Ben wanted to pursue what Five had mentioned before he… died.
Alright, there was no official body, but he'd been gone for almost six months now… there was no way he was alive, right?
Why Five had decided to push the time travelling aspect instead of the Number Four issue, he would never know, but Ben was determined to find out the truth.
….
"Yes… one is missing." Morticia sighed sadly as Hargreeves paraded his remaining children in front of the camera, none of them looking like they wanted to be there, "Which one did Grandmamma say she say she saw killed?"
Klaus turned his attention away from Cousin Sid, an Addam's child in the late 1800's who had caught a nasty case of the chills, turning his gaze back to the TV. "That one." He pointed to the nervous looking one right at the end of the line, "She says he gets torn apart." He frowned, "Which means that we were too late to save the missing one."
"Well, that just won't do!" Gomez announced, slamming his glass down on the table, "Lurch! Fetch the car! I have a plan!"
….
Ben wasn't sure why he suddenly felt the urge to sneak out.
He'd woken up at three in the morning with no explanation. The Horror was unusually calm so it wasn't them.
There was no noise from his siblings, everyone having fallen asleep long ago.
It felt like someone cold was grabbing his arm, pulling him towards the door.
"Alright." He whispered, soothed slightly by how calm the Horror was, despite how nerve-wracking the situation was, "Alright, I'm coming."
He allowed himself to be tugged towards the back door, going out into the chilly night… to see a young teen around his own age staring at him.
"Hi!" The child beamed at him, "I'm Klaus!"
"… Ben." Ben glanced around, "I… what are you doing here?"
"We're here to rescue you!"
"We?"
The cold sensation tugged at his arm again, just as a man and woman emerged from the shadows.
"Come Klaus." The woman might have sounded cold, but even Ben could hear the affection in it.
Affection he'd never received from his Father.
"We must get going before Hargreeves realises that… Ben here is gone."
Klaus nodded, grabbing Ben's hand and pulling him away, only for Ben to resist.
"All my things…" He protested, "… I-I- my siblings!"
The strange family stopped, eyes turning to the large home.
"Are there any more of your siblings who would be willing to come with us?" The woman asked.
Ben thought to himself.
Luthor was too busy being Dad's favourite to even consider leaving, and Diego was vying for that top position.
Allison would never leave without Luthor.
But Vanya… Vanya wasn't happy in that home, and never would be.
"There is one…" He glanced back up at the house, "… Can- can I get her?"
"Of course, you may." The woman moved to follow him, "I will assist you."
"T-thank you!"
…
"You read a lot." The woman observed as Ben carefully placed them into a bag, "You will enjoy our library."
"You have a library?"
"Hmmm." She glanced around the room, a soft frown appearing on her face, "You do not seem to have much else."
"Dad wants us to be strict in our training." Ben was surprised to find himself defending the older man, despite there being no love loss between them, "We have thirty minutes of play on Saturday and- "
"- Children should be allowed to play every day." The woman interrupted, "It is cruel otherwise."
"I- "
"- Your other sibling. Your sister… go and get her to pack."
"O-Okay." Ben rushed out of the room, tiptoeing to Vanya's room. Gently pushing open the door, he frowned when he saw the brain monitors on her head.
If she didn't have any powers, then why did Dad put them on her… and why were they glowing like that?
"Vanya." He whispered, moving closer until he could shake her, "Vanya, wake up!"
It took some time, but eventually, Vanya's eyes opened up and she blearily blinked up at him.
"Ben?" She rubbed at her eyes, "What's going on?"
"We're going."
This got her attention, as she shot up, dislodging several of the monitors. "What? What are you- "
"- I know it sounds crazy, but- but we have a chance to get out of here, away from Dad and the Academy!"
"W-where would we- "
"- We have somewhere, I promise." Ben grabbed one of her bags and started shoving clothes into them, "Grab your violin and let's go!"
"… It's Father's, I can't just- "
"- He never plays it." Ben was not above begging now, "And you sound so much better with it anyway! Please!"
Vanya stared at him for a few more moments, before slowly getting out of bed and helping him pack.
It only took a few more moments, before they were done, tip-toeing out of the room and heading back towards Ben's room, where the elegant woman was waiting, Ben's bag in her hands.
"This is Vanya." Ben introduced his sister, "She wants to get out of here as well."
"All are welcome." The woman smiled softly at the pair of them, "Now come, before Hargreeves wakes up."
….
Vanya had been a little overwhelmed when meeting Klaus but had borne it surprisingly well as they got into a black car that looked remarkably like an undertaker's car.
When they pulled up to what the pair believed to be their new home, both Vanya and Ben's eyes widened in astonishment.
The Hargreeves home was big yes, but this was gigantic.
And eerie.
"Does a serial killer live here?" Ben muttered, trying to stay calm so as not to agitate the Horror.
"You have a good eye." The man announced proudly, "We've had one or two of them stay here, but for some reason, they leave."
At this point, Klaus leaned over "They're get disappointed when nobody's scared of them, but who's scared of serial killers?"
"Me?" Vanya whispered, now clinging onto Ben, "I'm definitely scared of them."
They entered the home and came face to face…. Well, face to mid-section with a gigantic man who vaguely reminded Ben of how Frankenstein's monster was described in the book.
"Ah, Lurch." The woman greeted the man, "Would you mind taking the children's bags up to the spare rooms near Klaus's room please. They'll be staying there from now on."
"Yes. Mistress. Addams."
"Thank you." The woman then turned to the two children, "Now, I expect you both have some questions?"
Ben and Vanya glanced at each other, before Ben nervously cleared his throat. "Who- who are you guys?"
"Oh, how rude of us!" The man shook his head in dismay, "We are, the Addams family."
Ben felt an urge to click his fingers after this, he wasn't sure why.
"I'm Gomez, and this stunning woman beside me, is my wife Morticia." He gestured down at Klaus, "You've already met Klaus…" He then gestured at the stairs where the giant man had just gone, "… And Lurch of course. Thing is around here somewhere, as is my brother Fester. And then of course there's our other children. Pugsley, Pubert and- "
"- Me."
All eyes turned to the staircase, where a young woman was slowly making her way downstairs, dressed in a similar dress to her mother's.
"Who are these two?" The young woman asked.
"I-I'm Ben." Ben nervously spoke up, "This is my sister, Vanya."
The woman examined them closely, before turning to Morticia. "Mother… may I speak to you for a moment?"
"Now?
"Now."