"L-Luther," Vanya hiccuped, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand, "h-he tr-tried t-to…" She trailed off, breaking out sobbing again. Gwen just held her close and Vanya was struck by the way the neighbor-girl simply let her cry, not pushing for an explanation nor attempting to diffuse the situation. She had never been treated so gently by anyone before, other than Diego and occasionally Five. Klaus, bless his heart, always tried to make her feel better only to inadvertently make her feel worse and Ben was so compassionate that he usually ended up teary-eyed as well. Allison usually pushed too much, demanding an explanation and getting frustrated when she did not receive one. Once she had regained control of her tears and her breathing was a little steadier, Vanya accepted the porcelain cup she was offered and took a few sips. The warmth spread through her body, instantly soothing her. "Luther," she began again, "he tried to demand that I go back on my meds." If Gwen was surprised, she did not show it. "I can't control it," she whispered, clutching the teacup in her hands in an attempt to absorb its warmth, "my powers."
Gwen scoffed, reaching to fill her own cup. "Of course you can't," she stated, shaking her head in exasperation, "no one has ever asked it of you before." She took several dainty sips of her tea, frowning as she attempted to figure out if she wanted to add anything. Nodding to herself, she glanced at a sugar cube. It broke in half and she added one of the pieces, stirring before she took another sip and smiled in satisfaction. "Besides," she continued haughtily, "from what I understand, Luther never had much to control beyond his strength and his idiocy." Gwen tutted and crossed her legs at the ankles, smirking as Vanya giggled softly.
"Dad tried to get me to control it," she admitted, looking down at her lap, "and when I couldn't… there was this chamber-" Vanya was grateful when a hand wrapped around hers, cutting her off. She had no desire to talk about the dark memories that led them to where they were. No one understood. Five had full control of what he could do and so did Ben. Klaus did not want his powers, even though he had been better recently. Luther, as Gwen so simply had put it, had nothing to really control. Diego was skilled and while he did miss every now and again, he was fully capable of handling his powers. Allison fluctuated between wanting hers and not wanting them, making her an unreliable source of comfort for Vanya. But Five's best friend, the blonde with raincloud-colored eyes, she understood. They had a similar basis in their powers, able to control, destroy and affect. "How do you do it?"
The clink of teacup meeting saucer accompanied the faint sound of Simon playing the piano in the downstairs sitting room as Gwen set down her tea. "There is a massive difference between being asked to control it and being told to control it," she stated darkly, almost regretting that Sir Reginald was already dealt with, "Where I learned to control it because I knew the damage I could cause, Sir Reginald wanted you to control it because of the damage he wanted you to cause." She picked up the other half of the sugar cube she had split, holding it out for Vanya to see. They watched as it fell apart, crystal by crystal until a neat pile of sugar remained. "I can do that to people, separating tendons, muscles, even blood vessels, until nothing remains," she continued, "but I don't want to, and that's all that matters."
"Intention" Vanya whispered.
"Indeed," Gwen agreed, "and it helps to remember that with the right intention you can save people just as much as you can hurt them." She picked up an empty cup and launched it at the wall opposite them. It shattered into hundreds of tiny little shards. Vanya stared at her and she grinned wickedly, throwing the accompanying saucer in the same direction of the smashed cup. Just before it hit the wall, it stopped, hanging in the air. "As long as you intend for something to happen, it will," she assured, setting the saucer down on the floor, "try channeling Simon's music, absorb the sound waves and then use those to pick up the shards and put them on the saucer."
Vanya hesitated, glancing worriedly between Gwen and the layer of destroyed porcelain on spread across the carpet. She listened as Simon played Chopin's Nocturne and did as she was instructed. A gasp slipped past her lips when she felt them, each and every shard, brushing against the invisible force created by Simon's music. She lost concentration in her excitement, the floating pieces falling to the floor again. Frustrated, Vanya turned to Gwen with a furrowed brow, only to be met with an encouraging smile. So she tried again. Successfully.
"It's going to take concentration at first," Gwen said, patting Vanya's knee daintily, "but with enough practice, any sound will help you channel your powers with minimal effort." Vanya smiled widely and they continued enjoying their tea, giving each other updates on their respective relationships. Suddenly remembering just who Diego Hargreeves was, as in his temper, she frowned at her friend. "Hey, Vanya," she said curiously, tilting her head to the side, "what did Diego do when…" She trailed off as another noise reached their ears and cut off Simon's playing. They frowned at each other and cautiously headed downstairs.
"I told you… you didn't stand… a chance…"
"Not m'fault… he was being a…"
Amused and mildly concerned, Gwen interrupted the exchange as she took in the sight in her foyer. "I'm sure that whatever word you were thinking, Mr. Hargreeves," she said, crossing her arms, "is strictly forbidden within these walls." Diego leaned against Five, who had a small cut on his cheekbone but seemed otherwise unharmed. The same could not be said for his brother. Diego had several bruises beginning to bloom over his face and the visible parts of his arms and chest. His lip was bleeding and his right eye was swelling with a shiner unlike any Gwen had ever seen before. Vanya immediately rushed over to help steady her boyfriend while the blonde remained on the stairs to stay out of the way while the Hargreeves made their way to the kitchen. "Now, I'm aware that I usually help you with injuries," she stated as she joined them and telekinetically helped them place Diego on the kitchen island, "but why bring Diego?"
"Because he got in a brutal fight with Luther," Five replied dryly, still panting slightly, "Mom isn't home to take care of him and he refuses to see a doctor even though I'm fairly certain he's bleeding internally from a cracked rib or something." He gestured vaguely around him, slumping into a chair in the corner. "So, I thought of Gwendolyn Silver's private practice."
Rolling her eyes, Gwen handed a small cotton pad dipped in an anti-bacterial liquid to Vanya. "See to that cut on his cheek, will you?" While Vanya dealt with Five, Gwen turned to Diego and eyed him critically. Nodding to herself, she reached up to press her fingers against the side of his torso while watching ribcage moved as he breathed, finding two broken ribs on his left side. She moved to the other, pressing down slightly against his right side where a cry of pain alerted her to one more broken rib. "I'm afraid I can't do much about the bruising nor the ribs," she said kindly, moving around him to get an icepack from the freezer, "All you can do, really, is put some ice over to relieve pain and take an ibuprofen or something to help you sleep and breathe easier." Diego nodded painfully and Gwen gave a sympathetic smile. "It's gonna hurt to breathe but you have to remember to take deep breaths to avoid a lung infection," she continued, helping him down, "but at least I can't sense any wayward blood to indicate internal bleeding."
"How do you know all this," Diego asked, wincing with every move he made, "Mom is programmed to know this kind of stuff, but you're just a kid."
"Well, years of helping Five kind of forced me to take up an interest in medicine," Gwen replied, switching places with Vanya so she could make sure he would not need stitches or butterfly bandages, "so I had Simon order the textbooks used for pre-med classes in college and studied them." Finding that the cut was superficial, at worst, she patted his other cheek and turned just in time to catch the tender gaze with which Diego watched Vanya fuss over him. "I'm taking the PSATs soon and I'm planning on taking the tests required to get a bachelor's in pre-med at the same time I take the SATs so I can move on to med-school straight out of Ophelia Murphy's with the intention to become a fully licensed and certified trauma surgeon by the time I'm twenty-eight."
Five shook his head at Diego and Vanya's dumbstruck expressions. "See, this is what I mean when I say the level of academic pressure at Ophelia Murphy's will kill you," he grumbled, taking her hand in his, "You told me that the average age of just becoming a surgical resident is between twenty-four and thirty and you plan to be fully-fledged by then." He wanted to pull her close to him, much like Diego did with Vanya in spite of his pain, but chose not to do so in front of his family. His relationship was best kept private unless displays of affection were required to make a point. "I know you're intelligent and, at this point, experienced enough to do it," Five continued, seeing the displeased look on Gwen's face, "I just feel the need to remind you that at some point during that time, the societal rules you've decided to follow demands a wedding and that it might get a little stressful."
"Do you want to come over for dinner tonight," Vanya asked before Gwen could retort, "to see the others and maybe help pull a prank on Luther?" The blonde nodded, smiling sweetly.
"Simon," she called, waiting for the man to appear in the kitchen before she continued, "I'll be having dinner with the Hargreeves tonight." He nodded and moved to get back to the piano but Gwen held up a hand. "Also, would you please bring the car around?" At the questioning glances she received, she elaborated. "Vanya and I will be going out until dinner and a ride would be most appreciated." Simon nodded again, though he seemed bemused, and disappeared to do as he had been told. Pleased that her plans for the rest of the day were in motion, Gwen turned and kissed Five on the cheek. "You should take Diego home so he can get some rest," she said, leaving no doubt that it was a command despite her pleasant tone, "We'll be back in time for dinner, I promise."
Not until six months later did Five find out what they had been up to that day. He shared a suspicious glance with his family as they stared up at the Icarus Theater sign. Needless to say, none of them had been there since their sister brought about the apocalypse. Perhaps for the first time in his life, Five actually doubted Gwen. Her invitation had simply stated for him to bring his family to the Icarus Theater at eight in the evening. Vanya was absent and that alone was cause for worry. Diego shuffled nervously, wringing his hands as he appeared to contemplate running away. Finally, Klaus and Allison sighed in annoyance and grabbed Luther and Ben by the arms, dragging them towards the entrance. Relenting that their presence would be appreciated by Gwen, Five and Diego shared one last look and followed.
An usher showed them into the same room they had last been in. This time though, Gwen stood on the stage, rather than Vanya. She smirked as she saw Five glare at her and for once she was grateful for her family name. The theater had been all too pleased to accept the donation her mother had made in exchange for a private evening. She waited for the Hargreeves to be seated before she began the show. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," she greeted, smiling to the abysmal audience, "I'm sure most of you are wondering why I asked you here." Without pause, Gwen nodded slightly toward stage left, where her mother and Grace were waiting with the star of the night. "I learned to appreciate music through my good family friend Simon," she told the audience, letting Vanya walk out on stage, "and tonight I'm pleased to present Vanya Hargreeves, who will be playing a very special melody for us."
Vanya flinched and glanced at Gwen when Luther jumped up and pointed an accusatory finger at them. Her friend simply smiled and nodded in encouragement. Accepting the violin her mother held out for her, Vanya whispered thanks to Monica who helped her onto the stool in the middle of the stage. Without waiting for further reaction, she started to play. The music, the oh-so-painfully familiar melody she had played all those months ago before the moon fell from the sky, haunted all of them. Even as she tried to immerse herself in her music, Vanya could see how tense her family was.
Smug satisfaction formed a grin on Gwen's face at the awestruck expressions on the Hargreeves' faces. For months she had been going to the theater with Vanya to help the girl process the memories brought out by the place as well as practice the powers she had displayed on that very stage. She knew it would set her in a bad position with Five, she had never done anything behind his back before, but she also knew that the payoff would be worth it. Vanya's family, being back in the place where everything had gone so wrong and seeing her control her powers, would finally begin to trust her. If that caused a strain on her relationship with Five, Gwen had no regrets. She closed her eyes and listened to Vanya play, never tiring of hearing the piece. When the final notes faded out, the room was dead silent. Then applause from a tearful Monica Silver and smiling Grace Hargreeves. Klaus and Ben joined in, as did Allison. Luther, for once, did not appear to have anything to say. Diego was smiling and Gwen felt herself tear up as she witnessed relief flit across Vanya's face at the sight. Everything would be alright.
All except one thing. Five was already waiting in her bedroom when they returned from the theater. "How could you," he asked acidly before she had even fully closed the door, "how could you go behind my back and risk your own safety like that?" He gave her no chance to reply, pushing her back against the mahogany surface with an alarmingly loud thud. The fact that her expression showed no fear helped him combat the regret creeping up his spine. "How fucking dare you put yourself at risk," he spat, "knowing what she can do?" Five was nowhere near as startled by the fierce defiance in her eyes as he wanted to be.
"How dare you continue to believe that she's dangerous," Gwen bit back, pushing him away with a force that surprised even her, "when it's that kind of thinking that made her who she was in the first place?" She shoved him again, ignoring the twinge of remorse she felt when he groaned upon slamming into her desk. Knowing that he would be angry had done nothing to prepare her for the actual argument and she silently wondered what good precognition was if it did not prepare her. "Vanya needed someone who trusted her," she continued frostily, "and since none of you were ready to accept that role, I did, not only because she needed it but because I get it!"
They were yelling, but neither cared. Five growled, shaking his head furiously. "You could have been killed," he screamed, "And the fact that you willingly put yourself in that situation, even though you know how I feel… I don't even fucking know what to do with that." Distantly, he could hear Monica and Simon come running to check on them. "I don't know what the fuck to think about any of it."
"Then maybe it's for the best that we don't see each other until you do." Gwen's words shocked both of them, but she refused to regret them. How could she regret them when he would not see beyond the selfish reasons for his anger and had the gall to yell at her in her own home? Some time apart would do them good. At least, that is what she hoped. Maybe, by the time the dust had settled, Tristan Carmine would still be available. Regret or no, tears rose in Gwen's eyes as she and Five stared at each other. Her mother and Simon knocked on the door, asking if everything was alright. It was not. It might not ever be. Without another word, Five disappeared and Gwen fell apart.
