, Reagan slid off her bed as she began bobbing her head to the rhythm of the song. Her siblings weren't the only ones who needed a distraction. It was easy to let the memories that layered every inch of the house dampen any happiness she felt about being back with her siblings. Rolling her head back on her shoulders, Reagan spun in a circle. She brought her arms up above her head and snapped her fingers to the beat.

I think we're alone now. There doesn't seem to be anyone around…

Reagan bounced from one foot to the other as she twirled faster, letting her arms fan out around her. She slowed to a stop and balled one hand into a fist. Raising it to her mouth, she began singing into the imaginary microphone.

"I think we're alone now. The beating of our hearts is the only sound."

The music came to an abrupt stop. At the same time, a flash of lightning lit up Reagan's room and a strong rumble of thunder shook the whole house. The ceiling light dimmed as the sudden and unexpected storm continued outside, drawing her attention to the window. She could see that the sky had darkened due to the thick clouds gathering above the house.

Grabbing her jacket off the bed, Reagan jogged out of her room and down the hall to the stairs. Luther and Allison got there right after her, but neither of them seemed to have any idea of what was happening either. They filed down the stairs as quickly as they could, running into Diego and Vanya at the door that led into the courtyard. Reagan chose to stay at Diego's side as they walked outside, her jaw dropping at the sight of a glowing ball of blue energy floating twenty feet in the air.

Reagan slapped her brother on the arm. "You're all seeing this, right?"

Diego nodded. "This definitely ain't in your head, Reg."

"I don't know if that makes it better or worse," Reagan mumbled. She bit her lip and started to step forward to get a better look at the blue energy cloud, but Diego put his arm out in front of her.

"What is it?" Vanya asked from her spot beside Reagan.

"Don't get too close!" Allison warned, grabbing Luther's arm.

"Yeah, no shit!" Diego shouted above the howling wind, shooting Reagan a look. She knocked his hand out of the way, but decided that it was a safer idea to stay with her siblings.

"Looks like some sort of temporal anomaly," Luther said and Reagan cocked an eyebrow at him. She expected him to be the last to know what either of those words meant. Well, next to Diego. "Either that or a miniature black hole. One of the two."

"Pretty big difference there, Paul Bunyan," Diego retorted.

Reagan stumbled sideways when Klaus came running out of the house and broke through their lineup, pushing Diego and Luther out of the way. She couldn't help but smirk at his resolve when he threw a fire extinguisher at the big ball of energy.

"What is that going to do?" Allison shouted.

Klaus threw his arms up. "I don't know. Do you have a better idea?"

He retreated behind Diego and Luther when the ball started to get bigger, electricity crackling as the wind whipped around them. Reagan narrowed her eyes when she thought she saw someone inside the energy ball. She tuned out her sibling's shouts as she focused on the elderly man who appeared to be de-aging as he moved closer. He had his mouth open as if he was screaming, but the sound must've gotten lost among all the other noises.

When he fell from the sky he now longer had the appearance of an old man, but rather that of a young boy. Reagan didn't hesitate to move toward him, but Diego firmly grasped her arm before she could get too close. She didn't know if that was to stop her from going to the kid or because he feared what the kid might do. Nevertheless, she stayed next to him as the boy pushed himself off the ground and faced the seven of them.

"Holy shit," Reagan murmured when she realized she recognized the boy.

"Does anyone else see little Number Five or is that just me?" Klaus asked, taking the question from her mouth.

The boy's eyes slanted suspiciously as he stared at them. He hung his head, seemingly looking over his outfit before looking back up. "Shit."

Reagan gaped as she tried to make sense of the fact that one of her long lost brothers had essentially come back from the dead. They never knew what happened to Five, he'd been gone for over 17 years. That's how long it had been since they were a whole team. Somehow they managed to keep on fighting without him after his mysterious disappearance, just like they did following Ben's death. Having Five back again should've made her feel great, giddy even. But much like the day that Ben said his last goodbye, she didn't feel happy nor at peace. The wretched twisting in her stomach could only be described as fear.

She didn't understand why until the world started to change around her. It was an experience she knew well, one that happened more times than she could count. She was "dreaming" as her father liked to call it. Except this one wasn't like any of the dreams she'd ever been forced into before.

Turning on her heels, she realized exactly where she was. The Academy was right behind her. Or at least what was left of it. The towering brick walls and wrought iron fences she was so used to seeing had all been reduced to smoldering remains, a charred shell of the house she grew up in barely standing. It looked as if someone had taken a blowtorch to it. Only it wasn't just the Umbrella Academy that was affected.

Peering around the street, she saw that all the buildings, cars, and people she would usually see outside her childhood home were destroyed by fires that were still burning. Reagan realized whatever happened to the Academy happened everywhere.

Someone had set the world on fire.