Chapter 8

A harsh, loud knock brought Andy violently out of her delirium. She shot up, instinctually gasping for air while the water she'd been sleeping in sloshed over the edge of the bathtub. It splashed against the tile floor in a light cascade when there was another trio of raps against the door.

"Yeah?" She called out, wiping a hand down her face.

"Hurry up!" Five shouted from the other side of the door. "We have shit to do."

"Yeah," She replied.

Andy reached for the chain connected to the stopper and gave it a gentle tug. The water poured out of the bathtub a second later, and she stood. Her nap in the bath made her feel much better than before. She might as well have slept for a week or longer.

After getting dressed, Andy emerged from the bathroom about the same time Five and Klaus left the latter's room.

"Come on," Five barked.

Andy and Klaus shared a glance. Klaus made a face, a sort of sarcastic, mocking face that made Andy smile and stifle a laugh. He grinned.

She felt a little better. Yesterday, she'd been so angry with him, furious in fact, because she had been awake for so damn long just trying to find him. In hindsight, she knew it wasn't his fault. He hadn't disappeared on purpose or anything, but in the time, she was so frazzled, so sleep-deprived that she took it out on him.

As they followed Five, Andy reached for Klaus's hand. She threaded her fingers through his and he did the same. When she gave him a light smile, he again, did the same. She'd apologize later. Something told her Five might get a little testier if they 'spoke out of turn'. He did seem to be taking on the role of a strict Headmaster.

The trio made it only a foot or two down the hallway before Diego ran into view.

"Where have you been?" Five asked as Diego darted into his room to change.

"Jail." He replied simply. "Long story. Where's Luther?"

"Don't know." Five replied.

"Yeah," Klaus sighed. Diego emerged from his bedroom, snapping his knife harness into place. "Two days until the end of the world and he chooses now to drop off the grid."

"We need to find him." He clicked the final buckle and turned a stern eye to his brothers. "Allison's in danger."

The trio shared a worried glance, but didn't question him as he led the way. Andy followed, though she wasn't entirely certain why. The only real reason she was there was because a kid, who was actually a guy in his fifties, said that she had to fight alongside his family to help stave off the end of the world.

Normal, right?

No one had been more surprised that Klaus knew where to find Luther, than Klaus. Maybe it was simply a lucky guess. Or, maybe, it was that he knew what people did when they wanted to drink themselves to death?

After uttering the simple phrase that Allison was in trouble, the giant gorilla leapt into action. At first, Andy didn't understand why he'd been so moody. It wasn't until Klaus explained the truth that she got it. Poor thing had only just then realized that their father was an asshole. Up until that point, he'd always held Hargreeves in high regard, much to the annoyance of his siblings and Andy. She couldn't imagine how heartbroken he'd been.

After clamoring into the vehicle (Andy still didn't know how they fit) Five sped down the road toward the address Diego had given him. It was a nearly two hour drive.

Andy sat up front with Five and Klaus, far more comfortable than she would have been in the backseat with Diego and Luther. When they clamored into the car, Five agitatedly asked her why she wouldn't just sit in the back. Her reply was simple. She told him that she'd rather sit squished in the front seat between someone she liked and someone who was indifferent to her than between two people who didn't like her. She said it loud enough that Diego and Luther likely heard her, but neither of them remarked on it. She was fairly certain they'd agree.

Roughly half-way through the drive, Luther shifted forward.

"Can you go any faster?"

"Ask me that again, and I'll burn you with a cigarette lighter." Five replied through a clenched jaw.

Luther slipped back into his seat. He believed Five. They all believed Five.

The rest of the journey was made in silence, but they finally found the small cabin nestled in the middle of the woods. Together, the group climbed out of the car and up the front porch. There were lights on inside.

Luther, unable to walk behind anyone for anything, charged the front door and didn't hesitate to kick it open. The others soon joined him, but none of them expected what they found inside. Allison was lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood.

Andy stood in the back, nearly paralyzed with shock. There's something incredibly sobering about seeing someone you know so severely injured. It forced a very real chill to course through you and the hairs all over your body to stand on end. As she stood there staring down at a woman she'd known for more than half her life, Andy's mind flashed with images of Ben.

The screaming... the blood...

Luther cradled Allison to his chest, sobbing and shaking. Klaus attempted to comfort him. Diego was just as shocked as Andy was, and Five didn't seem to know what to do. Somehow, through all of that, Andy realized that Allison may actually die, and it forced her to act.

Driven more by instinct than desire, Andy pushed past Five and Diego and dropped to Allison's side. Luther still held her close, jostling her from side to side. He was distraught and not thinking clearly, but what he was doing was dangerous and not helping.

"Luther, you have to move." She told him.

He didn't reply, still mumbling his no and don't die over and over again. Andy grit her teeth. She touched his shoulder.

"Luther, move. I can help her."

But her words didn't seem to make it through the haze and time was running out.

"Move, Luther." She repeated.

But he wouldn't, and Andy was becoming increasingly angry. She acted out because of it.

"I said, move!" She shoved Luther with her power the same way she had Diego a few days prior, though not as hard.

The giant dropped Allison, fell into the couch and nearly took it to the ground, but it gave Andy the space she needed.

"What the fuck!" Luther bellowed.

With her hand on Allison's throat, she shot Luther a deathly stare. She pitied him for the tears he'd spilt and how pained he looked, but this was serious and he needed to let her work.

"I can help her." She told him sternly. "Now, back off and let me."

"You don't need to touch her." He growled. He fought to get to Allison again, to wrap his arms around her, but Diego stood in his path.

"Luther, bro." Diego interjected before the gorilla could hurt her. His voice drew the blonde's eye. "She's right, okay? Let her help."

Andy wasn't the only one shocked by Diego running to her defense.

Luther seemed to struggle with the thought, but eventually calmed enough. Andy turned her attention to Allison. The heat of her blood burned Andy's hand and the fear reflected through her chocolate eyes was heartbreaking.

"I've got you, okay?" Andy said as kindly as she could. "Just stay calm. Your heart is beating really quickly. Just try to breathe normally, alright?"

Allison tried to nod, but stopped herself quickly.

"We need to get her to the Academy, now." Luther demanded. Andy was sure the sheer magnitude of blood on the floor terrified him. It should. It was a lot.

"I need to stabilize her first." Andy said. "Just give me a minute."

Andy took in long, deep breaths and did her best to calm down. The atmosphere in the cabin was so charged that she found it harder to focus than she had with Five, and his injury was nothing in comparison.

Allison's pulse thundered beneath Andy's fingers. The rhythm of it was hypnotic and it gave the young woman something to focus on. The thump, thump, thump of it helped drown out the chaos surrounding her and soon the noise disappeared entirely. Andy saw only the task before her. Even Allison disappeared.

The blood that saturated Allison's skin and pooled beneath her head began to move. Slowly but surely it crept back into the wound hidden beneath Andy's hand. It was gradual and languid, easily the same speed at which a snail crawled, but it was moving. Andorra couldn't return all of it because so much had begun to dry or was contaminated, but a pint… she could manage a pint. Allison needed every drop she could get, so Andy did her best.

Minutes ticked by until Andy finally felt comfortable enough to divert even a fraction of her concentration.

"Pick her up slowly." She said softly. "I'll cradle her head."

Luther stepped around her to the other side and crouched down. He easily slid his hands beneath Allison and lifted her slowly. Andy kept her hand clasped firmly over the wound while her free hand cradled the back of Allison's head. She peered up into Luther's terrified face.

"I have to keep my hand here, okay?"

He looked so broken when he nodded that she truly pitied him.

"Move slowly so I can keep it there."

"Okay," He mumbled.

It was perhaps one of the most awkward things to manage, and yet somehow they made their way through the door. Luther was a giant which made everything difficult, even more so when they reached the car.

"Klaus, can you-"

"Yeah,"

He quickly darted forward and opened the back door. Andy approached it and stood with her back to the opening.

"Take a knee." She told the giant.

He complied and as he lowered himself, Andy slid into the Rolls. Thankfully, Luther seemed to realize quickly what she was attempting and as she dipped into the vehicle, he guided Allison in after her. Andy continued to scoot across the backseat until she reached the opposite door because she assumed Luther would join them. She was right.

Once they were safely inside, Diego, Five, and Klaus jumped into the front seat. Five immediately peeled out of the driveway and began the long drive home.

Half way there, Andy felt herself slipping again, something that didn't surprise her in the least given how much energy she was putting forth. But, as though God was smiling down on her for once, it began to rain. She didn't hesitate to roll her window down completely.

"Could you roll that up?" Luther asked as he attempted to shield both his face and Allison's from the freezing rain.

"No," She told him bluntly. Andy rested her head against the edge of the open window and felt instant relief as the rain stung her face. "I need to keep my energy up."

"Then try coffee." He snapped.

Luther tried to reach across Allison to roll the window up, but was quickly stopped. When he looked up, he noticed Andy staring at him intensely. He struggled against the invisible barrier keeping him from touching the knob and soon realized she was the cause.

"She's going to freeze."

"She'll be fine." Andy snapped. "But I need it if I'm going to keep her stable."

Luther seemed to weigh his options before finally retracting his hand. When he did, her concentration was able to go back to Allison. Andy once more rested her head as near to the window as she could.

"And I can't drink coffee." She said. "It has caffeine."

"That's the point." He replied.

Andy sighed and shook her head. "Caffeine dehydrates you." She told him plainly. "I can't have caffeine, sugar, salt, or anything alcoholic."

"Seriously?" She heard Klaus ask from the front seat.

"Seriously." She said.

"Not even a little?"

"Nope," Andy sighed. "Average human body is somewhere around sixty-percent water. I'm closer to the high eighties." She opened her eyes and looked at Luther. "So, I need this," she motioned her head towards the open window, "And concentration to help her." She tilted her head at Allison. "Okay?"

He didn't seem happy with the prospect of freezing and getting wet, but thankfully he understood the reason.

Andy drifted. She savored each every icy shard of rain that hit her face. She wasn't lying when she told the guys that she couldn't have certain things. It was very true, but she refused to have a strict diet. The truth was, she didn't drink coffee or alcohol, but sugar and salt? Who could give those up completely? Although, she generally paid for it at some point.

Think of it as a less sever anaphylactic shock.

As carefully as they had before, Andy and Luther extracted Allison from the car. Five, Klaus, and Diego ran ahead of them to open doors, which they appreciated.

Everything happened so fast, from Grace taking over the stitching, to Diego passing out when he saw the transfusion needle. Soon, Allison was stable and Andy was given the chance to sit. She could no longer stand on her own two feet. Thankfully, she was hooked up to a bag, too.

"Where'd you learn how to do that?"

Luther's voice drew Andy into the moment. It wasn't until he spoke that she realized she'd slipped into a shallow slumber. When she opened her eyes, she saw him staring at her, clasping Allison's hand in his. Diego was sat on the opposite side with his arm still hooked up to a needle, but he was conscious. Grace was busily working while Pogo, Five, and Klaus lingered just in the background.

"Do what?" she asked heavily.

"Mom said you fixed some of the damage and you kept her from bleeding out. How'd you learn how to do that?"

"The Old Man." Andy replied as she tried to push herself up in her seat to sit properly. "He said he was teaching me how to heal people."

"That's amazing." Five responded.

"It was a lie." Andy nearly spat the words. "He was really teaching me how to tear people apart from the inside, how to unwind muscles and rupture organs or arteries." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. The bag wasn't helping as much as it should, so she took hold of the needle and popped it out of her arm. Andy pushed herself to unsteady feet. "I need my tank."

She stumbled a little as she left the infirmary, but arms caught her. "Come on," Klaus said. "I'll take you."

Andy nodded and with his help, the pair made their way to the elevator that would take her to the level with the water tank.

They made the journey in silence. In truth, Andy was simply doing her best not to pass out on her feet. When they eventually made it to the basement level and down the hall, she felt a sigh of relief. The sight of the water, the way she felt it lingering in the air, made Andy feel infinitely better.

Klaus made a noise, a grunt of something as he helped her walk up the stairs to the top of the tank. She didn't blame him. She was more tired than she thought and while Klaus wasn't really a weak individual, deadweight was hard for most anyone to support, and that was what she'd become.

Andy lowered herself with Klaus's help until she sat on the edge of the tank. She let her legs fall into the water.

"You good?" He asked despite knowing that yes, she would be fine from that point on.

"Yeah," She nodded. He gave her a smile and was about to leave until she grabbed him. Andy held onto his hand, forcing him to stop. His thick brows pulled together curiously. "I'm sorry." His curiosity deepened. "I didn't mean to yell at you yesterday."

Understanding washed through his features. Klaus shifted until he could sit down beside her. He crossed his legs instead of letting them rest in the tank.

"It's fine."

She shook her head. "Not really. I was just so tired and scared and angry that…" Andy sighed and stopped trying to explain herself. "Were you really kidnapped?"

"Yeah," He laughed weakly when he spoke. Disbelief rang out in the single word.

Klaus proceeded to tell her what happened, how Chacha and Hazel grabbed him when they couldn't find Five. He told her how they tortured him, how all of their victims talked to him, and that their briefcase took him to the past.

Andy listened quietly, smiled when he told her about Dave, and felt tears prick at her eyes when he said that Dave died in his arms less that forty-eight hours ago. That part broke her heart, shattered it, really.

She wrapped her arm around him and hugged him to her side. Klaus let his cheek rest against the top of her head and let his hand sit on her knee. She gently rubbed his back as reassuringly as she could. They remained that way for a while, she didn't know how long, until Klaus told her that he'd let her get some rest. He kissed her forehead and walked off, waving when he reached the hall. She waved back and then tumbled gracelessly into the water.

Relief washed over her as Andy's body physically absorbed every drop of water that touched her skin. She promptly drifted to the hook in the middle of the floor. Her strap was still tied to it, so Andy threaded it around her left ankle and let herself float. Awake, she'd be able to stay submerged. Asleep, and she knew she'd sleep, she would float. The strap kept that from happening.

Andy breathed deep and let herself drift. She thought about Klaus as sleep came. She pitied him for losing a man he called the love of his life. It surprised her a little, though, that Klaus had been with a man. He never struck her as gay. He never struck her as anything, really. To Andy, it would make as much sense for Klaus Hargreeves to be in love with a man or a woman, as it would be for him to love something absolutely random like a tree or even that creepy mannequin Five had.

Maybe she was just shocked because he'd managed to find someone that he genuinely fell in love with. The jealousy was there, jealousy that he'd never see her that way, but she pitied him more. There was nothing worse than not being able to be with the person you love.