23 November 1963
Diego wasn't quite sure what had happened. One moment he had been trying to crawl his way down a federal hallway to reach his overpowered sister, then he had been sprinting across grass and concrete to tackle the mysterious umbrella-wielding man from the grassy knoll in Dealey Plaza as Kennedy's motorcade had rounded the corner only to have his plan thwarted by his ever conniving father. Next he'd been hounded for his 'stupidity' by an irate Five before being dragged off to a small park were throngs of people had gathered before the shots rang out, only to find his serpentine nephew coiled up like rope. And finally after all of that, he'd arrived alongside his squabbling family members to find Theodore yelling at another teen in the alley behind Commerce and Knox. And that didn't even take into account the trip that was his drugging, kidnapping & subsequent employment at the Temps Commission. All in all it had been a confusing day.
Now, the remnants of the Umbrella Academy and the two…Garde(?) lounged about the abandoned building as they tried to come up with a new plan on how to get home without being murdered by the remaining Swedes (Allison had vividly described the encounter and death of the assassin that had taken place the day before) or the gill-trimmed aliens hunting the kids. Five had cracked out the complex math equations and probability maps that quickly began to drown the room he'd claimed. Klaus had claimed a bottle or two of alcohol before retreating to the bedroom that Diego and Lila had used earlier in the week.
Allison and Vanya had both given into their maternal instincts (recently discovered or otherwise) and gone to make sure that the children were okay. Yugi, their newest addition, had all but hissed at Allison's attempt to get close like a frightened cat. As for Vanya, she had crept over to the slumbering Theodore who had claimed one of the couches as his own. With gentle and cautious movements, she had slipped beneath his head and spent most of the morning just quietly braiding and unbraiding his hair, fiddling with the stone beads decorating his neck, humming some tune he recognised from some old Christmas ad and just really revelling in the touch of her son. Allison had joined not too soon after with a couple of bottles of nail polish that she had mysteriously procured from the depths of her purse and set about painting their nephew's toes in a multitude of colours.
Luther had tried to busy himself with completing the household chores—cooking, cleaning, basically just mothering them as their newest addition watched them all from the kitchen table with red-rimmed eagle-eyes. Eyes, mind you, that would follow them around like magnets but completely brush over Theodore as if he wasn't there. Diego almost wanted to say that it was fear hidden in those sharp eyes, but if it was there then it was overshadowed by the obvious grief and bitter jealousy. In turn, Diego had spent most of the morning glued to the television just watching the constant news casts of Kennedy's assassination on repeat until Allison had threatened to Rumour him again.
But that still didn't tell him why he was standing on this porch, glaring at the wooden grain of the painted door like it had offended him with a bouquet of flowers clutched in his hands. The fairy tale cottage in suburban East Dallas in which they stood wasn't anything spectacular or outrageous, it was just another building that was identical to the rest of the houses in the street. Next to him stood his ape of a brother in a similar position and Five impatiently hurrying them along like wayward children.
Five had insisted—read: ordered—that both Luther and Diego go and apologise to the poor little old lady they'd threatened down the landline earlier in the week after discovering Elliot's dead body and the message written in blood on the floor. Luther had been all for the idea, if only because the guilt written across his apish face was clear as day after being reminded about the incident in question. Diego, on the other hand, had been against if only because he'd have much rather spent the day listening to news casts and radio shows—anything really—that relayed the aftermath of the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Vanya had asked why he was torturing himself because apparently he was just that easy to read—"…Like a book written for very dumb children"—but he'd brushed her off. What would she know? Up until a couple of hours ago, she couldn't even remember any of them or what she had done for them to end up in Dallas at all.
KNOCK KNOCK!
Five's impatient banging on the door brought Diego out of his thoughts just in time for him to hear the sound of hurried shuffling and bitter mutters on the other side of the door. When the door did eventually creak open, it peeled back to reveal a wrinkled woman garbed in layers of earthen fur and brightly beaming floral prints. Her long ruffled skirt barely graced the tops of her ankles, the just barely brushing the tops of her bedazzled slippers. The grey fur trimmed hat matched that of the fur-lined trench coat that almost seemed to swallow her weathered frame. Olga Foroga was nothing like what Diego had pictured her to be and despite her grandmotherly appearance, there was just…something about her that gave Diego the sense she could—and would—kick their asses if given the chance.
"…Yes dearie?" Croaked Olga peering over the rim of coke bottle glasses and through the screen door separating them.
"Hi" Five began shortly, stuffing his hands into his pockets in the perfect image of innocent schoolboy as he stood at the front of their little awkward trio. "My brothers here" He gestured to them with a nod of his head. "Wanted to apologise for the misunderstanding earlier this week"
"Misunderstanding?" Olga clicked open the screen door when she saw that none of them meant her any harm.
"With the wrong number?" Five pursued.
"Ah…" Olga stood up straight at that, reaching for something hidden behind the door before coming back out with a rifle shoved in their faces.
"Whoa! Hey! Hey!" Diego jumped backwards in surprise, hands (and flowers) shoved up into the air. Out of the corner of his eye he noted that Luther had tripped over his big feet and landed on his ass down on the cobbled path; whilst Five had only tensed, hands falling from their pockets.
Unlike when Elliot had confronted Diego and Five with a rifle after getting the Frankel footage developed, Diego was unsure whether or not taking on Olga was a good idea. Not because he thought they couldn't take her—she was just a little old lady—but because he was more concerned about whether or not they might accidentally hurt her in the process. They had enough issues to deal with and they didn't need to add a maimed granny to that list. "They're just flowers! They're just flowers!" Luther tried as he slowly climbed to his feet, using to porch as leverage and wincing when it groaned under his weight.
"Hmm" Olga hummed derisively, snatching the offered bouquet from Luther with her free hand and inspected it like she expected something else to be hidden inside. Diego could've sworn that he saw Five preen from the corner of his eye at the action, as if he was proud that this strange woman was so paranoid.
Upon finding nothing untoward about the flowers, she slung the rifle over her shoulder and gestured for them to come inside. Honestly, Diego felt a little like he was living out Hansel & Gretel as Five none-so-gently dragged them inside after the old woman. At some point he'd shoved his own flowers at the old woman with a muttered apology as they were directed into a lacy-littered sitting room where a small box television remained on, prattling out some daytime soap opera. Whilst Olga shuffled off to the kitchen promising water for the flowers and tea & biscuits for the boys, the Hargreeves three spent the time snooping about the place.
Correction, Diego spent the brief window snooping about as Luther cautiously perched himself on the edge of the floral-patterned couch that was encased in a plastic cover. And Five lounged languidly in one of the matching armchairs, looking right at home despite it all. Aside from the cooling kettle and empty tea cup on the coffee table, a couple of armchairs were littered about the sitting room with the focal point being the TV. An old radiator sat in the corner of the room and a bursting bookcase held everything from books on both World Wars to family pictures painted in sepia and little porcelain figurines.
Just as he had carefully replaced one of the creepy figurines back on the shelf, the harsh sound of a news caster cutting through whatever heartfelt moment had been playing out in the soap opera, caught his attention. "…We interrupt Love of Life to bring you these latest headlines on Kennedy's assassination and the terrorists involved…"
"Is that…?" Luther squinted at the TV as if that would help him to decipher the grainy image displayed there.
"Nice picture there, Big Boy" Diego chuckled as the TV showed Luther staring wide-eyed and shocked over the white picket-fence lining the grassy knoll of Dealey Plaza alongside an equally expressive Five.
"Oh, like yours is any better!" Luther retorted as Diego's Dallas mugshot flashed onto screen, making the man sullenly turn to resolutely stare out the window with a pout.
"…If you have seen these people, please contact the number on the screen…"
"Shut up, you imbeciles!" Five hissed, leaning forward in his seat as the headlines flashed across the screen, each new image showing snapshots of their family in Dallas.
"…Tune in at six o'clock for further information…We now return to Love of Life"
"We need to go. Now" Five jumped to his feet as the abrupt news cast eventually cut off, returning to the soap opera without much hassle.
"…Authorities are asking for help identifying several persons of interest at Dealey Plaza at the time of the assassination…" Diego, Five, Allison, Luther and Vanya all stood gathered around the four display televisions in the middle of the department store watching the six o'clock news alongside the rest of Dallas. It had taken a practical miracle for the three venturing Hargreeves to make it back to the store without being dobbed in by the public after the breaking news earlier that day. There had been a few others since then, mostly keeping the public up to date on the scenario and each time telling them to tune in at six for the full report.
Upon returning to the building, they had found Allison, Vanya and Theodore all watching the TVs already. Allison had claimed the stairs as her perch with Vanya standing directly in front of the screen. Theodore, in turn, was much happier to remain up on the second floor where he opted to lean over the railing and watch from there; allowing him to interact with both his family and the other teen who had taken the time to rummage through the kitchen like a racoon looking for food. Occasionally, Theodore would glance over his shoulder or murmur something to Yugi that Diego couldn't quite hear (it appeared the pair had made up somewhat whilst they were gone), but for the most part all eyes were glued to the screens.
"…The FBI believes they may have been acting in concert with the alleged shooter, Lee Harvey Oswald. Vanya Hargreeves, wanted in connection with the deaths of several FBI agents inside the federal building at Dealey Plaza…" The image shown of her was grainy at best, but it would be enough for the public to recognise her anyways. Vanya watched on grimly as her photo card was replaced with the next one: Diego.
"…A Cuban exile known only as Diego who recently escaped from the Holbrook Sanitarium…"
"Cuban?" Diego mused as his own mugshot was presented on national TV. "I hate that photo"
"…A bare-knuckle boxer with suspected Mafia ties and who fights under the alias: 'King Kong'…" "Tch" Here, Luther rolled his eyes at the newest image they had of him—another grainy photo depicting him next to known mobster, Jack Ruby.
"…Allison Chestnut, a Negro radical responsible for instigating and organising the recent riots at Stadtler's lunch counter…"
"Of course—!" Allison scoffed under her breath as she was shown with an equality placard in hand at one of the many protest movements she had attended over the years.
"…And finally Klaus, the controversial cult leader and known tax evader…" Here, the only image shown of Klaus was the god-like portrait that had become synonymous with him. "…The FBI is asking the public to be on the lookout for this unidentified boy, who they believe is being held hostage by the suspected terrorist network…"
"Well, it's true" Five hummed as the reporter showed an image of him staring wide-eyed over the picket fence (this time without Luther). "I do feel like I'm being held hostage most days"
"God! I hate that photo!" Diego pouted sourly, more annoyed that that was the one they went with, than anything else.
"They're saying I instigated the riots?" Allison scoffed from the stairs, "That's unbelievable!"
"Look, the good news is that we restored the timeline and we stopped doomsday. So—" Luther tried to half-heartedly lift their spirits.
"—Yeah, a bunch of real goddamn heroes" Diego interjected, "We let Kennedy die"
"Yeah" Allison agreed, "And now we're officially the most wanted people in the world—"
"—And not in a good way—"
"—The FBI is after us, the Dallas Police, Secret Service, whoever Theo's alien hunters are. It's only a matter of time before they hunt us down here too"
"Well, where are we s'posed to go?" Vanya questioned as Klaus prodded tiredly down the stairs, slipping on a single black vest which he left hanging open.
"I have this yurt just outside of Reykjavik" Klaus proposed, "We could totally lay low there. Folks there are a little weird, but lovely, welcoming—"
"—Hey numbnuts!" Five called, "Hiding's not gonna make a difference here. The Commission will hunt us down wherever and whenever we go"
"He's right" Diego agreed, "They'll never stop"
"…I'm sorry, since when are you the expert on the Commission?"
"Since I got back from there"
"What?"
"Yeah, they headhunted me, offered me a job. Full time benefits, which I had to turn down"
"They headhunted you? The village idiot?"
"What? Am I not allowed to be headhunted? Only the almighty Five needs to be in demand?"
"Diego, you're not Commission material—Theodore, maybe—"
"—You keep my son out of this!" Vanya hissed as she and the others rolled their eyes at the familiar bickering between the two brothers.
"—But not you" Five steamrolled on, his tone patronising. "All right? Got an obstinate nature to ya"
"Who do you think it was that figured out Vanya was the one that causes doomsday and stopped it? Me" Diego retorted, unable to help himself.
"Hey!" Klaus protested, but was summarily ignored.
"That's who. I figured it all out on the Infinite Switchboard!"
"You were on the Infinite Switchboard?" Five perked up at that.
"Hell yeah! I made that machine my bitch! Y'all need to recognise I got shit going on y'all don't even know about!"
"Oh, sorry. You've got things going on?" Allison snorted.
"This isn't helpful" Luther shut down, physically cutting off any further fights by walking through the gathered Hargreeves.
"Look!" Diego marched on, intent to show his siblings that he knew what he was talking about—that he wasn't just talking out of his ass like Luther liked to do. "I met the Résistance in their secret lair. All right? I went through orientation, and I passed and I stopped doomsday. Which is far more than you can say"
"Listen here you—"
"—Hey look!" Klaus chuckled, pointing towards the TV that was still prattling on behind them. "Even Teddy made the news too!"
Rolling his eyes at Klaus' attempts to break up the impending argument, Diego barely spared a glimpse at the screen where he saw the serpentine form of their nephew on full display and he felt like his heart had jumped into his throat. With the way the Theodore had been describing these alien hunters over the last few days, something like this would certainly draw their attention—not to mention whatever the Temps Commission had hiding up their sleeves. "…In other news…" The voiceover that was heard sounded far more upbeat than it had a few minutes ago when describing the so-called terrorists to the public. "…It seems that even Dallas' most elusive myth wanted to see the arrival of President Kennedy today…Several witnesses report seeing the Dallas Dragon up close and personal in Houston park today, just south of Dealey Plaza…" The camera footage was shaky and the standard black and white, but it was undeniably their nephew surrounded by throngs of beaming people. Shit.