AN: A "grownup" chapter. I can't really say why cause it'll give it away, but Mature Content towards the end. Enjoy!

Chapter Three

Now:

The music echoed through the many levels of the mansion. Ah, the eighties -a decade all of them missed out on.

Before the song could finish, the world beyond The Academy went black. Electricity filled the air just a split second before blue flashed outside. It wasn't lightning, but it was definitely something.

Andy didn't know what compelled her, but she raced towards it. She doubted highly it was bravery –more a stupid level of curiosity.

When she broke through the doors that led to the garden, she found she wasn't the only one to do so. Almost everyone was already outside. A split second later, Klaus came charging forward with a fire extinguisher. It did nothing, neither did him lobbing it at the mass of undulating blue.

Without warning, a person formed in the center of a tempest. He was silently screaming in pain as he struggled against an invisible force. And then, just as suddenly, the blue mass spit out a child and vanished. If it weren't for the young man, it would have been as though nothing happened at all. Andy could do nothing but look out with wide eyes, blinking repeatedly as she struggled to come to terms with the level of weird she'd just witnessed.

Slowly and skeptically, the crowd approached the stranger. He pushed himself up and dusted off the malformed suit that hung off his body. When he looked up, Andy was struck with a twinge of familiarity, though she didn't know why. She'd never met him before, but he looked so-

"Is anyone else seeing little Number Five," Klaus asked unsurely, "Or is it just me?"

And then it hit her like a lightning strike. That was Number Five, the kid she "replaced" and the one whose portrait hung in the library.

"Shit," Five hissed when he saw himself. He sighed angrily. "Is there any food?"

He gave no one a chance to speak before he trudged by them and into the house. Andy couldn't speak for the others, but she was too stunned by the weirdness they'd just witnessed to do much more than follow after him.

Inside, while Five gathered supplies to make himself a sandwich, he was gawked at by his siblings. All of them clamored around the kitchen table and stared almost slack-jawed at him. Andy chose to sit back and lean against a cabinet. It felt like a family moment, and the others made it abundantly clear she was not family. That being said, she was so damn curious.

"What's the date," Five asked as he retrieved bread. "The exact date?"

"The twenty-fourth." Vanya replied.

"Of?" he asked shortly.

"March,"

Five nodded as he stood once more to the table. "Good. That's good."

"Are we going to talk about what just happened?' Luther asked. Five didn't reply and the flustered man stood. "It's been seventeen years."

Five squared himself on the giant without the slightest hint of fear. "It's been a lot longer than that."

Five suddenly jumped "through" Luther and grabbed a bag of marshmallows off the cabinet. Andy had never seen it before and it caused her brows to rise in shock. That was awesome.

"Haven't missed that." Luther grumbled.

"Where'd you go?" Diego asked.

"The future." Five replied as he "jumped" back to his bread. "It's shit, by the way."

"Called it!" Klaus declared proudly.

With their continued prompting, Five was forced to tell them what happened, how he jumped to the future but couldn't manage the return trip. Andy didn't get involved. She was more than content enough to sit back and watch, even snickering when Five called Diego an idiot, and Luther had to hold him back.

"Glad to see nothing's changed." He said with a sigh. As Five stepped around the table with every intention of leaving, he spotted Andy. His brightly colored eyes darted over her. "Who are you?"

"Andorra." She replied.

"Right," He nodded. "My replacement."

"Not really." She replied a bit tersely. Andy had been called "New Number Five" more than enough in her life. She didn't need to hear it from the man himself, too.

"Hm," he nodded and bit into his sandwich again.

As he began to walk off, Allison spoke. "Is that it?"

"What else is there?" He called back. "Circle of life."

A slow, but wide smile spread across Andy's face. She liked Number Five. He was a little bit of an asshole, but honest. She could respect that.

"I like him." Andy said.

"Who asked you?" Diego practically snarled.

Andy turned her attention to him. She scowled back at the angry young man before scoffing and shaking her head. She pushed herself away from the cabinet.

"You should do something about that." She said as she headed for the door.

"About what?" Diego snapped at her.

"That stick up your ass." She shot back without hesitation. Before she disappeared, she called back over her shoulder. "If you want to do this, you should do it soon. It's going to rain."

Diego's angry mumbles followed her into the hall, but she said nothing about it. Andy didn't like Diego. She borderline hated him, in fact, but she tolerated him because she understood why he was such a dick.

He wasn't special.

It sounded strange to say given his abilities, but in her opinion, it was true. Diego Hargreeves wasn't that special in a house full of special people, and he knew it. As a result, he spent his entire life trying to stand out and earn his father's unattainable approval. Being the "second in command" didn't help things, either. He clearly thought he'd never be quite good enough, so he's loud and obnoxious.

He was a shrink's wet-dream, and even though she knew it, Andy still didn't like him.

The others didn't listen to her.

Bitter, ice-cold rain fell from the sky in thick sheets as the family and Andy met in the courtyard. Everyone who'd ever lived in the house for more than a couple of years surrounded Luther in a half-circle. Black umbrellas surrounded Andy, and while Klaus stood out in spectacular fashion with a clear and pink children's umbrella, Andy couldn't help but think it's was oddly stereotypical. Why were there always black umbrellas at a funeral? And why was it always raining? She didn't bother with one herself. There was no need.

Andy reveled in the water. She lived in it and thrived. She needed it, really. One thing she was always aware of in her life was that she could become dehydrated –nearly to the point of hospitalization- within little more than a day because she was so reliant on the element. It was why she moved to the south where the humidity was so high until she found her current career path. She was a mermaid in a fancy show down in the Caribbean, tail and all.

Her water bill was ridiculous until she found a job where she was in water for eight to ten hours a day.

Luther tenderly spilled the ashes out onto the ground. At seeing the miniscule amount escape, Andy bit back a snicker while Klaus cringed. She thought it was funny, especially since the rest of the Old Man would be vacuumed up and thrown in the trash.

Pogo spoke on Hargreeves' behalf. Andy thought it was sweet. She didn't agree with him, but she could tell that Pogo was truly grateful to the Old Man for giving him the ability to speak and so much more. Diego, not so much. As he tended to, possibly to remind people just how little he cared, Diego spouted off, and to no one's surprise, Luther leapt at their father's defense.

The fight that broke out was surprisingly well-rounded. Andorra could almost respect the fact that Diego held his own against a man who was given blocks of steel and lead to bench-press as a child, but Luther was slow and lumbering. Diego was quick and light on his feet.

Luther, being the monolithic beast that he was, swung blindly at Diego. And missed.

His fist slammed into Ben's statue, and for the first time since the fight began, Andorra felt a shock of fear. As the bronze mass sailed towards the ground, she reacted. Just before it would have crashed against the unforgiving concrete, it was caught, cradled in a shapeless mass of water. Andy, with her hand extended like some kind of ridiculous superhero, tenderly set it down and let the water disperse afterward.

She scowled at the two who, alongside the others, seemed a little surprised she'd somehow managed to save the statue. "Fucking children." She hissed before turning her back and heading inside.

She was still shaking her head angrily as she entered the manor again. They were thirty years old, all of them, and those two were still acting like they were fifteen. Andy was genuinely disappointed that the supposed leaders of the family were so easily goaded into squabbles.

With an annoyed sigh, Andy sharply clapped her hands together. All of the rain water that had soaked into her clothes and hair shot away from her body in a poof and dissipated into the room an instant later –another nifty trick she'd learned.

"Andorra,"

Andy turned when she heard her name and noticed Pogo was the cause. She smiled. He continued to approach, meandering toward her slowly with the use of his cane.

"Will you be staying with us?"

"I have a hotel room." She said.

"Nonsense," He scoffed. "Your room's been prepared. Please, you're welcome to stay here."

She smiled lightly. Pogo was a sweet individual. He was far more fatherly than Old Man ever was and his soft prompting was almost enough. She missed him, and his cool, calm accent. Hers had been fading through the years, but his reminded her of home. Perhaps it was another reason he was able to help convince her of things.

"I have a pet." She felt the need to tell him.

She saw his brow rise slightly in surprise and expected it. Then a small smirk formed on his simian lips.

"I don't believe animals in the house will be a problem."

Andorra fought the urge to smile outright at his slightly sarcastic remark and found herself nodding.

"Alright," She replied.

Pogo offered a nod and walked away, leaving Andy shaking her head to herself. She would only be in town for another two nights, anyway. Perhaps spending that time within the academy wouldn't be as bad? Maybe it would give her a chance to finally smooth things over with Klaus? Now that Old Man was dead, she highly doubted that Klaus wouldn't take full advantage and stick around to loot the manor.

The following morning, Andy headed for the kitchen with her grey tabby close in toe. The aged cat was a little slow, but always nearby. She was all Andy had, really.

As she made it to the main floor, Andorra heard Klaus talking to himself… again. He was loud and agitated, to the point that it drew her attention. He was yelling at someone. When she made it to the archways that led to the library, she was surprised to see Klaus arguing (one-sidedly) with someone she couldn't see, standing in perhaps the smallest pair of underwear she'd ever seen.

"I know," He snapped at whoever. Then he scoffed and rolled his head a bit sarcastically, as though he'd heard something he didn't want to hear. "Fine," He groaned like a child. "Christ, I hate dumpster diving."

When Klaus turned, presumably to get dressed once more, he spotted Andorra, and instantly froze. Andy's eyes danced around the room, but she –of course- saw nothing.

"Who are you talking to?" She asked as her gaze settled on the skinny, half-naked man again.

"No one," He replied, waving his hand dismissively. Without warning, Klaus's head snapped toward the empty chaise. "Why?" He asked, borderline angrily. "Oh, Jesus, I'm not high enough for this." Klaus's head fell back and he let out another childish groan before he said something she hadn't expected. "It's Ben." He sounded defeated.

Andorra's chest seized and a soft gasp left her. She felt as though she'd been punched in the gut. Hesitantly, as though she'd somehow see him too, Andy's gaze drifted to the chaise Klaus had been talking to, but, as she knew it would be, it was empty. Still, for some reason, Andorra had hoped she see him.

Her mouth fell open as she tried to make herself speak. Andy missed Ben, a lot. He and Klaus were her closest friends growing up in the academy since she was kept (along with the others) primarily separated from Vanya. As a result, Ben was probably the closest thing she had to an actual brother, and she loved him. His death almost killed her.

As she struggled to think of something to say, her cat leapt up onto the chaise. She stared blankly at the same spot Klaus was speaking to.

"Oh," Klaus chimed in surprise. "Who's this?"

He bent down and tenderly pet the cat, drawing its attention away from the ghost.

"Cleo." Andy said. Even she heard her voice crackle just a little. "That's Cleo."

"Hi, there." Klaus said in a sweet, innocent voice. He chuckled as he pet the very receptive cat. Cleo loved attention and ate it up. Judging by the giddy way he was playing with her, Klaus liked cats, too, so they were a perfect couple.

Andy let him play with Cleo for a little while before she decided to intervene. "We're uh," She still felt the lump in her throat that bothered her. "We're going to get something to eat. Come on, Cleo."

To his surprise, the old tabby obliged, leaping down from the chaise and returning to Andy's side. But Andorra hesitated to walk away at first. While she had the chance, she felt almost obligated to say something to Ben.

"Um," Andy mumbled, "Miss you, Ben."

And with that, she exited the library and headed for the kitchen with Cleo at her heel.

Klaus remained behind with his hands on his narrow hips, watching Andy and her little kitty disappear. His brows were pulled together at her curious behavior. He eventually glanced to Ben and noticed his saddened expression.

"You need to forgive her." Ben said after a brief silence.

"What?"

Ben looked up at his brother, still bearing his sad look. "You need to forgive her." Klaus instantly growled and rolled his eyes. "Klaus," He snapped.

"What?" He shot back.

"It's been ten years." He said sternly. "You never even bothered to ask why she did it."

"Cause it doesn't matter. She doesn't deserve the-" Klaus quickly snapped his mouth shut. He ran his fingers angrily through his hair and messed it even further before calming himself down enough to speak without yelling. "I need to get dressed and find Dad's stupid papers."

And with that, he did his best to peel his leather pants back on, all the while he was forced to remember things he'd rather forget, but couldn't with a sober mind.

Ten Years Ago:

Klaus sat in silence, slumped low in his stiff, uncomfortable chair with his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes remained fixed out the barred window. Actually, they weren't really bars. The windows to the institute were two panes of thick, thick glass that surrounded mesh. It made it, more or less, impossible to break through.

"Klaus," The soft voice of Doctor Pryer barely roused him from his thoughts. He rolled his head sarcastically in her direction. The middle-aged woman was still staring at him remorsefully with her clipboard resting in her lap. "What are you thinking?" He didn't reply. "I'd like you to tell me what brings you here."

"The court system." He replied with marked derision. She sighed disappointedly. It was a reaction he was used to getting from almost everyone.

"Klaus," She said in a tone to match the sigh. "You suffered a severe trauma recently." He scoffed and rolled his head back to the window so he could avoid the woman across from him. "You need to talk about the loss of your brother, Ben." He didn't reply, but she continued to press. "Is that what caused you to overdose on heroin?"

Klaus tightened his jaw, but again, remained silent. He was still angry he was forced to attend rehab. Apparently, shooting up then getting behind the wheel of a car, only to shortly after pass out and run into a bus stop was enough to be sent away for detox. He thought the cops overreacted a little. It wasn't as though there was anyone at the bus stop, anyway.

He was fairly certain they took pity on him given the circumstances. Ben's only been gone for a couple of weeks.

Doctor Pryer continued to push and pick and prod for the allotted hour before Klaus was allowed to leave. He breathed easier the moment he was out of the room and gladly walked down the disturbingly beige halls back to his room.

"You're twitching." Ben said.

Klaus shot him a sideways, angry glower. "I hate it here." He grumbled.

"Yeah, well, what did you think would happen? You could've killed someone." Ben said before reluctantly adding, "Or yourself."

Klaus scoffed and shrugged a shoulder. He mocked his brother silently, mouthing words that didn't actually leave him. Ben rolled his eyes in response.

"You don't want to be dead, Klaus." Ben said shortly. "Trust me."

"Why not?" Klaus snapped. He spun on his heel to face the phantom that no one else could see. "I'd rather be a ghost than have to listen to them all the damn time."

Ben glowered. Klaus could practically taste his brother's disappointment and, given the recentness of his departure and how painful it still was, Klaus calmed. His shoulders slumped and his head fell.

"I just wanted to be numb." He mumbled in a defeated voice. Klaus felt a lump form in his throat while his vision turned blurry. He knew he was on the verge of crying, but he couldn't stop himself. "You're my brother." He finally looked up at Ben. "You and me," his forced smile lasted seconds at best, dwindling no matter how much he tried to keep it on his lips. "That's how it's always been, bro, just you and me." Klaus finally took a deep breath and hardened himself as best he could. "And you went and left me."

Ben glared. Klaus knew he was blaming him and it wasn't fair, but he couldn't help it. He felt like Ben had willfully left him behind, that he'd moved on without him.

Klaus hadn't OD'd with the intent of following his brother into the abyss. He'd only wanted to do whatever he could not to feel anymore. He just didn't want to be consumed in the loneliness and betrayal he felt when Ben left him. From the time they were toddlers, it was just them. Granted, when Andy showed up, the Dynamic Dou turned into the Terrific Trio, but Klaus still had a very real issue with abandonment.

The only good thing, the only silver lining in the shit-colored cloud, was Klaus could still talk to his brother.

As he walked down the hall toward his communal bedroom, Klaus spotted Andy standing not far from the entrance to the lobby. He instantly felt better and smiled happily.

"Hey," He said joyfully, drawing her eye. Andy turned and smiled softly the moment she saw him. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you." She told him. "How are you feeling?"

Klaus, still grinning, finally reached her. He crossed his arms over his chest and with a loud, sarcastic sigh, he fell gracefully against the wall.

"Livin' the dream." He said sarcastically. "Hey," his grin turned wicked. "What's say you and me hit up a killer party when I get out, hm? To celebrate my rehabilitation."

He noticed her scoff lightly and shake her head at his joke-not-joke, but even he could tell something was off with her.

"I don't think that's going to happen."

"Oh, come on," He whined as he reached out to tug on her jacket. "It'll be-"

Klaus's words instantly caught in his throat when it happened. His eyes remained widened in shock as he stared at his hand, currently imbedded in Andy's arm. There was no jacket to grab because there was no Andy.

His gaze drifted to hers. Andy's brows were pulled together tightly. She looked like she was on the verge of tears, but both of them knew they'd never fall. A cold, painful pit formed in Klaus's chest that refused to leave.

"I'm sorry." Her voice shook when she spoke.

He knew, in that moment, what happened, but the words left him regardless.

"What did you do?" He asked softly.

Andy's head fell. Klaus was on the verge of shaking, and it had nothing to do with the lingering withdraw.

Tenderly, Andy reached for the left cuff of her jacket. It was only then that Klaus noticed her fingers were red with trails of brilliant blood. The sinking feeling grew worse. He didn't want to see what he knew was there. He didn't want to know the truth, but she rolled up her sleeve regardless, showing him what was hidden.

Her arm was torn up. Long, thin slices cut sharply through her skin. Her umbrella tattoo was nearly etched out of existence in the process. It was clear, even to his addled brain, that she angrily targeted the inked mark before proceeding to run whatever blade she's used up to her elbow. She didn't half-ass her suicide.

Tears welled in his eyes as he met her stare once more. He couldn't express how he felt knowing that he was staring at her ghost. He would never hug her again. He would never lie in bed beside her again. They'd never be able to paint each other's toenails again, either. She was gone, just like Ben.

Klaus began to shake and took to leaning against the wall more for support than before. As he struggled to rationalize the moment he found himself in, Ben approached Andy. His brother gently taking her bloodied hand in his and tangibly holding it simply hammered home the fact that the only two people he actually cared about and who genuinely cared about him were gone. He was totally and completely alone.

"Why?" He almost choked on the words.

He didn't understand suicide. Even as much as he hated himself and his life, Klaus never truly wanted to off himself. He wanted to be numb, sure, but not dead.

Her head fell once more. Andy buried her face in her hands and shook her head. "You don't know what he made me do." Her voice trembled. He could hear her crying even though she refused to look at him. "People shouldn't be able to do what I can do. I'm a monster."

When he blinked, Klaus felt the tears trickle down his cheeks, but refused to break completely. He remained as stoic as possible.

He opened his mouth to speak, but the words were never given the chance to emerge. Before he could question her again, Andy suddenly vanished.

Klaus remained where he was, in the middle of the hall, struggling to come to terms with the truth.

Now:

He stood in the middle of the library with one leg in his leather pants and nothing more in the way of clothing, staring blankly at the carpet. He remembered that no one called him to tell him if Andy was okay or not. It wasn't until he got home two weeks later that Vanya told him Andy had "attempted" suicide, but she pulled through. Unfortunately, no one knew where she'd gone. Andy had left in the middle of the night, snuck out and disappeared.

She did leave a note for him, though, one that told him she was sorry and that she'd get in contact when she had a place to stay. She told him that she wanted him to stay with her, to leave that house, and move in. He didn't. Klaus didn't even stick around long enough to receive another letter. He left within a week. Why did he have to stay? Ben was dead. Andy was gone. There was no one else in that house he wanted to be near, and they didn't want him there, either. So, he left.

The anger followed him, though. He was angry at Andy for killing herself, but what hurt the most was that she left. She abandoned him just like his mother did, just like his siblings did, just like his father did. No one wanted to be around Klaus. Everyone turned their back on him in the end.