IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please be aware that this chapter contains mentions of self-harm and verbal abuse. Reginald Hargreeves' expectations for Penny took her to a very, very, very dark place in her life. If you suffer from similar experiences, please be cautious as you read this chapter. I will leave an X where you should stop reading if you feel the need to, and then place another X where it is safe to continue reading.


Chapter 2: The Best Funeral Ever…?


Five swearing was nothing new.

However, seventeen years after his disappearance and his reemergence into existence being remarked by swearing as a thirteen year old while his siblings all were due to turn thirty within the next seven months definitely made it strange. Shit was right.

"Well are you just going to stand there with your mouths opening and closing like dying fish, or can we continue this inside? Believe it or not, time travel has a detrimental effect on the stomach," Five stated, a hint of annoyance lacing his tone.

He never was the most patient.

But none of the adult Hargreeves siblings did as Five said. They continued to remain in the same place, jaws loose and hanging.

He brushed past them all as their eyes followed him, turning as he went far enough out of their peripheral vision. He glanced back at them, face contorted in irritation, and unceremoniously shoved his way inside the manor in true Number Five fashion.

Allison and Luther were the first to rush after him. Klaus and Diego soon followed.

But Penny was rooted to her spot. Her grayish-hazel eyes burned.

It had been so many years…so many torturously painful years without him. She thought she had moved on, become someone else; forgotten that helpless little girl she used to feel like without him. But she had been fooling herself all along. Her mental health had improved significantly, but just the sight of his face in the flesh felt like years of unraveled hard work.

Vanya rested a hand gently on her sister's shoulder.

"Penny," she said softly. "Penny, are you okay?"

The chestnut haired woman shook her head, windswept wavy locks flying in every direction in the wind.

"I forgot about him years ago," Penny admitted quietly. "Not literally, but figuratively. I thought I'd moved past ever needing to see him again. But he's…he's back, and with him, brought everything I'd brushed under the carpet years ago."

"You'll be able to talk to him," Vanya consoled. "You can heal."

Penny patted her sister's hand in thanks. "I don't know if I can, but I appreciate the comfort, Vanya."

And with that, Penny trudged inside, stomach flipping and flopping in every which direction. Vanya was hot on her heels. She continuously popped her knuckles as she made her way to the kitchens downstairs. She knew Five would be hungry, and that would be the first place he would go.

When she arrived at the kitchens, it seems everyone else had just done the same. Luther sat down on the opposite side of the table, Diego standing next to him. Klaus decided the best place to observe everything was on the table, which is where he slunk down with his legs crisscrossed. Vanya took a seat next to him in an actual chair while Allison stood. And finally, Penny sat near the end of the table, closest to Five, who stood at the head for a moment before starting to rummage around for food. She gulped.

No one spoke as he got out a cutting board, a butter knife, and a loaf of white bread.

"What's the date? The exact date?" he questioned.

"The twenty-fourth," Vanya replied.

"Of what?"

"March."

"Good."

His eyes were focused on his task at hand.

"So, are we gonna talk about what just happened?" asked Luther.

Five said nothing, arranging the bread meticulously on the cutting board.

Penny cleared her throat awkwardly, beginning to feel nauseous. She cracked her knuckles again, earning her a single glance from Five. His eyes skimmed her hands for a moment while he continued making a sandwich.

Luther stood, his voice growing louder. "It's been seventeen years."

Five finally met his eyes, voice firm. "It's been a lot longer than that."

With a familiar POP, he spacial jumped from in front of Number One to the cupboard behind him.

Penny inadvertently smiled lightly at the action. He'd gotten better.

"I haven't missed that," Luther grumbled.

"Where'd you go?" asked Diego.

"The future." Five appeared back at the head of the table. "It's shit, by the way."

"Called it," Klaus chimed in, pointing at Penny. "Told you, Miss Sunshine."

Penny rolled her eyes. "Just shut it, Klaus."

Five's gaze finally met hers for the first time. He smirked slightly. "You've gotten snarkier."

Penny felt her face grow warm and she leaned forward to rest her cheek in her hand, hopefully covering the pink blossoming over her skin.

"I should have listened to the old man," Five continued. "You know, jumping through space is one thing, jumping through time is a toss of the dice."

Penny's eyebrows shot up. Five never used to admit anything their father said was remotely correct. He had changed.

"Nice dress," he commented at Klaus.

Klaus seemed proud of himself. "Oh, well, danke."

"Wait, how did you get back?" wondered Vanya.

"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."

Penny understood, nodding. She was impressed. He really had changed. He'd gotten smarter.

"That makes no sense," deadpanned Diego.

"Well, it would if you were smarter like Penny. She got it just fine," Five replied quickly, not looking up from spreading peanut butter on the bread.

Diego jumped to his feet, infuriated.

Luther put an arm out.

"How long were you there?" Luther questioned.

"Forty-five years, give or take," Five said.

Penny's eyebrows shot up, her eyes widening. Five had been stuck in the future for forty-five years…possibly alone. She inhaled sharply, clenching her jaw.

"So what are you saying? That you're 58?" Luther said in disbelief.

"No, my consciousness is 58. Apparently, my body is now 13 again." Five slammed the second slice onto his peanut butter and marshmallow monstrosity and took a giant bite.

"Wait, how does that even work?" Vanya asked.

"Delores kept saying the equations were off. Eh. Bet she's laughing now."

This time, Penny gulped audibly, drawing in several stares from various adopted siblings. So he had been spending time with someone named Delores.

Somehow, she managed to speak. "D-Delores?"

Five didn't respond to that, and instead, picked up the newspaper. "Guess I missed the funeral."

"How'd you know about that?" Luther commanded.

"What part of the future do you not understand? Heart failure, huh?"

Diego and Luther replied in unison, both with opposite answers.

"Yeah."

"No."

Penny broke out of her stunned stupor long enough to reprimand Luther at mention of his insane theory.

"Would you two cut that out?" she snapped.

Five's eyebrows rose. "Nice to see nothing's changed."

And with that, he walked out.

Penny let out a sigh, letting her shoulders relax.

What was wrong with her? Why was she letting Five get to her emotions that way? It had been almost seventeen years since she had seen him; almost seventeen years since their last conversation…almost seventeen years since their words before dinner.

"Uh, that's it? That's all you have to say?" demanded Allison.

"What else is there to say? The circle of life," he called back.

The six adult siblings sat in shocked silence. No one knew what else to say.

Penny debated on going after him to talk.

"Well…that was interesting," commented Luther uncomfortably.

Penny instantly stood, rushing after Five, determined.

"Penny!"

She heard Vanya call out after her, but she paid no attention. She caught sight of Five in the foyer, about to head upstairs. He paid her no notice, even though her stomps were clearly audible in such an echoing space.

She joined in his pace, realizing that she was a fair amount taller than him – about three inches. She could see the slight cowlick on the back of his head that he had constantly smoothed down when he was younger.

But he was silent, only acknowledging her with a side-eyed glance.

"That's it?" she questioned, voice low. "Not even a hello?"

Five shrugged, taking another bite of his sickly sweet sandwich. "What was I supposed to say?"

"How about a greeting to the only person who saw you for what you are…or were," suggested Penny, clearly frustrated.

As they reached the first landing of the steps, Five paused, finally looking her straight in the eye. His face softened as he chewed his sandwich.

"It's good to see you again, Penelope," he told her softly.

"I missed you, Five," she replied quietly. She popped her knuckles again.

He exhaled slowly. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Leaving you behind."

Penny shook her head. "It's okay."

This time, Five was more incessant. "But it's not. At first, I knew I needed you in the apocalypse."

"At first?"

"I had to move on. You weren't there, and I needed to cope with that."

"Dolores?"

"Dolores."

There was a beat.

He turned and kept climbing the stairs. Penny followed.

Her heart began to pound wildly against her rib cage, the back of her throat suddenly dry as the Mojave.

"Did you mean what you said before you left?" she blurt suddenly. She didn't mean for it to sound so desperate.

Five had reached the final stair. He stepped up to the top level of the manor. His shoulders shuddered slightly.

Penny had never seen him this anxious to answer a question before. She felt her palms grow clammy as he slowly spun on his heel.

"I did. Every single word," he whispered resolutely.

Her heart seemingly stopped beating altogether. Her vision became spotty, hot and cold flashes plaguing her body.

She saw the scene again in a flash, replaying like a movie in her mind.

A preteen Penny sat on Five's bed, swinging her legs back and forth, a book about chimpanzees in her hand.

"Would you cut that out? Your constant movement is extremely vexing," Five told her over his shoulder, a hint of amusement in his voice.

Penny snapped her book shut, tossing it beside her onto the pillow with a quiet SLUMP.

Five's expression was one of interest as he spacial jumped from the chair to the bed next to her.

"You're annoyed with me," he concluded.

"What gave you that impression?" she countered.

Instead of being annoyed back, he smirked. "You never throw books."

"And you're never a civil being. Surprise, surprise."

His brow lowered. "Why are you annoyed?"

Penny snorted. "Are you serious?"

"Do I look to be joking?"

"I told you how I felt – might I add, after months, even years of not expressing those feelings – and you didn't say anything. Nothing at all."

Five sat there for a moment, expressionless, and then smirked again. He tapped her hand in a distinct pattern, as he always did; thumb pressing against palm in rapid motions.

Penny knew that he wasn't being dismissive when he did so, but the meaning behind it puzzled her all the same.

"This is what you did last time," she complained.

His eyes twinkled, blue studying hazel. "I gave my answer last time. I've given my answer many times."

"In what way?"

"You should know."

And that was the phrase that she continually was reminded every waking hour after he disappeared. You should know. No, she didn't feel that she should know. He hadn't replied! He had given no response in the slightest!

DING DING DING!

Grace's voice carried down the stairs, skipping through the air into Five's room. "Children! It's meal time!"

Penny slid off the mattress, letting his hand fall limp. "I don't know what you expect from me, Five."

She turned to leave, and he teleported in front of her in the doorway.

"Focus on the pattern," he told her. "Then you'll have your answer."

And with that, he spacial jumped. Penny figured he had already appeared in the entrance to the dining room, mostly likely lining up behind Klaus and in front of Ben.

She sighed.

The pattern? She thought to herself. What pattern could he be talking about?

It was that night he vanished.

It wasn't until college that Penny cracked the code. She had obsessed over his response for years – focus on the pattern. But what pattern?

She had researched the tides, the moon's phases, even the pattern of the constellations in the sky. And still, nothing. Until one day in a collegiate history class, she got her answer.

Morse code. There was a familiar pattern the professor had them tap out with pencils on their desks.

Dot, dot. Pause. Dot, dash, dot, dot. Dash, dash, dash. Dot, dot, dot, dash. Dot. Pause. Dash, dot, dash, dash. Dash, dash, dash. Dot, dot, dash.

She recognized the pattern immediately. Five.

I love you.

Penny was torn back into reality.

She stormed up until they were at eye level – her a step below the carpeted final floor of the house where he stood.

"I spent years trying to decipher that code," she told him sadly, "only to discover the true meaning too late. Then, I spend years wondering if you meant it. I convinced myself that you didn't. I had moved on. But now…"

"Now I'm back," he finished. "And I'm physically thirteen again, if you hadn't noticed."

Penny scoffed, moving up to stand in front of him on the same ground level. "Yeah, I got that, Five. And I'm twenty-nine. Anything else obvious you'd like to point out?"

He laughed at this. "You really have grown into that sarcasm you showed glimpses of when we were kids, Penny."

"And you've somehow become even more of a dickhead than before."

"Touché. Although, to be clear, my consciousness is fifty-eight. I was an old man before I arrived in this year."

"You've been through a lot," assumed Penny. "I'm sorry for bombarding you with this. I'm sure you've got better things to do than reconnect with a childhood sweetheart."

"On the contrary," he immediately replied. "You're one of the only people that can help me."

"How? Five, I have a doctorate in zoology, not physics or quantum theory."

"The fact that you know what quantum theory is proves you know more than all of our siblings combined. You're just the person I wanted to work with."

"So this is a work thing?"

"Think of it more as an old friend needs some assistance with a fairly catastrophic event. Also possibly an old friend that simply needs to spend time with someone he…very much cared for in his younger years."

Penny's face grew warm again. She considered that it must be inappropriate to still be attracted to a thirteen year old, and a thirteen year old that was supposed to be her adopted sibling at the least.

"Listen, Five…" she began. "I don't know if I can help you."

He was perplexed. "Why ever not?"

"When you left, things got complicated…for me specifically. I had a fairly difficult time letting you go. This is bringing back…this is bringing back a lot of things I thought I'd never feel again. I don't know if it's the best idea if I hang out with the boy I had a crush on as a kid who still looks the same as he did seventeen years ago," she relayed. "If you need anything, you know you can find me, but right now…I have to process this. I've got someone I need to speak with back in San Diego."

Five sighed. Still, he nodded all the same. "I understand."

"But just know that I'm glad to see you alive," she said. "And I'll see you around."

She trudged down a few steps, heading back to the kitchens.

Five's eyes fell slightly, losing some of its signature twinkle. "You should know…"

She glanced over her shoulder. "What?"

He genuinely smiled. "You should know Delores was my manifestation of…you."

Penny smiled back. "I figured when you told us her name. You're not exactly subtle."

"She kept me sane, Penny."

She nodded, and continued back to the kitchens.

And I went insane, she thought.


By the time she entered the kitchens again, the rest of her adopted siblings had gone to change for the memorial. She was satisfied with what she had been wearing before – a brown belt with a black sweater tucked into dark wash jeans and low top black converse. Her coat was black. That worked, right?

The doctor sat listening to the constant hum of refrigerators while she played around with various objects lying about the kitchen. She made them lighter, then heavier. Then lighter. Then heavier again. There were countless times one poor, innocent paper clip changed densities.

Part of her mind was somehow at peace. Five had meant it. He spoke the truth.

But where did that leave them now? She was physically so much older. He was mentally ancient. There was no middle ground other than friendship. While Penny was grateful to even have him around at all, it still was frustrating. She had been so attached to this boy as thirteen year old, and their inseparability got in their father's last nerve.

She was reminded of the numerous occasions when just he and her would sneak out and go to Griddy's Doughnuts. While the siblings usually went as a collective, just a handful of times, Five and Penny had gone as a pair.

While their feelings grew as they did, they were never the two who were all over each other or even affectionate. Luther and Allison were constantly holding hands, or stealing glances. Penny and Five were the opposite – always in an interesting conversation or heated debate. None of them ever saw Penny quite as alive as when she and Five were in the midst of a grand argument. Sometimes he'd take her hand under the table or when they were reading and he'd tap, like he had done so just minutes before he time traveled to the future. He would even do so on the covers of books as he sat next to her. During training when they sat on the same bench. At night, when they'd rap on the wall to say goodnight.

She reminisced for a short time, sitting with her feet up on the table, allowing the nostalgia to flow through her.

Unfortunately, the river of thoughts was dammed by Allison, who had been sent to fetch her. It was time.

Penny somberly slung on her black coat and picked up an umbrella from Pogo on her way out to the courtyard. She hadn't realized how many dark clouds had rolled in after Five's emersion from the blue time-energy mass.

She stood beside Vanya, eyebrows drawn low. She met the eyes of no other sibling – especially Five.

The rain came down in sheets, soaking Luther, who held the intricately decorated urn full of Sir Reginald Hargreeves' ashes.

"Did something happen?" Grace wondered dreamily.

Penny's brow dipped lower. Something was wrong with Mom.

"Dad died," Allison said. "Remember?"

The robot's face fell. "Oh. Yes, of course."

"Is Mom okay?" their sister asked Diego.

"Yeah, yeah, she's fine. She just needs to rest, you know, recharge."

Pogo hobbled out under an umbrella, cane in hand. He looked at Luther sadly. "Whenever you're ready, dear boy."

Luther nodded once, then uncapped the urn and tipped its contents out onto the wet earth.

Penny frowned. Shouldn't there be…more ashes than that? She glanced across the semicircle to see Klaus grimacing. She wondered what he had done.

Luther didn't know what to do with himself. "Probably would have been better with some wind."

"Does anyone wish to speak?" asked the old chimpanzee kindly.

Silence.

"Very well. 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…" Penny's hand went to his shoulder. "…and my friend, and I shall miss him very much. He leaves behind a complicated legacy –,"

"He was a monster," spit Diego.

Klaus laughed at the most inconvenient time.

Five and Penny shared an exasperated look, one they did most often as kids. She quickly averted her eyes as soon as she had realized the action.

"He was a bad person and a worse father. The world's better off without him."

"Diego!" Allison scolded.

"My name is Number Two. You know why? Because our father couldn't be bothered to give us actual names."

"Would you just shut up and listen to yourself for one moment?" Penny burst. She had had enough. Her voice dropped, as it usually did when she got angry. "Yeah, I wasn't the biggest fan of him either, but have some respect for Pogo's feelings right now, even if you have no respect for Dad."

Diego stared bullets at his sister for a moment, then slowly trod over and shoved a finger into her shoulder. She met his gaze, glaring right back.

"Number Eight," he retorted. "That's what he called you. Perfect. Little. Number. Eight."

His finger met her shoulder with each word, emphasizing his point.

Penny's breathing increased. She clenched her fists so tightly, all her knuckles popped on their own.

"I wasn't perfect," she bit back through clenched teeth.

"Oh yeah?" shouted Diego furiously. "Then why did he always compare me to you? Huh? 'Oh, Number Eight can run that mile faster than you.' 'Number Eight did this with no trouble the other day!' 'And, Number Eight has mastered her powers much faster than you have, Number Two!' Living in your shadow was TORTURE!"

Tears stung her eyes as Diego screeched in her face.

He backed up, arms open, spread wide as if embracing the rain. "And here you are with your fancy little doctorate – in the one thing you knew Pogo would love. Again, you were the favorite. You were just perfect, weren't you? Is there anything you can't do, Number Eight?"

"He was my father, too," she replied wearily after a moment. Her voice shook. "You don't think I was subject to his experimentation, to his insults? His abuse?"

"In my opinion, you had it easiest," Diego challenged.

None of the other Hargreeves siblings had any idea what to do. This funeral had gone off the deep end. Pogo, usually the mediator, was at a loss for words. Even Five didn't have a clever remark or an insult to hurl Diego's way.

X

Penny was at a breaking point.

She slammed the open umbrella into the ground, letting the rain soak her clothes, marched over, and pulled up both sleeves of her jacket. She was determined to let Diego know exactly what she had to deal with.

Diego's eyes suddenly went wide.

Her skin was littered with scars – straight lined, thin, evenly placed scars. They ran in neat rows from her wrist to the inside of her elbows on both arms. Just looking at them made her sick. Even the umbrella from the tattoo their father forced them to etch into their bodies had several small, fleshy lines across the top.

The rest of the family was horrified. The only person that wasn't surprised was Allison.

X

She shoved her wet sweater sleeves back down to their rightful place.

Penny spoke almost inaudibly, voice cracking. "This is the result of having to be perfect all the time, Diego. News flash – none of us had it easy."

She watched as the wheels in her brother's head began to spin. The rain dripped down off his nose in a steady stream.

"I-I didn't know…" he stammered.

"And I didn't plan on letting you know," she told him, voice almost completely gone. "You choose your ego-centric, asshole persona, Diego. You have the choice to make your life better. Living in the bitterness you experienced during our messed up childhood won't help you move on. I had to learn that on my own. It doesn't sound like you've come to that understanding yet. But know this –," She backed away, towards the double doors of the manor, voice growing stronger, "— I worked hard to be where I am today, to have the title I do. You don't get to tell me I only earned it because I wanted to please a male authority figure. I am my own person – a woman…a woman who is a hell of a lot smarter than you."

And with that, she marched into the manor.

To her surprise, it was Klaus that found her upstairs in the gallery in Mom's favorite spot.

"That was the best funeral ever," he said giddily, plopping down next to her.

Penny shook her head. "Like the show I put on? Wait till you see the matinee tomorrow…"

"No, no," Klaus replied grimly. "No, that was sad. Your little outburst was the only sad thing about that funeral. Now Diego and Luther fighting…that was the real show!"

"Let me guess, they were both being dicks."

"Hey, how did you know? It's like we all grew up together or something."

Penny sighed deeply and didn't respond, instead skimming over the paintings on the wall.

"Five was looking for you," Klaus told her. "You two didn't go off to you know…hide the zucchini earlier, did you?"

Penny scowled. "Klaus, that's disgusting. He's thirteen."

He shrugged. "What? It was an honest question."

"No, we just talked."

"About your undying love from when we were just widdle childwen?" His baby voice won over some humor.

She chuckled lightly. "Yes, that."

"And the consensus?"

"Friends. Trust."

"That's it? I was hoping for something a bit more scandalous, Doctor."

"Klaus, that's all behind us."

"Oh, well," he huffed. "Remember how I said we were going to get snack earlier? Well now I want one."

"And you want me to make you one."

"Well, look at that! You are a hell of a lot smarter than Diego."

Penny rolled her eyes good-naturedly and patted her strange brother's hand. "All right. Let's go the kitchens then. What do you want?"

She listened as Klaus rambled about various types of sandwiches, then brisket, and then waffles. He had finally decided on microwaved dinosaur chicken nuggets by the time the two had arrived at the kitchens.

Five was already present, digging around the various shelves.

Klaus spotted his old electric guitar on the sofa, and squealed in delight. "Ooh, it's been about eleven years since I strummed the old G-string." He laughed heartily at his own joke. "Oh my god, get it? Like the underwear?"

Penny forced a light chuckle as she scooted around Five to get to the freezer.

"Making another sandwich?" she wondered as she hunted for anything edible in the frozen wasteland of their fridge.

"I'm a growing boy," he countered wittily, smirking.

She grinned back. "Yeah. Again."

He suddenly sighed. "Don't remind me. Puberty. Twice!" He slammed the loaf of bread on the table, scaring Klaus, who was cuddling the instrument in the head seat.

"I wasn't bread-y for that," giggled Klaus.

"You haven't changed at all," Five deadpanned, snatching up the peanut butter and marshmallows.

"Hey, that's not true," argued Klaus. "Mom isn't making me a snack now, Penny is. See, I'm a real adult."

Penny groaned, leaning against the appliance. "Klaus, we don't have the dinosaur chicken nuggets."

Five rooted through the shelves some more, obviously looking for something specific.

"Need me to reach something on a higher shelf?" teased Penny.

Five rolled his eyes at her. "No."

Allison entered, still in her memorial clothes. "Where's Vanya?"

"Oh, she's gone," Klaus replied, clinging dearly to the guitar.

"That's unfortunate," Five chimed in, grasping an empty container.

"Yeah," nodded Allison.

"I meant to say goodbye," Penny said, crossing her arms.

Five huffed. "An entire square block. Forty-two bedrooms, nineteen bathrooms, but no, not a single drop of coffee."

Allison scoffed. "Dad hated caffeine."

"Well, he hated children too, but he had plenty of us," laughed Klaus.

Penny's nose scrunched. "Did you somehow ingest even more drugs before you came to get me?"

Klaus smiled mischievously. "Maybe…?"

"I'm taking the car," Five announced decidedly.

Klaus and Penny shared a curious look.

"Where are you going?"

Irritation was ever-present in Five's tone as he turned to scowl at his brother. "To get a decent cup of coffee."

"Do you even know how to drive?" Allison asked doubtfully.

He shoved his hands into his Academy issued short pockets. "I know how to do everything."

And with that, he teleported.

"I want coffee," muttered Penny.

Suddenly, just an arm appeared, latched onto Penny's wrist, and pulled her into a portal.

Before she knew it, she was sitting in the passenger seat of her father's old car. Her stomach churned familiarly, her sinuses pounding for no more than a few seconds.

Five's face stared back at her from behind the wheel. He had spacial jumped her with him. It wouldn't have been the first time.

"We need to talk," he said simply, turning the ignition. "And you know what it's about."

Penny nodded, buckling her seatbelt.

As Five drove, they talked.

"Your arms," he began, expressionless.

"You mean the scars," she corrected blandly.

"It started when I left."

"Yes. Dad was putting a lot of pressure on me to take your place. To be the smartest, the one that had the solutions to problems. But I wasn't you."

"Dad was an asshole."

"I was thirteen, Five. I didn't know how to deal with all that pressure and the expectations to be perfect in everything I did. I began to not feel anything, to be numb. I wanted to feel something."

"And that's what you resorted to?"

"I'm not looking to be judged."

"I'm not judging you."

"Your tone suggests otherwise."

"I'm not trying to sound like an old geezer, even though I am one. I'm just trying to understand."

"You won't be able to."

He was quiet for a moment. "I know."

"Then why ask?"

"I was gone for forty-five years. Most of that was surviving the aftermath of the apocalypse. My thoughts sometimes took on a mind of their own. I worried – only about you though."

"I can take care of myself."

"Yes, I'm well aware. I was worried because…"

"Because?"

"Do I need to spell it out for you, Sherlock?"

"I get it. Continue."

"I knew Dad was going to target someone else, and my theory was correct. He chose you."

"Lucky me."

There was a beat.

"I'm sorry. This is why I wanted to take you with me. My equations were off, though, so coming back to this timeline was already complicated enough with just one human. I don't know what would have happened if there had been another. If you had been stuck with me, then I don't know if you would have made it through the time portal."

He skillfully turned into the parking lot of Griddy's Doughnuts and perfectly executed a well-aligned parking job.

"You did that very well."

"Must I remind you – I'm fifty eight. I've done my fair share of parking."

"You sound like Pogo on laundry day."

"Well, he's also old, so your observation is correct."

Penny couldn't help but smile as they exited the car. It reminded her of old times.

Five hurried inside, not bothering to hold the door open for her as he entered. A nice man did so instead, who Penny thanked with a bright smile.

She took an open seat next to Five who rang the bell on the counter irritably.

"Does Agnes still work here?" she wondered.

Five shrugged. "I just need coffee. Where is the old bat?"

"Probably in the bathroom."

"She needs to pee faster, then."

A man entered the dimly lit doughnut shop and sat down on the other side of Five, who sighed loudly.

Penny cleared her throat awkwardly. "I'm…I'm going to use the facilities. Will you get me a coffee?"

"Black with just sugar, no cream. Got it," Five nodded, staring around the restaurant distractedly.

A smile played around her lips as she made her way to the restrooms. He remembered the way she liked her coffee even after forty-five years of being gone.

When she returned, the waitress, who she remembered to be Agnes, was setting mugs down in front of Five, and some sort of pastry in front of the man next to them.

"Oh, you must be the mother," said the man, as if he knew.

Penny's eyebrows shot up as she took her seat. "Um, no actually. I'm his…sister."

Agnes laughed. "Dear me, I thought he was your son!" She gestured to the man beside Five with her pencil. "I apologize, ma'am."

Penny smiled back politely. "You're alright. Thanks for looking after my little brother."

She patted his shoulder jokingly. The look Five sent her was one of death, so she quickly removed her hand.

Agnes chuckled again before going into the back kitchen.

Penny sighed as she took a sip of her coffee. "We didn't pay."

"I covered for ya," said the man, waving his pastry in the air.

"Thank you very much," she replied kindly. "We appreciate it greatly."

"You must know your way around the city," Five butted in.

Penny frowned, then realized the man's jacket read Ishmael's Towing 24 Hour Service.

"I hope so. I've been driving it for 20 years," answered the man.

"Good. I need an address."

The man's eyes flickered skeptically to the silent Penny, who was contentedly sipping her coffee while observing their conversation.

"Couldn't your sister tell you?"

"She's not from around here," Five told him before she could reply.

"Okay then. What place you looking for?"

"The department store."

"Which one?"

"Whatever one is closest."

While the tow truck driver scribbled the address on the partially used napkin, Penny stared around at the small restaurant.

There was a specific booth the Hargreeves siblings overtook on their special sneak-outs. It sat comfortably in the back corner of the doughnut shop with a beige table and vinyl orange benches. Penny recalled getting smushed between Five and Ben, a giant maple bar and a mug of the finest milk she'd ever had settled in front of her. Her face burned when she thought of Five's tapped morse code, which he seemed to do more consistently than ever on their very last adventure there.

The last time Five and Penny had been to Griddy's was seventeen years ago, merely nights before his unfortunate time traveling mishap. Five had been less inclined to coffee back then, settling for milk and a chocolate frosted, while Penny got her usual maple and milk. They had been in the midst of a quite advanced conversation about the intricacies of the Spartan phalanx formation when Five had suggested they sneak out for treats, just the pair of them.

While Penny was quite smitten with Five back then, she hadn't realized how fond of her Five had actually grown. Even when his consciousness age matched his physical body, he had never been someone to express emotions other than irritation, hunger, and sarcasm – and yes, for Five, sarcasm and hunger were an emotion. It was then that his tapping of the Morse code message became quite consistent. Penny questioned the tapping for several days before their last conversation before dinner. Five wouldn't admit it, but it was when she was arguing about the weapons of the Spartans that he found himself taken with her.

Of course, that had all changed. Penny was almost thirty years old, as Five should have been. Neither knew exactly what to feel in fear of making something inappropriate or uncomfortable. They'd settled for friends, but Penny wasn't sure how long that was going to last for her. Five's personality was still one she liked to be around, no matter how negative or overly rational he was. He had only settled more into his ways, and she liked that. But she knew nothing could come of it.

"Why did you need the address of a department store?" she wondered as the tow truck man walked out of the doughnut shop.

Five tucked the napkin away in his pocket. "There's a friend waiting for me there. I can't do this without her."

"Dolores?" she asked hesitantly.

Five sighed. "If you must ask, yes. You'll like her, I promise."

Penny chose not to respond, as she was unsure of how to. She took another sip of her coffee.

"I brought you here for a reason," he told her.

"You didn't just want some sane company?" she said.

"I did, but there's more to it. You're one of the only ones I can trust with this information."

"I'm listening."

Suddenly, the shop bell rang, indicating customers entering the store.

But Five stiffened. He hissed at Penny, "this is going to get messy. You'll have to kill if necessary."

Penny's back straightened. While she hated the idea of using her powers again for harmful purposes, she trusted Five's judgment of situations.

Her gaze fell upon the reflection in the bell on the countertop. Men wearing all black surrounded them. She heard the click of a round entering the chamber. They were armed.

She took a tighter grip on her mug, still partially filled with hot coffee. It glowed red.

"Hmm. That was fast," Five commented nonchalantly.

Penny followed his lead, carefully taking another sip of her drink while not looking back. She was calm, cool, and collected on the outside, but a bundle of nerves inside.

"Thought I'd have more time before they found me."

"Okay," the man behind them whispered warningly, "So let's all be professional about this, yeah? On your feet and come with us. They want to talk."

She had so many questions. What had Five gotten himself into during the apocalypse?

A familiar warm feeling settled over both her hands, one that held the mug and one on a fork. She felt the warmth leave her body through her fingertips, embedded itself into the objects she grasped tightly.

"I've got nothing to say."

"It doesn't have to go this way. Come with us willingly and we'll spare her. You think I want to shoot a kid? Or a random innocent? Go home with that on my conscience?"

The man's voice got breathier, as if he was anxious of the chaos that was about to erupt.

"Well, I wouldn't worry about that for two reasons. One, this isn't a random innocent. This is Doctor Penny Hargreeves. She's a renowned expert and leader in the field of chimpanzee zoology. She will go home unscathed. And secondly," Five finally faced the man behind them and smiled suspiciously, "it's you that won't be going home."

Five's fingers carefully inched towards a butter knife. He whispered at Penny. "Eight o' clock and ten o' clock."

Then it happened.

Five disappeared from his spot, teleporting directly behind the man with the gun.

Penny instantly spun around in her seat, throwing the very weighted objects in the directions that Five had told her just moments before. The mug full of hot coffee and simple fork, now weighing upwards of a thousand pounds each, hit their victims square in the chest. The two people in black went down in seconds, gasping underneath broken rib cages.

The next three that were still up were tracking Five, who had appeared on a table calling out, "hey, assholes!" And then spacial jumping again, which just after, two of the men turned to shoot at where they thought Five would be.

One of them took on Penny, which he realized was a grave mistake.

Penny grabbed his gun, making it glow blue, which, thankfully the man couldn't see.

The man attempted to swing it at her, just to find that his balance was completely off – his weapon was no more than five pounds at the most!

She launched into several attacks, the first being an elbow to the nose, then a knee to the groin, and, for the grand finale, making him glow a brilliant red, and tossed him across the room like he weighed nothing.

The man crashed through the floor, tumbling down, down, down into the depths of the dirt below the shop.

She rushed over to another, who had seen Five teleport to the door, and had fired off several rounds of shots right through the glass.

She grabbed him by the neck, swinging him down and around. It was just hard enough where she knew it wouldn't kill him.

Five fought off two at once, and Penny saw one more by the counter. She promptly grabbed a grubby plate off one table, made it glow red, and chucked it as hard as she could at his head, which promptly was thrown back, bloody.

The last man had abandoned all hope of defeating Five and charged her way.

Before she could register what was happening, he punched her across the face. Her cheek throbbed as he whole body hit the tile, aching on impact.

With a sharp POP, Five appeared and strangled the man with his tie.

Penny sighed as she stood among the wreckage. The lights flickered, utensils scattered throughout, and tables were overturned. Small puddles of crimson pooled beneath most of the men.

"You know, the fact that this almost doesn't bother me is concerning," she announced, breathing deeply. She rubbed her cheekbone where the man's fist had connected with her face. She felt anxiety building in her chest.

"This was my life," grumped Five, panting slightly.

A groan sounded from the other side of the shop. Five stumbled along towards him.

Penny adjusted her coat, re-tucking in her sweater. "You don't need to kill him." Her voice was a little shaky.

"Actually, I do," Five said lazily, snapping the man's neck.

She shook her head, gulping. "This makes us seem like sociopaths." She gestured to the situation at hand. "Poor Agnes is going to have to clean this up by herself!"

"Would you can it with your consideration of others for a moment, please?" he grumbled, snatching up a small device from the floor. "Ugh, no wonder."

She frowned as he slumped into a bar stool, knife raised over his forearm. "What are you…"

It was when he cut in that she gasped. "Holy shit, Five..."

She had no idea what to do as he dug around in his own flesh, finally pulling out small, blinking device.

"A tracker," she assumed.

"Yep, a pesky one," he replied, arm gushing blood.

Penny hurried over, shoving several spare napkins onto the cut. He sighed once more.

"Penelope, I'll be fine." He only called her Penelope when he was annoyed. "Come on, we need to go before someone else comes to collect."

She huffed, surveying the scene they had created. "Fine, but you're telling me absolutely everything when we find a safe place."

Five nodded. "Deal. Let's go."

Penny carefully skidded around the bodies on the ground, following Five out the door and through the parking lot.

It wasn't until they reached an alley was she able to catch her breath. She leaned up against the brick wall, breathing heavily, and thinking about the repercussions of their prior actions. More anxiety. More thoughts about how she could have executed all those moves more fluidly if she had warmed up beforehand - both her body and her powers.

"You haven't done that in a long time," Five commented thoughtfully.

Penny huffed. "That obvious, huh?"

He smirked. "I don't blame your reaction. You've spent many years of your life caring for other creatures, not harming them."

She nodded, heart pounding. She doubled over, stomach swirling unpleasantly. "Give me one second, Five. This is…this is so different than before."

"You're thinking of the implications. We didn't do that as kids," he told her.

She felt her breathing slow. "You're right. We didn't even consider the implications."

He leaned against the wall next to her, their shoulders barely touching. "Listen, Penny…what we did was nothing in comparison with what's about to come. They were small blips on a never-ending timeline of doom."

"You've said that several times now, and I'm too curious to wait, so tell me now. I can at least process two things at once – the doughnut shop and then…whatever this is."

Penny was used to Five's strange statements and schemes. This was a norm for them.

Five stared back at her, face solemn. His voice dropped.

"The world is going to end in eight days, and we have to stop it."


Well, honestly, I've rewritten that doughnut shop scene several times, and I am never satisfied with it. Oh well, I like the rest of the chapter, so that counts, right?

Hope you all enjoyed this second chapter of Bright Young Sun. Also I am FLOORED by the amount of follows and favorites on this story so far. I really wanted to do this show justice, as I think it's so well written.

Let me know your impressions of Penny so far! I feel like sometimes, as the author, it's hard to tell how an OC is fitting in.

Thank you all so much for the support! I'll try to have more chapters out soon, but I can't promise anything. I'm about to start a very intense, consuming full time job, so I won't have a ton of time to write.