A/N: It's almost two years. I have no excuse
There were a lot of things people liked to do when they needed to calm down. Some people drank chamomile tea—some just drank—some people did yoga, and some people listened to sound bites of whale song and relaxing rainforest sounds.
Juno liked to listen to music when she needed to calm down too. The soothing tones the likes of Led Zeppelin or Guns N' Roses didn't work for most people, but the perpetual 17 year old had never really been like most people. Whenever Juno got upset or overwhelmed or just needed a minute, she'd grab her Walkman, plop on the headphones and rock out. After being accused of murdering her father, Juno certainly needed a minute.
Trouble was, she couldn't find the stupid thing!
She'd stormed out without a second thought after Luther had said what he'd said. The only thing Juno could think of was to get away from the situation as soon as possible because she was this close to exploding. She'd never been so angry. Juno had thought she and Luther had had a moment outside in the yard, an understanding as siblings after so many years, then he just up and threw it all back in her face.
"Isn't it obvious, Klaus? He thinks one of us killed Dad?"
Luthor had essentially accused all of them but Juno knew that her brother thought she was the one responsible. If he could come up with this crazy theory after they'd spoken—after Juno had said that no one else was home and that nothing had happened—then Luthor had to believe that she was lying. If Luthor thought she was lying then he had to believe she had something to hide. It wasn't as though Juno had zero motive to do it either. She could see it all come together piece by piece in her brother's stupid fat head.
The sting of betrayal made her head spin. Where was that stupid Walkman? Probably in her room….And where was her room?…Juno found she couldn't remember the way. Her headache made it too hard to focus, too hard to put things together. It seemed to be making it hard to see too, things were blurring together, coming in and out of focus, and the lights were too bright.
"Come on! Come on, chop-chop!"
The sound of angry yelling stopped Juno in her tracks. With a start she realized she was at the doorway to the fireplace again. Had she really just gone in one giant circle?
"You always were a stubborn bastard!"
Apparently Klaus was in there yelling at nothing. And not in his usual way either if how he was complaining to dad's ashes was anything to go by. Juno slunk in behind her brother quietly, eager to eavesdrop.
"I don't know about you, but I need a drink." Klaus made a move to grab the whiskey behind the counter, and in a rather unfortunate burst of clumsiness, managed to knock over their father's urn in the process, scattering his ashes all over the place.
"Oooh!"
Klaus spun around to face her, his hand covering his mouth, looking aghast.
"Ooh!" Juno sang jovially, practically vibrating with excitement. "Oooh! Telling! Telling!"
"No no no!" Klaus said quickly, looking more horrified now that he knew there was a witness to his crime. "Don't tell! Don't tell!" He begged.
"Telling, Telling!" Juno laughed.
Klaus grabbed hold of her shoulders and looked around wildly. "Don't tell please! Just, just help me clean it up."
Juno was having fun. "Mom! Mom!" She called.
Klaus covered her mouth. "Shh!" He hissed. "Come on Jaybird, help a guy out. Here!" He exclaimed, fishing through his pockets. "How about some candy huh?" He held out the weed chocolate bar that he mentioned earlier. "I give you some, you help me, and we both take this to our graves. How does that sound?"
Klaus still had a hand over his sister's mouth. She pretended to consider his proposition for a moment before nodding exaggeratedly. With a sigh of relief, the scantily clad young man let go before handing Juno the promised chocolate. She broke off a chunk then took her time chewing, finally she swallowed.
"Okay!" Klaus began breathlessly. "If we hurry we can—"
"Bye!"
"Bye?!" Juno had turned and began walking out of the room. "What do you mean bye?!" Juno continued on like she'd hadn't heard her brother's plea. "We had a deal!"
Juno laughed once out in the hallway. Bribing each other with candy might've worked when they were little, but it was gonna take a lot more than chocolate to get Juno to touch her father's remains. Luther was gonna flip once—
Luther!
Juno had almost forgotten why she was so angry. Good mood now completely out the window, she stopped off in the direction she hoped led to her room.
Stupid Luther and his stupid theories!
Stupid dad and his stupid monocle!
Stupid Juno who can't find her Walkman!
Stupid Juno who can't find her own room!
STUPID STUPID JUNO AND THIS STUPID FUCKING HEADACHE!
With a shout, Juno slammed her hand against the wall in frustration, accidentally going clean through the house's drywall. "Oh fuck me!" She groaned. She was just beginning to wonder how she'd cover up the huge fucking hole in the wall when a new sound met Juno's ears.
"Tiffany is that you?"
It certainly was Tiffany. 'I Think We're Alone Now' filled the Academy, and reverberated off its walls.
Juno was once again reminded that her father was good and dead. Sir Reginald Hargreeves would never have allowed such a thing in his house. Tiffany was no Pink Floyd but it would do.
Dancing like no one was watching, Juno let herself be carried away by the music. If you asked, Juno would say she most certainly did not pop-and-lock. She was just starting to relax. Then, as suddenly as Tiffany had made an appearance, a deafening boom of thunder filled the air.
"Son of a bitch!" To Juno's more frayed nerves and on-edge senses, it sounded as though someone had just cracked the world in two. The thunder and flashes of lightning brought her to her knees, eyes shut tight and her palms clamped over her ears. Heart hammering, she allowed herself only a minute to get over the sensory overload. Hands still over her ears, she ran out to confront the source of the noise.
Clearly she'd arrived late. The other members of the Academy were already assembled and staring at a very large— and terribly bright— blue hole in the sky that Klaus apparently decided to chuck a fire extinguisher into. "What the fuck is that?!"
"What the fuck is right Jaybird!"
"What was that supposed to do!" Yelled Allison.
"I don't know!" said Klaus, the freak winds whipping around his inky black curls, "Do you have a better idea?!" The thunder and lightning seemed to reach a crescendo as the thing in the sky writhed and stretched. Juno tried holding her hands even tighter against her ears with limited success.
"Whoa, whoa," Luthor said anxiously, throwing his massive arms out to push everyone back. "Everyone get behind me!"
"Yeah," Diego shouted, fighting to be heard over the noise while simultaneously stepping to the forefront with Luthor. "Get behind us!"
"I vote for running, c'mon!"
Juno thought Klaus might have the right idea. There might've been a time where she was sure they could handle any threat, no matter how big it was, as long as they were together. She wasn't so sure anymore. Not now that they were fractured, broken, and out of practice. Though it pained Juno's ego to admit it, running would've been the smart thing to do. But nobody moved, so Juno stayed put. For better or worse she'd stick with her family no matter what.
Juno positioned herself directly in front of Vanya. If things got bad she'd need the most protection after all. She lowered her hands, and took a stance; tense and ready for a fight. As the tear in the sky grew wider and wider and the smell of acrid ozone began to burn her nose, Juno noticed something. Even though her siblings were shoulder to shoulder with her she still had to yell to be heard over all the thundering noise. "Is-is it me or is that a little old-old man on the other side of that thing!"
It certainly looked like a little old man but Juno figured her eyes had to be playing tricks on her. He seemed to be pressing against something she couldn't see, with his arms outstretched and his eyes screwed up from the strain. He kept pushing up against the invisible force that kept him on the one side of the tear, stretching its boundaries like a balloon. Slowly, he inched farther and farther out until suddenly the whole thing popped and the old man fell in a heap on the ground in front of them.
Except it wasn't a little old man, it was—
"Does anyone else see little Number Five or is it just me?"
Oh good! Juno thought she was hallucinating for a second there.
As Five flitted around the kitchen gathering what he needed for his peanut butter and marshmallow sandwich the rest of the Hargreeves siblings gathered around the kitchen table staring at him in a mix of confusion and amazement.
They'd each imagined what this moment would be like; their brother finally come back home after so many years. Five had never been an emotional person, so they hadn't exactly been expecting a tearful reunion. A hug or a heartfelt "I missed you" would have sufficed. Yet they'd hardly gotten so much as a hello and here Five was, making a sandwich, acting as though hardly a day had passed—looking as though hardly a day had passed—and not seventeen years.
"What's the date? The exact date?" Five asked as he grabbed a bag of bread.
"The 24th," Vanya answered. Five glanced at her in slight annoyance. "Of what?"
"March," Vanya replied.
"Good," Five said, sounding relieved as he placed two slices of bread on a cutting board.
So, are we gonna talk about what just happened?" Asked Luther. Juno nodded in agreement behind him.
Five didn't so much as look up. Luther stood up from his seat, a little angry at their brother's apparent blasé attitude. "It's been seventeen years." He stressed, looming over The Boy's much smaller frame.
Five scoffed and turned to finally look at his brother. "It's been a lot longer than that," He then reappeared behind Luther and proceeded to fish around for a bag of marshmallows.
"I haven't missed that," Luther muttered.
"Where'd you go?" Asked Diego
"The future," Five replied simply. "It's shit by the way." He disappeared again before reappearing by the cutting board.
"Called it!" Klaus exclaimed from where he was sitting cross-legged on top of the table.
Time travel? Juno thought. That made sense. It explained why she hadn't been able to find him no matter how many times Dad had sent her to track him down. She would follow his scent to a certain point until there was just nothing there to follow.
"I don't understand!" Juno had cried all those years ago. "It's like he's just gone!"
She'd always been able to find Five no matter how far he'd jumped. It was one of the training games they'd play as children to improve their control. Their own version of hide-and-seek. Five would use his spacial jumps to hide from Juno; she'd have to catch him wherever he was. Five's objective was to lose her and make the game last as long as possible. Her objective was to find her brother as quickly as possible.
As little kids it'd been all fun and games, with joyful calls of "can't catch me!" And "I'm gonna get you!" As they got older it was a friendly competition beginning and ending with a firm handshake to the tune of "may the best man win."
No matter how long the game lasted, Juno always found Five in the end. All except that one time.
Her first great failure. The first brother she'd failed to save…God she really hated funerals!
"I should've listened to the old man." Five said, making his way to the fridge for the peanut butter. "Jumping through space is one thing, jumping through time is a toss of the dice." He made his way back to the table then paused, looking at Klaus. "Nice dress."
"Oh well, danke," Klaus said, straightening out the skirt with a smile.
"Wait," Vanya interjected, trying to get the conversation back on track. "How did you get back?"
"In the end, I had to project my consciousness forward into a suspended quantum state version of myself that exists across every possible instance of time," Five answered plainly, oblivious to everyone's blank, confused looks as he went about fixing his sandwich.
"That makes no sense." Diego muttered.
"Well, it would if you were smarter."
Juno snorted with laughter then and Diego shot up from the table in anger. Luther brought up a beefy arm to keep him from going after their 'little' brother. "How long were you there? He asked.
"Forty-five years. Give or take."
There was a beat of silence. Both Luther and Diego fell back into their seats in shock.
"So what're you saying?" Luther asked, stunned. "That…you're 58?"
"No," Five replied shortly, plainly losing his patience. "My consciousness is 58. Apparently my body is now 13 again."
"Wait, how does that even work?" Vanya asked, confused. She was having as much trouble keeping up as everybody else.
"Delores kept saying the equations were off," Five said before shrugging and taking a bite of his sandwich. "Bet she's laughing now."
"Delores?"
Vanya's question went unanswered as Five caught sight of the newspaper on the table. "Hmm. Guess I missed the funeral."
"How'd you know about that?" Luther questioned, instantly suspicious. It made Juno angry all over again.
"What part of the future do you not understand?" Five quipped, looking as smug as ever.
"Dumbass," Juno muttered viciously. The word had come out louder than she'd intended and everyone turned to look at her. She said nothing, merely crossed her arms and none too subtly started Luther down. He had the decency to look at least a little ashamed.
"Heart failure huh?" Five commented, breaking the tense silence that was beginning to set in.
"Yeah," Diego replied dryly, the same time as Luther shot off a vehement, "No!"
Five clicked his tongue before turning to walk out of the room. "Nice to see nothing's changed,"
"Uh, that's it?" Allison challenged as their long-lost brother left them with nothing but questions. "That's all you have to say?"
Five kept walking. "What else is there to say?" He called as he left the room. "The circle of life."
Silence fell over the group as the six of them stared after him, each trying to sense what had just happened. The silence would've gone on forever had it not been for Juno who laughed raucously, almost manically.
"That's it? That's it?!" She repeated, still laughing, pointing in the direction Five had gone. "That's it! That's it!" Her face was growing more upset each time. She slammed her palms on the table and shot out of her seat. It made everyone jump. "That's it! That's it!"
She was shouting now. Allison and Vanya had jumped back, clearly startled by her outburst. Juno wanted to stop but she couldn't. She was stuck. "That's it! That's it! That's it!"
Luther put an oversized hand on her shoulder before Diego shooed him away. "Get off! Everything's fine, I got this. Just go."
Nobody moved, unsure of the right thing to do. "Go!" Diego insisted. This time they listened, filing out of the room awkwardly.
Juno was grateful. She didn't want anyone else to see her like this. She'd feel embarrassed enough already. She repeatedly brought her fist up against her temples, hoping the action would give her some sense of control. It did—but not enough. "That's it! That's it! That's-That-Ah!"
Diego had wrapped her up in a tight bear hug, burying her face in his chest. He held her tight but not too tight. Juno liked the feeling. "I know squirt, I know. Just relax. I gotcha."
Juno hated to cry. She hated today. She wished it would all be over.
Not knowing where else to go Vanya went in search of Five. She was half afraid he would leave again after the lackluster reunion. Needless to say she was relieved when she found him by the fireplace, staring at his own portrait on the mantle. He'd changed out of his over-sized suit and into his old Academy uniform, doubling the eerie feeling that he was unchanged after waiting for him for 17 years.
Vanya walked over to him. Though his back was to her and her steps were silent he still noticed her presence. He turned to face her. "Nice to know dad didn't forget me."
There he was. Her brother, her best friend, still thirteen. And here she was, terribly old by comparison. It wasn't right. It wasn't fair that they'd lost so much time together. But then again, nothing in their lives had ever been fair.
Vanya opened her mouth to speak but she couldn't find the words. There had been so many things she'd wanted to say to him but now none of it felt worthwhile.
"I read your book by the way. Found it in a library that was still standing."
Still standing? What was that supposed to mean?
"I thought it was pretty good, all things considered. Definitely ballsy—giving up the family secrets. I'm sure that went over well."
It was almost ironic that the sibling Vanya hadn't seen in nearly two decades was the one who liked her book. "They hate me."
"Oh, there are worse things that can happen."
Five's gaze was unreadable, his face gave nothing away, but Vanya thought she could pick up a certain…something behind his eyes. What that something was she couldn't say, and that upset her. When they were kids, no matter how taciturn and unreadable Five was, she could always tell how he was really feeling when no one else could.
Now she was a step behind. Even though they were in the same room there was a distance between them that she wasn't used to and it burned like an old wound being torn wide open.
"You mean like what happened to Ben…?" Vanya said slowly. "Like what happened to Juno?"
Five's stoney face softened a fraction. "Was it bad?"
Was it bad?
It was a simple question with a heartbreakingly complicated answer. If Five had read her book that meant he knew some of what'd happened, the aftermath anyway. But he'd know none of the nitty gritty details she'd chosen to leave out.
Things like how Vanya still had nightmares about the screaming. How their minds still smelled the blood for days afterward though it was long gone.. How she had to keep herself from vomiting when Dad made her clean up the mess made up of blood, brain and mangled tissue…
How she'd had to clean her own sick off the floor when she couldn't hold it in anymore…How Dad refused to let her stop cleaning afterward…
Not having the words to express all this Vanya could only nod.
As the little funeral procession made their way out into the courtyard, Juno realized it was raining. That certainly explained the umbrella Diego had stuffed in her hand. Juno liked the rain. Normally she found listening to it enjoyable, but right now she was too acutely aware of the noise for it to be anything other than suffocating.
Juno also didn't like Ben's statue. On a good day it was a painful reminder. Today, it's like the metallic eyes were fixed on her, staring at her very soul, crying out to her—blaming her— from beyond the grave.
She was shaking. Juno knew it and Diego knew it. Vanya probably knew it too considering they were standing next to each other, but she didn't say anything. She just sent Juno an awkward, encouraging smile that Juno only half nodded back to.
Diego had tried to convince Juno to forgo the spreading of their father's ashes and go take a nap or something. But Juno had refused of course. She certainly felt exhausted but her pride wouldn't allow her to be the only one not to make it through the whole day. If Juno was being honest with herself though, not taking Diego's advice was probably a stupid decision. She was already regretting being out here but she couldn't back out now.
Speaking of Diego, he was the only one without an umbrella. They all had one, Klaus even had a pink one, but Diego just stood there all strong, and silent in the rain. Juno didn't understand why.
Maybe he thought he looked cool? Maybe this was some sort of an umbrella boycott as a final fuck you to dad? Juno could appreciate the effort if that was the case, but giving yourself the flu felt counterintuitive.
"Did something happen?" Mom asked, confused, looking immaculate in her black funeral dress to Juno's left.
"Dad died." Allison answered, bewildered. "Remember?"
Mom's face twisted in apprehension. "Oh. Yes, of course."
Allison turned to Diego in concern. "Is mom okay?"
"Yeah yeah, she's fine." He said instantly. "She just needs to rest. Ya know, recharge."
Just then Pogo slowly made his way over, also holding an umbrella. "Whenever you're ready, dear boy." He said, referring to Luther as he stood in the middle of their little semi-circle.
Taking a deep breath Luther slowly overturned the urn he held in his hands, allowing their father's ashes to fall to the wet ground in a pathetic little pile. Klaus winced.
"Probably would've been better with some wind." Luther admitted, awkwardly glancing up at them before looking down.
"Does anyone wish to speak?" Pogo paused to allow for anyone to speak up, only to be met with dead silence and incredulous looks. "Very well," he continued. "In all regards, Sir Reginald Hargreeves made me what I am today. For that alone, I shall forever be in his debt. He was my master and my friend…and I shall miss him very much…he leaves behind a complicated legacy-"
"He was a monster." Diego spat, not able to hold it in any longer. Klaus chuckled. "He was a bad person and a worse father. The world's better off without him."
"Diego!" Allison cut in disapprovingly.
"My name," Diego hissed harshly, "is Number Two. You know why? Because our father couldn't be bothered to give us actual names. He had mom do it."
"Would anyone like something to eat?" Grace asked shakily, trying to defuse the mounting tension in one of the only ways she knew how.
"No it's okay mom." Vanya said kindly, while Juno put her hand on their mother's shoulder.
"Oh..okay."
Diego stepped into the center of the circle and turned to face them all. "Look, you wanna pay your respects? Go ahead. But at least be honest about the kind of man he was."
"You should stop talking now." Luther said dangerously, a scowl on his face.
(Things are one big matchbox right now)
"Ya know, you of all people should be on my side here, Number One!" Diego spat.
"I am warning you—!"
"After everything he did to you? Diego snipped, stepping closer to his much larger brother. "He had to ship you a million miles away."
"Diego, stop talking!" Luther ordered through gritted teeth.
(All it takes is one spark and…)
"That's how much he couldn't stand the sight of you!" Diego growled, jabbing his finger into Luther's chest.
(BOOM)
Before anyone knew it Luther had swatted his brother's hand away before taking a swing at Diego's head, which he quickly dodged. Just as they had when they were boys, Number One and Number Two began to fight. Each feeling that they were in the right. Each feeling that they had something to prove. They threw blow after blow at each other, some landing, some hitting nothing but air.
Allison, who remembered their testosterone fueled rivalry all too well, merely rolled her eyes before stepping back to give them room.
"Boys!" Pogo yelled, distraught, "stop this at once!" But his pleas fell on deaf ears. They were each too angry to take in anything else.
Vanya had taken their mother by the arm and pulled her away from the fray. It was then she realized that Juno had remained frozen in place. Eyes fixed on the fight but her gaze unfocused.
"Juno come on," Vanya said, tugging on her sister's shoulder. She didn't react. "Juno, it's not safe let's—" The shorter woman suddenly realized that her sister was practically vibrating under her palm. Looking at her now, Vanya could see that she was hyperventilating; taking in harsh, shallow gulps of air and looking paler by the second.
"Come on big boy!" Diego taunted, dodging another swing and delivering a volley of solid blows to Luther's back.
"Juno! Juno, can you hear me?" Vanya looked into her sister's dark brown eyes and saw that they were dilated. Vanya knew that Juno wasn't hearing or seeing what was in front of her. She wasn't here at all anymore. The fight had triggered her mind into taking her somewhere else. Somewhere frightening.
"Stop it! Stop it!" Vanya yelled. "You guys, Juno's—!" But her voice was drowned out by a symphony of punches and Klaus excited shouts of "Hit him! Hit him!" Everyone else was so caught up they hadn't even noticed something was wrong.
Vanya didn't know what to do. "Juno, Juno," she said frantically, hoping she could hear. "Everything's fine okay. You're safe. You're safe Juno!"
But Juno didn't feel safe.
She wasn't safe.
Because she wasn't in the courtyard with her sister holding her arm, whispering reassurances in her ear. She wasn't home with her family. She was miles away and she was in trouble—they were in trouble.
She and Ben had separated from Luther. That was the plan but then the plan went wrong, so terribly terribly wrong!
They needed help but there wasn't any coming. Where was Luther? Where was dad? Why didn't he come and help them? Why didn't anybody come? Didn't they know what was happening? Couldn't they see?
Juno desperately needed somebody, anybody to save them because she doesn't know what to do. Things are happening too fast and there's no way out.
(T̸͚͓͆̓Ḩ̸̥̠͆͗͝E̷̼̬̊͝R̶̰̞͠Ḙ̷͛͗̕'̸͎̬̎̒̕S̴̖̚ ̸͚̔́̊N̷̘̤̺̽O̶͈͌ ̶̩͘ͅW̶̛̫͉͙̃̄Ȃ̷̖̦̐Y̸̼̰̚ ̵̘̺̖̅̋Ó̴̤̙̠̅͝U̶̘̅̂͂T̸͉̍̊!̵̛̳͕̩ ̸͎͓͚̀͆T̸̛͚̮̝̈́Ḧ̵̼̜̀Ḙ̷̀͜Ȓ̸̡͎́͜Ę̴̳̋̈́͆ͅS̸̰̹̟̏̐͂ ̴̣̳̫͆N̵̺̬̆Ô̴͓̦ ̵̘͚̻̅̽W̵̛͕̽͌À̵̳̙Y̷̜̞̅̅̉ ̴̟̮̮́̀̚O̵̫̮̜̾̄̊Ụ̵̆̂T̸͔͔͚̽̈́̊!̶̜̒͊̕)
The fear is creeping in on her, choking her, suffocating her. She can't think straight because the terrifying knowledge that she's about to die is all consuming and there's absolutely nothing she can do about it.
(H̴̳̑E̸͇͠L̶̬͆P̷̖̈!̶̰̈ ̵̲̈́Ḥ̸͛E̸̘̎L̷̖͝Ṕ̸̣!̷̝̄)
She tries to comfort Ben, to make herself believe everything will be alright.
"Don't be so morbid, Benji. When we make it home after this you're buying the doughnuts alright?"
But they both know she's lying.
"Ben!" She cried, trying to claw her way to him. "Ben I'm coming!"
Juno tries. She tries so hard, but there's too much pain. She can't get up. She can't get to him fast enough. She's not fast enough. She can't save him. She can't save her brother.
(God please…Somebody, anybody please!)
In the outside world there is a great bang as Ben's statue falls, shattered into pieces courtesy of Luther's massive fist. But to Juno it's an explosion. An explosion that rains down fire and brimstone, an explosion that brings nothing but a burning pain and—
"Diego no!"
Blood!
There's so much blood.
It fills the air like a putrid miasma. The blood is everywhere, Juno can smell it.
So much blood. Too much blood. All she sees is carnage. All she feels is pain.
There's too much blood. There's too much blood! Why was there so much blood!?
Ben! Ben! Where was Ben?! She had to find Ben! She had to go home! She had to find Ben!
Ben was gone…Ben was…Ben was in pieces…Ben was in pieces….Ben was in pieces!
—
Screams filled the courtyard. Terrible, horrified, pleading screaming. Screams so loud they nearly drowned out the sounds of the rain.
In an instant heads are turning, whirling around wildly to see what's happened.
Diego, startled, his heart in his throat, takes in the image of his sister's distraught face and the sound of her continued gut wrenching cries. "Wha-what did you do?!" He demanded of Vanya.
"Nothing!" Vanya said shakily, a vice-like grip on her umbrella . "You-you guys were fighting and-and you wouldn't stop—and then you threw your knife and Juno—"
"Ben!" Juno ran to her brother's body. Falling to her knees in the mud, she cradled what was left of him in her arms. "Ben!" She wailed, hot tears mixing with the rain.
"Oh no Jaybird!" Lamented Klaus.
"We-we should do something," came Allison's frantic voice. "We—what should we do?"
Juno kept trying to put Ben's head back on his body, trying to make it stay. But it wouldn't work. There was too much blood. Too many pieces. "Ben! Ben please!"
"I was afraid this would happen," said Pogo, his voice firm over the chaos. "She'll need to be sedated. Grace and I will prepare the syringe." Without a word the pair hurried inside.
In one swift motion Luther had come behind Juno and crushed her into his chest. His massive arms holding her in place like a vice, squeezing the air out of her lungs. Somehow Juno managed to scream even louder as she fought wildly to get away from him. To get back to Ben. "No! No!"
The remainder of the siblings cried out in protest all at once.
"Luther don't—!" Shouted Vanya
"You're choking her!" Howled Klaus.
"You're going to make it worse!" Cried Allison.
"Let go of her you bastard!" Roared Diego. He'd come around, trying to pry Luther off her himself.
Luther was unfazed, his face set. He didn't loosen his hold, if anything he tightened it. He knew Juno's own strength would allow her to break free otherwise. "You heard Pogo."
With some effort Luther began walking toward the door, Juno still struggling against him. She whipped her head back and slammed into Luther's chest. It knocked the wind out of him, but he did let go.
"No! No!" They were taking her away from Ben. Her brother needed her and she couldn't get to him. Couldn't they see that? Couldn't they see they were running out of time?! Couldn't they see that Ben was in pieces?! "Let go! Let go, please!"
Diego was right behind them, numbers Three, Four and Seven, trailing along. "Look, look, you're not helping! Just-just let Allison Rumor her and she'll calm down alright? Allison!"
"I-I don't do that anymore!" came the actress's frazzled reply.
"Like hell you don't!"
They'd made it across the threshold now. There was so much going on they'd nearly forgotten they were still holding their umbrellas.
"Oh!" Klaus winced, "That's a whole lot of bad luck. Hope that doesn't bite us in the ass"
Five popped into existence next to them, clearly having heard all the noise. "What the hell is going on here?"
"Nothing!" Diego seethed, spinning around to face his siblings, "Nothing is going on here!"
"Diego, we're just trying to help." Bristled Allison.
"None of you are helping! And you're certainly not helping!" Diego barked, pointing an accusatory finger at Allison. "So just go. Leave!"
Luther had kept walking while Diego had unleashed his tirade. He'd had to jog to catch up, leaving Allison, Klaus, Five and Vanya in the hallway.
"…well," Klaus said slowly. "Believe it or not, that actually went better than I expected. The team at its best am I right!"
"Not now Klaus."
17 years ago…
"Nietzche once said: "'Man is as a rope, stretched between the animal and the superhuman. A rope over an abyss. It is a dangerous crossing, a dangerous looking-back, a dangerous trembling and halting."
As much as you must strive for individual greatness—and strive you must, for it won't come to you of its own accord—you must also remember that there is no individual stronger than the collective. The ties that bind you together make you stronger than you are alone. They will make you impervious to the pain and hardship the world will thrust upon you. And believe me when I tell you, life will be hard. It will be painful. We can accomplish anything when we accept responsibility together. This is what creates trust. Together, you will stand against the reign of evil."
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"I'm going to win," Diego declared confidently as he looked up the winding set of stairs in front of them. Numbers Zero through Six glared at him.
"You wish!" Taunted Luther.
"You wanna bet?" Diego challenged back.
Before Luther could answer, Five interjected. "Guys, guys let's be rational about this…" He smirked. "Clearly I'm gonna win."
One and Two protested furiously while Five only smiled self-assuredly.
"Hello!" Allison called, her hands on her hips. "You're all wrong. I'm gonna win!"
There was more arguing when Juno stepped forward with a jaunty, confident stride and a million dollar smile. Making a show of straightening her Academy blazer she said, "You can say whatever you want guys. But I think we all know who the real winner is here."
"You mean me?" Klaus added cheerfully, pulling Juno into a hug by the shoulder. "'cause I'm gonna win!"
The dark haired girl laughed good-naturedly. "Did I say Klaus? No! I definitely didn't say Klaus…ya know what!" Juno said, managing to grab hold of Ben who was nearby, and pull him into her little group. "None of us are gonna win!"
There was a chorus of "what?" And "huh" and Juno continued, patting Ben bracingly on the shoulder. "'Cause Ben's gonna win! Aren't ya Benji!"
Her brother smiled bashfully. It wasn't in Ben's nature to make himself the center of attention so Juno often did it for him. Ben shrugged. "I can probably do it."
"You heard the man! So why don't the rest of you losers—"
From up above, Reginald and Vanya looked down at the seven from the top of the stairs. Reginald in particular looked down in annoyance. "If you're all quite finished—" the children snapped to attention, forming up at the bottom of the stairs. "I would like to begin."
"Yes sir!" The children said as one.
Reginald nodded. "Very good." He gestured to Vanya. "In a moment Number Seven will blow the whistle. At the sound of this whistle you are all to make your way up here as quickly as possible by any means necessary. Is that clear?"
"Yes sir!"
Reginald gave a minuscule nod and Vanya brought the whistled to her mouth. As soon as she blew into it the children were off and running, pushing and shoving their way to the front of the pack.
They were up the first few flights of stairs when Five used his powers to spatial jump his way to the front. "That's not fair! Five cheated!" Diego yelled.
"He adapted!" Reginald corrected.
Juno smiled wickedly, coming up with an idea. "Bye losers!" With a jump she reached the next set of stairs, swinging herself by the banisters and back on to the steps.
Five appeared ahead of her. "You're gonna have to be faster than that if you wanna win Zero," he teased.
Grinning, Juno jumped in the air again, but before she could grab hold of the bannister Allison's voice rang out.
"I heard a rumor that you all froze!"
Just like that, the remaining Hargreeves siblings froze in place, caught in a half stride. Juno, who was mid-jump when Allson had Rumor'd them, dropped to the bottom floor like a stone.
"Sorry Juno!" Alilson called, running up the remainder of the stairs and securing first place with zero competition.
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"Do you think the surprise is a puppy?" Klaus asked excitedly as the group as they made their way down the stairs.
"I doubt it," Ben murmured.
"I think the surprise is a puppy!" Klaus insisted.
"There's no way Dad would get us a puppy," Allison said. "Dad hates animals."
"Oh come on guys," Klaus whined, "It's our birthday, let me dream!"
"Dad never does anything nice on our birthday," Diego commented skeptically. "His 'surprise' could be anything."
"Like a puppy!"
"Be serious Klaus," Luther chastised. "Dad would give us something practical. Dogs aren't practical."
"So what? Is he gonna give us matching calculators or something?" Juno joked.
"Puppies are extremely practical!" Klaus insisted. "I hope mine's one of those freaky hairless ones. I'm gonna name 'em Snausages! Everyone laughed.
"I hope mine's a corgi!" Juno added, playing along.
Klaus nodded eagerly. "What about you, Spaceboy? I don't know why but you seem more like a golden retriever kind of guy to me…" Luther's face blossomed with red and there was more laughter.
"Five, Vanya, thoughts?" Klaus prompted.
When they turned their heads to look at her Vanya flinched. Technically she wasn't supposed to be down here with the rest of them. When their father had called for them the intercom mentioning a surprise he'd specifically asked for Vanya to stay put.
Five was having none of it though, he'd grabbed little Number Seven tightly by the hand and they made their way down together. He was still holding her hand—probably for Vanya's benefit even know that they'd made it to the landing
Five nudged Vanya's shoulder, "I uh, I think pugs are nice I-I guess."
Five nodded stoically. "Mr. Pennycrumb."
"What?" Allison laughed
"Mr. Pennycrumb." Five repeated plainly. "That's the pug's name."
There was a pause.
"What an excellent choice!" Klaus sang. "Snausages The Hairless Wonder and Mr. Pennycrumb A Dashing Pug About Town, what a team!"
"Children," Reginald greeted, cutting into their fun with his appearance. "Number Seven, I thought I told you you weren't needed ."
Vanya shrank as if struck. Five squeezed her hand.
"No matter," Reginald dismissed. "Follow me." He led them further into the foyer where the children saw their surprise first-hand.
"That's definitely not a puppy." Klaus murmured fearfully, taking in the sight of the intimidating tattoo artist and the equally intimidating tattoo station.
Within minutes, the group had lined up to receive a tattoo of an umbrella on the inside of their arm. Juno went first and for once Luther didn't complain. Reginald didn't think tattooing her the normal way would work, but he saw no reason not to try. True to form, as quick as the artist could lay his outline, Juno's body would heal over where the needle had pierced, leaving behind unblemished skin.
"No matter," Reginald sighed. "I suppose we'll just have to get creative. Go and wait with Number Seven, Zero."
Not knowing whether to feel relieved or worried, Juno quickly skulked off to where Vanya had been banished near the stairs. One by one she watched as her siblings winced and held back tears as they were permanently marked with the Academy symbol.
"What's that?" Juno asked quietly, pointing to the inside of Vanya's arm, the smell of permanent marker having met her nose.
"It's nothing!" Vanya said quickly, holding the offending arm close to her chest so Juno couldn't see where she'd drawn her own 'tattoo'.
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Diego—still in a foul mood but for different reasons— quietly closed the door to Juno's room before stomping off.
At the start of today Diego had felt nothing but anger. Anger at Dad, anger at Vanya, anger at Luther. But now he was angry at himself. Angry and ashamed. He hadn't meant to lose his cool at Luther in the courtyard like that, but it'd all just boiled over. It had spilled out of him like a dam had been broken. He'd gotten so carried away in it all he hadn't noticed what was happening to Juno before it was too late
She'd asked him—warmed him—in her own way, not to blow up. That was the one thing she asked of him and what did he do?! He'd fought Luther, yelled at him, beat him, made him bleed, and that had pushed his little sister over the edge.
"Ben! He needs help! Please!"
Diego had tried to apologize but she couldn't hear him. When mom had stuck the needle in Juno's neck and pushed down the plunger there was a small window where she seemed to come back to herself before passing out. In that small instant what had just happened seemed to hit her all at once.
Diego hated that ashamed look that crossed his sister's face.
He hated Dad for what he did to all of them. He hated the universe for never giving the man his comeuppance.
He hated Luther for not seeing their dad for who he really was after all this time
He hated—
"Diego?"
It was Vanya, he'd basically just walked right into her.
"You got enough material for your sequel yet?" He snapped coldly.
She flinched at his tone but she didn't move. "Is Juno okay?" She asked softly.
"She's fine." Diego said shortly. "You leaving?
"Yeah."
"Good." With that Diego turned to leave, nearly bumping into Pogo. The halls of the Academy carried their conversation to his ears.
"Don't waste your time," Vanya sighed, "Diego's right I shouldn't have come."
"This is your home and always will be." Pogo said kindly. "Should I get you a taxi?"
"I already called one. But thanks."
"I hope you know your father loved you very much," Pogo said slowly. "In his own way.
"Yeah well that's kinda the problem isn't it."
"Where's Vanya?" Allison asked, making her way into the low-lit kitchen where Five and Klaus were. "I've been looking all over for her."
"Oh she's gone," Klaus said languidly as he sat awkwardly in his chair, cradling Juno's old electric guitar he'd gotten from who knows where.
"That's unfortunate." Five muttered.
"Yeah—"
"An entire square block. Forty-two bedrooms. 19 bathrooms, but not one drop of coffee." Five said incredulously.
"Dad hated caffeine." Allison reminded him.
"Well, he hated children too, and he had plenty of us." Klaus said with a laugh.
"I'm taking the car." Five said, making to walk out of the room."
Klaus stood up straight, instantly curious. "Where are you going?"
Five glared at him. "To get a decent cup of coffee."
"Do you even know how to drive?" Asked Allison skeptically.
"I know how to do everything," Five said, before fixing the collar of his uniform and disappearing with a flash.
Klaus stood up, staggering slightly, "I feel like we should try and stop him, but then again, I also just kinda want to see what happens."
Klaus' words were slurred but Allison saw no point in mentioning it.
"Alright, I guess I'll see you guys in, what, ten years? When Pogo dies." Diego's tone was joking as he walked into the kitchen but his face told a different story.
"Not if you die first."
"Yeah, love you too, sis," he said, approaching Allison. "Good luck on your next film. Hope it turns out better than your marriage." He taunts.
Allison chose not to say anything, her comeback caught on the top of her tongue. Instead she turned away to dull the urge to speak. Then she thought better of it. "How's Juno?"
"She's fine. She's resting." Diego says, not bothering to turn around.
"Are—are we leaving?" Klaus asks, sitting up from the table and following Diego who shoots him an annoyed look.
"No, I'm leaving, me by myself," but Klaus wasn't listening. Instead he clapped his hands together cheerfully.
"Oh, fabulous! I'll get my things!"
Diego didn't bother waiting for Klaus, wanting to be alone and certainly not wanting anyone around when he ditched dad's monocle.
He'd just managed to go out and put the keys in the ignition of his car when he heard his brother sliding on the gravel behind him.
"Hey! Diego!" Klaus opened the car door and plopped down in the seat behind his brother, not noticing how his grip tightened on the steering wheel. "You know, every time I close my eyes, I see a diarrhetic hippo about to shit on my face. It's terrifying!"
"Terrific" Diego grumbled, turning over the ignition.
Despite himself Klaus closed his eyes and what filled his vision were images of blood and carnage, feelings of a burning pain and the cold hand of death, courtesy of his ghostly brother who sat next to him. "No! No." he whispered.
"Sorry," Ben apologized, scooting farther away so they wouldn't touch. "I can't help it, it's on my mind."
"Lean back." Diego ordered before driving away. Not having heard either of them.
—
Back inside, Allison was in the kitchen looking for something to eat her feelings with, when Mom came in, leading a tired Juno by the elbow.
"Hey, hey guys" Allison greeted, stunned.
Mom smiled and Juno looked anywhere but at Allison. the actress could see they'd changed her into what must've been her pajamas.
"Hi sweetie!" Grace greeted back. "Your sister was feeling better so she wanted to come and say hi."
Juno opened and closed her mouth a couple times before speaking. "H-h-hi."
"Hi." Allison repeated happily, all the while feeling stupid for not being able to think of something better to say.
Juno looked around the room slowly. "Numbers?"
"I-I'm sorry?" The actress asked, feeling even stupider for not being able to tell what her sister was trying to say to her.
Juno worked her jaw, her brow furrowed in concentration. She couldn't work out how else to say it. "N-Numbers?" She repeated dejectedly.
It was Grace who came to Allison's rescue. "Oh honey I'm sorry, I think your brothers and sister have already left. Diego told me to tell you good-bye for him."
Juno was asking where everyone was. They were numbers. Of course they were Numbers! It seemed obvious to Allison now that Mom had put it together for her.
At this news Juno's shoulders sagged gloomily. "Sorry—outside. I'm sorry…"
"Don't apologize." Allison blurted out quickly.
An awkward pause settled between them and Allison kicked herself for not being able to keep up a conversation. She was a celebrity goddammit! Being social had always been easy for her, and yet here she was— fumbling over the right thing to say.
It'd never been this hard to talk to Juno when they were younger. As the only girls on the team they'd always stuck together. A united front wherever the house felt too much like a sausage fest. They used to stay up late, paint each other's nails, tell each other secrets, talk about which teen heartthrob was better looking. But things were different now.
…but she was different now too wasn't she? Wasn't that the point of turning over a new leaf?
"You going?" Juno asked her softly.
'Oh honey I'm sorry, I think your brothers and sister have already left.'
Suddenly it clicked in Allison's mind how lonely her sister must be. Luther had been on the moon for the past four years, sure there was Mom and Pogo but that wasn't the same as friends or a life outside of the house. The last time Allison had personally seen Juno was at her wedding, and that was years ago.
Juno had been looking forward to seeing them, but like clockwork they'd fallen apart and they'd all left without so much as a proper good-bye.
"No, I'm staying for the night." Allison replied warmly, and Juno smiled. "I was, uh, I was actually wondering if you wanted to have a sleepover in my room? For old times sake?"
Juno nodded eagerly before pointing at the fridge. "Sweet?"
Allison thought about this. 'Sweet?' What could that mean? Then it clicked.
When they'd have sleepovers ask kids they'd always demolish a container of ice cream between them. Reveling, the small rebellion of managing to sneak a forbidden food after bedtime.
"Ice cream! Yeah! Yeah, of course we're having ice cream.'' the actress said, as though it were obvious. "It's tradition."
"Cool, cool, Peacock!"
Allison laughed. Together the Hargreeves women made their way upstairs. Allison took Grace's place at Juno's elbow, helping her sister up the stairs step by step, while Grace opted to help carry the ice cream, smiling like she hadn't in days.