Klaus POV

Annie.

My brain jolts to life from a dead sleep. A warm, drunken, post-celebration sleep. She'd contacted us. Annie! Thank the little girl on the bicycle in heaven, she was alive, and she was okay.

I reach out around my bed, groping in the dark at the sheets. Clenching my eyes shut tight, I giggled a bit to myself.

I hoped I'd get to see her soon now, my little diva cup. I'd been worried sick, fallen back into drugs, and secluded myself from my family. But there was no need for drugs now. I felt like I'd taken a pound of valium.

I smiled, letting my eyes roll around the darkness of my room. The ceiling, covered in glowing stars stuck up there by Annie as a child, was bright and familiar and soothing. I put my hands behind my head, and quite nearly got to sleep again, until the glow-in-the-dark stars were blocked off.

'Klaus.'

'Shhhh.'

'Klaus Hargreeves.'

'Dory, it's like 3 am, you should re-', and I shut up, opening my eyes to see that this wasn't Dory, but instead a familiar spirit. I folded my hands together in delight as I sat up in my bed. Hadn't seen this old guy in a while.

'Nostradamus, buddy, it's been so long!', I said, grinning. 'How've ya' been old guy?'

He cleared his throat and sat down rigidly on the bedside. His long, wispy beard fell down to his belly, made more apparent by his wrinkly brown cloak. His scrunched his nose at me in distaste.

'I've no time for niceties.', he explained, clearing his throat again. 'I've come with grave tidings.'

'Oh, scary, grave tidings, wOooO!', I responded, not taking him seriously.

He stared at me using the same glare as he did in all his old portraits. His lips looked really crusty. He could use some chapstick.

'I suggest you heed what I have to say.', he said, opening up a scroll in his hands. I peeked over at the writings, and he very swiftly smacked me on the forehead, keeping me from them.

'My gosh, why are all the medieval ghosts so rude?', I mumbled, rubbing the burning patch of skin on my forehead.

But I supposed I should listen to what he had to say.

'Spill the beans, Frenchie.'

He looked very annoyed at that comment.

'I've come to bring you two prophecies, and a choice.', he spoke, eyes not coming off the scroll.

'I'm really bad at making choices though...', I said, cringing, patting my hands together lightly.

He looked me up and down, presumably examining my care bears tank top and cut off fluffy green pajamas.

'I gather that.', he mumbled, and then went back to reading.

'Anyways, gimme' those prophecies of yours, Nostradamus.'

Another throat clearing. 'Both regard the future of your daughter, and the future of another certain prophecy in the works.', he explained. 'Are you aware of the future in which your daughter and nieces and nephews obliterate the Temps Commission?'

'Aware?', I scoffed. 'It's all Diego's jabbered on about for fourteen years.'

'You have a choice to make, Klaus.', he said, looking at me seriously.

'What is any of this to do with me?', I said, recognizing that the tone of this talk wouldn't allow for me to crack more jokes.

He stared at me for a moment. 'It all hinges upon you, Klaus.'

'Me?', I said, taken back. Me?

He nodded slowly, and seriously. 'You, Mr. Hargreeves.'

'What do I need to do? Or, I mean, what do I have to choose? And why me?'

He shrugged. 'It's how the fates work out sometimes.'

'Tell me what I need to choose, and I'll make my decision.', I said, confidently. But deep down, I was uncertain, and scared.

'Your daughter Annie is currently in London, England with a young man by the name of Felix Pitts.'

I nodded slowly.

'She is currently planning on going back with him to the Temps Commission and assuming the role of the Handler.', he explained.

I rubbed my hand to my forehead. Annie? My sweet, little non-confrontational Annie? Why?

I continued to nod.

'Here's where the choice comes in.'

'Ok?'

'Would you ever be interested in seeing her again?', he said, nonchalantly.

I felt like I'd been punched in the gut. Why was that even in question?

'Obviously?', I said, rubbing my eyes.

'I see a future in which you're in each other's lives until you die. You die at the age of ninety-two, surrounded by your grandchildren and Annie at your side, warm in your bed.', he offered up.

I nodded quickly. 'That sounds good, I want that one, I don't really care to hear the other option.'

'Klaus.'

'Is there a catch?'

'There's always a catch, Klaus.'

'Ok?'

'In this future, the Temps Commission is never eradicated as predicted.', he went on. 'Annie suffers the loss of her husband, and your brothers Five and Diego both die in the process of trying to help take them down. Quinn is crippled for life. But you live, and you get to see Annie again.'

I took a moment to take it in, knowing the weight of it, but not quite feeling it yet. Like a growing pit in my stomach.

'And the other future?'

'The Temps Commission is completely eradicated.', he started. 'Time and space are freed, your entire family survives the ordeal, all safe and sound.'

'Catch?', I said, a wave of sadness going through me as I knew it would be bad.

'You never see her again.'

There it was.

'And you die a horrible death trying to aid them in destroying the commission.', he said, looking at me gravely.

I looked down at my hands, not quite sure how to react.

'A death by fire.', he said, his voice tapering off at the end.

'But she lives?', I ask, quietly.

'She lives and has five children with Felix and a happy, unperturbed life.', he said, half smiling.

'And the Commission does no more harm?'

'Not a lick for the rest of eternity.', he assured.

I nodded slowly. I loved my family.

I loved Annie.

I wanted peace for the world.

And if it meant suffering on my part, then I'd take it.

'I'll take option number two, Nostradamus.', I said quietly, my voice nearly breaking as tears welled in my eyes.

He looked back at me with pity.

'Bless your soul, Klaus Hargreeves.'