"Allison!" Patrick called. "Have you decided what you're doing yet for your bachelorette party?"
"Patrick, we have days still until the parties, we have nearly a week until the wedding, just make sure your own is sorted. I'll be fine." Allison told him. She certainly wasn't going to be giving the paparazzi any ammunition. Her bachelorette party was going to be just her a couple of friends sitting on the couch, drinking a few drinks, watching a cheesy romcom, hopefully nothing Allison herself was in. The last thing she wanted to do was to find herself miming along to the words as she relaxed.
"Fine, but just make sure you don't take too long to sort it out. I'd hate it if I was out having fun whilst you were sat here alone." Patrick told her with a gentle smile and a hug. "Just stop being Allison Hargreeves, if even for a night, just be Allison, a woman who loves to have fun and relax."
"I will." Allison smiled at him. Maybe it would be alright. It'd be fun, a nice night of relaxing, after all. That's why she was marrying Patrick. He was a man who got her. He understand her, what she wanted, what she sought for. He understood her more than anybody she'd ever met. Except for one. She hated herself for it, but there were times when she looked at Patrick, when she thought about him and the love he had for her, and she wished there was someone else standing there. That someone else was in her arms, in her bed at that moment. Sometimes, and she hated herself for thinking it, she wished Patrick wasn't there, and that she was in the arms of Luther.
Luther, Number One. The one who understood her, loved her, knew her. Far more than anyone else she'd ever met. Far more than Patrick ever could. For all of his love, and kindness and goodness, Allison knew that in her mind, Patrick would never match up to Luther. In her mind and in her heart, Patrick would always be second best to him. And Allison hated every moment of it.
"I heard a rumour that you loved me."
Allison flinched as she remembered that, that fateful night when she uttered those words, when she changed everything, when she gave herself everything she wanted, and poisoned it with how she got it. Allison swore she'd never do that again, never do anything like that ever again. She would never allow herself to cause that pain to someone, to deny them their own will ever again.
"Allison?" Patrick asked, arms tightening around her. "Are you alright?"
She pushed him away and stumbled back slightly, struggling to breathe.
"Y-Yeah I'm fine, I just need to get away." Allison told him, rushing towards the kitchen and grabbing a cup, pouring herself a drink and downing it as fast as she could, the water washing away her agony and memories.
"Allison!" Patrick called, rushing into the kitchen hot on her heels. "Talk to me, Allison. Please." He begged her, taking her hands in his gently and gazing into her eyes, his eyes shining with adoration for her. "Please. Let me in."
"I can't, Patrick." Allison cried. "I'm sorry, but there's some things even you can't know. Things I'd driven down deep inside. Things I can't bear to see the light of day. Please, don't ask me about them." She begged him, Patrick lovingly rubbing the back of her hands with his thumbs as she spoke, giving her a soothing shushing noise.
"It's alright, Allison. I won't pry." He told her, smiling softly at her. "If you're not ready to speak about it, I understand. We've got the rest of our lives together to talk about it, for now though, let's just focus on the present and the next few days, the happiest of our lives, sound good?" Patrick asked as Allison nodded.
Yeah, the happiest day of her life was coming up. If only she could feel truly happy about it.
/
"So, you got one of these invitations too." Luther said as he looked at the discarded sheet of paper on his father's desk.
"Indeed, what of it, Number One?" Reginald asked him.
"Will you go?" Luther asked him.
"I suppose I may. Number Three was always rather reliable in the Academy. I suppose she did earn the right to have me at her wedding." Reginald said. "I assume you wish to attend as well, Number One?"
"Yes, Sir." Luther told him.
"Very well. Your mother and Pogo have also indicated a preference to attend, so we shall all be departing from here in three days time. Is that all number One?"
"You know you can call me Luther, right dad?" Luther asked him.
"Why would I do that, Number One?" Reginald asked.
"Never mind." Luther shook his head. "I just meant, you don't need numbers any more. I'm the only one left."
Reginald gave some kind of dismissive noise and Luther knew his audience with his father was over. It was time to go train again. That's what Reginald would expect of him, and Luther was nothing if not a dutiful son.
/
Diego was recovering after a long night of fighting the scum of the streets when he received his invite. Looking it over, at first he had scoffed, Allison ha dropped them all for stardom, why should he go, just to see her lording it over everyone, trying to feel important? Then he thought on it and realised, why shouldn't he go? He deserved a well earned break, and if she was paying for it all, why shouldn't he go and enjoy himself, relax for a day or two before getting back to saving lives. The world wouldn't go to hell if he gave himself a day or two, would it? Besides, it'd be good to be there, if only to teach Allison a lesson. If she tried to act superior, a few hints or words in her ear and she'd back off, she wouldn't act superior to him. Nobody would.
/
Klaus just smiled when the orderly told him about the invite. Klaus was nearing the end of his most recent stint in rehab and had nowhere to go once he got out, unless he wanted to end back under the watchful eye of old dead eyed dad. Maybe going to Allison's wedding would take his mind off of everything for a day or two, and besides, it was in LA. Plenty of access to drugs and booze there. Plenty of ways to keep the spirits at bay. Just what the doctor ordered.
Ben shook his head at Klaus when he mentioned this aloud. Ben wanted to see his family happy again, especially Klaus. This may just be what Klaus needed to finally get his head out of his own ass and try be a better man. If this would help Klaus to finally give sobriety a chance, Ben was all for it. The fact he could see Allison, truly happy, on the best day of her life, well, that was just a really nice bonus to Ben.
/
Vanya looked at the invite in her hands with trepidation. It had been years since she'd seen Allison in person, seen any of them in person. She was just the forgotten child, the ordinary one. If the benchmark is extraordinary, what do you do if you're not? She knew she shouldn't, she couldn't go to this wedding, she couldn't bring Allison down with her ordinary presence on the day when Allison would be her most extraordinary. Yet Vanya knew she'd go. She had to be there, she had to be there for Allison, as she hadn't in her youth. She didn't have powers so all the times Allison risked herself, risked her life doing good, Vanya hadn't been there for her. This time, she would be. She'd go.
/
Looking at the latest report he'd been sent, Five was determined to get this assignment out of the way quickly and move on to the next. He should only need a day, two at most to see this one out and move on. Then he saw it.
"Allison Hargreeves to wed next week!"
He knew he shouldn't look. He couldn't. If he was to get back to his family, avert the apocalypse, he couldn't interfere with them now, he had to see out his contract with the Commission and then work on getting home. But damn it, he missed her. Missed all of them. He regretted leaving the minute he had and he'd regretted it every damn second for nearly forty five years. He had to see her, see all of them, because he was certain the others would be there as well. He wouldn't talk to them, he'd hang at the back, the spectre at the feast, before vanishing just as abruptly. He wouldn't disrupt the timeline too much, just a small ripple, nothing that could have big consequences, hopefully something the Commission may miss altogether.
He'd go to his sisters wedding.