Don't stop me now, I'm having such a good time
I'm having a ball
Don't stop me now
If you wanna have a good time, just give me a call
Don't stop me now ('cause I'm having a good time)
Don't stop me now (yes, I'm havin' a good time)
I don't want to stop at all

-Don't Stop Me Now; by Queen

After Darcy left, a silence fell over Rani and Kerstin. The two women wanted to take a second to look at the apartment, to take in their surroundings. From the looks of it, the apartment itself was relatively small. It had two bedrooms and one bathroom, on top of a small kitchenette and a dining area.

It could be worse, Rani thought, crossing her arms over her chest. While she'd admit to herself that the apartment was too small for her comfort, she'd never tell Kerstin. In her friend's eyes, her new home was perfect. In Kerstin's eyes, it had just enough space to be considered a home.

"We should probably start unpacking," Kerstin said. "I'd like to get through most of this stuff before he gets here."

"You mean your boyfriend," Rani said.

"Of course. Who else?"

Picking up one of the trash bags, Rani placed it on an old couch and tore into the plastic. Inside were some of Kerstin's clothes. "And you're sure he's a good guy?" Rani asked.

"Again with the questioning?"

"Yes. I want to know for sure if he's a good guy."

"If he wasn't I wouldn't be dating him," Kerstin exclaimed. "Not everyone is like Al."

"Some people can be," Rani snapped. "They're good at hiding their true selves."

"Well not everyone's superpowered like you are, Rani," Kerstin snapped. "Not everyone is like you."

"It's not even about having superpowers. It's about looking for the red flags, seeing the cracks on the surface. I pay attention, Kerstin. You are either too stubborn or too childish to even know when someone's trying to help you."

There was a long silence; a heavy one. Rani could feel the anger and hurt radiating off of Kerstin. It was overwhelming, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. Rani knew she should at least feel a little guilty for what she said, but she wasn't. Kerstin didn't like listening to anyone's advice. She'd jump head-first into danger if she truly felt like it. The reason she stayed with Al for so long was because she didn't want to listen. Sure, a lot of that was due to Al's manipulation, but most of that came from Kerstin. Rani felt like she could only do so much before she finally snapped.

"I think you should probably go," Kerstin said; her tone was cold, her gaze on the floor.

Swallowing thickly, Rani only nodded.

—Whatever It Takes pt. I—

Rani walked the streets of Puente Antiguo, silently taking in every little detail. She paid close attention to the buildings surrounding her, to the people walking by. That was something she did often whenever she was out. She wanted to remember every little detail, it helped keep her calm. But, unfortunately, a part of her, deep down, would always bring up the memories associated with that. The feelings that went along with it. Just by taking in her surroundings, Rani would also relive the training sessions Reginald put her through. Hours of learning how to hone her abilities plus keeping up with her studies and, finally, and quite unfortunately, the additional "lessons" Reginald believed were the most important.

When Rani's abilities first started manifesting, she gained her telepathy first. The others slowly came about over the years, and she gained control over them as time went on. But Rani's telepathy was what Reginald focused on the most. He wanted her to gain control over it, by any means necessary. And what better way to do that than to have her locked away? Rani was, by Reginald's orders, put into a psych ward to gain control over her telepathy. She had to learn how to filter out what was important and what wasn't; she had to learn how to focus, and a psych ward seemed like the best solution. The minds of people were running rampant in there, and Rani was left to fend for herself for a number of months. Eventually, she was able to focus only on what she needed to, but it was still a traumatic experience for her.

Even I believed there was something wrong with me, Rani thought solemnly. The doctors and nurses, all the medications and diagnoses, it made me feel like I was truly insane.

After she'd been released, Rani felt different. She viewed everything from a different perspective. She became quieter, more withdrawn. Her siblings saw it; Pogo and her mother saw it; Reginald saw it, too, but he didn't care. Rani gained basic control over her telepathy. It was still growing, opening doors to new possibilities, and that meant more training. And then she gained telekinesis. And then she could breathe underwater, swim faster than the average human, her hypnotic singing, etc., etc., etc. It felt like every time Rani mastered one, another would pop up. It angered her. None of her other siblings had abilities quite as overwhelming as hers.

No, she thought. Klaus and Ben's abilities were quite traumatizing. God, I can only imagine how horrifying it is seeing the dead or summoning monsters from a portal in my stomach.

She shivered at the thought. Part of her was grateful for the abilities she did have. Rani saw how badly Klaus handled his abilities, and Reginald's training with him didn't help. And Ben. . .she didn't even want to think about it. Even years after his death, Rani couldn't help but feel guilty over her brother's demise. He was too young. He didn't deserve to go the way he did; and he definitely didn't deserve to go so violently.

Running a hand through her hair, Rani swallowed thickly. She was going too far into her own mind. She was allowing too many emotions to come up. She hated it. All she wanted was a normal life. That's why she left the Academy. That's why she went to college, became a professional dancer. It gave Rani a sense of normalcy. It reminded her she could still have control over her life and what she did with it. She sure as hell wouldn't be stuck in that damn mansion with her father and Luther all day. Even if Pogo and their mother were still there, it wasn't worth it. All the bitterness and heartbreak the mansion held, it was too much for even the most hardened person.

It was unfortunate, honestly. Eight kids, born under unusual circumstances, only to be adopted by the least qualified man on the planet. Reginald hated children just about as much as he hated caffeine, yet he decided to raise eight superpowered kids. Rani couldn't understand that logic. But she had to admit, if Reginald hadn't brought them all together, Rani wouldn't have developed such a close relationship with some of her brothers. Her relationship with Vanya wasn't entirely good but it wasn't bad; the two were respectable but were comfortable not talking to each other on a constant basis. Rani's relationship with Luther and Allison seemed to be the rockiest. The three couldn't agree on things and always seemed to argue growing up. When they went their separate ways, Rani wasn't at all bothered if she never saw Allison or Luther again. But having spent a majority of her life with them did cause a bit of attachment — only the teensiest bit. However, she knew better than to let that little bit bother her.

Rani couldn't help but find it strange, though. She had seven brothers and sisters, all of them adopted along with herself, and they couldn't be more different. Sure, Rani expected all of them to have different personalities, but their upbringing seemed to bring out the worst in them. Klaus became a drug addict in his early teens, mostly because of his abilities and Reginald's training. Luther became the Academy's "golden boy", the face of the group who thought leadership should be his and his alone. The one person who didn't understand he wasn't really qualified to lead. Diego became more independent, having a hardened I-work-alone attitude. Ben had always been sweet, wanting nothing more but to see his siblings get along. Allison grew entitled because of her ability, Vanya was emotionally unavailable, Five was arrogant, and Rani. . .she was — is — distant, emotionally. She's anxious and exhausted. Maybe she's arrogant, too, she doesn't entirely know.

A million descriptions could be used on Rani, but she couldn't pick one to accurately give herself. At least in terms of whether or not she was arrogant.

Stopping, Rani felt her shoulders slouch. Her eyes cast downward and her lips pursed. She was becoming distracted, too focused on the past. She couldn't afford to do that, not when she had so many things to look forward to.

Rani had a new life. She had a growing career and she was supposed to be happy. She couldn't go around thinking about her background.

"Rani?"

Looking up, the twenty two year old saw Darcy walking towards her. It was strange, considering she'd just left from Kerstin's apartment not long ago.

"Hey," Rani said. "I thought you had somewhere to be."

"I'm taking a break right now." Darcy shrugged. "What're you doing?"

"My friend kicked me out."

"Wanna come back to my friend's place? It's not far from here."

"How far?" Rani asked.

"Just a block from here," Darcy said.

"What'll your friend say about that? About some random person coming over to her place?"

"Jane won't mind. She'll be too busy anyway."

—Whatever It Takes pt. I—

If Rani were to be completely honest, she was surprised. Whoever Jane was, she had a fairly big apartment — at least when compared to Kerstin's — but it was filled with all kinds of paperwork and contraptions. Some of the machines were identifiable, but others weren't. Technology was something Rani struggled with sometimes, so it wasn't much of a surprise for her when she couldn't identify what she was seeing.

"I know, it's a bit cluttered right now," Darcy said. "A lot of the stuff in here she made herself. You should see her van, though; that's messy."

"How does she live like this?" Rani asked.

"Comfortably," Darcy responded. "She's always been cluttered, from what I can tell. But I wouldn't entirely know. I'm just sticking it out until I get my credits."

"Credits?"

"Yeah. College credits. Political science."

"Heavy stuff," Rani murmured.

"You're telling me," Darcy snorted. "It's interesting to say the least."

"What does Jane do?"

"She's an astronomer and an astrophysicist."

Holy shit. Rani's brows raised at that. An astronomer and an astrophysicist?

Darcy, on the other hand, looked a little baffled. She was looking around, as if expecting someone else to be there. "Did you hear something?" she asked.

"What?" Rani asked.

"I thought I heard something," she said.

"Like what?"

"Sounded like someone saying 'holy shit'."

The urge to wince nearly overcame Rani. She didn't expect that to happen. For the most part, she kept her abilities under control. Her telepathy could be masked and tucked away whenever it wasn't in use, but there were always those little moments. Apparently learning that someone was crazy smart in the sciences was enough to cause a little glitch in Rani's control.

"I didn't hear anything," Rani replied; the lie coming easy to her.

With a hum, Darcy simply shrugged. "Well, this is Jane's place," she said. "Chances are she's probably going over paperwork or trying to fix one of her gadgets."

"Darcy?" Another voice, coming from the living area. It belonged to a young woman, who couldn't have been older than Rani or Darcy from the sound of it. "You're back already?" she asked. Footsteps could be heard coming to the front of the apartment. "I thought you were. . ." It was a young woman, with brown hair, light skin, and dark eyes. Rani considered her to be very pretty. "Who's this?" she asked.

Before Darcy could answer, Rani took a step forward, extending her hand. "I'm Rani," she said. "Darcy was just bringing me by for a little bit."

"Rani?" The woman's brows furrowed for a bit. There was a flicker of something in those eyes before recognition slowly settled in. "Are you Reginald Hargreeves' daughter?"

A heaviness fell on the twenty two year old's shoulders. She lowered her arm. Another fan of the Umbrella Academy?

"Adopted daughter," Rani corrected.

A brightness came over the woman's face — at that point, Rani could only assume she was Jane. "Your father's one of the biggest scientists of our time," she exclaimed. "I can't believe I'm actually talking to his daughter."

Better Reginald than me, Rani thought indifferently.

"He's a lot of things, I'll give you that." The statement came out colder than Rani intended, and it went unnoticed by Jane. The brunette was too busy beaming knowing she was interacting with the daughter of the infamous Reginald Hargreeves.

"Can I ask you some questions?" Jane stammered. "I know he didn't study in the fields I'm in, but I've always been so curious. . ."

"Jane, seriously." Darcy threw a look her friend's way. "You're freaking Rani out."

Shaking her head, Jane gave a nervous laugh before apologizing. "I-I'm sorry," she stammered. "I've always been a big fan of your father, and I've admired his work and dedication."

Rani could only force a smile in response.

"Where's Erik?" Darcy asked.

"He's working on the van," Jane exclaimed, motioning the two women to follow her. "He'll be back in a minute."

"Do you mind if I hang around for a little bit?" Rani asked. "I won't get in the way."

"Stay as long as you'd like," Jane said; smiling at the twenty-two year old.

Leaning over, Darcy whispered in Rani's ear, "Now the fun begins."

Fun?

(A/N):

Sorry for the hold-up on the chapter. Hopefully you guys find something good in this! Other than that, leave constructive criticism where you think it's due.

Do I own anything in the MCU? No. No I don't. All I own are my OCs, my subplots, and my cell phone. 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.

Like I mentioned above, leave constructive criticism where you think it's needed. That kind of assistance from you guys will help me improve my writing and my story.

A question for you guys; are you excited for any future MCU films? With Endgame released now, I'm sure a lot of the original cast will be leaving. They've been working with Marvel for nearly a decade, if not more. Just leave a review for any future MCU film you're looking forward to.

Also, this story, along with any sequels I write, will be part of the "Whatever It Takes" series. Since that seemed to be a theme in Endgame, I'll be using it for my stories.

Leave a random fact on whatever you like if you don't feel like answering the question. It can be on anything you want.

Peace out, my dudes,

Calcifer McGonagall*