Description: In which Five comes home early and actually stops the apocalypse. Alternate ending to 'Changes'

...

Thirty minutes. He'd only been gone for thirty minutes.

Those were the thoughts that went through Five's mind as he rounded the corner, having been drawn to the hidden passage by the sound of his sibling's raised voices. The sight that greeted him was not a pleasant one, in fact, it was a bit infuriating.

Luther was engaged in a stand off between Diego, Allison, and Klaus, two out of the three yelling at him to let them by. A large metal cage lay just behind him, the door locked tightly in place. Vanya was inside it, tear tracks streaking along her features. She was banging on the glass, her lips mouthing the words 'I'm sorry' and 'please, let me out.'

"She stays put," Luther argued as Allison tried in vain to push past him.

"What the hell is going on here," Five's voice cut through the tense air, all eyes snapping to him.

All was quiet for a beat.

"Luther locked Vanya up," Klaus replied first, his words sounding a bit a like tattle.

"She has powers," Luther countered, as if it were an explanation.

"That is not a valid reason," Diego shot back, as if he had read the thought that flickered through Five's mind.

"She's dangerous. She hurt Allison," Luther declared, remaining rooted in place. "She's killed people."

Five understood his point, he really did, he just didn't have the patience for it today.

"So have I," his words came out chilled, yet calm. The next few moments that followed were ruled by silence.

"You gonna lock me up too," he added, taking a few paces forward. The words 'not that you could,' hung unspoken in the air.

"That's different," Luther eventually replied, "You saw what she did to Harold Jenkins, she's unstable. I've seen her powers, they're destructive. I think...I think dad knew they were dangerous. That's why he suppressed them. Five, I think her powers could somehow be tied to the apocalypse."

The word 'apocalypse' caught Five's attention immediately, as Luther probably knew it would. The former assassin took a moment to consider the possibility. To run all the equations and probabilities.

Was it possible? He didn't know. He didn't have enough variables, nor had he ever seen her powers for himself. Despite that, logic told him that he shouldn't take the chance, that he needed to eliminate all potential threats. Logic had been his lifeline for the better part of a few decades. It was what made him such an efficient agent, and what helped him sleep at night after he pulled the trigger. To him logic was safety, logic was clear and devoid of pain. Logic helped him put one foot in front of the other day after day, when all he wanted to do was give up. But as he locked eyes with his sister through the glass, he realized logic would not help him now, it would not help any of them. Vanya didn't need logic, she needed understanding. She needed her family.

And even if her powers were somehow strong enough to destroy the world, it didn't matter, because it was Vanya. The Vanya who worried about them all when they left on missions. The Vanya who always listened, even when others would not. The Vanya who had apparently made him a sandwich every night for who knows how many years after he disappeared. The Vanya he trusted and loved.

"Let her out," Five practically ordered, shocking Luther. "Now."

"You're not listening..." Luther began, frustration in his tone.

"Oh, I'm listening," Five cut him off, his voice echoing off the metallic tunnels around them. "Let me ask you something, Luther," he continued, narrowing his eyes at the much taller man. Despite their obvious size difference, Five didn't feel the slightest bit intimidated. "If Vanya really does somehow jumpstart the end of the world, do you really think locking her in a cage is going to persuade her not to?"

Luther seemed to consider his words for a moment, but he soon dismissed them. "No. It's not happening, it's too dangerous," he spoke with finality.

Five involuntarily clenched his jaw, his last bit of patience slipping away. "I really wish you hadn't said that," he spoke with a quiet sigh.

He then produced a ballpoint pen from his pocket, and took a moment to look it over. It was the one he had been using to jot down equations all week. Oh well, it was almost dry anyway.

"Just jump past him and open the door," Diego urged, like it was the obvious solution. It was, but Five had something else in mind. Luther needed to take his act down a few notches or he was going to get someone (maybe even the entire world) killed. At this point, Five was happy to help him with it.

"Even if you do, I won't let you. She stays put," Luther repeated, his hulking form stationary in front of the cell, like a some kind of prison guard.

"I'm going to tell you exactly what's going to happen," Five began, a dangerous edge to his voice.

The others (including Vanya) watched him intently, like they knew the gravity of the mistake Number One had just made. And really, he should've known better, Five had told him who he was and what he did. Now he was done playing nice.

"I'm going to walk over to that cell, and I'm going to open it. And you're not going to stop me," Five informed, slipping his hands into his pockets and gripping the pen tightly.

"Not. Happening." Luther spoke through gritted teeth.

Five only smirked, the dangerous cold kind of smirk he only used for a select few. One step forward and he was gone, tearing through the fabric of reality with a flash of blue. He materialize right next to Luther, jamming the pen into his leg and breaking it off. Another flash and he was behind him just as he let out a yell and fell to the floor, clutching his damaged leg. This time he slammed the broken pen into a nerve cluster just behind his jaw. Hard. The brute was out cold before his head hit the ground.

It was just how Five liked it, quick and efficient.

After that he turned to the cell, Vanya's red-rimmed eyes wide with shock. Five then walked over to the door, and set to work wrenching the rusted wheel handle open. The others were a bit stunned, their eyes still fixed on Luther's unconscious form. However, they quickly came to and rushed across the room to help him. Between all of them, they soon had the heavy metal door open and Vanya's path to freedom clear.

Five had scarcely let go of the handle before Vanya leapt forward, throwing her arms around him. She was crying again, her slender frame seeming so much smaller then his in that moment. Five was surprised at first, it was the first real hug he had had in over 40 years. He didn't hate it. Slowly, he brought his arms up around her.

"I didn't mean to, I'm so sorry," she sobbed into his shoulder, tremors racking her body.

"I know," Five only whispered, holding her tightly. "I know."

Allison soon joined in and hugged her from behind. Vanya reached up to clutch her arm, apologies still spilling from her lips. Diego and Klaus stepped forward as well, reassuring her for Allison and gently rubbing her back.

It was ironic, Five thought, because he had told himself that Vanya could wait. That he would have plenty of time to catch up and to rebuild their bond once he had stopped the apocalypse. Little did he know she should've been the one he was paying attention to all along.

He spent years thinking about what he'd have to do to stop the end of the world. Who he'd have to kill, or what cataclysmic event he'd have to stop. He didn't think it would he something as simple as standing up for his sister.

He didn't think it would be something as small as a hug.